Digestive System Disorders: Structural and Metabolic Flashcards
Dentition
teeth
Do birds have teeth?
no
What kind of teeth do swine have?
closed rooted teeth, much like people
What kind of teeth do ruminants, horses, and camelids have?
teeth that continue to erupt throughout life
What does worn down teeth and lose teeth with age cause?
-harder to chew food
-worsening body condition
Growth rate of tusks depends on:
-sex more in males than females
-reproductive status if they are intact or neutered
Pulp cavity
inside part of tooth that contains blood vessels and nerves
What are fighting teeth?
found in camelids they are like tusks in pigs
What is dental malocclusion?
teeth do not align properly could be congenital or develop secondary
Radiographs
x-rays
Endoscopy
camera that goes down the nasal cavity or mouth
How to diagnose dental malocclusion?
with radiographs or endoscopy
How to fix dental malocclusion?
trim incisors with cutting tools while file cheek teeth in sedated animal, it will never be fully fixed maintenance is required
Tooth root abscess
tissue swelling that occurs in response to infection, accumulation of WBCs
Where does tooth root abscess begin?
in periodontal space around the tooth and extends into surrounding bone
Tooth root abscess can occur in what teeth?
maxillary and mandibular
Signs of tooth root abscess:
firm facial swelling, pus, halitosis, oral pain
Halitosis
bad breath
How to diagnose tooth root abscess?
radiographs and bacterial culture
How is tooth root abscess treated?
with antibiotic therapy and possible surgery
Scientific name for Lumpy Jaw:
actinomyces spp.
What type of bacteria is actinomyces spp.?
gram positive anaerobic rod bacteria
How does lumpy jaw normally happen?
when penetrating foreign bodies introduce bacteria into oral tissues, then an abscess forms, and surrounding bone becomes infected and destroyed over time
What can lumpy jaw cause in cows?
abscesses in lungs
What can lumpy jaw cause in horses?
under the skin abscesses
Inflammation in the jaw from secondary to low blood protein is:
bottle jaw
Choke
foreign object or food item gets stuck in esophagus
Choke is most common in what kinds of animals?
animals that are weak or ravenously hungry
Signs of choke:
- drooling
- reflux fluid from nostrils
- coughing/retching
- hanging head or extending neck
- visible fluid/bolus distention
Choke may resemble what?
rabies
How to diagnose choke?
with radiographs or ultrasounds or endoscopy
What is a common complication of choke?
aspiration pneumonia
aspiration pneumonia
when food or water gets into the airways
Treatment of choke
-withhold food it may resolve itself
-retrieve or try and push material along via a nasogastric tube
Crop in birds
a dilation of the esophagus at the thoracic inlet
Function of the crop
food storage
Possible causes of crop distention:
- recent meal
- impaction of food or foreign material
- neurological disfunction
- bacterial/fungal overgrowth “SOUR CROP”
- idiopathic (genetic?)
Diagnosis of crop distention:
- sample material from crop
- radiographs/ultrasounds
- heavy metal testing
Candida albicans
an opportunistic fungus that colonizes oral cavity causes white plagues and nodules
treatment of crop distention
- removal of contents via lavage or surgery
- supportive bandaging
- treat underlying cause
Esophageal Ulcers
erosion of tissue lining esophagus typically caused by ingestion of chemical irritants
Do animals still eat with esophageal ulcers?
yes and immediately retch up cud or have serve challenging with eating
How to diagnose esophageal ulcers?
based on signs and history
How to treat esophageal ulcers?
with medications that coat the esophagus
Something we need to worry about with esophageal ulcers?
narrowing of the esophagus from scar tissue
Simple mono gastric
single stomachs pigs, dogs, humans
Monogastric with hindgut fermentation
horses and rabbits
Multicompartment stomach with foregut fermentation
ruminants and camelids
Gastric ulcers
erosion of stomach lining
What animals are Gastric ulcers common in?
pigs and horses
What can cause gastric ulcers in pigs?
- rapidly growing animals
- stressful situations like transport, heat stress, mixing unfamiliar animals
Does Gastric ulcers occur more in young or older horses?
older
How can a horse get Gastric ulcers?
many risk factors, most related to stress, early weaning, confinement, etc.
Signs of Gastric ulcers in foals
more obvious; intermittent colic, dorsal recumbency, intermittent nursing, diarrhea, poor appetite, bruxism, and ptyalism
Bruxism
grinding of teeth
Ptyalism
excessive saliva
dorsal recumbency
lying on ones back
Lesions of gastric ulcers
vary in depth and surface area and could cause chronic pain and mild bleeding
Melena
digested blood in feces
How to see an ulcer?
endoscopy or ultrasound
How to treat gastric ulcers?
with a gastroprotection and environmental management
Four chambers of a ruminant stomach
rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum
Rumen distension
accumulation of free gas or froth
Free gas bloat
caused by failure to belch or burp and is typically secondary to choking or disease that impairs rumen contractions
Frothy bloat
caused by diets high in legumes, alfalfa, or cereal grain gas is stabilized in foam
Signs of rumen bloat
enlargement of the abdomen particularly on the side where the rumen is located
Treatment of rumen bloat
- decompression (relieve distention by passing an orogastric tube, trochar, or surgery)
- chemically resolving froth (antifoaming agents)
3.restoration of normal rumen metabolism
How to prevent rumen bloat?
limiting access to offending feedstuffs, introducing new feed slowly, adding medications to diet to reduce gas production
Camelid stomach
3 chambered stomach C1 2 and 3 fermentation occurs in C1 and C2
Rumen acidosis
rapid fermentation of excessive amounts of highly digestible carbohydrates “grain overload”
How does rumen acidosis make the rumen super acidic?
energy source is fermented –> rumen/stomach drops in pH –> lactobacillus spp grow rapidly –> this drops the pH even lower and bacteria die
Effects of rumen acidosis
fluid is drawn into rumen from circulation which causes dehydration and lactic acid can build up in the blood and the lining of the stomach becomes damaged and toxins can be taken up into circulation
Signs of rumen acidosis
anorexia, weakness, dehydration, colic, abdominal distention and loss of normal contractions, laminitis, CNS signs related to toxemia
How to diagnose rumen acidosis?
collect fluid by orogastric/nasogastric tube or rumenicentesis
Treatment of rumen acidosis
with fluids containing a buffer, anti-inflammatories, removal of GI contents then transfaunation, vitamin supplements, antibiotic
Prevention of rumen acidosis
introducing concentrate feeds slowly adding a buffer agent when feeding high grain ratios
Equine digestive tract
monogastric herbivores (hindgut fermentors)
Colic
abdominal pain term is often used for horses but can apply to any species
Potential causes of colic:
- gas
- impaction
- grain overload
- torsion
- entrapment
Common signs of colic:
- pawing with front feet kicking with back feet at flank
- looking back at flank stretching
- rolling
- straining to defecate/decrease in fecal production
- abdominal distension
- hyporexia