Pet dog fights a battle with the bulge

50kg dog undergoes laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy

The surgery was performed on June 6.

In what could be a first-of-its-kind surgery, a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy was performed recently on an eight-year-old dog weighing 50 kg.

Deepika, an Indie cross breed, was adopted by Yasmin Daruwalla, a resident of Pune. “Initially, she was quite active. Would run around the house, play with me, and go for walks. Gradually, she lost interest in all activities, would just sit on the couch, salivating and panting severely,” she said.

Deepika’s food intake and medication also increased. Ms. Daruwalla said, “I came across Dr. Narendra Pardeshi of Small Animal Clinic, Pune, on the internet. We tried to reduce her weight based on his prescribed diets for obesity, cardiac food, and joint foods.”

When none of these worked, Dr. Pardeshi suggested a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery for which Ms. Daruwalla consulted Dr. Shashank Shah, a bariatric surgeon at Laparo Obeso Centre, Pune.

“Like humans, obesity is a silent killer in animals too. There are many obese pets in the country that need to undergo surgery. Indian dogs who are fed more on carbohydrate-rich food can become obese, as was the case here,” said Dr. Shah.

“The normal lifespan of dogs is 12-15 years which can reduce by six years if they are obese,” Dr. Pardeshi said, adding, “Deepika weighed 50 kg against an ideal weight of 18-20 kg and we met with no success after prescribing her dog foods, exercise, and thyroid medication.” The surgery was done on June 6.

“After surgery, we advised restricted movement and exercise for 15 days. Now the dog’s weight is about 45 kg,” Dr Pardeshi added.

“Not many pet owners are aware that bariatric surgery is even available for dogs. Avoid pampering them with sweet foods which can make them obese and diabetic,” Ms. Daruwalla said.