Constipation Station: Megacolon in Cats

Instructional Guide

Learners will explore the cat’s gastrointestinal system, investigating a disease process called megacolon, learning what it is, why it happens, and how veterinarians treat it.

Intended Grade Level

This lesson is intended for students in the 6th-8th grade. Students should be familiar with general anatomy of the GI system, such as the esophagus, stomach, intestines. Students should also feel comfortable with scientific terminology, and have adequate reading comprehension.

Learning objectives

• Students will be able to understand the gastrointestinal tract structure of the cat
• Students will be able to define signs/symptoms of megacolon in cats
•  Students will be able to demonstrate application of treatment plan

Lesson Format

Student Page

This can be done in any size group.  Activities require a printer, or can be performed online completely.

• First students will read an overview of the GI system in cats, this can be done popcorn style (8 minutes)
• Then, students will read about megacolon in cats and watch a brief video describing it(15 minutes)
• Next, students will work through an interactive case on megacolons (20-25 minutes)
• The assessment will focus on correctly labeling the different parts of a cat’s GI system (5 minutes)

Lesson Background

Megacolon in cats is a disease in which the colon remains stretched out, increasing its size to 3-4x the normal diameter, because the muscles are unable to contract. Normally, colon contraction would move feces towards the rectum, an area where the feces sits until it exits the body. Instead, feces is unable to move into the rectum, and instead collects in the colon itself, leading to constipation.

Megacolon can be due to something that blocks the GI tract or a spinal cord injury, but, in most cats, the cause remains unknown. A veterinarian can determine if a cat has megacolon by talking to the owner about its symptoms, which can include weight loss, vomiting, a lack of appetite, dehydration and problems trying to poop.  Diagnostics to confirm megacolon are mainly in the form of x-rays. Then, they can treat megacolon by giving medications or a specific diet to help the cat poop, giving the cat an enema along with intravenous fluid therapy, or by surgically removing the part of the colon that does not function..

Activities

Students will work through a case of megacolon in cats. They will be presented with the history and a radiograph, then be asked to diagnose the patient. Once the patient has been diagnosed, students can work to come up with a treatment plan for their patient, Oliver.

Common misconceptions and challenge points

Students may have a difficult time understanding the radiograph images. Highlight the notable differences between the normal cat, and Oliver’s case to demonstrate how profound an impact megacolon has. Stress that the students need not understand all aspects of the radiograph, and are just looking for those major differences which help to diagnose this disease.

Assessment

Students will label an image of a cat gastrointestinal track with proper terms, demonstrating their new knowledge of the parts of the system.

Further exploration

Check out other lessons within this textbook surrounding this topic which may be interesting:

Stuck Like Glue: It’s Constipated

A Puppy with a Mega Problem