Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with congenital megaesophagus and bone disease at 6 years
By Watrous, Barbara J & Blumenfeld, Bert·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2002·Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Congenital megaesophagus with hypertrophic osteopathy in a 6-year-old dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old German Shepherd was brought in for severe issues related to congenital megaesophagus, a condition where the esophagus is enlarged and unable to effectively move food to the stomach. This dog was struggling to eat and was at risk of malnutrition. While some dogs with this condition can improve with medical management, this case involved ongoing nutritional support to help the dog grow and develop normally despite the esophagus not functioning properly. The dog also showed signs of hypertrophic osteopathy, a bone condition often linked to other health issues. The treatment focused on managing the megaesophagus and providing the necessary nutrition to support the dog's overall health.
People also search for: German Shepherd megaesophagus treatment · dog nutritional support for megaesophagus · hypertrophic osteopathy in dogs
Abstract
Congenital megaesophagus is often sufficiently debilitating to a young puppy to result in an owner's request for euthanasia. If medically managed, some puppies may develop a functional esophagus and mature normally; in others, the dilation may persist, but nutritional support may be sufficient to allow skeletal maturation. Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy or hypertrophic osteopathy is well recognized in many animal species. Pulmonary neoplasia is most commonly associated with development of the secondary bone changes, but numerous other causes exist. The chronic changes of hypertrophic osteopathy were identified in a 6-year-old German Shepherd that was debilitated by persistent congenital megaesophagus. To the investigators' knowledge, a relationship between long-term esophageal dilatation and hypertrophic osteopathy has only been reported once in a human patient.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12502108/