What is IBS?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, also known as IBS, is a common disorder that affects the large intestine and can be caused by a variety of reasons – including food and stress. Its not known what exactly causes IBS in both cats and dog, but there’s a range of suspects – from food allergies such as Wheat, the ability to pass food through the gastrointestinal tract, to mental distress.
What are the symptoms of IBS?
Some of the common symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Occasional chronic large bowel diarrhea
- Bloating
- Frequent passage of small amounts of faeces and mucus
- Nausea
- Vomiting
How is IBS treated?
After a cat or dog has been diagnosed for IBS by a vet, its recommended they be fed a diet this is highly digestible and had a high volume of fibre to try and restore as well as maintain the digestive tracts normal function. As well as this, anything that could be stressful to the cat or dog should be removed from their environment. These foods normally come under the acronym ‘I/D’ for Intestinal Diet or ‘Digestive Care‘ and are normally prescribed to you by a vet. In addition to this, some vets recommend a bland diet that’s poor in fats.
Recommended foods for IBS:
- Fish and fish oil
- Flaxseed oil
- White meat
- Seafood
- Sweet potatoes
- Vegetables – especially green leafy vegetables or broccoli
What foods can cause IBS to flare?
Different dogs and cats can be sensitive to different foods, so its best to stick with any vets advice on what to feed them. However, it’s also useful to know what foods they react badly to so their IBS can be managed a bit more easily.
Some common foods include, but aren’t limited to:
- White potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Red meats
- Corn
- Dairy foods
- Dark chicken meay
- Egg yolks
- Any food high in fat