Acute and chronic cholecystitis in dogs: symptoms and treatment of the inflammatory process in the gallbladder. Gallstone disease in dogs and cats

Inflammation of the gallbladder in combination with damage to the ducts often develops in dogs against the background of proper nutrition. In the absence of proper therapy, the disease takes a chronic form, the digestion process worsens and general condition pet.

How to promptly recognize cholecystitis in dogs? Symptoms and treatment of pathology, possible complications, effective measures prevention and others important nuances disclosed in the article.

Causes and predisposing factors

In most cases, cholecystitis in dogs develops against the background of errors in the nutrition of the four-legged pet. Owners often give animals food from the common table, which negatively affects digestive tract, the functioning of the gallbladder and liver. Difficult-to-digest substances accumulate, rot, and inflammation develops. For poor bile flow and stones pathological process intensifies.

Other negative factors related to feeding the dog:

  • cheap food of low quality;
  • overfeeding the dog, development of obesity;
  • Water is not always freely available when receiving dry food, which leads to digestive problems;
  • The diet contains few foods containing vitamin A and beta-carotene. Shortage useful substances interferes with the regeneration of liver and gallbladder cells;
  • violation of the feeding regime, the dog often goes hungry;
  • the animal receives food, threatening for the health of your four-legged pet.

External and internal factors, provoking the development of cholecystitis:

Diet and nutrition correction

Medical nutrition - important element normalization of gallbladder functions. The optimal type of diet is suggested by the veterinarian observing the pet. Many doctors recommend giving your four-legged pet natural food instead of dry food, until the dog recovers or you urgently need to stop cheap granular food, switch to elite items from the medicinal series for dogs with sensitive digestion. Boiled pumpkin and carrots (puree) are useful.

Symptoms and treatment of cholecystitis - information that owners of four-legged pets should study. Gallbladder disease develops in dogs small breeds and larger pets. To reduce the risk of acute and chronic cholecystitis, you need to give your pet high-quality food, carry out deworming on time, and fight infections. It is important to remember about preventive measures and regular visits to the veterinarian to monitor the health of the animal.

Cholecystitis in dogs is a disease characterized by the occurrence inflammatory process V gallbladder. You can find out more in the next video useful information about the causes and symptoms of the disease, as well as how treatment is carried out:

Unfortunately, many owners are faced with a disease such as cholecystitis in dogs. This pathology occurs when there is a violation normal function bile ducts, which leads to the development of inflammation in the gallbladder.

Due to poor outflow, bile becomes denser and more caustic. In this case, there is a danger of injury to the walls of the bladder, which leads to the formation of ulcers on it. If the disease is not treated, bile will leak into the abdominal cavity through the resulting holes. This threatens to happen without urgent surgery, otherwise the pet will die.

There are several factors that provoke the development of cholecystitis.

Cholecystitis can develop in dogs that are frequently fed smoked meats.

These include:

An unbalanced diet is considered a provocateur of many diseases, including cholecystitis. The correct structure of the gastric mucosa is maintained due to the presence of a sufficient amount of carotene in the body. It is he who is responsible for the restoration of failed cells. Therefore, a lack of vitamin A in a pet’s diet negatively affects its health.


An unbalanced diet is the main cause of cholecystitis in dogs.

How to recognize the disease

It is almost impossible to find out about the presence of the disease until the first symptoms appear. If your dog begins to behave strangely, you should watch it. When the first clinical signs cholecystitis, the pet should be immediately referred to a veterinarian for further diagnostics.

Symptoms of cholecystitis

The chronic form differs in its manifestation from the acute one. It is characterized slight deviations in animal behavior.

It can be detected by the following symptoms:

  • decreased activity, the animal sleeps a lot;
  • lack of appetite, refusal of water;
  • orange urine, light stool, since bilirubin in the blood has increased sharply;
  • intestinal disorders;
  • severe hair loss ();
  • The pet's main position is on its stomach, with its back arched.

The acute form of cholecystitis occurs if measures are not taken in time and the disease starts.

