How To Recognize Dietary Or Digestive Issues In Your Aussiedoodle

A single episode of vomiting or mild diarrhea is not uncommon in your Aussiedoodle. But when do dietary or digestive issues require veterinary attention?

Isolated episodes of vomiting or mild diarrhea in your dog can resolve on their own. But occasionally, gastrointestinal signs can signify a life-threatening condition. Furthermore, chronic dietary and digestive issues should not be ignored and are an opportunity to improve your dog’s quality of life.

Two of the most common reasons we see sick dogs in veterinary medicine are vomiting and diarrhea. Frequently, these gastrointestinal symptoms are due to dietary indiscretion associated with an abrupt diet change or getting into the trash. These types of cases can sometimes resolve on their own.

Unfortunately, during my time as a veterinarian, I can also confirm that gastrointestinal symptoms are sometimes a manifestation of a more serious medical emergency. Additionally, there is value in consulting your veterinarian since your dog may have a chronic dietary or digestive issue, which should be addressed.

Signs of Digestive Issues in Dogs and When to Seek Veterinary Care

During my time in veterinary medicine, I have never encountered a dog that has never had an isolated episode of vomiting or diarrhea. When we talk about dietary and digestive issues, most pet owners think of vomiting or diarrhea as common symptoms. But what are other indications that your dog has a dietary or digestive problem?

Signs of dietary or digestive issues in dogs:

• Diarrhea

• Vomiting

• Regurgitation

• Decreased appetite

• Weight loss

• Abdominal pain 

• Flatulence

• Constipation

• Borborygmi or gut sounds

• Excessive salivation (may indicate nausea)

While the above symptoms are not always associated with a medical emergency, they should not be ignored. There are also some symptoms that should signal you to seek immediate veterinary care for your dog.

If you observe any of the following in your dog, please seek immediate veterinary care:

• More than one episode of vomiting within a 24-hour period

• Lethargy

• Abdominal pain

• Abdominal distension or bloating

• Diarrhea that worsens (persistent or frequent) or does not gradually improve over the 

course of three to five days

• Decreased appetite that worsens or does not gradually improve over the course of three 

to five days

• Decreased water intake for 12 hours or more, especially in the face of vomiting or 

diarrhea since this can lead to rapid dehydration

• History of foreign body ingestion (i.e. missing toys)

DISCLAIMER: If you have any question or concern regarding your dog’s health or behavior, please consult a veterinarian. These are general tips and recommendations but each dog requires unique care based on his individual needs.

The Power of History and the Physical Exam

Potentially two of the most powerful parts of the diagnostic process are history and physical exam. 

When our loved ones are sick, whether they are human or a canine companion, it is understandable to want to jump to running diagnostic tests to identify the underlying cause as quickly as possible. However, taking the time to discuss the history of the presenting problem and your pet’s physical exam findings can be surprisingly enlightening. Moreover, evaluating the history and physical exam findings costs much less than many diagnostic tests. 

While each case is unique, certain historical events and physical exam findings make different diseases statistically more likely. Your veterinarian will take your dog’s history, physical exam findings, and signalment (e.g. breed, age, neuter status) into account when coming up with a list of potential underlying causes of your dog’s symptoms.

Onset and Duration of Gastrointestinal Symptoms

If your dog develops signs of gastrointestinal upset, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or decreased appetite, we must consider the history behind these clinical signs. 

For example, did these signs start suddenly or gradually? How long has your dog been exhibiting these signs? A more nuanced quality to consider, especially in gastrointestinal disease, is the progression of signs as they can often wax and wane.

Other Relevant History

When I have asked pet owners about related factors including diet and previous treatment or medications, pet owners sometimes become frustrated by the history-taking process. While these questions might seem irrelevant, please try to trust that your veterinarian is on your team. You both have your dog’s health at the forefront of your minds. While discussing the history behind your dog’s presenting problem takes some time, it may highlight valuable information, making the diagnostic process more efficient and effective.

Differentiating Regurgitation From True Vomiting

A common reason dogs present to their veterinarian is vomiting. Your veterinarian may ask about the nature of your dog’s vomiting. She may ask about the contents of the vomit, the presence of abdominal effort, and any activities the vomiting may be associated with (i.e. immediately after eating). 

The purpose of these questions is to differentiate between regurgitation, which is a more passive process, and vomiting. Distinguishing between regurgitation and vomiting is important because the possible causes for each are different. For example, regurgitation may indicate a problem in your dog’s esophagus while vomiting may raise suspicion for a problem affecting the stomach.

Fecal Scoring and Localizing Diarrhea

We can learn a lot by taking a closer look at our dog’s poop. Referring to a fecal scoring chart provides a more objective way to discuss the consistency of your dog’s stool with your veterinarian. 

If your dog is having diarrhea, there are some characteristics that will help you and your veterinarian distinguish between small or large intestinal diarrhea, which will ultimately help determine the underlying cause of your dog’s diarrhea.

If your dog develops diarrhea, be prepared to provide your veterinarian with information regarding volume, frequency, consistency, straining, and the presence of blood or mucus. Your veterinarian may also ask you questions about your dog’s appetite and whether your dog is experiencing vomiting, flatulence, or weight loss. 

