The term colitis in the dog and cat is very general. It often refers to any one of a variety of afflictions of the intestinal tract with emphasis on the large intestine (large bowel). Whenever veterinarians are confronted with a case of colitis in the dog or cat, a process of elimination is started in order to achieve a specific diagnosis for what type of colitis is present. In general, colitis is either acute (sudden onset) or chronic (long term and reoccurring). Below are a few abbreviations that are frequently used when referring to types of colitis...
AC... Acute Colitis
IBD... INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
IBS... IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
SBS... SPASTIC BOWEL SYNDROME
LPIBD... Lymphocytic-plasmacytic Inflammatory Bowel Disease
These five designations are all describing a disease state where a dog or cat is showing signs of "colitis".
SIGNS OF COLITIS
(In veterinary medicine, "signs" means the same thing as the word "symptoms" in human medicine.) The usual signs of colitis in dogs and cats can cover a range of abnormalities from intermittent constipation to long term (chronic) diarrhea. In general, because the bowel tissues are inflamed and irritated, the most common signs are frequent need to defecate and soft to watery stool. Some dogs and cats with colitis pass liquid stool, often with blood, six to ten times a day. Straining to defecate (called tenismus) while producing little or no stool, is another common sign. These dogs and cats with colitis are very uncomfortable and often their appetite is suppressed due to a general state of ill health. Along with the debilitating effects of passing frequent, loose stool (called diarrhea), many dogs and cats with colitis ( IBD, IBS, SBS ) will display a gradual weight loss. Chronic colitis almost always creates a weight loss situation in dogs and cats due to the loss of vitamins, rapid transit of food through the entire gastrointestinal system, blood and fluid loss, and infectious agents entering the animal's body through the damaged intestinal wall.
DUTIES OF THE COLON The words "colon", "large intestine" and "large bowel" are interchangeable. This portion of the digestive tract is the last segment to retain the digested food that has been processed by the stomach and small intestine. (The small intestine has a smaller diameter but a four-times greater length than the large intestine). Very little goes on in the colon other than reabsorption of water, thus making the fecal volume smaller, bacterial breakdown of ingesta and production of certain vitamins. Storage of the feces occurs in the large bowel until an appropriate time and place for elimination is selected. All these functions, though, are seriously affected when a dog or cat develops colitis.
ThePetCheckup™
Find out about this unique in-home health test kit for dogs and cats that may revolutionize pet health care awareness!
Common Causes of Colitis:
1. Parasitic - Whipworms reside in the upper colon (unlike hooks and rounds); protozoan parasites in some areas of the country are caused by Giardia, Trichomona, Amoeba and Balantida.
2. Foreign Body Colitis - We've all seen the dog that eats grass and straw. This indigestible fiber really irritates the large bowel. Any dog with pica (the compulsion to eat non food material) is a candidate for intermittent colitis.
3. Bacterial Colitis - Often is caused by Salmonella and Campylobacter.
4. Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease ( IBD )- This is an important group. This disorder is due to an invasion of the wall of the large bowel by certain types of body cells. Eosinophilic Colitis is a good example. Another common cellular infiltration into the wall of the large bowel is due to lymphocytes and plasmacytes. This is referred to by veterinarians as LPIBD... Lymphocytic-plasmacytic Inflammatory Bowel Disease and is thought to be due in great measure to allergic reactions within the bowel and even throughout the digestive tract. The wall of the large intestine is invaded by the individual's own inflammatory cells in response to some triggering antigen. An allergen is any substance that incites an immune reaction.
5. Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Usually has a neurological or psychological origin. It is seen often in the hyper-excitable dog that is stressed, overworked, or apprehensive.
6. Typhilitis - Inflammation of the cecum which is a dead-end pocket branching from the intestinal tract where the small and large intestine join. (The medical term for this area is Ileoceco-colic junction.) This is located near where the human appendix would be, however dogs and cats don't have an appendix.
7. Cancer - The two most common types are lymphosarcoma and adenocarcinoma.
Comparison of Large vs. Small Bowel Disease
(Adapted from work done by Dr. Todd Tams, Los Angeles, CA
