My Dog Shiloh

In March 2020, I adopted my German Shepherd, Shiloh. It was my first time raising a puppy and was definitely a challenge. The biggest thing I dealt with with Shiloh was when he was diagnosed with an esophagus disorder. Shiloh lives with congenital megaesophagus, a condition that’s very common in his breed.

Like most people, we had no knowledge of such medical condition, so the following weeks after numerous vet visits, our days contained endless research to better understand CM and how to treat it. The period after diagnosis was grueling, long nights of having to clean up regurgitation, watching his every move to ensure his symptoms were stable, and having to find a feeding routine that he could keep down.

Quite honestly, there were moments of thinking to find a new home for him, the stress and bills were piling up on us, this along with the recent death of my grandma were taking a heavy toll. However, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to do it because we just knew we couldn’t give up on him, he was already a huge part of our family, so we kept going.

For the following months, it was hit or miss as we continued finding a routine for him. What snacks he could eat, how to give him his meals, how high to put his water bowl, etc etc. Then came a dark moment in our lives, where Shiloh became extremely sick to the point where he couldn’t stand and had a high fever. You see, with CM there’s a possibility of food and water accumulating in his esophagus that can proceed into his lungs and cause aspiration pneumonia, the common cause of death in dogs with his condition. To this day, we thank god that he came out alright after some injections, medications, and plenty of rest, bouncing back the next day.

I will say, our vet wasn’t the best at comforting us, telling us that we would have to prepare ourselves as “he may not live the full life expectancy of a German Shepherd”–thank you so much for your comforting words, doc! Nonetheless, I think Shiloh, being the stubborn dog that he is, wanted to prove that vet that he wouldn’t allow anything to stop him for being a pup. Now, Shiloh is almost three and no one would ever be able to tell he lives with a disorder.

As time has passed, we’ve been able to maintain Shiloh’s CM. He loves running, playing with dogs of all sizes, chase, and especially his car rides. Nothing ever stifles a dog from being a puppy, whatever condition or age they are.

We still have days and nights of having to clean up after him and keeping an eye on his symptoms. It’s never perfect, but it’s something that we are able to get through in order to ensure his health and safety. We also must remind ourselves that, although we have a trying time with this, Shiloh is the one that has to deal with this physically, emotionally, and mentally.

As I’ve said, it was difficult learning about megaesophagus as we had to look at multiple websites and piece them together when Shiloh was initially diagnosed. However, since then, there’s more social media accounts and websites popping up of dogs living with the condition. A blog I recently found was even created by a vet that found herself the owner of her second dog with megaesophagus and she’s been giving out information and tips for free through her website in the process of her day to day with her own pups!

Shiloh doesn’t allow CM to affect his life, he still plays and gets into trouble all the same. He teaches us, and those who know him, that nothing should ever stop you from living life as you can; sure it can halt it, but never let it stop it.

Shiloh is my best bud. I love him more than I think I’ve ever loved anything. He is truly a blessing in my life, especially after such a short time of losing the matriarch of my family. Although the first year with him was very rough, what with behavioral issues and a medical condition, he’s come a long way and although I’m still working on some things and I’m so proud of him.

With the past almost three years, the family and I have faced many difficulties and hard points. Even with the bad days, he’s helped us through all of it and made it easier to get through the day. He’s what I look forward to coming home to every day and what I love to see in the morning and going to bed.

Pets have a special place in our hearts and  I hope we are granted a long, long time with him.