1975
Glenn Club Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
770-469-0023
Beezer
True, Leonbergers are a giant breed, but giant shouldn't mean obese. At 144 pounds, Beezer was obese. Not only does being overweight place a greater strain on a dog's organs and joints reducing the dog's life expectancy, but it also meant that Beezer got hot more easily. Living in "Hotlanta" is hard enough when you're giant and hairy without adding an extra layer of insulation.
Beezer moved to Atlanta at the age of 4 years. His new owner worked with the staff at Caring Canine to devise a weight loss program for Beezer that would help him to build muscle mass while losing fat. As with human weight loss programs, Beezer's program consisted of two parts -- diet and exercise. For Beezer's safety, it was important that his weight loss be monitored by the rehabilitation staff and his veterinarian. Losing too much weight too fast can be hard on a dog's body and can cause its own set of problems.
Due to Beezer's obesity, he initially started with underwater treadmill exercise before graduating to a home exercise program. Respectively, due to the resistance and buoyancy factors of water, Beezer was able to work harder than than he would on land, but with reduced weight burden on his joints.
In 6 months, Beezer went gone from a lazy and sometimes stiff and sore 144 pounds, to an active, flexible, and svelte,122 pounds. He can now easily walk 4 miles at a time and enjoys long swims in rivers and lakes. He spends more time playing with the other dogs in the household, and his family hopes that he'll stay active and healthy for many, many years to come.
