Knowing the appropriate way to care for your pets when they are ill is important for their overall well-being and long-term health. If your pet is suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, Dr. Gill at South Coast Veterinary Hospital in Laguna Niguel is here to help. We can provide a range of solutions to help your pet cope with vomiting and diarrhea. We offer the services of experienced staff as well as state-of-the-art equipment for effective care and treatment for a wide range of health issues. Let’s look at a few of the common reasons why your pet may be experiencing stomach issues.
What Causes Gastrointestinal Distress?
Like humans, vomiting in pets is typically a sign of their body rejecting something it has ingested and diarrhea is often an issue with the gastrointestinal tract. However, diarrhea may also be the result of contaminated food, stress, environmental changes, or a change in your pet’s diet. Vomiting may be a symptom of poisoning, which requires urgent medical attention. Common causes of vomiting and diarrhea include:
- Change in diet: Changing your pet’s food from one brand to another may cause diarrhea or vomiting for a few days. The issue tends to worsen when the diet is changed to a bargain-priced, generic food that contains rendering plant meal, roughage, and digestible protein.
- Eating too fast: Dogs, cats, and other animals that eat too quickly may vomit undigested food shortly after digesting the food, especially if they are not fed frequently.
- Stress: Some pets, especially toy dogs and timid cats, may vent their stress through their intestines in the form of diarrhea, refusing to eat, and vomiting.
- Antibiotics: It is common for antibiotics to disrupt the normal beneficial bacterial flora in the intestine and the dangerous bacteria. When the good bacteria are destroyed, it may lead to diarrhea. If your pet has recently been prescribed antibiotics and your pet is vomiting or experiencing diarrhea, contact your veterinarian to determine what you can do to relieve the discomfort.
Dietary Changes
The most common reason why your pet may be vomiting and have diarrhea is what they are eating, so before changing their diet, it is important to talk with our vet about the changes you have or are going to make in your pet’s diet. In many cases, our vet can recommend a solution through a phone call; however, if your pet cannot hold down water, there is blood in the stool, blood in the vomit, or if they are experiencing lethargy, it is important to contact our veterinarian in Laguna Niguel right away.
Contact South Coast Veterinary Hospital
To learn more about why your pet has symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea or to schedule an exam, contact South Coast Veterinary Hospital. Call Dr. Gill today at (949) 249-7777 or reach us through our website by using our online contact form.