[GandalfTheShepherd]

Hi again,
We have taken Gandalf to countless vets, been through this all before... our regular vet straight up REFUSED to x ray Gandalf for mega E. , as did the ER vet when we last took him. All vets that have seen him so far said it is absolutely NOT mega E. For several months now I haven't seen him do this since we switched him over from rabbit to beef... but now it has started again. We are so frustrated we haven't been able to get any answers. We can't afford to take him to another vet at this time, we've spent thousands already on him, with no answers, and our pet insurance healthy paws didn't cover him. Would love to keep taking him to vets but just got hit again this month with an $800 AC repair bill. I'm just trying to do what I can for him at this point... i've tried sitting him up and rubbing his tummy like suggested on here, listening for a sloshing sound, etc. nothing has helped and I haven't heard any of those things. He occasionally is regurgitating after breakfast again. I'm at such a loss... perhaps it is just a sneeze and i'm worrying for nothing? Hoping someone knowledgeable will take a listen to this video and have some ideas.. I was lucky enough to catch it on camera this time. You hear it at about the 8-9 second mark. It wasn't the longest one I've heard him do but it was all I could get on video. The episodes last around 10 minutes several hours after he has eaten (he ate at 9 am, and it is noon now), he regurgitated a little bit of food and water this morning around 10:30. After the episode is over he has no other symptoms the rest of the day. The episodes are more prevalent in the AM. He usually is also picky in the morning and prefers to pick at his food, this morning he ate half of it but my husband convinced him to finish it all. So perhaps he just overate?
He has no other symptoms and has been his usual playful self, eating good, etc.

Thanks again all

 

[kr16]

Hi again,
We have taken Gandalf to countless vets, been through this all before... our regular vet straight up REFUSED to x ray Gandalf for mega E. , as did the ER vet when we last took him. All vets that have seen him so far said it is absolutely NOT mega E. For several months now I haven't seen him do this since we switched him over from rabbit to beef... but now it has started again. We are so frustrated we haven't been able to get any answers. We can't afford to take him to another vet at this time, we've spent thousands already on him, with no answers, and our pet insurance healthy paws didn't cover him. Would love to keep taking him to vets but just got hit again this month with an $800 AC repair bill. I'm just trying to do what I can for him at this point... i've tried sitting him up and rubbing his tummy like suggested on here, listening for a sloshing sound, etc. nothing has helped and I haven't heard any of those things. He occasionally is regurgitating after breakfast again. I'm at such a loss... perhaps it is just a sneeze and i'm worrying for nothing? Hoping someone knowledgeable will take a listen to this video and have some ideas.. I was lucky enough to catch it on camera this time. You hear it at about the 8-9 second mark. It wasn't the longest one I've heard him do but it was all I could get on video. The episodes last around 10 minutes several hours after he has eaten (he ate at 9 am, and it is noon now), he regurgitated a little bit of food and water this morning around 10:30. After the episode is over he has no other symptoms the rest of the day. The episodes are more prevalent in the AM. He usually is also picky in the morning and prefers to pick at his food, this morning he ate half of it but my husband convinced him to finish it all. So perhaps he just overate?
He has no other symptoms and has been his usual playful self, eating good, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qliG8O2AIXk

Thanks again all

The sound is something to do with his lungs perhaps food is leaking into it. We have said before so many vets have never seen Mega E.

Its a simple cheap fast xray that is all it takes. You do not need barium and its not safe to use it anyhow. Its time to eliminate the possibility and find out for sure. Never going to know until its officially ruled in or out.



https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951482

 

[Magwart]

GandalfTS, aren't you in FL? Maybe kr16 could PM you the name of the vet she uses there?

 

[GandalfTheShepherd]

GandalfTS, aren't you in FL? Maybe kr16 could PM you the name of the vet she uses there?

Yes we are in FL. Kr16, my vet is refusing to do the X ray, he has been to two different vets now who will not do it. I'm not sure why they are so adamant.... Gandalf is also only 1.5 years old and has been sedated twice already, I also don't want to keep sedating him for his health and the cost. We can't afford another $700 x ray right now, but if we found a vet willing to do it I would gladly budget for in a few months. We can't take him to the vet school, it is too far from us and we can't take time off right now. So that doesn't sound like just a sneeze to anyone? Definitely something there? It's very weird, he will be symptomless for the longest time and then suddenly it's back. After the episode he acts normal. I think part of the reason the vets aren't concerned is he has always been a good weight, I mean if he had mega E they keep saying he would be dead by now. I'm wondering if it may just be a mild case of Mega E. or acid reflux. Are there some things we can try besides a bailey chair or holding him inbetween my legs for 30 minutes (he doesn't like sitting like that it and I don't like forcing him), that might help in the mean time until we can find a vet willing to x ray ?

