Mumbai: In a first, surgeon for humans performs obesity operation on dog

(From left) Dr Shashank Shah, Yasmin Daruwala, the dog`s owner, and Dr Narendra Pardeshi with Deepika post surgery

In what could have made noted veterinarian-author James Herriot proud, a laparoscopic bariatric surgeon for humans recently performed a first-of-its-kind obesity operation, on a dog. The surgery, a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, the outcome of many discussions on the human and canine anatomy, was performed on an Indian mixed-breed female dog, called Deepika, who had been struggling with excessive weight and was unable to walk because of it. The veterinarian treating her said her owner was anxious and ready to do anything to bring her weight under control.

While this was a case of a pet becoming obese, mid-day had recently done a story on an obese monkey that was rescued, 'Stop feeding the monkeys! You are making them obese: experts'. Animal experts had warned in it, to not feed wild animals to avoid a conflict with humans.

Also Read: Mumbai: Stop feeding the monkeys! You are making them obese, say experts

"Deepika has hypothyroidism and high blood pressure. She drastically gained weight and was 50 kg when brought to us. Her ideal weight should have been around 18-20 kg. She was on a high-carb diet. Many attempts were made to reduce her weight by prescribing her the right food for obesity, heart and joint problems, exercise, and thyroid medication. When nothing worked, we thought of trying weight loss surgery," said Dr Narendra Pardeshi, a veterinary laparoscopic surgeon, Small Animal Clinic, Pune. Dr Pardeshi then contacted Dr Shashank Shah, an obesity surgeon, who agreed to take up the challenge.

The challenge

"I have never operated on an animal before. It required a month-and-a-half long preparation wherein Dr Pardeshi and I discussed the human anatomy and the dog's anatomy at length to plan the surgery," said Dr Shah.

He said that a special stapler-suturing device was ordered for Deepika's surgery, which was conducted 10 days ago. "A dog's stomach wall is thicker than a human's. So we needed a special stapler for the procedure. There is no medical literature available on obesity surgery done on dogs. Therefore, a lot of discussions and planning happened before we went ahead with the surgery," said Dr Shah.

Deepika had been suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart), hypothyroidism, high Body Mass Index (BMI), panting, salivating, joint problems and bluish tongue. According to Dr Pardeshi, she was on 11 medicines just for hypothyroidism and it still wasn't under control.

Watch for this

Dr Shah said like humans, obesity is a silent killer in animals too. "There are many obese pets in the country that need to undergo surgery. They can become obese due to the lack of exercise and excessive food intake. Labradors, pugs, golden retrievers, boxers, St Bernards and Indian dog breeds are given a more carbohydrate-rich diet. It was the same with this dog," he said.

"Avoid pampering your pets with sweet foods as they can make them fall prey to obesity and diabetes," warned Dr Pardeshi.

Post surgery, Deepika has lost eight kg. "Her BP too, has improved. Her ECG is normal. We hope the number of thyroid medicines she takes will come down now. This is the happiest thing for me as I couldn't see her struggle with her weight. The weight loss surgery has been a boon to both Deepika and me," said Yasmin Daruwala, Deepika's owner.