An eight-year-old Staffie cross who weighed over six stone has had to lose half her body weight while in rescue at the RSPCA’s Crewe, Nantwich & District branch , in Cheshire. Roxanne arrived at the centre in October 2021 when her owner could no longer take care of her.
At the time, she tipped the scales at 38.5kg and could barely walk without getting out of breath. But now, she’s lost 17kg and has found a forever home.
In order to shed the weight, the team put Roxanne on a strict diet and started an exercise plan to gently improve her mobility and help her get healthier again.
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The pooch underwent hydrotherapy to help her lose the pounds without putting pressure on her joints, being an older girl.
Angela Chan, dog rehoming coordinator at the branch, said: “Roxanne was clearly well-loved but had been over-indulged over the years with lots of unhealthy treats and was morbidly obese. She could barely move due to her weight.
“We put Roxanne onto a sensible diet immediately and, although her progress was slow, she started to shed the weight. She now weighs 21.1kg and the vet, who has been monitoring her closely over the last 10 months, is happy for her to officially be discharged as pet slimming supaw star of the year!”
The pooch, who also has arthritis, who is continuing with her swimming lessons and loves her short walks, is now able to enjoy exercise, running and playing with her ball now that the excess weight has gone.
Roxanne has also landed on her paws by bagging herself a cracking new home with her fosterers, Hazel and Mike Ducker, from Shropshire, who fell in love with her.
Angela added: “As well as being fitter and healthier, Roxanne is now having lots of fun with her new family. They go on lots of holidays in their motorhome, visiting the seaside, lakes, farms and even castles!
“Roxanne is such a sweetheart. She’s a lovely, easy-going girl who loves a fuss and a play, and is always pleased to see everyone. Her favourite thing in the world is her squeaky blue ball. We hope that now she’s fitter and healthier she’ll be able to play and play until her heart’s content!”
While Roxanne has managed to safely lose weight and is no longer considered morbidly obese, the animal welfare charity has warned of the dangers of dogs becoming overweight.
RSPCA chief veterinary officer Caroline Allen said: “Pet obesity is a serious welfare issue and recent studies have suggested that around half of all pet dogs are overweight. We are, quite literally, killing our pets with kindness.
“Obesity can affect all types of pets and the main causes are from eating too much or not exercising enough. As a rough guide (for cats and dogs), you should be able to see and feel the outline of their ribs without excess fat covering them. You should also be able to see and feel their waist and it should clearly ‘pinch in’ when you look down at them from above.
“Overweight pets can suffer from serious health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. Carrying more body weight can also increase the chances of pets suffering from conditions such as arthritis and can even shorten their life expectancy.
“If you’re worried about your pet’s weight, we’d recommend speaking to your vet before making any significant diet or lifestyle changes and ruling out any health conditions that may be affecting their weight.”
Roxanne is one of the lucky ones, but the RSPCA is concerned as new figures - released as part of their Adoptober campaign - show the number of animals being rehomed has dropped by 8 per cent while intake of animals has increased.
The charity fears that the cost of living crisis means more animals are coming into its care while less people are considering taking on a new pet, pointing to a potential animal rescue crisis as more animals come into care and stay in rescue centres for longer.
If you think you could open your home to a dog like Roxanne, take a look at the Find A Pet section on the RSPCA website to see all of the animals currently in their care who are looking for a match.
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