UPDATE Dog thowing up

[gpamela3499]

I am still so undecided on what would be the best decision for Oliver and our family.

 

[redhen]

So hard.. I'm so sorry.

Poor guy...
I think i know what i would do..but i'm not you. Its somethng you have to decide for yourself..

 

[AinaWGSD]

I'm sorry that you and your family are stuck with such a difficult decision. This article might help, one of the dogs adopted out by the local GSD rescue I volunteer with was discovered to have megaesophagus shortly after being adopted out. The article outlines her diagnosis and how her forever home has dealt with this condition. There is also a link to an article on another dog that came into rescue with a much more severe case of megaesophagus and unfortunately had to be put to sleep. Good luck with whatever you decide is best for Oliver and your family.

 

[Dar]

this is interesting... look how this family worked with the problem...

 

[gpamela3499]

thank you red hen
I feel worse considering the heavy criticism in earlier posts but I had to make the decision based on my own personal ability to cope with Oliver who had some behavior and emotional problems separation anxiety jumping up on people from the shelter plus now add to it the need for special training to sit in a chair and the constant regurgitation on my hall carpet. This could only be controlled in the best situations but never fully prevented. Plus Oliver may have other health issues based on his x ray something maybe around his heart and there are some other abnormalities too. In addition I wonder how he feels to have constant gas and heartburn. I am sure there is someone out their who could really help Oliver but I must be a good parent to all my children and be able to cope myself. If someone asked me to care for their special needs child I would say "no I could not" or if one of my children was going to have some additional needs I would have to ask for help. In Oliver's case I had to return him to the shelter where they have assured me that they would try and treat him, find him a good home, or put him down.
I so miss that big dog welcoming me home last night. My son is also very depressed so are the other children. Also if anyone thinks they could cope with his issues then I will go back to the shelter right now and get him out and set you up as his new home. Please this is not said is sarcasm but a true hope that somewhere out there is a person to do it. I will be asking questions to make sure you are for real and not a lab collector.

 

[remuda1]

gpamela......Let me tell you something.... You did a great job by this dog. I'm glad the shelter is going to do right by him too, that's awesome. We ALL have to do what is right in our OWN particular circumstances and what is right for you, may not be for me and vice versa. I'm not going to judge you about your decisions because I don't know you and your personal circumstances. It's funny to me that you were criticized for seeking out information on the forum because, I believe someone on this forum actually mentioned megaesophagus earlier. You keep your chin up and rest easy in the knowledge that you handled it in the best way possible for your situation.

I wish you the best of luck in finding the right dog for your family, it will be a darn lucky dog to have you all.

 

[Redyre Rotties]

Dogs eat in special chairs made for dogs with ME.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Thank you

The vet did mention it but that was much more informative. I hope it is not that though sounds like treatment may not be available or very expensive.





Oliver has Megaesophagus. I would value any advise from everyone (please nothing too critical of me or my family) My family is truly heartbroken. It is believed to be congenital and there are more abnormalities around his heart. Does anyone have any experience with a successful treatment?

I'm sorry that this was, indeed, the case with your dog. Without knowing the severity of the ME and the heart issues it is hard to give advice. For me I always try and balance all factors for the dog and my family. Those factors include quality of life for the dog, long and short term, how much time I have to spend dealing with the problem (would you potentially have to miss work to care for the anima)l, fininancial impact, how long would the dog live if cared for, who will care for your dog if/when you go on vacation, ect. I don't envy your decision but you might be able to find a manageable solution.

 

[gpamela3499]

thank you I feel a lot of compassion coming my way and I really need it
We visited Oliver today and my son cried. It was actually an accident we thought he was in another section of the shelter. We were looking for another dog and stumbled into the kennel were he was kept.
He is going to be adopted out to a rescue group only. He looked well and rubbed against the kennel door like a little kitten. We asked if we could walk him (with a volunteer) but they thought it would be too stressful for him (they were probably right).