Upset Stomach

Stomach
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Stomach
 
The location of the stomach in the human body.
 
Diagram from cancer.gov:
* 1. Body of stomach
* 2. Fundus
* 3. Anterior wall
* 4. Greater curvature
* 5. Lesser curvature
* 6. Cardia
* 9. Pyloric sphincter
* 10. Pyloric antrum
* 11. Pyloric canal
* 12. Angular notch
* 13. Gastric canal
* 14. Rugal folds

Work of the United States Government
Latin Ventriculus
Gray\'s subject #247 1161
Nerve celiac ganglia, vagus[1]
Lymph celiac preaortic lymph nodes[2]
MeSH Stomach
Dorlands/Elsevier Stomach
In most mammals, the stomach is a hollow, muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract (digestive system), between the esophagus and the small intestine. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication (chewing). The word stomach is derived from the Latin stomachus which is derived from the Greek word stomachos which is derived from the word gastro- and gastric (meaning related to the stomach) are both derived from the Greek word gaster (γαστήρ). The stomach churns food before it moves on to the rest of the digestive system.

This article is primarily about the human stomach, though the information about its processes are directly applicable to most mammals.[3] Ruminants are an exception. For information about the stomach of cattle, buffalo and similar mammals, see ruminants.

It is Christmas day and since everyone else is enjoying the turkey feast, you decide you want to give your dog a treat. The turkey gizzards and heart seem like a reasonable treat so you cook them up in some of the drippings from the bird and add the yummy mix to his kibble, forgetting that you already let him lick out the bacon pan from breakfast. Oh, and then there was the pig’s ear in his stocking from Santa that he gobbled down and the rawhide chew you left him with when you went to the in-law’s for lunch. He dives into his kibble much like he did the bacon grease, the ear and the rawhide chew earlier in the day, all with the happy gusto of a dog who loves to eat.

A few hours later, you wake to the distinct sound of a dog about to vomit. You shoot out of bed, hoping to save the carpet and drag him just in time to the tile floor in the bathroom. Up comes everything in one big stinky mess along with a few drops of bright red blood! What the heck? It was only a bit of turkey gizzard and some grease! How in the world could he be this sick?

Acute intestinal distress is common in dogs – at some point, all dogs eat something they should not have and end up with a stomach ache. Some dogs bounce back from these spells within a few hours and others need medical attention – it depends on the sensitivity of their gastrointestinal tract and the toxic levels of what they ate.

In the case of our dog on Christmas day, it is a two, if not three, fold problem – first there was the amount of fat ingested throughout the day, which was exacerbated by the high preservative levels in the bacon and pig’s ear and the quantity of food consumed throughout the day.

Eating too much fat or grease causes Pancreatitis – a condition where the enzymes produced in the pancreas are activated while still in the gland, instead of in the stomach where they are meant to aid in the digestion of food. The activated enzymes begin to digest the pancreas instead, causing pain, swelling and tenderness. Symptoms also include a lack of appetite, frequent vomiting and diarrhea with or without blood, increased thirst and overall weakness or inability to walk. Dehydration is common in dogs with pancreatitis due to the vomiting and diarrhea. At the onset, the dog’s temperature may be above normal but as dehydration sets in, their body temperature will drop to below normal. Unfortunately, these signs are not unique or limited to pancreatitis and your vet will need to run blood work to test for the condition.

Other causes of acute pancreatitis are both bacterial and viral infections as well as trauma and chronic pancreatitis is often caused by obesity. Hyperlipemia, elevated fat levels in the blood, is normal for a short period after eating but pancreatitis can develop if the levels spike due to ingesting a large quantity of fat or from a chronic condition in both pets and humans where the body is unable to metabolize or ‘clear’ the fat from the blood stream.

No matter what the cause, your pet requires treatment from your veterinarian. For a full diagnosis, your vet will want to know what your pet has consumed over the last few days including eating or drinking anything suspicious while out on a walk as bacterial infections can develop from contaminated water or from ingesting dead animals. Diagnostic lab work will include measuring the levels of white blood cells, cholesterol, amylase and the digestive enzyme lipase in the blood.