The gallbladder is in your dog's abdomen, attached to his liver. Its purpose is to store bile, which is used for digesting food. A disease of the gallbladder most commonly occurs in middle-aged and older dogs and is often seen in dogs who also have liver disease.
In many instances, pets with gallbladder disease become ill before they are diagnosed. However, if they can recover from the illness---oftentimes requiring surgical removal of the gallbladder---they can most often have a good quality of life and a normal life span.
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Symptoms
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Symptoms of gallbladder disease in dogs include vomiting, jaundice, anorexia, fever and abdominal discomfort. The most likely places on your dog that you will be able to see the jaundice is in the white portion of his eyes and on in his gums.
In some cases, the pet may go into shock. Symptoms of shock include shallow breathing, low body temperature, pale gums and a rapid, weak pulse. You may also see a mass in your dog's upper right abdomen if the gallbladder is inflamed.
Categories
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Diseases of the gallbladder are divided into three categories. These are obstructive disease, nonobstructive disease and rupture of the gallbladder. Obstructive disease occurs when an abnormal pancreas compresses the bile ducts that lead from the liver to the gallbladder. Gallbladder stones can also cause obstructive disease. Nonobstructive disease usually occurs as the result of a bacterial infection.
If the gallbladder ruptures, this is usually caused by an accident, such as being hit by a car or by obstructive or nonobstructive disease.
Diagnosis
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Your veterinarian will rule out other possible causes of your dog's symptoms, including pancreatitis, gastroenteritis, liver abscess and blood poisoning. The doctor will likely use several diagnostic tools including blood work and an urinalysis. X-rays and ultrasound may be used to view your dog's abdomen and to look at the gallbladder.
Treatment
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With obstructive disease, the inflammation in the pancreases must be reduced to allow for normal bile flow. If stones are the cause of the obstruction, a medication may be used to dissolve them or they may be removed surgically.
Because nonobstructive disease is most often caused by a bacterial infection, antibiotics can usually cure the condition.
If the gall bladder is ruptured, the veterinarian must perform surgery and repair the damage. It is important the rupture be detected early to avoid the bile leaking into the abdomen.
Surgery
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There are two types of surgery that may be used if your dog is suffering from gallbladder disease. The first is called cholecystectomy and involves the complete removal of the gallbladder. The second is called a cholecystoduodenostomy and involves creating a by-pass for bile so that it no longer has to flow through the bile duct. This type of surgery is done if the bile duct is constricted, if there is a tumor in the bile duct or if pancreatitis has caused the bile duct to swell shut.
Prognosis
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Because the dog is usually so ill by the time the veterinarian performs the surgery, there is a substantial risk of death. About half of dogs do not survive the first few days after the procedure. If they do survive during that initial recovery time, the treatment is usually a success.
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