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Treatment

Dogs with aspiration pneumonia may require antibiotics and possibly oxygen supplementation. Surgery to repair the vascular entrapment is indicated. However, the esophagus may be permanently compromised resulting from the entrapment itself, especially if surgical intervention does not take place early enough. In these cases, specialized feeding for megaesophagus (i.e. placing food on an elevated surface or feeding with the dog sitting upright, feeding food processed into a slurry) may be necessary indefinitely.