So what is mega-esophagus? If you are reading this you have probably already done a fair amount of research, so I won't bore you with all of the details. Basically, it is loss of motility of the esophagus, which is a tube of smooth muscle that connects the mouth to the stomach. There is a similar disease in humans, but since we have gravity to assist, the disease is quite different.
There is a congenital form of mega-esophagus. In this case the condition is present from birth and presumably there is a genetic basis or it is a birth/developmental defect. The other form is called acquired and this is the form that our dog has. There are two treatable conditions that can lead to acquired megaesophagus - hypothyroidism and myasthenia gravis. Our dog was tested for both and found not to have either one. There may be some other disease that our dog has that has resulted in the megaesophagus, but, if so, we don't know what it is. The only way to halt the progression of the megaesophagus is to identify the underlying disease and treat it early. Generally, dogs diagnosed with secondary acquired megaesophagus live about 6 months from the time of diagnosis. The main causes of death are malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia. The malnutrition results from the food never getting to the small intestine for absorption. The aspiration pneumonia results from inhaling small amounts of the regurgitated 'stuff.'
General recommendations are to have the dog sit for 15 minutes after each meal, to feed multiple small meals and to feed in small balls. We tried most of these with varied success. Since, it's now been over a year since his first symptoms appeared, I guess that we are doing something right. In our on-line searches most of the success stories have been about dogs with congential megaesophagus or dogs with myasthenia gravis. Rarely do you see a story about secondary acquired megaesophagus, especially a story with an effective treatment.
There is a congenital form of mega-esophagus. In this case the condition is present from birth and presumably there is a genetic basis or it is a birth/developmental defect. The other form is called acquired and this is the form that our dog has. There are two treatable conditions that can lead to acquired megaesophagus - hypothyroidism and myasthenia gravis. Our dog was tested for both and found not to have either one. There may be some other disease that our dog has that has resulted in the megaesophagus, but, if so, we don't know what it is. The only way to halt the progression of the megaesophagus is to identify the underlying disease and treat it early. Generally, dogs diagnosed with secondary acquired megaesophagus live about 6 months from the time of diagnosis. The main causes of death are malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia. The malnutrition results from the food never getting to the small intestine for absorption. The aspiration pneumonia results from inhaling small amounts of the regurgitated 'stuff.'
General recommendations are to have the dog sit for 15 minutes after each meal, to feed multiple small meals and to feed in small balls. We tried most of these with varied success. Since, it's now been over a year since his first symptoms appeared, I guess that we are doing something right. In our on-line searches most of the success stories have been about dogs with congential megaesophagus or dogs with myasthenia gravis. Rarely do you see a story about secondary acquired megaesophagus, especially a story with an effective treatment.
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