Alex Is Still Choking So....

[Guest CyndiW]

Alex spent the day with an internist while she ran some very interesting tests which included feeding him different things and watching them go down (or rather go down slightly and then come back up when he chokes/vomits). That was the fluoroscopy part of the exam and they also took some x-rays. The only thing she could come up with at this point is esophagitis. Any experiences or suggestions with this dx would be greatly appreciated.

 

She said at this time he does not have megaesophagus but if this doesn't get under control soon that he may develop it. The main difference is that he is not currently choking on water. Unfortunately, the only thing in his regimen that she changed is she added carafate (sucralfate) and she wants us to give that after he eats instead of before. He will still get prilosec and reglan. Also, she doesn't want us pureeing the food anymore because of the aspirate possibility. We were worried about that but it seems that sometimes that is the only way. With such a small change in his care plan, I am scared that he is only going to get worse until he gets to the point that he can't even drink water. If he is not better in 7 days, they are going to do an endoscopy. In the meantime, she wants us to record mealtimes so she can see how he eats, chokes, and vomits (as if they didn't see enough of that today).

[Greytlady94]

Sending prayers for Alex.

[Guest Ola]

Sending lots of vibes and healing thoughts for Alex!

[Guest Winterwish]

Just sending hugs,and prayers for Alex's recovery.

[galgrey]

Sending hugs and healing thoughts!

[Burpdog]

Poor guy He has really been through it. Sending lots of prayers.

 

p.s. Try acupuncture! It helped Soda and he already had megaesophogus (sp). It should help Alex.

Edited September 22, 2007 by Burpdog

[Guest LolasMom]

Sending prayers and welll wishes for Alex

[patricia]

Sending many prayers that this is nothing serious. Gentle hugs...

[Guest CyndiW]

I put in a call to our vets to see if we can find an acupuncturist closer than 1-2 hours away. Trips have really been hard on him and he has had a lot of them lately. Hopefully, someone will know of someone.

 

Wow, I have been reading hours worth of old threads on similar problems. Hopefully we will be able to manage this problem as successfully as other GTers have done in the past and continue to do.

 

Alex vomited 3 times trying to get some food in him this morning. He finally did keep the last 1/2 cup down and then I made him lie down on the couch and relax while I hand fed him 1/2 cup of kibble one piece at a time. I thought I was going to lose some fingers a few times. He is just so hungry all the time which only makes him want to gulp food even faster. He did chew each little piece and the internist said that was the key to helping his esophagus start working again (plus the carafate to coat).

 

Any suggestions on how to easily get the carafate down? She wanted us to dissolve the pill in chicken broth and have him lap it up to coat the esophagus. That worked once and then he was on to us and won't touch it. This morning I actually took some of my liquid carafate because it is sweet and tried to get him to lick it but he won't. Then, I put it is a syringe and tried squeezing a little at a time in his mouth. That worked somewhat but more ended up on me that down his throat because he was thrashing around so much. He may not even let me do that again.

[Burpdog]

Make it into a paste and put it in his mouth. It is not a bad tasting med.

[Guest greytexplorer]

No experience with carafate, but can it be mixed with peanut butter?

My Ester LOOOOVVVVVES peanut butter, and I put all of her meds in pb----no problem!

I even give her a glob of pb without meds, just to keep her thinking IT"S A TREAT

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

Any suggestions on how to easily get the carafate down?

 

I've used the syringe. small amount at a time, letting him lick and swallow after each dose. Squirt it inside of the teeth, near the back of the mouth.

[Guest CyndiW]

Just when we think we have something that will work, he proves us wrong and chokes/vomits. Today I was able to get 1/2 cup down 3 different times by having him stand on the stairs to eat. I had read this suggestion on an old thread. It puts him at a better angle to keep the food moving down. Also, I have been only putting one piece of kibble in his bowl at a time so he is forced to chew and not inhale. This has worked all day - until just now! I almost think if he had a sedative to relax him a bit that he might not inhale to the point of choking. I am going to wait about an hour and then puree some food for him just to get enough calories in him for today. Of course, there are no guarantees that he won't choke on that either because he usually does but I will give just a spoonful at a time. It is getting late and we are tired so I hope he will keep something down tonight.

