Term
| List the components of the digestive system. |
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Definition
| Mouth, Pharynx, Esophagus, Salivary Glands, Liver, Stomach, Duodenum, Pancreas, Colon, Cecum, Jejunum, Ileum, Rectum, Anus |
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Term
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Definition
| a rumbling or gurgling noise that occurs from the movements of fluid and gas in the intestines |
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Term
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Definition
| the act or process of swallowing |
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Term
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Definition
| the mechanical grinding and breaking down of food |
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Term
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Definition
| a rhythmic, wavelike motion that progressively moves through a tube organ, such as the sm intestine. Assists in the movement of food through the alimentary canal. It is an involuntary movement that is stimulated when the tube is distended |
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Term
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Definition
| to conduct swallowed material to the stomach – a transport tube only |
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Term
| function of Salivary glands |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| lubrication and binding of food, solubilises dry food (molecules, so it can be tasted), oral hygiene, initiates starch digestion, provides alkaline buffering and fluid, evaporative cooling |
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Term
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Definition
| to conduct swallowed material to the stomach – a transport tube only |
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Term
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Definition
| food is churned, mixed with stomach acids, and turned into chyme |
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Term
| function of Small intestines |
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Definition
| the absorption of nutrients and minerals found in food |
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Term
| function of Large intestines |
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Definition
| to transport waste out of the body and to absorb water (fluids/electrolytes) from the waste before it leaves |
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Term
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Definition
| acts as a reservoir for feces |
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Term
| function of Exocrine pancreas |
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Definition
| a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist the absorption of nutrients and the digestion in the small intestine. These enzymes help to further break down the carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids in the chyme |
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Term
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Definition
| producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and pancreatic polypeptide |
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Term
| Digestive function of the liver |
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Definition
| to produce and secrete bile, filters materials absorbed from the GI tract before they reach the systemic circulation. Phagocytes (“eating cells” that line the hepatic sinusoids (or blood-filled cavities) remove bacteria, toxins, poisons, worn-out RBCs and other infectious agents that enter the body through the wall of the GI tract. Also, nutrients like glucose, amino acids and some vit/min absorbed from the GI tract are either stored or metabolized by the body in the liver |
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Term
| List the division of the small intestines from proximal to distal. |
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Definition
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Term
| List the division of the small intestines from proximal to distal |
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Definition
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Term
| List the divisions of the large intestine. |
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Definition
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Term
| Signs of Small Intestine Dz |
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Definition
- weight loss
- increased stool volume
- normal to increased frequency
stool type - loose, dark bloody, undigested fats
- no straining
- vomiting more common
- no urgency |
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Term
| Signs of Large Intestine Dz |
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Definition
- rarely weight loss
- normal volumes of stool
- increased frequency
- stool type - loose or semi-formed, mucus, red blood
- straining - yes
- vomiting less common
- urgency common |
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Term
| What is the main function of vomiting? |
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Definition
| A protective reflex to rid the body of toxic of undesirable substances |
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Term
| Where are the vomiting “receptors” located in the body? |
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Definition
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Term
| 1. What is the difference between vomiting and regurgitation? Describe the active vs passive process. |
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Definition
| Vomiting is an active process, the ejection of contents of the stomach and upper intestine. Regurgitation is a passive process, the ejection of contents of the esophagus |
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Term
| Why is it important to question the client about the appearance of the vomitus? |
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Definition
To differentiate between vomiting/regurgitation
Determine if vomiting is from gastric (primary) or non-gastric (secondary) dz |
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Term
| 1. How long does it usually take after ingesting food for the stomach to be empty? |
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Definition
| The stomach is usually empty 6 to 8 hours after eating. Vomiting of food when the stomach should be empty suggests an obstruction of the stomach or abnormal motion of the stomach muscles that normally grind food and push the ground food out of the stomach |
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Term
| 1. List questions that would be important to ask the client regarding a vomiting animal. |
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Definition
- is the animal bright?
