Obese dog Pasha loses 31 kg in 3 years with exercises

ANKARA

An obese dog named “Pasha,” who weighed a massive 55 kilos, has lost weight healthily and is now 24 kilos with the help of an exercise plan conducted for three years by veterinarians in a rehabilitation center in the capital Ankara.

“The Golden Retriever has lost some 31 kilos with trekking, physical therapy, rehab, swimming and electrotherapy,” Bahri Terzi, the head health expert helping the dog, said on Dec. 20.

Hatice Ayvaz, a businesswoman, adopted the dog, which she found wounded as it was hit by a car six years ago. She had the dog undergo treatment and named it “Pasha.”

In a short time, she noticed that the dog gained weight rapidly and started having difficulties walking. On examination, the veterinarians found out that Pasha had a thyroid disorder and started its treatment accordingly.

“We could not operate it due to its old age. So we decided to gravitate toward exercises,” Terzi said.

“Pasha is a lucky dog as its owner brought it to us. There are a lot of dogs on the streets dying due to this disorder,” he added.

The problem starts when the owners think that a “fat pet is healthy.”

“Unfortunately, owners find the pets cute when animals are a little overweight. But obesity is a problem for the animals, too,” the expert noted.

Yağmur Denli, another veterinarian from the center, made a call to pet owners to bring their cats or dogs to experts if they think they are overweight. “We are helping obese animals socialize with others in rehab programs,” she said.