# Hemi may have megaesophagus



## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

**UPDATE* Hemi may have megesophagus*

*UPDATE* 11/22/11: Well yesterday was the day my heart broke. The surgeon felt Hemi's case was too severe. Surgery to remove the band around the esophagus, being in the realm of $5,000, still had an uncertain prognosis. He was already not able to eat as much food as he needed and was losing weight. Our breeder made the difficult decision to put Hemi to sleep this past weekend. He was home with us for a mere 2 days but our bond with him was incredibly strong. We had been visiting him since he was two weeks old. He was supposed to be our baby, our dog- our Hemi boy. We are beyond devastated. Thank you to everyone who prayed and thought positive thoughts. 


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*UPDATE* Hemi had his barium x-rays done today and the results were worse than what I expected. He has a Persistent Right Aortic Arch. The fetal blood vessels that should have disappeared as he grew did not and now they have formed a band constricting the esophagus. He has moderate megaesophagus due to the constriction. Surgery may be possible but the outcome is uncertain. The esophagus could return to normal size and regain function or it could stay enlarged. If surgery is not possible most likely as he grows, the band will not and it will continue to constrict the esophagus. He will ultimately be unable to eat any food or drink any water. The breeder will talk with the surgeon on Tuesday to see if surgery can be peformed and if it can, what the cost and outcome will be. Otherwise...he will be put to sleep. To say I'm devastated is an understatement. I can't believe this is happening :frown:

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I'm so bummed and rather confused now :frown: When Hemi turned 6 weeks his breeder started feeding the pups softened kibble rather than kibble "gruel." He would occasionally regurgitate and our breeder thought he was simply eating too fast. At 7 weeks she started feeding him separately hoping it would slow his eating down however he was still regurgitating. 

On the advice of some fellow breeders, she began blending the kibble to a slurry type consistency and feeding him from an elevated feeder which he did absolutely wonderful with. At this point no one suspected megaesophagus yet as he wasn't regurgitating after every meal, was the largest in the litter up until last week, and his energy level and body condition were great. It wasn't until the night we picked him up that megaesophagus had been mentioned by another breeder friend of hers. That same day the pups were being vaccinated and she mentioned the possibility of megaesophagus to the vet who explained it was fairly uncommon and not to worry. She sent us home with some instructions on how to blend the kibble properly and we went on our way. 

We had planned on switching him to raw immediately and we too believed that his regurgitation of the kibble was due to eating too fast. We for sure thought that once he started taking his time with food that the regurgitation would vanish. Unfortunately the second day home he regurgitated his chicken back no more than a minute or two after he had finished it. He did the same with his second chicken back later in the afternoon and I immediately began doing some research on megaesophagus. It definitely sounded like Hemi and after a call to our breeder, she agreed to take him back so that a diagnosis could be made. 

He visited the vet on Monday and was given soaked kibble rather than a slurry and was fed off of the ground rather than in the elevated feeder. An x-ray was taken immediately after he finished and there were no signs of dilation in the esophagus or any type of "pouch" at the bottom. The kibble was clearly in his stomach. He never regurgitated the food and has been fine since. He will have a barium x-ray on Friday to definitively rule out megaesophagus. 

To any of the vet techs here: does this still sound like megaesophagus even with the positive results on Monday?? This is so disappointing for us as we were prepared to feed him raw and now that may never happen. If he does have mega-e, the only way he will be able to eat raw is if it is ground which removes so many of the benefits. Not to mention my whole freezer full of raw food that would go to waste.... Regardless of whether or not he has mega-e, we still want him back. I've done a ton of research on the condition and we're fully prepared to handle it. We're just so bummed by the whole thing :frown:


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 9, 2010)

I'm on my phone, but I just wanted to let you know that there is someone on my lab board who has a Lab with megasophagus. If you are interested I can give you the link to the thread/blog.


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## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

Sure nikkiluvsu, that would be great. Thanks :smile:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I'm so sorry to read this....Danes are known to get this as well. I really hope he doesn't have it. Please keep us posted on the final results! 

As far as feeding a mega e dog, ground raw is better than no raw. He won't get the dental benefits, but you can give him rec chew bones to help with that. Ground raw (especially if you do it fresh yourself it's much better) has more nutrition than even the best kibble out there. You just might have to invest in a really good meat grinder.


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## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> I'm so sorry to read this....Danes are known to get this as well. I really hope he doesn't have it. Please keep us posted on the final results!
> 
> As far as feeding a mega e dog, ground raw is better than no raw. He won't get the dental benefits, but you can give him rec chew bones to help with that. Ground raw (especially if you do it fresh yourself it's much better) has more nutrition than even the best kibble out there. You just might have to invest in a really good meat grinder.


I really hope so too :frown: I definitely will!

I had read that with the risk of aspiration in mega-e dogs, and with there being more bacteria in raw than kibble, it could be dangerous for anything raw to get into the lungs. What are your thoughts Natalie?? My grandfather has an industrial meat grinder so I have no problem grinding up meals for Hemi.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Honestly I don't know. Aspiration isn't good no matter what it is. If I were ever in that position I think I'd still choose to feed raw. Pups with mega e don't usually have a good long term prognosis....


