In March, news reports of dogs developing megaoesophagus after eating Advance Dermocare hit the headlines, after the company announced a recall of the product and offered the cost of veterinary bills to affected owners as a goodwill gesture. READ THE STORY HERE and HERE. With all the resources of Melbourne University and the company, so far there has been no definitive or proven association demonstrated between the food and megaoesophagus in dogs.  the condition has only affected dogs in Australia.

While this diet was nutritionally balanced, it was very close to a vegetarian diet. The top 10 ingredients are  (in order): Rice, Corn Gluten, Corn, Chicken Fat, Tuna, Sardines, Chicken Flavour, Beet Pulp, Iodised Salt and Sunflower oil. (Is there a message here for those home cooking vegetarian dog diets?)

Why Didn’t They Diagnose This Earlier?

There are many causes of megaoesophagus. It can be congenital (born with it) or acquired (as in these cases). Acquired megaoesophagus can cause by foreign bodies or the scar tissue left behind by them (eg eating bones), spinal cord problems, hormonal disease (particularly Addisons), and a number of toxins including botulism, tetanus, lead, organophosphate flea/tick products, Paralysis Tick bite or Tiger Snake Bite. With a long list of possibilities, even good diagnostic work took a while to detect the association from the 4.8million Australian dogs in Australia.

Where are the investigations up to?

A number of universities are investigating and WA University wants dogs to volunteer for a clinical study to help develop the best treatment for megaoesophagus. READ HERE to volunteer to help!