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Young Labrador Has His Own Custom Built High Chair Because Of Rare Medical Condition

Young Labrador Has His Own Custom Built High Chair Because Of Rare Medical Condition

Buck the Labrador suffers with megaesophagus which means he can't eat food without being sick unless he is in an upright position.

Mark Cunliffe

Mark Cunliffe

A 17-month-old Labrador with a rare medical condition has to use a specially-designed high chair to help him eat.

Buck the Labrador suffers from megaesophagus which means he can't eat food without being sick unless he is in an upright position.

An animal charity teamed up with a team of university engineers to create the high chair which holds Buck in place so he can eat and get all of the nutrition he needs.

The chair was designed to help Buck with his megaesophagus as he couldn't eat food without being sick unless in the upright position. (
SWNS)

At the moment Buck weighs half of what he should do at his age and before the chair he was at risk of starving to death and not living beyond his second birthday.

Buck was originally taken in by charity Team Edward Labrador Rescue before he was spotted by Emma Drinkall a vet and teaching associate at the Univerisity of Nottingham.

Emma and her partner Nick Rowan, a senior lecturer in product design and engineering, designed and built the high chair in one day.

Before the chair Buck was at risk of starving to death. (
SWNS)

The chair has also been designed so that Nick can continue to adapt it as Buck grows and gains weight.

Since using the chair, Buck hasn't been sick and he has been put on a high calorie puppy food diet to help improve his strength.

Emma said: "We saw the Buck's story on social media, and I knew we just had to do something if he was going to have a chance.

Buck has been put on a high calorie puppy food diet. (
SWNS)

"Luckily Nick and I have the combined expertise and experience to build the chair quickly.

"There is currently no surgery available for dogs with this condition, and as Buck is already receiving the medications that can help, the one thing other thing that could help him keep his food down is gravity itself.

"Being upright while feeding will help the food drip through the sphincter that controls access to his stomach.

There is currently no surgery available for dogs suffering from megaesophagus. (
SWNS)

"Dogs with mega-oesophagus are at risk of developing very serious chest infections which can prove fatal, because they can accidentally breathe in food particles when they regurgitate their food.

"We hope that by feeding Buck this way and stopping him from regurgitating we will minimise the risk of this additional complication developing. Wendy, Team Edward Labrador Rescue, David Bucks' foster Dad, and Laura Buck's Vet have all done an amazing job with Buck so far."

Nick also added: "I'm just so pleased with how it fits, how comfortably he sits in it and how happy he is to be fed like this.

"He is the same width in his shoulders as our own 5 kilo Jack Russell, so without meeting Buck ourselves, we had to double check his measurements during the build - it just didn't seem right for a big dog like a Labrador."

Wendy Hopewell, who runs Team Edward, said of Buck, who weighed just 17kg (37.4lbs) when he was taken in by the charity: "We were really shocked.

"The previous owner said they were really struggling to feed him but when I saw him I thought 'wow, I've never seen a labrador that thin before

"It was just the most fabulous sight to see Buck eating in the chair and happy to be in it.

"To see how he sat in it straight away and get stuck in was incredible, it just pulls at your heartstrings."

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: Life News, Real