Heidi Fiore and her husband felt they were ready to welcome another Lab into their home after losing one. They spotted a Facebook post about a Lab who needed a home but was “a little overweight,” so they travelled over an hour to see him. When the woman who had posted about him let him out of his kennel, he charged straight at the pair, who couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Fiore told The Dodo, “He was the biggest dog I had ever seen in my life, he looked like one of those gigantic pigs you see at the farm.” “All I could think was, ‘Oh my God,’ over and over again. We observed right away that he was a cheerful guy with a loving demeanor and a tail that was always wagging. We made the decision to take him. I was confident that we would be able to assist him. We didn’t inform the kids, and when my daughter came home from school, she asked, “What is that?”
Shiloh weighed 146 pounds when he was originally adopted, almost twice as much as he was meant to. He was so big that it was impossible for him to move about. When he went for a stroll, he had to take around 15 breaks, he could barely squeeze into the back of the family’s minivan, and he couldn’t climb up onto the sofa without help.
Shiloh, of course, insisted on becoming a lap dog, and his owners realized they needed to help him lose weight quickly so he could cuddle with anybody he wanted without crushing them.
Fiore had to rapidly investigate doggy weight reduction and come up with a long-term plan to assist Shiloh drop the pounds because meeting and adopting him happened so quickly. They started taking him to the vet on a regular basis for weigh-ins, and everyone became motivated to assist Shiloh attain a healthy weight so he could live his life to the fullest.
“He started eating two scoops of ‘healthy weight’ diet food every day,” Fiore added. “We added green beans and canned pumpkin to his diet as a supplement” (for dog weight loss). There will be no snacks or leftovers! I also gave him joint supplements, because being so hefty definitely takes its toll.”
Shiloh began exercising regularly, taking three to five walks every day, in addition to his new healthy eating habits. The walks were challenging for him at first, but as the weeks passed and the pounds dropped away, the treks became easier and easier, and he began to love them more and more.
“One time he sat in the midst of an intersection for at least 20 minutes, and another time he sat right in the middle of guys performing road work,” Fiore added. “Fortunately, he made them laugh. I assumed he was being difficult, but as he lost weight, I understood he wasn’t physically capable of doing it. He quickly became a popular figure in our community, and he received a lot of support during his weight-loss journey.”
Shiloh had lost 20 pounds in just two months after moving in with his new family, but he still had a long way to go. People would stop them every time he went out with his family to inquire about him, always in amazement of his size.
“He was a sight to behold when we first acquired him,” Fiore added. “People looked, inquired, laughed, and inquired as to what breed he was (since he didn’t appear to be a chocolate Lab).” I always felt compelled to explain that we had recently adopted him and that he was on a diet. He wasn’t exactly a sight to behold, but he wins friends wherever he goes! ”
Shiloh’s weight reduction journey lasted ten months, but it was well worth the wait for both Shiloh and his family. He now weighs a healthy 85 pounds, down from approximately 60 pounds when he was originally adopted by his family.
Shiloh has all the energy in the world now, and he can go about and do whatever he wants. He can walk about two miles without stopping and enjoys jogging along the beach near his family’s house. He’s happier and more active than he’s ever been, thanks to his family’s willingness to take a risk on him.
