Megaesophagus Success Stories

Success Stories

The first response most all of us MegaE parents, we who are already scared witless about the 'dire prognosis' that may come and from living with the symptoms, are offered from the attending Vet is one of doom and gloom. Best option -- kind euthanization. Most do not know that Vet students are given very little info about treating Megaesophagus, even if they are able to eventually make the correct diagnosis -- it just isn't dx'd every day! One Vet shared she recalls maybe 15 minutes of instruction with the notation, 'you will likely never see a case in your practice.' Unfortunately, the incidence of Megaesophagus may be on the rise, in part because breeders may believe the disorder will never express itself (many have been sadly fooled) again, and sometimes the pups are quietly culled, with belief that the remaining pups in the litter are not affected. Please don't miss a visit to the genetic attribution page, as well as the Vet Specialist's notation regarding silent carriers on Eva's page.

If the pup is moderately affected, it may not show symptoms at weaning, or symptoms may go un-noticed as the results of regurge are quickly scarfed up by other littermates. If you encounter Mega, you will soon learn that Vets are unsure of how to guide you, and often will say something such as, "You can try"... but their faith is limited, based on what they were taught, plus not having enough direct experience with megaesophagus and the associated disorders.

These stories are just a small sampling of what has been and can be achieved. Please keep your spirits up, try to learn as much as possible to do the best by your pup or mature adult, and know that quality of life can be achieved. Please help to dispell the 'doom and gloom', and help to increase awareness. If you have found this page when it seems the worst has come, know that many of us have been there -- hang on -- sometimes when it seems the darkest, the best improvements can be right around the corner. Been there a few times -- though they took time, patience and effort, the turn-arounds were amazing.

I hope you will enjoy the positive direction these stories and others like them portray.

Most sincerely,

Peg M.

Cole

Congenital megaesophagus complicated by sliding hiatal hernia.

Dx: 7 wks. TX: Surgical correction of sliding hiatus. Enteral feeding (tube feeding). Pneumonia.

We were blessed with the opportunity to foster a mother husky and her nine puppies this summer through Husky House (www.huskyhouse.org). We named the mommy “Hope,” as this is what she stood for — Hope for these nine tiny babies. Hope had been rescued from being euthanized at a shelter in Tennessee and driven up to New Jersey with her three-week old babies. The beautiful package of ten came to us, flea infested and in need of a warm, safe place and a little tender care.

There was always something a little different about Cole—his frequent vomiting, the respiratory infection that only he got at five weeks of age, the unusual way that he breathed, his constant yearning to be held... We brought him to his Veterinarian three times within a few weeks, sensing that something was wrong with this little one.

When the pups were seven weeks old, we rushed Cole to Garden State Veterinary Specialists. He was immediately diagnosed with megaesophagus. After two days of testing to determine the cause and countless failed attempts to feed Cole orally, the doctor’s reluctantly did a scope on Cole, who was by this time exhausted and starving. They feared he would not survive the anesthesia which was necessary to perform the endoscopy, but this was his last hope.

As I sat playing with Hope and the puppies to gather their scent on a homemade blanket to bring to Cole, fearing that this would be his last night, we received the most amazing phone call. Cole was being rushed into surgery to correct a hiatal hernia (they also called it a “sliding stomach”). His stomach had slid up within his chest cavity and gotten stuck, causing the respiratory distress and worsening the megaesophagus symptoms.

Triumph against all odds

He made it through surgery and had a feeding tube inserted.

Cole’s prognosis was poor, and the doctors released him a

week later, at just 6 lbs, with little hope that he would survive

long term.

After intensive treatment and care, including

round the clock feedings, trips to the hospital

at least once a week, daily consults with our

most wonderful ACVIM Veterinary Specialists

at Garden State, and constant supervision in

ICU, Cole showed us what HOPE is really all

about.

Cole's recovery, spirit and energy have amazed

us. All of us!

Despite our apprehension about having four

dogs (we already had two rescues, Rocky &

Timber), we were in love with Cole and Hope

, and soon realized that they had already found

their “forever” home.

We had been a bit concerned that

he might never shed his feeding

tube, but he did! We were thrilled

to bring him home and reunite him

with his siblings just days before

their adoptions were to take place.

And, best of all, he has become

an energetic, happy-go-lucky

puppy!

We are humbled by Cole’s amazing spirit. He has

taught us that miracles can happen, and that we need

to believe that with a little “hope” and a lot of hard work,

we can make them happen. Cole is our miracle, and

we are truly blessed to have him in our lives.

Footnote:

Click Cole's prayer photo above at the top of his story to go to his info page at

Husky House Rescue. There you will find adorable photos taken of Hope with

all her pups, presented in a beautifully created slide show, along with a previous

write-up. There are also more photos of Cole during his post-op. recovery at

Garden State Veterinary Specialists.

Six-Year Survivor - Now Seven-Year Survivor!!

Lance

Date of Birth: 03 Jan. 2004

Submitted: 06 Jan. 2008

Lance was born a singleton puppy by c-section. He seemed to have a hard time thriving and did not do well from the beginning. I started taking him to vets at about 2 weeks of age. They gave him a 50-50 chance of survival although they were not sure exactly what was wrong. He began taking antibiotics at that time.

