Gastric Motility Disorders

Signalment

Can affect both dogs and cats.

Description

Abnormal gastric motility has been cited as a contributing factor of conditions such as gastric dilatation-volvulus and gastric outflow obstruction that has resulted from pylorospasm. Many potential causes of gastric stasis have been proposed:

• nervous inhibition due to pain or trauma
• electrolyte or acid-base imbalances
• uraemia
• hypothyroidism
• hepatic encephalopathy
• pancreatitis
• inflammation or ulceration of the stomach
• anticholinergic drugs and narcotic analgesics used to treat vomiting and diarrhoea
• idiopathic

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of gastric motility disorders is usually made once other causes of vomiting have been ruled out. The normal gastric emptying time of a dog is 10-12 hours. Therefore, a dog that vomits an undigested meal more than twelve hours after feeding should be strongly suspected of having a gastric motility disorder if an outflow obstruction and inflammatory disease have been excluded.

Clinical Signs

• chronic belching and vomiting
• anorexia
• weight loss
• poor body condition

Radiography

• Contrast radiography may support a diagnosis of a gastric motility disorder:
  • Half of the animal's daily caloric requirement should be fed as canned food mixed with 5% by weight of barium sulphate. Radiographs are taken every hour until the stomach is empty. This amount of food is normally emptied by the stomach in 5-8 hours. If food is still present after this time, a motility problem is suggested.
• Fluoroscopy studies may be used to assess gastric motility.

Treatment

Underlying causes of vomiting should be addressed first.