An endoscopic method for semi-quantitatively measuring internal pyloric diameter in healthy cats: A prospective study of 24 cases

Case report: Abomasal ulcer secondary to congenital pyloric and duodenal stenosis in a 3-day-old heifer

Abomasal ulcers, an economic concern for all calf-raising farms, are usually silent until perforation occurs, at which time management is complicated and often unrewarding. This case study describes perforating ulcer in a 3-day-old Brahman heifer, occurring secondary to a congenital narrowing of the pylorus and proximal duodenum and leading to marked abomasal distention, leakage, and eventual peritonitis and sepsis.

Surgical Anatomy of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Cats

In cats, the gastrointestinal tract is one of the regions in which surgical procedures are most frequently performed by veterinary surgeons; therefore, knowledge of the surgical anatomy of the feline gastrointestinal tract is of high importance. The main surgical procedures performed include gastrotomy, gastrectomy, enterotomy, and enterectomy, as well as procedures in the liver and pancreas. There are also anatomical differences between dogs and cats, increasing the need for deep knowledge of the anatomy treated in the different surgical approaches. The aim of the present review is to describe in detail the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract in cats highlighting the anatomical regions of significant importance in different surgical procedures.

Gastrointestinal transit time is faster in Beagle dogs compared to cats

OBJECTIVE

To characterize gastrointestinal transit times (GITTs) and pH in dogs, and to compare to data recently described for cats.

ANIMALS

7 healthy, colony-housed Beagles.

PROCEDURES

The GITTs and pH were measured using a continuous pH monitoring system. For the first period (prefeeding), food was withheld for 20 hours followed by pH capsule administration. Five hours after capsule administration, dogs were offered 75% of their historical daily caloric intake for 1 hour. For the second period (postfeeding), food was withheld for 24 hours. Dogs were allowed 1 hour to eat, followed by capsule administration. Both periods were repeated 3 times. The GITTs and pH were compared to published feline data.

RESULTS

The mean ± SD transit times in dogs for the pre- and postfeeding periods, respectively, were esophageal, 3 ± 5 minutes and 13 ± 37 minutes; gastric, 31 ± 60 minutes and 829 ± 249 minutes; and intestinal, 795 ± 444 minutes and 830 ± 368 minutes. The mean ± SD gastrointestinal pH in dogs for the pre- and postfeeding periods, respectively, were esophageal, 6.6 ± 0.6 and 5.7 ± 1.0; gastric, 3.0 ± 1.4 and 1.8 ± 0.3; intestinal, 7.9 ± 0.3 and 7.7 ± 0.6; first-hour small intestinal, 7.6 ± 0.5 and 7.1 ± 0.4; and last-hour large intestinal, 7.9 ± 0.6 and 7.7 ± 1.0. The first-hour small intestinal pH and total transit times varied between dogs and cats depending on feed period (P = .002 and P = .04, respectively). Post hoc analysis revealed significantly shorter total transit times in dogs prefeeding (P = .005; mean ± SD for cats, 2,441 ± 1,359 minutes; for dogs, 828 ± 439 minutes) and postfeeding (P = .03; mean ± SD for cats, 3,009 ± 1,220 minutes; for dogs, 1,671 ± 513 minutes). Total transit time for dogs was also shorter pre- versus postfeeding (P = .003).

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

GITT is faster in Beagles compared to cats, but gastrointestinal pH are similar when fed the same diet.

Treatment of acquired pyloric stenosis via Y-U pyloroplasty in a Burmese cat

Case summary

An 11-year-old female spayed Burmese cat was presented for chronic intermittent vomiting. Previous medical and dietary treatments were unsuccessful. Endoscopically, a narrow pyloric outlet was found and Y-U pyloroplasty was performed. The clinical signs disappeared postoperatively after treatment with a proton pump inhibitor and dietary management.

Relevance and novel information

This is the first case report of feline-acquired pyloric stenosis with documented histopathological findings from a full-thickness biopsy of the pyloric sphincter. In addition, this is the first case of Y-U pyloroplasty being conducted in a cat. The histopathological findings might help explain the pathogenesis of this disorder in cats.

Endoscopic assessment of presumed acquired pyloric narrowing in cats: A retrospective study of 27 cases

Acquired pyloric narrowing is a rare and poorly-documented condition in cats, but the endoscopic appearance of pyloric narrowing has never previously been reported. The objectives of this study were to describe the clinical, endoscopic and histological features in cats with gastrointestinal signs where the pylorus could not be passed during endoscopy, and to compare these data with a control group. Medical files of cats that underwent upper GI endoscopy by the same operator between 2006 and 2015 were reviewed. Cats for which the pylorus could not be passed were assigned to the case group, whilst those with an easily-passable pylorus were assigned to the control group. The case group comprised 27 cats and control group comprised 35 cats. Median age and weight were not different between groups, but there were more Siamese cats in the case group (6/27) compared with the control group (1/35; P = 0.04). Chronic vomiting was the main clinical sign in both groups, but the vomitus was more likely to contain food in case group (23/25) than in cats in control group (17/30; P < 0.01). Endoscopic findings confirmed gastric inflammation in both groups, whilst histological findings revealed similar lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the gastric mucosa and the duodenum in most cases, neoplastic features being infrequent. Acquired pyloric narrowing is probably an underdiagnosed condition in adult cats. A possible association between pyloric narrowing and gastrointestinal inflammatory disease requires further study but, for now, it is recommended that multiple gastric, pyloric, and duodenal biopsies be acquired during the endoscopy.