If an animal regurgitates undigested and digested food and can still prehend and swallow, where is the dysphagia localized?

If an animal regurgitates undigested and digested food and can still prehend and swallow, where is the dysphagia localized?

• A. Oropharyngeal dysphagia
• B. Esophageal dysphagia
• C. Gastric dysphagia
• D. Neuromuscular dysphagia

Answer: (B)

Focusing on where the problem lies, the animal being able to prehend and swallow shows the mouth and throat (oral and pharyngeal phases) are functioning. Regurgitating both undigested and digested food indicates material is moving back up from below the esophagus rather than failing to move from mouth to stomach. That pattern points to a problem in the esophagus itself—esophageal dysphagia. If the issue were in the oropharyngeal region, you’d expect trouble initiating the swallow or immediate coughing/aspiration during swallowing, not a backward flow of food after it has been swallowed.

Focusing on where the problem lies, the animal being able to prehend and swallow shows the mouth and throat (oral and pharyngeal phases) are functioning. Regurgitating both undigested and digested food indicates material is moving back up from below the esophagus rather than failing to move from mouth to stomach. That pattern points to a problem in the esophagus itself—esophageal dysphagia. If the issue were in the oropharyngeal region, you’d expect trouble initiating the swallow or immediate coughing/aspiration during swallowing, not a backward flow of food after it has been swallowed.