Guest editorial—advances in companion animal gastroenterology

Abstract

[Extract] This third Feature Review Series to be published in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal is the first to deal with a companion animal topic. It is no surprise that we have chosen canine and feline gastroenterology as our theme. New Zealand-trained veterinarians have contributed significantly to this field over recent years (see Jones 2002), including production of a standard textbook on the subject (Guilford 1996). Significant contributions to knowledge in this field continue to be made by New Zealanders, both here and overseas.

As every companion animal veterinarian knows, gastrointestinal disorders are prevalent in dogs and cats and show no sign of becoming less important. Although attendant clinical signs are all too familiar, the underlying mechanisms of disease remain, in many cases, rather mysterious.