29/09/2019
I apologise that I haven't posted in awhile. I've been busy with Certified Digital Marketing Agency Training and Zeeva has been doing so well, I have good news.
I think, after 2 years of trying, I have found the right combination to manage Zeeva's condition with Megaesophagus!
First off, the vet suggested, 3 years ago, trying 75 mg. of an "Acid Reducer" such as Ranitadine, or Prilosec, once a day (I discovered that I could buy it from the $ store).
I did that for a year, poking it down her throat while she sat vertical in her comfy Rubbermaid garbage can. That sucked and she hated it, but it seemed to help a lot, but she was still throwing up at least half to 3/4 of what she was eating. She was very thin, so picky, and between feeding, can time, and cleaning up what she had eaten off the floor, it was like a full time job.
Then I thought back ... any time I had given her leftovers that had pasta she was especially sick. So I thought maybe she has food allergies and I decided to try switching food. She was eating canned Pedigree. I switched her to "Grain Free" canned food, and thought about how it seemed like anytime she ate food that had chunks in it, she threw up more. Which made me think about the exrays of her esophagus. It's huge, flaccid, it's almost like a pouch. I thought about it ... and thought, I bet that the opening to her stomach is very small. That's why, no matter how long she is vertical after eating, the chunks don't go down.
That's when I decided to start blending her food. It was very thick, so I put some water in the can I had just emptied into her dish. Heck, why don't I throw the Ranitadine in the 1/3 can of water and blend it first, then add the water to the canned food and blend it. It came out to be about the consistency of pea soup.
She liked the high protein, no grain food and lapped it up. Then I put her in her can for 30 minutes.
This has been working beautifully for 2-3 months. She has been gaining weight, and has the best appitite she has ever had. She is finally looking and feeling great! My carpet shampooer has gotten to take a break, and so has my discovery of using a dust pan and spatula for the vomit on smooth surfaces.
I felt like I owed this story to the community of folks who's fur babies suffer from the same misfortune. Maybe it will help another.