Poor Claude, six, was abandoned at a kennel by his previous owner, who is believed to have fed him too much.
His new owner, dog warden Mel Herbert, helped him shed the extra weight after she felt her heartstrings pulling her towards the sweet guy.She said: ‘I have a lot of connections with rescue homes around the country which is how I came across Claude.
‘He had been dumped in a boarding kennel at an extremely unhealthy weight.
Make your own flea shampoo. 1 cup Dawn, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 quart of warm water. Massage in and let it sit for five minutes. According to one testimonial, "The fleas just floated in the water and died and best of all little Libby did not have any reactions at all to the process."
‘He was so fat, and I just felt drawn to him. There was something endearing about him.
‘I wanted to help him so my partner Chris and I adopted him in April 2021.’At first, Claude weighed so much, Mel couldn’t even pick him up.
‘It was like attempting to pick up three big bags of potatoes,’ she explained.
‘He could barely get around and couldn’t even hop onto the sofa. He hated walks and would heavily pant after five minutes.’
The couple brought him to the vets, who confirmed the dog didn’t have any underlying health issues causing him to be so large. With that, they started his weight loss journey.
Remove Ticks From Your Dog With a Pair of Tweezers. Don’t have a tick remover on hand? You can carefully remove ticks from your dog with a pair of fine tipped tweezers. Grab the tick by it’s mouth area (the part closest to your dogs skin) and pull firmly until it’s removed. Place the tick in a jar of alcohol to kill it, and be sure to wear gloves when dealing with ticks since they can transmit diseases to pets & people.
To begin with, Mel and Chris, 30, reduced his food to 235 grams per day and started him on very short walks.
‘As time went on,’ she said, ‘he started to become a cheeky dog.
‘Before, he didn’t really have a personality. He was just lazy and fat.
‘The walks were a nightmare as he would become tired very quickly.
‘At his heaviest, a couple of vans pulled over to comment on how fat he was. People were gobsmacked.’
Now, eight months on, Claude is a whole new dog, going from 9st 3lbs [59.5kg] to a healthy 4st 2lbs [27.1kg].
Teach Your Dog to Catch Using Popcorn. If your dog doesn’t know how to catch don’t start by throwing a toy at their face. Popcorn works great for training dogs to catch because it’s light & yummy which makes it enticing enough for your dog to try and catch it.
He loves going for hour-long walks and running about in the countryside.
Mel said: ‘We still regulate how much he eats.
‘He has 450 grams, and we only give him natural treats like rabbit ears and sprats.’
However, poor Claude still isn’t in perfect health – he’s been diagnosed with Intervertebral disk disease, meaning part of his spine is damaged. Even so, the vets are hugely impressed with his improvement.
‘The first time we brought him to the vet,’ recalled Mel, ‘she was horrified, and now they can’t believe the transformation.
Make Some Simple Frozen Dog Treats. Looking for an easy way to keep your dog busy? Make them some frozen dog treats. Freeze some broth in ice trays to give your dog a nice little treat on those hot summer days.
‘He has a bit of loose skin, so we need to make sure we clean it. He also has a bad back so every now and then he struggles to walk and sit down.
‘We are trying to improve the weakness in his back from the lack of muscle with hydrotherapy.’
She added: ‘Now I can lift him in and out of the car which is so much easier.
‘He isn’t as energetic as the average dog, but he is much healthier than he was at the start of the year.’
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
Care for your pet. Regular visits to the vet and groomer are absolutely necessary. Insuring your pet may also be important to your pet’s health. Emergencies can happen at any time. Ensure your pet gets the help he needs no matter the cost with pet insurance.