The Megaesophagus was not diagnosed until he was about 6 weeks old when, after seeing several vets, one said it was not Mega, one didn't know, and my vet said it was definitely Mega. I took him to the Univ. of Illinois for tests where Megaesophagus as well as partial Laryngeal Paralysis were confirmed.

Lance was on antibiotics for the first 8 months of his life, fighting Aspiration Pneumonia. A friend who is very knowledgeable about my breed suggested the Megaesophagus list on Yahoo. Thank heavens for those wonderful people!! I joined the list and through much reading and experimenting, I found a food consistency he could keep down and built the Bailey Chair. He immediately made a turn around and has not been sick a day since I started feeding him in that chair!

To anyone who has a Mega dog, DON'T GIVE UP!! My vet has been very willing to read anything I've given him. Worked very closely with me when I had Lance neutered, and we had no complications. Find a vet you can build a relationship with. These dogs are so worth it!!!

~ Terri & Lance, aka-Handsomeman, Lancey Pants

Helpful Info Source:

How to Interview & Choose Your Vet

March 2008

Mega Pupdate:

MACH Gentry Vom Mika Ashmead

CD TD RE MX MXJ is now even

more the success story.

Gentry is now, "MACH Gentry Vom Mika Ashmead CD TD RE MX MXJ

AJP, AXP, OFP !

AJP - Excellent Agility Jumpers With Weaves "A" Preferred

AXP- Agility Excellent "A" Preferred

OFP- Open FAST Preferred

Following is the beginning of Gentry and Sally's story:

Gentry was diagnosed with congenital "mega-e" as a pup, and endured a case of aspiration pneumonia approx. two weeks after being brought home from his breeder's residence.

His breeder believes that Gentry was regurgitating all along but the other pups undoubtedly scarfed up the results, so she remained unaware.

As you can easily ascertain, Gentry has enjoyed a wonderfully fulfilled life for the past six years. They still get out to play at the agility field once or twice a week. They have moved on to tracking pursuits and working towards his Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) title. When this story was submitted, they had already earned the first two legs towards this next elite title.

Theirs is such a wonderfully inspirational success story! Congratulations Sally and Gentry.

You remain an inspiration to us all!

What's in a name? Let's analyze this:

Gentry is a dog having Megaesophagus who, with the aide of his human, conquered the world and they have done so in grand style. The MACH in front of his name indicates that he has achieved Master Agility Champion status -- this is a WOW achievement for any dog. Further, he has also been awarded the titles of Companion Dog (CD), and Tracking Dog (TD), as well as Rally Excellent (RE), Master Agility Excellent (MX) and Master Jumper with Weaves (MXJ).

His vet did think that Gentry should be euthanized to save his new owner from heartache, and Gentry from a life filled with illness and problems.

The pup and his new person had already bonded deeply. Euthanization was not an option.

. . . the answer to my prayers

Angels brought me through . . .

The Perfect Gentleman

2006 ACVIM Pet Survivors

Are Animals

Who Beat the Odds!

Update July 2006

Jenny has been living with Mega-E for ten years and is doing quite well. She eats 'normally', but in frequent meal style.

Jenny's

Story

Leaning in for a big slurpy smooch!

5-Yr.

Megaesophagus Survivor!

Bogart's Story

"The White Light of Hope"

Bubba's Journey

Last spring when Justice was 9 months, he was turned back into Heidi's Legacy Rescue because Megaesophagus symptoms had surfaced. During the first few months with a little extra care, symptoms started to gradually lessen, allowing him to gain some weight and grow -- he weighed 59 lbs. when he went to his new home. He was fortunate to have his name called by a wonderful foster-to-adopt home in May. Here is Justice's story as told by his new Dad:

Justice will be 19 months mid-January 2008, and was 72 pounds 18 January. He has sustained that weight for several months now. Just a few more pounds (5 maybe, but not 10) to go before he is at an absolutely perfect weight.

Justice is nearing completion of basic obedience. As our trainer attests, Justice is a normal young rambunctious, playful, loving GSD with strong protective drive for his family. We treat him as a normal dog in all areas except feeding, which is the only concession to his MegaE.

Justice is on a simple supplement regimen to help alleviate symptoms. He has adopted a once-a-day eating routine in the late evening. This is somewhat at odds with usual suggested multiple small feedings for MegaE dogs, but it works well for him. Justice eats in a crate turned on its side to provide him a more vertical position to eat. He eats standing on his hind legs with front paws on a countertop, and then

spends up to 45 minutes sitting in the crate to permit the food to settle.

He eats EVO small kibble pureed with water, often supplemented with chicken and meats. He sleeps in his crate/den on a "bed wedge" which helps tremendously with any potential overnight accumulation of saliva.

He will go for a good stretch of time without any symptoms, but jumping off the sofa, for example, can result in a little regurge. And he has patented the high-pitch bark-a-gurg, too. About once a month - it seems - he will have a bad day, but it seems more of a liquid vomiting than a regurge, based on the time delay since last eating and the volume of liquid he produces. MegaE dogs are known to have all sorts of digestive issues from time-to-time.

