The esophagus is a small hose-like tube which connects the mouth
to the stomach. As it leaves the mouth, it follows a straight
path through the neck and chest, passing near the heart through
the diaphragm muscle and finally entering the stomach. The
esophagus walls are composed of muscles which move in wave-like
contractions to push food into the stomach. In the dog, it takes
about five seconds for food to move from the mouth to the
stomach. Surgery on the esophagus is always difficult because of
its location within the chest and its slow rate of healing.
Megaesophagus describes a situation in which the esophagus has
lost muscle tone. Rather than appearing like a muscular hose, it
dilates into a thin 'bag-like' tube. Most cases are congenital
and probably caused by a faulty nerve supply. What are the
symptoms? Shortly after eating, the dog tends to regurgitate its
food. The diseased esophagus lacks the muscle tone to move food
to the stomach. Food is swallowed, but sits in the esophagus
until regurgitated. So