Disease Description: Megaesophagus is when the muscles of the esophagus do not work and food and water cannot be moved into the stomach. As a result, the food and water stay in the esophagus within the chest cavity and are never pushed into the stomach. The food and water that are stuck in the esophagus will at some point cause your dog to aspirate the contents, resulting in aspiration pneumonia.
Inherit Mode: This is an autosomal recessive trait in the wire-haired fox terrier, and autosomal dominant in the miniature schnauzer. The mode of inheritance has not been determined for other breeds that are predisposed to this condition.
Disease Symptom: Although it may not be noticed until young adulthood, this disorder is usually first recognized in puppies around the time of weaning. Affected pups regurgitate food, fail to thrive, and may develop respiratory difficulties associated with aspiration pneumonia due to inhalation of food particles. Signs include laboured breathing, fever and lethargy, and nasal discharge. Some dogs appear to gradually outgrow this condition (by a year or so), while in others there is no improvement.
Disease Cause: -
Disease Diagnose: Regurgitation of undigested food shortly after eating is the main sign with this disorder. Your veterinarian will take chest x-rays to determine if your dog has megaesophagus, and perform other laboratory tests since there are several conditions that may be associated with this disorder.
Treat Method: If an underlying cause can be identified, treatment may improve esophageal function. There is no specific treatment for the megaesophagus itself, but it can usually be managed by feeding small, frequent, high-caloric meals from an elevated location so that gravity assists the passage of food. Different consistencies of foods can be tried to determine which causes the least regurgitation. Some dogs appear to outgrow the problem, while in others there is no improvement and feeding management is required for life. Your veterinarian will discuss with you possible complications that you must watch out for, the most serious of which is aspiration pneumonia.
Breeder Advice: Affected wire-haired fox terriers, their parents (carriers of the trait) and siblings (suspect carriers) should not be bred. Affected miniature schnauzers should not be bred. In other breeds in which inheritance is unknown, it is safest to avoid breeding affected dogs, their parents and siblings.
Disease Description Source: Link
| Disease Name | Other Name | Mode of inheritance | Link ID | Possible OMIM ID | Gene |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megaoesophagus | - | - | - | - |
| iDog Breed Number | Breed Name | Personality | Height | Weight | Breed Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB47 | Bouvier des Flandres(Flanders Cattle Dog) | Strong-willed, even-tempered, courageous; affectionate with family, intimidating to intruders | 62.2-69.9 cm (male), 59.7-67.3 cm (female) | 31.8-49.9 kg | Belgium |
| CB73 | Chinese Shar-Pei | Steadfastly devoted to loved ones, but standoffish and lordly toward strangers | 45.7-50.8 cm | 20.4-27.2 kg | China |
| CB110 | German Shepherd Dog | Smart, confident, courageous, and steady; a true dog lover's dog | 61-66 cm (male), 55.9-61 cm (female) | 29.5-40.8 kg (male), 22.7-31.8 kg (female) | Germany |
| CB119 | Great Dane | Friendly, patient, & dependable. | 76.2-86.4 cm (male), 71.1-81.3 cm (female) | 54.4-90.7 kg (male), 44.9-59 kg (female) | Germany |
| CB122 | Greyhound | Independent, gentle, noble, and oh so sweet, but intense when on the run | 71.1-76.2 cm (male), 68.6-71.1 cm (female) | 29.5-31.8 kg (male), 27.2-29.5 kg (female) | United Kingdom, Middle East |
| CB131 | Irish Setter | Outgoing, sweet-natured, active, and trainable | 68.6 cm (male), 63.5 cm (female) | 31.8 kg (male), 27.2 kg (female) | Ireland |
| CB161 | Miniature Schnauzer | Friendly, smart, obedient | 30.5-35.6 cm | 5-9.1 kg | Germany |
| CB257 | Wire-Haired Fox Terrier | Alert, quick of movement, keen of expression, on tiptoe of expectation at slightest provocation. Friendly, forthcoming and fearless. | 39 cm | 8.25 kg | United Kingdom (England) |
| 2016 |
Manning,K.,Birkenheuer,A.J.,Briley,J.,Montgomery,S.A.,Harris,J.,Vanone,S.L.,Gookin,J.L.: :
Intermittent At-Home Suctioning of Esophageal Content for Prevention of Recurrent Aspiration Pneumonia in 4 Dogs with Megaesophagus. J Vet Intern Med :, 2016. Pubmed reference: 27481487 . DOI: 10.1111/jvim.14527 . |
