By Quaid Najmi
Pune, Jun 16 (IANS): In what is probably a first of its kind case in India, an obese female dog 'Deepika', weighing 50 kgs, has undergone a laparoscopic weight-loss surgery to shed 5 kgs in just a week, top medicos said here on Wednesday.
The 8-year-6-month old Deepika, owned by Yasmin Daruwala underwent the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy procedure which cost around Rs 1.20 lakh.
After discarding 5 kgs of excess fat in just a week post-surgery, the now-trim Deepika is able to walk and move around, which she had stopped since the past more than couple of years, and is set to weigh around 18-20 kgs after a few weeks.
The landmark surgery -- which opens up new avenues for treatment in animals especially pets or in zoos facing similar problems -- was performed by team led by well-known bariatric surgeon Dr Shashank Shah and veterinary surgeon Dr Narendra Pardeshi, who is founder of Small Animal Clinic, both from Pune.
"She was around 5-6 years old when she became totally inactive, she would just laze on the couch, salivate, pant for breath. Her food and medicines intake shot up and we ended up spending some Rs 10,000 per month," recalled the relieved owner Daruwala.
Much worried, she consulted various vets with no solutions, and finally came in touch with Dr Pardeshi who recommended the surgery to resolve the dog's heavyweight issues.
"Like us humans, obesity is a silent killer even in animals. The dogs in India are fed more on carbohydrate-rich foods much like some foreign breeds. Pets become obese owing to lack of exercise or high food intake. This was the case even with Deepika," explained Dr Shah of Laparo Obeso Centre, Pune.
Among other issues, Deepika had obesity, high blood pressure, enlarged heart, hypothyroidism, higher BMI, panting, salivation from the mouth, joint problems and a bluish tongue, said Dr Shah, who is one of India's leading bariatric surgeons.
According to Dr Pardeshi, a normal dog life-span of 12-15 years reduces by nearly half if they are obese or fail to get timely treatment.
"This dog underwent various medical tests just like humans for fat percentage by measuring the ratio of her stomach and hind-legs, after which we prescribed a diet and medication. We made other attempts to bring down her weight, but it had little impact so we decided on the weight-loss surgery," Dr Pardeshi said.
On June 6, after a five-day liquid diet and a 12-hour fast, Deepika was admitted to Dr Pardeshi's clinic for the procedure to skim off the extra layers of fat on her body, with minimum invasion, blood loss and discharged after an hour.
For a week, Deepika was on a diet of clear chicken soup but with restricted movements or exercises for a fortnight and she will soon shed down to around 18-20 kgs.
Buoyed by the successful surgery and since many pets also have obesity issues, both Dr Shah and Dr Pardeshi plan to team up for a Centre on Veterinary Laparoscopy, Endoscopy, Bariatric Surgery, Laparoscopic Hernia, thoracic and other procedures.
On her part, Deepika's owner Daruwala is feeling a load removed off her head too. "There is a tremendous change in her post-surgery. She performs all activities easily, moves around boldly and has brought huge relief to me," she said, proudly patting her glowing black beauty.