 |
|
 |
| |
| Departments |
Home
Columns, Special
Topics & Features:
The Columns:
Angels, Guides, &
Loving Spirits:
Angel Blessings:
with Dr. Doreen Virtue
Ask Valerie Morrison,
Internationally
Acclaimed Psychic
Trust Your Vibes
By Dr. Sonia Choquette, PhD.
Internationally Acclaimed Psychic Healer & Author
Body Mind & Spirit with John Holland
Psychic Medium, Author
& Teacher,
Astrologer's Notes:
Carin Martin,
Astrologer
Donna Cunningham, MSW, Astrologer
Basil Fearrington,
Astrologer
Diana Stone,
Astrologer &
Huna Shaman
Jeff Jawer
Astrologer
Glenn Perry,
Astrologer
Ray Merriman,
Financial Astrology:
MMA Market Week
Noel Tyl,
Astrologer
Daily Aspect Calendar
by Care
MoonWatching with Dana Gerhardt and Friends
Creating Bridges:
The Spiritual &
Philosophical
Act of Power
Discovering the Key to Living Your Sacred Dream
by Lynn Andrews
The BUT Doctor
Healing America's Real Crack Problem One Person at a Time
by Eddie Conner
Avant-Gardening:
Insights by Frank &
Vicky Giannangelo
From The Heart:
Alan Cohen
Teachings from the Western Mystery Traditions: The Esoteric "Paths of Return"
by Jacquelyn Small, Eupsychia
Spirituality in Daily Life: by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
The Conscious Column
by David Ault
Spiritual Mastery
for the 21st Century
Dr. Gwen MacGregor
Pearls of Wisdom:
with Care & Aeon
Encounters on the
Shaman's Path with
Dr. Hank Wesselman, PhD.
Anthropologist, Zoologist, Author, Shamanic Healer & Teacher
The Divine Human
by Ornesha De Paoli
Awakenings
by Karen Johnson
Feng Shui & Chinese Metaphysics:
Inside Chinese Metaphysics
by Barbara Finch,
Feng Shui &
Chinese Astrology
In Practice:
How to Create a Successful Holistic Practice- from Start to Success
by Shaun Brown,
CMT, BA BeWell Publications
Kabbalah:
Kabbalah Revealed
Kabbalist Rav Michael Laitman, PhD
"Letters from Heaven:" Spiritual Guidance from
the Hebrew Alphabet
by Avigayil Landsman
Pet Care:
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care
by Dr. Kathleen Carson, D.V.M.
Tarot:
Moment to Moment
by Gigi Miner
Author, Tarot Consultant, & Teacher.
Reviews:
Tarot, Cartomancy,
Oracle Decks,
Books, & Software.
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Humor:
Wake Up Laughing.Com:
Swami Beyondananda
Features:
Blessings & Messages
Event Calendar
Historical Notes & Data
The MetaPersonals
Opinion-Editorial
Symbols, Seals,
Amulets & Talismans
The What in the
World Department
Trivia & Other
Novel Moments
Interviews:
Watch for Upcoming Announcements
Healing & Alternative
Health:
Living in Harmony-Astrology, Yoga & Ayurveda:
Venkat & Christine Machiraju
"Spirit and Practice
of the Wise Woman
Tradition"
By Susun Weed
Tai Chi & Qigong
by Bill Douglas
The Holistic Mystic,
by Lonny Brown
Medical Intuition: Tune
in to Your Body and Improve Your Health
by Caroline Sutherland, Sutherland Communications
Conscious Breathing
for Health and Self Transformation
by Dennis Lewis
Transformational Healing through the Violet Flame!
by Eva Kettles
Herbs for Health
with Kami McBride
The Directory
The Book Nook
Archives:
Past Issues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Healing & Alternative Health
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care:
Signs of the Aging
Dog and Cat
Part 10:
Organs of the Abdomen: Description and Diagnosis of Diseases of the Large Intestine
by Kathleen M. Carson, D.V.M
|
|
|
|
|
|
Continuing with my discussion of organs of the abdomen, this month I’ll discuss diseases of the large intestine.
The large intestine is so named because this part of the intestinal tract has a greater inside diameter than the small intestine does. The large is divided into three parts: the cecum, the colon, and the rectum.
The cecum is basically a blind pouch which exists at the beginning of the large intestine, right after the junction of the small and large intestines. (This junction is called the ileocecolic junction.) Unlike other animals, the cecum seems to have little function in the dog or cat. Dogs and cats also do not have an appendix, which is a finger-like diverticulum which leads off from the cecum.
Following the cecum is the largest part of the large intestine called the colon. By the time it has reached the colon, the ingested food has had all the nutrients which the body could use taken out of it. What is left over is waste material. The main function of the colon is to remove water from this waste material (which is called feces or stool).
From the end of the colon, the solid feces goes into the rectum, the short last section of the large intestine. The rectum holds the feces until there is a sufficient amount of it; it then signals the dog or cat that he/she needs to defecate or evacuate the feces from his/her body through the sphincter-like opening called the anus.
If there are problems with your dog or cat’s large intestine, your animal will have diarrhea and/or constipation. Less commonly, there will be bloating, nausea, vomiting, and/or abdominal pain, the latter evidenced by an arched back, reluctance to move, groaning, and/or pacing.
