My dog has formed a stricture at the end of her esophagus

1. My dog has formed a stricture at the end of her esophagus. I have had 6 very expensive procedures to open it up and cannot afford more. I have to feed her only liquefied food and am concerned. She can only seem to keep down Science Diet A/D canned formula mixed with water. She has done very well and gained some weight. She is perfectly normal and full of energy. My concern is this food okay for her to have all the time (the rest of her life)? I know it is for sick & recovering dogs (high in calories & fat.) Will it hurt her or is there something similar out there that is just daily nutrition. It has to be absolute mush; the slightest chunk causes immediate regurgitation.

Strictures can be very difficult to manage and I commend you for doing all that you can for your sweet girl. I always recommend speaking to your veterinarian when making a diet change, especially in cases like this.  Hill’s Science Diet A/D is a very good recovery diet for dogs with strictures, as many of them are underweight. Your veterinarian can help you determine what an appropriate body weight is for her and if such a high calorie diet is needed.

I recommend that you or your veterinarian contact Hill’s directly about if it is appropriate or balanced to feed long-term. I have never fed it for longer than 6 months and I cannot find any data published that says that it is okay to feed long-term.  

Some owners that feed blended diets to their dogs often use a very smooth canned food and blend it with water until it is liquid. If your veterinarian or Hill’s says that A/D is not good to feed for the rest of her life, you may need to invest in a heavy-duty blender like a Vitamix in order to get it liquefied enough and then strain out even tiny chunks.  If you and your veterinarian decide to switch diets – also make sure that you mix the A/D with the new food over the course of 7-10 days before making the full change. Suddenly changing the diet can also increase the chances of regurgitation, no matter how liquid it is.