Lucky, the Plott hound's, Megaesophagus and Partially Paralyzed Larynx
In 2007 when Lucky and I began our journey to teach people throughout NC about our state breed, the Plott hound, and to promote the importance of animal rescue, we had no idea we would be adding to our presentation . . . canine medical conditions.
In July of 2012, Lucky suddenly could not keep his food down so we took him to our vet to see what was wrong. She diagnosed him with canine megaesophagus or ME. This condition can develop in various breeds and in both young and elderly dogs. Blood tests were conducted by a veterinarian specialist to see if a disease could be the underlying cause, but the results showed it was age-related. Obviously, our world has changed considerably. The short time that it use to take to feed Lucky now requires a total of about two hours per day.
We learned that Lucky needed to be fed small, frequent meals in an elevated position (see bottom row of pictures). After Lucky eats or drinks, it is important that he remains vertical for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the amount he eats or drinks so that gravity can pull the food and water down through his esophagus to his stomach. In order to keep him vertical, we were encourage to build a "Bailey Chair." Instructions for building this device can be found at eHow.com. When we rescued Lucky in 2002, both of his back legs were broken and aging has brought about arthritis. Therefore, we adjusted the recommended "Bailey Chair" to fit Lucky's specific need. We call it his "Bailey Box." The first three pictures below, shows Rick building Lucky's box. We are fortunate that Lucky is gaining back some of the seven pounds he lost and is doing better. We are thrilled with his improvement and amazed how much support he gets from our other two pets, Foxxy and Rolo (last photo below). They stay close to him while he patiently waits for the time to pass in his box.
At the same time, we learned Lucky had a partially paralyzed larynx--my precious "Big Mouth Plott" barks with a whisper now, but he still barks. This condition worsens depending upon the weather--the colder it becomes, the more Lucky sounds like he has laryngitis. (See videos below.)
Lucky's health problems came on quickly so we thought it may be helpful to others to be aware that this could also happen to your pet. We have been assured by the veterinarian specialist who saw Lucky that his barking will not worsen his injured larynx. Even with these two health conditions, Lucky still loves to travel NC teaching Plott history and encouraging others to rescue animals. Our presentations are still one "howling" good time, just not quite as loud!
For more information go to Webmd's website at http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-enlarged-esophagus-megaesophagus. Online support can be found at megaesphoagus@yahoogroups.com. Information on a paralyzed larynx can be found at the website for American College of Veterinary Medicine.
In July of 2012, Lucky suddenly could not keep his food down so we took him to our vet to see what was wrong. She diagnosed him with canine megaesophagus or ME. This condition can develop in various breeds and in both young and elderly dogs. Blood tests were conducted by a veterinarian specialist to see if a disease could be the underlying cause, but the results showed it was age-related. Obviously, our world has changed considerably. The short time that it use to take to feed Lucky now requires a total of about two hours per day.
We learned that Lucky needed to be fed small, frequent meals in an elevated position (see bottom row of pictures). After Lucky eats or drinks, it is important that he remains vertical for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the amount he eats or drinks so that gravity can pull the food and water down through his esophagus to his stomach. In order to keep him vertical, we were encourage to build a "Bailey Chair." Instructions for building this device can be found at eHow.com. When we rescued Lucky in 2002, both of his back legs were broken and aging has brought about arthritis. Therefore, we adjusted the recommended "Bailey Chair" to fit Lucky's specific need. We call it his "Bailey Box." The first three pictures below, shows Rick building Lucky's box. We are fortunate that Lucky is gaining back some of the seven pounds he lost and is doing better. We are thrilled with his improvement and amazed how much support he gets from our other two pets, Foxxy and Rolo (last photo below). They stay close to him while he patiently waits for the time to pass in his box.
At the same time, we learned Lucky had a partially paralyzed larynx--my precious "Big Mouth Plott" barks with a whisper now, but he still barks. This condition worsens depending upon the weather--the colder it becomes, the more Lucky sounds like he has laryngitis. (See videos below.)
Lucky's health problems came on quickly so we thought it may be helpful to others to be aware that this could also happen to your pet. We have been assured by the veterinarian specialist who saw Lucky that his barking will not worsen his injured larynx. Even with these two health conditions, Lucky still loves to travel NC teaching Plott history and encouraging others to rescue animals. Our presentations are still one "howling" good time, just not quite as loud!
For more information go to Webmd's website at http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-enlarged-esophagus-megaesophagus. Online support can be found at megaesphoagus@yahoogroups.com. Information on a paralyzed larynx can be found at the website for American College of Veterinary Medicine.