Of course, he does sometimes get into the water and we sometimes do not

get him to sit up for it to settle. We continue to be observant and joyfully

accept any additional attention Justice needs. He does, after all, give us

more unconditional love than anyone could ask of a dog. He is quite the

GSD, one super pal, and we love him dearly!

~ P.T., and Justice's Forever Family

SeeJustice: His mega

recuperative beginnings

in rescue. (Thx Jeff & Lori!)

When Zuli was nine weeks old,

her new Mums was told that

Zuli wouldn't make it to her

first birthday.

She is now a very perky

9 YEARS young!

As you can see, she is doing

great, and still going strong.

You can read more Zuli's early years at Zuli the Wonderdog,

Early in our battle for life, it was Zuli's page I visited when seeking a little reassurance!

Date of Birth: 6/9/07 Story Submitted: 1/18/08

Super Puppy

Cole has beaten the odds — he has adjusted to living with megaesophagus, recovered from a bought of pneumonia that sent his fever to 105 degrees and put him in ICU.

Hope Rocky Timber Cole

We adopted them both!

31 July 2007

I feed him a spoonful at a time and then he sits for 20-25 minutes after eating. He does not get any other foods and sits up after drinking water. He does not need water often because of the water in his food but when he does, he has to sit up afterwards. I am happy to say that he is now 4 years old, a good weight and the perfect little man. He is quite spoiled because of his hard start, but he has such a good heart. Lance has filled my heart with a love I didn't know I had. He seems to be doing so well that it is possible the Mega has resolved with age, as it sometimes does in congenital cases. Since he still has the swallowing problem, I'm not willing to take a chance. I will always feed him upright. Plus, he really likes his chair!

Happy 4th B'day, Lance!

surgery to insert a PEG tube. Essentially he will have to be fed through a tube, which will bypass the esophagus and deliver the food directly to his stomach.

Einstein's story was posted on Petfinder.com and before long we started receiving e-mails inquiring about our little boy. People from all over the US and as far as Spain, sent their blessings and donations to help with his care. After receiving and reviewing many adoption applications, we sent him to a new loving home in San Antonio. His new family members changed his name from Austin to Einstein because he was a very smart puppy. They have taken great care of him.

Continuing with liquid diet, Einstein continued growing. He would sit in a special chair that held him upright, so food would go down to his stomach. Einstein became a very happy and playful puppy. His favorite thing is to go to Petsmart to pick out toys and special treats. While out and about, he likes to meet and greet everyone who comes across his path, and everyone who meets him falls in love with this special boy.

Einstein is now 1 year old and currently weighs

105 pounds.

------------------

Update July 15 2008:

The first night I noticed that our new puppy gurgled a lot and could see that her neck ballooned slightly when she swallowed. She actually did eat solid food and did not regurgitate the food, but at times a food stained liquid did come up. I strongly suspected she had megaesophagus and took her to my clinic the next morning for x-rays. The first radiographs taken were plain film radiographs and appeared to show a dilated esophagus but it was not definitive by itself, so I administered a dose of thick barium sulfate by mouth and immediately took new radiographs. There it was in black and white, literally. My new pup has megaesophagus! Of course I was concerned because the dogs that have been diagnosed in my practice mostly have not done well. Keeping food down has been difficult for some, even when the food is liquefied and the puppy fed from elevated bowls. Many had developed aspiration pneumonia and succumbed to this complication associated with frequent regurgitation.

I called my client who had sold me the dog to inform her of the problem that I had discovered. I never once suggested that she take the puppy back, after all, she had spent the weekend at my house and my wife and I had already become attached.

Luckily for us and for Vienna, she really never had to be fed elevated but occasionally regurgitated her food. Each year she got better and better. Eventually we never heard the gurgling sounds coming from her esophagus any more and she has thrived ever since. She is now just over 3 years old and appears to have "grown out" of her condition. She is a very sweet dog and will always be Daddy's little puppy.

Some pictures are attached to this e-mail that you might

enjoy. The radiographs you should find especially

interesting. The white contrast in the films is barium

that has not reached the stomach.

Normally the contrast would go to the stomach immediately.

As you can see in one film the barium remains in the

thoracic esophagus and the esophagus is dilated. In the

other, some of the barium has reached the stomach but

largely remains in the esophagus. Eventually it will all reach

the stomach but as it sits in the esophagus for a prolonged period, the food sours and regurgitation occurs. More often than not, some of the food is aspirated into the trachea and down into the lungs, thus causing aspiration pneumonia.

If there is anything to be learned from my experience it would be that a diagnosis of megaesophagus is not a hopeless situation. Some dogs do well but others are not so lucky. Working with support groups such as yours and closely with a veterinarian, many of these dogs can live somewhat reasonable lives.

Dan B. Meadows, D.V.M.

A dear client who owns Vienna's mother and father, mated them and had two litters a year apart. I always thought the mother, a double dapple named Sweet Pea was very cute and I expressed an interest in having one of her puppies if one was a double dapple. Sure enough, the first litter had one but the puppy did not survive. It was felt that the mother had laid on it and it suffocated, but the exact cause of death was not determined. A year went by and Rocky and Sweet Pea produced another litter. There were two double dapple puppies, a male and a female. After a lot of pressure from the owner I agreed to purchase the female.

