Heart Burn In Dogs – Diagnosis And Treatment
Dogs suffering from acid reflux may refuse to eat normal amounts of food. As a result, they may start to lose weight and become weak. They may involve in lower level of physical activities than before. After every meal, they may lie down with a tired look for a long time. You have to watch your dog for a period of time and see if these symptoms are continuing. Observation is the most common method for basic diagnosis of canine acid reflux.
Heart burn or acid reflux is a problem faced by millions of people all over the world. Does this condition affect animals too? Yes.
Many animals suffer from this painful condition. As a dog is considered to be the best friend of a man, we are familiar with the acid reflux condition of dogs in particular. In a similar way as humans suffer from acid reflux due to the malfunctioning of their LES (Lower Esophageal Sphincter), some dogs also suffer from this condition for the same reason. In these cases, this valve (LES) does not work properly and is unable to prevent stomach acids from going back up in to the esophagus.
As the stomach is capable of handling stomach acids, the acids won’t cause any damage or pain there. It is not the same case with the soft tissues in the esophagus. The stomach acids are going to burn these soft tissues and cause pain and discomfort.
Causes Of Canine Acid Reflux
This is a biological condition which cannot be prevented or brought under complete control. Some dogs are more susceptible to suffer from this painful condition and some others are not so. Being overweight is known to worsen the condition. Inclusion of too much fat in the dog’s diet is known to cause heart burn. Over eating can also cause acid reflux. In all these cases, added pressure will be exerted on the stomach. The excess fat build up around the stomach area or the excessive amounts of food consumed can cause the stomach acids to reflux up in to the esophagus and thus causing heart burn.
A healthy LES would have kept the stomach acids in its place. But the defective valve function of LES of dogs suffering from acid reflux is not going to prevent stomach acids from going up in to the esophagus completely.
Symptoms Of Canine Acid Reflux
Dogs suffering from acid reflux may refuse to eat normal amounts of food. As a result, they may start to lose weight and become weak. They may involve in lower level of physical activities than before. After every meal, they may lie down with a tired look for a long time. You have to watch your dog for a period of time and see if these symptoms are continuing. Observation is the most common method for basic diagnosis of canine acid reflux.
Treatment For Acid Reflux In Dogs
As this condition is a biological condition which cannot be completely reversed, complete cure of the condition may not be possible. But, you can take preventive measures like feeding a proper diet at appropriate time intervals, preventing your dog from becoming over weight, not providing excessive amounts of food at any given time etc. You must consult with a qualified vet before giving your dog any medicine. Antacids like pepcid are known to provide temporary relief for the condition. But this is not a permanent solution.
Keeping your dog’s food in an elevated position can help in reducing canine acid reflux. This way your pet is not required to eat from floor level and this is known to reduce acid reflux problems for many dogs.
