Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is not only a disease in humans, it can also occur in cats and dogs. Our furry friends with IBD have many of the same symptoms, and are treated in a similar fashion. That's right - Fido and Snowball may have to undergo extensive testing and be treated with prednisone just as their human counterparts.
What causes IBD in animals?Just as we don't know the cause of IBD in humans, no one is sure of the exact cause in animals. There is speculation that IBD may be caused by a variety of factors such as infections, parasites, allergies as well as genetics and nutrition. In many cases extensive testing to determine the cause isn't made, and the symptoms are treated. There is also a theory that IBD may not be a disease at all, but merely a catchall used for a variety of intestinal conditions with similar symptoms.
Dog breeds such as Basenjis, Boxers and German Shepherds may be more susceptible to IBD. IBD tends to be fairly common in middle aged cats.
What are the symptoms?The primary symptoms of IBD in cats and dogs are often diarrhea and vomiting. If you've ever owned a pet, you know that cats and dogs tend to vomit more often than humans. Cats get hairballs that may cause vomiting even with the use of hairball medications and frequent brushing. Both dogs and cats (especially kittens) tend to eat things they shouldn't. My dogs ate shoes, garbage, even dirt from the back yard, and my cat has been known to gnaw on the yarn from my knitting. Even with these reasons for stomach upset, a pet owner may notice that their pet is vomiting more often than usual or than other pets.
Diarrhea or abnormal stools may also be present. Loose stools may also contain mucus or blood, but that's not always the case. Cats may stop using the litter box altogether and defecate in some other place in the house.
The vomiting and diarrhea may come and go, or it may be constant. Other symptoms that may be present are weight loss, depression, anorexia, borborygmus, abdominal pain (difficult to measure in animals), excessive flatulence, and fever.
How is IBD diagnosed in pets?Before a definitive diagnosis of IBD is returned, other causes must be ruled out. This is commonly done through a series of non-invasive types of testing and examination.
The first step a veterinarian might take in diagnosing IBD in a pet is to take a history and do a physical exam. When discussing history, frequency of symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting will be important, as well as other symptoms such as fever and weight loss. If the vet has seen the animal before, they may notice any marked changes in attitude and weight. During the physical exam the vet may pay close attention to the abdomen and press on it to feel the intestines and determine if they are thickened.
Next non-invasive tests such as blood, urine and stool samples may be taken for testing. If the pet is very sick with IBD the liver and pancreas may also be inflamed. This will show up in the blood as elevated liver enzymes and amylase (produced by the pancreas). As with humans, potassium and protein levels may also be low due to vomiting and diarrhea. If blood has been passed in the stool, anemia could be present.
Urine and stool analysis can help to narrow down the cause of the symptoms. A urinalysis can show if there is kidney disease. Stool samples can be tested for parasites and bacteria. Cats may also be tested for feline leukemia virus (FeLV).
To rule out symptoms being caused by a tumor or other growth a radiograph or an ultrasound may be done. These tests may not return any abnormal results in a pet with IBD, and are used primarily to rule out other causes. In the absence of any conclusive results, the vet may move on to more invasive testing. As is done in humans, a biopsy continues to be the gold standard to determine if IBD is present. A vet may get a sample of the intestinal wall through endoscopy or exploratory surgery. Both of these procedures are expensive, and have different advantages and disadvantages in a pet.
Recovery from endoscopy is quick, but if any growths are found, they can not be removed and more tests are necessary. Exploratory surgery requires a longer recovery period (a few days), but any abnormalities that are discovered can be dealt with immediately. Once the biopsy is obtained through either method it can be sent off to a laboratory for testing.
