[Dailydrool] Higgins

[Lyle Cogen]

Candy, How old is Mr. Higgins?  What you describe is exactly what my Maestro
did.  The foam/slime stuffŠhuffingŠ(and then hacking, huffing together).
Maestro had megaesophagus.  It happens when the esophagus becomes mega or
extended and big and loses the ability to push food down (peristalsis),
coupled with a loss of the peristalsis that closes the opening from the
stomach to the esophagus.  It happens to large chested dogs, but its not
very common because only one other dog at my vet's office had it.  It is
very hard to care for this disorder with a basset hound because the way that
you have to deal with it is to feed your dog so that gravity can take the
food down to the stomach.  That means sitting your dog UPRIGHT.  Yes, on his
hind legs, which is ludicrous with a basset hound, especially the older
and/or more overweight/leg problem bassets.  There are ways to feed that can
work, but it doesn't cureŠjust helps you manage.  My Maestro lived on
metachlorpremide.

I suggest you have the vet do a sonogram and take a look.  If you would like
to talk, I can give a you a crash course in megaesophagus.

Lyle Cogen
lyle at lylecogen.com





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