a rare disorder

[BossierCityPit]

When i first got my pit at 8 weeks old, we shortly noticed that he could not hold no food down. We took him to the vet, they thought it was some kind of object that got stuck in his belly... I finally got tired of that vet so i took him to another vet, that quickly found out the problem.. He had a very rare disorder called a MEGA-ESOPHAGUS, were his esopagus is enlarged, so when he would eat food would get stuck there, and would build until it would come back up.... So since then we have to soak his food in water, and feed him in an upright position.... I was just wondering if someone else has been through this? i have heard that he might grow out of it..... bt if anyone else can give me an input it would be nice....

[bullylove1]

Bossier: I would suggest taking him off kibble and putting him on a natural diet. Have you ever considered this?

I feed Harley a half natural half kibble diet, and am not looking into getting her into a 100% raw diet.

On a natural diet, you can puree the food for him so that it will help him digest better, and get the food down because it is not hard like kibble. You will notice almost instant changes in him. His stool size will improve in size and smell, his coat will improve, and he will have TONS more energy. (A good thing, I promise).

If you are interested, you can do searches to learn more. Also, I belong to a group on Yahoo called Totally Home Cooking. It has some amazing recipes, and there is a forum that you can ask any questions on and they will help. They may also be able to refer you to more site with different info.

Always talk to your vet first about these things. All I can tell you is from personal experience.

Also, if you do decide to go natural, gradually work your dog into it.
week 1 - 1/4 natural 3/4 kibble
week 2 - 1/2 natural 1/2 kibble and so forth.

Also, a lot of dogs have problems with choking while eating because they are bent down to get their food. You can get a little table that keeps his head and neck level with his shoulders and back, and that may help too.

Sorry I couldn't give you more info about his problem.

Good luck!

[goob]

I don't know anything about the disorder aside from what you said in your post, but there is someone who owns a dachshund that has it on another board I read. They use one of those doggy backpack carrier things to put her in while she eats, which I'd imagine isn't an option with a bully that might reach 60 lbs. The dog seems happy and full of life though, so it seems that it's not something that really effects the quality of life as long as the owners are willing to go the extra mile.