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Body system: Stomach, gut and digestion. One of the core guides in our dog health conditions library. If your dog has worrying signs right now, start with our symptom triage guides.
Esophagitis is inflammation of the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries each swallowed mouthful from the throat down to the stomach. Unlike the stomach, this tube has only a thin protective lining, so acid, bile, a stuck piece of food or bone, or an irritating medicine can injure it quickly. A mildly injured tube may heal with no signs at all, but a deeper injury makes every swallow sting. Owners then see a dog that is hungry yet hesitates at the bowl, stretches its neck out, swallows again and again, drools, or brings food back up soon after eating. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists regurgitation as the classic sign of this condition, along with drooling, repeated swallowing attempts, pain, loss of appetite, and difficulty swallowing. Because the tube passes through the chest close to the airway and the heart, vets take persistent swallowing pain seriously even when a dog still looks bright between meals and drinks water without obvious trouble.
The condition matters because an inflamed esophagus sits on a path toward narrower, more serious problems. As a deep injury heals, scar tissue can tighten the tube into a stricture, a narrowed ring that traps food and turns a painful week into a long term feeding problem. Inflamed tissue also makes it easier for swallowed material to slip into the airway, which can lead to aspiration pneumonia. Pain at the bowl carries its own cost: a dog that learns that eating hurts may eat too little, lose weight, and become dehydrated. The encouraging part is that most cases respond well when the cause is found and treated early. Acid control, a soft diet fed in small meals, and time to heal settle the great majority of dogs, and prompt removal of anything stuck in the tube prevents the worst injuries from happening at all. That is why new regurgitation after vomiting, anesthesia, or a swallowed object should be checked promptly rather than watched for weeks at home. Early care is almost always simpler care.
The most common cause is stomach acid washing back into the tube, which can happen during anesthesia, during bouts of repeated vomiting, or when medicines lower the tone of the valve between the esophagus and the stomach. A foreign object lodged in the tube, such as a piece of bone or chew, injures the lining directly and injures it more the longer it stays. Certain oral medicines can burn the lining if a dry pill sits in the tube instead of being washed down, and swallowing a caustic substance does the same. Less often, a tumor, a feeding tube that crosses the stomach valve, or infection with the esophageal worm Spirocerca lupi is responsible.
Breeds and dogs at higher risk: Any dog can develop esophagitis, and no breed is known to be predisposed to the inflammation itself. Risk follows the causes instead: dogs that scavenge bones and chews, dogs with frequent vomiting or reflux, and dogs recovering from anesthesia are the ones vets see most often.
Your vet will start by separating regurgitation from vomiting, because they point to different organs: regurgitation is a passive return of food or fluid, while vomiting is an active effort with nausea and abdominal heaving. The history matters too, especially recent anesthesia, a vomiting illness, a new medicine, or a chewed object that went missing. Plain X rays often look normal in this condition, so the confirming test is usually endoscopy, a camera passed into the tube under anesthesia. The Merck Veterinary Manual calls endoscopy the diagnostic tool of choice, because it shows the injury directly, reveals a stuck object if one is present, and lets the vet grade how deep the damage goes. A contrast study with moving X ray images may be added to check how well the tube moves food.
Mild inflammation with no signs may need no treatment at all. When signs are present, treatment follows the Merck Veterinary Manual approach of lowering stomach acid, raising the tone of the lower esophageal valve, speeding stomach emptying, and controlling pain. Acid is reduced with medicines from the H2 blocker class for most dogs, and with a proton pump inhibitor for severe injury. A sucralfate slurry can coat and protect the sore lining, and pain relief is given when swallowing clearly hurts. If a foreign object is found, it is removed promptly, usually with the endoscope, before pressure injures the wall further.
Feeding changes do much of the healing work. Soft food, low in fat and fiber, is offered in small, frequent meals so each swallow is small and the stomach never sits overfull. In severe cases the vet may place a feeding tube into the stomach so the esophagus can rest completely while nutrition continues, and antibiotics are used when aspiration pneumonia or deep infection is a concern. Medicines that triggered the injury are stopped or given with food and water instead. Most dogs improve steadily over days to weeks, and the plan is reviewed if regurgitation returns, because that can signal a developing stricture.
At home, serve food soft and in small, frequent meals, and keep mealtimes calm so your dog does not gulp air in a rush to finish. Always give pills with a small meal or a drink of water afterward, never dry to a dog with a sore tube, and ask your vet about liquid forms when swallowing tablets is painful. Keep bones, chews, and household chemicals out of reach, since a repeat injury is harder to heal than the first. Weigh your dog weekly while it recovers, note any return of regurgitation, and finish every prescribed course even when eating looks comfortable again. Call the clinic if progress stalls for more than a day.
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Regurgitation is passive: food or fluid slides back up with little warning and little effort, often soon after eating, and it has not been mixed with stomach acid. Vomiting is active, with nausea, drooling, retching, and abdominal heaving before partly digested food comes up. The difference matters because regurgitation points to the esophagus, while vomiting points to the stomach or beyond.
Mild inflammation sometimes settles without treatment, especially once a bout of vomiting ends or a single irritating dose is past. Deeper injury needs more than time, because acid keeps bathing the sore lining with every reflux episode. If your dog is regurgitating, drooling, or eating less, get the tube checked rather than waiting, since early treatment also lowers the risk of a stricture.
A stricture is a narrowed ring of scar tissue that forms as a deep injury heals. Food that once passed easily gets stuck at the ring, so regurgitation returns or worsens weeks after the original problem seemed to improve. Vets diagnose a stricture with imaging or endoscopy and treat it by gently stretching the ring, often with a balloon procedure, sometimes more than once.
Never give a dry pill to a dog recovering from this condition. Follow each tablet with a small meal or a drink of water so it is washed all the way down, and ask your vet whether a liquid form or a different medicine is available. If your dog drools, gags, or swallows repeatedly after a dose, mention it at the next visit.
Some reflux can happen silently during anesthesia, so watch eating closely for several days after any procedure. A dog that starts regurgitating, swallowing repeatedly, drooling, or skipping meals in that window should be seen promptly, because catching inflammation early makes treatment simpler. Mention the timing when you call, since a recent anesthetic is a useful clue for the clinic team planning tests.
This page is general information drawn from the published guidance of the organizations listed under Sources below. It is not veterinary advice, and it does not replace your own veterinarian, who knows your dog. If your dog may have eaten something toxic, contact your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 straight away. A consultation fee may apply on the helplines. If your dog is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure that will not stop, or has a swollen belly with retching that brings nothing up, go to an emergency veterinarian now and do not wait to finish reading.
Last updated: November 2026. Facts on this page were checked against the sources listed above. How we work: our methodology.