GI Disease Flashcards
What is GI malassimilation?
decreased ability for the GI to incorporate nutrients into the body
- maldigestion
- malabsorption
What is maldigestion?
failure to adequately degrade dietary constituents
What are diseases that cause maldigestion?
small animal: exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
large animal: uncommon, lactase deficiency
What is malabsorption?
failure of passage nutrients (intestinal lumen —> bloodstream)
What are some diseases causes malabsorption?
small animal: small intestine disease
> localized (proximal vs distal)
» diffuse
large animal: large intestine or small intestine
What is GI malassimilation - clinical presentation?
chronic weight loss - EPI normal or increased appetite , intestinal malabsorption
malformed feces / diarrhea
T/F: Diarrhea is synonymous with malassimilastion
FALSE
What are large vs small intestinal disease with horses?
large: diarrhea/”cow pie”
small intestinal: feces may be normal
What clinical signs can you see with hypoproteinemia (hypoalbuminemia)?
protein-losing enteropathy
- consider dependent edema (ventral)
- transudative effusions
What should you consider if an animal is eating well but they have low body condition?
protein losing enteropathy
What does this submandibular edema i.e. “bottle jaw” suggest?
hypoproteinemia
What are common causes of intestinal malabsorption in small animals?
What are common causes of intestinal malabsorption in horses?
What are common causes of intestinal malabsorption in cattle?
protein-losing enteropathy
- Johne’s Disease
What can acute enteritis/colitis cause?
a temporary malabsorptive state
- not typically included with [chronic] malabsorptive disease
What is SIBO?
small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
What is a sequelae to malassimilation?
small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
SIBO can occur secondary to a variety of GI diseases, including
- exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
- enteric disorders
- impaired gastric acid secretion
How do you assess maldigestion in dogs and cats?
TLI (for EPI)
± PLI
How do you assess malabsorption in dogs and cats?
cobalamin
folate
± Fecal α1-protease inhibitor(PLEs)
How do you assess malassimilation in cattle?
fecal culture / PCR (Johne’s)
How do you assess maldigestion in equine?
lactose tolerance test
How do you assess malabsorption in equine?
glucose absorption test
lactose tolerance test
What does decreased folate result from?
defective intestinal absorption
- proximal SI disease (or diffuse)
dietary deficiency
What does increased folate result from?
- increased absorption in SI
> SIBO
» low intestinal pH
»> high dietary intake - supplementation
- cobalamin deficiency in cats
- hemolysis
What does increased cobalamin (vitamin B12) result from?
uncommon
supplementation
What does decreased cobalamin result from?
Defective intestinal absorption
> Distal (ileal) SI disease (or diffuse)
» Congenital (Giant Schnauzers, Border collies )
Pre-absorptive (less common) - EPI
- SIBO
What does the presence of a Fecal α1-protease inhibitor mean?
presence in feces indicates leaching from the intestine
Protein Losing Enteropathies result in [hyper/hypo]cholesterolemia
hypocholesterolemia
What would you expect cobalamin, folate, TLI, and PLI to be if exocrine pancreatic insufficiency?
What would you expect cobalamin, folate, TLI, and PLI to be if proximal small intestinal disease?
What would you expect cobalamin, folate, TLI, and PLI to be if distal small intestinal disease?
What would you expect cobalamin, folate, TLI, and PLI to be if diffuse SI disease?
What would you expect cobalamin, folate, TLI, and PLI to be if SIBO?
