Gastrointestinal Obstruction in Dogs at the Veterinary Clinic, Kabete

Abstract

A study of post-mortem examination reports of dog conditions diagnosed at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, covering 16 years (1976-1991) revealed that intussusception was the most important cause of gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction in dogs.

Out of 580 dog carcasses examined during this period , GI obstructive conditions contributed to 63 (10.9%) of the cases and of these, 32 cases (50.8%) had intussusception. Other causes of GI obstruction were; gastric dilatation volvulus – 16 cases (25.4%), torsion or volvulus of small intestines – 7 cases (11.1%), diaphragmatic hernia 3 cases (4.8%), pyloric stenosis, congenital obstruction at the ceco-colic junction and intestinal strangulation contributed one case (1.6%) each. Two cases could not be identified and these presumably did not originate from the clinic.

The German shepherd dog (GSD) breed and its crosses was affected by most GI obstructive conditions diagnosed. Intussusception was more common in young dogs than in adult but gastric-dilatation-volvulus was diagnosed only in dogs older than two and a half years. The history of the cases was mainly that of vomiting, inappetence and depression.


The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 18 (1) 1994: pp. 1-2