When the disease worsens, there is real threat pet's life. When the bile ducts are completely blocked, the bladder stretches and bursts, causing peritonitis.


With cholecystitis, dogs often develop jaundice.

How is the disease diagnosed?

At the first visit, the doctor interviews the owner, finds out the symptoms and examines the pet. He assesses the condition of the skin, mucous membranes, and fur. Probes the abdominal area.

If there is a suspicion of cholecystitis, then the veterinarian prescribes the following diagnostic procedures:

  • Ultrasound to identify pathologies causing inflammation digestive system and gallbladder;
  • x-rays to determine the presence or absence of stones;
  • general blood test - identifying the content of leukocytes, increased level which indicate inflammation;
  • urine and stool analysis to assess bilirubin levels;
  • liver biopsy gives an idea of ​​​​the viscosity of bile and its stagnation;
  • Bile analysis allows you to determine the causative agent of the infection;
  • diagnostic laparotomy - performed if there is a possibility of peritonitis.

Drug treatment

When starting treatment, you should first remove dangerous symptoms and save your pet from dehydration. Glucose solution and calcium gluconate will help alleviate the general condition. Having normalized it, you can begin to directly eliminate the causes of the disease.


Treatment of cholecystitis should only be prescribed by a veterinarian after examining the dog.

Important. The doctor makes prescriptions and selects treatment depending on each specific case. In this case, the degree of neglect of the disease, its form and the cause of its occurrence play an important role. The individual characteristics of the dog are also taken into account, such as age, weight, general condition, concomitant diseases and other factors.

The following medications are used to treat cholecystitis:

Last but not least important stage treatment is heat-based physiotherapy. Such procedures relieve the effects of inflammation, improve blood flow and relieve pain.

Diet for cholecystitis

Will help return the body to normal functioning special food. It is the basis effective treatment, as it puts minimal stress on the gastrointestinal tract.


In case of cholecystitis, the dog is put on a special diet.

Dog food for cholecystitis is selected by a veterinarian. Most often, specialized foods are prescribed aimed at recovery normal digestion. Dry cheap food is completely excluded.

If your pet also uses homemade food, then certain restrictions are introduced.

A dog's diet is based on intake following products power supply:

  • lean meats, such as chicken or turkey;
  • boiled cereals such as rice and buckwheat;
  • calcium-rich foods - cottage cheese, any unsweetened sour milk with a low fat content;
  • vegetables rich in vitamin A;

Having figured out what to feed a sick pet, you need to choose correct mode. It is best if there are at least five meals. Food must be fresh and served pureed. When the disease worsens, the animal needs to fast for about a day.

Disease prevention


It is very important to monitor your dog’s weight and prevent obesity.

Let's present the main ones:

You need to monitor your dog's health and follow preventive measures, Then this disease can be avoided. If there is a suspicion of cholecystitis, then timely diagnosis And competent treatment will help avoid complications.

Dogs, unfortunately, are susceptible to many human diseases. One of the most common among them is cholecystitis. The disease is an inflammation of the lining of the gallbladder and may have various etiologies and occur in acute or chronic form.

Poor nutrition, heredity and bad environment affect animals just as they do people. Therefore, pet owners should be attentive to the health of their charges, feed them properly, monitor behavior, changes in mood and well-being. Detect cholecystitis in dogs initial stage difficult, so it is important to know the symptoms of the disease and at the first deviation from normal behavior, contact a veterinarian.

Cholecystitis. Why do dogs get sick?

The gallbladder is an internal organ that serves as a kind of reservoir for bile. The concentration of this secretion of liver cells is increased 10 times in comparison with the same characteristics of bile when produced by the liver. Healthy dogs produce approximately 1 ml of bile per 1 kg of their weight. More than half of the liquid enters through the bile ducts into the duodenum, where it affects the process of food digestion. The remaining volume is stored in the gallbladder, gradually concentrating to the desired density.

