For two things that seem distinct, vomiting and diarrhea, why do there have to be so many reasons? The gastrointestinal tract serves as a busy thoroughfare and samples a lot of material leaving it a prime target of attack.
One way to view the two symptoms is by categorizing into age: very young dogs and cats are highly susceptible to parasites and its effects on the body. Viral infection is another thing that likes to infect individuals with weak immune systems.
Diseases of the young include:
- Parasites: Hookworms, roundworms, coccidia, whipworms, Giardia
- Viral agents: Parvovirus, panluekopenia virus, corona virus
Diseases of all ages:
- Toxin exposure – sago palm, Tylenol, onions, garlic
- Dietary indiscretion – dog picks up food or eats something out of the ordinary
- Pancreatitis – from eating table scraps and fatty meals
- Endocrine diseases – Addison’s Foreign body
- Foreign body – Toy, clumping cat litter, underwear, fabric and so on
- Any disease or toxin affecting the kidney and / or liver
- Inflammatory / allergic diseases
- Food allergy
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- New Growth (neoplsia)
So, what to do today? First, bring your dog to his/her veterinarian, including previous lab testing, see so we can compare today with what was historically noted and we can see if there are changes from the past to now. The next article will be diagnostics and treatments.
