Guess the Surprising Drug That Helps Dogs Swallow

It appears that a drug for erectile dysfunction is the miracle life-saving cure for a rare eating disorder that prevents dogs from swallowing food properly, giving man’s best friend their quality of life back.

“[The drug sildenafil] opens the lower esophageal sphincter for 20 minutes to an hour, which works really well for dogs because we only want that to open when they are eating,” says co-lead author Dr Jillian Haines, from Washington State University.

Megaesophagus is a rare ailment that causes the dog’s esophagus to expand, losing the ability to deliver food to the stomach. Ten dogs took part in the 2-week study, and 9 out of 10 owners saw a reduction in regurgitation, one of the disease’s main symptoms. The research shows that sildenafil, the generic version of Viagra, allowed the lower esophagus to open enough to let the food pass. Aside from treating megaesophagus, sildenafil helps to treat elevated blood pressure in the lungs in humans and dogs, with the potential to have even more applications beyond this.