Problem swallowing

[Laura]

My little Beau is about 6 pounds, he will start lying around and I find he has food in the back of his throat so I push it down so he can swallow it.
I was free feeding Royal Canin and I give them Cesar's as a treat. The vet suggested we give him only soft food elevated. He said he might need surgery but it might not help. He didn't really say what he thought the problem is. I could sure use some suggestions and thoughts from you guys.

[Wylie's Mom]

Did they xray his structures at all...? That would be my first step, I think. Does he have an elongated soft palate or anything like that?

I wonder if it would help if you made his soft food more runny - so that it doesn't get stuck/thick at the back of his throat.

The vet mentioned surgery, but what exactly?

[Laura]

We have had him for 2 years. This just started this about a month ago. But it seems to be getting worse. He did not take x-rays. He did not speculate on the problem.

[Laura]

I really need some advise other than go to the vet. I have been reading up and it would seem to be an esophageal problem. It seems he cant swallow his food down. It is not because of his mouth, but I can feel it at the back of his mouth, cant get it out, so I push down his throat, he will stick his tongue out and usually it will go down in a minute or so. I want to know if anyone has seen this type of problem and what to do about it.

Beau is not thin or loosing weight. I even think he may be eating so much his stomach is just full. (would indicate mouth problem if loosing weight)

When we got him 2 years ago, he was under 4 pounds and would not eat much, but it seems once he got the hang of it, he has really gone to town. But now this. ??

[Laura]

I would like to go on to say, we have 7 dogs. At first I thought the problem was the treats my husband was giving him. He is now afraid to give him anything at all.

We also moved the dry food to where he can't get to it. But it still seems he is finding things to eat that get stuck in his throat. Maybe things the other dogs are hiding around, I am not sure.

To stop this eating I would need to put a muzzle or leash on him to make sure he is not out finding things to eat. He is secure at night. Do you have any thoughts about this?

[Maximo]

Poor boy! There is no way to tell what exactly is going on without imaging and testing.

Does he have any other symptoms like coughing or breathing problems?

[Laura]

No other symptoms. When he has something stuck at the top of his throat, he wont eat, lies around, sometimes shivers. Sadly, he seems to be getting used to my sticking my finger down his throat. Now I put lip gloss under my nail and Vaseline on my finger first.

The vet doesn't think it warrants further investigation, I guess it will end in surgery to correct and the problem does not outweigh the risks at this time.

So basically it is up to me to make it better by using soft food and keeping him from eating bad stuff, but he is very motivated to eat. I think he was starved before.

[Shicks]

Get another opinion. This little fellow needs help! This is not normal. I would demand a full work up with X-rays. CBC, a good look in the mouth, everything. You know this baby is not comfortable. Best of luck to you.

[TxVicki]

Originally Posted by Shicks

Get another opinion. This little fellow needs help! This is not normal. I would demand a full work up with X-rays. CBC, a good look in the mouth, everything. You know this baby is not comfortable. Best of luck to you.

I totally agree with the above. Also, Not to worry you, but I had a friend whose dog was doing almost the same thing and lo and behold he had tumor in his throat.

So, yes I say a Vet visit is in order. I would hate to have to think I had to keep sticking my fingers down my dog's throat.

[Wylie's Mom]

Wish I had further advice, but not sure what advice would be able to give without first knowing an xray was done to see the structures. That's really the first step.

[Laura]

I also had a dog with a tumor in his throat, (last year) it was blocking his throat and airway, we had it tested which turned out to be cancer. We then had a biopsy which caused his throat to swell. They could tell before they took the biopsy how bad it was but they did it anyway. There was nothing to be done because of all the tiny things in there. But because of the biopsy his throat swelled up so much that he couldn't eat at all and when he just walked across the room he would have to lay down and lick his paw to calm down enough to breath. It was so terrible we had to put him down. If I could have let him suffer a couple of weeks for the biopsy to heal up (if it did) he might have made it a few more months.

For some reason, I had not thought about Quattro through this. It is not like that at all, but thinking back about my darling Quattro and how we made him suffer the last few weeks of his life - which they did nothing to make him feel better, only scaring and hurting him. Quattro [5/22/05-5/21/15] I am tearing up now thinking about those last few weeks.

I thank you for reminding me of that. I will gladly and as gently as possible push down every bite he takes and carry him everywhere to make sure he doesn't eat a thing I don't give him to keep him from that suffering. And if it is his time to go, he can go knowing how much we love him and without going through the horror of being left with strangers, caged up for days and being hurt and tortured.

I guess I had completely put Quattro's suffering out of my mind. Their tiny throats are not easily worked on. Now I understand what the vet was indicating.

I now ask for your prayers that Beau will be fine. Maybe he has an allergy or ate a bee or something that caused that part of his throat to swell. I know this is not what you wanted, but you have helped me more than you will ever know. I can't thank you enough for making me think about this thoroughly.

We also lost Bronx [03/20/04-3/08/2016] to cancer this year. His was also inoperable, some real bad kind, not the same strain as Quattro's. He was given 6 months and lived almost two years. He woke up that morning and threw up about 7am. I put a towel under his head and told his dad he was sick, he walked in there and sadly-he had already passed away. They were best friends.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by Laura

Now I put lip gloss under my nail and Vaseline on my finger first.

