An obese chihuahua who was unable to walk due to his excessive eating habits looks unrecognizable after dropping the pounds.
Tiny Cleatus began to dramatically increase weight following his 12th birthday after he got into a ‘bad habit’ of eating leftovers from the bin and lost interest in going for walks.
He weighed 33.5lbs at his heaviest and relied on a mini wagon for walks as he couldn’t move.
Cleatus, the Florida chihuahua, pictured, lost almost 14 pounds after his vet diagnosed an under active thyroid gland which malfunctioned once he was aged 12
His condition had got so bad his owners were forced to use a trolley to transport him around
His owners, Laura Norton, 29, left, and Austin Lee, 23, right, pictured with Cleatus and their other dog Cooper, center, said their pet started stealing food from the bin which caused his weight to balloon
His concerned owners Austin Lee, 23, and Laura Norton, 29, brought him to the vets who discovered hypothyroidism – an underactive thyroid which contributed to his weight gain.
Cleatus, who was the ‘largest of the litter’ now weighs a healthy 17lbs after following a strict diet and can now walk for one mile without a break.
Ms Norton, from Florida, said: ‘He maintained a healthy weight of 25lbs for most of his adult life but once he reached 12 years of age – he began to pile on the pounds and slow down.
‘As he got bigger, it was difficult to take him for walks as he physically couldn’t make the trip on his own and Austin, who is a roofing contractor, would often have to carry him.
#We have a Golden Retriever called Cooper, seven, who is full of energy and loves to run so we decided to get Cleatus a wagon to ensure he wasn’t left out.
‘Cleatus would walk a little and then lie in the wagon and enjoy the sun.
‘If his bowl was empty, it would get filled up and the process would repeat and he also got into a bad habit of getting into the trash.
He weighed 33.5lbs at his heaviest and relied on a mini wagon for walks as he couldn’t move
He now weighs a healthy 17lbs after following a strict diet and can now walk for one mile without a break
Ms Norton said: ‘It was hard for all of us to get into a routine but once we got the momentum going, it was fine – portion control is everything!’
‘But as he got lazier and lazier, we realised there must be something wrong and brought him to the vets and he was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid.
‘His metabolism was slowed down making him feel very lethargic which explained his low energy levels.’
Cleatus was prescribed medication to manage his condition and a meal plan in May 2018.
The veterinary technician found it ‘difficult’ to be strict with him when giving him five minutes to eat measured food – four times a day.
He has 1/3 cup of dry food – twice a day and two cans of food mixed with medicine per day.
According to Ms Norton: ‘Once his thyroid was regulated, his life changed for the better and he is now a completely different dog – he is wild and loves life again’
He dropped down to 14 pounds but would often wake the couple up for more food during the early hours of the morning.
He has since maintained a healthy 17 pounds and loves to play with Cooper and enjoys walking again.
Ms Norton said: ‘It was hard for all of us to get into a routine but once we got the momentum going, it was fine – portion control is everything!
‘The key part was giving him a certain time to eat and then take the bowl away to teach him food isn’t going to be there all day.
‘At first, he would have a nibble then walk off expecting the bowl to be there all day but by day four he realised he didn’t have all the time in the world and devoured it.
‘Once his thyroid was regulated, his life changed for the better and he is now a completely different dog – he is wild and loves life again.
‘I can’t stress enough to other dog owners to feed their pets healthy food – humans avoid junk food as we know it isn’t good for us and it is the same with dogs.’