Introduction
Helicobacter infection in dogs is caused by exposure to a type of Helicobacter bacteria that can live within the digestive tract. This type of bacteria has a spiral shape, and it bores into the layers of the stomach and lower GI tract in order to survive the stomach’s acidic environment. The boring behavior can lead to irritation and inflammation within the stomach and GI tract. As a result, a dog which has become infected with the Helicobacter bacteria may begin to show gastritis symptoms.
Symptoms of Helicobacter Infection
The most common symptom associated with Helicobacter infection in dogs is periodic vomiting that sometimes contains bile; unexplained weight loss with no vomiting or diarrhea has also been linked to this bacteria. In most cases, the bacteria causes sub-clinical gastritis; this is a form of gastritis which does not produce any noticeable symptoms. Helicobacter infection may also cause a dog to develop food allergies, ulcers, and inflammatory bowel disease; however, this connection has not yet been proven and is still under debate.
While many questions still remain about how a Helicobacter infection can affect a dog, it is believed that many dogs are resistant to the bacteria. The famously known type of Helicobacter named Helicobacter pylori is known to cause severe gastritis and ulcers in people, and yet it has never been detected in dogs. It is believed that when a dog does exhibit symptoms from a Helicobacter infection it is because the dog already has some kind of underlying condition which has weakened its immune system.