Intestinal diseases Flashcards
What does the impairment of the absorptive villous surface result in?
Diarrhea
Malabsorption
Weight loss
What are the clinical signs of parasitic diarrhea?
Diarrhea +/- blood
Vomiting
Weight loss
Ill thrift
How do you diagnosis parasitic diarrhea?
Fecal float or direct examination
ELISA test for Giardia
Who typically gets viral diarrhea?
Young and unvaccinated animals
What are the types of viral diarrhea?
Parvovirus
Feline panleukopenia virus
Coronavirus
Distemper
When do puppies need to be vaccinated for parvovirius?
6, 9 and 12 weeks
Is parvovirus contagious?
Yes highly
What does the parvovirus effect?
The digestive system
Destroys the lining of the intestinal tract
What happens when the lining of the intestinal tract is damaged during parvovirus?
water and nutrients cannot be absorbed and bacteria can leak bacteria into the body
What is panleukopenia?
Feline Distemper Virus or feline enteritis
What is feline panleukopenia virus?
A parvovirus that is highly contagious
What does feline panleukopenia virus do?
Interrupts the production of white blood cells
What are the clinical signs of viral diarrhea?
Hematochezia or melena Vomiting Febrile Anorexia Lethargy
What are patients with viral diarrhea?
Immunosuppressed
What is bacterial diarrhea?
Occurs when pathogenic bacteria invade and damage the intestinal epithelium which causes disease
What are some strains of bacteria that cause bacterial diarrhea?
Salmonella Shigella Campylobactor Some strains of ecoli Clostridium
How do you diagnosis bacterial diarrhea?
Rule out gastrointestinal parasites
How do you treat bacterial diarrhea?
Oral antibiotics
Fluid and electrolyte replacement therapy
What are examples of antibiotics that treat bacterial diarrhea?
Enrofloxacin
Trimethoprim
Erythromycin
Metronidazole
What is a very common intestinal disease in small animals?
Dietary Intolerance or Sensitivity Diarrhea
What is dietary intolerance or sensitivity diarrhea?
Patients unable to handle certain substances in their diet
How do you treat dietary intolerance or sensitivity diarrhea?
Dietary feeding trial with novel protein source
Oral prednisone
In what disease can you see in older animals with chronic, intermittent vomiting, listlessness, weight loss, borborygmus, flatus?
Lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis
How do you diagnosis Lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis?
Biopsy to confirm
What is important to communicate to owners of patients with Lymphocytic plasmacytic enteritis?
Treatment can be prolonged and expensive
Typically not curative
What is Intestinal Lymphangectasia?
Chronic protein losing intestinal disease
What is obstructed in lymphangectasia?
Normal lymphatic flow, impaired intestinal lymphatic drainage
What does the obstruction of normal lymphatic flow lead to?
The back-up of lymph which releases fluid into the lumen. This leads to loss of lipids, loss of plasma proteins, loss of lymphocytes
What will intestinal lymphagectasia lead to?
Hypoalbuminemia Lymphopenia Hypoglobulinemia Hypochloesterolemia HYpocalcemia
How do you diagnosis lypmhagectasia?
Biopsy will reveal chyle filled lacteals and intestinal lymphatics
How do you treat lymphagectasia?
Prednisone and metronidazole
Diet change to one with minimal fat and high quality protein
Is lymphagectasia a progressive disease and can remission occur?
Yes it is a progressive disease and remission can occur but many animals can have relapses
What happens in an intussusception?
One portion of the intestine telescopes into adjacent segment of the intestine
What does an intussusception create?
A partial to complete obstruction of the lumen and can damage the intestinal wall
What causes intussusception?
Usually idiopathic
Can be secondary to parasites, foreign bodies, infections, neoplasia
How do you treat intussusception?
Reduce and excise
What is inflammatory bowel disease?
The accumulation of inflammatory cells within the lining of the stomach
How do you diagnose IBD?
Rule out other causes and gastric and intestinal biopsies
How do you treat IBD?
Antibiotics
Immunosuppressive doses of steroids
Hypoallergenic diets
What species is more prone to IBD?
Cats
What is important to communicate to owners of patients with IBD?
A complete work-up is required
Therapy will be required for the rest of the animals’s life
What are common intestinal neoplasums?
Adenocarcinoma
Lymphosarcoma
Mast cell tumors
What percentage of dogs get adenocarcinoma?
25%
What percentage of cats get adenocarcinoma?
50%
What percentage of dogs get lymphosarcoma?
10%
What percentage of cats get lymphosarcoma?
20%
What is uncommon in dogs and cats
Constipation
What is important when diagnosing contsipation
Physical exam
What does a physical exam of a patient complaining of a possible constipated patient check for?
Foreign body Tumor Pelvic injury Anal sac abscess Urinary obstruction Dehydration
What intestinal disease is more common in cats?
Megacolon
What is the common presentation of megacolon?
Middle aged to older cats
Obese cats
History of non-productive straining to defecate