The answers to these questions will help your veterinarian determine if your dog’s diarrhea is originating from the small or large intestines. Localizing the problem to a specific region of your dog’s intestines will help narrow down the possible underlying causes.

Possible Causes of Dietary and Digestive Issues in Dogs

In veterinary medicine, we come up with a list of potential causes for a given set of symptoms. These potential causes can be organized into several categories.

In general, there are congenital, developmental, or inherited diseases, which we suspect more in young animals. There are also diseases that more commonly affect older animals such as degenerative or cancerous processes. Other diseases can affect dogs of any breed and age, such as immune-mediated, metabolic, or inflammatory conditions.

When considering dietary or digestive issues in dogs,. I find it helpful to organize the possible diseases based on where the primary disease is originating from. The disease may originate from the gastrointestinal tract itself, making it a primary gastrointestinal disease. An example of this is intestinal cancer. Alternatively, non-gastrointestinal disease may originate from outside of the gastrointestinal tract and indirectly manifest with gastrointestinal signs. For example, pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas but causes diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite.

Some examples of dietary and digestive diseases in dogs:

• Primary gastrointestinal disease

• Inflammation (e.g. IBD aka inflammatory bowel disease)

• Cancer

• Intestinal obstruction (e.g. foreign body, intussusception, GDV aka gastric 

dilatation volvulus)

• Adverse food reaction (e.g. dietary indiscretion)

• Infectious: parasitic (e.g. gastrointestinal parasites), viral, bacterial, fungal

• Stress colitis (inflammation of the large intestine)

• Malabsorptive disease (e.g. EPI aka exocrine pancreatic insufficiency)

• PLE (aka protein-losing enteropathy)

• Gastrointestinal ulceration

• Non-gastrointestinal disease (i.e. disease outside of the gastrointestinal tract causing 

gastrointestinal symptoms)

• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)

• Endocrine disease (e.g. hypoadrenocorticism aka Addison’s)

• Liver disease (e.g. cholestasis)

• Kidney disease

How to Diagnose a Dietary or Digestive Issue in Your Dog

In emergency veterinary medicine, the goal is to rule out the severe, potentially fatal conditions. With this in mind, your dog’s veterinary team will first triage your pet to ensure he is stable. Depending on your dog’s symptoms, your veterinarian may recommend bloodwork and/or x-rays to rule out potentially life-threatening conditions such as bloat causing twisting of the stomach.

Once your dog is deemed stable and if no immediate intervention is indicated, your veterinarian may then recommend additional diagnostic tests, especially if your dog’s gastrointestinal symptoms are chronic. These tests may include a strict diet trial or bloodwork to screen for adverse food reactions.

Further Diagnostic Testing in Dogs With Suspect Digestive Disease

There are multiple canine diseases that improve if fed a specific diet. The gold standard in diagnosing adverse food reactions in dogs is a strict diet trial. However, this may not be realistic for every family as a dog must only be fed the agreed-upon diet for several weeks. This means no treats, human table food, flavored medications, or supplements.

Other digestive disorders require advanced testing including bloodwork that specifically looks at hormone and vitamin levels that may be affected by certain digestive issues. Advanced imaging such as ultrasonography and endoscopy may also be recommended to look for things like tumors in the stomach or intestines.

Acute Gastroenteritis and Dietary Indiscretion

If we cannot identify an underlying cause for your dog’s symptoms, your veterinarian may describe your dog’s condition as acute gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines). Your veterinarian may recommend symptomatic treatment. 

Symptomatic treatment helps alleviate symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting but is not necessarily addressing the true underlying disease process. Symptomatic management of acute gastroenteritis often consists of a bland, easily digestible diet, correction of any dehydration, probiotics, and anti-nausea medication. Veterinarians may also prescribe a dewormer to rule out intestinal parasites as a cause for diarrhea and vomiting, especially in young dogs at higher risk for parasitic infection.

One of the most common causes of acute gastroenteritis in dogs is dietary indiscretion, defined as the ingestion of “anything outside of a pet’s normal diet, such as garbage, foreign objects, table scraps, or excrement from other animals.” 

Foreign body ingestion can result in intestinal obstruction, which is a potentially life-threatening emergency. With the exception of foreign body ingestion, acute gastroenteritis due to dietary indiscretion is often self-limiting, meaning it will gradually resolve with symptomatic treatment.

Consistent Diet Is Important in Preventing Gastrointestinal Upset

Nutrition is a powerful tool for your dog’s health and happiness. Once you have chosen an appropriate, complete, and balanced diet for your Aussiedoodle, it is best to feed that diet consistently unless directed otherwise by your veterinarian. This will minimize the chance of sudden dietary and digestive issues in your pup. 

Remember that any abrupt diet change can lead to signs like diarrhea and vomiting. Therefore, if you plan to transition your dog to a new food, it is important to gradually increase the ratio of your dog’s new food to his previous food over the course of three to five days.

If you believe your Aussiedoodle has chronic dietary or digestive issues, consult your veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. While gastrointestinal symptoms may be intermittent, investing in diagnostic testing may significantly improve your dog’s quality of life.