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Healing & Alternative Health
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care:
Signs of the Aging
Dog and Cat
Part 16:
Organs of the Abdomen: Diseases of the Pancreas
by Kathleen M. Carson, D.V.M
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The pancreas is a fascinating and very important organ of digestion. It lies tucked up under the stomach/upper duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) in the most forward part of your animal’s abdominal cavity on the right side.
The pancreas has two very different functions: first, it produces digestive enzymes: trypsin (and other proteases), which break down proteins; amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates; and lipase, which breaks down fats. This is called its exocrine function.
Second, it makes the hormone, insulin, which allows sugar in the blood to enter the cells of the body, where it is used for fuel. This is called its endocrine function.
The exocrine part, composed of acinar cells, makes up approximately 98-99% of the pancreas. The endocrine part, composed of tissue called the Islets of Langerhans, makes up only 1-2%. The cells comprising the Islets of Langerhans are scattered among the acinar cells.
The most common disease of the exocrine part of the pancreas is a condition called pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). The most common disease of the endocrine part is called diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is such a complex disease that it won’t be discussed here; I’ll write about it in future columns.
The pancreas also plays a role in vitamin B12 and zinc absorption, as well as helping prevent bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine.
The acinar cells in the pancreas secrete a fluid rich in bicarbonate and digestive enzymes. When your dog or cat sees, or even smells, food, the pancreas starts to releases this fluid into the pancreatic duct, which empties into the duodenum. In dogs, the pancreatic ducts (they have two) enter the duodenum near where the common bile duct from the liver does. In cats, the (one) pancreatic duct joins with the common bile duct before it enters the duodenum.
When the food and acid mixture from your animal’s stomach enters the duodenum, even more of this enzyme/bicarbonate fluid is released from the pancreas, where the enzymes start the process of breaking down the food so it can be absorbed and used by the body. The bicarbonate in the fluid facilitates optimal activity of digestive enzymes within the duodenum.
Within the pancreas, the enzymes are held in their inactive forms. Once they leave the pancreas and enter the duodenum, substances in the duodenum activate the enzymes so they can break down food.
Small amounts of the pancreatic enzymes are also released into the bloodstream in normal animals; these enzymes are bound and neutralized by circulating inhibitory factors in the blood.
Unfortunately, under certain circumstances, the enzymes are activated while they’re still within the pancreas. Once activated, they start to digest the pancreatic tissue, causing the pancreatitis mentioned above.
From there, the activated enzymes start damaging surrounding organs. They also enter the bloodstream. In large amounts, they overwhelm the blood’s inhibitory factors, causing shock and wreaking havoc throughout the body. If the damage is severe enough, death occurs.
Pancreatitis has an acute form and a chronic form. In acute pancreatitis the condition comes about suddenly. Generally speaking, acute pancreatitis can be mild, moderate, or severe. Some animals have recurrent acute pancreatitis, in which they have repeated bouts of pancreatic inflammation, but with no permanent damage to the pancreatic tissue.
In chronic pancreatitis, the animal suffers from continued low grade pancreatitis, which is not initially detectable clinically. Over time, however, the continuing inflammation damages the pancreatic tissue, causing normal cells to be replaced by scar tissue. This is called fibrosis. Eventually, enough of the pancreas has been destroyed that inadequate levels of the digestive enzymes are produced. The fibrosis may also lead to a paucity of insulin, leading to diabetes mellitus, especially in dogs. Cats most often suffer from chronic mild pancreatitis.
What causes pancreatitis? In dogs, the most frequent cause is ingestion of food high in fat. My most memorable case of pancreatitis in a dog was in a dog who dug up the buried fat his family had just sliced off a side of beef they’d bought. Boy, was he sick!
Less common causes of canine pancreatitis are drugs (furosemide, azathioprine, L-asparaginase, thiazide diuretics, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines, and, possibly, corticosteroids like prednisolone and dexamethasone), some insecticides, obstruction of the pancreatic duct [caused by such things as a tumor, bile stones (remember the pancreatic and bile ducts enter the duodenum close together), or trauma], systemic infection, and a sudden decrease in blood flow to the pancreas (such as occurs in shock).
In cats, as in so many other diseases, no cause can be found in over 90% of patients with pancreatitis. In the other 10%, identified causes are diseases of the intestines and liver (remember the triadiatis from last month’s column), trauma, organophosphate poisoning, and systemic infections such as Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), the Feline Immunosuppressive Virus (FIV), and toxoplasmosis.
I’ll write more about diseases of the pancreas next month.
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Dr. Kathleen Carson, DVM
Veterinarian & Author
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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
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