Weight Loss

Question 1

How would you define weight loss?

Answer 1

Losing body fat
Muscle atrophy
Caloric intake
Palatability

Question 2

How would you refine the problem of weight loss?

Answer 2

Weight loss associated with decreased appetite

Weight loss associated with normal or increased appetite

Question 3

What is important to consider when the owner describes a decreased appetite?

Answer 3

Is the decrease enough to cause weight loss?

Is it can’t eat or won’t eat?

Question 4

Possible causes of ‘can’t eat’?

Answer 4

Prehension difficulties (teeth)
Painful mouth
Dysphagia

Question 5

Possible causes of ‘won’t eat’?

Answer 5

Loss of smell

True anorexia

Question 6

How is appetite controlled?

Answer 6

Feeding-satiety centres in the hypothalamus

Question 7

When is the feeding-satiety centre influences by (secondary factors)?

Answer 7

Blood glucose levels
Body temperature
Metabolic products
Neural inputs from GI
Substances released by neoplasia
Psychic factors (Stress)

Question 8

How would you approach anorexia diagnostically?

Answer 8

Pyrexia - take temperature
Masses
Severe constipation
Severe heart disease
Anaemia
Icterus

Question 9

What are the causes of anorexia?

Answer 9

Endogenous toxins
Exogenous toxins
Pyrexia
Electrolyte disturbance
Hepatic disease
Neoplasia
Psychic factors
Primary CNS disease

Question 10

When appetite is normal but there is weight loss, how can we further categorise the issue?

Answer 10

Maldigestion
Malabsorption
Malutilisation

Question 11

What is malassimilation?

Answer 11

Maldigestion and malabsorption

Question 12

Possible causes of maldigestion?

Answer 12

EPI
Secondary enzyme deficiency
Deficiency in bile acid
Loss of brush border enzymes

Question 13

Describe malabsorption…

Answer 13

Nutrients digested normally but absorption from the SI impaired due to primary or secondary DI disease.

Question 14

What are the possible causes of primary GI disease?

Answer 14

IBD
Lymphangiectasoa
GI lymphoma
Bacterial overgrowth
Dry FIP
Deep fungal infections

Question 15

What are the main clinical signs of primary GI disease (malabsorption)?

Answer 15

Weight loss
Diarrhoea
Coprophagia

Question 16

What are the possible causes of secondary GI disease?

Answer 16

Hepatic disease (bile acids)
RSHF
Hyperthryoidism

Question 17

What is malultilisation?

Answer 17

Failure to utilise nutrients that have been digested and absorbed normally OR loss of nutrients after absorption

Question 18

What are the possible causes of malutilisation with a normal or increased appetite?

Answer 18

DM
Congestive HF
Dirofilarisis
Neoplasia
Hyperthyroidism
Liver disease
Renal disease

Question 19

What are the possible causes of malutilisation with marked increased in appetite?

Answer 19

DM

Hyperthryoidism