CAT and dog surgical specialist Dr Manuel Flores Garcia is urging more vets treating haemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE) to include pain management as part of their emergency response, as he believes that many animals suffering from the disease literally die of pain.

Haemorrhagic gastroenteritis is an intestinal condition in cats and dogs which manifests as sudden onset of bloody, watery diarrhoea. If not treated early and aggressively, the disease can be fatal.

Dr Garcia was the main presenter at a seminar on pet nutrition on July 15, hosted by Cari-Med Limited in association with Purina One.

While acknowledging the importance of laboratory tests, he told the audience that 80 per cent of the HGE diagnosis can be made during a 10-minute examination. He noted that while vets routinely check for elevated temperature and signs of dehydration, many do not check for pain on abdominal examination and do not initiate pain-control treatment. Dr Garcia, who is a professor of Animal Nutrition and Biochemistry at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, noted that, in his experience, pain was one of the main causes of death from HGE in cats and dogs.

Another major cause of death, Dr Garcia says, is bacterial translocation – a condition in which bacteria that lives in the gastrointestinal tract moves through the intestinal walls into normally sterile tissue and other internal organs. Dr Garcia says the likelihood of this complication can be reduced with prompt nutritional support. He noted that often pets were brought in by their owners more than 24 hours after onset, and that a common treatment protocol was to withhold food for a day or two. However, he maintains that nutritional support needs to start right away as, after three days without food, the state of the intestines encourages bacterial translocation. In addition, he noted, prompt nutritional support promotes peristalsis, and IGA synthesis, and helps guard against weight loss.

According to Dr Garcia, early nutritional support was even more critical in the case of cats. He said the main indicator of HGE in cats was depression, which manifests as decreased appetite. If nutritional support does not begin within 24 hours, the cat could experience liver or kidney failure.

According to a release from Cari-Med Limited, Nestlé Purina Pet Care Company is the manufacturer of Purina One, which is a super-premium dog food available for sale in supermarkets across Jamaica. Cari-Med Limited says it is the appointed distributor of the Nestlé Purina pet foods in Jamaica. Also cats’ nutrition forms a part of the portfolio of products through brands such as Friskies, Cat Chow and Kitten Chow.

PETS MOST AT RISK FOR HGE

* Puppies and kittens two to four months old

* The following dog breeds: Rottweiler, Doberman, Schnauzer, Sharpie

* Dogs living outside the house

* Dogs eating human food: chicken bones create an especial risk

BASIC TREATMENT OBJECTIVES

* Diagnosis

* Rehydration

* Pain control

* Nutritional support