Overfed Winnipeg border collie on urgent weight-loss regimen

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This article was published 29/10/2016 (3321 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Who will be the biggest loser? Manitoba Underdogs Rescue hopes it’s Bobby.  

The border collie weighed in at 123 pounds when the rescue mission took him in last week. His elderly owner had dementia and couldn’t properly care for Bobby, so the owner’s family turned to the organization for help. 

“He was loved so much that it was hurting him,” Lindsay Gillanders of Manitoba Underdogs Rescue said, noting his owner showed affection by overfeeding Bobby treats instead of taking him on walks or out for exercise. 

Bobby is now in a foster home and on an emergency weight-loss plan, which includes a low-fat diet and a gradual introduction to regular exercise. The rescue mission is working with Dakota Veterinary Hospital to help Bobby slim down to a much healthier 60 pounds. Despite his weight, an initial assessment Thursday showed Bobby is in fairly good health. 

“He’s settling in nicely,” Gillanders said. “The exercise is kind of hard right now. He can only make it about a block, poor guy.”

His new foster mom, Sunny Szpak-Holly, said Bobby is an “absolutely sweet boy” who craves attention. 

“He just wants affection,” she said. “If you’re sitting down, he’ll come up and nuzzle you.”

Szpak-Holly regularly fosters for Manitoba Underdogs Rescue and has three rescue dogs of her own, but Bobby’s story stood out to her. 

“(I felt) a bit of shock, some sadness,” she said. “I was very willing to help him out. It wasn’t a situation where he wasn’t purposefully fed and cared for.”

While Gillanders said rescues normally see malnourished dogs — as opposed to overfed ones such as Bobby — Szpak-Holly has helped out in similar situations before. 

She previously cared for Jax, a foster dog who came in 40 pounds overweight. 

“It was actually pretty incredible,” she said. “We saw him go through this huge transformation.”

Szpak-Holly said she hopes for the same outcome with Bobby. 

“So far, he’s super sweet but super scared. I just want him to be a happy, normal border collie.”

Szpak-Holly will care for Bobby during his weight-loss journey, which could take anywhere from six months to a year. He’ll see the vet once a week for weigh-ins, and he started taking short walks outside to start building up his endurance.

“We’re lucky he’s avoided long-term damage, and so we’re trying to help him as quickly as we can,” Gillanders said. 

Bobby will likely need skin-removal surgery once he reaches his goal weight. After that, he’ll be ready for adoption. 

Manitoba Underdogs Rescue will post weight-loss updates about Bobby on its Facebook and Instagram pages with the hashtag #BobbyGotBack. The rescue is collecting donations to help with Bobby’s recovery at manitobaunderdogs.org/donate.

 

danielle.doiron@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @dmdoiron