Overweight Dog Loses Whopping 54 Pounds Thanks to Zoom Room

We don’t like to talk about how our pets have come to be so obese. They’re not sneaking into the pantry at night and eating a pint of ice cream. Pet parents are mostly responsible for packing on their extra pounds. The fact is that over half the nation’s dogs and cats are now classified as overweight or obese by their veterinary healthcare provider — equaling an estimated 50.5 million cats and 41.9 million dogs — and are at risk for weight-related health issues.

There is one notable success story about a 7-year-old shelter dog named Strudel, who shed a whopping 54 pounds in five months thanks to hard work, perseverance, and caring humans.

When Strudel’s owner passed away, she was adopted. But the family was unable to deal with her medical issues – she had joint and thyroid issues due to her weight — so she was brought to the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter in Newport News, Virginia.

Strudel was overlooked because of her portly physical appearance, so the shelter reached out to Kindra Powell of Hearts for Hounds Rescue, a foster-based program that gladly took Strudel in and gave her a fighting chance.

Strudel became the first dog to join Heart for Hounds’ “Biggest Loser” program at Zoom Room, a pet store and dog training facility with agility equipment to challenge your pup. Owners John and Kristy Cotthaus whipped Strudel into shape with a series of weekly workouts on their agility course and a strict diet provided by a veterinarian.

They started her out slowly when they began on June 27. At that time, Strudel weighed in at 81 pounds — the average weight for her age and size is 46-58 pounds — but apparently she was starving for exercise.

“Based on her weight and mobility issues, we decided to try ‘puppy agility’ with everything nice and low to get her moving,”the Cotthauses told Your Daily Dish. “Most dogs need assistance for treats to get through the equipment, and Strudel did it on her own. Puppy Agility uses all of the standard agility equipment.”

The course proved to be a physical challenge for Strudel, who was unable to complete the whole course without taking a break.

Since shedding those unwanted pounds, she is a much happier pup.

“Now she can complete it from start to finish,” the Cotthauses said. “She has much more stamina and isn’t winded so easily, and you can just see how much happier she is to have the weigh off of her. The most rewarding thing for us was to be able to be in a position where we could help give a great dog a second chance at life where others overlooked her or didn’t want to invest the time/energy to help her out … She didn’t get overweight on her own.”

Strudel is still up for adoption at Hearts for Hounds Rescue and maintaining her healthy lifestyle, taking a thyroid and joint supplement daily and continuing her exercise regime with daily walks.

Despite everything she’s been through, Strudel never stops wagging her tail.

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