Dog Intussusception

Intussusception is the infolding, like the closing of a telescope, of a segment of the small intestine into the adjacent but more distal ("downstream") segment of the intestine. (The term "intussusception" is pronounced "in-tu-su-ception" with the accent on the "in". It comes from the Latin "intus", within + "suscipere", to receive = to receive within).

Causes

Intussusception is caused by part of the intestine being pulled inward into itself. This can block the passage of food through the intestine. If the blood supply is cut off, the segment of intestine pulled inside strangles and can die.
The pressure created by the walls of the intestine pressing together causes irritation, swelling, and decreased blood flow. The intestine can die, and the patient can have significant bleeding. If a hole occurs, infection, shock and dehydration can take place very rapidly.

Symptoms

A child with intussusception may have recurring episodes of severe abdominal pain and may scream and draw up his or her knees from severe cramping. During a bout of pain, the child may look pale. The cramping lasts from about 1 to 5 minutes. Afterward, the child may seem normal, only to have another episode of pain from 5 to 30 minutes later. Some children have an episode of pain before passing stool. As the condition gets worse, the child may become listless and weak between painful episodes

Diagnosis

Intussusception is often suspected based on history and physical exam, including observation of Dance's sign. Per rectal examination is particularly helpful in children as part of the intussusceptum may be felt by the finger. A definite diagnosis often requires confirmation by diagnostic imaging modalities. Ultrasound is today considered the imaging modality of choice for diagnosis and exclusion of intussusception due to its high accuracy and lack of radiation. A target-like mass, usually around 3cm in diameter, confirms the diagnosis.

Prevention

Prevention of death can be accomplished with immediate medical care, within the first 24 hours. Once intussusception is suspected, emergency measures should be initiated. Untreated intussusception is almost always fatal. There is an increased chance for death if the disorder is not treated within 48 hours.

Treatment

When your child arrives at the hospital, the doctors will first stabilize his or her medical condition. This includes giving your child fluids through an intravenous (IV) line and putting a tube through the child's nose and into the stomach (nasogastric tube) to allow the intestines to decompress.
Doctors can often use a barium or air enema to correct the telescoping intestine and successfully treat intussusception. If an enema works, no further treatment is necessary.

If your child is dehydrated, he or she will need a drip of fluids for a while before treatment starts. Your child will also need a nasogastric tube, which is passed up the nose, down the food-pipe and into the stomach. This will drain off the stomach and bowel contents, and ‘vent’ any air that has built up, which will make your child more comfortable.

Surgery

Sometimes surgery is needed for intussusception. Surgery may be needed if:
Enemas have not corrected the problem after two or three attempts.
Health professionals suspect that the intestine has been damaged and needs to be repaired.
The child is very ill or the intestine has ruptured, leaking stool into the abdomen.

Intussusception is the infolding, like the closing of a telescope, of a segment of the small intestine into the adjacent but more distal ("downstream") segment of the intestine. (The term "intussusception" is pronounced "in-tu-su-ception" with the accent on the "in". It comes from the Latin "intus", within + "suscipere", to receive = to receive within).

Causes

Intussusception is caused by part of the intestine being pulled inward into itself. This can block the passage of food through the intestine. If the blood supply is cut off, the segment of intestine pulled inside strangles and can die.
The pressure created by the walls of the intestine pressing together causes irritation, swelling, and decreased blood flow. The intestine can die, and the patient can have significant bleeding. If a hole occurs, infection, shock and dehydration can take place very rapidly.

Symptoms

A child with intussusception may have recurring episodes of severe abdominal pain and may scream and draw up his or her knees from severe cramping. During a bout of pain, the child may look pale. The cramping lasts from about 1 to 5 minutes. Afterward, the child may seem normal, only to have another episode of pain from 5 to 30 minutes later. Some children have an episode of pain before passing stool. As the condition gets worse, the child may become listless and weak between painful episodes

Diagnosis

Intussusception is often suspected based on history and physical exam, including observation of Dance's sign. Per rectal examination is particularly helpful in children as part of the intussusceptum may be felt by the finger. A definite diagnosis often requires confirmation by diagnostic imaging modalities. Ultrasound is today considered the imaging modality of choice for diagnosis and exclusion of intussusception due to its high accuracy and lack of radiation. A target-like mass, usually around 3cm in diameter, confirms the diagnosis.

Prevention

Prevention of death can be accomplished with immediate medical care, within the first 24 hours. Once intussusception is suspected, emergency measures should be initiated. Untreated intussusception is almost always fatal. There is an increased chance for death if the disorder is not treated within 48 hours.

Treatment

When your child arrives at the hospital, the doctors will first stabilize his or her medical condition. This includes giving your child fluids through an intravenous (IV) line and putting a tube through the child's nose and into the stomach (nasogastric tube) to allow the intestines to decompress.
Doctors can often use a barium or air enema to correct the telescoping intestine and successfully treat intussusception. If an enema works, no further treatment is necessary.

If your child is dehydrated, he or she will need a drip of fluids for a while before treatment starts. Your child will also need a nasogastric tube, which is passed up the nose, down the food-pipe and into the stomach. This will drain off the stomach and bowel contents, and ‘vent’ any air that has built up, which will make your child more comfortable.

