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- From: pfloyd@octel.com (Michael Barnett)
- Subject: Re: cat vomiting hasn't stopped... any ideas?
- Message-ID: <1993Jan23.020440.23775@octel.com>
- Organization: Octel Communications Inc., Milpitas Ca.
- References: <1993Jan19.151239.27125@athena.mit.edu>
- Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 02:04:40 GMT
- Lines: 518
-
- In article <1993Jan19.151239.27125@athena.mit.edu> isako@mtl.mit.edu (Isako Hoshino) writes:
- >Hello..
- >
- >About 2 months ago, I wrote to the net about my cat throwing up often.
- >Well, this is what's been going on since then:
- >
- > ............
- >
- > Isako
-
-
- Isako,
- I posted this article a few months ago but I'm not sure it if got
- through as we were having news feed problems. Take a look at it and
- maybe give a copy to your vet for ideas. I was having problems with
- one of my cats (Hendrix) while he was taking medication for ring-worm.
- I though it was the meds but it turned out to be food alergy. In fact,
- he's alergic to Science Diet dry kitten food (what I thought was the best).
- Don't give up looking for solutions. Two months is a very long time
- to have a vomiting kitty. Make sure that he's getting alot of liquids!
-
- - Michael
-
-
-
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
- The following article was shamelessly stolen from:
- Veterinary medicine magazine
- August 1992
-
- (I thought the article was so good that I subscribed, so they got something
- for it)
-
- - Michael
-
-
- Vomiting in dogs and cats:
- Investigating and treating a common problem
-
- Vomiting is a common clinical sign in animals presented to small-animal
- clinicians. The causes, consequences, and treatment of vomiting are,
- variable, emphasizing the need for a logical and systematic approach of
- this problem. In addition to anorexia, dehydration, and nausea, other
- associated problems such as electrolyte and acid-based derangements
- further complicate the evaluation and treatment of the vomiting patient.
- Recent advances in the evaluation of a dog or cat with vomiting include
- endoscopy and new techniques in radiography. Knowledge of pathologic
- features of the vomiting patient allows the clinician to more accurately
- interpret these tests.
- In the first article in this symposium, Dr. Tams reviews the clinical
- evaluation of vomiting patients. He also describes the diagnostic workup
- and lists the differential diagnoses. In the second, article, Dr. Moore
- discusses the laboratory test abnormalities and gross and microscopic
- pathologic findings associated with vomiting dogs and cats. Dr. Kantrowitz
- then discusses the use of survey and contrast radiography in diagnosing
- the cause of vomiting. And in the final two articles, Dr. Richter
- outlines a general approach to the symptomatic treatment of vomiting
- pets and, in particular, therapy for vomiting animals with gastric
- ulceration. This series of articles should aid you in managing this
- common problem.
- -- Dr. Keith Richter
-
-
- There are scores of reasons why a dog or cat could be vomiting.
- Following the diagnostic plan outlined here will help you quickly
- narrow the list of differential diagnoses down to the most likely
- causes of this common clinical sign.
-
- Todd R. Tams, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM
- West Lost Angeles Hospital
- Veterinary Centers of America
- 1818 Shouth Sepulveda Boulevard
- Los Angeles, California 90025
-
-
- Most small-animal practitioners agree that vomiting is one of
- the most common reasons for dogs and cats to be presented for
- diagnosis and treatment. Vomiting refers to the forceful ejection
- of gastric and occasionally proximal small intestinal contents
- through the mouth. The vomiting act involves three stages: nausea,
- retching, and vomiting. It must be emphasized that vomiting is
- simply a clinical sign of a number of disorders that can involve
- any organ system in the body. Vomiting itself does not constitute
- a diagnosis in itself.
- The purpose of this paper is to outline a diagnostic approach
- to the problem of vomiting in dogs and cats, with the emphasis on
- chronic vomiting. Because we are all busy practitioners, I will
- present short lists that highlight the most commonly encountered
- disorders.
-
-
- THE CLINICAL FEATURES OF VOMITING
-
- Because there are a wide variety of disorders and numerous
- stimuli that can cause vomiting (Table 1), a vomiting animal can
- be a major diagnostic challenge. Although vomiting does not always
- signify a serious disorder, it can be the first indication of,
- among other things, intestinal obstruction, renal failure,
- pancreatitis, addisonian crisis, drug toxicity, or neoplasia.
