HELP SAVE "HERO"!
HELP SAVE "HERO"!
Hero was dumped at the local shelter, sick and scared. When they noticed he was loosing weight and vomiting, they contacted Animal Rescue Recon for help. ARR took Hero to their local vet and subsequently to UC Davis for evaluation and diagnosis. Hero has been diagnosed with Canine Megaesophagus.
Simply put, the dog’s esophagus muscles fail and cannot propel food or water into his stomach. The food sits in the esophagus within the chest cavity and can result in vomiting and/or aspiration of fluid/food, leading to Pneumonia.
Megaesophagus is usually a genetic condition and is manageable. It does not have to be a death sentence. Many dogs live a long successful life. Other than monitoring their food and water intake, they have no restrictions.
Hero needs to eat and drink in a vertical position.
The wonderful folks at Bailey Chairs 4 Dogs have custom built and donated a chair just for Hero! He's doing much better, learning a new way to eat, and hanging out in his chair afterwards!
Update on Hero:
We were contacted by a woman who lives about 2 hours from Oakley and has extensive experience with this condition - she had two German Shepard's in her home with ME. Hero was in her home for close to 5 years, working on fine-tuning his diet and trying to determine what works best with him (not all ME dogs can eat the same thing). She closely monitored his progress and did her best to get him healthy and stable.
Sadly, Hero crossed the rainbow bridge in March 2019. While he didn't live a long life, the short time he did have was filled with love, compassion and dedication from his amazing foster mommy. Hero will always hold a special place in our hearts and we are blessed to have had him touch our lives.
