Everyone understands that a healthy diet and regular exercise are essential for living a long and healthy life. It can be difficult to eat well all of the time, so we occasionally sneak a donut or two. There’s no harm in doing so, but when two becomes three or four, we’re in big trouble!
Animals are no exception. To thrive, they require nutritious food and regular exercise. Unfortunately for Cleatus, a chihuahua from St. Augustine, Florida, his diet was deficient. He’d been getting free dried kibble since he was a puppy!
Cleatus weighed 35 pounds at his heaviest and couldn’t even walk outside to use the restroom, according to the Daily Mail. He couldn’t go outside because he had to be wheeled everywhere.
Austin Lee, his owner, was at a loss for what to do until his veterinary technician girlfriend, Laura, stepped in. They agreed to make some changes to Cleatus’s lifestyle.
But first, they had to address his medical issues. Due to dental disease, they had to extract the majority of his teeth.
A blood test revealed that he had under-active thyroid. This surely contributed to his weight gain, as an under-active thyroid slows down the metabolism and leads to a lack of energy. Thankfully, Cleatus was put on medication that would help him get healthy.
With this information, Austin and Laura were able to make changes to the chihuahua‘s diet. It was as simple as changing the brand of dog food they fed him and only feeding him at two set times a day.
Now, just a few months later, Cleatus looks like a totally different pup! He is happy and healthy and has the energy to run around and go on walks with the couple. They noticed a real change just four weeks after they made all these changes!
Now Cleatus weighs approximately 16.8 pounds, almost half the size he was originally. Wow! That´s quite the extreme change.
Laura also cleared up any questions people may have about her boyfriend‘s treatment of his dog. She said, “Cleatus is Austin’s dog and he has had him since he was a baby. I see overweight dogs and cats every day with owners who are unaware that it can be fixed.”
Sometimes it can be hard to help our pets because they can´t speak directly to us, so Austin is maybe not to blame for Cleatus‘s weight. What matter is that this adorable chihuahua is healthy again! Please share if you agree!
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