What is Narrowing of the Pyloric Canal?
The pyloric canal connects the stomach to the small intestine. A small band of muscles called the pyloric sphincter opens and closes during digestion to allow food to pass into the small intestine. If the pyloric sphincter is too narrow or the passage becomes blocked, food will have nowhere to go. This is called pyloric stenosis; it usually results from a thickening of the muscles and mucosa and sometimes a tumor or lesion can occur in this area as well. Pyloric stenosis leads to the development of chronic pyloric hypertrophic gastropathy (CHPG) with symptoms of vomiting and often weight loss and dehydration. This is a congenital condition is many brachycephalic breeds. Puppies are born with an abnormality in the smooth muscles of the pyloric canal and will develop symptoms as soon as they start eating solid food. Other breeds may develop the condition later in life. Left untreated, CHPG can be fatal since the dog will be unable to absorb adequate nutrition. In most cases, the muscles can be reopened with surgery so that food can pass properly and the dog will recover.
If the pyloric canal becomes too narrow, it will cause blockage between the stomach and the small intestine and dogs will have symptoms of chronic vomiting. Veterinarians call this pyloric stenosis. In dogs, it can usually be treated successfully with surgery.
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Symptoms of Narrowing of the Pyloric Canal in Dogs
Dogs should be evaluated by a veterinarian any time they have symptoms of chronic vomiting that occur one or more times per week. The following signs could suggest narrowing of the pyloric canal.
- Chronic intermittent vomiting
- Vomiting undigested food several hours after eating
- Projectile vomiting
- Regurgitation
- Failure to gain weight (in puppies)
- Weight loss
- Thirst
- Aspiration pneumonia
Types
There are two types of pyloric stenosis.
Congenital
Dogs with an inherited condition often develop symptoms upon weaning. This is more common in brachycephalic breeds.
- Boxers
- Boston Terriers
- Bulldogs
Acquired
Dogs can acquire the condition at any point in their lives. The acquired version is more common in some breeds.
- Lhasa Apso
- Shih Tzu
- Pekinese
- Poodle
- Rottweiler
Causes of Narrowing of the Pyloric Canal in Dogs
Many factors can contribute to a dog developing pyloric stenosis, especially conditions which increase the amount of gastrin in the stomach and cause inflammation in the mucosa.
- Ulcers
- Chronic gastritis
- Tumor
- Stress
The condition is more common in male than in female dogs. It is also usually more serious in small dogs that already have less space in their stomach.
Diagnosis of Narrowing of the Pyloric Canal in Dogs
The veterinarian will thoroughly examine your dog and likely take bloodwork and urine tests. Other potential causes will have to be eliminated, including infection or an autoimmune response that is causing chronic gastritis. If all other tests come back normal, and your dog has been showing symptoms for some time, the veterinarian may suspect pyloric stenosis. Breed and age factors can be relevant, so the veterinarian will need a complete family history. Taking note of when the symptoms first started is also important.
Abdominal x-rays will be taken. Veterinarians often add contrast dyes to make it easier to see what is happening to the fluids in the stomach. X-rays will usually show that the stomach is enlarged and that it is not emptying into the intestine at the appropriate time. In many cases, endoscopy is needed to make a definitive diagnosis. This procedure involves inserting a camera down the throat to take pictures of the inside of the stomach. The dog will be anesthetized for this procedure. The veterinarian will also be able to check for tumors and cancerous lesions at the same time and may take biopsies of the gastrointestinal walls. The veterinarian could decide to perform exploratory surgery instead of endoscopy.
Treatment of Narrowing of the Pyloric Canal in Dogs
Surgery is the most common treatment for pyloric stenosis. Dogs with severe symptoms of vomiting may need to be treated supportively until they are healthy enough for surgery. Your dog might need intravenous fluids or medication to resolve the alkalosis that can occur after vomiting stomach acid.
