What’s the big difference between IBS & IBD?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease present with many of the same symptoms, however, they are completely different illnesses.

One is a functional disease of the GI tract and the other is literally all in your pet’s head!

Common symptoms of dogs suffering from IBD or IBS include diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea but let’s look at the illnesses and how they differ.

If your dog suffers from IBD it is important to know what is in your dog’s food.

Many owners choose to make homemade dog food for IBD but there are over-the-counter commercial dog food
choices that your veterinarian can prescribe.

You may also find that you have to use a bland diet every now and then which is why there is a great recipe below.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS

IBS is a psychosomatic disease in dogs, which means it is primarily mental! No, you should not rush your fur baby off to a therapist, but you will have to do some work to find out why your pet has the syndrome.

Usually, it is due to some type of stress or anxiety so your main job is to identify exactly what is stressing your pet.

In cats, something as simple as moving their litter box can cause stress issues so be on the lookout for the simplest things and changes. Ask yourself if your schedule has changed and is now more inconsistent, have you moved recently or introduced any new pets or people into the home?

IBS is treated through medication from your veterinarian to bring some homeostasis back to the gut but ultimately you will have to and remove or ameliorate the stressor if possible.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD

IBD is a pretty common gastrointestinal disorder in dogs, cats, and humans for that matter. In fact, it is the most common cause of chronic vomiting and diarrhea in dogs.

In humans the majority of the time it presents as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease but in dogs, it often presents as Lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis and Eosinophilic gastroenteritis. Basically, cells that deal with immune responses flood the GI tract wreaking havoc on the intestinal wall and this creates immense inflammation.

The inflammation in the intestines can result in a number of symptoms depending on where the inflammation appears. Our article, Irritable Bowel Disease in dogs, important things you need to know goes much further in depth about IBD so make sure to read it if your pet suffers from the disease!

Treatment for IBD also often includes prescription medication from your vet in addition to lifestyle changes such as a lifelong dietary change, these are some things you may consider adding to your dog’s diet if they are diagnosed with IBD.

Canine irritable bowel disease diet recipes will usually include bland diets and limited-ingredient diets. If you are going to make bland homemade dog food for IBD use the recipe below.

If you’d like other homemade dog food recipes see our recipe page.

Does your pet suffer from either IBS or IBD, how have you dealt with the diagnosis?

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Homemade dog food recipe for ibd

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