Examples Of Digestive Issues Flashcards
Lip fold pyoderma
Found in breeds with droopy lips
Sanitation important to prevent
Laceration and burns of mouth
Common injuries
Due to fighting, chewing of objects, licking corrosive substances
Stomatitis
Inflammation of the mouth , gums, tongue
May be toxic, viral (feline calici virus)
Yeast infections, trauma - very painful
Drooling, refusal to eat
Oral papillomas
Warts caused by a virus
Seen in young dogs
May have as many as 50-100
Disappears within 2-3 months
Foreign objects in mouth
Fish hooks
Porcupine quills
String (cats)
Generally need sedation to remove
Growths in mouth
Include benign and malignant tumors
Most are benign
If malignant it is a bad prognosis (melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma)
Retained deciduous teeth
Usually canine in small breed dogs
Should be gone by 6 months
Interfere with permanent teeth eruption
Malocclusion
Incorrect bite
Overshot - upper jaw longer
Undershot - lower jaw longer
Wry mouth- one side longer so face twists
Periodontal disease
Starts with gingivitis
Inflammation of gums when bacteria builds up along gum line
Reversible early on but if not treated they get periodontis - inflammation of deeper structure around tooth
Gum recession- if severe can see abscesses , loosened teeth, pathological bone fracture of mandible
Tooth fractures
Lead to root abscesses , swelling around the eye, possible eye damage
FORL
Feline Oral Resorptive Lesions -
A type of painful tooth decay in cats
Eosinophilic Ulcers
Rodent Ulcers
Disease of cats - raised shiny pink lesions on lips, thighs, nose
Responsive to steroids
Biopsy
Pharyngitis
Sore throat May include tonsillitis Usually infectious Common to find foreign bodies in throat (bones, sticks, foxtails, quills) Also can see tumors in tonsils
Esophageal Disease
Regurgitation (food passively expelled from esophagus without retching, NOT vomiting) Megaesophagus - enlarged esophagus, causes regurgitation Foreign Bodies (common problem, may lead to perforation , strictures or esophagitis)
Esophageal Growths
Rare and mostly malignant
Gastric and duodenal ulcers
Diagnosed with endoscopy,
most common cause is giving steroids and NSAIDs together
most common clinical sign is vomiting +/- blood
May perforate in which case it is a medical emergency
GDV
Gastric dilation and volvulus
Also called bloat Medical Emergency
Important condition, starts with dilation of stomach, followed by twisting or rotation of stomach, blocking both the entrance and exit of stomach
Dogs get shocky, see non productive vomiting , distended abdomen
Requires aggressive fluid therapy and immediate surgery , gastropexy can be done to prevent torsion (suture stomach to body wall)
Gastritis
May be due to eating garbage , gastric ulcers , foreign bodies , hair balls , bacterial or viral infection , drugs, food allergies
Commonly see vomiting, if persistent is a medical emergency , distinguish between acute and chronic
Motion sickness
Very common, especially in puppies
See yawning and drooling followed by vomiting
Many vets prescribe human anti- motion drugs but there is a licensed drug for dogs
Cerenia
Inflammatory bowel disease
Group of diseases of intestines causing chronic diarrhea , weight loss, anemia and malnutrition , inflammatory cells move into lining of intestines
Diagnosed with biopsy
Acute infectious Enteritis
Infection of the intestinal tract
Sudden onset of vomiting and diarrhea
Most common is Parvo Virus but bacteria can also cause it
Tests are available to determine cause - culture / fecal SNAP tests -expensive
Treated with IV fluids , +/- anti biotic, antiemetics , coating agents
Malabsorption Syndrome
Inability to absorb food
Either due to poor digestion or damage to intestinal wall , many different causes
Colitis
Inflammation to colon
Very common cause of diarrhea
Often causes bloody mucoid diarrhea with straining , pain , numerous causes
Foreign bodies
Very common
May get stuck in intestinal tract and cause obstruction
May perforate intestinal tract
May be hard to diagnose if not radio-opaque
May require surgeries
In cats, hair balls are a problem
Intestinal obstructions
Usually due to foreign bodies or intussusception (telescoping of intestinal tract)
May be caused by tumors, hernias, or roundworms
Clinical signs: abdominal pain, vomiting, no stool passed
Flatulence
Common complaint usually related to diet but may be a sign of malabsorption
Coprophagia
Eating feces
Usually just a bad habit
Numerous “treatments” which is an indication that none work particularly well, occasionaly due to medical problem
Peritonitis
Inflammation of the lining of the abdominal cavity
Usually due to leakage of intestinal contents into abdomen but can also result from viral infections (FIP) , bladder rupture, penetrating abdominal wounds, uterine rupture, post surgical sepsis, can be fatal, requires surgery
Constipation
Absent, infrequent or difficult defecation
Important not to confuse with colitis , bladder obstruction (esp cats) , anorectal obstruction (ie matted hair around anus)
Treated with enemas, laxatives, increased water intake, increasing fiber, drugs that increase intestinal mobility
Diarrhea
Single most common complaint from clients
Passage of lose unformed stools
Usually an emergency to client because dog is having accidents in the house!
