Help! My dog has bloody, mucus filled diarrhea! Remedies for Dog Colitis
Are you familiar with this scenario? You are suddenly jarred awake at 4 am because you hear your dog vomiting. Then your dog urgently runs outside where he stoops several times straining to push out small amounts of a bloody, mucusy, stinky stool. He may also have accidents in the house. These are typical signs of an inflamed colon and different from inflammation of the small intestine. With upper intestinal disease, the diarrhea is usually shortly after eating, watery and in greater amounts. If there is more of a solid stool, it will be black in color indicating upper intestinal bleeding.
When inflammation is lower in the intestines, the diarrhea occurs hours after eating and there is much less water content and a lot of gelatinous mucus. If there is blood, it is usually alarmingly bright red along with the gelatinous mucus.
The following remedies are great for treating colitis and they are also great as supplements for strengthening and balancing the immune system.
Symptoms of colitis are:
1. Intermittent, urgent diarrhea
2. Dog poops in more than one place, usually straining small amounts
3. If there is blood, it is fresh, bright red
4. There is mucus and it's usually a lot, the diarrhea looks very gelatinous
5. Very smelly stool
6. Dog may also vomit intermittently usually at night or early morning
Causes of colitis
There are a few different types of colitis in dogs
Most vets talk about 3 different types, acute, chronic and ulcerative
We won't go into all three in this video because the remedies I suggest address all three.
Causes of Colitis:
1. Hot weather/environmental causes limit blood flow to the GI system causing irritation to the mucus barrier in the intestines. Dogs have a shorter digestive tract and no sweat glands on their bodies so hot weather is more damaging to them than it is to us
2. Stressful, out of routine events eg. moving, phobias eg. fireworks, super exciting triggers like strangers coming into the home can cause flare ups of colitis
3. Sudden diet changes, ingesting foreign objects, pancreatitis, diabetes, intestinal parasites, cancer, anything that causes inflammation of the colon
Natural Remedies for Colitis
These remedies can be taken together with traditional anti-biotics prescribed from the vet.
Colitis usually effects only the colon, (large intestine). Secondary effects from recurring or chronic colitis also include vomiting, IBD, and anal gland issues.
If your dog has been diagnosed with SIBO or IBD or some other gastrointestinal disorder, these remedies may not work to correct diarrhea/vomiting
Treatments Suggested:
1. Avoid hot weather/environments. If dog has to be outside on a very hot day, limit exposure to 10 minutes. Remember that even 25/77 degrees is very hot to a dog especially when combined with exercise and humidity. Carry around water bottle and keep dog damp around the chest, pits, stomach, head and back. Also get him near circulating air so he can cool down more efficiently.
2. Prebiotics/fibre supplement - almost any prebiotic will help. Prebiotics are different from probiotics--a lot of people think they are the same thing. Prebiotics are food for good bacteria. They help the body naturally boost the good bacteria, (probiotics), so they are in balance. The best prebiotic for colitis is Larch Tree Arabinogalactan because it has the highest amounts of arabinogalactans at 99 percent of its content. It is from the bark of the Larch tree.
Without getting too technical, the colon requires short chain fatty acids, specifically butyrate in order to create probiotics, (good bacteria). When the good/bad bacteria in the colon are in balance, the colon is healthy without inflammation and irritation so no bloody, mucusy diarrhea or anal gland issues. The colon needs a strong barrier and when that barrier is compromised by inflammation/irritation by a higher bad bacteria count, you get problems.
Arabino galactans are specifically the best food for colonic good bacteria like lactobacillus. It reduces the number of bad bacteria like e-coli. It also blocks the production of ammonia and helps the immune system. Remember that 70% of the immune system is in the gut.
3. Reduce/prevent stressful situations and provide gentle training to help dog cope with phobias.
4. Feed a fresh, slightly cooked diet. I don't recommend a raw diet for dogs with GI issues and low immunity.
5. I don't recommend supplemental probiotics for dogs with GI issues. It's better in my opinion, to support the body so that it creates the good bacteria on its own. Supplementing probiotics may aggravate GI issues because we simply do not know what bacteria is needed by the individual dog. However, some dogs seem to benefit from probiotic supplements. Use common sense and be cautious with dosage.
Larch Arabinogalactans work quite quickly and you may notice relief of symptoms very soon after the dog has taken it. It is very safe and there doesn't seem to be any side effects other than mild constipation, mild gas and bloating that goes away after a couple of days.
The dosage recommended for dogs is 1/4 teaspoon for dogs under 30 pounds, 1/2 teaspoon for dogs 30-60 pounds, 3/4 teaspoon for dogs 60-89 pounds and 1 teaspoon for dogs over 90 pounds.
