“Chicken Nugget’s Tummy Troubles: Understanding GERD in Dogs!”

Have you heard people talk about heartburn? Do you know dogs can get it, too? Veterinarians call this GERD and it stands for “gastroesophageal reflux disease”. This lesson will help you learn about how heartburn happens in dogs (and humans) and what veterinarians can do to help dogs with GERD.  These are questions you will answer:

• How does food get to a dog’s stomach? What is stomach acid? 
• What is GERD and what are the mechanisms behind it? 
• How might we identify and treat GERD in dogs?

Lesson

Take a sip of water out of a cup and think about the path it takes to your tummy (stomach)!

Have you ever wondered why your dog is vomiting, burping and/or coughing after eating? This could be due to gastric acid reflux (GERD). In this lesson, we will go on an adventure with Chicken Nugget to understand what’s happening in his stomach. First, let’s watch the following video to understand more about gastric acid reflux (GERD):

Now, use the coloring book that your teacher gave you, to read through and color in each page to learn more about Chicken Nugget and GERD! Try to label Chicken Nugget’s esophagus and tummy (stomach) and what’s inside of it!

Activity

• Chicken Nugget’s Stomach Experiment

1. 1. Find 3 classmates to make a group of 4. In this activity, you will be able to observe what happens when GERD is untreated vs treated. With your group, gather the following materials:
      • 2 glass bottles with long necks
      • Vinegar – This represents the stomach acid
      • Baking soda – This represents the food or irritant
      • Vegetable oil – This represents the medication (acid blocker)
      • Funnel
      • Small spoon
      • Labels
      • Marker or pen
   2. Label 1 glass bottle “Untreated GERD” and the other “Treated GERD”. You will also label the stomach and esophagus on both bottles, as shown below:
   3. Next, you will fill the bottles about ¼ of the way with the vinegar, which will represent the stomach acid. Your bottle should look like this:
   4. Add ¼ of oil only to the bottle labeled “Treated GERD”. The oil will represent the medication for GERD management (acid blocker). Your “Treated GERD” bottle should look like this:
   5. Now that both bottles are prepared, you are ready to begin the experiment! Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the bottle labeled “Untreated GERD”. Remember that the baking soda represents the food that Chicken Nugget ate. Watch what happens to the stomach acid when you add the baking soda (food).
   6. On the second bottle (Treated GERD), you will add 1 tablespoon of baking soda (food). Observe what happens this time and compare it to what you observed with the first bottle (Untreated GERD).
   7. Go back to the coloring book to apply what you have learned!

Assessment

1. Color and label Chicken Nugget!  You will be given a sheet of paper to color-in. After coloring, label the stomach acid, stomach, esophagus, and the medication. Bonus: Identify which stomach has untreated GERD and which stomach is treated!

2. Partner up! Explain to your friend what happens when GERD is treated and what you can do to help your dog.

Further exploration

Images were created by the authors and are CC for NC use