Dooley's Diagnosis

This is Dooley. Dooley is a 5 year-old beagle mix and was diagnosed with Megaesophagus last week.   The Megaesophagus was identified using a Barium study with X-Rays. Her vet also sent off a full panel blood test as well as a test for Myasthenia Gravis to try to identify an underlying cause of this development.

Dooley's symptoms started about 4 months ago when I noticed she couldn't keep water down after a long hike. We came back and she was pretty wiped out and wanted to drink a lot of water. I was really worried because I knew she needed some hydration after going for a summer hike. Eventually she was able to keep some down and we moved on. A few weeks later she started regurgitating her water almost every time she drank. She would hack and cough until a little came up and then she was fine. There were never any other symptoms and she never seemed to feel bad otherwise. I took her to the vet and we tried her on some Pepcid and Metoclopramide for a week or so to see if she was having some reflux or something like that. The meds helped some-- she was not regurgitating as frequently as before-- however it was still happening about 60% of the time. I decided to take her in for the Barium/X-Ray study while I was off of work over Thanksgiving and that is where we received her diagnosis.

I was initially devastated over her diagnosis because the internet will lead you to believe that just about anything is a death sentence. I was, and still am, a little paranoid about her developing aspiration pneumonia due to her inability to swallow food and water properly. Once I got past the initial shock and did a little more research, I found a ton of support groups, blogs, Facebook groups, and other people online who are living with dogs with M.E. who were able to give a more comforting and realistic picture of how to cope and live with this diagnosis. It seems that over time, people have found more and more ways to support a dog with M.E. and that dogs are living long, happy, healthy lives despite the condition.

Dooley is an interesting case because she never really regurgitates her food. She only does it with water. I am, however, treating her as if she is doing it with both because you can never be too safe!

Below are a few things we are trying:

1. Pepcid antacid pills once a day (AM). Metoclopramide-- a medication to help with reflux-- twice a day 30 minutes before a meal. 
2. Food and water bowls are raised as high as possible. I have been holding her upright and feeding her, however. Thank goodness she is only 23 pounds!
3. Water-- I am leaving about 1/4 cup of water out whenever I am home. I watch her like a hawk and if she decides to drink anything I put her in an upright position immediately after. 
4. Food-- Dooley is an extremely picky eater. Before the diagnosis when I was feeding/watering her regularly she would really only eat about once a day. She is not one to wolf down her food as soon as it is put out. SO that makes these controlled eating situations very tricky. She will not eat her dry food if I am holding her upright, so I have started making doggy "meatballs" that she will eat right away. I form the mixture into little meatballs so I can control how much/how quickly she eats. 
1. 1/2 can Royal Canin low fat gastrointestinal food 
2. 3/4 cup of grain free dry kibble ground into a powder (I use my Nutribullet and the blade that is intended for nuts to do this and it takes 10 seconds). 
3. 1/3 can of pumpkin-- great for their tummies! Easy to digest. 
4. 3 tablespoons of coconut milk
5. Knox Blox-- Because Dooley's main issue is regurgitating water I have been researching other ways to keep her hydrated. I came across the recipe for Knox Blox (below) which seems to work for a lot of dogs. But because Dooley is so picky, she will not eat them. What I have decided to do is blend them into the doggy meatballs mentioned above. It seems to be working but I still think she could use more hydration throughout the day. A lovely member on the Upright Canine Brigade group on Facebook suggested I use something called "Thick It" which thickens up their water some to help with the regurgitation. I am going to buy some and try it. Will share the results once we try it out. 
1. Box of 4 packets of unflavored Knox Gelatin
2. 3 cups of boiling water
3. 1 cup of regular tap water (cold or room temp)-- some people use Low Sodium Chicken Broth here. I did! 
4. 2 tablespoons of honey (only if you do not use chicken broth)
5. Mix the 4 packets into 1 cup of cold water and honey. Then, add the boiling water and stir. I let it set up in a brownie dish in the refrigerator and cut it into small cubes to store. If your dog will eat these, they should stay upright afterwards for about 7-10 minutes. 
6. Bailey Chair-- There are plenty of these chairs on the internet to keep the dog upright during/after eating. I am doing my research and trying to find the cheapest way to make one since our vet bills have been so high. I am not so sure Dooley is going to be a dog who will tolerate being in a chair like this, however. I might end up having to hold her myself instead. TBD. 

This morning was our first morning using our new feeding routine before work. It was nice to have last week off of work to start training her. She was very restless this AM in her post/meal "hold" but I'm honestly just glad to have gotten some food in her before leaving for the day. I did notice that her nose was a little runny yesterday which really freaked me out because it could be a symptom of aspiration pneumonia, but it hasn't run since I wiped it then. I think I am just being a little paranoid... I am hoping it was only running because she had just wolfed down some of her new meatballs! 

My main motive for starting this blog was to have a running record of what we have tried, what is working, and what is not working. I think it will be good to have a detailed record in the unfortunate event that something goes wrong. I also just want to put this out there for people like me who get this diagnosis and begin thinking they're doomed. Like I said before, there have been so many helpful blogs, forums, Facebook groups, etc. out there that are constructive, helpful, and encouraging. They helped me see that this is by no means a death sentence for Dooley as long as we stay on our routine and are diligent about it. I am so grateful to the people who have answered my questions, offered help, and comforted me and I am hoping this blog might do the same for others who are learning to live with a pup with M.E. 

Until next time!