Acute gastritis in dogs
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Acute gastritis in dogs is a sudden irritation of the lining of the stomach.
The main sign is severe and prolonged vomiting. Do not forget that prolonged vomiting can also be associated with life-threatening conditions, such as intestinal obstruction and peritonitis. In all cases, when the cause of persistent vomiting is unknown, it is necessary to seek professional advice.
Frequent irritants of the stomach are spoiled products, garbage, feces, grass, plastic wraps, hair and bones. Certain medications (especially aspirin, almost all NSAIDs, cortisone, butazolidine and some antibiotics) can also cause irritation of the gastric mucosa. Often there are poisonings with antifreeze, fertilizers, phytotoxins and weed control agents. If you suspect a poisoning occurred, contact your veterinarian.
In a dog with acute gastritis, vomiting occurs almost immediately after ingestion. Later, the dog seems sluggish and sits, head down, near a bowl of water. The body temperature of the dog remains normal, unless it suffers from acute infectious enteritis, a disease that also causes diarrhea.
Treatment: Acute nonspecific gastritis is a disease that usually goes on without treatment for 24-48 hours if the stomach is kept at rest and protected from excess acid.