Tink eats in a highchair next to the table with the rest of her family. But it’s not because she thinks she’s a human. Rather, Tink has a medical condition that requires her to sit up while she eats.
This Labrador retriever named Tink lives with her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since she was 9 weeks old, she’s been eating in her highchair next to the family table due to a rare medical condition called Megaesophagus.
Megaesophagus causes swallowing problems. It prevents her food from reaching her stomach normally, so she must swallow in an upright position. After her meals, she must continue to sit up for about ten minutes. To help her, her family also burps her and massages her throat to help ensure any remaining food travels down her throat and into her stomach.
“Megaesophagus is not a single disease. Instead, it is considered a combination disorder in which the esophagus (the tube that carries food and liquid between the mouth and stomach) dilates (gets larger) and loses motility (its ability to move food into the stomach). When esophageal motility is decreased or absent, food and liquid accumulate in the esophagus and have difficulty getting into the stomach,” according to VCA Animal Hospital.
Her highchair that allows her to eat comfortably is not really a highchair. It’s actually a special device called a Bailey Chair. Bailey Chairs help dogs with megaesophagus because they allow them to eat in an upright position so that their food can travel to their stomach, where it is digested.
Without her Bailey Chair, Tink would lack the nutrition she needs to be healthy because her muscles prevent her from swallowing normally. Without help, this condition also causes choking, gagging, weight loss, bad breath, and even aspiration pneumonia.
Tink is very much loved and worth every bit of care and extra attention she needs to stay healthy. She is an adorable pup and so lucky to have such committed owners to care for her. An, her parents wouldn’t have it any other way.
We hope you enjoyed this adorable video. Please share to spread awareness that there is help for this condition which helps dogs living with it stay healthier.
