Experienced dog owners know that four-legged friends can get sick with completely “human” diseases. For example, cholecystitis in dogs is a fairly common occurrence. Especially often, animals of irresponsible or simply inexperienced owners encounter such an ailment.
What are the symptoms of cholecystitis in dogs and how can such an illness threaten the animal?
What is cholecystitis?
This is a disease that affects the biliary system. An inflamed gall bladder is not able to cope with the task assigned to it. As a result of poor outflow, bile becomes more caustic and quite dense. This condition contributes to injuries of the walls of the bladder and the formation of ulcers on it.
With prolonged inaction of the owners, cholecystitis in a dog may well develop into an acute stage. This is fraught with the formation of gallstones. As a result of blockage of the ducts, acholia develops and bile completely ceases to enter the intestines.
Why is it dangerous?
If it enters the bloodstream, a large amount of the enzyme provokes weakness, high fever, yellowness of the eyeballs and gums, and itchy skin. If you run cholecystitis in a dog, bile through the perforated walls enters the peritoneum and the animal may die from peritonitis.
Veterinarians share the acute and chronic form of the course of this disease. Chronic cholecystitis in dogs is usually almost asymptomatic. Therein lies his danger. Often, when a dog is brought to the doctor, the disease is already quite neglected. An attentive host may notice nausea, lethargy after eating, and signs of vomiting. In some cases, problems with stools begin: constipation alternates with diarrhea.
Acute cholecystitis in a dog is much easier to notice. The animal may have a fever, sclera and gums turn yellow. The most difficult situation occurs due to rupture of the gallbladder. Here the dog can be saved only by the immediate assistance of a veterinarian surgeon. No less dangerous is the blockage of the bile ducts, the formation of stones and other neoplasms.
Causes of occurrence
What causes cholecystitis in dogs? In this matter, the four-legged friends are incredibly similar to people. The causes of inflammation in the gallbladder can be as follows.
- Improper nutrition. This is one of the most common causes of canine cholecystitis. Does your shaggy friend eat poor quality dry food? Do you often treat it with smoked sausage, cookies or a fat cream cake? It is not surprising that the dog became ill. The development of the disease provokes a deficiency of vitamin A, a diet low in carotene. A violation of the feeding regimen will not add to the dog’s health. If the animal overeats or, on the contrary, often quickly and for a long time starves, the disease will not keep itself waiting.
- The presence of parasites. Helminthiasis, isosporosis, echinococcosis, opisthorchiasis, dicroceliosis and other diseases have the most sad consequences. Parasites living in the canine organism release a large amount of toxins that irritate the walls and mucous membranes of the bile duct and ducts. Over time, inflammation begins.
- A variety of intestinal infections. In older animals, infectious enteritis often causes cholecystitis. Pathogens enter the gallbladder along the biliary tract and provoke inflammation.
- Heredity. Some large breeds are genetically prone to such a disease. In addition, congenital abnormalities of organs occur: diverticula, inversion, narrowing of the ducts or the bladder itself.
- Injuries to internal organs. This is a rather rare factor that provokes the development of the disease.
- Digestive tract diseases. Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bile often leads to:
- pancreatitis
- obesity of the liver;
- colitis;
- pancreas inflammation;
- duodenal ulcer;
- cholelithiasis.
- Lack of exercise, obesity. Excess weight and low motor activity often lead to dyskinesia of the gallbladder. A decrease in its contractile ability quite quickly triggers the inflammatory process.
How to understand that a pet is sick?
As you already understood, the danger will be much less if treatment is started immediately. Symptoms of cholecystitis in a dog are not always immediately noticeable. In humans, such a disease is accompanied by a feeling of nasty bitterness in the mouth, as well as pain in the right hypochondrium. In a dog, in principle, everything is exactly the same. Only she can not tell you about it.
The owners should be wary if:
- the animal has lost its appetite and refuses to eat;
- the dog often lies on its stomach and arches its back;
- the dog is sluggish and very tired;
- often vomiting occurs with insufficiently digested particles of food, and sometimes with bile;
- there are digestive disorders (constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, belching, bad smell from the mouth).
Have you noticed such symptoms of cholecystitis in a dog? Treatment should be started immediately.
