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Yoda came to ABR several months ago because his owners could not address his medical issues. He came in underweight, struggling with pneumonia, lethargic. Turned out, Yoda has a condition called megaesophagus. Do you remember biology class? The esophagus shuttles food from your throat to your stomach through a process called peristalsis. In megaesophagus, the esophagus is, well, mega, too big to grip the food. The peristalsis can't work its magic to push the food to its next destination.

If the food does not get to the stomach, it comes up very easily and it can end up going into the trachea and causing aspiration pneumonia. This meant that Yoda had not been getting the amount of calories and nutrition needed to be at a healthy weight, have healthy skin, energy, etc. Food and water often ended up in the trachea s.

After a litany of tests, it was determined that Yoda's megaesophagus is related to a hernia that pushes the stomach into his chest cavity. Not only is this guy struggling to get food to his tummy, but the hernia also causes discomfort and bloating and some really different noises after he eats.

On top of that, because of his little smooshed bulldog face, he has brachycephalic airway syndrome, which, on a good day, can make breathing a little challenging. yoda4jpg Obviously, Yoda needs some fixin' up. He's been getting healthier with modifications to his diet. medication, and upright feeding. It's time for the next step of the hernia repair, surgery for his upper airway, and a little snip snip down under.

We are working on finding the best combination of qualified veterinarian and a feasible cost. We anticipate this will be upwards of $3000 for all the surgery, recovery, and medications.