Photo by Amy Opoka.

Although congenital megaesophagus is exceedingly rare in Deerhounds, here is some recent research that may be helpful with any future cases.

We don’t know the cause(s) of congenital megaesophagus in Deerhounds, and we don’t even know if it is a genetic problem in our breed, never mind whether it is the same gene as it is in German Shepherds. But if we see another case, it would be good to test:

Researchers discover genetic cause of megaesophagus in dogs

Here’s the actual scientific study.

And we don’t know whether Viagra (yes, that Viagra!) treatment would work on a Deerhound with congenital megaesophagus, but it might be worth a try:

Viagra promising as treatment for canine eating disorder