Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How dog body position affects swallowing and esophagus movement
By Bonadio, C M et al.Ā·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicineĀ·2009Ā·Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United StatesĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Effects of body positioning on swallowing and esophageal transit in healthy dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of healthy dogs was tested to see how their body position affected swallowing and the movement of food down the esophagus. The dogs were given liquid and kibble while lying on their sides (lateral recumbency) and on their bellies (sternal recumbency). Results showed that when the dogs were on their sides, it took longer for food to move through the esophagus compared to when they were on their bellies. This suggests that how a dog is positioned can impact how well they swallow and how quickly food travels down.
People also search for: dog swallowing problems Ā· why is my dog taking a long time to eat Ā· dog esophagus issues
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Contrast videofluoroscopy is the imaging technique of choice for evaluating dysphagic dogs. In people, body position alters the outcome of videofluoroscopic assessment of swallowing. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: That esophageal transit in dogs, as measured by a barium esophagram, is not affected by body position. ANIMALS: Healthy dogs (n=15). METHODS: Interventional, experimental study. A restraint device was built to facilitate imaging of dogs in sternal recumbency. Each dog underwent videofluoroscopy during swallowing of liquid barium and barium-soaked kibble in sternal and lateral recumbency. Timing of swallowing, pharyngeal constriction ratio, esophageal transit time, and number of esophageal peristaltic waves were compared among body positions. RESULTS: Transit time in the cervical esophagus (cm/s) was significantly delayed when dogs were in lateral recumbency for both liquid (2.58+/-1.98 versus 7.23+/-3.11; P=.001) and kibble (4.44+/-2.02 versus 8.92+/-4.80; P=.002). In lateral recumbency, 52+/-22% of liquid and 73+/-23% of kibble swallows stimulated primary esophageal peristalsis. In sternal recumbency, 77+/-24% of liquid (P=.01 versus lateral) and 89+/-16% of kibble (P=.01 versus lateral) swallows stimulated primary esophageal peristalsis. Other variables were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Lateral body positioning significantly increases cervical esophageal transit time and affects the type of peristaltic wave generated by a swallow.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19496912/