Any violation of the walls of the gallbladder, resulting in an inflammatory process, is called cholecystitis. This disease is less common in dogs than in cats, but in recent years veterinarians note an increase in the percentage of acute cholecystitis in them as well. The main causes of cholecystitis:

  1. Infection, unvaccinated animals that get inflammation as a complication after plague, enteritis or another disease of bacterial etiology often get sick.
  2. Improper feeding, for example, low-quality cheap dry food leads to stones in the liver and gall bladder, causing acute cholecystitis.
  3. Worm infestation, which occurs mainly during feeding raw meat(giardia, liver fluke, etc.), worms take root in the liver, causing stagnation of bile and severe intoxication of the body.
  4. Heredity, the chronic form of the disease can be transmitted genetically.
  5. Anomalies of gallbladder development, may be intrauterine or after trauma.

Incorrect treatment or complete absence lead to rupture of the gallbladder, penetration of secretions into the abdominal cavity, development of peritonitis and death of the animal.

Signs and symptoms of cholecystitis in dogs

The first symptom of a dog's illness is always behavior change. Lethargy, drowsiness, the animal stops playing, becoming interested in what is happening, all this should alert the owner. The pet's fur becomes dull and may experience excessive hair loss, as if she was molting. When stroking, fingerprints remain on the fur, and it loses its firmness and elasticity. These are general symptoms for any animal illness, but there are also special features cholecystitis in dogs.

Refusal to feed, vomiting bile, high temperature and rapid weight loss, these are the main symptoms of this disease. The dog lies with its back arched, mainly on its stomach, with its paws tucked under it. Subsequently, yellowness of the sclera and abdomen appears, late stages stool becomes discolored. During an external examination, pressing fingers into the area of ​​the liver causes anxiety or severe pain in the animal.

The course of the disease can be either sharp, or chronic. In the latter case, symptoms may be nonspecific. Anemia, pale gums and sclera, decreased body temperature. At acute course the disease develops very quickly, and without urgent medical intervention it can result in rupture of the gallbladder, peritonitis and, as a consequence, death.

The chronic form of cholecystitis can occur unnoticed for a long time. Often the disease is discovered by chance, during a routine examination by a doctor. Sometimes the acute form of cholecystitis can turn into a chronic type if the pet is not fully treated.

Diagnosis and treatment of cholecystitis in dogs

The final diagnosis of cholecystitis in animals is made on the basis of an external examination of the animal, ultrasound of the gallbladder and liver, general and biochemical analyzes blood and urine tests. Sometimes stones in the bile ducts can only be detected using an x-ray.

Treatment of the disease depends on its form, neglect and nature. IN emergency situations The animal undergoes a laparotomy, but in most cases therapeutic intervention is sufficient. Self-medication when diagnosing cholecystitis in dogs is prohibited; a doctor must prescribe it. Throughout the course of treatment, the animal must be periodically brought to the clinic for examination.

Diet and disease prevention

One of the most important factors in the treatment of cholecystitis in both animals and humans is a properly selected diet. First of all, you should eliminate all homemade food from your diet. The dog, in principle, should not receive the food that family members eat, and if the gallbladder is inflamed, such feeding can be disastrous.

The diet should include large number vitamin A, fresh vegetables, in particular carrots and pumpkins, lean poultry, lean beef or veal, cottage cheese, eggs, kefir, porridge from easily digestible cereals. Nothing fatty, fried, spicy, smoked or salty can be added to a dog’s food for cholecystitis.

Preventative measures to prevent your dog from becoming seriously ill with this disease:

  • Feed only fresh food or food.
  • No greasy and spicy food even as a treat.
  • When using natural products choose the right balance of protein and plant food, add the necessary vitamins.
  • If feeding dry food, do not use cheap varieties, since long-term feeding with them can lead to the formation of stones in the liver or gall bladder.
  • Do not overfeed the dog, monitor its weight, and take long daily walks.

Health directly depends on proper nutrition pet. Therefore, you need to pay special attention to your diet.