My wife and I were apprehensive about having a puppy since it had been 13 years since we first acquired our Labrador Retriever as a puppy. We remembered vividly dealing with house training, her chewing and digging, and all the other issues encountered raising a puppy. We decided that we would down size when our Lab died, which surely would not be as difficult. A few days before Christmas I picked up my new puppy and took her home. We thought of a number of different names but Vienna was our favorite (Vienna sausages), so the name stuck.

Lo earned his Canine Good Citizen Certification at eight

months, followed by his Therapy Dogs, Inc. Certification

at one year! Through the many years of Therapy Work,

one of the most moving memories is of Logan’s special

relationship with one of the ladies at an Assisted Care

Facility who ‘trained’ him every visit! Lo, a true Obedience

dog in that he looks to his ‘real’ handler when given a

command by someone else, would sweetly humor this

lady, pretending to listen to her commands, while looking

for his Mom’s hand signals on each command!! Lo’s friend

was always so pleased that Logan was “coming along so

nicely” with his training and she loved the ohhh’s and

ahhh’s from her friends!

At 18 months, Logan hit his first bump in the road of life, with a diagnosis of bowed femurs and the prognosis of being severely crippled within a short time – with surgery “maybe” helping. His family was devastated and tried to baby him by giving his ‘couch potato’ status, but that broke his heart, so back to classes he went, with careful monitoring of his activities. During this time, Logan became known as “the little Engine that could” and he earned his Companion Dog Title in three trials at age three!

With CD behind his name, again, Lo’s family encouraged him to retire from the Ring and just enjoy life being a loved and valued member of his family; his therapy work, helping raise Boo (a young’un at the time). While he enjoyed all these things, he still would get excited on Thursdays (class night) and sit and stare hopefully into his Mom’s eyes, willing her to take him to class! His gentle persistence paid off and back to class he went, as he continued on, helping Mom learn how to handle for ‘Open’ work. And tho he tried to get a CDX leg or two, those 24 inch jumps were just too challenging for him, so his purpose became to be a “Demo Dog Extradinaire”, helping to inspire many teams to “go for their personal bests”!

At age 10, Logan suffered thru an incident of Vestibular Syndrome, but was able to bounce back from that thankfully! A few months later, while “supervising a Rally Class” from the side lines, his sad eyes clearly saying he wanted to be included, his Mom started letting him work a little bit and soon he was excelling at the tasks and loving every minute of it!! Boo started trialing and there was never a question that Lo would be given the opportunity to have fun road trips as well!! This precious soul earned his Rally Excellent Title in 9 trials! Everyone who knows Lo is well aware that every one of his titles is a tribute to his own great spirit and his love of and devotion to his family.

The year 2006 proved to hold more health challenges for ‘the little engine that could’; Megaesphagus, diagnosed in May and a dislocated hip in September. Either condition could have caused Logan to be ‘disabled’, but with his gentle and yet determined manner and the love of his family, Logan kept on proving the vets wrong.

Due to Logan’s parents having a friend who’s pupster had dealt with MegaE, they immediately turned to them for help and were encouraged to go online and join the group of folks who were knowledgeable about this condition. One of their local Vets, tho never having seen a case, welcomed any and all information to add to her file so she could understand MegaE and thus help Logan and future sufferers.

As all “parents” of pups with the MegaE condition learn early on, feeding the ‘patient’ in an upright position, ideally something on the order of the “Bailey Chair”, is a must! Well, right from the start, his family knew this was not an option for Logan. Due to the long time condition of his bowed femurs, and arthritis caused there from, there was no way that Logan could handle this type of upright feeding. So, his family modified the preferred method, having Lo sit as straight and tall as he was able and eat in that position, then before Lo got up, he sat there for the recommended time while being patted and massaged to past the time and turn the “recommended treatment” into a pleasurable, special time for him, rather than an unpleasant chore.

As time when on, it was found that Lo could eat what was called his “smoothie” meal from his raised feeder (where he always had…. ‘normalcy’, what a sweet word!), immediately afterward, he would take a short, slow ‘walk about’ and then get his special patting/massage time afterwards. This method has worked well for Logan since Lo and his loved ones began this journey living with MegaE.

Lo’s water intake is carefully monitored, with him drinking only a few laps at a time and then sitting for patting for just a few short minutes.

After initially trying several different feeding methods, Lo’s family found that eating his Innova Senior kibble, blended/ puréed (the end product is a semi formed, wet, but not watery consistency) worked well for him! His “treats” are blended the same way and when he is training or otherwise working, he gets a spoonful of “smoothie treat” for his trouble!!

Logan also takes Holistic supplements including the following:

Standard Process Thytrophin sid

Standard Process Canine Musculoskeletal Support sid

Standard Process Canine Enteric Support sid

Standard Process Cataplex C 1650 sid

Cellular Forte with IP-6 and Inositol sid

Acidophilus three or four times per week

Pepto Bismal before each meal

And Lo takes meds for his arthritis pain, as well.

