Indigestion


Definition of Indigestion
(Scientific name: Dyspepsia)

From the elephant glossary Section: pathology


2017: This 40-year-old bull elephant, Raepor, died from dyspepsia and bloat early on Friday at the Elephant Hospital in Lampang. A traditional Lanna funeral rite was held for him. (Photo by Aswin Wongnorkaew) L
2017: This 40-year-old bull elephant, Raepor, died from dyspepsia and bloat early on Friday at the Elephant Hospital in Lampang. A traditional Lanna funeral rite was held for him. (Photo by Aswin Wongnorkaew) L


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Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia or upset stomach, is a condition of impaired digestion.

Symptoms may include upper abdominal fullness, heartburn, nausea, belching, or upper abdominal pain.

Indigestion is a common ailment and is frequently caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastritis. In a small minority of cases it may be the first symptom of peptic ulcer disease (an ulcer of the stomach or duodenum) and, occasionally, Cancer.

Records about Indigestion from the Gone Astray: Elephant care manual for Mahouts and camp managers (Thailand)

The elephant is unable to excrete waste from its body, which comes about from various causes:

Eating too much, such as at the beginning of the rainy season when there is much succulent grass
Eating food that is hard to digest, such as palm fronds or rattan
An obstruction of the intestines from a foreign object, such as an elephant in the city or a tourist camp ingesting a plastic bag

Clinical signs: The elephant is listless, not interested in food and sometimes is agitated or uses its Trunk to strike its belly or apply dirt or mud to its stomach. The belly is swollen or inflated beyond normal and may have involuntary tremors. Some animals will repeatedly stand up and lay down. Some will Trumpet or bellow in pain. If the condition is not treated, the animal can die.

Treatment: Usually dyspepsia arises from poor management, such as the Mahout giving the elephant food that is hard to digest or repeatedly giving too much food. Thus, the first step of treatment is to find the cause and stop it. Treatment is as follows:

Take the elephant to a shady, peaceful and clean place.
Stop food. The elephant will probably not want to drink but if it does, allow it to drink.
Apply a compress of warm water to the stomach.
Make the elephant walk so as to stimulate movement of the intestines.
If the elephant does not improve, consult a veterinarian as quickly as possible.

Elephant care manual for Mahouts and camp managers, Preecha Phuangkum, Richard C. Lair and Taweepoke Angkawanith



2017: A bull elephant suffering acute dyspepsia and bloating died at the Elephant Hospital in this northern province early on Friday, raising fresh concerns about the animals being overfed in captivity.

The 40-year-old elephant, named Raepor, was brought from Chiang Mai and admitted to the hospital on Thursday. He had acute indigestion and was bloated with gas. Despite the best efforts of a team of veterinarians, Raepor died about 3.50am on Friday.

The vets said dyspepsia claimed the lives of several elephants each year. They blamed it on improper feeding. The Mahouts had given the animals too much to eat, resulting in a serious digestive problem.
Bangkok Post 1 septmber, 2017


Reference list Koehl, Dan, (2024). Indigestion. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 20 September 2021 at https://www.elephant.se/index.php?id=219. (archived at the Wayback machine)

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Categories glossary | pathology


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