- A complete historical review, with an emphasis on all body
- systems, is essential to formulating a realistic and effective
- diagnostic plan and treatment protocol. All too often,
- concentrating on only the gastrointestinal tract leads to mis-
- diagnosis and inappropriate treatment for the cause of the vomiting.
- It is essential to clearly distinguish between regurgitation and
- vomiting at the outset. Regurgitation is the passive, retrograde
- movement of ingested material, usually before it has reached the
- stomach. Failure to recognize the difference between regurgitation
- and vomiting often leads to misdiagnosis. This occurs most
- commonly in dogs with adult-onset idiopathic megaesophagus, when
- both the client and vererinarian mistakenly assume that the
- observed signs represent vomiting rather than regurgitation.
- If uncertainty remains after reviewing the patient's history,
- survey radiographs of the thorax should be taken to rule out
- esophageal dilatation. Contrast studies are occasionally
- necessary to identify esophageal dilatation.
- It is useful to consider the following factors when assessing
- a patient with a vomiting problem:
- o The duration of the clinical signs
- o The current condition of each organ system
- o The time vomiting occurs in relation to eating
- o The content of the vomitus
- o The nature of the vomiting acts (i.e. type [projectile
- vs. nonprojectile], frequency)
-
- To begin with, you should ask the owner questions to determine
- whether the vomiting is a recent acute problem or a chronic problem.
- You should also review the signalment, immediate clinical signs,
- pertinent history, and beneficial or deleterious effects of any
- drugs that have been adminsistered (either for the immediate
- clinical signs or as a treatment for another disorder). In particular,
- you should determine whether any nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- (e.g. aspirin, flunixin meglumine [Banamin -- Schering-Plough],
- phenylbutazone, ibuprofen [Motrin -- Upjohn; Nuprin -- Bristol-Myers],
- piroxicam [Felden -- Pfizer]) have been used. Gastric and intestinal
- erosions and potentially serious ulceration may develop in conjunction
- with their use. Nephrotixicity may also occur. Inhibition of renal
- prostaglandins (e.g. PGI) can be associated with renal ischemia and
- acute renal failure. Fortunately, this syndrome is uncommon. However,
- animals with hypovolemia, congestive heart failure, or pre-existing renal
- insufficiency may be at increased risk.
- Sometimes the first clinical sign of a chronic, previously
- asymptomatic disorder is the acute onset of vomiting. The vomiting may
- then persist as either a frequent or sporadic problem until the patient
- receives definitive treatment for the underlying problem. Inflammatory
- bowel disease is an example of a common disorder that may present in
- this way.
- In all cases, you should gather specific information regarding the
- patient's:
- o Diet (What type of food is the animal fed? When, how
- often, and how much per meal is the animal fed each day?
- Have there been any recent changes in the diet?)
- o Vaccination history (Has the dog or cat been vaccinated
- against systemic disorders such as distemper, parvovirus,
- and feline infectious peritonitis?)
- o Travel history (Has the dog or cat been to any areas where
- fungal disorders, such as histoplasmosis, or parasitic
- disorders are common?)
- o Environment (Has the animal been exposed to toxins or ingested
- garbage or foreign bodies? Is a cat from a heartworm endemic
- area?)
-
- You should also conduct a thorough systems review, asking questions
- about any significant signs not necessarily referable to the
- gastrointestinal tract (e.g. polyuria/polydipsia, coughing or sneezing,
- sysuria, or hematuria). This routine systematic approach will help you
- avoid diagnostic "tunnel vision."
- A description of the vomiting episodes, including any association
- with eating or drinking, yields important information in some cases. All
- food is normally evacuated from the stomach within eight to 10 hours after
- ingestion. Vomiting shortly after eating usually suggests dietary
- indiscretion or food intolerance, overeating, stress or excitement,
- gastritis, or a hiatal disorder. Vomiting of undigested or partially
- digested food more than eight to 10 hours after eating is an important
- clinical sign. It usually indicates a gastric motility disorder or
- gastric outlet obstruction.
