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megaesophagus is not a Dinosaur

It is a defect that this adorable little girl was born with. Her esophagus is too large and does not function as an aid to force food down into her stomach where it can be digested. When she eats, the food will come back up and that will sometimes fill her lungs with fluid. That means that she can often suffer from pneumonia. Does she deserve a chance to live? We think she does! Button must be fed sitting in an upright position. We give her medication before she eats to aid in keeping her food down and then we wait about 30 minutes so that this medication has time to do its work. Then, we hold her while we feed her, being careful to give her little bits of food so that she does not gulp air along with her food. We continue to hold her for 30 minutes or so until she has time to start digesting her meal. Yes, she needs special care. But it takes no more time than you would give a human baby. You feed it, burp it, hold it a little longer. The time invested in this little sweetheart has been worth it. Take the time to find out about your animal's illness before you "throw it away and get another one." You will be glad that you did. Our little Button passed from this world on January 18, 2003. She was not much more than 4 years old, every day a struggle. She was my little trooper to the end.