- How long vomiting?
- How frequent?
- What is it vomiting?
- Is there any blood?
- Is water being kept down?
- Does the animal want to eat/drink?
- Is the animal known to scavenge or has there been a recent diet change?
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Term
| List some of the general treatments for uncomplicated vomiting. |
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Definition
- The treatment for vomiting depends upon the cause.
- Nonspecific treatment for vomiting includes fasting, and fluids to correct or prevent dehydration.
- In episodes of sudden onset of vomiting, food is withheld for 24 - 48 hours and water for 24 hours.
- Water should never be withheld from an animal with known or suspected kidney disease without replacing fluids intravenously or subcutaneously (under the skin).
- If vomiting stops, small amounts of a bland low-fat food are fed 3 to 6 times daily for a few days, with a gradual increase in the amount fed and a gradual transition to the pet's normal diet.
- Water is also reintroduced in small amounts on the second day. You may start with ice cubes and then gradually increase the amount of water over the day if vomiting does not reoccur. |
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Term
| What questions are important to ask the client of an animal suffering from diarrhea? |
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Definition
How long has the diarrhea been going on?
Is there any vomiting
How frequent is diarrhea?
What is the nature of the diarrhea (watery, pasty)
Is there any blood?
What color is the diarrhea?
Animal losing wt?
Want to eat/drink |
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Term
| List some of the common causes of diarrhea in dogs and cats. (General categories such as Viruses, etc.) |
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Definition
- Anomalies (most frequent is exocrine pancreatic insufficiency)
- Infections (most often viral such as parvovirus in dogs and panleukopenia in cats – bacterial infxns are a rare cause of sm intestinal dz in dogs and cats)
- Idiopathic inflammatory bowel dzs (IBD)
- neoplasia |
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Term
| 1. List some of the common causes of diarrhea in dogs and cats. (General categories such as Viruses, etc.) |
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Definition
Most common cause is GI parasites
Primary causes
- Anomalies (most frequent is exocrine pancreatic insufficiency)
- Infections (most often viral such as parvovirus in dogs and panleukopenia in cats – bacterial infxns are a rare cause of sm intestinal dz in dogs and cats)
- Idiopathic inflammatory bowel dzs (IBD)
- Neoplasia
Secondary (non-gastric) causes
- polysystemic infxns
- endocrine dzs
- Parasites
- Food allergies
- Renal dz
- Various toxins and drugs,
- Etc
- Liver dz |
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Term
| Can administration of antibiotics sometimes cause diarrhea? Why? |
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Definition
Yes, abx kill the good bacteria along with the bad. The small intestinal lumen naturally
harbors a variety of bacteria in limited numbers.
This resident bacterial fl ora has important
functions in preserving anatomical structures
and enhancing physiological processes necessary
for the proper digestion and absorption of food. |
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Term
| If mucus is present in the stool, is this indicative of a small or large bowel problem? |
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Definition
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Term
| 1. Why is weight loss a sign of chronic small intestinal diarrhea? Why does weight loss usually not occur with large intestinal diarrhea? |
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Definition
Small intestinal disease will ultimately lead to
decreased absorption of nutrients through the
small intestinal mucosa and to severe systemic
consequences leading to malnutrition and weight
loss. |
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Term
| When an animal is straining, is it always indicative of a problem with constipation? What other problems could straining be due to? |
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Definition
Straining unproductively can be a symptom of either constipation or lg intestinal diarrhea
Difficulty urinating may also appear as straining |
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Term
| What are some causes of constipation? |
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Definition
- excessive grooming leading to stools w/ lg amts of hair
- stools sharp or painful to pass due to eating gravel, rocks, bones, plants, etc
- medications
- electrolyte imbalance (may be a sign of an important metabolic problem such as kidney failure
- internal obstruction such an a fractured pelvis – often heal w/o sx but can result in a narrowed pelvic canal, constipation may not result for yrs after initial trauma
- enlarged prostate |
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Term
| List the functions of the liver. |
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Definition
- produces bile acids, which aid in fat digestion
- filters materials absorbed from the GI tract before they have a chance to reach the systemic circulation
- nutrients like glucose, amino acids, and some vitamins and minerals absorbed from the GI tract are either stored or metabolized by the body in the liver
- major source of important blood proteins, such as albumin (plays an important role in maintaining the proper fluid balance w/in the blood. A decrease of alb as a result of liver failure allows water to leak out of the capillaries, resulting in fluid moving into tissues, thorax, abdomen or other body cavities.)
