Obesity warning Call to help Benny back to health
AFUNDRAISING appeal has been launched to help a “morbidly obese” collie dog who arrived at a Bristol animal sanctuary nearly double the weight he should be.
Benny and Ebony arrived at Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary in Barrow Gurney after their owner died.
Without any family to take them on, the pair arrived at the sanctuary last month. Due to their weight the pair had fallen into a bad state, with staff rushing them both to the vets.
Ebony, 16, who was also blind in one eye, was so heavy at 46 kgs – just over seven stone – she was unable to get up unassisted and had been spending many of her days splayed out on the floor.
Both were also suffering with calluses from bearing the pressure of their weight whilst lying down.
They also had masses on their body which needed investigating, skin issues, painful joints, bad teeth and overgrown nails.
Staff at the sanctuary checked their history which showed that both dogs had been taken to the vets regularly by their owner who was given advice to help his pets slim down.
Despite them desperately needing to lose weight, he continued to shower them with treats.
Sadly, due to her age and her debilitating conditions, Ebony had to be put to sleep by vets.
Holly Hedge fundraiser Hannah Goodwin-Sharman said: “It is clear their conditions have been worsening for years and most of their health issues are a result of their obesity.”
Seven year old Benny, who weighed
in at 43kg, remains in the care of the sanctuary and is living with a foster carer.
“Although they were on weight control food, a close friend of the owner told us he would top this up with other treats and wet food, as he didn’t want to deprive them of anything, Hannah said. “This is a desperately sad story and we can only assume their owner did not realise he was killing them with kindness.”
Benny will now need ongoing treatment expected to cost several thousand pounds.
“We wanted to share Ebony and Benny’s story not only to help raise critical funds towards the medical treatment but also to raise awareness of the dangers of obesity in animals too,” said Hannah.
“Although it doesn’t look like suffering, these two dogs were in chronic pain due to their overfeeding and inactivity, and rehabilitation is a long and uncertain road ahead.”
To donate visit the Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary Facebook page.