When to see a gastroenterologist
Diarrhoea and vomiting are symptoms, not diseases in themselves. They can be a brief episode after a dietary indiscretion, but they can equally be the first sign of pancreatitis, a parasitic disease, a viral infection or a swallowed foreign body.
A consultation is particularly worthwhile when the problem recurs or persists, when the animal is losing weight, when there is blood in the stool, or when the symptoms come with apathy and loss of appetite. We write more about when it is safe to watch and wait at home — and when it is not — in our article on gut health in dogs and cats.
Diagnosis
The starting point is always a thorough interview and clinical examination. Depending on the picture, we then choose from:
- blood and urine tests, and faecal testing for parasites,
- abdominal ultrasound — assessing the intestinal wall, liver, pancreas and lymph nodes,
- X-ray — above all where a foreign body is suspected,
- in selected cases, endoscopy with biopsies for histopathology.
Acute versus chronic — why the distinction matters
An acute episode usually has an identifiable cause and resolves with symptomatic treatment. Chronic and recurring complaints call for a search for the underlying disease — and these are the cases that most often reach gastroenterological work-up.
When the cause lies outside the digestive tract
Some patients with persistent diarrhoea or vomiting have no primary intestinal disease at all. The symptoms can accompany chronic kidney disease, liver failure, pancreatitis or hyperthyroidism in cats. Our work-up therefore also assesses how the other organs are functioning.
Diet as part of treatment
In many cases the dietary plan is an equal part of therapy rather than an afterthought. We handle this through nutrition consultations, together with the attending vet.