Understanding Colitis in Dogs: A Comprehensive Guide

When your dog has an inflamed colon you’ll notice it soon enough … in the form of diarrhea. This is the first sign of colitis in dogs … so, here’s more about this problem, and how to manage it effectively.

What Is Dog Colitis?

Colitis is inflammation of the large intestine, also known as the colon. The colon absorbs water and stores waste that’s eliminated from the body as stool. Undigested food that reaches the colon is digested by beneficial bacteria in the gut. During stress or illness, the colon can become inflamed, which stops the colon from absorbing water and prevents further digestion and nutrient absorption. The water has to go somewhere so it’s released as loose stools and diarrhea. But it can usually be resolved within 72 hours. 

There are two main types of colitis in dogs.

Acute vs Chronic Colitis

Acute colitis is when your dog has a sudden case of diarrhea but it only lasts a day or 2 and usually clears up on its own. Your dog’s stool will be very soft or liquid, and can contain blood or mucus. Your dog will have an urgent, frequent need to go outside and might even have accidents in the house. 

Chronic colitis lasts several weeks or longer. Dogs with chronic colitis typically seem healthy except for diarrhea that comes and goes. If the underlying cause isn’t addressed, the diarrhea episodes can continue intermittently. 

Your dog may also have a unique form of chronic colitis, including granulomatous or histolytic ulcerative colitis.

Granulomatous Colitis
This rare type of colitis affects Boxers, French Bulldogs and some Mastiffs. It’s caused by an aggressive form of E. coli bacteria that infect the intestinal lining and hide within intestinal macrophages, a type of white blood cell. It causes a thickening and partial blockage of the colon. A Cornell University study suspects there’s an abnormality in these breeds that allows the bacteria to infect the intestinal lining. The symptoms of granulomatous colitis include: bloody diarrhea, weight loss, anemia and debilitation. (1)

Histiocytic Ulcerative Colitis
This is a severe form of colitis because it’s not caused by an infection, it’s lifelong and it’s a risk factor for bowel cancer. It’s thought to be an autoimmune condition or a result of genetics. It causes inflammation and ulcers to the lining of the large intestine that produce bleeding and pus. This primarily affects Boxers but French Bulldogs, Alaskan Malamutes, English Bulldogs and Doberman Pinschers can also be susceptible. 

What Causes Dog Colitis?

There are physical, digestive and emotional causes of colitis like these:

• Dietary – sudden changes, too many treats or getting into the garbage
• Loud noises from construction, fireworks or thunderstorms
• Surgery
• Parasites (giardia or whipworms)
• Food sensitivity
• Infection from bacteria or fungus 
• Foreign materials such as parts of toys or clothing
• Cancer
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Dysbiosis (leaky gut)
• Stress colitis

What Are The Signs Of Colitis In Dogs?

If your dog has colitis, you’ll see some of these signs.

• Sudden intense diarrhea 
• Stool is loose and mucousy  
• Sense of urgency to poop
• Straining with frequent, low volume stools
• Small amounts of blood in stool 
• Greater amounts of gas

How Long Does Colitis Last?

Acute colitis in dogs is usually situational or stress-related, so your dog will adjust in a few days.

Chronic colitis in dogs is a longer process as the cause is probably a deeper problem that you have to address, especially if you didn’t recognize your dog’s diarrhea as colitis. It could take weeks and often months or longer to heal leaky gut, pancreatic issues, eliminate food sensitivities or rid your dog of parasites. But the sooner you start, the sooner your dog will begin to heal.

How To Prevent Canine Colitis

Many of the treatment methods that follow also form the basis of ongoing good health for your dog. That means you can prevent colitis by feeding a healthy, whole food diet, giving your dog fiber and probiotics and using natural antibiotics for infections instead of toxic drugs that suppress symptoms. That way you’re supporting your dog’s entire body and strengthening his microbiome to fight off bacteria, infection and disease. 

How Do You Treat Colitis In Dogs?

Your vet may want to prescribe antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. It’s been found that some antibiotics aren’t effective against E. coli and lead to antibiotic resistance. They also break down the beneficial bacteria in your dog’s microbiome. Instead, there are many natural means of treating colitis. 

Colitis happens when food isn’t processed or digested properly. You need to slow down your dog’s digestion so there’s less water in the stool and more time for nutrient absorption. Then you’re able to address the inflammation and manage potential infection.

What To Feed A Dog With Colitis

First, Fast Your Dog
A 24-48 hour fast will rest your dog’s intestinal tract. If diarrhea continues, add another day of fasting. Often dogs will fast themselves … you should let them. They can go for several days but be sure they get plenty of liquids. Caution: Don’t fast young puppies. See your vet for serious diarrhea in a puppy. 

After fasting, slowly feed a bland diet. Soup or broth is better than chicken and rice as you return your dog to regular food. You can make your own bone broth or buy a low sodium broth without onion or other potentially harmful ingredients..

Add Fiber
Fiber will slow down waste and absorb water as it moves through the digestive tract. Fiber will also bind with toxins and bacteria and eliminate them with the stool. Slowly add foods like pumpkin (plain, not pie filling), broccoli, microgreens, raspberries, blueberries, shiitake mushrooms, leafy greens, apples and carrots.

Modify Your Dog’s Diet
As colitis improves, slowly transition your dog to a whole food, raw meat diet. It will support a healthy gut by improving levels of beneficial bacteria and promote good digestion and elimination. As much as 90% of your dog’s immune system is in his gut so keep it strong to fight infectious bacteria, parasites and disease.

Add Probiotics
Colitis forces food and nutrients … and good bacteria … to move quickly through your dog’s system and to be expelled as diarrhea. You can replace the beneficial bacteria with probiotics and prebiotics to rebuild his microbiome. 

Herbs For Colitis
There are many soothing herbs to heal and protect your dog’s inflamed digestive tract including calendula, marshmallow root, slippery elm, licorice root, chamomile and ginger root. 

Use Natural Antibiotics
These natural antibiotics can fight infection without further damage to your dog’s microbiome:

• Oil of oregano
• Olive leaf
• Goldenseal 
• Turmeric (for inflammation too)
• Garlic (in supplement or food form)

As always, support your dog’s overall health with a healthy diet and you’ll be building a strong immune system that can fight disease, infection and parasites that can easily lead to colitis … in an unhealthy dog.