AA Animal Clinic – Debary Vet is a full service pet hospital. AA Animal Clinic cares about the health of your cherish pet even with the most difficult to diagnose pet disease. A recent article for pet lovers worth our attention is an article about difficult to diagnose disease of our pets. One of the most difficult to diagnose pet disease is Feline Pancreatitis.
The pancreas is an organ that is responsible for producing digestive enzymes that are secreted into the intestine to aid in digesting food. In addition, the pancreas is also responsible for secreting metabolic hormones, such as insulin, glucagon and others.
Pancreatitis is defined as inflammation of the pancreas. In the cat, when the pancreas becomes inflamed, the protective measures that keep the digestive enzymes safely stored within the pancreas are disrupted and the escape of the enzymes from the pancreas results in damage to the pancreas itself as well as to the liver because of its location near the pancreas.
Causes of Pancreatitis in Cats
In the majority of the cases of feline pancreatitis, the cause remains unknown. However, there are some factors that are known to be associated with pancreatitis in cats.
* Inflammatory bowel disease has been associated with pancreatitis. It is believed that abnormalities within the intestinal tract cause an overgrowth of bacteria which may be capable of colonizing the pancreas and causing infection/inflammation.
* Trauma to the pancreas can cause pancreatitis. Trauma may result from an accident (i.e. a car accident or fall).
* Feline distemper virus and toxoplasmosis can infect the feline pancreas and cause pancreatitis.
* Organophosphate compounds may be found in home and garden insecticidal products and exposure to them may cause pancreatitis.
Symptoms of Feline Pancreatiis
In dogs, the most common symptoms seen with pancreatitis are nausea, vomiting and a painful abdomen. Ingestion of a high fat diet predisposes some dogs to developing pancreatitis. In cats, the symptoms of the disease are often more subtle and high fat intake does not appear to be associated with feline pancreatitis.
(source : http://pet-diseases.suite101.com/article.cfm/feline-pancreatitis-a-subtle-and-difficult-to-diagnose-disease)
For consultation and emergency veterinarian needs, contact the address below.
AA Animal Clinic – Florida Veterinarian
2899 Enterprise Road
Debary , Florida 32713
(386) 668-4453
aaanimalhospital@yahoo.com
http://aaanimalclinic.com
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