I purchase Larch Arabinogalactans from Amazon Canada because of my Prime membership. If in the USA, I suggest purchasing it from iherb or Swanson Vitamins for the cheapest pricing.
When inflammation is lower in the intestines, the diarrhea occurs hours after eating and there is much less water content and a lot of gelatinous mucus. If there is blood, it is usually alarmingly bright red along with the gelatinous mucus.
The following remedies are great for treating colitis and they are also great as supplements for strengthening and balancing the immune system.
Symptoms of colitis are:
1. Intermittent, urgent diarrhea
2. Dog poops in more than one place, usually straining small amounts
3. If there is blood, it is fresh, bright red
4. There is mucus and it's usually a lot, the diarrhea looks very gelatinous
5. Very smelly stool
6. Dog may also vomit intermittently usually at night or early morning
There are a few different types of colitis in dogs
Most vets talk about 3 different types, acute, chronic and ulcerative
We won't go into all three in this video because the remedies I suggest address all three.
Causes of Colitis:
1. Hot weather/environmental causes limit blood flow to the GI system causing irritation to the mucus barrier in the intestines. Dogs have a shorter digestive tract and no sweat glands on their bodies so hot weather is more damaging to them than it is to us
2. Stressful, out of routine events eg. moving, phobias eg. fireworks, super exciting triggers like strangers coming into the home can cause flare ups of colitis
3. Sudden diet changes, ingesting foreign objects, pancreatitis, diabetes, intestinal parasites, cancer, anything that causes inflammation of the colon
Natural Remedies for Colitis
These remedies can be taken together with traditional anti-biotics prescribed from the vet.
Colitis usually effects only the colon, (large intestine). Secondary effects from recurring or chronic colitis also include vomiting, IBD, and anal gland issues.
If your dog has been diagnosed with SIBO or IBD or some other gastrointestinal disorder, these remedies may not work to correct diarrhea/vomiting
Treatments Suggested:
1. Avoid hot weather/environments. If dog has to be outside on a very hot day, limit exposure to 10 minutes. Remember that even 25/77 degrees is very hot to a dog especially when combined with exercise and humidity. Carry around water bottle and keep dog damp around the chest, pits, stomach, head and back. Also get him near circulating air so he can cool down more efficiently.
2. Prebiotics/fibre supplement - almost any prebiotic will help. Prebiotics are different from probiotics--a lot of people think they are the same thing. Prebiotics are food for good bacteria. They help the body naturally boost the good bacteria, (probiotics), so they are in balance. The best prebiotic for colitis is Larch Tree Arabinogalactan because it has the highest amounts of arabinogalactans at 99 percent of its content. It is from the bark of the Larch tree.
Without getting too technical, the colon requires short chain fatty acids, specifically butyrate in order to create probiotics, (good bacteria). When the good/bad bacteria in the colon are in balance, the colon is healthy without inflammation and irritation so no bloody, mucusy diarrhea or anal gland issues. The colon needs a strong barrier and when that barrier is compromised by inflammation/irritation by a higher bad bacteria count, you get problems.
Arabino galactans are specifically the best food for colonic good bacteria like lactobacillus. It reduces the number of bad bacteria like e-coli. It also blocks the production of ammonia and helps the immune system. Remember that 70% of the immune system is in the gut.
3. Reduce/prevent stressful situations and provide gentle training to help dog cope with phobias.
4. Feed a fresh, slightly cooked diet. I don't recommend a raw diet for dogs with GI issues and low immunity.
5. I don't recommend supplemental probiotics for dogs with GI issues. It's better in my opinion, to support the body so that it creates the good bacteria on its own. Supplementing probiotics may aggravate GI issues because we simply do not know what bacteria is needed by the individual dog. However, some dogs seem to benefit from probiotic supplements. Use common sense and be cautious with dosage.
Larch Arabinogalactans work quite quickly and you may notice relief of symptoms very soon after the dog has taken it. It is very safe and there doesn't seem to be any side effects other than mild constipation, mild gas and bloating that goes away after a couple of days.
The dosage recommended for dogs is 1/4 teaspoon for dogs under 30 pounds, 1/2 teaspoon for dogs 30-60 pounds, 3/4 teaspoon for dogs 60-89 pounds and 1 teaspoon for dogs over 90 pounds.
I purchase Larch Arabinogalactans from Amazon Canada because of my Prime membership. If in the USA, I suggest purchasing it from iherb or Swanson Vitamins for the cheapest pricing.
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