Intestinal meteorism in animals. In domestic animals, intestinal bloating is an excessive distension of the intestine due to the rapid development of gases. This is a fairly common form of equine colic (2-15% of all colic cases).
Summary
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- 1 Etiology
- 1 Pathogenesis
- 2 Anatomical alterations
- 3 Symptoms
- 4 Diagnosis
- 5 Treatment
- 2 Source
Etiology
The idiopathic form is caused by weathering feed, in horses , withered or heated green ( clover , alfalfa , sainfoin, tender grass or barley grain, beets and potatoes , legume seeds, in pigs, when given to the same time large amounts of brewer’s yeasts ; in rabbits, fresh green leaves of cabbages, beets , rapeseed , vetches, buckwheat, tubers , and rotting beets, and, in dogs, farinaceous foods .
The greed and fatigue favor the harmful action and produce meteorism by themselves. In very rare cases, the shot would produce insignificant intestinal bloating.
As a concomitant phenomenon, meteorism develops in various forms of intestinal occlusion, in severe cases of thrombosis of the mesenteric arteries , diffuse or generalized peritonitis , as well as in intestinal coccidiosis and pseudotuberculosis in rabbits.
Pathogeny
In equids , already during the ingestion of the feed, part of the gastric content enters the small intestine and, two hours after being ingested, it reaches the large intestine, easily fermentable foods originate abundant gases in the entire gastroenteric tube , except in the small colon shortly after ingestion. The stimulus produced by distension, as well as the chemical stimulus of gases ( carbonic acid , methane , fatty acids ), increase peristalsis and cause enteric spasms, which temporarily cause colic pain.
Meanwhile, the vigorous contractions of the intestine and the reabsorption of gases prevent considerable intestinal distension. When the development of gas is copious and violent, and possibly also when the continuous increase in tone in some portions of the intestine is prolonged under such circumstances, such compensation is impossible; the muscles of the intestine, increasingly distended, end up losing contractility, and the compression of the blood vessels by the distended tissues hinders the resorption of gases.
The dilation of all the intestinal loops pushes the diaphragm towards the thorax , decreasing the suction action of the negative intrathoracic pressure on the heart and the hematic vascular trunks, which determines a drop in blood pressure .
anatomical alterations
When opening the abdominal cavity, very distended, intestinal loops come out, very dilated and tense. If any have ruptured in life, enteric contents are found in the abdominal cavity , and the edges of the rupture are bloody. (Because fermentation continues after death, postmortal tears of the intestine and diaphragm are not uncommon.) In addition, the characteristics of death by suffocation (which are lacking in purely postmortal gas formations) are found.
Symptoms
In mild meteorism, the equids show little colic restlessness, and the general condition appears little altered; respiration and pulse are practically normal. As the volume of the abdomen increases, intestinal rumbling is intense, defecation is delayed, and enteric gases are eliminated in large quantities.
Rectal examination reveals moderate insufflation in the large intestine , which remains in its normal position. The stool is loose, acid-smelling, and often mixed with gas bubbles. In the most intense cases with a more violent course, the volume of the abdomen is much more increased, apparently more frequently in the region of the right flank, the abdominal wall is tense, and the sound of percussion is loud. The symptoms of colic are very intense, although less so than in intestinal dystopias or in stomach overload .
Intestinal rumbling is stronger at first, with metallic resonance, and later decreases, until it disappears. The rectal examination shows a large increase in volume, with lesions in the entire small and large intestine, except the small colon. The pelvic flexure is retracted deep into the pelvis or toward the right half of the abdomen, and the lower left colon is taut, rightward, and often coiled; this portion reaches the left kidney, where the much thinner and smoother upper left part of the colon is palpable next to or below it.
The weathered cecum can be recognized by its location below the right flank, by its shape and the course of its ribbons, as well as by the pockets on its walls. The other portions of the abdomen are full of sausage-shaped intestinal loops, highly inflated and tense. In addition there is dyspnea , pulse rate up to 60 and more, cyanosis and sweating.
In secondary meteorism are the manifestations of the fundamental disease and, on the other hand, when gases have formed in short portions of the intestine, less powerful increase in the abdomen and local meteorism, palpable by the rectal route.
meteorism in dog
The pig , dog , and rabbit do not exhibit abdominal pain , or they yell repeatedly, change posture frequently, or groan. Very often belching , nausea and vomiting are observed in them .
Diagnosis
Idiopathic intestinal bloating is generally known to occur without further cause after ingestion of fermenting foods, and concomitant gastric bloating or secondary gastric dilatation can be diagnosed by belching, nausea, or vomiting. The important diagnosis of secondary bloating (due to volvulus and strangulation of the intestine, thrombosis of the mesenteric arteries , intestinal obstruction, enteritis , and diffuse peritonitis ) can be made by history and, especially, rectal examination.
Except for acute peritonitis with general bloating, which is almost always only moderate, secondary bloating fills only a few loops of the intestine and is often accompanied by other manifestations of the underlying disease; furthermore, in meteorism of inflammatory origin there is fever , and the manifestations of restlessness are usually not very noticeable. In the dog, torsion of the stomach is often ruled out by belching and vomiting and a lack of tenderness in the abdomen.
Treatment
In mild idiopathic cases in equids, efforts are made to evacuate gases through natural pathways, using the stimulation of bowel movements with cold water irrigations in the rectum, as well as external or, carefully, internal massages through the rectum. rectal, when the tension of the intestinal loops is very strong, the internal massages will be suppressed.
Since part of the intestinal gas seeks its exit through the stomach, gastric emptying is recommended (repeated if necessary). If the distention of the intestines is not very evident, lentine can be used subcutaneously (2-4 mg), physostigmine (0.02-0.06 g) or prostigmine. Novalgin (20 cc intravenously), luminal sodium or chloral hydrate (4-6 g per 100 kg of weight, intravenously) will be applied to alleviate colic pain ; atropine is contraindicated because it interrupts bowel movements.
Papaverine is not very useful, since in these cases colic pains are a simple consequence of excessive distension of the intestinal walls. When a rapid aggravation occurs, secondary meteorism and, above all, intense dyspnea, the intestine should be punctured, in idiopathic cases , in the known way, at the most protruding point of the right flank, at the head of the cecum, leaving nailed the trocar cannula for some time, once the gases have been evacuated, to facilitate the exit of those that are formed again.
If this procedure is not enough or there is a circumscribed secondary meteorism in the colon, the colon will be punctured from the rectum with the help of a 6-7 cm needle. length by 1 mm. thick, to which a rubber tube, not very soft, 50 cm. long, which is drawn through the anal opening. The needle, held between the fingers, is inserted as deeply as possible through the rectum. After the puncture, the movement of the retracting intestinal loop is followed with the cannula, so that fecal particles are not emptied through the wound into the abdominal cavity. Quin recommends injecting an emulsion of highly polymerized methyl silicones into the head of the cecum .
In pigs, dogs, and rabbits, kneading the abdomen, making the animal run, repeated infusions with cold water, emetics, and gas evacuation through a catheter are useful. When there is danger of suffocation , intestinal puncture is used at the most prominent point on the left side and, if necessary, also on the right side. When brewer’s yeast is used for food, it is advisable to heat it to eliminate the ferments.
