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Author wrote:
>I recieved a surrender yesterday who was off to the vet this morning.
>The vet called back with the diagnosis.  Septic peritonitus.  I have
>a basic knowlege of what it is but my vet was prepping for surgery on
>Lucy.  Can someone explain what it is and what caused it.
 
Dear X:
Septic peritonitis is generally the end result of bacterial infection
of the abdominal cavity.  The most common cause is a perforation of the
gastrointestinal tract and release of contents into the abdominal cavity.
This may be due to an obstruction, or a disease which has resulted in
decreased integrity of the wall itself (such as intestinal lymphoma).
Sometimes a gastrointestinal foreign body, such as a string, has the
ability to wear a hole in the wall of the intestine due to constant
friction against an irritated gut with accelerate contraction.
 
Occasionally you see septic peritonitis from spread from other infected
organs, such as a ruptured uterus, a stump pyometra as a sequela from
adrenal disease, or a ruptured urinary bladder, but these are not as
common.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 4029]