Bobby's PDSA Weight Loss Journey

This week Bobby comes to the end of her PDSA fit club regime and looking back it's easy to see how far she's come along.

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Earlier this year Bobby lived in an indoor cage with guinea pig friend, Huey, and had visibly piled on the pounds in her four years of age.  I was concerned greatly about her fitness, or rather her lack of being able to move as a rabbit normally should, and her weight related problems were affecting her in her daily activities.  Grooming was made difficult because of her enlarged dew lap and when she would attempt to run she would drag her feet erratically.

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When Bobby was selected for Pet Fit Club I was over the moon and I was shortly going to be surprised at the news that Bobby was actually a mini lop and not the larger dwarf variety as I'd previously thought.  Her 2.4kg weight was too much for a mini, and we were told that Bobby would need to get down to her recommended target weight in the region of 1.6kg.

The plan included the provision of diet food by Burgess who sent us several bags of Excel Light nuggets to get Bobby's weight loss under way.  The change over from regular nuggets to the diet nuggets made a huge difference and the fact she was now only eating her own smaller sized portion, the overeating issue was eradicated.  We took the steps to finally split Bobby and Huey up and moved Bobby into a large penned area allowing Huey to live in peace in the cage on his own with guinea pig neighbours.  Bobby's pen was a marked difference in size.  Before, the most Bobby could attempt was to hop on and off her bedroom and over to the bowls.  Now, she had ample space to hop several times, even run laps around toys and accessories.

When Bobby moved onto the floor in her pen she gained a bunny neighbour; rival Lucy, the lionhead lop who lived free range of the floor.  Both girls, they'd previously clashed less than two years earlier.  Lucy would chase Bobby and attack her, leaving Bobby petrified and afraid.  At first Bobby was dubious with seeing Lucy so often and within such close proximity of her new home, but they grew to acknowledge each other, eventually sitting close to one another on either side of the pen.

Over the weekend I decided to move things up a notch and brought Bobby and Lucy downstairs into the living room and sat them side by side on the sofa.  No grunting.  No attacking.  Just amicable sitting and cosying up.  Things were looking good!

As it stands, they're play time buddies, having spent already 11 hours together on the floor just today.  When they're not cuddled up close, nuzzling and grooming each other they're tearing around the room, binkying high into the air.  I'd never seen Bobby binky in my life so it was endearing to watch her so happy and content.  Last night we did try to move them in together which didn't go quite as successfully (I'm thinking territory is the issue) but we'll work on it and in time I know they'll be permanent floor mates.

At the last count, Bobby weighed 1.8kg, so very close to her 1.6kg target.  Later this week we'll find out what Bobby officially reached for the record.  Fingers crossed!

Becky x

Bobby's in PDSA Fit Club!

I can finally announce it - my Bunny, Bobby has been selected for the exclusive UK nationwide competition: PDSA's Fit Club 2012!

Bobby!

What does this mean?  It means my four year old lady bunny, Bobby, gets to be closely monitored and guided by a PSDA team including head vets and nurses, to help her lose her chubbies and become a fitter, healthier rabbit.

It all started when I saw on the PDSA website that they were appealing for applicants to enter their fat pets into the infamous Pet Fit Club.

I knew one of my rabbits had definitely piled on the pounds.  Bobby is a Dwarf Lop breed (or possibly a mini??), a doe (female) and 'intact' at that, which means not only is she a highly hormonal lady she has accumulated a tubby belly and a voluptuous dew lap.  She doesn't appreciate the athletic life led by rabbit neighbour, Lucy, who loves nothing more than to bound around 'their bedroom' and play and instead she prefers to lie about and wallow like a hippo in mud.

The main reason why I wanted to enter Bobby is because she's fat, and rabbits and fat don't mix.  I've spent 20 years of my life dedicated to the enjoyment of owning guinea pigs (never bred) and until a friend gave me Bobby as a surprise present, rabbits never entered my head.  Because of this, I had no clue about owning a rabbit and have found the first four years of Bobby's life an immense learning curve.  I've since learnt that, unlike guinea pigs, rabbits are prone to heart disease exactly like us humans, which is why I found it frightening to have Bobby living with the threat of very serious conditions.

Then there's the matter of *poops*.  Whether a nice topic or not, in essence rabbits need to eat their soft poops, called caecatrophs, to live normally.  Vitamins that are not processed first time round need to be re-ingested, and a rabbit with a HUGE dew lap like Bobby's, is not able to reach their bottom to get to these poops.  This means an obese rabbit is missing out on vital vitamins.  This pretty much scares me too.

Rabbits are the 3rd most popular pet in the UK today yet we as a nation are not meeting their needs and putting our bunny friends lives at risk.

Another important reason why I wanted myself and Bobby to be part of PDSA's Fit Club is that I want to make an example of myself and get rabbit owners to listen up.  I have been a pioneer (or preacher?) of the proper care of small furries and from 2001 to 2011 I ran a hugely successful website for the proper care of guinea pigs.  I had people asking me every single day how to look after their guinea pig, help them find out what is wrong with their ill guinea pig and I actively promoted how to look after a guinea pig the proper way.  I am someone who should know better, yet I am still someone who has a fat rabbit.  It 'happens' to anyone, regardless of age or class.  What is important is that the facts are realised; of obesity in not just our dogs and cats but our very much loved rabbits too.  It is a lesson to be learned that if we have pet rabbits, we should not be confining them to life within a small hutch that is their home.  Rabbits not only need a good healthy diet consisting of good quality pellets/nuggets, tonnes of quality hay, fresh water and juicy greens, but regular access to freedom.  You wouldn't confine a dog or cat to a box 24/7 so why a rabbit?  I feed all my guinea pigs and rabbits a good diet but this is admittedly my failing.  Because Lucy and Bobby don't live together, and Lucy is the livelier of the two, she gets to be out of her cage all day and Bobby only comes out for shorter times elsewhere in the house.  I've known this isn't good enough and wanted to find a way of breaking the cycle and developing a better exercise plan, which was why I turned to the PDSA's Fit Club.

I'm looking forward to getting Bobby down to a healthy weight and size.  Check back for regular updates on Bobby's progress!  For more info on Bobby and the other Pet Fit Club participants check out www.PDSA.org.uk/petfitclub.

Becky x