Ulcers are actually somewhat common in dogs, as they can be caused from overuse of various
medications. If your pup has had another terminal condition, she may be prone to developing a stomach ulcer. They can also be caused by stress and allergies.
One of the primary indicators of stomach ulcers is intermittent vomiting, but the vomit is often marked by the presence of blood. Yummy, huh? Blood can also make their stools a very dark brown or black. If you notice one of these signs combined with a sense of depression and/or weight loss, chances are good that your pooch is suffering from an ulcer. Your vet can confirm this with an X-ray, ultrasound, or even a procedure in which a camera is passed into the stomach.
Once an ulcer is diagnosed, the hard work begins. The cause of the ulcer has to be isolated and
eliminated – this can be fairly difficult if the primary cause is stress and your dog is naturally high strung. Some veterinarians will encourage you to use the same medications approved to guard human’s stomachs against excess acid caused by stress, and these can be very effective in helping treat both the ulcer and the stress.
You’ll find that many supposedly high-strung dogs calm down substantially when their stomach and body aren’t causing them quite as much distress. If your pooch has developed anemia because of the ulcer, she may have to undergo blood replacement and medication to help repair the stomach tissue.
Nearly all ulcers are treated with some combination of medications. Don’t be overly concerned if your veterinarian prescribes two or three different meds for your dog, as some help repair the stomach tissue, some reduce the acid in the stomach, and still others protect and cushion the stomach lining against any irritants so the other medications can work more effectively. Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible for your vet to be able to predict how long you’ll have to keep your pup on the meds. He or she will probably ask you to bring your dog back
in for regular ultrasounds or X-rays to check on the progress of the medication’ effects, and you’ll have to continue giving your dog the meds until the vet gives you the okay to stop.
