Prince first came to us at the beginning of November 2006. His caring owners were seeking advice & support to help Prince lose weight.
At 75.15 kg he weighed more than double his healthy weight. This was exacerbating an existing problem he has with both his stifle (knee) joints, as well as predisposing him to other problems such as heart disease.
After ruling out a thyroid condition & assessing his lifestyle, we decided with his owners to hospitalise him on an individual diet & exercise plan.
His daily food ration is divided into 4 meals, to help him burn off the energy over the day. He is also fasted for 1 day a week – a situation that is quite natural for dogs, & one that Prince accepts well.
Prince has regular sessions on our hydrotherapy treadmill as well as going for walks in surrounding fields. The hydrotherapy treadmill has enabled us to build Prince’s exercise up slowly, as he was extremely unfit to begin with. The warm water also helps to support his joints, & gives him gentle resistance to work against.To help with the pain in his joints Prince receives acupuncture treatments. He began with twice weekly treatments for 4 weeks, reducing to weekly treatments at present. This has helped his ability to exercise, & has enabled us to stop his anti-inflammatory medication.
Initially Prince managed 4 minutes at a time on the treadmill & couldn’t walk far.
Five weeks later, Prince weighs 64.8kg. He loves his treadmill sessions & can manage 20 minutes each time.
By February 2007, Prince weighs 53kg, having lost over 20kg in weight. He is doing very well & can already enjoy a new lease of life, playing with a ball & going for fun walks.
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