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Dog Intussusception.
Information, symptoms, and cures for dog intussusception.
DBT highly recommends the The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health! ebook when learning to look after your dog or pet.
Dog Intussusception Symptoms
1. Straining to pass waste.
2. Retching and vomiting frequently.
3. Feeling unwell and refusing to eat or drink.
What Causes Dog Intussusception?
Within a dog's digestive system and in particular the intestines, the food is pushed along by contractions and a wave like motion until it has been processed and comes out of the anus as feces. The problem of intussusception comes when the dog has sever cases of diarrhea and vomiting where these contractions are made so violent and aggressively that sections of the intestines overlap the section in front much like a collapsing telescope or radio aerial.
When this happens it stops the flow of food or waste and causes a blockage, this is when the dog will start trying to defecate and vomit the problem out of their system. The problem can be either a full obstruction in which no waste can pass or a part obstruction where small amounts may be able to pass. Both cases are dangerous to the dog but the first more than the later and if left untreated may kill the dog from toxic shock.
What Your Vet May Say or Do
In most cases intussusception will only affect puppies or younger dogs and the vet will be able to diagnose first using their hands to feel for a blockage in the stomach and then confirming with an x-ray or ultrasound scan.
With the confirmed x-ray readings your vet will then proceed to surgery to correct the blockage. This is done by either pulling the two sections apart and back to normality or if the damage is irreparable, the vet will remove the affected area and stitch the two ends back together.
After your dogs surgery you will be told to let your dog's intestine rest for around 24 hours before resuming eating, then to ease your dog back with dull and bland foods for a week or so until the digestive system is back to normal, then gradually start to take them off bland food and back onto normal foods again.
Other Possible Conditions
Dog Food Poisoning
Dog Gastric Bloat
Dog Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Dog Pancreatitis
Dog with Obstruction in the Digestive System
Dog Parvovirus Infection
Dog Pyometra (uterine/womb infections)