All his meds/supplements are taken in two separate halves of a

slice of bread spread with peanut butter (Lo says ‘nectar of the

gods!’) and closed over the pills and/or power. He gobbles the

sandwich down and then he eats his meal and the smoothie

seems to push the sandwich down and all is well. He’s happy he

got his beloved peanut butter sangie, his family is happy he got

his meds and was happy to take them!! Win-win situation!

Logan handled the MegaE nicely for 15 months and suddenly he developed Aspiration Pneumonia! Luckily, at this point, his local vet, Dr. Amy, was 150% behind him and very open to hearing about suggestions made on the MegaE list and learning from the folks in the trenches, what worked and what didn’t work. Lo took antibiotics for two weeks and we thought he was over the AP. Two weeks off meds, and he had AP again (probably more like he didn’t get over it the first time, simply that once off antibiotics, it came roaring back with a vengeance). This time under Dr. Kathy, the wonderful woman Lo’s Mom had ‘met’ on the MegaE list suggested a longer period of antibiotics, which was done. This time Lo stayed well for about a month and suddenly, he had AP again. His family’s hopes really dimmed for his wellbeing at this stage. Again, Dr. Kathy guided them along in this battle for Logan’s life; adding in treatments of Albuteral and Saline a couple of times per day to help get rid of the AP AND once the AP was gone, daily as a preventative. Lo’s family is happy to report that it is now (March ’08) three months since Lo has had AP… so, they are hopeful they have found the formula that works for Lo to keep him from developing this condition that tries to steal him away from them!

Logan and his family are looking forward to this sweet man’s 13th birthday

in June! In his family’s opinion, Lo is a shining example of what every person

dreams of when they bring a Golden Retriever into their lives and hearts!

Every day with him is a gift and his imprinting on baby sister, Glory, just

makes us smile!! Logan has taught us all a simple, yet profound thing:

"Some folks have, some have not ..... What matters most is what you

do with what you've got!!". In short, he lives the lesson that you don’t

have to BE ‘the best’ to DO your best – just grab life with both hands

(paws), say wahooo and enjoy!

The little boy with the big heart arrived on this earth on June 7, 1995. His soon to be human family, Dave and Marny Temple, officially met him when he was 10 days old and tho, at that time, they weren’t sure Lo was to be ‘their’ puppy, but of the four little boys, there was a connection of the heart that could not be denied!! Lo came to Wilmington at eight weeks of age and with his twinkling eyes and gentle ways, he established his place in the pack - right from the start – fur child and love bug for all humans, buddy to GR Amber and his self appointed role of “gentleman’s gentleman”.

He started Obedience Classes as soon as he was old enough and tho not flashy, he humbly did his best, evoking comments from fellow classmates (human halves) that all his handler had to do was give Lo the handout of “how to do’s”, let him thumb (hmmm, no thumbs, perhaps ‘paw’ is the better word) thru it and he ‘had it’!!

Tho his Mom had loved and lived with Goldens since she was 11 years old, this wonderful boy turned her on to the joys of having those special times of training and working with one’s dogs in a class setting! And she credits this boy with leading her along the path of appreciating the bonding and progress that comes from a team working and playing together! Logan is the reason why Marny was inspired to overcome her "ring nerves" and why she went on to become an instructor, in obedience, agility and rally at Azalea Dog Training Club, where Lo's long love affair with a grand group of dogs and their humans continues to date!

was brought into our rescue when he was only 6 weeks old. He was the runt of a litter of nine puppies. The family that turned him in said that he would throw up

after every meal. When we took him to our vet, we were to discover Congenital Megaesophagus. Basically, he doesn't have muscles to push food to his stomach. The vet did not give him a good prognosis, in fact, he suggested that we euthanize him immediately. Euthanasia was not an option for us. We decided that instead of putting him down, we would try to give him a chance.

After a second vet check we found out that Einstein has generalized mega-e, rather than PRAA, a vascular ring anomaly. His esophagus was expanded all the way to the thoracic cavity and the chances of him growing out of it are very slim. But we decided that we would continue providing him with the needed care, and if the time comes that we cannot feed him upright anymore, he will have a

In August of 2006, Rosie, our 9 yr. old Bichon Frise was not herself. She couldn`t jump on the furniture or get up on our bed. Rosie was not eating and when she did, she threw up. So, off to our Vet. He seemed to think that Rosie had a back injury, but had no idea why she was throwing up so much. He thought maybe she had some kind of virus. He treated her for a back injury and stomach virus.

We came home from my grandson`s birthday party in late August, 2006, and she was lying by the door and could barely get up. So, called the Vet and he was puzzled, but said to continue the treatment. She became increasingly worse. She had droopy eyes, drooled, and the weakness in her back seemed to be getting worse by the day. She also had a funny bark, kind of a honking sound.

On a Sunday afternoon, she was in the back yard with our other dogs and when I looked out, she was coughing and drooling and could hardly breathe. I freaked and called my Vet at each of his numbers. He was not available. So, we rushed her to the emergency clinic. I held her as my son drove like a race car driver. When we arrived she could hardly breathe. I was sobbing and could hardly talk, but told the Vet all that I knew at this time.

