Colitis in Cats and Dogs ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.
Cat Health Care
Information by Condition or Disease

A Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization
All donations are tax deductible
Copyright © 1997 - 2009

Any health care links located here are NOT to replace a veterinarian visit; please take your cat to a vet immediately at any sign of odd behavior or any symptoms of illness or injury. Call your vet and describe your cat's symptoms with any of your concerns about the cat's well-being. Your veterinarian may discover changes in your cat's health that you have overlooked. It is always better to err on the side of caution.

Colitis in Cats and Dogs

What is colitis?

Colitis is an inflammation of the colon (large intestine). It may be acute, with sudden onset and short duration, or chronic, that is present for at least two to three weeks or exhibiting a pattern of episodic recurrence. In cats, there is no age or gender association with colitis.

What causes colitis?

In many cases of colitis in pets and people, the cause is idiopathic, which means it’s unknown. In some cases, the animal’s immune system may be directing an inflammatory response against its own tissues. Some of the more common causes of colitis in dogs and cats include whipworms, invasion of the layers of the colon by cancerous or inflammatory cells, fungal, bacterial, and plant-like (algae) organisms, allergies to food, foreign bodies, stress, and polyps or tumors.

What is the diagnosis?

If your veterinarian suspects that your pet has colitis, he or she will perform a thorough physical exam including rectal and abdominal palpation (examination by touching). Other necessary diagnostic tests may include a thorough examination of several stool samples for parasites, cells, and other abnormalities, blood tests, urinalyses, a culture of feces for bacteria, xrays of the digestive tract (possibly with barium), colonoscopy (examination of the colon through a small lighted tube inserted through the anus), biopsy of the colon, and surgical exploration of the abdomen.

What is chronic colitis?

Colitis is an inflammation of the large intestine (colon) that disrupts your pet’s normal bowel habits.

Signs of chronic colitis include continuous or intermittent diarrhea, mucus and blood in the stool, and straining to have a bowel movement. Few cases of colitis can be cured, but many can be managed effectively with medications and special foods.

What is the treatment and home care?

Some causes of colitis can be cured, but more cases persist for the life of the pet. Most cases can be managed very well with medication and foods that allow lesions in the colon to heal and that normalize intestinal transit time. When a specific cause is diagnosed, your veterinarian will attempt to eliminate it. An example is using dewormers for whipworm infections.

Your veterinarian may prescribe tranquilizers and antispasmodics for relief of colitis due to stress. Other drugs relieve diarrhea and inflammation. Antibiotics are frequently prescribed because colitis alters the normal population of bacteria in the digestive tract.

Many of the medications used to treat chronic colitis are very potent and may have side effects. You should follow your veterinarian’s instructions carefully when you take your pet home. You should also watch for the side effects described by your veterinarian and return to the hospital for scheduled follow-up appointments and diagnostic studies.

What do I feed my pet with colitis?

If your pet has colitis, your veterinarian may give you special feeding instructions. Patients with chronic colitis caused by food intolerance or food allergies may respond to a food that contains ingredients they’ve never eaten before. Alternately, your veterinarian may recommend specially developed foods comprised of hydrolyzed proteins that eliminate adverse reactions to foods.

Other cases of colitis may respond to a prescribed well-balanced food that contains increased amounts of fiber. Patients not responding to a hypoallergenic or an increased fiber food may respond to a prescribed low-residue, low-fiber food. These special foods are highly digestible and present less undigested material in the colon, which may reduce irritation.

Unfortunately, it is usually not possible to predict which of these dietary approaches may be best for your pet. A trial with one of these special therapeutic products usually takes three to six weeks before your veterinarian will be able to accurately assess the results. It is critical to follow your veterinarian’s directions. Do not feed any other foods or treats during the trial.

Unless recommended otherwise by your veterinarian, gradually introduce any new food over a seven-day period. Mix the new food with your pet’s former food, gradually increasing its proportion until only the new food is fed. If your pet is one of the few that doesn’t readily accept a new food, try warming the canned food to body temperature, hand feeding for the first few days, or mixing the dry food with warm water (wait ten minutes before serving). However, do not add water to your cat or dog's food. Feed only the prescribed diet. Do not feed additional salt or any snacks that may contain sodium. Be patient but firm with your pet. This is important because the success or failure of treatment depends to a large degree on strict adherence to the new food.

Page URL: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/colitis.html

Resource References:
Milton Williams, DVM
Southern Hills Animal Hospital, Shreveport, LA

Click on tiny printer image to print text content only.