Bilious Reflux
Bilious reflux (also known as bilious vomiting syndrome) is a condition in pets in which a cat or dog chronically vomits bile as a result of bile reflux in the stomach. When a pet does not have the disorder, its normal gastric activity removes the reflux bile before there is gastric irritation and damage. Most symptoms of the disorder are usually present in the morning, although it can also occur late at night.
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Symptoms
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Bilious reflux tends to affect animals that are middle-aged or older, and is equally present in both genders of cats or dogs. When a pet has the disorder, symptoms that are normally associated with an empty stomach such as the vomiting of bile occur, usually in a watery yellow or green color. Signs of the disorder can occur daily, although episodes of bilious reflux tend to be more sporadic. Pets appear healthy in between episodes of the disorder.
Causes
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The cause of bilious reflux is generally unknown, although gastric hypomotility (a condition in which an animal has trouble emptying the gastric contents of its stomach) is most often connected to the occurrence of the disorder. In addition to this, a variety of conditions which cause gastritis or duodenitis can disrupt an animal's motility and can be the primary cause of bilious reflux.
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Veterinary Diagnosis
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There are several different methods in which veterinarians test an animal for bilious reflux. Because of the similar symptoms which appear in the disease giardia, a veterinarian usually tests an animal's fecal matter to rule out the possibility that it has giardia or other parasitic conditions. Veterinarians can also use a liquid barium contrast imaging study to expose depressed gastric contractions or delayed gastric emptying. Endoscopic procedures may also be administered to detect bilious gastric elements.
Non-Medicated Treatment
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Because bilious reflux is not a debilitating disorder, animals should be treated symptomatically. As a non-medicated remedy, an owner can give his or her pet late evening meals as opposed to early evening meals which usually resolves clinical signs of the disorder. This can be effective because food acts as a buffer for the refluxed bile and has the ability to enhance the animal's gastric motility.
Medicated Treatments
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If an alteration of the animal's eating schedule does not resolve the symptoms of bilious reflux, then medicated treatments should be considered by a pet's owner that can be more effective. Usually medicine for this condition is given once in the evening and includes agents which increase gastric mucosal protection from refluxed bile and increased gastric motility. Some examples of medicines used are Cimetidine, Ranitidine, Carafate, Metoclopramide, Cisapride and Erythromycin.
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