They rushed her to the back and after an eternity the Vet returned and told me that Rosie was in the oxygen crate that they had and she was breathing a bit easier. She had a fever and was a very sick girl. They took some x rays and it was determined that she had Aspiration Pneumonia and most likely Megaesophagus. The wonderful young female Vet went right to her computer and looked up Megaesophagus and printed out the information for us. She told us that it was treatable and there were other diseases that could be associated with this. She gave us the option of putting Rosie to sleep. This option was unthinkable and I flatly told her no. So, they put Rosie on antibiotics and IV fluids.

We had to pick Rosie up by 7:30 am the next morning and take her to our Vet. He did more X-rays and said she needed to stay for the day. They called later in the day and told us to come and say good bye. Rosie had taken a turn for the worse and she did not look like she was going to make it. The entire family rushed up and I was hysterical. When we arrived, she had rallied and seemed better. My Vet took her home with him for the night. He called me three times to tell me that she was okay.

The next morning we picked her up and took her to the same Veterinary Hospital that our rescue boy had gone to the day before. We took Rosie to the internal medicine section and our rescue boy was in the surgical section.

They admitted Rosie to conduct more tests. The Internal Medicine specialist was sure that Rosie had Myasthenia Gravis on top of the Aspiration Pneumonia. She did not want to wait for the tests to return, so she started her on a small dose of Mestinon. The improvement was remarkable. It was thought to give her the Tensilon Test, but after conferring with the Neurologist, it was no....Rosie was too weak and fragile for this test.

Rosie spent 9 days in hospital before we were able to bring her home. I was petrified and thought that we could not handle this. A friend of mine sent me to the support group for Megaesophagus on line. I joined and started asking questions. The first thing we did was send for the DVD for the Bailey Chair. My husband built Rosie`s chair on an umbrella stroller, so that we could walk her for the 25 minutes that she needed to be upright after meals and water.

I experimented with all types of food and finally found that the soupy kind of mixture worked best for her. We incorporated her daily need of water into her food.

Rosie never goes to the water bowl now. It`s amazing, that she doesn't`t do this. At first we picked up the water when she was with the group and put it down when she was in her chair. This was not working, as we have other dogs and almost always have a rescue dog in our home.

The test results for Myasthenia Gravis came back positive. So, the Internist adjusted her dose of mestinon. it was also discovered that Rosie had a heart murmur. Now, Rosie had gone for her annual check up in April of 2006 and had no sign of this, not sure if it was brought on by the stress of this disease or not. She was then put on Enelapril, 2.5 mg twice a day. She had continual bouts of regurgitation and it was horrible. We finally learned to watch everything that went into her mouth. After several months of trial and error, Rosie became more stable.

She has had two bouts of Aspiration Pneumonia since August of 2006. She has had three titer tests for the Myasthenia Gravis and the last test showed that she is in remission. We gradually weaned her from the Mesitinon and as of December 1, 2007, she has not had any Mestinon nor shown any signs of Myasthenia Gravis.

My girl eats the same diet day in and day out - she is doing fine and has very little regurgitation. Some nights there is a small amount, but not enough to worry about. She lost over 8 pounds in the beginning, but has held the same weight of 21 pounds for over a year.

She has gained all her strength back and runs and jumps and is totally normal in all ways, except for the Megaesophagus. We also give her a 10mg. Pepcid at night before bed with a small dish of baby oatmeal and this seems to satisfy her. If she has had a rough time with regurgitation and we feel that her esophagus is irritated, we also give her carafate for a few days. My Vet makes sure that we have a good supply of antibiotics and needed meds on hand.

Rosie still loves to hunt lizards, and little toads, but we make sure that she does not catch any of these guys. We call Rosie our junk yard dog, she will eat anything that she can find.......so, we make sure there are no little tidbits around, and have trained our family to never feed Rosie anything. Our grandchildren announce to our guests......don`t feed Rosie. They even take their snacks to the dining table and make sure that nothing hits the floor.

This past fall, Rosie attended a Bichon Bash in TN and was such a hit in her chair. She enjoyed all the games and activities and if we had not told people about her disease, no one would have guessed.

Rosie was the first case of Megaesophagus and Myasthenia Gravis that

our Vet had ever treated. He has since had two more cases. Both dogs

have passed away, but Rosie is still going and we hope and plan for Rosie

to live as long as possible and enjoy life the way our other dogs do. She

is my inspiration and she makes me laugh every day. She celebrated along

with her litter mate Bijou their 11th birthday in January of 2008. Bijou

shows no signs of either disease. Rosie sees our Vet about every other

month and our Vet confers with the Internal Medicine Specialist about her

treatment.

We have never been sorry for one moment that we didn`t give up on Rosie

and never will we give up on Rosie.

Marilyn Lentini, Marilyn4Rescue@aol.com

Bichon Frise and Small Breed Rescue

Bratpack Rescue, Inc A Florida non-profit corporation 501(c)(3) www.petfinder.org/shelters/FL399.htm

Main Website: www.bratpackrescue.com

We are an Independent Bichon Rescue Adhering to BFCA "Best Practices/Guidelines"

Zuli the WonderDog

Wedding Bells for Lucy!

Lucy happily joined her

family for wedding bells and

photos at the church this

month. The couple has much to celebrate, their joy together and the joy they both feel at having Lucy by their side.

