Huge Husky from Manchester is one of the early entrants in PDSA Pet Fit Club

08 February 2020

A morbidly obese Husky from Sale, Manchester, who loves cheese and ham is going on a diet after ballooning in weight.

We're hoping other pets will follow in Darcy's paw-prints as we launch our annual pet slimming competition – Pet Fit Club.

The six-year-old porky pooch weighs a whopping 5st 3lb (33.9kg), 54% over her ideal weight 3st 4lbs (22kgs).

Owner Lisa Jessop (49) said: "She's the most food-orientated dog I know. Her favourite treats are ham and cheese and sometimes I just can't help but give in to her! I also have two other Huskies, Willow and Lumi, who are both in good shape, but Darcy is always trying to eat their share of food as well as her own, it can be very hard to control. She eats everything and anything!"

Darcy suffers from a knee injury and her excessive weight puts her at high risk of suffering from arthritis too, making walking painful and difficult.

“Because of her limp, she isn’t able to walk very far or exercise much now. It’s turning into a vicious cycle; the less she moves, the more weight she puts on.”

“And because she’s so overweight, she’s not able to have the surgery she needs to help her joint issues. The vet has warned that having surgery on her back leg would mean she’d need to support her total weight on her other three legs, which at her current size could be a huge problem. And the anaesthetic could be a risk to her life because of her size.

“It’s extremely worrying and at only six years’ old, she’s still young so I’m signing her up for Pet Fit Club in a bid to help her slim down and improve her quality of life. I’m hoping that once she’s lost the weight she’ll be able to have the surgery she desperately needs, so she can become healthy and happy and more mobile again.”

Lisa has entered Darcy into PDSA’s Pet Fit Club competition – a six month diet and exercise challenge – in the hope to slim down her canine companion.

About Pet Fit Club

Now in its 15th year, the competition aims to help tackle the UK’s pet obesity crisis – as the charity’s stats reveal up to half of UK pets (46% of dogs, 34% of cats and 30% of rabbits*) are believed to be overweight or obese.

The most common reasons given by UK vets and vet nurses for excess weight in pets are: owner’s lack of recognition that their pet is overweight, feeding ‘treats’ or human food, and inappropriate portion sizes* .  All of which could be leaving our four-legged friend’s health, happiness and life-expectancy at serious risk.

Since 2005 Pet Fit Club has helped 143 pets (89 dogs, 44 cats, eight rabbits and two rats) lose 513kg (80st 12lb) – equivalent to a polar bear! The 2019 Pet Fit Club Champ, Luigi the Beagle, lost an impressive 8.7kg (1st 5lb) – 30% of his bodyweight – and 8 inches from his waist!

Find out more about Pet Fit Club here.