Snack-loving sausage dog Jasper has managed to lose a third of his body weight after a photo his owner posted on Instagram made her realise just how many pounds he had piled on.
Primary education student Chloe Carter, 19, took a photo of her nine-year-old dachshund Jasper in June. When she posted it to Instagram, she realised just how large her pooch had become.
Jasper weighed in at 1st 5lbs, making him nearly double the healthy weight for a dog of his size.
Determined to get the dog in good health, Cloe, from Worcester, started waking up early to take him for a half-hour walk every day and put him on a special diet.
Chloe said: ‘In early June, I took a photo of Jasper sat on a log next to another dog.
‘It was only when I posted the picture to Instagram and looked at it again I saw just how big he was and realised he really needed to lose weight.
‘I saw his stomach touching the log he was stood on – he had a lot of fat on him and looked really old.
‘He used to have two meals a day but he had a lot of treats in between the meals.
‘He is a very hungry dog and as soon as anyone gave us a treat for him we’d let him have it
‘He hated going for walks and you had to drag him out.
‘I had been unsure whether to put the picture on social media, it felt like it was fatshaming him, but it’s quite funny now, as if I hadn’t taken the photo he wouldn’t have lost the weight.’
Chloe adopted Jasper when he was just eight months old and while he was always a big dog for his breed, it was only over the last year that his size ballooned thanks to his twice a week addiction to Jumbones.
She swapped Jasper’s usual treats for healthy snacks such as potatoes, blueberries, and natural yoghurt, and carefully tracked the fat and calories in his diet.
The lazy sausage dog was also taken for five-mile hikes twice a week in addition to daily walks at 5.30am.
At first Jasper was resistant to change (we feel you, Jasper) and would beg for more food. But eventually he started to see the benefits of his new lifestyle.
Now, he’s lost a third of his body weight and is able to run around and play all day, weighing a healthy one stone.
Chloe said: ‘It was a combination of more exercise and improved diet that caused Jasper to lose weight.
‘I could not be more proud of him, he has gone through so much and he is pretty much a perfect dog now.
‘Before he didn’t even go for walks every day, but now I get up really early at the start of the day to take him out, he goes one or two hikes a week as well and we visit parks together.
‘Now, we look more closely at the food we’re giving him and count the fat, making sure he doesn’t go over the daily limit for a dog of his size which is 50 grams.
‘I’m quite surprised how quick the weight loss was – he’s so much happier in himself now too compared to when he was overweight.’
Have you helped your pet on a weight loss journey? Get in touch to share their story by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/27/sausage-dog-loves-snacks-loses-third-body-weight-photo-tummy-inspires-change-11965078/
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