[barkstrom]

I have spoken to several vets (besides our own) and searched the internet but cannot find anything like this. Since our dogs exploratory surgery (he's a sock eater) he can only swallow moist food. He chokes on dry food until he regurgitates it then swallows it again. He has been improving, today he ate canned without any added water. My concern is that no one seems to know why this happened and I am very curious if anyone else has ever experienced anything like it. I know that in humans when the trachea is operated on or even moved for an operation the person can have trouble swallowing for a month or so but the only reason the vet would have been near the trachea would have been to adminster the anesthesia. Long story short there was not anything in his stomach when they opened him up, he pooped a sock and something else out the morning following the surgery. In the 2 trips back to the vet they have never admitted any responsibilty at all or even connected this swallowing problem to the surgery, they have had several theories, none of which make any sense, and have charged us for unnecessary bloodwork. Needless to say we will no longer use them for our pet's care. But the other question is would you pursue legal action or even write a letter to the vet to express your confusion/anger/digust etc.
Right now we are just glad to see him improving.

 

[bigfootlives]

Our boy burped and cleared his throat a bit after his obstruction surgery. I chalked it up to his throat being irritated after being put under. It went away after a week.

But your symptoms seem much more severe poor thing. Will he eat anything solid? Chicken? Berries? Dog biscuits? Or is he only eating moist food?

 

[barkstrom]

Our boy burped and cleared his throat a bit after his obstruction surgery. I chalked it up to his throat being irritated after being put under. It went away after a week.

But your symptoms seem much more severe poor thing. Will he eat anything solid? Chicken? Berries? Dog biscuits? Or is he only eating moist food?

He will eat anything!lol. He can only swallow moist food, but before today it had to be soupy, today he was able to swallow it right from the can so it seems to be improving.

 

[LindaH]

How long has it been since surgery?

Sounds like an irritation to me. Does he ever do any hard swallowing like maybe he's having reflux problems?

 

[Darkevs]

was just going to mention reflux........... FAQs -After Surgery | MichVetAnimalHospital.Com

"Causes and treatment of regurgitation after surgery


•The most common cause of regurgitation is reflux of acid from the stomach into the esophagus while your pet is under anesthesia or in the peri-operative time period. Acidic fluid from the stomach causes a chemical irritation of the esophagus, which is called esophagitis. This results in decreased motility of the esophagus so water and food will accumulate. In most cases with appropriate treatment, the mild esophagitis resolves within several days.
•If the esophagitis is severe the esophagus can develop strictures. A stricture is a narrowing of the esophagus due to scar tissue formation and does not allow passage of food down the esophagus, thus the pet has persistent regurgitation. This regurgitation can occur several weeks post-operative and is usually associated with post-operative vomiting or regurgitation but not always. Prompt medical attention to this condition can lead to a good outcome, but may require medical therapy in addition to an endoscopic procedure where the esophagus is dilated at the stricture site with a small balloon catheter.
•Symptomatic treatment of regurgitation caused by esophagitis includes withholding food and water for short periods and then reintroduction of a bland diet (see above), use of acid reducing medication and administering a coating agent such as sucralfate. You should consult a veterinary health care professional if the regurgitation continues for more than a couple of days."

 

[barkstrom]

How long has it been since surgery?

Sounds like an irritation to me. Does he ever do any hard swallowing like maybe he's having reflux problems?

He was on medication for this for a week following the surgery which was 2 1/2weeks ago. Didnt seem to help.

He had no problems at all before surgery. But this gives me hope, thanks!

 

[Darkevs]

do some research on Slippery Elm Bark Powder.

it can really helps with acid reflux issues.

 

[LindaH]

Check out the rice congee and slippery elm info here: DogAware.com Health: Digestive Disorders in Dogs

Both will help to soothe and heal the throat and digesrive system. Marshmellow root will, too.

 

[reddobes]

Has he had a barium swallow to assess the esophagus (size, motility)? Or at least a chest X-ray to verify there is no obvious foreign body in the esophagus or evidence of megaesophagus?
This may very well not be a consequence of surgery at all, but may be from the ingestion of foreign objects or some other underlying issue.

 

[Darkevs]

they said it seems to be improving. "He can only swallow moist food, but before today it had to be soupy, today he was able to swallow it right from the can so it seems to be improving."

so hopefully there are no other issues.

 

[barkstrom]

Thank you for your input. It is most definitely directly related to the surgery since this began the day he came home after the surgery and the first time we fed him. He is doing a little better today. He was on the reflux medicine and the other stomach coating meds for a week after. he started a pro biotic this weekend. I just wanted to know if anyone knew about this since my vets seemed to think it was unique and caused by something else!!!! he was ultrascanned and xrayed friday, the only thing they noticed is that the food he ate at 6am was still in his belly around 3pm - they thought this was too long and the problem may be that the stomach was not contracting properly and if it was full the food would back up, but that didnt make sense since it happened the first time he ate after surgery and he hadnt eaten at all, and if the food is wet it goes down fine. I hope there are not strictures. I will look into the elm bark. We try SO hard to keep everything away from him and keep him confined to the main rooms - away from any laundry but he's quick and tall on his back legs!

 

[Patches Mom]

How old is he ? my 2nd Bouvier had megaesophagus but was not diagnosed until he was about a year old.