- Dogs with gastric hypomotility may vomit undigested food 10 to 18
- hours or more after eating and often exhibit a cyclic pattern of clinical
- signs. This disorder has been recognized much more frequently in recent
- years. Misconceptions about gastric retention commonly lead to
- misdiagnosis and mismanagement of such patients. It is often incorrectly
- assumed that gastric retention means gastric outlet obstruction, and
- unnecessary surgery (such as pyloromyotomy) may be performed. It is now
- well recognized that pyloromyotomy procedures are NOT usually indicated
- for dogs or cats with chronic vomiting.
- Causes of gastric outlet obstruction include foreign bodies, antral
- mucosal hyperplasia, pyloric muscal hypertrtophy, gastric and duodenal
- ulcers, and antral or pyloric neoplasia or polyps. All are characterized
- by vomiting that occurs shortly or a number of hours after eating. Foreign
- bodies are identified much more frequently than the other disorders listed.
- Significant information can often be obtained from a complete
- description of the color and consistency of the vomitus. If food is
- present, the degree of digestion and time since the most recent meal should
- be determined. If either undigested food or clear fluid is present,
- determining the pH may be useful in differentiating vomiting of gastric
- contents (acid pH). Bile is often found in the vomitus when the vomiting
- is due to inflammatory bowel disease, bile reflux syndromes, idiopathic or
- secondary hypomotility (bile alone or with food), intestinal foreign
- bodies, and pancreatitis. The presence of bile helps rule out a complete
- pyloric obstruction.
- The vomitus may contain small amounts of fresh blood in any case of
- grastic mucosal compromise with gastric erosions (e.g. hypovolemia,
- drug-incuded chronic gastritis, gastric ulceration, or neoplasia). Large
- clots of blood or "coffee grounds" (blood altered by and mixed with
- gastric juice) usually indicate a more significant degree of erosions or
- ulceration. A fecal odor suggests intestinal obstruction, peritonitis
- with ileus, ischemic injury to the intestine, or stasis with bacterial
- overgrowth.
- Projectile vomiting is an imprecise term used to describe vomitus
- that is ejected forcefully from the mouth and expelled a considerable
- distance. Its occurrence suggests a significant degree of gastric or
- proximal small bowel obstruction (due to a foreign body, antral or pyloric
- polyps or neoplasia, or pyloric hypertrophy). In my experience, this sign
- occurs infrequently.
- Chronic intermittent vomiting is a common presenting complaint in
- veterinary medicine. Often there is no specific time relation to eating,
- the content of the vomitus varies, and the occurrence of vomiting is very
- cyclic. Depending on the disorder, other signs such as diarrhea, lethargy,
- inappetence, and saliviation (nausea) may occur. When a patient presents
- with this pattern of clinical signs, you should strongly chronic gastritis,
- inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastric motility
- disorders as the leading differential diagnoses. A detailed workup
- including gastric and small intestinal biopsies is often required to make a
- definitive diagnosis in these cases. It is important to note that chronic
- intermittent vomiting is a common clinical sign of inflammatory bowel
- disease in both dogs and cats. Diarrhea may or may not be a concurrent
- problem in these cases.
- Vomiting from systemic or metabolic causes may be an acute or chronic
- sign. In these cases there is generally no direct correlation with eating
- and the content of the vomitus is unpredictable.
-
-
- PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF THE VOMITING ANIMAL
-
- A complete history and thorough physical examination are enormously
- important in the evaluation of a vomiting patient. An all-too-frequent
- error in clinical paractice is to make a diagnosis bases on incomplete
- history and a cursory examination. This may lead to unnecessary diagnostic
- tests and inappropriate treatment. Also, you may miss an essential early
- diagnosis of a serious disorder. A systematic approach to the vomiting
- patient can ensure both a thorough and a time-efficient workup.
- The mucous membranes should be evaluated for evidence of blood loss,
- dehydration, sepsis, shock, and jaundice. Oral examination may reveal
- a part of an oral or pharyngeal foreign body that may extend into the
- stomach or intestine. The best example of this is a string foreign body
- in a cat which a portion of the foreign material lodges under the tongue
- while the remainder causes intestinal plication and perhaps perforation.
- It is extremely important to examine the oral cavity of all vomiting cats.
- In some cases, mild tranquilization is required before performing this
- examination.
