Gastrointestinal complications of critical illness in small animals.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is one of the shock organs in dogs. GI dysfunction in critically ill veterinary patients manifests in mild problems such as hypomotility, anorexia, and nausea to more serious problems such as intractable vomiting, severe diarrhea, and septicemia. Septicemia is a serious complication of GI dysfunction because intestinal flora gains access to a patient's bloodstream, leading to infections in other organ systems and a systemic inflammatory response. The therapy for GI dysfunction is mainly supportive, treating nausea and dehydration although supporting the ailing GI tract with adequate enteral nutrition and, in some cases, dietary supplements and antibiotics.