I was approached by a neighbor the other day who wanted to get rid of their 7 week old min pin puppy. She has megesophagus (sp) and has trouble eating. They got her from a "breeder" at 5 weeks old They arnt in a position to take care of a special needs puppy. So I have her until she is healthy and can find a forever home. I have a home lined up. A friend of mine works is a vet tech and wants a min pin, so she is going to adopt her in a few months. Where she lives right now she cant have a dog, so she has to wait til she moves in July.

Anyway, I know of the disorder and how to handle it. But i've never "personally" handled it myself.

Right now we have her eating 3x's a day and she is eating canned Eagle Pack Holistic Selects puppy forumula. I take a big spoonful and smash it up real good, add a little water, and then hold the bowl up so that she has to stand on her back legs to eat. It seems to be working very well. She has not vomited since I've had her (At her previous owners, she was vomiting daily) But they were also feeding eukenuba, blagh.

The other thing is she doesnt want to drink much water. We have a regular bowl that is elevated and then we also have a water feeder (like for rabbits and stuff) that she will lick at a little. She is peeing on a regular basis but Im worried she isnt getting enough water?

I havnt had a puppy in the house in 4 years, so I seem to have forgotten so much!

Bella, my oldest min pin, is being a very good surrogate mommy. She even let Penny nurse on her last night. Of course, since Bella is spayed, nothing came of that haha. But it was good that Bella didnt seem to care.

Anyway, any advice would be much appreciated!

Here are some pics of the little princess

[CorkyMax]

Sorry to hear about the poor puppy's problem. I don't know if this would be a good idea or not in this situation or whether it would work---but I have read to put vinegar in the drinking water to make the dog drink more water (gets thirstier and wants more water). Maybe could try a little in the food too if she would eat it. My dogs are use to sour so I put a splash of vinegar in their supper meal of the day--suppose to be good for them--I only use Braggs organic raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar. I'm also thinking it might help with any gas they might have, esp. since I feed raw veggies in their meals a lot. I know that people put vinegar in bean soup to help cut down on the 'gas' that bean soup is noted for so I am wondering if it might also help a dog from getting bloat!? Another idea that I thought of (off the top of my head) maybe you could hold her up and see if she would lick an ice cube.
You'd want to hold it with a cloth wrapped around it so you wouldn't freeze your hand. I know you said you have the info on this megaesophagus (and I have had no experience with this) but just in case there is something new I may have from my home vet book that might be helpful--will quote a couple paragraphs. But am going to end this 1st post, posts have not been making it again lately (seems to run in streaks) plus I know they get automatically knocked out if post is too long so, 2nd part coming right up-->

[CorkyMax]

A hereditary form of megaesophagus occurs in puppies. It is caused by a developmental disorder involving the nerve plexus in the lower esophagus. Peristaltic activity stops at the level of the paralyzed esophagus, and food can go no further. In time, the esophagus above the inert segment enlarges and balloons out.
Characteristically, they approach the food dish with enthusiasm but back away after a few bites. They often regurgitate small amounts of food, which they eat again. After repeatedly eating the food, it becomes quite liquid and passes into the stomach. REPEATED INHALATION OF FOOD CAUSES BOUTS OF ASPIRAtION PNEUMONIA. Treatment:
Divide the daily rations into 4 or more small feedings (I imagine the assumption here is that the puppy is a little older because this shows up when pup starts eating solid foods and this pup was taken too soon from it's mother--so would prob. figure that it would be eating a little more than a 7 wk old). A semi-liquid or gruel mixture is easier for some dogs to swallow. Others do better with solids. This should be determined by trial and error.
Episodes of aspiration pneumonia require antibotics, selected on the basis of culture and sensitivity tests. Signs of pneumonia are coughing, fever and rapid, labored breathing. Puppies with congenital megaesophagus may eventually outgrow the condition. Surgical correction of some vascular ring anomalies is possible. Dogs with congential megaesophagus should not be used for breeding. Hope this is of some help to you. Keep us posted!

[Yogi]

Basically as Corky/Max has described is it....I cannot add much more but do recommend as the breeder of this dog was a blundering idiot to assume a Miniature Pinscher is ready to go at 5 weeks and as at 7 weeks it is attempting to nurse, using the puppy chow in a blender with heated goats milk, mix thoroughly to a fine mash. Goats milk will offer the nutrients that the dog is missing. People assume that when the time comes you can get a pup on solid food it is weaned. This is far from fact. I start the "food" weaning at 4 to 5 weeks but the nursing still will continue off and on for another week or so. The second phase, the one most have no clue about is the socializing and sibling recognition. The dam will work with the pups on dog socializing and discipline. This generally takes the pup to anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks. This is the one that in most cases when missed creates the problem many have with puppies that like to bite.. Bite inhibition is taught by the dam and if the pup is taken to soon than the pup is not afforded the opportunity to learn these things.

I told Penny's previous owners that they need to call animal control on this "breeder". I understand that they were first time dog owners and honestly had no clue. They should have done research, and I was pretty po'd at first. But they have learned their lesson (I hope) I know in most places its illegal to sell pup before 8 weeks of age.

Thankfully, Penny has Bella and Luna to teach her how to be a good puppy. Bella is a good surrogate mommy and has been teaching her a lot, and no biting is one of them.

I tried something new tonight that I saw online. It was to add a little extra virgin olive oil to the food ( it didnt say how much, so I just added a tiny bit, it was like 3 drops) Its supposed to help lubricate the food so it makes it easier to go down.

She is having the big D right now, but Im sure thats because she had a cold switch of food. They didnt have any of the food she was on left over (the last bit they had is what she ate yesterday morning) and the bag was thrown away and they couldnt remember what it was. But she hasnt thrown up at all. I know being gassy was a concern but the only gas she seems to have is normal toots (which what puppy doesnt have gas!) and then about 5 mins after she eats she lets out the loudest burp!

Its going to be hard to adopt her out. I just love this little booger so much!

Some updates on Penny.

She is doing rather well. She's still having some D but its starting to firm up. She has only thrown up once, and were assuming its because I was at work and my husband forgot to feed her in the AM. So by the time he fed her it was about 3 pm and her last feeding was 8pm the night before. So it probably just upset her tummy.

We were planning on adopting her out.....but I have a feeling that she's going to stay. My husband and I are both very attatched to her!