Rokey 15-058 [1]

Hey it's Rokey!  He is an adorable Goldendoodle. At his wellness vet check, he weighed in at 26lbs. I am guessing when full grown, he will be a big boy. He is fluffy, but when feeling his paws and his legs, they are as thick and big as the full grown resident dogs. Rokey is all puppy. He loves the toys, loves romping with the big dogs, and is a love in general. When you sit down on the ground, he will come on over to sit by you. He definitely loves the humans. Potty training is a work in progress, but for his age, he is doing really good. He has those sharp baby teeth, and needs redirecting to a toy when gnawing on something he shouldn't be. One command he is learning quickly is sit. When we aren't able to keep full eyes on Rokey, he goes in the kennel. He makes a fuss at first but eventually settles down. He does fine in there for a full work day. Rokey needs a very special home. He was surrendered as he has megaesophagus. Megaesophagus describes a situation in which the esophagus has lost muscle tone. Shortly after eating, the dog tends to regurgitate its food. The esophagus lacks the muscle tone to move food to the stomach. Food is swallowed, but sits in the esophagus until regurgitated. Some food, particularly liquids, may pass into the stomach. To prevent regurgitation, Rokey is fed vertically in a Bailey Chair. Since his esophagus can't move the food to the stomach, gravity will do the work instead. I soften Rokey's food with water. After Rokey is done eating, he is held vertically 10 minutes. Some dogs with megaesophagus do require longer, but so far 10 minutes is working for Rokey with no regurgitation. 

This week Rokey is going to see a specialist, so we can get a better idea on how to manage this better.