Stomach pain in dogs: Possible causes
Unlike us humans, your dog can't tell you when it has stomach pain. So you can only recognize it by certain symptoms that range from →loss of appetite to apathy and even →vomiting. The causes are varied and a diagnosis is not always easy. How you can tell your dog has stomach pain, how it is diagnosed and what the treatment at the vet clinic looks like, you can find out here.
Possible causes
Food and food allergies
In many cases, stomach pain in dogs can be traced back to the food. With a food allergy there is not only severe →itching but also stomach pain and vomiting. An allergy is usually to the protein source used in the food, such as beef or chicken. But allergies to carbohydrate sources such as potatoes and rice are also possible.
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Poisoning
Things get serious if your four-legged friend has eaten a →food toxic to dogs or even a →poison bait. Here, not only is quick action required, but also a watchful eye. Especially food-motivated dog breeds like →Labrador or →Beagle rarely say no to snacks lying around and also see the fruit bowl with grapes as their personal bowl. Of course, our four-legged friends don't know that such snacks can be toxic and life-threatening. Poisoning leads within a short time to trembling, vomiting, dizziness, and also severe stomach pain. Most of the time, your dog will lie on the floor and have no strength to get up alone. An immediate visit to the vet is absolutely necessary here.
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Gastrointestinal infections
Usually, stomach pain is due to infections of the gastrointestinal tract . Just like us, our furry friends occasionally catch something that really upsets their stomach. The infections usually last only a few days, and after your dog's immune system recovers the stomach rumbling disappears too.
Diseases
Unfortunately, diseases such as cancer with tumors don't spare our dogs either. In rare cases, your dog's stomach pain may be due to a serious illness, which is diagnosed through a comprehensive examination. Besides tumors, this could also be gastritis, where the stomach lining of your dog becomes inflamed and causes severe stomach pain. Regeneration takes some time, and with stomach diseases stomach pain usually lasts for several days to weeks, until the treatment takes effect.
From mild infections to serious illnesses, the causes of abdominal pain in dogs can be varied.
Pancreatitis
The →pancreatitis in dogs is a serious illness, which often requires inpatient treatment at the clinic. With pancreatitis, the exocrine part of the pancreas, that is, the part that produces the digestive enzymes, is inflamed. There is an acute and a chronic form of pancreatitis. Unlike the acute form, the chronic inflammation develops slowly. Obesity, infections, and poisoning are possible reasons for pancreatitis and cause stomach pain in your dog.
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Flatulence
If gases accumulate excessively in the digestive tract, this causes flatulence and sometimes stomach pain. This is usually not dangerous, but very unpleasant for your dog. In short: Your furry friend will pass gas more often than usual. If this doesn't improve after a few days and fever is added, it may indicate a intestinal inflammation and a quick visit to the clinic is necessary.
Gastric torsion
Especially for large dogs, it is often advised to keep calm after feeding and wait until the meal has been digested. For good reason, because with gastric torsion nerves and blood vessels can be pinched off, which is very painful. Dogs then suffer from severe pain and often try to vomit. Here every minute counts and prompt surgery is required.
So far, the cause of the painful and life-threatening gastric torsion has not been fully clarified. However, stress and a lot of exercise directly after eating are suspected.
Foreign bodies
Just like with vacuum cleaners on four paws when it comes to food lying around, it can also happen with toys or other objects. If your dog plays exuberantly or is known to chew on everything first, it can lead to swallowing objects . Unlike food, objects retain their shape in the stomach and can cause severe stomach pain. Especially sharp objects can, in addition to pain, also cause serious internal injuries or intestinal blockage, which is why an emergency appointment at the vet is also a must here.
Toys that are too small, razor blades used as poison bait, or other objects can be swallowed by dogs, cause stomach pain, and become dangerous.
Constipation or intestinal blockage
With →constipation your four-legged friend cannot relieve himself. Food with too little fiber or too little liquid doesn't make the stool soft enough, so it moves through the intestines only slowly or not at all. If everything comes to a standstill, it's called an intestinal blockage. The intestinal blockage is the complete blockage of the intestines. It's obvious that this causes severe pain. Cramping stomach pain can indicate an intestinal blockage, where besides constipation from diet a swallowed object can also be the cause.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Stomach pain in dogs is expressed by the following symptoms:
Whining and whimpering
Restlessness
Withdrawal
Discomfort
Lethargy
Apathy
Licking the lips
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Body positions like 'downward dog'
To find out what type of stomach pain your dog is suffering from and what the exact cause is, vets can perform various tests. Sometimes palpation is enough, in some cases diagnoses can be made through blood tests, x-rays, or allergy tests . For a food allergy the diagnosis ranges from a blood test to an elimination diet to find the cause. For specific diseases, more intensive examinations are necessary.
Treatment and therapy
Depending on the severity of the stomach pain and causes, vets will initiate the necessary measures. While therapy for food allergies consists of an elimination diet and subsequent food change, in acute emergencies such as pancreatitis, intestinal blockage, and gastric torsion a prompt surgery is necessary.
As part of treatment, veterinarians have a wide range of options for diagnosing and treating dogs with abdominal pain.
Swallowing foreign bodies and intestinal blockage also require quick action. Infections or mild inflammations are treated with appropriate medication and usually improve quickly. If your dog has been poisoned, it all depends on the amount ingested. Half a grape may cause stomach pain for your dog, but is not as life-threatening as eating a poison bait or a →whole avocado pit.
It's important that in cases of poisoning or swallowing objects you have precise information ready to speed up the work at the vet. Under no circumstances should you induce vomiting yourself or try to help with medication from your home medicine cabinet. Very few human medicines can also be used for dogs, and you could do more harm than good. While →certain healing herbs can help, they should never be given without consulting a vet first. Persistent stomach pain should always be handled by professionals.
To prevent stomach pain you can support your dog with →healthy nutrition and ideally always make sure that he has no access to toxic foods. Diseases can only be influenced to a limited extent, so it's worth it to create the healthiest living conditions possible through →food, →plenty of exercise and a stress-free environment. Our tip: Check out our →digestive-friendly food – for a happy tummy and a relaxed time together.