[Batmom]

Sending hugs and scritchies and some prayers too.

[Guest PiagetsMom]

Hoping you can find something that will help so you and Alex can get some relief - it's just horrible to be hungry and not be able to eat

[Guest LolasMom]

Sending more well wishes for Alex.

I would put the carafate in vanilla ice cream (it can be melted) to get it down my boy. He had a different issue so not sure if this is acceptable in your situation. Just a thought.

[robinw]

you're both in my thoughts

[Guest CyndiW]

Ooooooooohhhhhhh, a teaspoon of melted ice cream sounds like a perfect solution!! I just got a dose in him using the syringe or I would try it right now. I will definitely try it 1st thing in the morning. Hopefully that will make it go down smoothly. He just fought me with the syringe and then he ended up choking slightly which scared me because I just fed him successfully and didn't want it coming up over the carafate administration.

 

I was able to get him to eat 1 cup of pureed food just now without choking; I really liquefied it - more like a gravy than the usual paste. However, the vet said it was the chewing that he needs to help get those muscles working so it will be back to the kibble effort tomorrow. Joe and I talked about maybe pureeing it every other meal to give the esophagus a break from vomiting (that is if he doesn't vomit on the puree which he often does) and make sure he is getting enough calories.

 

Also, is Ensure OK to try if we have several unsuccessful feedings in a row? The vet did not want us doing it because she said it was not balanced. However, she is not the one here struggling with every meal and watching him violently choke several times before getting any food down. If ensure is ok, is there any special type? We have some high calorie vanilla in the refrigerator. We certainly won't make this the main source of nutrition but it would be nice to slip a can in there when we know he is raw from the vomiting and needs a break (and we need a break).

[heartdogs]

I've used Boost for the dogs with problems or ones that have come yo us in very bad condition. They all seemed to enjoy the strawberry flavored the best. I know from when my Mother had to have this added to her meals that Boost tastes better than Ensure but they are both the same at adding nutrients. Good luck. I also use canned food for my Aussie that has the same type of problems she can eat it & then have some kibble to chew as a treat afterwards. Good luck.

[Burpdog]

Have you tried frozen BilJac? What about (no, I am not a SD fan) SD T/D--it is a very large kibble and he would have to chew it.

[Guest CyndiW]

I have actually thought about trying the sd t/d but we feel the same way about sd. However, it would definitely be a way to get him chewing and working those muscles even if we only gave it periodically throughout the day almost as a snack. We have had to occasionally use Royal Canin prescription foods in the past and they seem a little better in quality than sd. In fact, he is still on royal canin l/f about 25-50%. We are trying to slowly wean him back to his Eagle Pack but don't want to make the pancreas mad either. Do you happen to know if the dental dd 20 by royal canin is large chunks like the sd t/d? If it is, I know our vet carries it and I would feel a little better about the quality. If not, we can still try the sd t/d for chewing exercise since he is getting no other treats at this point and he would probably love the idea.

[Burpdog]

I don't know about the Royal Canin. The other option is a regular Milk Bone They are hard and require chewing.

[Guest CyndiW]

At 1:30, Alex vomited both pureed meals that he had eaten since 8:30 this morning. He took 2 large bms this morning so things are moving through or at least they were then. Sure hope it is not the pancreas again. He was just resting on his bed when he started gagging/choking/sucking in air. I thought for sure that maybe he had aspirated at the last meal and he was starting to have some problems. However, he started pacing around the house looking for a place to vomit so I let him out. He made at least 6 large piles of vomit in the yard. He normally chokes/vomits while eating and not hours later so this one has me stumped. I waited until 4:30 and gave him a reglan because he wants food!! We will try again soon. I am just so glad that he is food driven because if he wasn't I think we would be sol at this point.

[Guest LolasMom]

OMG, I'm so sorry that either one of you have to go through this. It can feel so warring and disappointing at times. Hang in there. You have my prayers that things settle down for your sweet and hungry boy

[patricia]

I can imagine how worried you are. Sending more prayers and gentle hugs.