More symptoms
With cholecystitis, quite often you can observe other symptoms:
- the dog often drinks a lot;
- the animal is thin, there is significant weight loss;
- urine may turn orange;
- fever or a slight fever occurs;
- the dog does not allow touching the stomach, protests;
- whites of the eyes and gums may have a yellowish tint;
- animal feces are very light;
- the coat becomes dull, brittle and begins to fall out actively.
Diagnosis of cholecystitis
If you notice symptoms of cholecystitis in a dog, treatment in Moscow, for example, can be done even at home. In the capital and other large cities, many veterinarians offer such a service as calling a doctor at home. In small towns, you will have to go to the vet yourself.
At the initial examination, the doctor will listen to the owners' complaints, examine the pet’s stomach, check the gums and sclera. Also, the veterinarian will assess the condition of the coat, weight, elasticity and dryness of the skin, evaluate the general condition of the dog.
One general inspection, however, will not do. To establish an accurate diagnosis, you will have to conduct the following laboratory tests.
- Blood analysis. An increase in the number of leukocytes will indicate the disease, and if its origin is infectious, neutrophils will go wild.
- Analysis of feces and urine. A high content of bilirubin and bile acids will tell about stagnation of bile.
- X-ray Indicates the formation of stones and calcification of the walls of a diseased organ.
- Ultrasound It will exclude diseases that have a similar clinical picture: peritonitis, enterocolitis, hepatitis and others. Ultrasound can also consider narrowing of the ducts, compaction of bile and other signs of cholecystitis.
- Fine needle biopsy. Studies of bile, taken for analysis, will identify and identify pathogens.
- Scintigraphy. One of the most advanced verification methods. It is based on radionuclide scanning of the gallbladder.
What to treat?
Treatment of cholecystitis in dogs depends on the degree of neglect of the disease and the condition of the animal. To begin with, it is important to stop dehydration and reduce the level of toxins in the dog's body. To do this, in a hospital, a four-legged patient is injected with saline (dropper), which is often added:
- glucose (5%) - to maintain metabolic processes;
- haemodesis - to reduce intoxication;
- calcium gluconate - to reduce the effect of toxins on the liver and improve heart function;
- reopoliglyukin is an analogue of hemodesis.
All further treatment is associated with the elimination of the cause of the disease.
- If cholecystitis is of an infectious nature, a course of antibiotics is prescribed, most often the cephalosporin series.
- If the animal has the presence of parasites, deworming is performed. They also destroy other dangerous "neighbors".
- To dilute bile, ursodeoxycholic acid is prescribed. To counter spasms - Drotaverin, Atropine Sulfate or No-Shpu.
- Of the painkillers, Baralgin, Spazgan, Bellalgin, or Besalol are suitable. Disinfect the bile ducts will help "Hollagon", "Allochol", "Cholenzym", a decoction of corn stigmas or immortelle flowers.
- If the doctor finds a significant liver damage, he will recommend hepatoprotectors - Heptral, Essential Forte.
How to feed a dog during an illness?
During treatment, the doctor may advise the animal to arrange twelve-hour fasting. This will allow the body to relax a bit. Further nutrition should be low in fat and high in carotene. It is very helpful to give the dog pumpkin or carrots. These products are also great:
- veal, lean beef, poultry;
- low-fat dairy products with a minimum sugar content;
- skim cheese;
- eggs
- rice or buckwheat;
- foods rich in vitamin A.
The owners need to ensure that the food is fractional: at least five times a day. The dog should eat a little, in small portions. At the time of treatment, it is best to completely abandon dry food, especially when its quality is poor. With cholecystitis, dog food should be of the best quality. It is advisable that this be a therapeutic food specially designed for dogs with digestive problems.
Preventive measures and diet
So that your dog never finds out what cholecystitis is, dog nutritionists recommend that you follow simple rules of behavior.
- It is forbidden to feed the animal with food from the "human" table. Never give your dog anything fried, smoked, fat, flour or sweet.
- Meals must be balanced. Particular attention should be paid to a sufficient amount of vitamin A.
- To avoid obesity, the dog should move a lot. Organize your pet active games and physical activity.
- Check with your veterinarian at least once a year, and for older dogs once every six months. Treat all diseases in time, even if they seem insignificant to you.
- Regularly carry out preventive treatment of the animal from parasites. When walking, watch the color and quality of the stool of the animal.
- Give your dog all the necessary vaccinations in time.
Observance of these simple rules will allow your pet to maintain vigor, activity and excellent health for a long time.