The Goldendoodle Newt looks like he’s being ‘pampered’ or ‘abused’ on the videos his owner uploads on TikTok. But despite people’s strong reactions, he is neither. Staying upright in a baby chair is the only way he can eat his meals.
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A very special puppy
When Kate Beers and her family collected their new puppy Newt, they didn’t notice anything unusual. But as they realised the poochwas struggling to eat within the first week of bringing him home, they rushed to the vet. They spent the following few weeks diagnosing it.
As it turned out, Newt was born with a megaesophagus, and the muscles in his oesophagus are paralysed. This means he has to rely on gravity to get his food down, so ‘eating sat up’ in his high chair ‘isn’t based on some whim – it’s mandatory for the sake of his health’.
@kate_beers Easy 16/10. #fyp#hesa10but#goldendoodle#dogsoftiktok#megaesophagus#megaesophagusdog
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According to his owner, if the special dog doesn’t eat in the baby chair, the food comes back up his oesophagus, putting him at risk of choking and aspiration pneumonia, which has a high mortality rate in dogs.
Beers said:
Newt has eaten up in chairs ever since he was a pup, so he’s used to it by now.
The family had to build multiple high chairs as the puppy kept growing, and the fit has to be accurate to serve the purpose.
Controversy on TikTok
Beers uploaded a video showing her feeding Newt on TikTok, and the reaction from people was controversial, to say the least. Some accused Kate of animal abuse, and some suggested the pup was ‘pampered’. The owner realises that the majority are simply uninformed of the congenital megaesophagus.
She commented:
Then of course there are the 5-10% of comments that are not informed and suggest it’s bad for his posture/legs, with some people saying it’s stupid and why would we do this to our dog, it’s animal abuse.
According to Kate, there are other dogs who struggle with this condition, and since it’s ‘expensive and very intense’ to treat it and maintain the pet’s quality of life, sadly, a lot of them are given up.
She encourages animal lovers to be open to giving a dog with any condition home and believes it’s ‘one of the biggest blessings’ for her and her family to have Newt.
Kate said:
Not only do we get to give this amazing dog a good life, he teaches us to be positive and grateful every day with his positive, happy, goofy, ‘living life to the fullest’ attitude. Despite his condition, he is the happiest dog we’ve seen, and he brings so much joy to our lives.
Sources used:
- Metro: 'Dog’s disability means he needs to eat all his meals in a high chair'
