Megaesophagus...Help

Since this is a pup there is a chance (not a foolproof one but a chance) that the pup may grow out of it.  In a pup it's caused by improper nerve development.  Usually genetic (and shepherds are one of the breeds)

If it were mine I would be heading for the best TCVM vet I could find -- it's a guess but since it's neural I would think that they could stimulate that neural development with acupuncture.

http://www.tcvm.com is the Chi Institute.  I'm no expert (nor even experienced) in megaesophagus but I can help them wade thru picking a TCVM vet and I can share with them how they typically work (pricing, how the appiontment goes, what to expect, etc.)

You are welcome to give them my email (it's easy -- callie at critturs dot com -- no spaces, no punctuation -- just make sure you use that "u" in critturs)

I am fairly certain that grab01 has a dog with megaesophagus.  You might PM her to see what she recommends.

Thanks so much you two! When she told me what was wrong with her pup I instantly gave her this forum and told her id post about her GSDs problem, I figured someone might have info here, I also gave her dogfoodproject.com. I hope she comes here soon, and if I see her again when she comes to pick something up from my work then ill give her your e-mail Callie. Thanks for being prompt with the info and help!!! I love being part of this little dog community and point people this way because of the good people and knowledge.

Weirdly enough too just a week prior I was reading about this condition in a magazine and was curious about it, Its to bad her little guy has it. I also told her to inform the breeders ASAP so no more breedings of this pair occur again, I cal only hope the breeder is responsible. Shes going to e-mail the owners of the litter mates too so if they are having problems they can pinpoint it, she seemed like a very nice lady.

My Ginger does have megaesophagus.

There's a yahoo group for megaesophagus dogs that was informative, but I never posted..just lurked. 

Wet or dry depends on the individual dog..some do better with wet food, some with wet food in slurry form, some with wet food made into "ball" type forms..and some can handle dry. We did about a year of Ginger only being able to have wet food in a gruel form. Then, one day she was able to eat very small bite kibble.  She still cannot have large chunks of things and if she gets into something she shouldn't, it isn't uncommon for her to regurgitate. But, proper diet has made that pretty rare.

Feeding upright is important. Some dogs, depending on the severity, need to be fed completely upright...think a sitting up position. Others can be fed on stairs or similar platforms, so their front half is higher. Ginger can eat on an elevated surface..she is wee, so we use the bottom shelf of the bookcase. I knew a Dobe with megaesophagus, whose owner fed him on a staircase, with good results.

 It's possible that, as it is in a pup, he may outgrow it. But it should be a pretty manageable issue

Thanks Grab! She bought the elevated food bowls and was talking about keeping him elevated so shes on the right track with that. Is it more common for large or small breeds to have this, or doesnt matter? I hope her pup does grow out of it and Im not sure why the vet said to put him down, seems the vet would at least attempt to help the dog, what did your vet have to say about Ginger?

In honesty, some vets tend not to be long on "high maintenance" stuff.  I don't really know if they assume people will get bored and ultimately lazy and not treat the animal well -- or if, as some vets seem to be, "put it to sleep and get one that's healthy".  Not how *I* can be but some vets (and I'm going to pick on rural old-timey livestock type vets) only see animals as a commodity -- not part of the family I guess.  If a dog can't do it's "job" or if it's going to be expensive often they turn quick to euthanasia.

But in defense -- no one sees more abused, neglected, sad-shape animals than a vet.  ANY vet.  and to many vets putting an animal to sleep is far preferable to ANY suffering.  And if it's managed they don't HAVE to suffer.

Mega-E is sadly common among GSDs and widely varies in severity.  For some pups, it is kinder to put them to sleep.  Others are completely manageable and may basically outgrow the condition.  Some are more middle-of-the-road and will need special feeding and such their entire lives but are otherwise OK.  I would not assume the condition is a death sentence, but again, it can widely vary.  Like Callie said, vets see the worst of the worst, and if someone is not prepared financially or just not emotionally invested in the dog, if they don't do things right the dog will suffer and may even die a worse death.  But, if the owner is committed to giving the dog a chance, there's no reason not to try unless the case is extremely severe in which the puppy would already be showing obvious signs and failing to thrive.

