<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><div>Candy, How old is Mr. Higgins? What you describe is exactly what my Maestro did. The foam/slime stuff…huffing…(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 cure…just helps you manage. My Maestro lived on metachlorpremide.</div><div><br></div><div>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. </div><div><br></div><div>Lyle Cogen</div><div>lyle@lylecogen.com</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></body></html>