Dog IBS Symptoms

by Anonymous Reader

I have an 11 yr westie who has always had a sensitive tummy. Frequently throwing up, and most recently severe bloating and diarrhea if her diet is not just right.

She has been treated with all the typical antibiotics and recently steroids which really made a difference! Now that her course of steroids has been done she has had two recent, episodes of setbacks throwing up... and today severe watery diarrhea( no blood)

Should I ask the vet for a permanent low dose of steroids? (Gees she was like a puppy on those things!) I have also read that giardia cn be mis-diagnosed as IBS? Is this true? She had both coxcidia and giardia as a puppy and we had a devil of a time ridding her of them.

Could this have been an underlying problem all along? One vet recommends a course of worming to get rid of the giardia...ever heard of that? I just want her to feel better!

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! She has had blood work as well to rule out any other kidney,pancreas , liver problems.

Thanks for ANY help!

Editor Suggestions Dog IBS Symptoms

Hi,

It certainly sounds like canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) is the most likely diagnosis based on your dog’s symptoms and her response to the steroids. Another possibility is a type of cancer called lymphosarcoma, which also at least temporarily responds to steroids.

I’d bet that the only way you will be able to get a definitive diagnosis is through tissue biopsies taken from within the gastrointestinal tract. This can be done either via an endoscope or through surgery. Both approaches have their pluses and minuses.

If you are interested in pursuing this, your vet can help you determine which approach is best for your dog.

Putting your dog on long term steroid treatment or any of the other immunosuppressing drugs we typically use with canine IBS without biopsies is not ideal, but your vet might be willing to consider it if he or she is relatively confident in the diagnosis.

You are right; Giardia in dogs can be hard to diagnose. I suspect it is not to blame here, but it certainly isn’t impossible. Canine Giardia can sometimes be seen on a regular fecal flotation or smear, but there is a more sensitive immunological test that can be performed on a sample of feces. It wouldn’t do any harm to simply treat for Giardia either. A dewormer called fenbendazole is often used. This is probably what your vet what referring to.

Good luck whichever route you chose to pursue.

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM