logoPROFESSIONAL VERSION

Noninfectious Diseases of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Animals

ByAlex Gallagher, DVM, MS, DACVIM-SAIM, Columbia Veterinary Emergency Triage and Specialty
Reviewed ByAlejandro Ramirez, DVM, PhD, DACVPM, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona
Reviewed/Revised Modified Jul 2025
v3260140

Major causes of noninfectious GI disease include the following:

  • dietary issues (eg, feed overload, intolerance, allergy)

  • dietary indiscretion, including foreign body ingestion

  • GI obstruction

  • mucosal injury (eg, gastric ulcers,chronic enteropathy, neoplasia)

  • intestinal dysbiosis

  • enzyme deficiencies

  • congenital defects

Clinical signs of noninfectious GI disease, including vomiting and diarrhea, may develop secondary to systemic or metabolic diseases such as kidney disease, liver disease, and Addison disease (hypoadrenocorticism). The causes are uncertain in several diseases, including abomasal ulcers in cattle, gastric ulcers in pigs, gastric ulcers in foals, gastric torsion in dogs, and acute intestinal obstruction and abomasal displacement in cattle.

With noninfectious GI diseases, usually only a single animal is affected at one time; exceptions are diseases associated with excessive feed intake or poisons, in which case herd outbreaks are common.

For More Information

  • Also see pet owner content regarding digestive disorders of cats, dogs, and horses.

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