- The cervical soft tissues of vomiting cats should be palpated for
- thyroid nodules. Hyperthyroidism commonly causes vomiting and should be
- considered in any cat five years of age of older. Cardiac auscultation may
- reveal heart rate and rhythm abnormalities that can accompany metabolic
- disturbances such as hypoadrenocorticism (bradycardia, weak femoral
- pulses), infectious enteritis with septic shock (tachycardia, weak pulses),
- or gastric dilation-volvulus (tachycardia, weak pulses, pulse deficits).
- The abdomen should be carefully assessed for pain, either generalized
- (e.g. gastrointestinal ulceration, peritonitis, severe enteritis) or more
- localized (e.g. pancreatitis, foreign body, pyelonephritis, hepatic
- disease, regional inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease). Other
- abdominal factors to evaluate include abnormal organ size (hepatomegaly,
- small or large kidneys), the presence of any masses (foreign body,
- intussusception, lymphadenopathy, neoplasia), the degree of gastric
- distention (increased with gastric dilatation, dilatation-volvulus, and
- gastric retention due to hypomotility or out-flow obstruction), and altered
- bowel sounds. Bowel sounds are often absent in peritonitis and increased
- in acute inflammatory disorders. An increased pitch suggests distention
- of intestinal loops.
- You should always perform a rectal examination to evaluate the feces
- for fresh blood or mucus (about 30% or patients with colitis present with
- vomiting), melena, or any foreign material. During this examination, you
- should obtain a fresh fecal sample for parasite and possibly cytologic
- examination. Serial rectal examinations, performed once to twice daily,
- are most important when gastrointestinal bleeding is either suspected or
- has been identified.
-
-
- THE DIAGNOSTIC PLAN
-
- In some cases, vomiting patients require and extensive workup, but an
- organized approach will minimize the tests needed to make an early
- diagnosis. The most important considerations for determining what tests
- to perform are:
- 1. The signalment
- 2. The duration of the problem (acute [3 or 4 days] vs. chronic)
- 3. The frequency of vomiting
- 4. The severity of the clinical signs present (mild vs. moderate to
- severe illness)
- 5. The presence of other clinical signs (e.g. shock, melena, abdominal
- pain)
- 6. The finding of the physical examination
-
- If reasonable concern is established, then it is essential to continue the
- workup by collecting a minimum laboratory database. (See the second
- article in the symposium: The laboratory and pathologic assessment of
- vomiting animals.) The minimum database includes the results of a CBC,
- a biochemical profile (or specific tests to evaluate the liver, kidneys,
- pancreas, and electrolytes), a complete urinalysis (pretreatment urine
- specific gravity is extremely important for diagnosing renal failure), and
- a fecal examination. Survey abdominal radiographs are also indicated if
- thorough abdominal palpation is not possible or suggests an abnormality
- (e.g. foreign body, pancreatitis or pyometra). (See the third article in
- this symposium: Using radiography to evaluate vomiting in dogs and cats).
- In heartworm endemic areas, serologic tests for adult heartworm anitgen
- should also be part of the minimum laboratory database for cats.
- Unfortunately, these tests often are not done early enough. Even if
- the baseline results are unremarkable, the tests are more than justified
- because they help to rule out serious problems right away (e.g. vomiting
- due to renal failure, diabetes mellitus, or liver disease). Alternatively,
- any abnormalities that are uncovered can help direct the initial treatment
- and the next diagnostic tests to perform.
- The decision to perform even more in-depth diagnostic tests is based
- on ongoing clinical signs, the response to initial therapy, and the
- initial laboratory test results. The more in-depth tests include an ACTH
- stimulation test, a complete barium series, and serum bile acids assay.
- The ACTH stimulation test is done to confirm hypoadrenocorticism in a
- patient with an abnormal Na:K ratio (less than 27:1) or to detect this
- disorder if the electrolyte concentrations are normal but you still
- suspect the problem. Eight to 10% of patients with hypoadrenocorticism
- have normal Na and K levels. If an ACTH stimulation is not performed, the
- diagnosis will be misses. (Hypoadrenocorticism is most common in young
- to middle-aged female dogs.) A barium series is done to detect gastric
- or intestinal foreign bodies, gastric hypomotility, gastric outflow
- obstruction, and partial or complete intestinal obstruction. The serum
- bile acids assay is done to detect significant hepatic disease, including
- portosystemic shunts.