 

[Magwart]

Huh? I pay $125 for the first view, $75 per additional view, and maybe $50 for reversible light sedation. I just got a couple of views with sedation for $250 for my personal dog -- no discount, at an AAHA-accredited vet clinic. Nobody should be charging you $700 for an xray!

 

[GandalfTheShepherd]

Huh? I pay $125 for the first view, $75 per additional view, and maybe $50 for reversible light sedation. Nobody should be charging you $700 for an xray!

WOW. Where do you live??? I would do it in a heart beat if I found prices like that.
How bad is it to keep sedating him? When they've sedated him he has been out and wouldn't move for hours after... it scared me a lot to be honest. We couldn't get him to get up so we could go home. I wondered if they gave him too much or something . I don't even understand why they would need to sedate him for this... his stay is so solid and he lets you position him and is capable of holding it .
I really need to find a better vet.

 

[Magwart]

Louisiana. If you want to take a road trip here for a mini-vacay during our fall festival season, I can tell you the name of a vet that has a "special interest" in mega-E (and is as good as any internal medicine specialist I've ever known), charges really reasonable prices. People come from far and wide to her -- she had lots of clients out of state who come to her for answers when other vets are stumped. The last time I was in the back in the clinic, they had the world's smallest bailey chair up on the counter where the techs were feeding a juvenile teacup chihuahua.

 

[kr16]

Yes we are in FL. Kr16, my vet is refusing to do the X ray, he has been to two different vets now who will not do it. I'm not sure why they are so adamant.... Gandalf is also only 1.5 years old and has been sedated twice already, I also don't want to keep sedating him for his health and the cost. We can't afford another $700 x ray right now, but if we found a vet willing to do it I would gladly budget for in a few months. We can't take him to the vet school, it is too far from us and we can't take time off right now. So that doesn't sound like just a sneeze to anyone? Definitely something there? It's very weird, he will be symptomless for the longest time and then suddenly it's back. After the episode he acts normal.

Its like $70-$90 for an Xray and if the dog is calm he does not need to be sedated. Sedating a Mega E dog is not good if its not done right. It takes one Xray sometimes.

Does he lay around sometimes with his head cocked in a weird position?

Join that Yahoo Mega group and ask for a vet around your area that someone may have used.


This is Dr. Kathy Morris-Stillwell website. She is amazing at helping with this. Call and see if they can find you someone close. She runs that yahoo page.

http://www.morrisvet.com/

 

[GandalfTheShepherd]

Its like $70-$90 for an Xray and if the dog is calm he does not need to be sedated. Sedating a Mega E dog is not good if its not done right. It takes one Xray sometimes.

Does he lay around sometimes with his head cocked in a weird position?

Join that Yahoo Mega group and ask for a vet around your area that someone may have used.


This is Dr. Kathy Morris-Stillwell website. She is amazing at helping with this. Call and see if they can find you someone close. She runs that yahoo page.

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No he never lays with his head cocked in a weird position. Thanks i'll look into that.

 

[kr16]

With a mega E dog everything is done to avoid aspiration pneumonia. This includes not putting your dog under to get Xrays or anything else unless is has to be done. Also includes proper feeding and hydration.

AP can kill if its not caught and avoided. Cant understand why your vets wont do an xray and charge so much and wont be pro active. I'm sure you can find a better vet close by and who wants to help. You really need to rule this out once and for all. Its not expensive if it is Mega E. I can coach how to handle it.

 

[Pytheis]

Those prices are ridiculous! I paid about $200 for my puppy to get x-rays, multiple different views of his back, knees, hips, and elbows. He had to be sedated, then they gave him a special medication to undue the sedation. I even paid to have the x-rays sent to off for a second opinion, as my vet was on the fence about if he had hip dysplasia or not.

Colorado is more expensive to live in than Florida according to this link, and I sure believe it! I can't imagine you can't find a more affordable vet than I can in this ridiculously expensive state. Not judging you, by the way, I'm just saying. Keep looking.

https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/denver-co/tampa-fl/150000

EDIT: You have been worrying about this for quite some time. It would be worth it to spend some money, even if you have to save, just for peace of mind, IMO. It sure would be nice to stop second-guessing every little thing he does.

 

[gsdsar]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but MegaE wouldn't come and go for months at a time.

Your boy is 18 months. Does he regurgitate every meal? Refugee usually is soundless. They open their mouth and food or water falls out.

I couldn't get sound on your video. But it looked like a bit of reflux.

