Dogs Suffering From Megaesophagus Wait Patiently For Their Sister to Feed Them
Louise Peralta
Caring for a bunch of dogs can be tiring sometimes. Luckily for this family, their young niece that was staying with them for a time is adorably fond of their pets and is helping them with giving their dogs the care that they need and deserve.
Melanie has established a routine with her dog siblings every meal time. She makes sure that the dogs are properly set in their special high chairs whenever they eat. And no, the chairs aren’t just for show.
The Bailey chair, or simply called a dog feeding chair, is needed for dogs with a condition called Megaesophagus (ME, Mega-E). Dogs with this condition have an abnormally large esophagus, and it hampers a dog’s ability to eat normally.
4 out of Melanie’s 6 dog siblings have ME, and she never fails to care for all of them. The dogs eat thrice a day, and Melanie helps with bringing their food to their chairs. For 3 of the 4 dogs that have ME, they feed while sitting upright in the chairs to help bring the food down into their stomachs.
When the dogs are relaxing, Melanie brings them their neck pillows. It’s something like a security blanket for them, Melanie’s aunt and the dogs’ mom, Hilary, said. The neck pillows also help the ME dogs, as they prevent aspiration pneumonia, which is said to be the top killer of dogs that have megaesophagus.
All six of their dogs are rescues, and the family’s newest addition is a husky puppy that was born with ME. With 5 other young dogs already in their care, taking on an 8-week-old puppy is a big deal. But for Hilary, she just went for it and adopted the dog, and, as she said in her interview with The Dodo, “we just fell in love instantly.”
Hilary and the rest of their family are spreading awareness about the peculiar megaesophagus disease. Dogs with this condition need constant monitoring. Max & Kiba, named after 2 of Hilary's ME dogs, is the account where Hilary shares their experiences with other people and gives them a close look at how dogs, even with ME, can live life normally and healthily.
Watch the video below and see how Melanie interacts with the dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFbmWMItYi8