Diarrhea comes about when a diseased/irritated colon moves the feces through much faster than normal, not leaving enough time for water to be absorbed. This excess water in the stool causes it to be anything from formed but soft to pudding-like or watery with no form.
Last month I described diarrhea caused by small intestinal problems to be loose, large in volume, and passed slightly more frequent than normal stools. If chronic, it can lead to weight loss.
Diarrhea due to large intestinal problems, on the other hand, is loose, small in volume, and of a frequency much greater than normal. It also is not unusual to see straining (continuing to try to defecate even when nothing more comes), mucus (slimy material), and fresh, red blood in large intestinal (LI) diarrhea. Weight loss is much less common with LI diarrhea.
Of course, some geriatric animals have both large and small intestinal diarrhea, which makes diagnosis and treatment more complex than if it were one or the other.
Constipation is the opposite of diarrhea. Instead of the feces being rushed through and out, it sits in the large intestine for a longer time than normal. Of course, the longer the feces sits in the colon, the more water is taken from it, making it drier and harder - and thus even more difficult to pass.
Problems originating in the large intestine alone can cause constipation. An example would be megacolon, in which the muscles in the wall of the colon become flabby and ineffective, not doing their job of moving the feces along and out. On the other hand, problems from outside of the large intestine can contribute to constipation or even be the main cause. These would be things like dehydration or a low-fiber diet.
For some reason, older cats seem more prone to constipation than dogs. Some of these cats with constipation will go to their boxes and strain and strain in their efforts to pass stool. Other constipated cats will show no outward signs, just not visit the box for two or more days. (This can be tricky to detect in a multiple cat household.)
Constipation is such a complex subject that I will devote an entire column to it in the future.
Chronic LI diarrhea is another one of those geriatric problems which often starts earlier in life and worsens with time.
The causes of chronic LI diarrhea in geriatric patients are most commonly one or more of the following: parasites, infection from bacteria or fungi, dietary intolerances (allergic and non-allergic), inflammation (especially inflammatory bowel disease, aka IBD), abnormal physiologic function (spastic colon or irritable bowel syndrome, aka IBS), and cancer. For some reason, dogs are more prone to infections, parasites, and IBS than cats. On the other hand, cats are more prone to IBD than dogs. Both are susceptible to dietary intolerances and cancer.
If your geriatric dog or cat shows signs of LI diarrhea, especially if these signs are pronounced or go on for more than 2-3 weeks, you should bring him or her to your veterinarian. If your animal’s appetite is down and/or he/she is losing weight, a veterinary visit is even more urgent.
Your veterinarian will perform a complete physical exam, which includes weighing your animal to see if there’s any weight loss, noting any dehydration or other obvious external change. When your veterinarian reaches your animal’s abdomen, he/she will palpate carefully, feeling for any discomfort or pain, thickened loops of bowel, enlarged organs, and/or masses. A rectal examination will be done to examine to check for heightened sensitivity or narrowing in the rectum, a foreign body, or a mass. Your vet can also collect a fresh stool sample while doing the rectal exam.
Depending on your animal’s history and what your veterinarian finds on his/her physical exam, he/she will then decide what diagnostic tests he/she wants to do. These could include one or more of the following: microscopic fecal exam for parasites and cytology (the latter would include searching for abnormal cells or excessive numbers of WBCs). He/she will probably want to do blood and urine tests; these would help rule in/rule out diseases of other organs which could cause diarrhea, like diseases of the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and/or thyroid. If anything suspicious is found on abdominal palpation, X-rays and/or ultrasound will probably be recommended.
If these tests don’t reveal a clear diagnosis, then endoscopy may be needed. I mentioned endoscopy last month when I discussed diagnostic methods for stomach and small intestinal problems. For large intestinal problems, though, the endoscopic instrument is inserted not through the mouth but through the anus and up into the rectum, colon, cecum, and possibly even the end of the ileum. By doing this, the veterinarian can view the inside of these organs to see if any abnormalities can be visualized. Pieces of tissue from various areas will also be taken so they can be examined later under the microscope to see if the tissue samples are normal or abnormal and/or if any parasites or bacteria or fungi are present.
If other tests reveal no abnormalities, or if an obstruction or mass is found by palpation or through ultrasound, then exploratory surgery may be indicated, either to make a diagnosis or to remove an obstruction or mass.
Next month my column will be on treatment of diseases of the large intestine. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Kathleen Carson, DVM
Veterinarian & Author
|
 |
Dr. Carson received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California at Davis in 1968. She's been a small animal practitioner (dogs and cats ) for all the years since, except for a short stint at the San Diego Zoo when she first graduated.
She belongs to the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
Since 1974 she's lived and practiced in the South Bay Area near Los Angeles. She started the area's first house call practice in 1976 and the first pet crisis/loss group in 1989. The human-animal bond is of special interest to her.
She started exploring complementary veterinary medicine in 1987. Her practice became 100% holistic in 1996. She utilizes acupuncture, herbs, supplements, Bach Flower Remedies, homeopathic remedies, nutrition and medications for her patients in her practice.
She's currently taking a leave of absence from her house call practice due to health reasons but continues to do phone consultations and to write.
E-mail:
Critterhlr@aol.com
website:
http://www.holistic
vetconsult.com
|
 |
You'll find it in
The
Directory! |
|
|
|
|