The vet doesn't think it warrants further investigation, I guess it will end in surgery to correct and the problem does not outweigh the risks at this time.

I would be very concerned about the ingredients of the lip gloss and regular ingestion of Vaseline. Neither one is good for dogs to ingest.

If a vet thought this problem doesn't warrant further investigation, I would run to another vet.

Originally Posted by Laura

I also had a dog with a tumor in his throat, (last year) it was blocking his throat and airway, we had it tested which turned out to be cancer. We then had a biopsy which caused his throat to swell. They could tell before they took the biopsy how bad it was but they did it anyway. There was nothing to be done because of all the tiny things in there. But because of the biopsy his throat swelled up so much that he couldn't eat at all and when he just walked across the room he would have to lay down and lick his paw to calm down enough to breath. It was so terrible we had to put him down. If I could have let him suffer a couple of weeks for the biopsy to heal up (if it did) he might have made it a few more months.

For some reason, I had not thought about Quattro through this. It is not like that at all, but thinking back about my darling Quattro and how we made him suffer the last few weeks of his life - which they did nothing to make him feel better, only scaring and hurting him. Quattro [5/22/05-5/21/15] I am tearing up now thinking about those last few weeks.

I thank you for reminding me of that. I will gladly and as gently as possible push down every bite he takes and carry him everywhere to make sure he doesn't eat a thing I don't give him to keep him from that suffering. And if it is his time to go, he can go knowing how much we love him and without going through the horror of being left with strangers, caged up for days and being hurt and tortured.

I guess I had completely put Quattro's suffering out of my mind. Their tiny throats are not easily worked on. Now I understand what the vet was indicating.

I now ask for your prayers that Beau will be fine. Maybe he has an allergy or ate a bee or something that caused that part of his throat to swell. I know this is not what you wanted, but you have helped me more than you will ever know. I can't thank you enough for making me think about this thoroughly.

We also lost Bronx [03/20/04-3/08/2016] to cancer this year. His was also inoperable, some real bad kind, not the same strain as Quattro's. He was given 6 months and lived almost two years. He woke up that morning and threw up about 7am. I put a towel under his head and told his dad he was sick, he walked in there and sadly-he had already passed away. They were best friends.

Without diagnostic tests -- bloodwork and imaging and physical exam, there is no way of knowing. He could have something very easy to cure, but you won't know if tests are not done.

I'm never thrilled about handing my dogs over to the vet. I also have a fear of going to vets I don't know, like at the ER. One time I thought Max was choking and I had to rush him to the ER. Turned out that he simply had an inflamed throat, but he needed antibiotics to take care of it.

My dad had a mini dachshund who had a problem swallowing and it turned out that he had a sewing needle lodged in his throat. The needle was removed surgically and he lived a full life.

There are always risks with healthcare for both dogs and humans, but the risks of not getting care are far worse.

Find a competent vet you can trust and who will discuss things with you, and help you make informed decisions.

[TxVicki]

Originally Posted by Maximo

I would be very concerned about the ingredients of the lip gloss and regular ingestion of Vaseline. Neither one is good for dogs to ingest.

If a vet thought this problem doesn't warrant further investigation, I would run to another vet.

Without diagnostic tests -- bloodwork and imaging and physical exam, there is no way of knowing. He could have something very easy to cure, but you won't know if tests are not done.

I'm never thrilled about handing my dogs over to the vet. I also have a fear of going to vets I don't know, like at the ER. One time I thought Max was choking and I had to rush him to the ER. Turned out that he simply had an inflamed throat, but he needed antibiotics to take care of it.

My dad had a mini dachshund who had a problem swallowing and it turned out that he had a sewing needle lodged in his throat. The needle was removed surgically and he lived a full life.

There are always risks with healthcare for both dogs and humans, but the risks of not getting care are far worse.

Find a competent vet you can trust and who will discuss things with you, and help you make informed decisions.

[matese]

Originally Posted by Maximo

I would be very concerned about the ingredients of the lip gloss and regular ingestion of Vaseline. Neither one is good for dogs to ingest.

If a vet thought this problem doesn't warrant further investigation, I would run to another vet.

Without diagnostic tests -- bloodwork and imaging and physical exam, there is no way of knowing. He could have something very easy to cure, but you won't know if tests are not done.

I'm never thrilled about handing my dogs over to the vet. I also have a fear of going to vets I don't know, like at the ER. One time I thought Max was choking and I had to rush him to the ER. Turned out that he simply had an inflamed throat, but he needed antibiotics to take care of it.

My dad had a mini dachshund who had a problem swallowing and it turned out that he had a sewing needle lodged in his throat. The needle was removed surgically and he lived a full life.

There are always risks with healthcare for both dogs and humans, but the risks of not getting care are far worse.

Find a competent vet you can trust and who will discuss things with you, and help you make informed decisions.

[Laura]

Thank you all for your advise and concern.

I have used this vet for 32 years, I think I trust them a bit. My sister's Rescue org (Legacy Boxer Rescue) also uses this vet for their dogs in this area (not my recommendation)