Cholecystitis is a disease caused by inflammation of the walls of the gallbladder or bile ducts of the liver. The course of the disease in dogs is most often chronic, but with prolonged inactivity it can turn into acute form, which is characterized by the formation of stones. Due to blockage of the bile ducts, acholia occurs - a complete cessation of the flow of bile into the intestines.

Clinical picture of cholecystitis in dogs

In dogs, the amount of bile synthesized by the liver depends on the weight of the animal.

Part of the secretion enters the duodenum - this is necessary to constantly maintain the concentration of enzymes that improve digestion, while the excess accumulates in the accessory organ - the gallbladder. When protein or fatty foods, the cells of the organ secrete peptides that stimulate the contraction of the bladder to release an additional portion of bile.

With cholecystitis, the inflamed organ cannot cope with the task, and any meal can cause discomfort and vomiting in the dog, and an excess of undigested fats. Subsequently, the animal develops exhaustion, which further aggravates the clinical picture.

With cholecystitis, the dog begins to vomit after eating.

Danger of cholecystitis

The danger of cholecystitis in dogs is that when the outflow of bile from the reservoir is difficult, it becomes denser and its composition changes, which leads to the corroding of the walls of the bladder from the middle.

The enzyme, entering the blood, increases the dog's body temperature.

Excess enzyme entering the blood provokes a deterioration in the animal’s condition: increased body temperature, signs of jaundice, weakness and itchy skin. In advanced cases, ulcers form in the walls of the bladder, through which bile enters the abdominal cavity. This condition requires immediate surgical intervention.

Causes of cholecystitis in dogs

Helminths have a negative impact on internal organs dogs.

Veterinarians identify four main reasons for the development of inflammation in the gallbladder in dogs.

Cholecystitis is accompanied an unpleasant feeling bitterness in the mouth and pain localized on the right.

Loss of appetite is one of the symptoms of the disease.

The dog will not tell you about this, so at first the disease may go unnoticed. General symptoms Diseases to watch out for:

Increased bilirubin provokes hair loss.

Diagnostics

During the examination, the veterinarian evaluates the animal’s well-being: weight loss, coat condition, turgor skin, sclera color. Palpation abdominal cavity delivers to the dog painful sensations, area with right side hypochondrium may be enlarged and inflamed.

Diagnosis includes examining the dog.

Additionally, the following examinations are carried out:

  1. Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and gallbladder is necessary to differentiate between hepatitis and enterocolitis.
  2. If you suspect stones in bile ducts perform fluoroscopy.
  3. with cholecystitis will show an increase in the number of leukocytes. With an infectious etiology, neutrophils will exceed the norm.
  4. A urine test with a high bilirubin content also indicates bile stagnation.
  5. To identify the pathogen in infectious cholecystitis, a bile analysis is performed.

Treatment of cholecystitis in dogs

Cholecystitis is detected in a dog using x-rays.

The treatment regimen depends on the form of the disease and the degree of its neglect, the condition of the animal and the causes of the inflammatory process.

First of all, the symptoms of dehydration and intoxication of the body are eliminated. To do this, in a hospital setting, saline solution is administered intravenously in combination with other drugs, depending on the indications:

  • Calcium gluconate - to reduce toxic liver damage and maintain the functioning of the heart muscle in conditions of dehydration.
  • Glucose solution 5% to maintain energy balance and normalize metabolic processes.
  • Hemodez, rheopolyglucin - for detoxification of the body.

The drug calcium gluconate is used to reduce toxic liver damage.

At in serious condition appoint 12 hour fast, after which the dog is shown a diet with limited protein and fatty foods.

Elimination of causes

Further treatment is aimed at eliminating the causes of inflammation and symptoms of the disease.

Acute cholecystitis is treated with surgery.

At timely treatment chronic form For cholecystitis, the prognosis is favorable.

Surgical treatment (laparotomy) is performed when acute cholecystitis, with stones in the bile ducts or with the threat of peritonitis (rupture of the walls of the organ).

Video about gastrointestinal disease in dogs