Fat Dog Swims to Lose Weight
Published: May 20, 2006
A dog who suffers a strange case of morbid obesity is slowly losing weight.
Sessa, a 5-year-old Sheltie, was discovered by Phoenix, Arizona Police during a call to a home. She was so fat, she couldn’t move. Officials say she was stuck to the floor in her own filth.
“When she came into us, she was about 75 pounds,” said Alexis Boyle, spokesperson for the Arizona Humane Society. “That’s about two and a half, almost three times what her normal weight should be.”
The dog’s owners admitted to feeding her beer and donuts. It’s not a crime in Arizona to overfeed an animal, but Boyle says it’s still wrong.
“It’s one thing if you like to eat beer and donuts and make yourself that way, but it’s really not fair to her, because that wasn’t her choice,” Boyle said.
Sessa can barely walk, so the Humane Society sought out a different way for her to exercise. She’s doing aquatic therapy with Jeffrey Flocker, a rehab specialist at Canine Physical Rehabilitation of the Southwest.
“Usually I can end up getting a dog within a few sessions to start playing games in the pool,” he said.
Flocker eases Sessa into the water, and helps motivate her to paddle. The low-impact activity burns calories, without stressing the dog’s knees. After five sessions, she’s lost seven pounds.
“I’m just so proud of her, I think she’s doing just awesome,” said Melissa Amato, who’s fostering the dog. “She has just improved so much.”
Flocker says aquatic therapy helps dogs with a number of ailments, including orthopedic injuries. In addition to the pool, the rehab center has an underwater treadmill, an exercise area, and laser therapy.
Sessa may need to exercise and eat well for a year, before she drops all her unwanted pounds. Boyle says the dog is a cautionary tale, for other pet owners who feed their animals “people food.”
“You have to remember that your pets rely on you for everything, you are their world,” she said. “So you really need to make sure that you’re taking good care of them.”
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