- The results of liquid barium contrast studies may be normal in patients
- with gastric hypomotility disorders. A better way to test gastric
- motility is to measure the emptying of barium mixed with food. Solids are
- emptied by a different mechanism than liquids are, and it is not uncommon
- for animals with a known gastric emptying disorder to empty a liquid meal
- in a timely manner. Alternatively, small indigestible radiopaque markers
- can be mixed with food for a radiographic series. (For the markers, you
- can use 2-mm segments of 1-mm diameter plyvinyl tubing or a product called
- Sitzmarks, manufactured by Konsyl Pharmaceuticals, Ft. Worth, Texas.) Air
- contrast gastrograms are often useful in identifying gastric foreign
- bodies when survey films alone are not diagnostic. Barium swallow with
- fluoroscopy is often necessary to diagnose hiatal hernias and
- gastroesophageal reflux. Endoscopy is also useful for identifying these
- disorders.
- Because vomiting is a frequent sign in cats with heartworm disease,
- serologic tests for adult heartworm antigen (i.e. ELISA) should be done to
- investigate this possibilty. Most cats with heartworm disease are
- amicrofilaremic, so tests for microfilariae are usually negative. Thoracic
- radiographs may provide important clues in a cat with heartworm disease.
- Suggestive findings include right ventricular enlargement, pulmonary
- lobar artery enlargement, and pulmonary parenchymal disease.
- Since vomiting is a common clinical sign of hyperthyroidism in cats,
- this disorder should be kept in mind when examining middle-aged to older
- cats for vomiting. A thyroid test should be performed on all vomiting
- cats more than five years old to rule out this problem.
- Chronic vomiting in cats is occasionally due to infestation with the
- gastric parasite Ollulanus tricuspis, and it has been reported in many
- regions of the United States. Young, free-roaming casts are most often
- affected. This infestation is diagnosed by evaluating the gastric
- contents via the Baerman technique or by examining filtered vomitus for the
- nematode using a magnification of 400X or a dissecting microscope.
- Xylazine (Rompun --Haver) may be administered at a dosage of 2.2 mg/kg
- intramuscularly to induce vomiting in order to collect gastric secretions
- for these tests.
- Serum gastrin levels should be measured if you suspect a gastrinoma
- (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome). Gastrinomas, which are gastrin secreting
- tumors usually found in the pancreas, are not common in clinical practice.
- Clinical signs include chronic vomiting and perhaps diarrhea, weight loss,
- and anorexia. Middle-aged to older dogs are most often affected.
- Gastrinomas are quite rare in cats. You should consider measuring the
- serum gastrin level in animals with chronic vomiting and wasting disease
- that is not readily explained by the results of more routine diagnostic
- tests (i.e. blood tests, urinalysis, radiography, and endoscopy).
- One of the most reliable and cost-effective diagnostic tools currently
- available for evaluating vomiting animals is endoscopy. Endoscopy allows
- for direct axamination of the stomach and duodenum, mucosal biopsy of
- these areas, and, in many cases, retrieval of gastric foreign bodies.
- Endoscopy is considerably more reliable than barium series for diagnosing
- gastric erosions, ulcerations, chronic gastritis, gastric neoplacia, and
- inflammatory bowel disease. Vomiting due to the presence of the parasite
- Physaloptera in the upper gastrointestinal tract is best diagnosed through
- endoscopy. These nematodes are easy to see on the surface of the gastric
- mucosa and can be retrieved through the endoscope working channel for
- definitive identification.
- Biopsy samples should always be collected from the stomach and,
- whenever possible, the small intestine during endoscopic procedures,
- regardless of the gross mucosal appearance. Normal gastric biopsy results
- may support a diagnosis of a gastric motility abnormality, psychogenic
- vomiting, or irritable bowel syndrome, and such results may lead you to
- look elsewhere for a diagnosis. Many dogs and cats with vomiting due to
- inflammatory bowel disease have no abnormalities on gastric endoscope
- examination or biopsy. If only gastric biopsies are obtained, the
- diagnosis may be missed.
- Ultrasonography can be useful in the diagnostic workup of a number
- of disorders that can cause vomiting. Amoung the problems that may be
- detected with ultrasonography are certain liver disorders (inflammatory
- diseases, abcessation, cirrhosis, neoplasia, vascular problems), gall
- bladder disease (cholecystitis, choleliths), gastrointestinal foreign
- bodies, intestinal and gastic wall thickening, intestinal masses,
- intussusception, and kidney disorders. Needle aspirations or biopsies
- can be done at many sites under ultrasound guidance.