- glucose absorbed from the GI tract may be sotred in the liver as glucogon through a process called glycogenesis |
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Term
| What is bile composed of and what are the functions? |
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Definition
- produced by hepatic cells
- contains bile acids (or bile salts), cholesterol, and bilirubin (a pigment broken down from the heme pigment in hemoglobin that is released when worn out red blood cells are destroyed.
- Bile secreted in sm canalculi that merge to form bile ducts
- Bile ducts form the hepatic duct, which (in species that have one) combines with the cystic duct to form bile ducts |
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Term
| Where is the gallbladder located? |
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Definition
| Between the lobes of the liver |
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Term
| What is the function of the gallbladder? |
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Definition
| Storage compartment for bile |
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Term
| What is jaundice and why does it occur? What is another name for jaundice? |
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Definition
- A yellowish discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by the abnormal buildup of bilirubin in the blood
- bilirubin is part of bile, forms in the liver as a byproduct of dead RBCs processed in the liver, the resulting bilirubin exits the body via the stool.
- when there are too many RBCs dying for the liver to cope with, yellow pigment builds up in the body.
- jaundice is the body’s inability to transport processed bilirubin from the liver through the biliary tract and into the gut can also cause jaundice
- aka icterus |
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Term
| What are the 2 different types of glandular tissue that composes the pancreas? |
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Definition
- exocrine gland (secretes substances to the “outside” of the body through a duct)
- endocrine gland (dumping hormones directly into the blood w/o going through a duct) |
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Term
| Which makes up ~98% of the total mass of the pancreas? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the functions of the pancreas? |
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Definition
- enzymatic digestive process
- secretes significant amts of bicarbonate into duodenum, which helps neutralize the acid contents from stomach and maintains a pH in the duodenum at which the pancreatic emzymes can fxn
- insulin and glucagon help regulate BG levels from food that has been digested and absorbed |
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Term
| How does fat from the diet enter the hepatocytes of the liver? |
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Definition
- A small amount of fat is normally present in hepatocytes.
- The original source of this fat is from the diet. From the intestines (remember, bile needs to be present for this to occur) fat is absorbed into bloodstream, binds to albumin and is presented to hepatocytes.
- This fat is in several forms, the main ones being cholesterol, triglycerides, and fatty acids |
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Term
| Idiopathic Hepatic Lipidosis (IHL) |
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Definition
| Primary lipidosis - seen more often in cats than in other animals, occurs when excess fat (called triglycerides) accumulates in liver cells (hepatocytes) and bile accumulates in hepatocytes (cholestasis). It is technically called Idiopathic Hepatic Lipidosis (IHL). The idiopathic part means that the specific cause is unknown. This form of lipidosis causes liver failure, and can lead to death if left untreated. |
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Term
| Secondary hepatic lipidosis |
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Definition
In this form of hepatic lipidosis the fat accumulation occurs secondary to some other problem. This is more common than primary hepatic lipidosis. Secondary hepatic lipidosis does not cause liver failure. When the primary disease is treated the liver problem tends to resolve. A large percentage of cats have hepatic lipidosis secondary to these diseases:
Diabetes Mellitus
Tetracycline antibiotics
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Pancreatitis
Malnutrition or even starvation
Obesity
Hyperthyroidism
Kidney disease
chronic cystitis
Cancer
Cardiomyopathy |
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