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136 results for “gastrointestinal diet”
Selenium Metabolism Disorders in Dogs and Cats: Deficiency (White Muscle Disease) and Toxicity
Selenium is an essential trace mineral that supports antioxidant defence and immune function in dogs and cats. Both too little and too much are harmful: deficiency causes nutritional myodegeneration (white muscle disease) affecting skeletal and heart muscle, while excess produces acute and chronic poisoning.
Niacin (Vitamin B3) Deficiency in Dogs and Cats
Niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency in dogs and cats causes pellagra-like signs, oral and esophageal ulcers, black tongue in dogs, diarrhea, anemia, and symmetric dermatitis. It follows corn-heavy diets low in tryptophan, and is corrected with dietary niacin.
Biotin (Vitamin H) Deficiency in Dogs and Cats
Biotin (vitamin H) deficiency in dogs and cats causes scaly dermatitis, hair loss, poor growth, and later weakness, diarrhea, and hind-limb paralysis. It is usually due to raw-egg white (avidin) or gut flora imbalance, and is corrected with dietary biotin.
Vitamin K Deficiency in Dogs and Cats
Vitamin K deficiency in dogs and cats impairs clotting-factor synthesis, causing prolonged bleeding time, subcutaneous and body-cavity hemorrhage, and anemia. It arises from malabsorption, long-term antibiotics, or certain poisons, and is treated with vitamin K and management of the underlying cause.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Dogs and Cats
Vitamin D deficiency in dogs and cats impairs calcium and phosphorus use, leading to rickets in the young and osteomalacia in adults, with bone pain, lameness, and deformities. It is prevented and treated by correcting diet, ensuring sunlight, and veterinary-directed vitamin D and calcium.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Deficiency in Dogs and Cats
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiency in dogs and cats causes poor appetite, stalled growth, and characteristic lesions of the skin, mouth, and eyes including dermatitis, cheilosis, and corneal clouding. It is corrected with dietary riboflavin and a balanced ration.
Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Deficiency in Dogs and Cats
Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in dogs and cats impairs glucose metabolism and especially nerve function, producing anorexia, weakness, and progressive neurological signs such as ataxia, seizures, and paralysis. It is caused by raw-fish diets, gut or liver disease, and high demand, and responds to thiamine replacement.
Vitamin A Deficiency in Dogs and Cats
Vitamin A deficiency in dogs and cats results from a diet lacking preformed vitamin A and its precursors, impairing vision, skin, growth, and reproduction. It causes night blindness, dry eye, flaky skin, and in young animals bone deformity and paralysis, and is corrected by dietary vitamin A and treating any gut disease.
Hepatic Encephalopathy in Dogs and Cats
Hepatic encephalopathy is a neurological syndrome in dogs and cats caused by liver dysfunction that allows toxic metabolites such as ammonia to reach the brain. It produces recurring signs ranging from lethargy and ataxia to seizures, circling, and coma, and is often triggered by high-protein meals, gastrointestinal bleeding, or dehydration.
Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis in Dogs and Cats
Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a severe chronic inflammation of the stomach and intestines caused by infiltration with eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. It is often linked to allergy and is marked by persistent vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and a high eosinophil count in the blood.