Diseases of Digestive System (PDF)

# Diseases of Digestive System ## Oral Affections - **Congenital Abnormalities**: - **Oral Clefts**: - Definition: - There are congenital abnormalities, which may be due to hereditary factors, nutritional deficiencies, stress factors, chemical effects and drugs or mechani...

# Diseases of Digestive System ## Oral Affections - **Congenital Abnormalities**: - **Oral Clefts**: - Definition: - There are congenital abnormalities, which may be due to hereditary factors, nutritional deficiencies, stress factors, chemical effects and drugs or mechanical interference. - Usually occur in lips and palates of young animals. - Types of clefts: - **Cheiloschisis**: It is a fissure of the lips. - Usually occur in the upper lip due to failure of function between premaxilla and maxilla in the embryonic period. - **Palatoschisis**: It is a fissure of the palate. - It is seen in the palate alone or it may begin at the lip and extend into the alveolar part of the palate. - Characterized by regurgitation of milk from the nose in newly born puppies. - Death usually occurs due to starvation. - Secondary infection of the nasopharynx or the middle ear may also occur. - Treatment: - Surgical treatment with little success to both types. ## Acquired Abnormalities ### Diseases of Oral Cavity - **Cheilitis**: - Definition: It is an acute or chronic inflammation of the lips or lip folds. - Etiology: - Wounds due to chewing sharp objects. - Foreign body wounds. - Fighting wounds. - Secondary infection to wounds. - Extension infection from the mouth. - Extension infection from licking infected dermatitis or an infected wound. - Extension infection from licking external otitis, especially in long-eared dogs. - Local or generalized bacterial skin infections in small puppies. - Hypovitaminosis B, allergy and sarcoptic mange. - Clinical sings: - Rubbing or scratching the lips. - Salivation and anorexia. - Faeted odor from the mouth. - Moist and discolored hair at the lip margin. - Muted with yellowish brown discharge. - Overlying hyperemia or sometimes ulceration skin. - Dry, red and crusty lesions with cracks at the commissar in hypovitaminosis B. - Ulceration and necrosis of the tongue and gum. - Edematous lips in allergic conditions. - Treatment: - Clean the mouth. - Clean the wound by clipping hair and applying antiseptic solution (tannic acid, borax, boric acid and acriflavin 1-2%). - Suture the wound if necessary. - Systemic antibiotic. - Apply antibiotic ointment 3-4 times daily. - **Gingivitis**: - Definition: Acute or chronic inflammation of the gum. It is characterized by swelling and congestion. - Causes: - Local irritation of the gum. - Dental caries. - Trauma, spines or broken teeth. - Hypovitaminosis B. - Extension from mouth or pharynx. - Secondary to uremia and leptospirosis. - Chronic debilitating disease in cats, as feline leukemia. - Clinical Signs: - Inflammatory band at the neck of teeth. - Edema and swelling in the gum that is tender and easily bleeds. - Ulceration occurs in prolonged untreated cases. - Treatment: - Elimination of the local causes. - Systemic antibiotic. - Local antiseptic solution (zinc chloride 0.2 or tr. Iodine 2%). - Injection of vitamin B. - Treat the real and primary causes, as uremia and leptospirosis. - **Stomatitis**: - Definition: Inflammation of oral mucosa, including glossitis and gingivitis. - Characterized by an increase in salivary secretion and variable appetite. - Causes: - Thermal burning. - Foreign bodies in between teeth and gums. - Dental Calculus and trauma. - Chemical (sulfur or iodine ointment). - Hypovitaminosis B, uremia, anemia and constipation. - Symptoms: - Excessive amounts of salivation (ptyalism). - Complete or loss of appetite (in diffuse cases). - Hyperemic and desquamated epithelium of oral mucosa. - **Ulcerative Stomatitis**: - Causes: - Systemic viral diseases (calicivirus and rhinotracheitis in cats). - Systemic affections, as nephritis in dogs. - Vitamin B deficiency. - Symptoms: - Ulceration at the tip of the tongue of a cat. - Ulcers may involve all of the tongue mucosa. - Ulcers may be covered by pseudomembrane. - Bloody stained saliva with fetid odor. - **Ulcero-membranous Stomatitis**: - Causes: - Fusiform bacilli and spirochetes. - Common in both dogs and cats. - Symptoms: - Lesion found on the gingival margin. - The gum is red, swollen, easily bleeds and painful upon palpation. - Saliva becomes slimy, brown and purulent. - Offensive oral odor. - Respiratory system may be affected. - **Gangrenous Stomatitis**: - Causes: - Severe physical and chemical causes. - Systemic conditions such as uremia and vitamin B deficiency. - Sequel to ulcero-membranous type. - Symptoms: - Rapid massive destruction on the tip and borders of the tongue. - The lesion may be found on the gum margin of premolars and molars. - **Follicular Stomatitis**: - Causes: - General systemic diseases, as canine distemper. - Malnutrition and bad hygienic conditions. - Symptoms: - Small vesicles that convert into shallow ulcers. - **Mycotic Stomatitis**: - Causes: Candida albicans infection. - Symptoms: - Star-like