Gastric Motility Disorders in Dogs

The spontaneous peristaltic (involuntary, wavelike) movements of the stomach muscles are essential for proper digestion, moving food through the stomach and out into the duodenum -- the first portion of the small intestine.

Excessive gastric motility, with muscular contractions occurring too frequently, causes pain, whereas below normal motility causes delayed gastric emptying, abnormal gastric retention, gastric distention/bloating, and other related signs. Symptoms may occur at any age but it is less common in young dogs than in aging dogs.

Symptoms and Types

Clinical symptoms vary depending on the primary cause responsible for the gastric motility disorder. The following symptoms are commonly seen in affected dogs:

• Chronic vomiting of food, especially soon after taking meal
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite (anorexia)
• Belching
• Compulsive eating of non-food substances (pica)
• Weight loss

Causes

• Idiopathic (cause unknown)
• Secondary to other metabolic disorders, such as:
  • Hypokalemia
  • Uremia
  • Hepatic encephalopathy
  • Hypothyroidism
• Secondary to primary gastric disease, such as:
  • Gastritis
  • Gastric ulcers
• After gastric surgery
• After use of certain drugs
• In case of excessive pain, fear, or trauma