I would post or have your friend post on one of the GSD boards.  It's a huge problem with the breed so you would find no shortage of GSD people with experience.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/index.php

http://www.germanshepherdhome.net/forum/

My heart dog Bubblegum died because of Megaesophagus/Myashthenia Gravis complications. MG is neurilogical illness and MegaE is usually one of its symptoms. She developed aspiration pneumonia in a hurry...one of the things that you have to watch out  with Megaesophagus.  As was mentioned...many puppies overcome this illness but your friend needs to be on the ball to help him.   There are service dogs, show dogs, dogs that run agility that have it..... and there are dogs like Bubby...that die. The reason that vets suggest to put them down is because most vets know very little about this illness.  I personally had my Bubblegum to 4 vets before they caught on to what was wrong with her......and it was because of the pneumonia that the one vet finally did.   Symptoms of the pneumonia are often they stop eating...which is what Bubblegum did....and once a 100 pound dog gets weak because of pneumonia....its a hard illness to overcome.  Tell your friend to join the Yahoo group for Megaesophagus.... its the very best thing she can do to help.   http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/megaesophagus/  The reason is that these people keep themselves and their dogs going.   They have a doctor that specializes in this ugly illness....and between her and the posters...they help eachother and everyone new.  These people learn things from eachother and go tell their doctors.  It is unbelievable how helpful a forum can be.  I posted just a few times at the beginning of Bubblegums illness...but got away from it because she really was very sick and pretty much beyond help....but I went back to the forum afterwards because I wanted to learn more...I wanted to know if there was something I might have done more to help my love dog.....I wanted to be aware of this horrible illness if I, God forbid, ever ran across it again. To this day I read the posts that these people write on a daily basis.  It was too late for my Bubblegum....but I bet for a puppy...this forum could mean life.

Thanks for all the information. I hope she joins soon or comes back to the store to buy something so I can tell her about these sites and forums.

I guess I do understand the vets point of view, because most people wont have the money to keep up with care or the patience. Im glad this lady is doing what she can to get her pup threw this tho. I worked at a vets when I was in GA and I remember a GSD breeder mention something about the condition but never met her dogs.

Hi ... How old is the pup?

I had just a wee 3wk. old baby that I had to remove from his mom due to severe meso that he was born with. He'd nurse, and up it would come, out the nose and he'd cry pitifully and try to nurse again. His lungs filled with it and we thought we'd loose him. I brought him to the vet and they basically said, (humoring me) well Karen you can try but it doesn't look good. I couldn't put him down, they said he wasn't in pain/suffering, just very weak and hungry, they suggested I give it 2wks to a month to see if I oculd get any improvement. I took him from mom and bundled him to my chest in a vertical position for hours on end each day (my mushers laughed at me and said it was my maternal side coming out). Anyway, I fed him a slurry with a syringe for a couple of months and he grew out of it! He is very stunted and looks a bit like a Garbage Patch Kid (remember those cards?) lol. However, he has a zest for life and no current issues feedings/drinking. He LOVES to pull and works as hard as the biggest of the dogs. Definately a bit limited due to the early nutritional deficiencies.

Editted to add - His name is Mowgli :)

I'm having trouble remembering but I think the pup is 5 months? Maybe her story will have a happy ending too. I have my fingers crossed that it isn't a bad case.

The big thing about a puppy that has this illness...is they can be taught to eat in an upright position a little faster or easier...and that is probably the single most important thing for them.  Their food needs to get down into their stomachs and not get stuck in their esophagus. That is what probably did Bubblegum in the most...we didn't catch what she had until she aspired food and got pneumonia....and then she was too weak to even sit.  There are a lot of dogs that eat in an actual high chair type thing called a "Bailey Chair" and there are instructions on how to make them on the Yahoo forum.   My vet told me that when she was in school there was a dog they treated by having him stand and eat with his food on the counter...... thus keeping him upright.    Sleeping is also important keeping their heads up above their body.  Many use pillows under the edges of their beds...and rings around their necks to keep their heads up.  There is a lot of simple little things that help these dogs.... and the puppies probably adapt very easily to them.