Paolo piled on the pounds in pandemic now he’s out to lose the puppy fat
MANY of us gained a bit of weight when the world stopped because of the pandemic – but it’s not just us humans that have piled on the pounds.
Meet Paolo, who already was a bit of a yo-yo dieter even before lockdown came to Lockleaze, where he lives.
The five-year-old chocolate Labrador cross has ballooned up to eight stone in weight, mainly because his owner has her own health issues and had to shield indoors for a lot of the past 18 months.
Now Paolo is the face, and barrelshaped belly, of a new campaign from vet charity the PDSA, which aims to get owners to start helping their pets to shed those pounds.
The PDSA estimate that 1.4 million dogs have newly-acquired lockdown weight problems, and owners should take it seriously.
For Paolo and his owner Geraldine, the Covid lockdown was a bit of a perfect storm of puppy fat gaining possibilities.
“We’ve always struggled with his weight as he’s constantly on the lookout for food,” she said.
“But things got even worse when he started having seizures. His medication noticeably increased his appetite and I think this, alongside my health condition which meant I had to shield for a long time, made exercising him as we normally would very difficult, which has led to him piling the weight back on again.
“He loves any kind of meat especially chicken or sausages, and as he won’t always take his medication, we sometimes have to encourage him to take it by hiding it in a sausage roll or piece of ham.
“We used to do a three-hour walk but gradually this has reduced, as my health has worsened and then the lockdown and shielding restrictions
came in which made things even more difficult for us, especially while I was looking after my disabled son.”
Now Paolo has a target to aim for, even though, like all Labradors and Lab crosses, he has no off-switch when it comes to food. He currently tips the scales at 51kg – eight stone – and needs to shed 21kg, or just over three stone, to get to his ideal weight of 30 kilos.
“I want him to lose weight – it would break my heart if anything happened to him and I’m determined to help him slim down with the help of PDSA,” said Geraldine.
Helping Geraldine and Paolo is Penny Morgan, the PDSA vet at the Bristol PDSA pet hospital.
PDSA has launched its #WeighUp campaign, sponsored by Royal Canin, which offers online videos and a free downloadable guide to help owners get their pets in shape.
“Geraldine’s and Paolo’s story is sadly not uncommon as obesity impacts the lives of millions of UK pets,” she said.
“The first step to tackle the pet obesity epidemic is to help owners recognise the problem. Then we can give them the support to help address it.
“Obesity can increase the chances of them suffering from life-limiting and life-threatening conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and heart diseases.
“As veterinary professionals and as pet owners ourselves, we completely sympathise with the many owners who spent more time at home with their pets since the start of the pandemic. It was only too easy to indulge them with extra treats and titbits, increasing the potential for weight gain.
“And while pets with medical conditions like Paolo may have a more challenging weight-loss journey ahead, they can certainly achieve their goal, armed with expert advice, confidence and persistence.”