Common signs of gastrointestinal disorders/disease are diarrhea, vomiting, mucus or blood in feces, abdominal pain, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss and/or weakness.

The digestion or absorption of food is reduced or the passage through the digestive tract is altered. There are many types and causes of gastrointestinal disorders such as: foreign objects, food intolerance/allergy, exocrine pancreas insufficiency (lack of certain pancreatic enzymes), pancreatitis, parasites, stress, tumors, small intestinal malabsorption (poor absorption of nutrients) and more. A veterinarian need to perform a thorough examination including different tests depending on the symptoms.

Diarrhea and/or vomiting may lead to severe dehydration and should always be taken seriously. Many gastrointestinal disorders will clear up within a few days and may just need small corrections and suitable complementary feed. However, some pets will require long-term nutritional management recommended by the veterinarian. Nextmune offers a large range of well documented gastrointestinal products.

Allergy – a possible cause of recurrent gastrointestinal issues combined with itching

Among pets, food allergies are less common than airborne allergies. Food allergies are diagnosed by feeding an elimination diet for 8 weeks and then challenge by reintroducing the original diet (for a maximum of 14 days). If the pet’s symptoms improve during the diet and worsens when challenged, the diagnosis “food allergy/intolerance” is established. An elimination diet is a diet that contains a unique protein and carbohydrate source to which the animal has not previously been exposed. To help find the best foods for the elimination diet your vet can take a blood sample and order the Next+ Food Reactivity Test.