Megaesophagus Essay

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Megaesophagus is a rare condition that can develop in animals and rare cases humans. My concentration will be on dogs in general and touch on other animals. Megaesophagus, also known as esophageal dilatation, is where the esophagus becomes enlarger, not allowing food to enter the stomach correctly. The food can become trapped causing infections or regurgitated and inhaled into the lungs causing aspiration pneumonia. There is no cure at this time. Research is ongoing to determine the cause and procedures after diagnosis. With the numerous manifestation of affected puppies born to healthy parents suggest there is evidence of a dormant mutation (Tsai, Noorai, Starr-Moss, Quignon, Rinz, Ostrander, & Clark, 2012). An animal can acquire Megaesophagus…show more content…
Normal pet food does not provide the nutrition needed with Megaesophagus, and the food is too solid. A pet with Megaesophagus pretty much goes on a liquid to semi-solid diet. At present, there are no over the counter pet foods designed for Megaesophagus they meet the needs of the animal. Their food needs to be high in calories to reduce the amount being feed. Most pet owners make their food to control calories and the ingredients being used. Most involve raw hamburger, wheat germ eggs, shell included, and rice. The mixture is typically made into a small ball or a slurry for easier digestion and the nutrition absorpt. The pet needs to be fed several times a day instead of just once or twice. Feeding in small batches allows the food the move into the stomach more comfortable making digestion quicker. Once the food enters the stomach, there is no chance of regurgitation. In some cases, water will need to be in a gelatin form to allow it to enter the stomach. Dehydration is a manger concern with Megaesophagus due to the water not being passed into the stomach. In some severe cases, a tube has to be surgically inserted into the stomach for feeding and watering which eliminates the
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