A LARGE labrador who struggled to walk has shed more than a third of her body weight after ditching her sizeable diet.
Daisy tipped the scales at 53kg (117lbs) when her owner was advised by vets at Best Friends Veterinary Group in Wisbech that she needed to burn off the bulk.
Since embarking on her weight loss journey, the six-year-old black Labrador has shed 18kg (40lbs) – over a third of her body weight.
Daisy’s owner, Rachael Munns who lives in Emneth, near Wisbech, said: “My daughter Lucy and I didn’t really used to think about how much Daisy was eating
“We’d put out bowls of food and she’d devour it all. She was a greedy girl and did struggle to go on walks due to her size.”
An adult female Labrador should weigh around 30 to 35kg (66 to 77lbs), so vets recommended Daisy be put on low-calorie dog food with portion sizes carefully weighed out.
Hannah Crowson, veterinary nurse at Best Friends Veterinary Group, said: “We wanted Daisy to steadily lose the weight while remaining healthy and active at the same time.
“Daisy’s owners understood their knowledge on what to feed her was poor but with our advice they really transformed Daisy’s diet and the weight soon started to drop off. She is now much happier and loves to run around their garden.”
Pet obesity continues to be one of the key welfare and health issues facing pets in the UK, with owners dishing out treats a major cause of this.
According to the Paw Report 2018, published by the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), vets and vet nurses estimated that 46 per cent of the dogs they see in their practice each week are overweight or obese.
It adds that 91 per cent of owners give rich treats to their dog, with cat owners at 81 per cent and rabbit owners at 83 per cent.
If treats are to be given to dogs, it’s recommended that this is raw vegetables such as carrot or cucumber.
Hannah added: “We run weight clinics at our practice so if pet owners have any questions around health and diet we invite them to get in touch with us.”
Best Friends Veterinary Group’s practice in Wisbech can be contacted on 01945 581190.
For media enquiries, please contact Mark Pearson, VetPartners PR and Communications Manager, on 01733 352200 or email mark.pearson@vetpartners.co.uk