Mega Esophagus - Page 1

I recently lost my beautiful GSD Blitz  who was just over two to mega esophagus he was not a full pedigree dog since his dam although a GSD was not registered but his sire was.  I would like to get a new puppy however am concerned about the chances of the new puppy suffering from this dreadful disease that I have subsequently found out is quite common in GSD. 

I live in Costa Rica and have identified a registered breeder who has a litter however the dam of this litter is the sister of the sire of Blitz. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can check for insidences of mega esophagus in a breeders blood line is there a requirement to register illnesses with a genetic link?

Since it is possible to purchase GSD without pedigrees here is Costa Rica what are the safe guards with opting for a pedigree vs not?

With all the GSD's breeders available, you are going to buy one related to Blitz ? Buying dogs with no papers is one of the problems. Go to a reputable breeder, that has papers and had done some screenings on his dogs, like DNA , X-rays, etc...Mega Esophagus is not very common, so chances you run into it again are slim, but otherwise ask the breeder if he tests his dogs or when you buy yours,test him .

good luck

Jewles,

I'm very sorry to here of your loss.

While there may be plenty of breeders in Costa Rica that are able to breed unregistered dogs it doesn't make it right. Breed registries are there to ensure that you get dogs of pure lineage. In other words, they guarantee that you are getting a dog that is ALL German Shepherd. They also provide you with clear ancestral lineage so you can research dogs in the pedigree for information on them, such as health, temperament, performance records and many other interesting details about the dog. If you want a pure bred German Shepherd then by a puppy from a registered breeder. 

In regards to the Mega-E, I have been told that it can be inherited. I've never done any research to verify that but if there is even the slightest chance that this is true, it increases the chances, of other puppies from this breeding, of having it. Personally, I would not buy a puppy from ANY relative of your Blitz. Also, it bothers me that this breeder knowing that your Blitz had it is continuing to breed these lines. I agree with jdiaz, go to a reputable breeder that has papers and has done some health screening.

Good Luck

My heart to you.   I lost a puppy to ME and one of my girl's is a "recovery" ME.   (long story I can share later if you want).

Here is what I know about ME:

1.  It is not confirmed that this is a genetic issue.  At this time, due to very limited research, it is only known that something happens during gestation to cause the issue.     That said, and knowing the heart break, I personally would stay away from a line that I know 1 or more dogs have had this, as I do not know if my heart can go threw it again.

2.  Since it is not known if it is a genetic issue, it will be difficult to determine if a line has the issue or not of ME.   ME normally shows up around the time a puppy starts eating solids.  As many breeders feed all puppies at the same time and together, they may not catch the issue  (other puppies eat the reguratation).   Also, unless the breeder is extreamly attentive on the occurance, they may write off the issue as the puppy ate too fast (it happens).

3.  There is no confirmed cure, but, depending on the severity, it can be managed.

I can give you a lot more hints and help, but they digress from your original post.   Bottom Line:   No sense in going back to a breding that you know for a fact produced an ME; the dog Gods are not on your side.    There are plenty of other lines out there.   If you are only looking for a GSD as a pet, talk to other breeders.  Many times there will be a "pet level" puppy in a litter; could be they had a patch of white, ears did not stand up, wrong color.  "Pet level" does not mean a poor quality, unheathly puppy.  Just means that the puppy did not live up to the goals of the litter.

Good Luck   -   Again my heart to you.

Do you possibly have a rescue organization in your country?  I would start there and maybe save a dog's life.  So sorry for your loss but there are dogs that need you.  Nan

Thank you all for your sound advise, I am also enlising the help of a vet in my search.  

I am visitng a Breeder on Friday who has a litter due in a couple of weeks, this database realy helps to see the linkages it is just frustrating when one of the pairs is missing. Hopefully I will get the full history on Friday so I can check if there are any links to my beautiful boy. What is so hard about this awful condition is that he was such a wonderful natured dog and very hansome, so some very positve aspects but having lived through this once as fawndallas so elequently put it I dont think my heart could stand it again.

Nans gsd i  gree with your sentiment regarding rescue dogs and yes there are organisations here however I also have two Rhodsian Ridgebacks and a stray Collie cross so the new addition really needs to be a puppy to join the pack and Blitz spoilt me it is GSD or nothing

from the reseach i have done, but is in 100% yet , but i know there is a ME that is not gentic and also there is one that is gentic , but you need both parents to be carriesr to produce a ME puppy if gentic, i had one once and i seen  at 5 weeks she end on going to a rescue, i had her tested so i knew she had ME and now  over a year it has gone away , so i think that one was not a gentic one , but more a developement one in the womb, but i am with the others dont bother going back with those lines.  good luck on your search for a new puppy

Thanks Trixx

Obvioulsy when Blitz was diagnosed I did some research and below is a summary of the findings of a Genetic Stufy being perfomed by CLeemson University in the USA.

      Our lab has been working with dogs affected by congenital idiopathic megaesophagus, currently focusing our efforts on German Shepherd Dogs. We use a few methods for our research – microarrays, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as well as gene sequencing and sequence analysis. These methods allow us to study specific regions of chromosomes – in our case, canine chromosomes. Thus far, we have found a significant association between the megaesophagus phenotype in German Shepherd Dogs and a region of chromosome 12 in the dog. This finding has led us to more closely examine this region of chromosome 12 in order to determine a haplotype that is shared by all dogs with megaesophagus in our study.
      We are also comparing our results from affected German Shepherd Dogs with results from affected dogs of other breeds. This will allow us to further refine our haplotype and eventually determine the gene(s) involved in the megaesophagus phenotype we see in German Shepherd Dogs.  While much has been found about this disorder by both our lab and others, there are still many questions left unanswered. We still need to find the specific gene or genes involved in this disorder – genes that either cause this disorder or confer susceptibility to this disorder.
      Currently, we are continuing to collect DNA samples from German Shepherd Dogs as well as dogs of other breeds that have been diagnosed with megaesophagus before one year of age. While we currently believe that the inheritance pattern of CIM in German Shepherd Dogs is complex, our work will hopefully allow us to determine both the true mode of inheritance and the specific genes involved in this disorder.

http://www.clemsoncaninegenetics.com/megaesophagus.htm

They are also asking for volunteer data for their study so if any of you feel inb a position to help them idnetify the cause so that we do not loose our beloved animals to such a terrible condition.

http://www.caninemegaesophagus.org/studies.htm

While some info on here is good, there are also some inaccuracies being passed concerning mega esophagus. There are several different types of mega e to include genetic, which is also known as congenital mega e. Congenital mega e is when a pup has mega e and there are no conditions that cause it, such as PRAA or MG, etc. Mega e which is secondary to another condtion is known as aquired mega e. I lost a pup at 13 weeks due to congenital mega e and it truly sucked.

Many times, when a pup has mega e, either congeital or caused by PRAA, there are symptoms beginning around 3 weeks of age. When the pup nurses, the milk will come up through the nose. That doesn't always happen but it is a common symptom. As the pup ages and moves to solid food, you will notice the pup will regurgitate the food and water it tries to eat. There is also a very noticeable gurgling sound in the pup's throat that comes from the enlarged esophagus.

What type of mega e did your pup have?

The puppy I lost spit up mother's milk and got worse when he started on solids.  I lost him at 5 weeks. 

My girl, still have, started at about 10 weeks.  By that time I knew what to look for.  

I say all is well, but we are having issues this evening.  Could be any number of things, but the return of Mega E is always on my mind.

i am sure there are specifics in my paperwork....