Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to tell if my dog or cat has serious gastric issues?
By Thierry, Florence et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2019·The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Roslin Institute, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Canine and feline emphysematous gastritis may be differentiated from gastric emphysema based on clinical and imaging characteristics: Five cases.
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male dog and two cats were brought in showing signs of lethargy and vomiting, and they were diagnosed with a condition called gastric pneumatosis, where gas builds up in the stomach wall. Unfortunately, the dog and one of the cats had serious symptoms and were euthanized due to worsening health, revealing they had a severe form called emphysematous gastritis. In contrast, two other dogs with milder symptoms recovered well with medical treatment and did not need antibiotics. This study highlights the importance of recognizing the differences between serious and less serious stomach gas conditions in pets.
People also search for: dog vomiting lethargy · cat stomach gas treatment · emphysematous gastritis in pets · gastric pneumatosis symptoms in dogs · cat vomiting and lethargy causes
Abstract
Gastric pneumatosis is an imaging finding defined as the presence of gas foci in the gastric wall. In humans, this imaging feature can result from one of two separate clinical entities: life-threatening emphysematous gastritis or clinically benign gastric emphysema. This retrospective case series study describes the clinical and imaging features in five animals diagnosed with spontaneous gastric pneumatosis without gastric dilatation-volvulus. Three canine and two feline cases of spontaneous gastric pneumatosis were identified on radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations. In addition to gastric pneumatosis, one dog and two cats presented concomitant systemic signs such as lethargy, hematemesis, anemia, or leukocytosis. Two dogs remained asymptomatic or presented mild gastrointestinal signs. Portal gas was described in two dogs and one cat, and pneumoperitoneum in one dog. These features were not considered clinically significant. The dog and two cats with systemic signs were euthanized due to clinical deterioration and diagnosed with emphysematous gastritis. The gastric pneumatosis of both dogs without systemic signs resolved while on medical management without antibiotic therapy. These latter cases were interpreted as consistent with gastric emphysema. Findings from the current study indicated that gastric pneumatosis can occur without gastric dilatation-volvulus in cats and dogs and that a combination of clinical and imaging characteristics may help to differentiate between potentially life-threatening emphysematous gastritis and relatively benign gastric emphysema. More studies are needed to determine the etiology and risk factors associated with these conditions.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30311329/