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My Scottish Terrier (male, 5 years old) was diagnosed a few ...

Sent to Dog Experts October 11 02:34 PM

My Scottish Terrier (male, 5 years old) was diagnosed a few months ago with megaesophagus. He regurgitates frequently dispite feeding him upright and on special food as advised by the vet. I love my pet dearly and want to help him in any way I can. I have already spent over $2,000 just to get the diagnosis of what's wrong and I cannot afford to keep paying out at this rate. Please can you give me any advice on how I can get my poor dog well again? Thank you so much.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $20
Answer
October 11 2:48 PM (14 minutes and 4 seconds later)
         
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There can be a few underlying causes of megaesophagus, such as myesthenia gravis, hypothyroidism or even addison's disease. You should look further into this because THESE problems can be treated. X-rays are commonly used with contrast dyes to see how well the esophagus is working. A feeding tube can also be used to be sure she's getting nutrition. You have to worry more about aspiration pneumonia with a dog with this condition so keep a close eye on her in this regard.


I want you to take a look at this informative website and let m e know if you still have questions.


megaesphagus

I hope this helps!

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Tammy F. -- Dog Care Expert -- 99% Positive Feedback on 2270 Dog Accepts
15+ years -Dog care, Veterinary shelter medicine and infectious disease, Behavior assessment, Rescue
Reply
October 11 9:32 PM (6 hours and 43 minutes and 47 seconds later)
         
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: Thank you so much for your quick and informative reply to my question.

Mac, my Scottish Terrier, was finally diagnosed with megaesophagus after my vet referred him to a specialist. She used an ultrasound machine to come to her prognosis. She told me that he had megaesophagus, aspiration pneumonia and pancreatitis. Aside from the "wretching" when he regurgitated you would not have thought that there was anything wrong with him.

My vet gave him a course of antibiotics to deal with the aspiration pneumonia and they seemed to do the trick. Throughout all these problems he has lost little weight and currently weighs 23lbs. However, his behavior has changed dramatically. Once a very lively and active dog, he now spends most of his days curled up in a corner of my living room or under a bed. This worries me that me must be feeling bad most of the time and therefore unhappy. Is there anything at all that I can do to improve his quality of life (hopefully without having to spent 000's of dollars to do it, although he's worth it).

Thanks once again,

Rob
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
October 11 9:37 PM (5 minutes and 48 seconds later)
         
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I would start by checking back with the vet to be sure that the pneumonia has not returned. It's common with these dogs and it will come and go and many dogs succumb to it because the owners just don't expect it to return.

I also think that you should talk with the vet about using a feeding tube to get some nutrition into him.

I would also get him started on a vitamin supplement that contains essential nutrients. Your vet can give them to you in treat form.

I hope this helps more!

Let me know if you still want to discuss anything.

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Tammy F. -- Dog Care Expert -- 99% Positive Feedback on 2270 Dog Accepts
15+ years -Dog care, Veterinary shelter medicine and infectious disease, Behavior assessment, Rescue
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