My pet is vomiting or has diarrhoea

+ How we work it out

Vomiting and diarrhoea (V+D) can be caused by many things. Identifying the cause is crucial, but so is managing the secondary impact of V+D, such as dehydration or nutrition. As with many diagnostic processes, we follow some general rules.

Step 1: Does the patient need to be hospitalised?

Physical Examination: Assessing the hydration of the patient, along with other factors will determine if we want to hospitalise the pet. Elements like the frequency and volume of V+D, together with the capillary refill time, skin tent and other tests will help guide a decision.

In pets where the possibility of something being stuck is high on the list of potential causes, we will always hospitalise and use x-rays and ultrasound to determine if it is true.

Step 2: Intestine only, or other factors?

The abdomen contains the intestine amongst other organs. These organs interact with the intestine and have the potential for causing V+D. Determining if the V+D is more than just the intestine will be done through questions and listening to how your pet has been at home. Losing weight (see other advice), onset and duration, time of day the V+D occurs all help to put together the picture.

Step 3: Tests

Tests can be used to rule in or out many elements. Stool samples will help determine if a bacterial or parasite has caused the symptom. A blood sample will allow us an understanding on how the body is reacting, together with looking for non-intestinal causes of V+D.

We may choose to take some x-rays or ultrasound scan you pet. This is to look for any potential obstruction, measure intestinal thicknesses and assess other organs that can each be affected, or contribute to the diarrhoea.

Depending on the severity of the v + D, and the condition your pet is in, we may elect to do all the tests simultaneously, to get rapid results, or we may space the tests out over a period of time and build the picture more slowly.

Step 4: Diagnosis

A diagnosis will help guide our advice and treatment of particular conditions. Despite this, treatment can begin without a definitive diagnosis, with the treatment and response itself acting as a test.

Step 5: Treatment

Treatment will depend on many elements, but for non-complicated causes there is a general pattern to follow: Up to date worming is always essential because tests for worms may miss them.

Hydration and fluids are critical, and if your pet is not drinking enough then we may wish to hospitalise them. Probiotics and binding agents.

Bland diet and slow re-introduction to normal food.

+ Will my pet receive antibiotics?

The use of antibiotics may not always be needed. Antibiotics can kill all bacteria, good and bad, and in itself this can upset the intestines and cause both vomiting and diarrhoea. In many cases feeding the correct flora, and replenishing them is a better route to take because this causes less damage in the long run.

However, in certain conditions where a bacterial cause is identified (e.g. Salmonella, campylobacter, or another) we may elect to use antibiotics and follow them up with probiotics to replace the gut flora with the right bacteria.

+ How long does the treatment take?

The initial examination will take 15 minutes, after which a treatment, or diagnostic plan will be made.

+ How many visits are required?

This depends on the diagnosis. For a simple infection, an assessment and then follow up will be the least number of visits. For more severe conditions, several appointments with probable tests will be needed.