At 76.5 pounds, the Jack Russell mix is not just overweight but morbidly obese, nearly three times her ideal body weight. She can’t walk more than five steps without lying down, and rolling on her back is physically impossible.
Pearl’s condition could have easily made her like one of the 6,578 unwanted animals euthanized at Animal Services last year, but shelter staff and a local rescue group are working to change that.
Rescue group Dog Networking Agents of Georgia said they have taken on a unique case with their adoption of Pearl. After finding a foster home and arranging Pearl’s first veterinary exam, DNA co-founder Hayley Zielinski said a long recovery is ahead.
“She’s literally trapped in her body,” Zielinski said. “You can see she’s been really unhappy and miserable.”
Pearl’s first vet exam at Care More Animal Hospital on Monday showed she’s about 5 years old, has heartworms, an underactive thyroid and painful hip dysplasia, but is otherwise relatively healthy, said veterinarian Madison Hayward.
via Animal rescuers trying to save obese dog | The Augusta Chronicle.
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