- Abdominal exploratory surgery is indicated for a variety of problems
- including intussusception and gastric mucosal hypertrophy syndromes, as
- well as for foreign body removal, procurement of biopsies, and resection
- of neoplasia. If the diagnosis is unclear on examination, biopsy specimens
- of the stomach and small intestine must be collected (two or three samples
- total). In most dogs and cats with gastritis and inflammatory bowel
- disease, no gross abnormalities are detected during exploratory surgery.
- Samples should also be obtained from the liver and any enlarged lymph
- nodes.
-
-
- SUMMARY
-
- The cause of chronic vomiting can be determined in most dogs and cats and
- early diagnosis is facilitated when a systematic diagnostic approach is
- followed. In my experience, the most common causes of chronic vomiting
- encountered in practice are dietary hypersensitivity, inflammatory
- disorders (gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease), gastric hypomotility,
- obstructive disorders (foreign bodies, hypertrophy syndromes), and
- neoplasia. The most clinically useful diagnostic procedures (i.e. the
- ones that yield the most important information and thus are cost-effective)
- are the hemogram, biochemical profile, urinalysis, fecal examination,
- survey radiography of the abdomen, and endoscopy.
-
-
-
-
- TABLE 1
- Causes of Vomiting
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- DIETARY PROBLEMS
- Sudden change in diet
- Ingestion of foreign material (grabage, grass, plant leaves, etc)
- Eating too rapidly
- Intolerance to specific foods
- Food allergy
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- DRUGS
- Intolerance (antineoplastic drugs, cardiac glycosides, arsenical compounds)
- Blockage of prostoglandin biosynthesis (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
- drugs)
- Injudicious use of anticholinergics
- Accidental overdosage
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- TOXINS
- Lead
- Ethylene glycol
- Others (e.g. cleaning agents, herbicides, fertilizers, heavy metals)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- METABOLIC DISORDERS
- Diabetes mellitus Hyperkalemia
- Hypoadrenocorticism Hypokalemia
- Renal disease Hypercalcemia
- Hepatic disease Hypocalcemia
- Sepsis Hypomagnesemia
- Acidosis Heat stroke
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- DISORDERS OF THE STOMACH
- Obstruction (foreign body, pyloric mucosal hypertrophy,
- external compression)
- Chronic gastritis (superficial, atrophic, hypertrophic)
- Parasites (Physaloptera spp [dog and cat], Ollulanus tricuspis [cat])
- Gastric hypomotility
- Bolious vomiting syndrome
- Gastric ulcers
- Gastric polyps
- Gastric neoplasia
- Gastric dilation
- Gastric dilation-volvulus
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- DISORDERS OF THE GASTROESOPHAGEAL JUNCTION
- Hiatal hernia (axial, paraesophageal, or diaphragmatic herniation;
- gastroesophageal intussusception)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- DISORDERS OF THE SMALL INTESTINE
- Parasites
- Enteritis
- Intraluminal obstruction (foreign body, intussusception, neoplasia)
- Inflammatory bowel disease -- idiopathic
- Diffuse intramural neoplasia (lymphosarcoma)
- Fungal disease
- Intestinal volvulus
- Paralytic ileus
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- DISORDERS OF THE LARGE INTESTINE
- Colitis
- Obstipation
- Irratable bowel syndrome
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ABDOMINAL DISORDERS
- Pancreatitis
- Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (gastrinoma of the pancreas)
- Peritonitis (any cause incluing FIP)
- Inflammatory liver disease
- Bile duct obstruction
- Steatitis
- Prostatitis
- Pyelonephritis
- Pyometra
- Urinary obstruction
- Diaphragmatic hernia
- Neoplasia
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- NEUROLOGIC DISORDERS
- Psychogenic factors (e.g. pain, fear, excitement)
- Motion sickness
- Inflammatory lesions (e.g. vestibular lesions)
- Edema (e.g. head trauma)
- Autonomic or visceral epilepsy
- Neoplasia
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
- MISCELLANEOUS CAUSES
- Heartworm disease in cats
- Hyperthyroidism in cats
-
- --
- --
- pfloyd@octel.com
-