ulcer on the mucosa, covered by gray-whitish tenation membrane. - Young animals are more susceptible. - The disease is a sequel following prolonged treatment with antibiotics. - The lesions may extend to pharynx and the anal mucosa. - Treatment: - **Locally**: Gentian violet solution (1/500), Nystatin ointment or solution (100 U/gm). - **Systemically**: Nystatin tablets at dose rate 500,000 U, amoxicillin or ampicillin tablets (3 times a day for ten days). - **General Treatment**: - Locally cauterization of the oral ulcer by silver nitrate. - Antiseptic solutions (zinc chloride, tannic acid, boric acid, copper sulfate, hydrogen peroxides, or tr. iodine). - Broad spectrum antibiotic. ## Megaesophagus - **Definition**: Dilatation of the esophagus wall, usually occurring in dogs, resulting in regurgitation of food. - **Causes**: - Idiopathic. - Secondary to infectious diseases (polymyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, hypoadrenocorticism). - The most common cause of focal megaesophagus is esophagitis. - Usually occurs in the caudal thoracic esophagus and can be a primary disease, or secondary to another disorder, as hiatal hernia. - **Symptoms**: - Regurgitation of food and water. - Poor growth rate and loss of body weight. - Aspiration pneumonia may develop. - **Diagnosis**: - History of the case. - Symptoms. - Radiographic examination (esophagram). - **Treatment**: - **Medical Treatment**: - Feeding in an upright position to allow food to go down by gravity. - Feeding to water ratio 1:2. - Treatment of aspiration pneumonia. - **Hygienic Treatment**: - Administer some liquid barium and take a radiograph to show the outline of the dilated esophagus. - Fluoroscopy is valuable to watch the motility in real time. ## Gastritis - **Definition**: Acute or chronic inflammation of gastric mucosa. It is usually associated with enteritis in the so-called gastro-enteritis. - **Causes**: - **Physical**: Overfeeding, spoiled food, eating indigestible materials, allergy to eggs or milk. - **Chemical**: Caustic solutions (lead, phenol, caustic soda), drugs as aspirin (salicylic acid). - **Infectious**: Canine distemper, leptospirosis, viral hepatitis, acute pancreatitis. - **Secondary**: Pyelonephritis, chronic renal failure, gastro-intestinal parasites. - **Symptoms**: - Poor appetite. - Loss of body weight. - Vomiting. - Depression. - Abdominal pain. - Excessive thirst. - Vomits may contain blood in corrosive factors. - Dehydration and loss of electrolyte balance. - The sick animal looks for a cold place to sit (praying position). - **Diagnosis**: - History of the case. - Symptoms. - Radiographic examination. - Meat test. - **Treatment**: - **Hygienic**: Withheld food and water for 24 hours, ice cube licking if vomiting persists. - **Supportive**: Fluid therapy (isotonic saline solution or dextrose 5% IV injection). - **Medicated**: - **Sedatives**: phenobarbital tablets, meperidine hydrochloride, chloropromazine, atropine sulfate. - **Gastric lavage**: In poisonous conditions using 2% sodium bicarbonate solution or using specific antidote. - **Gastric Sedatives**: Bismuth sub-nitrate with kaolin, dihydrostreptomycin, kaolin, pectin. - **Antibiotics**: Penicillin, streptomycin, ampicillin. - **Poly vitamins**: Medivit, Polyvit, Theragrane. - **Food regime**: - Post-reatment for 24 hours, feed soup or boiled milk. - Following day, balanced diet and return to normal diet gradually. ## Gastric Dilatation Volvulus - **Definition**: Displacement of the stomach to the left side with the formation of volvulus at the pyloric part. It usually begins as dilatation followed by volvulus. - **Occurrence**: Usually occurs in grant breeds of dogs, mostly between 2-10 years old. - **Symptoms**: - Loss of appetite. - Abdominal distention. - Painful abdominal palpation. - Dysponea due to pressure on the diaphragm and respiratory acidosis. - Peritonitis after rupture of the stomach. - Shock resulted in reduced blood pressure, PCV, Hb, pulse rate and cardiac output. - **Diagnosis**: - History of the case. - X-ray examination. - Laboratory diagnosis. - **Treatment**: - **Hygienic**: Withheld food and water for 24 hours, balanced diet. - **Medicated**: - **Fluid**: To compensate shock. - **Sodium**: Bicarbonate solution for treatment of acidity. - **Corticosteroids**: For shock treatment. - **Sedatives**. - **Surgical**: Interference. ## Diarrhea - **Definition**: Frequent passage of unformed soft stools. It is a sign of many cases. - **Causes**: - Ingestion of toxic materials. - Ingestion of foreign materials. - Dietary habits as ingestion of decomposed food. - Enteritis. ## Enteritis - **Definition**: Acute or chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane of the small intestine. - It can lead to increased motility of the gut, increased secretion, decreased absorption of intestinal fluids and characterized by fluidly frequent diarrhea. - **Etiology**: - **Physical**: Overeating, spoiled food, allergy to some foodstuffs, ingestion of some indigestible materials, - **Chemical**: Caustic solutions (lead, phenol, caustic soda) - **Infectious**: Canine distemper, leptospirosis, protozoa (entameoba, giardiasis), toxoplasmosis, panleukopenia, coccidiosis, belantidium. - **Clinical Findings**: - Diarrhea. - Tense abdomen. - Tenesmus, especially when the colon is inflamed. - Painful abdominal palpation. - Body temperature may be elevated or not. - The animal may lie outstretching the fore limbs or it may lie in a praying position. - Barbarygnin sound of the intestines. - Dehydration with electrolyte imbalance or acidosis. - Stools appear fluidly with offensive odor and may be tar-like or streaked with blood. - Sudden changes in dog poop color can be alarming (dung is typical brown color). - **Diagnosis**: - History of the case. - Symptoms. - Fecal examination. - **Treatment**: - **Hygienic**: Withheld food and water for 24 hours, ice cube licking for thirst, balanced diet after 24 hours (boiled rice, boiled milk, egg). - **Supportive**: Fluid therapy (isotonic saline solution or dextrose 5%, lactate Ringer's solutions). - **Medicated**: - **Antibiotics**: For combating microbial infection or secondary invaders (penicillin, neomycine, enteroquin, cabect, or streptophenicol). - **Gastric Sedatives**: Bismuth sub-nitrate with kaolin. - **Anti-diarrheal Agents**. ## Constipation - **Definition**: The difficult evacuation of stools. It is usually accompanied with impaction of the colon. - When constipation is severe, it is called "obstipation". This means the stools are obtained hard and dry in the colon or rectum. - **Treatment**: - **Hygienic**: Daily bran supplements, avoid excessive bone intake, soft food, - **Electrolyte Therapy**: Especially in debilitating animals and to restore tonic and peristaltic movement. - **Multisolution Therapy**: sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium acetate, sodium gluconate, magnesium chloride. - At dose rate 6-10% of body weight of small animals, injected IV. - Manually break down dry stools, either by digital or by using forceps. - **Rectal Enema**: - Small amount of warm water better than large amounts. - Warm water + soap. - Normal saline solution. - Mineral oil. - **Suppositories**: Glycerine suppositories, - **Laxative**: Mineral oil. - **Vegetable Oil**. ## Diseases of Anal Sacs - **Definition**: - Impaction, abscessation and suppuration. - **Occurrence**: - The 2 anal glands open on either sides of the anus. - They are near the junction between the mucous membrane and the skin. - They secrete grayish brown sebaceous secretion with an unpleasant smell. - **Pathogenesis**: - Occlusion of the anal sac duct. - Accumulation of secretion. - Irritation of the dog anal area and scooting. - Infection. - Abscessation and suppuration. - **Symptoms**: - Scooting (rubbing of the anus on the ground). - Frequent attempts to bite the anal region. - Inflammation and swelling of the anal region. - Bulging of skin over the sacs. - If infected, the symptoms are: - The secretion altered (thin, yellow and fuel-smelled secretion mixed with pus). - Hotness and fluctuation may record an abscess of the sac. - Frequent rupture of abscesses and healing may lead to fistulas between the sacs and the skin. - Painful defecation or constipation. - **Diagnosis**: - Case history. - Clinical signs. - Rectal palpation. - **Treatment**: - **Manual Pressure**: In uncomplicated cases, to dislodge the sac contents. - Introduce a gloved finger in the anus and press over the sac to evacuate the contents. - **In Infected Cases**: Evacuate the sac contents and flush it with an isotonic solution. - **Antibiotics**: Penicillin and streptomycin. - **Systemic Antibiotic**: Maybe helpful. ## Diseases of Pancreas - **Definition**: Inflammation of the pancreas. It can be acute or chronic. It is usually associated with malnutrition, infection, or duct occlusion with reflux of bile and intestinal fluids into the gland. - May also have gastric distension. - **Occurrence**: - Dogs are usually in the middle age and obese. - **Causes**: - Excess diet fat intake. - Trauma during surgical operations. - Autoimmune mechanisms. - Metabolic abnormalities. - **Symptoms**: - **Acute Pancreatitis**: - Vomiting. - Stools usually contain blood. - Jaundice may occur. - Fever if there is secondary bacterial infection. - **Chronic Relapsing Pancreatitis**: - Repeated mild attacks of vomiting. - Repeated mild attacks of abdominal pain. - Clay-colored rancid smell stools. - Stools may contain undigested particles. - Diabetes mellitus may follow. - **Diagnosis**: - History of age and obesity. - Symptoms. - Laboratory diagnosis: - **Acute**: Stools may contain fat and undigested food, absence of trypsin, hyperlipemia. - **Chronic**: Elevated amylase and lipase, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia. - **Treatment**: - **Hygienic**: - Withheld food intake. - High protein and carbohydrate, with low fat diet, is recommended in chronic cases. - **Medicated**: - Analgesic drugs to reduce abdominal pain (meperidine hydrochloride). - Fluid therapies to prevent shock or decrease blood pressure. - Antibiotics to combat secondary bacterial infection. - Reduce he pancreatic secretion (atropine sulfate). - Injection of heparin to avoid thrombosis.