Abdominal pain is one of the most frequently repeated reasons for consultation in the small animal clinic. Generally, in dogs, abdominal pain is manifested by tremor, howling, whimpering, depression, immobility or antalgic postures. The origin of the problem can be found in any of the organs present in the abdomen. For this reason, in these animals it is necessary to make a precise diagnosis that allows knowing the cause that triggers the pain, in order to establish a specific treatment.
If you're wondering why my dog's tummy hurts and he's shaking, we recommend you check out the following article on our site in which we talk about the main causes and what to do in each case.
Gastric dilatation/torsion
Gastric dilatation/torsion is a pathology in which the stomach of dogs suffers abnormal distension as a result of the accumulation of gas and liquidThis dilation is followed by a rotation or torsion of the organ, which alters its usual anatomical position. Generally, these patients present:
- A very distended abdomen
- A severe cramping pain
- Very nervous
Usually, it is a disease that affects large and giant breed dogs. However, there are smaller breeds that are especially predisposed to suffer from this pathology, such as the basset hound or the shar pei.
Although the precise cause that triggers this disease is not known, there are certain predisposing factors that have been related to its appearance:
- Aerophagia: occurs in dogs with dyspnea (breathing difficulty) or in very nervous dogs that swallow air. It is one of the most determining factors of this disease.
- Rapid eating of a large amount of food.
- Fast previous extended.
- Eating in an elevated bowl: Dogs with megaesophagus, which are recommended to eat in a standing position, are more prone to develop gastric dilatation/torsion
- Stress: especially when several dogs live together and there is a competition for food between them. We leave you this article from our site with 10 signs of stress in dogs.
- Exercise: Although practicing exercise before or after meals has traditionally been associated with the onset of this disease, recent studies call this question into question.
In any case, we must know that it is a potentially fatal illness of rapid progression,that requires the immediate veterinary attention of the animal. When the rotation of the organ takes place, necrosis of the stomach and the rest of the organs that twist with it begins to occur. Consequently, it produces:
- Hypovolemic shock: due to vascular compromise.
- Endotoxic shock: due to tissue necrosis.
- Septic shock: if the stomach is perforated, which can have fatal consequences for the animal if not treated in time.
Treatment of gastric dilatation/torsion in dogs
Gastric dilatation/torsion is a veterinary emergency that requires immediate medical attention. The steps to follow are as follows:
- Stabilize the patient: sedation, analgesia, fluid therapy, antibiotic therapy and oxygen therapy should be administered.
- Decompress the stomach: once the patient is stabilized, the stomach should be decompressed by performing an orogastric tube to evacuate the air.
- Surgery: When decompression of the stomach is not possible due to gastric torsion, it will be necessary to perform emergency surgery to detorque the stomach and fix it to the abdominal wall (gastropexy). When the stomach is decompressed by catheterization, it will also be necessary to schedule surgery to fix the organ to the abdominal wall (gastropexy) and thus prevent the reappearance of the pathology.
If you want to know more about gastric torsion in dogs: symptoms and treatment, don't hesitate to take a look at this article that we recommend.
Antral chronic gastritis
In general, any gastroenteritis can give rise to abdominal pain in dogs. However, there is a pathology in which it is especially common for very intense pain to appear, which appear in the form of attacks It is thechronic antral gastritis , an inflammation at the level of the "pyloric antrum" of the stomach, which occurs secondary to duodenitis (inflammation of the duodenum).
It usually presents with bilious vomiting on an empty stomach (generally in the morning), and in some cases chronic diarrhea with weight loss can occur. In these patients, it is characteristic to observe an antalgic posture called “praying position”, which animals adopt to relieve abdominal pain. In addition, when the pain is very intense, abdominal pain attacks may appear which, due to their severity, can be confused with epileptic seizures.
Treatment of chronic antral gastritis in dogs
The treatment of chronic antral gastritis in dogs is based on two pillars:
- Dietary treatment: a diet low in fat and low in fiber should be provided, in order to accelerate gastric emptying.
- Medical treatment: on the one hand, gastritis should be treated with antisecretory agents, prokinetics and protectors of the gastric mucosa. In addition, as it is a secondary process to duodenitis, it is necessary to establish a specific treatment against the cause that originates the duodenitis.
Gastric ulcers
Gastric ulcers are lesions that occur on the lining of the stomachas a result of multiple factors (foreign bodies, anti-inflammatory drugs, kidney failure, etc.). These lesions may be superficial (erosions) or may affect the entire gastric wall, causing perforation of the stomach.
These patients, in addition to abdominal pain, usually present:
- Weakness.
- Anorexy.
- Vomiting with or without digested blood.
- Presence of digested blood in the stool (dark stool).
Treatment of gastric ulcers in dogs
The treatment of gastric ulcers should be based on two points:
- Dietary treatment: a moist or semi-moist diet, low in fat and fiber, should be administered.
- Medical treatment: Mucosal protectors (such as sucralfate) and gastric antisecretory agents (such as famotidine) should be administered in order to protect the gastric mucosa from the acid secretions of the stomach.
To have much more information about a gastric ulcer in dogs: symptoms and treatment, you can read this article that we recommend.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD
IBD is a chronic inflammatory process that can affect the small or large intestine In both types of IBD, the sign The predominant clinical picture is diarrhea It is an idiopathic pathology (that is, of unknown origin), although it seems to have an immunological, allergic, dietary or even parasitic basis.
