Gastrointestinal (GI) cytology offers many advantages to the small animal practitioner in the assessment of patients with gastrointestinal tract disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a somewhat loosely defined term that describes chronic gastrointestinal (GI) tract signs in dogs and cats, especially weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea.

The protein-losing enteropathies (PLE) comprise a collection of intestinal, usually small intestinal, diseases typically associated with weight loss, hypoproteinemia caused by hypoalbuminemia or panhypoproteinemia, and variable signs of weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea.

Esophageal foreign bodies and esophagitis have the potential, if not identified and treated, to cause esophageal strictures or megaesophagus, which can be more difficult to treat.

Esophageal diseases, including megaesophagus, can easily sneak up on the unsuspecting clinician if regurgitation, the cardinal sign of esophageal disease, is not considered a differential diagnosis for an animal that presents for what the owner perceives as vomiting.

The stomach plays a key initial role in digestion through its mixing actions, and through the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin, which are important for the activation of key digestive enzymes.

The small animal clinician has a number of imaging options available for the evaluation of dogs and cats with gastrointestinal tract (GI) disease.

Primary gastrointestinal (GI) neoplasia is an important differential diagnosis for a dog or cat with vomiting or diarrhea, especially chronic vomiting or diarrhea, anorexia and weight loss, particularly animals that are middle-aged and older.

The stomach plays a key initial role in digestion through its mixing actions, and through the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin, which are important for the activation of key digestive enzymes.