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📍 Veterinary Hospital Sacrum, Vantaa — Internal Medicine Diagnostics
Does your dog have a “sensitive stomach”? Is diarrhea a constant guest or is there a rumbling in the abdomen in the evenings? Many owners get used to the fact that their pet's stomach has symptoms on a regular basis, but this is not normal.
The stomach of a healthy animal should function flawlessly, even if it sometimes eats something different.
What does “sensitive stomach” often mean?
If the stomach upset recurs (e.g. once a month or more often), there is rarely a mere “sensitivity” in the background. The reason may be:
- Food Allergy: Common cause. A dog or cat does not tolerate a certain protein.
- Chronic Intestinal Inflammation (IBD): Immune-mediated disease, in which the intestinal mucosa is constantly inflamed. Symptoms include weight loss, diarrhea and vomiting.
- Giardia: A tenacious protozoan that causes intermittent mucus discharge. Requires special medication.
- Pancreatic insufficiency: Food passes through the intestines without being digested. The dog is hungry but losing weight, and the stool is huge.
How to determine the cause?
Veterinary Hospital Sacrum, we do not guess, we investigate.
- Stool sample: We exclude parasites (Giardia, worms).
- Blood tests: We check the absorption of vitamin B12 (tells about the condition of the intestine) and pancreatic values.
- Ultrasound: We look to see if the intestinal wall has thickened (reference IBD).
- Elimination diet: We try a hypoallergenic diet on the advice of a doctor.
Why is treatment important?
Constant inflammation impairs the absorption of nutrients. The pet may suffer from vitamin deficiencies and lose weight. With proper diagnosis and treatment, even a “sensitive stomach” pet gets its stomach in shape permanently.
📞 Make an appointment with an internist: 010 739 9130
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