An adorable pooch who gained weight after swallowing hundreds of sausages has managed to lose a third of his body weight after following a strict diet and fitness regimen.
Pearl, a three-year-old bulldog, swelled to almost 5 stone after eating loads of Cumberland sausages on the couch while with his former owners.
But after being adopted by Jessica and Sam McDonnell, she went on a diet and lost a third of her weight.
The Prenton couple in the Wirral worried about Pearl’s future health – and helped her lose weight by increasing her daily walks and kicking her sofa sausage habit.
Now weighing just over three stone, she is considered a healthy weight for her breed and has received an impeccable bill of health.
Three-and-a-half-year-old Pearl the bulldog, from Wirral, Merseyside, swelled to nearly five stone after eating Cumberland sausages on the sofa while with his former owners. In the photo on the left, at the heaviest, and on the right, after losing almost a third of his weight
Pearl on a walk with her new owner Jessica McDonnell, the three-year-old dog had flabby paws when she was first picked up, indicating she didn’t take a lot of walks
All the weight gained from munching on sausages every day left the pup with arthritic issues that caused him a lot of pain.
Jessica, 29, who works in financial services public relations, said: ‘We are so proud of Pearl.
“She really embraced her new diet and she never got bored of the food, although it’s probably not as tempting as all those sausages.
“When we brought her home her pads were soft so she obviously didn’t take a lot of walks.
“It’s so sad because even now she doesn’t need a long walk, but she does need one and once we get her to the door she really enjoys herself.
“We live near the coast and she loves the beach, she’s such a happy dog and she did it, so well.”
Weighing nearly five stone, Pearl is depicted at her heaviest, when she was slouched and unable to move much after eating a lot of sausages with her former owners.
Pictured looking slim after her strict fitness regimen, Pearl was on a low calorie diet after being cared for by the Wirral Animal Welfare Association, as well as a strict fitness regimen
Pearl’s new owners, Jessica and Sam McDonnell, of Prenton, Wirral, took her in after being cared for by the Wirral Animal Welfare Association.
Pearl was on a low calorie diet and took daily walks to help her move.
With the help of Sanderson Vets in Pensby, Merseyside, Pearl is back to normal after a life of sausages on the sofa.
Natural canine nutritionist Anna Webb, who studied at the College of Integrated Veterinary Studies, says, “Sausage is great for dogs, but enough of it!
“Dogs eat animal fat and animal protein, so it’s important that it’s part of their diet, but when dogs like Pearl eat more than they burn, they get fat.
In the photo, the heaviest shows her with a slumped frame and unable to move much, Pearl weighed almost five stone and suffered from arthritic issues causing a lot of pain.
Looking thin on the couch after losing nearly a third of her body weight, Pearl now weighs just over three stone (20kg), considered a healthy weight for her breed, and has been given a good health.
With the help of Sanderson Vets in Pensby, Merseyside, Pearl is back to normal after a life of sausages on the couch
“Bravo Pearl for winning the Battle of the Bulge!”
Jessica and her marketing director husband Sam, 37, wanted to share Pearl’s weight loss in an attempt to stop people giving their pets too many treats.
Jessica added: “There are a lot of things people do to their pets out of love that are actually really cruel.
“Especially with breeds like bulldogs that have respiratory problems, it is so important that their weight is controlled.
“We see posts on Facebook where people glorify big animals as being cuter, and after seeing how this affected Pearl, it makes us want to shout at the people who post. We wanted to tell his story to make people think twice.
“Pearl is such a loving dog, she is our life, especially for me working from home during lockdown, she has been my sanity.
“Pearl was our first real responsibility as a couple, as a baby really, and it’s a responsibility we take very seriously.”
Jessica and her marketing director husband Sam, 37, wanted to share Pearl’s weight loss in an attempt to stop people giving their pets too many treats.
Jessica added: “There are a lot of things that people do to their pets out of love that are actually really cruel, especially with breeds like bulldogs that have respiratory problems, it’s so important that their weight be controlled”