We check as much as we can, making sure that we make a note about the size, if they are small and nodular, that may indicate kidney failure. Cat kidneys are usually very easy to palpate. The kidneys both sit very high in the abdomen, almost tucked under the rib cage and spine, but they are palpable in most cases, at least the caudal pole of them. It’s important to check as much of the spleen as you can feel, as sometimes the spleen will grow tumors, unfortunately and will sometimes be increased in size, if the animal has been exposed to certain toxins or medications. The spleen actually moves around quite a bit inside the abdomen and it’s quite fun to palpate, as it can be in different positions and you can, in some animals, move it around while palpating. Other foreign bodies are not easily palpated, including string, sticks, etc. Some foreign bodies in the stomach or small intestines are easily palpated, such as socks, golf balls, earplugs, peach pits, and other objects that like, which get lodged in the small intestines and cause a blockage. If a dog or cat has pancreatitis or a foreign body in the intestines, they will sometimes show signs of pain when you palpate certain areas of the abdomen. We usually cannot feel the stomach unless the dog is suffering from bloat or a gastric-dilation-volvulus (twisted stomach). This can indicate many things, such as liver disease, Cushing’s disease, or sadly cancer. We may feel an enlargement of the borders of the liver. If they are deep chested, a large portion of the liver and stomach are up under the last ribs and we can’t feel everything there either. If they are tense, we can’t feel anything either. If they are obese, we can’t feel much of anything – too much fat in the way to be able to define the organs. How much we can feel depends on the dog or cat. We cannot feel everything in the abdomen. But if it’s not normal, we have to investigate further with either an ultrasound or radiographs, or bloodwork, or all of the above. We don’t want your pet to be sick or have anything bad going on. We don’t have enough pages for me to explain all the different things we are feeling for when we palpate, but let me give you a few examples.įirst and foremost, we hope that what we feel is normal. There’s the liver, the gallbladder, the spleen, the kidneys, the adrenal glands, the bladder, the stomach, the small intestine, the large intestine, the pancreas, the reproductive organs ( if not already spayed or neutered) and lymph nodes! The abdomen contains many very important organs. There’s a whole lot of things I’m doing while I’m palpating an abdomen. I’m sure it looks like I’m just squishing their belly.
0 kommentar(er)
