Gastroenteritis
By Dr’s. Moore, Romberg, MacWilliam & Associates
During the hotter summer months gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhoea) is a frequent illness not only for humans but also in dogs and cats. The illness if frequently caused by viruses which initiate changes in the normal bacterial numbers of the intestine. Many of the intestinal bacteria proliferate rapidly and release toxins which cause vomiting, diarrhoea and frequently passing of large amounts of blood and/or mucous in the stool. Protection can be afforded against many of these viruses by regular vaccination.
The vaccination schedule for dogs is that the first distemper-measles-parvovirus vaccine (3-in-one vaccine) is given between six and ten weeks of age, this is followed one month later by the first distemper-hepatitis-tracheobronchitis (2 viruses)-Leptospirosis-parvovirus (6-in-one vaccine). A booster 6-in-one vaccine together with the first rabies vaccine follows again one month later and the final parvovirus vaccine is given after five months of age.
Annual revaccination is imperative in order to protect your pet adequately against the above diseases as well as to prevent some of the causes of gastroenteritis.
Other causes of gastroenteritis include dietary disturbances, foreign body ingestion, various micro-organisms (viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi and yeasts), worms, metabolic diseases and hormonal imbalances. Thus some patients with gastroenteritis may require extensive investigation in order to determine the cause of their illness.
Dogs and cats which show symptoms of gastroenteritis should be starved for at least twelve hours. Fresh drinking water should be continually available and the pet should be encouraged to drink in order to prevent dehydration. The patient should not be fed diary products, fats or oils as these will aggravate the illness. Once medical advice and/or treatment has been initiated a bland diet consisting for cooked chicken, fish or good quality mince, together with carbohydrates (rice, spaghetti, noodles, white bread) should be fed in small quantities three times a day for at least 48 hours. The pet’s regular diet should be slowly reintroduced.
The most frequent cause of gastroenteritis in young dogs is canine parvovirus infection (CPV or cat flu in dogs) which may be a rapidly fatal disease if not treated early. The treatment may require intravenous feeding, blood transfusions, antibiotics, antemetics and antidiarrhoeals and usually requires lengthy hospitalization which may be expensive. Frequent vaccination is the best protection against parvovirus infection.
The vaccination schedule for dogs is that the first distemper-measles-parvovirus vaccine (3-in-one vaccine) is given between six and ten weeks of age, this is followed one month later by the first distemper-hepatitis-tracheobronchitis (2 viruses)-Leptospirosis-parvovirus (6-in-one vaccine). A booster 6-in-one vaccine together with the first rabies vaccine follows again one month later and the final parvovirus vaccine is given after five months of age.
Annual revaccination is imperative in order to protect your pet adequately against the above diseases as well as to prevent some of the causes of gastroenteritis.
Other causes of gastroenteritis include dietary disturbances, foreign body ingestion, various micro-organisms (viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi and yeasts), worms, metabolic diseases and hormonal imbalances. Thus some patients with gastroenteritis may require extensive investigation in order to determine the cause of their illness.
Dogs and cats which show symptoms of gastroenteritis should be starved for at least twelve hours. Fresh drinking water should be continually available and the pet should be encouraged to drink in order to prevent dehydration. The patient should not be fed diary products, fats or oils as these will aggravate the illness. Once medical advice and/or treatment has been initiated a bland diet consisting for cooked chicken, fish or good quality mince, together with carbohydrates (rice, spaghetti, noodles, white bread) should be fed in small quantities three times a day for at least 48 hours. The pet’s regular diet should be slowly reintroduced.
The most frequent cause of gastroenteritis in young dogs is canine parvovirus infection (CPV or cat flu in dogs) which may be a rapidly fatal disease if not treated early. The treatment may require intravenous feeding, blood transfusions, antibiotics, antemetics and antidiarrhoeals and usually requires lengthy hospitalization which may be expensive. Frequent vaccination is the best protection against parvovirus infection.
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