Health: Colitis

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Colitis is a general term that refers to a variety of afflictions of the colon (also called the large intestine). It's responsible for some 50 percent of cases of chronic diarrhea in dogs, and while it doesn't demand a trip to the emergency room, it certainly requires the input of your vet.

The colon is the final part of the digestive tract. Its main function is the reabsorption of water to reduce the volume of fecal matter. It's also involved in the final bacterial breakdown of digested food coming through the intestinal tract, and the production of certain vitamins.

A colon that doesn't work properly can wreak havoc with the digestive system. In colitis, it becomes inflamed. This can lead to painful and frequent trips to the backyard for your dog, often to pass watery, bloody stool. And, like many conditions that frustrate an easy diagnosis, colitis can also have the opposite effect and cause constipation.

Causes

• Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease: This is a group of diseases of the small and large intestines. In each case, the dog's immune system, reacting to an allergen, attacks the lining of the intestine. Although treatable, it's seldom curable.
• Foreign bodies: Grass and straw contains lots of indigestible fiber that can irritate the colon. Dogs that eat any nonfood material are always at risk of suffering from periodic bouts of colitis.
• Parasites: Whipworms are intestinal parasites that live in the upper colon and grow to two to three inches long. A few whipworms rarely cause a problem, but as they multiply they can trigger diarrhea and bloody stool. Other parasites in different parts of the digestive tract can usually be treated readily with medicine, but whipworms can be difficult to eradicate, and a multistep deworming process is usually necessary.
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Most commonly found in stressed or highly excitable dogs, this condition typically has a neurological or psychological cause.

When it's time to see a vet