Melina Lowth, 37, Ormeau, Qld
 My heart sank as I opened the fridge door and Kirra looked up at me with her big brown eyes. 'No Kirra, you can't have a treat,' I said, my voice wavering. 'You're on a diet now.'
I'd recently taken our loyal family pooch, Kirra, to the vet for her annual vaccinations.
During her weigh-in, I was shocked to see she'd ballooned to 33 kilos! A cattle dog her size was only supposed to weigh about 20 kilos.
The vet mentioned a diet called PetFit, which sounded like what we needed, so Kirra was put on a special formula and her food cut right back. There were no more treats and she had to be walked regularly.
I knew our eight-year-old pet had been struggling under her weight. She had trouble getting around and her eyes were always bloodshot. We'd been too busy to exercise her but if we didn't help her now, she could die.
I closed the fridge door and sang out to my husband and kids.'Kirra needs a walk,' I called. 'Who's volunteering?' We all enjoyed the opportunity to exercise ourselves as well.
 Kirra had fortnightly weigh-ins at the Ormeau Veterinary Surgery and every time she lost weight, we treated her to a special hydrobath.
Over the months, the weight slowly shifted and our dog started looking trim and taut!
Not being able to give her treats was the hardest part. But I realised that was the type of kindness which had been causing her obesity.
Meanwhile, the vet nutritionist, Lisa Larman, mentioned a national competition called the PetFit Slimmer of the Year. To enter, we just had to submit a small story about Kirra and her progress. So the girls wrote something.
Just over half year later, Kirra was down to 21 kilos! 'You did it!' I said proudly, giving her a big hug.
Kirra looked years younger. Her body was lean and muscular, her hair shiny and her eyes were clear.
Soon after, Lisa phoned me. 'Kirra's won the Pet Slimmer of the Year competition!' she exclaimed. We were so proud of our pooch.
Kirra was presented with the award at a special ceremony at our vet surgery. The presenter was Bob Herdsman, winner of The Biggest Loser! We also won a $2000 travel voucher and a year's supply of pet food.
I'm so pleased that we worked together as a family to help Kirra achieve her goal. We may have lost some of her, but we've gained plenty more years with our faithful family dog. |