| 2012 |
Mace,S.,Shelton,G.D.,Eddlestone,S.: :
Megaesophagus. Compend Contin Educ Vet 34:E1, 2012. Pubmed reference: 22488663 . |
| 2012 |
Tsai,K.L.,Noorai,R.E.,Starr-Moss,A.N.,Quignon,P.,Rinz,C.J.,Ostrander,E.A.,Steiner,J.M.,Murphy,K.E.,Clark,L.A.: :
Genome-wide association studies for multiple diseases of the German Shepherd Dog. Mamm Genome 23:203-11, 2012. Pubmed reference: 22105877 . DOI: 10.1007/s00335-011-9376-9 . |
| 2002 |
Watrous,B.J.,Blumenfeld,B.: :
Congenital megaesophagus with hypertrophic osteopathy in a 6-year-old dog Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound 43:545-549, 2002. Pubmed reference: 12502108 . |
| 2001 |
Hopper,K.,Beck,C.,Slocombe,R.: :
Megaoesophagus in adult dogs secondary to Australian tiger snake envenomation Australian Veterinary Journal 79:672-675, 2001. Pubmed reference: 11712704 . |
| 2001 |
Huber,E.,Armbrust,W.,Forster,J.L.,Ribiere,T.,Grosclaude,P.: :
Megaoesophagus in the dog: a case report Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde 143:512-514, 2001. Pubmed reference: 11680912 . |
| 2000 |
Torres,P.: :
Esophagus-diaphragmatic Cardioplasty for the treatment of the idiopathic congenital total megaesophagus in dogs [Spanish] Archivos de Medicina Veterinaria 32:121-130, 2000. |
| 1999 |
Plotnick,A.N.: :
Megaesophagus and hypothyroidism in an English Springer Spaniel and response to thyroxine supplementation Canine Practice 24:14-17, 1999. |
| 1999 |
Rossmeisl,J.H.,Blevins,W.E.,Widmer,W.R.: :
What is your diagnosis? Diagnosis - Radiographic diagnosis - Megaesophagus and gastrointestinal atony Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 215:782-+, 1999. Pubmed reference: 10496127 . |
| 1997 |
Borbe,J.,Walla,L.: :
Surgical and postoperative management of canine megaesophagus [German] Kleintierpraxis 42:329-332, 1997. |
| 1997 |
Gaynor,A.R.,Shofer,F.S.,Washabau,R.J.: :
Risk factors for acquired megaesophagus in dogs Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 211:1406 ff., 1997. |
| 1997 |
Mears,E.A.,Jenkins,C.C.: :
Canine and feline megaesophagus Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian 19:313 ff., 1997. |
| 1997 |
Torres,P.: :
Megaesophagus in the dog - a bibliographic review and a new classification proposal [Review] [Spanish] Archivos de Medicina Veterinaria 29:13-23, 1997. |
| 1996 |
Jenkins, C.C. and Mears, E.A. :
What's new in the diagnosis and management of megaesophagus ACVIM-Proceedings of the 14th Annual Vet. Med. Forum, p. 585-586 |
| 1996 |
Holland,C.T.,Satchell,P.M.,Farrow,B.R.H.: :
Vagal esophagomotor nerve function and esophageal motor performance in dogs with congenital idiopathic megaesophagus American Journal of Veterinary Research 57:906-913, 1996. Pubmed reference: 8725822 . |
| 1995 |
Twedt, D.C. :
Diseases of the esophagus W.B. Saunders Co., Toronto. E.J. Ettinger and E.C. Feldman (eds.) Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, pp.1124-1142 |
| 1995 |
Whitley,N.T.: :
Megaoesophagus and glucocorticoid-deficient hypoadrenocorticism in a dog Journal of Small Animal Practice 36:132-135, 1995. Pubmed reference: 7783439 . |
| 1994 |
Holland,C.T.,Shelton,G.D.,Satchell,P.M.,Farrow,B.R.H.: :
Antibodies to Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Dogs with Megaoesophagus Australian Veterinary Journal 71:221-222, 1994. Pubmed reference: 7945104 . |
| 1994 |
Matros,L.,Jergens,A.E.,Miles,K.G.,Kluge,J.P.: :
Megaesophagus and Hypomotility Associated with Esophageal Leiomyoma in a Dog Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 30:15-19, 1994. |
| 1994 |
Thilagar,S.,Balasubramanian,N.N.,David,W.P.A.,Sasikala,S.: :
A Clinical Survey of Megaesophagus in the Dog Indian Veterinary Journal 71:921-922, 1994. |
| 1993 |
Holland,C.T.,Satchell,P.M.: :
Megaoesophagus in the Dog and Cat Recueil de Medecine Veterinaire 169:969-983, 1993. |
| 1993 |
Holland,C.T.,Satchell,P.M.,Farrow,B.R.H.: :
Oesophageal Compliance in Naturally Occurring Canine Megaoesophagus Australian Veterinary Journal 70:414-420, 1993. Pubmed reference: 8280024 . |
| 1990 |
Knowles,K.E.,Obrien,D.P.,Amann,J.F.: :
Congenital Idiopathic Megaesophagus in a Litter of Chinese Shar-Peis - Clinical, Electrodiagnostic, and Pathological Findings Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 26:313-318, 1990. |
| 1957 |
Michael,S.J.: :
Regurgitation in pups. II. Megaesophagus in a pup Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 130:284 only, 1957. Pubmed reference: 13416103 . |