The couple rallied around Lucy in her time of need. During the planning months, I received an urgent post from Stephanie. She wasn't ready to let go of Lucy yet and they would do everything in their power to make sure Lucy received only the best care.

Where was the most recommended specialist? Who could I recommend in NJ? Is there anyone with tons of experience with Myasthenia Gravis and Megaesophagus? it's the holidays, will we be able to find someone... today? Tomorrow?

Will she be okay? What do I need to know? What do I need to do? Can she make it through?

Day-by-day Stephanie shared little updates as discoveries were made. Her lifelong best pal did, in fact, have Myasthenia as well as Megaesophagus. Her specialist was quite savvy and made the call to start meds immediately rather than waiting for test results. Lucy remained in ICU. We all breathed a sigh of relief when she was moved out of critical care... and eventually with measured improvements ... h-o-m-e for good!

Lucy's Bailey Chair was quickly made and they stepped through all of the adjustments to best help Lucy adjust while their wedding day grew closer. I received the last happy news report just a few weeks ago with this wonderful picture arriving today. It won't be a wedding without Lucy, I remember her Mums sharing when the going was the roughest. Love brought them through. May their days turn into months rolling easily into years with Lucy. Forever, Lucy is greatly loved and treasured.

Lucy's Mom shares:

Dr. Jason Berg at the Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, NY, was the specialist of choice for Lucy. Her primary doctor at the time, had diagnosed her with an allergy as a result of seeing the mucus in her throat. As a result, as we fed her, the food was inhaled in her lungs which caused a severe case of pneumonia. We almost lost her on New Years Eve.

After Peg's guidance and locating Dr. Berg, Lucy was treated at the Animal Specialty Center for a week and returned to us just as she was before.....an 11 year old puppy. She had lost about 10 pounds due to the pneumonia, but she is continuing to gain it back - her appetite is very hardy. We continue to feed her in an upright position and hold her in that position for 15 minutes; but, other than that, she is a completely normal dog. She has the spunk of a 3 year old dog.

Lucy does use her chair occasionally, but would much rather be held and smooched by her Mommy after she eats as we do 95% of the time Due to her hip dysplasia, she is not completely comfortable in the Bailey chair.

March 2008

It is so difficult to relive the horror we experienced during those two weeks. Thanks to you, Dr. Berg and our friends and family, we had such wonderful, successful results. You will always be in our hearts.

In mid December, Lucy began to have very slight tremors. For those people that didn't know her well, it was unnoticeable; however, Jimmy and I knew there was something wrong and we were so aware of the fear she was experiencing since she didn't know what was happening to her. We brought her to the vet immediately and explained the situation, but she didn't have any tremors in his office. He stated that the only way he could diagnose her would be to keep her at the hospital for the day to monitor her behavior. When we picked her up later that afternoon, he said he didn't observe any tremors and felt that she wasn't displaying any difference in her normal health. He suggested that we try to videotape her episodes. As you know, the tremors are very short and sudden and the job of videotaping them was extremely difficult.

As a result of pure luck, we were able to capture one of the tremors on tape and brought it right over to the doctor. He indicated that they were seizures and recommended that we begin treating her with Phenobarbital. We asked if there were any tests we could run on her to confirm the seizure diagnosis - just to be sure that it wasn't anything more serious. He suggested that we could have an MRI taken of her brain to be certain there was not another issue such as a mass or blockage in her brain.

We brought her to the Garden State Veterinary Specialists for her MRI (they were wonderful) and the results were clear. We were very happy that she didn't have anything more serious, such as a brain tumor, and began the Pheno treatments. Within a day, the tremors stopped; however, soon after, Lucy began getting a very thick mucus discharge from her mouth and began spitting up her food. Back to the doctor........ he said the mucus was a result of her allergies because he stated the mucus was not a side effect to the Pheno. Lucy has had allergies her whole life, as do many Golden Retrievers, and they have been managed very well with special shampoos, sprays and antihistamines when necessary. After 11 years, we couldn't imagine her having a new issue due to her allergies. The doctor was adamant about his course of treatment and said to wait out the mucus condition and see how she does.

At this point we were monitoring her very closely...we had her with us for the Christmas holiday at all times and between Christmas and New Years her condition worsened dramatically. We called the doctor again and due to the fact that he was going to be away for the holiday, he offered to have his associate in the office check her again. By Friday, December 28th, Lucy was not doing well at all and we brought her back to the vet. The doctor suggested that her condition may be due to a neurological issue and mentioned the possibility of megaesophagus. She took an x-ray of her chest and throat and the test was clearly positive. She performed two other tests on Lucy - one to determine if she had Addison's disease and one to determine if the megaesophagus was due to Myasthenia Gravis. She informed us that the results would not be back for a few days.

The doctor called us from his trip and recommended that we keep her at home and give her small meals and if her condition worsens, they would admit her into the hospital on Monday. Well...........by Sunday her condition could not have gotten any worse. She was struggling with every breath - little did we know, the meals we were giving her were being inhaled into her lungs and she was suffering from a severe case of aspiration pneumonia. We held her all Sunday night and were certain we were going to lose her. Jimmy and I were getting married on March 15th and always had plans to have Lucy at the church with us to celebrate our new lives together as a family - she really was our child. The idea that she wouldn't be there with us was unbearable. I kept on saying to her, "Lucy, I finally found you the best father, please don't leave us now." This is when we contacted you, Peg.

