Gastroenterology

Main complementary gastroenterology examinations at the AgoraVet veterinary clinic

Digestive disorders are common among our pets. Generally benign, vomiting and diarrhea are usually resolved after a few days of symptomatic treatment. However, sometimes the problem persists over time, and the cause needs to be investigated. In such cases, you'll need to take a number of tests, which will be suggested to you as part of a carefully considered approach tailored to your pet's situation:

Biological tests

- Hematological and biochemical tests are used to evaluate the function of certain organs (e.g. liver, pancreas) or to detect lesions in them, as well as to search for extra-digestive causes (e.g. renal failure, Addison's disease).

- Stool analysis (coproscopy) plays a key role in gastroenterology. It is performed on a mixture of stools from three consecutive days stored in the refrigerator. It provides information on the presence of parasites, the evaluation of digestive flora and the presence of pathogenic bacteria, the presence of blood in the stool (not always visible to the naked eye), the quality of digestion, the presence of proteins...

Abdominal ultrasound

Often indispensable, with a high-performance ultrasound scanner, it enables evaluation of all digestive structures: liver and gallbladder, pancreas, stomach, small intestine, colon, and associated lymph nodes. It can be used, for example, to diagnose structural organ anomalies (inflammation, tumors, gallstones), locate foreign bodies, assess the presence of a digestive perforation...
For the images to be of the highest quality, your pet must have been fasting since the evening before: the presence of digested food and gas in the digestive tract greatly disturbs the exemen.

Abdominal X-ray

Sometimes complementary to ultrasonography, it is a useful aid in cases of suspected foreign body or ileus (cessation of transit). These X-rays may sometimes require the oral administration of a contrast medium.

Digestive endoscopy

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It is also an examination that is often indispensable in gastroenterology.

- Gastro-duodenoscopy is performed via the upper approach. This allows us to explore the mucosa and any contents (the animal must be fasting) of the esophagus and stomach. In many cases, but not systematically, we can also see the beginning of the duodenum, which is the first portion of the small intestine. During this examination, biopsies are systematically taken for laboratory analysis. Foreign bodies are sometimes found, and in some cases can be removed naturally during these examinations. When this is not possible, surgery is proposed to remove them.

- A colonoscopy is performed via the lower incision. As with men, this requires food preparation and laxatives to be taken at home in the days preceding the examination to empty the colon. Most of the time, the entire colon is visualized, and biopsies are also systematically taken.

Surgical biopsies

In certain special cases, biopsies of various organs (not accessible by endoscopy in particular) will be suggested to you in order to arrive at a diagnosis. These biopsies are generally performed as part of an exploratory laparotomy.