May include vomiting.
Wide range of causes and severity , can be mild self limiting diarrhea all the way to fatal hemorrhage V&D
Causes of diarrhea
Garbage guts Salmonella Intestinal parasites Toxins Partial/Full obstructions Food intolerances Viral Expensive to run tests
Treatments for diarrhea
Depends on severity of disease
IV fluids , coating agents, antibiotics, probiotics, pain meds, antiemetics, intestinal diets, hypoallergenic diets
Rectal obstructions
Prostatic hyperplasia or tumors Pelvic fracture Fecal impactions Tumors Polyps
Pseudo constipation
Matted stool around anus
Rectal Prolapse
Protrusion of the rectum through the anus due to progressive prolonged straining
Anal Sac Disease
Impaction, infection, abscess and rupture
Should have good understanding of this rupture
Common clinical sign is scooting
Polyps and Cancer
Can occur in any part of the digestive tract
Liver disease
Signs of liver failure include jaundice, hepatic encephalopathy, ascites, bleeding and edema
Hepatitis
Many things damage the liver - viruses, bacteria, toxins, parasites, drugs, autoimmune disease, endocrine disease,
Liver can repair itself if treated early
May end up with liver failure
Hepatic lipidosis
Fatty liver disease
Disease unique to cats
Commonly see in over weight cats that go off their food for any reason
As fat is mobilized it damages the liver , the cat becomes anorexic, liver failure develops and if not treated often results in death
Treatment is aggressive nutritional support including a feeding tube
Exocrine pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)
Disease of exocrine pancreas where there is inadequate production of digestive enzymes , requiring supplementing diet with digestive enzymes (Viokase)
Pancreatitis
Digestive enzymes released into tissue of pancreas , causing massive inflammation and sometimes damaging the endocrine portion (Islets) which may lead to diabetes; pancreatitis causes vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and can be fatal if severe
Triad of pancreatitis, hepatitis, duodenitis
Commonly seen in cats due to proximity of pancreatic and bile duct
Diabetes Mellitus
Common disease in cats
Due to inadequate production of insulin or decreased sensitivity to insulin, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia)
Clinical signs are : PU/PD, weight loss despite normal appetite, progresses to anorexia, weakness, dehydration , can be fatal,
Treated with insulin and diet
Hernias
Abnormal openings in the abdominal wall
Three common locations are umbilical, inguinal, diaphragmatic
Abnormal contents , especially fat might push out through openings
If loops of intestine get trapped in hernias can result in obstruction which can be fatal
Megacolon
Abnormal distension of colon where feces collect in the colon
Intestinal Parasites
Most common parasites in Calgary are roundworms and Giardia
Usually not visible to owner, require fecal test
Viral diseases
Parvovirus Feline panleukopenia FIP These diseases affect the intestinal tract as well as other parts of the body Diarrhea +/- is a common sign
Anorexia
Non specific sign
Distinguish between lack of appetite vs not able to eat
