Dogs and cats: everything you need to know about inflammatory bowel disease

1. What is the Inflammatory Bowel Disease and what are its causes

– WHAT IS THE INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

It is defined as “Inflammatory Bowel Disease” and it is a chronic idiopathic pathology that affects all parts of the gastrointestinal tract and is characterized by inflammatory cell infiltrations (lymphocytes, plasma cells, eosinophils, macrophages and neutrophils).
These cells proliferate abnormally going to thicken the mucosa to weaken its structure and, in severe cases, to prevent the absorption of the food.
Different forms of Ibd can be classified based on anatomical location and on the cellular nature involved.
This pathology can affect the small intestine, the large intestine or both: in the cat the small intestine is mainly affected, while in the dog it is more common to find a more generalized enteric involvement.

– WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF THE IBD?

In medicine the term idiopathic literally means “the cause of which is unknown”.
Actually, the factors that trigger the disease are not known, but presumably it is thought to be the consequence of a form of intolerance or food allergy, which alters the natural balance of the intestinal bacterial flora, allowing pathogenic bacteria to proliferate .
There is no specific evidence on the predisposition of Ibd in dogs and cats, but there would seem to be a greater incidence in purebred cats and dogs such as German Shepherd, Setter, Schnauzer, Doberman, French Bulldog, Boxer, Yorkshire, Poodle, Cocker and Shar Pei.
The age in which the IBD occurs is variable, with an average age of around six years, both in the dog and in the cat, even if in large dogs the disease can occur even before the age of two.

2. The most common symptoms and what happens to dogs and cats with Ibd

– WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS?

At the clinical level there can be different types of manifestations depending on the region of the gastrointestinal tract affected and the chronicity of the pathology.
The most frequent are usually: chronic diarrhea (more than three weeks), vomiting, weight loss, changes in appetite, mucus and blood in the stool.
Contrary to humans, extraintestinal manifestations (ocular, renal and articular) are poorly documented.
Some patients show appetite as the only sign and this is more frequent in the cat than in the dog.

– WHAT HAPPENS TO IBD DOGS AND CATS?

Some foreign particles can pass through the intestinal mucosa and then enter the bloodstream, causing the immune and inflammatory response and response.
In this way, the loss of impermeability allows toxins, bacteria, fungi and parasites, which under normal conditions could not cross the intestinal mucosa, to overcome the protective barrier and enter the blood.
Since the intestinal barrier is altered, toxic substances such as food additives, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and so on can also cross it.
Official medicine often takes care of treating the symptom with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, neglecting, however, the real cause that is nutrition.
The abuse of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories can lead to an alteration of the intestinal flora destroying the useful one (lactobacilli) and favoring a multiplication of putrescing bacteria and intestinal candida.

3. What to do in case of IBD and what diet to follow

– WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF IBD?

Since nutrition is the main cause of this pathology, it is certainly the first thing that needs to be changed in the habits of our furry friends.
By itself, however, it is not enough to counteract the disease and therefore it is necessary to associate it with targeted drug therapy.
It is essential to limit the use of cereals in the diet and coarse fiber, which creates an exfoliation of the mucosa that flakes.
The use of fats must also be reduced as these, following the action of heat during their transformation, can undergo alterations and, therefore, oxidation and cause further inflammation of the intestinal wall.
People suffering from this pathology often do not respond to “hypoallergenic” commercial diets with intact proteins or fermenting fibers with prebiotics, but they can benefit from diets containing hydrolyzed protein sources, or from a home diet containing single new protein sources and a source of carbohydrates .

– WHICH DIET TO FOLLOW

Healthy nutrition formulated on the basis of the patient’s condition, age, any associated diseases and, above all, tolerance for certain foods is essential to counteract IBD in dogs and cats.
There is no single diet suitable for all subjects affected by this condition.
So you will have to think about the administration of a highly digestible, very palatable diet, with a single protein source to which the animal has never been subjected and with high biological and high quality proteins.
The increase in dietary fiber is useful in cases where there is inflammation of the colon, as they improve motility and greater absorption of liquids and electrolytes.
The use of omega-3 fatty acids is useful as they have the ability to reduce intestinal inflammation. The two most common omega-3 fatty acids are ecosapentanoic and docosahexanoic found in fish oil.

4. Natural and probiotic remedies

– WHAT NATURAL REMEDIES ARE USEFUL IN THE EVENT OF IBD?

Zeolite can be a valid remedy in these cases, as it absorbs toxic amines and reduces diarrheal effects.
Turmeric is also an excellent intestinal anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and is potentially useful for the treatment of certain types of cancer.
Aloe has been shown to be another very useful remedy for the anti-inflammatory and protective properties of the intestinal mucosa, to be associated with probiotics and prebiotics to restore the altered intestinal flora.
In addition, patients suffering from Ibd should be supported with nutraceuticals, antioxidants, vitamins and, as we have already said, an easily assimilable diet, with high quality proteins and in some cases eliminating fats.

– IS IT USEFUL TO ADMINISTER PROBIOTICS?

Probiotics should be included in the diet, especially when this alone is not enough to control the disease.
These are living organisms that, administered in adequate quantities, produce a series of benefits on the organism. In particular, they are able to rebalance the microbial flora of the intestine.
When taking lactic ferments, in reality, reference is made to probiotics, microorganisms that influence the microbiota, that is, the bacterial population present in the intestine.
Probiotics help strengthen the immune system, restore bacterial flora and counteract swelling and diarrhea.
They have the ability to suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria and to modulate the immune response by stimulating the phagocytic capacity and the production of Iga antibodies.

5. Idb classification, frequent symptoms and ideal nutrition

– IBD CLASSIFICATION

• Gastritis
Duodenitis
• Gastro-duodenitioEnterocoliti
Colitis
• Lymphoplasmaccellular
• Eosinophilic
• Granulomatous
• Neutrophilic

– FREQUENT SYMPTOMS

• diarrhea
• He retched
• melena
• ascites
• peripheral edema • weight loss
• apathy
• borborygmi
• flatulence
• abdominal pain

– IDEAL FOOD

• Highly digestible and low-fat foods;
• No to refined foods: milk, corn gluten, wheat gluten, barley, millet, brewer’s yeast, sugar, soy, corn, salt, starches and vegetable oils;
• Only proteins with a very high biological value, especially in cases of protein malabsorption in which the intestine is unable to retain proteins due to its permeability or due to modification of the mucous membrane;
• An optimal omega 3 and omega 6 ratio, usually 2: 1 or 3: 1, to reduce the inflammatory supply and compensate for the proportion of fats that are still required;
• Supply of Fos (OligoSaccharides) and Mos (MannanOligoSaccharides) fibers for proper nourishment of the intestinal bacterial flora;
• Glutamine intake, essential to reduce villous atrophy: it is the main nourishment of enterocytes (intestinal cells).