I'm here to help you with your pets!!! I'm Dr. Lindsay Butzer a small animal veterinarian practicing with my dad for 8 years now!

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MEGAESOPHAGOUS IN DOGS: SIMPLY EXPLAINED
Clinical Signs: Cough, Vomiting, Weak, Weight loss, Runny nose
#1. Regurgitating their food and water
Secondary: Fever and Pneumonia

❓Now what is? Megaesophagus – it is a Focal or diffuse dilation of the esophagous with decreased or abscent peristalsis or involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the esophagus or intestines.

So Cats do not get megaesophagous commonly because they only have a small amount of skeletal muscle that can get affected in the distal 1/3rd of their esophagous unlike the dog who has skeletal or striated muscle throughout. (FUN FACT)

Things that cause Megaesophagous:
1. Congential (born with it)
2. Acquired from autoimmune disease or unknown reason
3. A foreign body, something got stuck in the throat
4. A tumor in the throat , Cancer of the throat muscles
5. A benign polyp , PRAA or Vascular ring anomaly
6. Myasthenia gravis (CNS disease)
7. An Autoimmune disease where the body attacks the esophagous tissue
8. Hormonal diseases such as addissons disease
9. Less commonly: Botulism toxicity , Lead toxicity , Organophosphate toxins (which can be found in flea collars ect)

$$$ How do vets diagnosis Megaesophagous? It's Tricky!
1. An Xray is the starting point to visually see a dilated esophagous and a trachea that is displaced ventrally
2. Xrays may also show signs of pneumonia developing
3. Contrast Esophagram and Video Fluoroscopy or barium swallow study
4. Next your vet will search for other reasons: They can do blood testing to look for other disease that can cause the esophagous to malfunction such as: Addisons disease, Myasethenia gravis tests ect. And this will help with treatment.

And when no actual cause can be identified: It is diagnosed as AQUIRED WITH UNKNOWN CAUSE. Most likely the nerves are weak, degenerating maybe from age and this happens. :(

TREATMENT OPTIONS, NOT A CURE:
Treat their pneumonia and make life long diet changes.
Culturing their mucous first to see what antibiotics to use! a

Treat underlying disease (Addissons ect, Myasthenia Gravis ect)

⭐ BAILEY CHAIR FEEDING ROUTINE:
Getting weight back on them with special feeding techniques and care:
Elevated food dishes (such as the Bailey chair is used to keep them in an upright feeding position to not regurgitate the food)

Feeding and drinking should be from an elevated position 4590 degrees from the floor and the upright position should be maintained for 1015 minutes after eating or drinking
Keeping them upright is very important
You need to make them : Liquid gruel , slurries, small meat balls
Keeping them hydrated with gruel is the best so they don’t have to drink as much water.

Some people say doing this helps:
After they do their feeding routine, they walk them after to help them with digestion and not to regurgitate.

‍⚕ Your veterinarian may prescribe Medications to megaesophagous patients to prevent reflux.
Famotidine – to help with indigestion
They may use Prokinetics such as ranitidine– to increase GI motility so the food goes where it needs to go.
They may also use Sildenafil or Viagra – to help relax the smooth muscle of the lower esophagous so it will open to let food pass to the stomach. There are no side effects to trying this.

SADLY, Prognosis is guarded because these pets are constantly at risk for aspiration pneumonia.

The mean survival time of a dog diagnosed with Megaesophagous is 90 days or 3 months.

Most cases require life long therapy. Even if an underlying cause is found prognosis is sadly too guarded. The life expectancy seems to be anywhere from 1 month to 3 months, but I have seen one client get her dog to live 6 more months before we put him to sleep and it was very sad.

I made this video to help educate owners quickly on the disease and I wish I had more tips to help keeps these pets alive for you.

So unfortunately, most animals are euthanized due to progression of pneumonia and antibiotic resistance or progression of their underlying disease.

Alright guys, comment below if you have had a dog with ME and any treatment or lifestyle tricks you used to help keep your dog alive for other pet owners to read!

Don’t forget to subscribe and See you next week! ~ Dr. Lindsay Butzer