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## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Honestly I don't know. Aspiration isn't good no matter what it is. If I were ever in that position I think I'd still choose to feed raw. Pups with mega e don't usually have a good long term prognosis....


I feel the same... the benefits of raw to me are worth the risk I think. I've read that pups who are born with it and thrive in every other aspect have a much better chance of regaining nerve function and muscle strength in the esophagus as they grow. He's been the heaviest pup in the litter since birth up until last week when his brother finally gained an ounce or two on him :smile: So his prognosis looks good but tomorrow will tell us whether or not it is mega-e for sure. The breeder has offered to help us find a new puppy but we just can't give him up now. It would break my heart.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

When I was working at a vet in Vermont we had a lab mix come in with a really severe case of mega-e. The puppy couldn't eat anything without vomiting it up. The pup was left by it's owner and one of the vets adopted it. We treated it by putting a semi-permanent feeding tube in the pup for several months that bypassed the esophagus and feeding the puppy a slurry through the tube. 

The puppy thrived and actually outgrew the mega e. We removed the tube and it could eat normally. It went on to be a normal, happy lab. It was just a question of giving it a chance to receive nourishment and grow properly while it was a baby. 

This was a long long time ago so I am sure they have made advances since then. It certainly wasn't a death sentence for that puppy and this was in the 1980's.


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## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

Thank you so much for sharing that Chowder!!! I'm very hopeful that he will outgrow it if he does indeed have mega-e, but I'm still praying that's not the diagnosis. Thank you again- that was very encouraging :smile:


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Saraswati said:


> Thank you so much for sharing that Chowder!!! I'm very hopeful that he will outgrow it if he does indeed have mega-e, but I'm still praying that's not the diagnosis. Thank you again- that was very encouraging :smile:


You're more then welcome. I'm a firm believer in never underestimating what an owner can do for their pet. All of my cats had been left at the vets by owners that thought they didn't have a chance and they each ended up living well into their teens. Good thing I quit working there because we were getting overwhelmed with 'hopeless' cases that I'd bring home!

As far as aspiration and the ground raw, I had a Chow puppy die from aspiration pneumonia and it was from kibble. He was one of those dogs that just inhaled his food as fast as he could get it down and he bloated and then aspirated it at 5 months old. I really think the problem is more from eating fast then from the ground raw. With any fast eater, (especially a lab puppy with mega-e), I would probably serve small meals and make sure to use one of those bowls that are designed to slow down their eating and make them work for their food. I was about to order one of those bowls for this puppy when we lost him. I was also working hard to train him to sit and be patient with his food. Hand feeding sometimes slows them down, too. 

Rocky and Shade have been eating ground raw for over a year and I really don't think it has more bacteria content then regular raw. I grind it fresh and freeze it immediately. I would think the bacteria issue would be more likely in anything you bought pre-made that was ground. 

Keep us up to date on what they find out with your little guy. He's adorable!


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## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

Update at the top. Not good news...


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

That is heartbreaking. I'm so sorry. I hope something can be done.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Saraswati said:


> Update at the top. Not good news...



I'm so sorry to hear the news. There is a lot of information on the net about this condition and many sites say that surgery is very successful when done young. This site has a lot of good information and says that about 90% of puppies that have the surgery go on to thrive. I certainly hope your little guy gets some better news from the surgeon and the breeder. Please keep us posted, we'll be thinking of you. 

PRAA


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

That absolutely sucks, I can only imagine how you are feeling. I am so sorry. Hopefully the surgery will be successful, I feel heartened reading Chowders post, so I hope you do too. Best of luck, and yes, please keep us updated, we'll all be anxious to hear how he's doing.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

Oh no, I am so sorry. I have been so excited for you, reading all of your posts about visiting Hemi and getting everything prepared for him to come home... I hope that everything turns out for the best! I will be thinking of y'all...


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

I feel so bad for you and Hemi.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.


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## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

Last update at the top. Goodbye my sweet boy..


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Oh no, poor Hemi and poor you guys. I can't imagine what you are going through. Poor pup, it's just not fair. Thinking of you guys.....


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

Oh my, I am so unbelievably sorry to hear this. This is not how it was supposed to end, you were going to be such a wonderful dog owner. I completely understand why the breeder made the choice she did, all that I can hope for is that your family is able to heal and go on to love another puppy... because as everyone who has read your posts knows, you were truly going to be a wonderful home for that little boy. I know you will all need your time to heal from the shock but once the time comes, I really hope you all are able to open your hearts to another deserving pup. 

Rest in peace, Hemi... you weren't in this world for very long, but look at the impact you made... he was surely a special little dog. My condolences to you all. My pack is sending kisses!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I am so sorry to read this. I can't imagine how your hearts are breaking for this sweet little angel...my deepest condolences and sympathies. Rest in peace Hemi :angel:


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

I am so sorry. This is devastating news, and I can only imagine how your family is coping. You are in our thoughts and prayers.


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