In the specific case of IBD of the small intestine, episodes of abdominal pain appearing in the form of attacks are relatively common. When severe, these episodes can be mistaken for epileptic seizures (as occurred in antral gastritis).
Treatment of IBD in Dogs
The treatment of IBD in dogs is based on two fundamental pillars:
- Dietary Treatment: A low-fiber, low-fat diet should be given, with a ratio of omega-3 to omega-3 fatty acids. 6 of 1:5 or 1:10. In addition, in cases of IBD of the small intestine, it is recommended to provide a diet with hydrolyzed proteins.
- Pharmacological treatment: consists of the administration of immunosuppressive drugs, alone or in combination, such as metronidazole, prednisone, cyclosporine and azathioprine.
You can find more complete information in this article on our site about Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Dogs: Symptoms and Treatment.
Intestinal obstruction
Most intestinal obstructions occur at the level of the small intestine, since it is smaller in diameter than the large intestine. The causes that can produce a picture of intestinal obstruction are:
- Foreign bodies: Specifically, those that are able to pass through the stomach, but are trapped when they reach the small intestine.
- Neoplasms or granulomas in the intestinal wall: Depending on their size, they can cause total or partial obstruction.
- Intussusception or intestinal invagination: consists of the entry of a segment of intestine into the lumen of the immediately posterior segment (as if it were of a sock that folds up on itself).
- Incarceration and strangulation due to hernias: When loops of intestine protrude through a hernia, they can become blocked and imprisoned in such a way that an intestinal obstruction occurs and the blood supply to the intestine is interrupted.
- Mesenteric volvulus: the mesentery is a fibrous network that is responsible for keeping the intestine in its proper position, attaching it to the abdominal wall. In volvulus, the mesentery rotates on itself which, in turn, gives rise to acute intestinal obstruction with infarction and intestinal necrosis.
Regardless of the cause, patients with an intestinal obstruction present with severe abdominal pain. Their abdomen is often impossible to feel, they are hunched over, or even refuse to move because of pain.
Treatment of intestinal obstruction in dogs
The treatment of an intestinal obstruction is always urgent. Specifically, a surgical treatment is necessary In severe cases in which the intestine is devitalized or necrotic, it will be necessary to resection the affected segment of intestine and join the he althy ends (enterectomy).
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis consists of an inflammation of the exocrine pancreas, that is, the tissue responsible for producing and releasing the necessary pancreatic juice into the intestine for digestion. Although its specific etiology is unknown, there are a number of risk factors that predispose to its appearance, such as obesity, high-fat diets or some drugs.
Regardless of the cause, most dogs with pancreatitis have vomiting and abdominal pain. Therefore, in any dog with abdominal pain, pancreatitis should be included as a possible differential diagnosis.
Treatment of pancreatitis in dogs
As the specific etiology is unknown in most cases, treatment is based on the establishment of supportive therapy, which should include:
- Fluid therapy: to restore hydroelectrolytic balance.
- Antiemetics: to control vomiting.
- Opioid analgesics: to control pain.
- Nutritional support: Initially, parenteral (blood) or nasogastric tube nutritional support can be started. When the animal tolerates the food, it should be given a low-fat diet.
To learn more about Pancreatitis in dogs: symptoms, causes and treatment, you can consult this article that we recommend.
Peritonitis
The peritoneum is the serous membrane that internally lines the abdominal cavity and surrounds the viscera. When this serous membrane undergoes an inflammatory process, we speak of peritonitis. Depending on their causes, they can be classified into different peritonitis because they are:
- Infectious
- Chemistry
- Neoplastic
- Traumatic
- Post-surgical
However, all of them usually present with moderate to severe abdominal pain, accompanied or not by vomiting, diarrhoea, depression, etc.
Treatment of peritonitis
The treatment of peritonitis should be directed at the primary cause that triggers it. In some cases, a pharmacological treatment will suffice, and in other cases surgical treatment will be necessaryIn addition, regardless of the cause, it will be necessary to establish support treatment to stabilize the physiological constants of the animal.
See complete information on Peritonitis in dogs in this post that we suggest.
Pathologies of the genitourinary system
As you have seen, there are various digestive diseases that can cause abdominal pain in dogs. However, there are other pathologies outside the digestive system that can also cause abdominal pain.
A good example of this are the following pathologies that affect organs of the reproductive and urinary system of dogs:
- Urinary obstruction: especially due to the presence of stones in the urinary tract.
- Pyometra: collection of pus in the uterus.
- Prostatitis: inflammation of the prostate
- Tumors: whether they are ovarian, uterine, in the urinary bladder, etc. To learn more about tumors in dogs: types, symptoms and treatment, don't hesitate to read this article.
Treatment of ppathologies of the genitourinary system in dogs
As you can imagine, the treatment of these processes will depend on the specific pathology in question. Sometimes, pharmacological treatment will suffice, and in others it will be necessary to resort to surgical treatment.
Throughout this article we have pointed out the processes that can most frequently cause striking pictures of abdominal pain in dogs. However, other possible processes should not be ruled out, since there are many other pathologies that can cause discomfort or abdominal pain in our pets.
In any case, whenever you detect any sign of abdominal pain in your dog, don't hesitate to Go to your veterinarian as soon as possible trustworthy As you have seen, some of the processes described in this article require urgent veterinary attention, so it is important that you act quickly to solve the problem as quickly as possible.