Surgery

Sometimes surgery is needed for intussusception. Surgery may be needed if:
Enemas have not corrected the problem after two or three attempts.
Health professionals suspect that the intestine has been damaged and needs to be repaired.
The child is very ill or the intestine has ruptured, leaking stool into the abdomen.

Dog intussusception is a greatly painful condition for your dog to face and can be greatly confused with many other conditions because of the common symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. In this article we will discuss the sometimes complex procedure and series of events that cause the dog intussusceptions and then what can be done to better this condition so the dog can return to normal health again.

To understand this condition you first need to understand how it may come about and how the lower digestive system works. After the dog swallows their food it moves down into the stomach, then down through the intestines where it is digested and then exits out of he anus. The problem occurs in the intestines of the dog because, like the whole digestive system the intestines move the food along by a series of contractions much like the way a worm moves, and if this motion is too violent and aggressive then it is possible that one of the sections will overlap another causing a pocket where food may get caught, thus causing pain.

In most cases this condition happens because of another problem causing diarrhea or vomiting, which can often cause very violent diarrhea or vomiting which is what causes the violent contractions of the muscles in the intestines when the dog strains. From this the sections overlap each other and more and more waste will get stuck in the pocket produced, making it grow and stretch longer and become painful.

When this condition is then viewed by a professional vet they will normally be advised to have the pet undertake surgery where they will either pull the different sections apart from each other if the problem is in its infancy, or if the problem is far beyond normal and simple repair then the section that is causing the problem may be cut out and joined back together to resume normal life after the recovery period.

In most cases the dog in question will be able to recover well in no time after giving the intestines a rest for twenty four hours or more and after the appropriate surgical procedure, but until then the dog will be feeling unable to pass waste easily, and feeling very unwell and not wanting to eat or drink because of this.

In any case, if you suspect this condition is the problem for your dog then it is always wise to get a second opinion from a professional vet before the problem worsens and becomes harder to repair.

Intussusception is a rare but dangerous for young children, usually between the ages of 3 months to 6 years. Invagination is the most common cause of intestinal obstruction in children. Intussusception is rare in adults. Most cases of intussusception in adults are the result of a medical condition behind it. Malrotation, a condition present at birth (congenital) in which the intestine doesn't develop correctly, is also a risk factor for intussusception.Invagination occurs when part of the intestine folds like a telescope, with a segment from sliding into another segment. This causes an obstruction, preventing the passage of foods that are digested through the intestine.

It occurs most often in children between 5 and 10 months of age. It affects between one and four infants out of 1,000. The first symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, pulling the legs to his chest, and intermittent moderate to severe abdominal pain, cramping. Pain is usually intermittently, but reappears and becomes stronger. As the pain disappears, a child with intussusception can stop crying and seemed fine. Children are much more likely to develop intussusception than adults are. It's the most common cause of bowel obstruction in children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years, Othrcases occurring among children younger than 1 year.

Invagination affects boys more often than girls. Malrotation, a condition at birth (congenital), in which the intestine does not develop properly, is also a risk factor of intussusception. Once you have had an intussusception, you are at increased risk of developing it again. Invagination is a medical emergency. In many cases, intussusception is corrected by the catheter used instead of barium into the rectum. Antibiotics are usually not needed. Sometimes surgery is needed to correct if intussusception does not stop collapsing on itself. Nutrition may need to be supplemented in the long term. High calorie IV solutions given through special IV catheters.

Intussusception Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Sometimes surgery is necessary to correct intussusception

2. Nutrition may need to be supplemented with long-term this condition.

3. High calorie IV solutions given through special IV catheters.

4. Invagination is reduced in the intestine, using barium or air enemas.

5. Intussusception can be reduced by laparoscopy.

This dog heath issue can be quite a painful experience for your dog, can be an irritating nuisance cause them not to eat or drink and make the generally feel unwell, and can be easily mixed up with many other more common conditions such as dog constipation or straining to pass feces.

As complicated as the name might suggest this condition is, in simple terms intussusception begins with a mild case of diarrhea or vomiting. This in its self is normally harmless to your dog long term and nothing more would be thought of this in any normal dog home, but as the contractions of the vomiting or diarrhea get worse it is possible that the muscles in the lower intestines contract so hard that they overlap each other or go inside each other.

This happens because within the lower intestines there is a series of smaller muscles that contract and detract so that the food is slowly passed along the intestines. But when your dog has the unfortunate condition of diarrhea or vomiting caused by another none related and usually common condition, it contracts rapidly as the body panics to try and get rid of the offending items or poisons.

After the overlapping process has happened it then causes more trouble because the following food that is being passed through the intestines becomes trapped in the alcove o the overlapped part. Then as you might expect the food pushes and pushes away at the sides making the alcove bigger and bigger containing all the stale and hardened food as well as causing blood flow problems and irritation.

This is not a very common occurrence in dogs but is none the less very irritating and painful for the dog in question and may cause constant retching to vomit and pass waste along with generally feeling unwell and uncomfortable enough to not eat or drink in most cases.

Surgery is usually the way your vet will fix dog intussusception by going into the effected area and pulling the two overlapping part apart and releasing and removing the contained waste to ensure a normal passage in the future.

This procedure should always be dealt with by a vet or professional in the dog health area, if you suspect this then ring your vet and ask for further advice and guidance which usually results in a check-up to identify the condition and deal with it appropriately.