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Abuse and it's after affects

rknewberry

Member
I have a 1 1/2 year old boxer boy, Oliver, that was just diagnosed with Megaesophagus. It's a mild case, luckily, so no bailey chair for him. I think it's important to differentiate between vomit and regurgitation. Oliver was regurgitating. The difference is that regurgitated food shows no signs of being digested, no bile, just piles food covered with mucus from the esophagus. I grind his kibble in a coffee grinder, add a glop of yummy topper to make it more tasty an water enought to make a mash. He sits with his back in a corner and I fork feed him with his head tipped back. No playing, etc. for about half an hour after eating. He also had a problem with acid reflux late at night and early morning. In just a week he has lost that emaciated look and has kept every bite of food down. His new nickname is The Little Prince.

You make a very good point about being able to differentie between vomit and reguritation. Buster when his food was coming up just looked like it had come right out of his bowl except for a white coloring around it. I never even considered the difference.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I've also noticed that with the high water content of the food, Oliver is drinking less. Just as a side note, he had a problem with acid reflux late at night and early in the morning. He would throw up bile at about midnight and 4am. That is consistent with ME and acid reflux from laying flat. Feeding him a small late night meal and encouraging him to put his head on my pillow helps. (Yes, he sleeps with me and shares my pillow and blanket. DH doesn't mind. LOL)
 

NELA

Well-Known Member
Giesthese, I've not sent you an e-mail nor am I feeding NUTRO. When we got Bailey the previous owners told us theu were feeding a Purina product which we tried and she did not eat. Our vet recommended a Purina One food which is a meat based product and she did not eat that, either. We have since bought TOTW product which say's (if I am reading the packaging correctly) "a totally grain free / meat based product. She eat this well for the 1st couple of times but has slacked off. Have tried adding hot water, mixed with a "meat" canned dog food, poured a small amount of bacon dripping on her food, desolved a bullion cube in water and added to the dry food. From what I can tell she is only eating about 2 cups of food daily. What the throws up is not a vomit but undigested food and that is not covered with a mucus. Do you have a specif brand or type of food that you recommend?

Nela
 

Geisthexe

Banned
Giesthese, I've not sent you an e-mail nor am I feeding NUTRO. When we got Bailey the previous owners told us theu were feeding a Purina product which we tried and she did not eat. Our vet recommended a Purina One food which is a meat based product and she did not eat that, either. We have since bought TOTW product which say's (if I am reading the packaging correctly) "a totally grain free / meat based product. She eat this well for the 1st couple of times but has slacked off. Have tried adding hot water, mixed with a "meat" canned dog food, poured a small amount of bacon dripping on her food, desolved a bullion cube in water and added to the dry food. From what I can tell she is only eating about 2 cups of food daily. What the throws up is not a vomit but undigested food and that is not covered with a mucus. Do you have a specif brand or type of food that you recommend?

Nela

Have have to say I am sorry Nela .. it was another person who sent me the email regarding this issue .. again I am sorry
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
What the throws up is not a vomit but undigested food and that is not covered with a mucus. Do you have a specif brand or type of food that you recommend?

Nela

Nela, what you are describing sounds like regurgitation rather than vomit. I don't know if what's going on with Bailey is similar to what was going on with Oliver, but before diagnosis he was eating very little and losing weight. What he did eat mostly came back up undigested. He acted very hungry but hesitant to eat and then just avoided the food bowl for the most part. He's a different dog in just a week. Maybe it isn't the brand of food at all. What if you tried grinding the kibble and making it into more of a mash and feeding it to her 3-4 times a day by fork? If she's having a problem with her esophagus moving the food then feeding from a bowl on the floor (or possibly even a raised dish) may not be enough to get the food into her stomach. Might be worth a try.
 

NELA

Well-Known Member
Giesthexe, not a problem. I appreciate your comments and knowledge. As a new member I am getting a good education from reading the past posts and comments to my posts.

Nela
 

NELA

Well-Known Member
Fed Bailey last night around 7:30PM (1 1/2 cups, TOTW, wet with warm chicken broth). Outside between 10:30 & 11:00PM. I went to bed at 11:30 and checked on her at 5:45AM this morning. There was 2 places where she had threw up undigested food. This is not vomit. When I last checked on her last night she was in her bed and everything was fine. I don't know what to do about this other than a visit to the vet's. She doesn't appear to be loosing weight and she must be retaining some food as she is a regular turd factory. Could it be that I am feeding her too much? I'm feeding about 1 1/2 cups - twice a day and there is always food left in her bowl. From what I have read on this forum it seems that the amount I am feeding her is a lot less than most of ya'll are feeding. Bailey is 1 year old and weighed 77 pounds 10 days ago.


NELA
 

Sadies Mom

Well-Known Member
Since she is still new to your family, could it be due to stress and she just wants to be with her people?
 

NELA

Well-Known Member
Fed Bailey last night at 7:00PM - out to pee (again) at 10:30PM - bed at 11:00PM. ATE ALL her food last night (TOTW with hot water desolved ham flavored bullion cube added). There was NO throw up this morning. This is good news.

Nela
 

DMikeM

Well-Known Member
I would have thought the salt from the bullion would be a bad thing. But since I add garlic salt to Jade's maybe there is a settling effect to salt.