How to Manage a Dog with Megaesophagus
Elevate your dog’s food., Try hand feeding your dog., Experiment with different food textures., Put your dog on a high calorie diet., Be vigilant about secondary problems such as aspiration pneumonia.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Elevate your dog’s food.
A key strategy for managing megaesophagus is to get gravity to work for, rather than against, your dog.
To do this, your dog's food bowl should be raised up on a surface such that his gullet slopes down to his stomach. .For a Labrador this means putting his dinner on a chair or table, such that he puts his front paws on the flat surface to reach the food.
This elevates his head, neck, and forequarters above the level of his heart, which means that when he swallows the food is more likely to trickle down into his stomach.
However, food passing down the esophagus under gravity does not happen instantaneously so it is important to keep your dog's forequarters elevated for about 10 minutes after he eats.
This might involve training him to stay in this elevated position, and perhaps giving small food rewards to encourage the good behavior. -
Step 2: Try hand feeding your dog.
Some dogs with this condition respond well to hand feeding, possibly because they cannot bolt food down quickly if you are rationing it out.
If the food is eaten more slowly it gives each mouthful a chance to go down without a pile-up forming higher up the gullet.
A useful tip for hand feeding is to create "meatballs" by rolling tinned food mixed with kibble between your palms in order to form food balls.
This is an easy way to ration out food, and the round shape of the food gives the gullet something to grip on to, making it easier to move the food down into the stomach. , There is no hard and fast rule about which food texture is more likely to be kept down.
There are many variables when it comes to megaesophagus, such as the size and length of the pouch, and the diameter of the viable lumen through which food passes.
It is worth experimenting to see which food texture works best for your dog.
Some cope better when given dry food (it gives the esophagus something to grip) while others do much better on a liquid diet (fluid can pass through a smaller opening than solid food).
Experiment and see which works best for your dog. , An underweight dog who struggles to keep food down could benefit from a convalescent diet.
These are diets that are designed to be calorie dense, such that each mouthful contains more calories than standard foods.
These foods generally come in a pate or liquid formulation. , If your dog breaths in at the wrong moment as he regurgitates, he may inhale food, or fluid, down into his lungs.
This creates an "aspiration pneumonia" which can be serious and needs prompt treatment with antibiotics.
Dogs with this condition tend to be feverish, lethargic, have labored breathing, and lose their appetites.
This can be serious and urgent veterinary attention should be sought if a dog with megaesophagus shows these signs. -
Step 3: Experiment with different food textures.
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Step 4: Put your dog on a high calorie diet.
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Step 5: Be vigilant about secondary problems such as aspiration pneumonia.
Detailed Guide
A key strategy for managing megaesophagus is to get gravity to work for, rather than against, your dog.
To do this, your dog's food bowl should be raised up on a surface such that his gullet slopes down to his stomach. .For a Labrador this means putting his dinner on a chair or table, such that he puts his front paws on the flat surface to reach the food.
This elevates his head, neck, and forequarters above the level of his heart, which means that when he swallows the food is more likely to trickle down into his stomach.
However, food passing down the esophagus under gravity does not happen instantaneously so it is important to keep your dog's forequarters elevated for about 10 minutes after he eats.
This might involve training him to stay in this elevated position, and perhaps giving small food rewards to encourage the good behavior.
Some dogs with this condition respond well to hand feeding, possibly because they cannot bolt food down quickly if you are rationing it out.
If the food is eaten more slowly it gives each mouthful a chance to go down without a pile-up forming higher up the gullet.
A useful tip for hand feeding is to create "meatballs" by rolling tinned food mixed with kibble between your palms in order to form food balls.
This is an easy way to ration out food, and the round shape of the food gives the gullet something to grip on to, making it easier to move the food down into the stomach. , There is no hard and fast rule about which food texture is more likely to be kept down.
There are many variables when it comes to megaesophagus, such as the size and length of the pouch, and the diameter of the viable lumen through which food passes.
It is worth experimenting to see which food texture works best for your dog.
Some cope better when given dry food (it gives the esophagus something to grip) while others do much better on a liquid diet (fluid can pass through a smaller opening than solid food).
Experiment and see which works best for your dog. , An underweight dog who struggles to keep food down could benefit from a convalescent diet.
These are diets that are designed to be calorie dense, such that each mouthful contains more calories than standard foods.
These foods generally come in a pate or liquid formulation. , If your dog breaths in at the wrong moment as he regurgitates, he may inhale food, or fluid, down into his lungs.
This creates an "aspiration pneumonia" which can be serious and needs prompt treatment with antibiotics.
Dogs with this condition tend to be feverish, lethargic, have labored breathing, and lose their appetites.
This can be serious and urgent veterinary attention should be sought if a dog with megaesophagus shows these signs.
About the Author
Jennifer Parker
Committed to making hobbies accessible and understandable for everyone.
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