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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.