Digestion is one of the most important bodily processes, and it is best if all goes smoothly with digestion for your dog. That’s not always going to be the case, and there are many possible digestive issues with dogs. Many of them will be more problematic than an upset stomach, with the causes not being as simple as a food allergy or food poisoning. These canine gastrointestinal disorders can include acute dog gastroenteritis, colitis (colon inflammation), intestinal blockages, and pancreatitis.

Gastrointestinal Disorders in Cats

Simpler but still problematic conditions like gastritis and chronic constipation can qualify as gastrointestinal disorders in dogs or cats too. For cats, owners need to be concerned about the possibility of feline enteric coronavirus. It is a highly contagious viral infection that will cause havoc for a cat’s digestive system and promote intense vomiting and diarrhea. Hairballs are another one that’s very common and exclusive to cats, as dogs don’t get hairballs. Chronic enteropathy is another example of gastrointestinal disorders in cats.

Gastrointestinal Disorders Symptoms

Dogs or cats with stomach or digestive ailments will usually show very clear symptoms. They will vary based on the type of disorder or condition, but gastrointestinal disorders symptoms you may see with your pet can include:

   
• Diarrhea
   
• Excessive drooling
   
• Constipation
   
• Vomiting
   
• Regurgitation
   
• Abdominal pain and bloating
   
• Appetite loss
   
• Straining to defecate
   
• Dehydration
 

What Causes Gastrointestinal Disorders?

If it is an infectious disease, then it is often a parasite that is behind what causes gastrointestinal disorders, and parasites can enter the stomach and digestive tract quite easily if the animal ingests them with the food they are eating. This is what will happen with a tapeworm infection in dogs or cats, and there are many other possible parasitic gastrointestinal infections in cats.

For non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases in pets, they are usually the result of overeating, poor diet, chemical exposure, injury to the digestive system, or complications related to gastric ulcers in dogs or cats. Adrenal gland disease can also lead to them developing a gastrointestinal disorder.