 

[GandalfTheShepherd]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but MegaE wouldn't come and go for months at a time.

Your boy is 18 months. Does he regurgitate every meal? Refugee usually is soundless. They open their mouth and food or water falls out.

I couldn't get sound on your video. But it looked like a bit of reflux.

No he doesn't regurgitate every meal that's where I've been confused and why I think the vets don't think it's Mega E and don't want to test for it... he will be fine for weeks and then randomly one morning regurgitate about a tablespoon of what appears to be little food particles and water, and then doing this weird breathing thing for about 10 minutes. He acts completely fine otherwise and weight is good. Sorry it is so quiet.... I missed his louder one a few seconds before unfortunately :frown2:. I'm hoping to capture a better one next time it happens to send in to the vet but it happens so infrequently...

Wondering still if it could just be a weird sneeze? Or indigestion...?

 

[kr16]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but MegaE wouldn't come and go for months at a time.

Your boy is 18 months. Does he regurgitate every meal? Refugee usually is soundless. They open their mouth and food or water falls out.

I couldn't get sound on your video. But it looked like a bit of reflux.

In less severe cases, its very inconsistent. It can be everyday and than nothing for a while. Most of the times its like a burp sound. Other times its silent. Silent is more rare in my boys case.

 

[GandalfTheShepherd]

In less severe cases, its very inconsistent. It can be everyday and than nothing for a while. Most of the times its like a burp sound. Other times its silent. Silent is more rare in my boys case.

It is definitely NOT a burp sound... it's like he is having trouble breathing... Can GSD have reverse sneezes???? I've only ever heard little dogs do it, and none of mine have in the past?

 

[kr16]

It is definitely NOT a burp sound... it's like he is having trouble breathing... Can GSD have reverse sneezes???? I've only ever heard little dogs do it, and none of mine have in the past?

He has a trouble breathing sound, than he regurgitates?

 

[GandalfTheShepherd]

He has a trouble breathing sound, than he regurgitates?

Not exactly, the regurgitation doesn't always occur. And they are never at the same time. Like today the regurgitation was only a little right after he drank and ate a lot. And then he did this breathing thing a few hours later. But i've seen him do the breathing thing on days when there wasn't regurgitation. Not sure if they are linked or not? The episodes last around 10 minutes. Today at 12 we heard the weird breathing thing that I tried capturing on video and he regurgitated a little bit of food and water this morning around 10:30. So the time was quite a bit apart.
The regurgitation is only every a tablespoon or so, he does tend to drink a lot of water also after he eats (I stop him from chugging but occasionally forget...), is Mega E usually such a small amount? Or is it usually the entire meal?

 

[kr16]

Not exactly, the regurgitation doesn't always occur. And they are never at the same time. Like today the regurgitation was only a little right after he drank and ate a lot. And then he did this breathing thing a few hours later. But i've seen him do the breathing thing on days when there wasn't regurgitation. Not sure if they are linked or not? The episodes last around 10 minutes. Today at 12 we heard the weird breathing thing that I tried capturing on video and he regurgitated a little bit of food and water this morning around 10:30. So the time was quite a bit apart.
The regurgitation is only every a tablespoon or so, he does tend to drink a lot of water also after he eats (I stop him from chugging but occasionally forget...), is Mega E usually such a small amount? Or is it usually the entire meal?

The regurge can be huge at times as well as small. His case me so minor right now. If its not diagnosed or ruled out the damage to the area can get worse. The pockets can grow and hold more food. Also if its not coming up in can seep into the lungs causing issues as well.

My boy had a small corn cob in his neck for a few months and we had no idea.

How many times a day are you feeding him? I do three smaller meals, that helps.

 

[GandalfTheShepherd]

The regurge can be huge at times as well as small. His case me so minor right now. If its not diagnosed or ruled out the damage to the area can get worse. The pockets can grow and hold more food. Also if its not coming up in can seep into the lungs causing issues as well.

My boy had a small corn cob in his neck for a few months and we had no idea.

How many times a day are you feeding him? I do three smaller meals, that helps.

Ouch that sounds painful. He usually gets three small meals a day, and today he got two so perhaps that's why.
I just googled and found this video.. this is EXACTLY what we are seeing

I feel like an idiot lol, I had NO clue GSD could reverse sneeze!?!??! I thought only pugs and short muzzled dogs could. Wow. Sounds like the regurgitation is a separate issue then. I was worried he was getting pneumonia or something and couldn't breathe.

 

[Fodder]

Any dog that can sneeze can reverse sneeze
I only wish Keystones reverse sneezes were that subtle/mild - instead he stumbles around in a panic while making loud fast honking/wheezing sounds... and nothing helps to stop them.