Jesse
Jesse was not your typical Labrador, all she wanted to do was sleep... |
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Jesse is a wonderful chocolate lab who had a SERIOUS weight issue. Jesse weighed 93 lbs, and according to her family, she had been heavy her whole life. Jesse’s mom brought her in to see us for her yearly exam in March 2006 and we discussed Jesse’s weight problem.
Jesse was morbidly obese, a condition that made her at very high risk for diabetes, joint problems, and heart problems, as well as many other medical conditions. Overweight dogs on average live two years less than dogs at healthy weights, and Jesse’s family loved her very much and didn’t want to shorten her life, but weren’t sure what they needed to do.
We developed a weight loss plan for Jesse which included regular exercise, only 1-2 low-fat treats per day, no more people food and restricted, measured amounts of a low-carb food; Purina OM. Jesse’s mom had expressed concern about Jesse acting hungry all the time. This low carb diet for some pets is better for helping to curb their appetite, so we chose this as Jesse’s new food.
Within 2-3 weeks of going on the diet, Jesse’s mom called us up and was really excited – Jesse’s normal activity level had been the equivalent of a couch potato, but already she wanted to go out and play more often and obviously felt better!
We saw Jesse for weight checks every few weeks for the first couple of months, and made minor adjustments to her diet based on those checks. She was making progress in weight loss, but the biggest progress was how she felt and acted at home! We got continuing reports that Jesse was acting like a puppy again. Her family had thought her previous inactivity was just Jesse, but now they realized that it was because she felt so bad because of all her extra weight.
In June 2007, we saw Jesse for her yearly exam. We hadn’t heard from or weighed her in quite a while. At that visit in June 2007, Jesse weighed 60 lbs! She had lost 33 lbs, or a third of her original body weight of 93 lbs!
Her family reported that they had gotten a boat and one of Jesse’s favorite activities was swimming while the family was boating. Fifteen months ago, that wouldn’t have been possible for Jesse. She is now slim and trim and feeling good, and we decided Jesse will stay on Purina OM to maintain her weight.
Helping pets loose weight is hard work, especially for their families, but it is so exciting when it pays off! We love to see how much better our patients feel when they are at a healthy weight. Unfortunately, pet obesity is sky-rocketing in the United States. We would be glad to help you come up with a weight loss plan for your pet so they can have a success story like Jesse’s! |
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