Irritable bowel syndrome in dogs causes two main symptoms: diarrhea and constipation. Typically, the diarrhea is very watery with some form to no form. The diarrhea or constipation can be chronic, or it can resolve with repeated episodes.
If you have IBS with diarrhea, you will have frequent, loose, watery stools. You may have an urgent need to have a bowel movement, which may be hard to control. If you have IBS with constipation, you will have a hard time passing stool, as well as fewer bowel movements.
Take a look at the types below and the difference in each IBS stool colour: IBS-C (IBS with constipation) – likely to have a darker brown stool colour. IBS-D (IBS with diarrhoea) – likely to have a yellow stool colour. IBS-M (mixed – alternates between constipation and diarrhoea)
Treatment of IBS
Increasing fiber in the pet's diet tends to help IBS symptoms, as does adding an anti-diarrheal medication during flare-ups. In extreme cases, the veterinarian can prescribe anti-anxiety medication to keep a pet's stress level under control, but this is typically used as a last resort.
It's mainly brought on by stress, although things like dietary indiscretion, allergies, and improper use of antibiotics can also play a role. Symptoms of IBS in dogs include chronic diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy and depression, appetite loss, abdominal pain, strained elimination, and flatulence.
Proteins in dairy, chicken, wheat, and beef can sometimes lead to an immune system reaction in dogs. Part of the approach to treating your dog's inflammatory bowel disease may be choosing foods without common food allergens that could aggravate the condition.
IBS stools can vary in appearance based on whether you have constipation-predominant IBS (IBS-C), diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D), or mixed-type IBS (IBS-M). IBS stools can be: Hard, lumpy, and difficult to pass. Soft, loose, and watery.
Most people define diarrhea as loose stools or watery stools. Others think of diarrhea as frequent bowel movements. The key symptom of IBS is abdominal pain. The pain is associated with a change in the frequency or consistency of stool.
In some cases, however , narrow stools — especially if pencil thin — may be a sign of narrowing or obstruction of the colon due to colon cancer. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is another condition that may cause changes in the size of your stools, so that they're smaller, larger or narrower than usual.
IBS Types and Symptoms
IBS with constipation (IBS-C) is usually marked by abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, infrequent bowel movements and hard stools. IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D) usually comes with abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, urgency to go, frequent bowel movements and loose, watery stools.
Dogs with IBS should be fed a highly digestible diet with a high soluble fiber content. Generally, this will be a prescription diet such as Royal Canin Gastrointestinal High Fiber or Hill's Prescription Diet w/d.
Dog IBD Recovery and Prognosis
In most dogs with IBD, there is no effect on their expected life span, and they can enjoy a great quality of life.
The best dog food for IBD is going to be a novel protein diet, with a single protein source and no unnecessary fillers. Novel protein diets may include duck, rabbit, pork, or lamb depending on what the dog has been exposed to in his lifetime.
How long does an IBS flare-up last? An IBS flare-up duration is different for everyone. Most people's IBS symptoms will flare up for 2-4 days, after which your symptoms may lower in severity or disappear completely. Many people experience IBS in waves, in which symptoms may come and go over several days or weeks.
IBD will often cause inflammation or ulcers in the intestinal wall that can be seen by a physician during a colonoscopy, while IBS does not cause any of these physical signs. 2 IBD's hallmark symptom is abdominal pain, sometimes accompanied by fevers and weight loss, which are not seen with IBS.
There's no test to definitively diagnose IBS . Your health care provider is likely to start with a complete medical history, physical exam and tests to rule out other conditions, such as celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Stress. Stress and anxiety can have many physical effects on the body, including speeding up the digestive process. As a result, the body may not be able to absorb all of the nutrients in food, which may lead to diarrhea or yellow stool.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Some people with IBS say they experience a bad odor and changes in stool. If you suspect you have IBS, see your doctor. Although there is no cure for IBS, there are many treatments available to help control your symptoms.
Referring to the Bristol Stool Chart, Dr. Lee explains that people with IBS-D have type 6 (mushy consistency with ragged edges) and type 7 (liquid consistency with no solid pieces) stools. He adds that people with diarrhea as a symptom of IBS frequently have more than three bowel movements per day.
Try a food with a different grain in it or, perhaps, no grain at all. For instance, you may find that your dog has more IBD symptoms when they eat food with a lot of wheat in it, but seems to feel a bit better when they eat a rice-based food.
Some dogs are simply sensitive to common proteins like beef and chicken. In these cases, changing to a new protein source can help a pup who is suffering from IBD or IBS.
White rice has a high glycemic index, meaning it will cause a rapid spike in blood glucose levels. White rice is far too starchy to be part of any dogs daily diet, let alone when it is suffering GI tract inflammation.