The veterinarian will usually perform a pyloromyotomy or a pyloroplasty. These types of surgeries involve opening the pyloric sphincter and widening it so that food can pass into the intestine properly. If there is a tumor this will be removed, and the vet will do a biopsy to determine if it is cancerous. The dog will likely need to stay in a veterinary hospital several days after surgery to recover, and may need to be on a special diet until the stomach has healed. The vet might prescribe antibiotics to limit infection as well as anti-emetic medication.
In most cases, surgery is successful. If the dog still has mild symptoms of vomiting the veterinarian may prescribe medication and suggest frequent small meals to limit the problem. This treatment could also be recommended instead of surgery for mild conditions, or for dogs that are not healthy enough to have surgery.
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Recovery of Narrowing of the Pyloric Canal in Dogs
The prognosis for pyloric stenosis is good and most dogs will make a full recovery. This is a common condition in dogs, and it is frequently treated successfully. Some conditions may need to be managed by limiting meal size and medication, or the veterinarian may recommend certain food that is easier for your dog to digest. In a few cases, a second surgery could be required if severe symptoms persist. If the condition is cancerous, it could pose more of a problem, but this is rare.
Narrowing of the Pyloric Canal Average Cost
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Narrowing of the Pyloric Canal Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Maltese
Thunder
15 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Blood In Urine
Pain
My 15 year old Maltese, Thunder was vomiting and had diarrhea for several days. He would throw up undigested food many hours after he had eaten. A year earlier he had been given a diagnosis of IBD. We thought it was just a flare-up. Our vet told us to increase his Pred to every day for a few days. He became much worse a few days later and we took him to an emergency clinic. They thought he had pancreatitis. He stayed in the hospital for 2 days and my vet decided to do a barrium on him. It showed that the barrium was remaining in his stomach. She did exploratory surgery on him and said that he had tumors lining the canal that connects his stomach to his small intestines. She removed the biggest two, but she left the others because she wasn't an expert in the surgery required to reconfigure his digestive tract. She described the tumors as having the appearance of a sea cucumber. His surgery was Tuesday. Wednesday evening she took an e-Ray of his lungs and noticed that the barrium had remained in his stomach. She was under the impression that his intestines may not be working. We decided to go and get him so that he could die at home rather than in the hospital. We brought him home and overnight I heard bowel sounds and he passed gas, silently. He had an appetite the next morning. I gave him a capsule size Pill Pocket divided in fourths with his meds in the pieces. He also ate a tiny bit of his special IBD food. We took him back to the vet the next morning and they e-rayed him again. All the barrium had passed from his stomach into his large intestine. He did not have a fever. He has remained on 2 nausea meds and a Pred every day, as well as Tramadol for pain. Today is Friday and he continues to have an appetite, eating about 2 or 3 tablespoons of boiled chicken breast that has been ground up with some water added for moisture. He is also still taking his meds in small pieces of Pill Pockets. He has more energy and is able to rest fairly well, but although he passes lots of gas he has not had a bowel movement. We are waiting to get the biopsy back hopefully today or tomorrow. My concern is another surgery. I am afraid he won't make it through surgery. My vet tells me he is living borrowed time. Any advice you can give me would be appreciated.
July 26, 2017
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The most common type of tumour in the pyloric region of the stomach are Adenocarcinomas. Adenocarcinomas are aggressive tumours that metastasise in 44 - 95% of dogs before a diagnosis has been made. Surgical removal is the best course of treatment; however, it may be difficult to removal all of the tumours due to the differing size of the stomach and duodenum making anastomosis difficult or impossible. One you receive the Histopathology results from the excised tumours a treatment (including surgical) plan can be started which may include chemotherapy. Usually surgical excision of the tumours comes after metastasis which means that the condition may never be resolved and treatment may be focused on giving Thunder the comforting supportive care he needs. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
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Narrowing of the Pyloric Canal Average Cost
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Average Cost
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