Mega-esophagus, or Mega for short, is an abnormality I was born with. My human parents knew right away that I needed medical attention. After many doctor visits, I was finally diagnosed with Mega.
This is what Wikipedia.com says about it:
Megaesophagus is a condition in humans, cats and dogs where peristalsis fails to occur properly and the esophagus is enlarged. Normally, when the dog's esophagus is functioning properly, it acts as a muscle and pushes the food down the esophagus into the stomach. However, when a dog has megaesophagus, the esophagus stays enlarged and does not push the food down to the stomach. Therefore, the food fails to enter the stomach and often stays in the esophagus, and is eventually regurgitated.
Myasthenia gravis occurs when acetylcholine receptors (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors or AChRs) fail to function properly. Due to the inability of the nerve receptors to function appropriately, the muscles fail to have a stimulus that causes them to contract.
An important distinction in recognizing megaesophagus is the difference between when a dog regurgitates or vomits. Regurgitating is a common symptom of megaesophagus while vomiting is not necessarily associated with megaesophagus. When a dog regurgitates there is usually not as much effort involved as when a dog vomits. Often when regurgitating, the dog will tip its head down and the liquid and/or food will almost appear to "spill out" of its throat.
One of the primary dangers to a dog with megaesophagus is aspiration pneumonia. Because the food stays lodged in the throat, it can often be inhaled into the lungs causing aspiration pneumonia. One way to avoid this is to make sure that every time the dog eats or drinks anything, that the dog sits for at least 10
minutes afterwards or is held in a sitting up or begging position. This requires that all food and liquid intake be closely monitored and specifically administered to the dog in regular intervals (sometimes as often as 2-3 hours) in smaller quantities. Obviously, if smaller quantities of food and water are administered, one needs to take the necessary precaution to ensure the dog has a sufficient caloric and water intake. The prognosis for this condition is guarded.
In doggie language, I have little urps (or throw-ups) ranging from 1 to 15 times a day. Sometimes I'll go days and not have any. Those are the nights that we sleep the best. I don't really get treats because they aren't good for me, but I do get pumpkin. I love pumpkin! It's really good for a dogs stomach and easy for me to eat. And I mentioned my Super Juice before... I get that twice daily. When I was weeks old, a Specialist suggested that I try it. No guarantees. My human parents were willing to see if it helped, offered hope. And it does, it seems.
For anyone who may have a furry friend with Mega, my juice is called Mestinon (pyridostigmine bromide syrup). It's very expensive and requires a doctor to write a prescription, but my human parents swear it has helped me.
Both of my furry parents live with us, too. The first thing my human parents did when I was diagnosed, was have my furry Mom and Dad spayed and neutered. They did not want to chance that one of them may be carrying the gene that would reproduce Mega again.
So, even though the Mega thing is unfortunate, it has given me the opportunity to live with both my human parents and my furry parents for my whole, happy, tail wagging life!
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