Mega Esophagus Diagnosis-Anybody Have This Before?

[CeeEs]

So my old man that was throwing up has gotten a diagnosis of mega esophagus. Been doing some reading and doesn't sound good. Anyone have any experience with this? And some good news? We do have a pharmacy here that will mix some meds for him, but it still doesn't sound good. :-(

[tbhounds]

Is your hound actually vomiting or regurging???

[kudzu]

I have a few questions. How was the diagnosis made? What meds have been prescribed? What other diagnostics have been done to investigate a possible cause of mega-e? Does your dog have any other symptoms besides regurgitation? (Am assuming that when you say "throwing up" you are referring to regurg not vomitting.)

 

My dog went through some testing for mega-e but that was not his problem. He did have a lower motor neuron disease, his was a polyneuropathy, which can cause mega-e but thankfully his had not progressed to that. He did however have problems with regurgitation. There are other diseases that can contribute to mega-e. It can also be idiopathic. Is your dog seeing a specialist? There is a Yahoo Group that was very helpful with information on megaesophagus. You should research & seriously consider using a Bailey Chair for feeding. Information on both can be found here:http://www.caninemegaesophagus.org/support.htm

 

Mega-e is frightening & challenging to treat. While learning to cope with feeding a dog with mega-e you also have to deal with trying to determine a cause & any corresponding treatment. None of that is fun but hopefully your boy will respond to treatment & management practices.

[Sambuca]

I have a bit of experience with a clients pit bull with it. It was a worst case scenario case though. The dog was food aggressive, had just bitten the other pet sitter and it already had pneumonia. The dog was put down the morning after diagnosis while I held it and the owners were across the country.

Sorry I'm not at all helpful.

The advice I do have is to get your pup comfortable handling it and its food while its eating. It will help in the long run. The pit bull was put down partially because of the food aggression making it extremely hard to feed her properly for the mega esophagus.

 

Ets: I still mourn this dog and what happened with it after 2-3 years.

Edited June 15, 2013 by Sambuca

[Guest MnMDogs]

We lost Mara to MegaE. It's been 3+ years, and it's still hard to take... It was so sudden. She was fine one day, and couldn't eat the next. Please PM me if you would like more info, I don't feel like re-hashing it here. Suffice to say, her case was pretty bad, and sudden.

 

See this topic just made me sad all over again.

[CeeEs]

He had an x ray. The esophagus is huge. The pharmacy that mixes up the meds is closed for the weekend. He is miserable. And MnMDogs, I was not successful at messaging you. I may not know what I am doing but it won't go through.

[CeeEs]

Is your hound actually vomiting or regurging???

I have learned that it is regurging. Everything is coming back.

[galgrey]

I'm so sorry to hear this.

[Batmom]

Hoping that the meds and keeping him upright during/after eating will help him.

[kudzu]

Sorry your & your pup are going through this. What meds? Do hope you are pursuing other diagnostics in an effort to determine a possible cause.

[kudzu]

What type of set up are you using to feed your hound? How are you handling water? There are techniques for giving food & water that can help your dog a great deal. It is all a bit trial & error in the beginning but you can make it work. There is a lot of good info out there. Here's another link with some management tips & info on getting a video about the Bailey Chairs I had mentioned previously.

http://baileychair.blogspot.com/p/important-considerations.html

Important Considerations

Success usually entails attention to a number of key factors:

1. Food type/consistency/timing and amount at each feeding.
2. Dogs generally need one of two types of feeding: water and quality soft food blended to a smooth consistency, from soupy to slurry, depending; or compressed into “meatball format”, swallowed whole.
3. Hydration is very important, but this needs to be in the chair, too. Some dogs need water thickened with unflavored gelatin and low sodium broth into Knox Blocks.
4. Smaller feedings, more often.
5. Time spent after eating food or drinking, in vertical (“begging” position) – at least 15 minutes or more.
6. The amount of time in between meals.
7. The owner’s ability to spot a possible aspiration and potential pneumonia and get IMMEDIATE treatment from a DVM.

 

 

Those Bailey Chairs really do work & even older dogs can be made comfortable with the use of padding. There are some videos of dogs using their chairs. YouTube Baily Chair search link

 

Good luck. Please let us know how things are going & ask any questions you have.

 

[Batmom]

If hydration is an issue, wonder if sub-q fluids would be useful while eating/drinking process is worked out?

[kudzu]

Batmom, I did sub-q with my dog to ensure adequate hydration. He actually had a more difficult time with liquids than with solids. Of course, his was a swallowing disorder related to a polyneuropathy but it had not progressed to mega-e yet. He also had CRF so I didn't feel comfortable completely removing his water bowl. We did have it up on a high stand. I was really trying to limit his need to drink from a bowl. It was a far from ideal arrangement but the best I could think of at the time.

[Guest MnMDogs]

Sorry! I need to update my supporter status, my inbox was full. Try again, I cleaned it out.

[CeeEs]

We were feeding him upright. Putting an ottoman in front of him and propping his food and him up on it. So he now has diarrhea and is not interested in eating. Could be from his meds. This is going downhill fast.

[galgrey]

We were feeding him upright. Putting an ottoman in front of him and propping his food and him up on it. So he now has diarrhea and is not interested in eating. Could be from his meds. This is going downhill fast.

[Batmom]

 

Sending hugs and prayers for you and your sweet pupper.

[CeeEs]

Wow! After some inclined feeding of chicken and rice balls with pumpkin and laying off all meds for the time being, my boy has shown some improvement. He is eating without regurging and no diarrhea for now. Not going to get too excited at this point but he went from death bed to death's door to death's front porch.

[kudzu]

We'll take any improvement we can get! Sure hope it continues.

[Batmom]

Oh my! Hard not to get too excited. I am so glad he's shown some improvement. Keeping all fingers and toes crossed that he continues in that direction.

[Guest MnMDogs]

Wow! After some inclined feeding of chicken and rice balls with pumpkin and laying off all meds for the time being, my boy has shown some improvement. He is eating without regurging and no diarrhea for now. Not going to get too excited at this point but he went from death bed to death's door to death's front porch.

I've been thinking about you- this made my day.

[galgrey]

Wow! After some inclined feeding of chicken and rice balls with pumpkin and laying off all meds for the time being, my boy has shown some improvement. He is eating without regurging and no diarrhea for now. Not going to get too excited at this point but he went from death bed to death's door to death's front porch.