Dog Can’t Find A Home … Because Of How He Eats

When he arrived at the shelter, Mickey couldn't afford to miss another meal.

At just 33 pounds, he was already dangerously thin. The trouble was Mickey couldn't get his food down. Literally.

"His problem is with his esophagus, and it does not contract to push the food or water down, and so it's very difficult for him to eat by himself," Barb Grodicky, of the Lethbridge and District Humane Society in Alberta, Canada, tells CTV News.

So staff put the 7-year-old castaway in a high chair, or as some call it, a bailey chair.

He's spoon-fed by shelter staff while sitting upright, allowing his food to slide down on his throat.

In all, it takes him 15 minutes to down his dinner - a specially prepared mix of wet food, pumpkin puree and ground kibble.

But Mickey has made every loving spoonful count, packing on some 15 pounds since arriving at the shelter nearly two years ago.

The trouble is, while staff adore feeding their happy, playful charge, finding a home for the slowest of slow eaters has proven a challenge.

Not only can Mickey's diet be relatively expensive, but meal time, staff say, is a messy affair.

But Mickey's worth every loving spoonful.

Think you can help Mickey find a home? Contact the Lethbridge and District Humane Society online. Or call 403-320-8991.