Thanks to your knowledge and direction we knew we had to get Lucy into the right hands - a professional who knew how to handle this disease and give her the best care possible. A dear friend of ours had a standard poodle who had neurological issues and she spoke so highly of Dr. Jason Berg. She said "if anyone can help Lucy, it will be Dr. Berg." At that time, Dr. Berg was just getting ready to open his own veterinary hospital and had offices in a few different practices. We were lucky to learn that Dr. Berg would be in the Yonkers, NY on Monday, which was only 30 minutes from our home. We were truly desperate. We brought Lucy to her vet in the morning and had them call the County Animal Clinic in Yonkers to let them know that Lucy's case was an emergency and we needed to see Dr. Berg as soon as possible. He told us to bring her right over and that they would be waiting for her.....and that they were.

When we got there, Dr. Berg could not have been more comforting. He and his wonderful associate, Dr. Holland, asked us for a brief history of what was occurring with Lucy, performed a short examination on her and so professionally, calmly and most importantly, in layman's terms, explained what we could expect from Lucy's condition. At this point, Jimmy and I were ready for the worst news. We could never imagine that Lucy would recover from the state she was in. Although it would have been the worst news, we would rather see Lucy go than subject her to the suffering she was clearly experiencing.

Dr. Berg surprised us both. He explained that he received the results from Lucy's doctor and the Addison's disease test came back negative. He said that although he didn't have the results from the Myasthenia Gravis test, her symptoms were reflective of that disease and he felt that we should treat her accordingly. He had the most comforting bedside manner.....he never strayed from his positive outlook and continued to reassure us that he would do whatever he could to help our baby. I will never forget the words he used to describe is prognosis - "I am optimistic, yet guarded, in believing that Lucy will make a complete recovery and continue to live a normal life." Never, ever, ever, did we think we would be getting that news.

Dr. Berg said that if we left Lucy with him at the hospital for a few days they could begin treating the pneumonia, which was the most critical issue at that time, and then begin her treatment for the megaesophagus. We couldn't have been happier to leave Lucy in the hands of Dr. Berg, but still were worried that perhaps she wouldn't pull through, due to her age, and that we may never see her again. On Monday, December 31st we left Lucy with Dr. Berg and his team. We were comforted in knowing that the hospital had 24-hour physician coverage and that Lucy would be monitored at all times.

We called the hospital a few times during the next couple of days and the staff was so kind and responsive to our needs. They assured us that Lucy was resting comfortably and taking her medication well. We missed her terribly, but as long as she was getting the best care, we were content. We had such open communication with Dr. Berg and Dr. Holland - the service they provided was truly remarkable. They returned our calls immediately and gave us a detailed account of what was happening with Lucy. Being a veterinarian is such a special profession. Not only do you have to be a qualified physician, but you have to be able to communicate with the pet owners and comfort them in difficult times. Dr. Berg could not have been any better with us.

After a few days, we decided to keep Lucy at the hospital for a week until she made a complete recovery from the pneumonia. Each day we learned that Lucy was beginning to take in food well, began to get back her strength and started becoming more aware and active again. The news just kept getting better. When we got the call that we could pick her up, we were so excited and nervous at the same time. What condition would she be in? What would she look like? Could we manage her feedings properly? Will she continue to recover as well out of the hospital or will she have a relapse? Everything was going through our minds....the trip to the hospital seemed to take forever.

When we first met with Dr. Berg he explained the treatments that Lucy received and demonstrated exactly how we would have to feed her in the future to assure that her food passed through her esophagus. Although it seemed overwhelming at the time, we knew that we would do anything we could to get her home with us again and keep her healthy. At that point, Dr. Holland left the room to get Lucy.....we were so nervous. When the door opened, we witnessed a true miracle. Our little Lucy came through the doors with the same love, kindness and spunk that she always has when she walks in a room.....just a few pounds lighter. I just grabbed her and cried. We couldn't thank Dr. Berg enough. I don't know if he will ever know what he did for us.... he gave us our baby back.

Since she has been home Lucy has continued to recover and is completely back to her old self. She plays with all of her canine friends in the neighborhood, comes with Mom to work and to run errands and gets spoiled by her new father with tons of kisses and belly rubs each day. The only difference is that we now have to feed her in an upright position and hold her in that position for 15 minutes after she eats - a small task for such great progress. Lucy went for her one- month check up with Dr. Berg at his new hospital, the Animal Speciality Center in Yonkers NY, and she received excellent reports.

On March 15th our dreams came true. We celebrated our marriage and had Lucy there with us to share in our happiness. We could not have been happier and owe everything to Dr. Berg and his superior team of professionals. Words can never express our gratitude. Dr. Berg will forever hold a special place in our hearts and will always be in our thoughts and prayers.

~ Stephaine, Jimmy & Lucy

"Faith is knowing there is an ocean when you can only see the stream."