Dog undergoes laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy weight-loss surgery in Pune

This opens new avenues of treatment in animals who are facing weight-related issues

In a first in India, a dog has undergone a successful laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy weight-loss surgery in Pune, opening up new avenues for such treatment in animals who are facing weight-related issues.

The 8-and-half-year-old female cross-breed Indie, Deepika was 50 kgs before she went under the knife. In a matter of a little over a week, Deepika lost 5 kgs and is now able to walk.

The surgery team was led by Dr. Shashank Shah, leading laparoscopic bariatric surgeon, LaparoObeso Centre, Pune, and Dr. Narendra Pardeshi, veterinary surgeon and founder of Small Animal Clinic, Pune.

“It is heartening that Deepika can walk again,” said Yasim Daruwala, the parent of the pet.

"She was 5-6 years old when she lost interest in all activities, she would just sit on the couch being lazy, salivating, panting severely for breath. Her food intake and medication increased and we would end up spending 10,000 per month. We were worried and consulted various medicos but nothing seemed to work. While browsing on the internet, I came across Pardeshi. He decided to go for laparoscopic sleeve gastronomy surgery so consulted Dr Shah, and found that much-needed respite as I found a solution for my dog’s misery,” said Daruwala.

“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 owing to the lack of exercise and excessive food intake. Labradors, pugs, golden retrievers, boxers, St. Bernards are more predisposed breeds along with Indian dogs who are fed more carbohydrate-rich diet. The same was the situation in the case of this dog,” said Dr Shah.

Like humans, this dog had a history of obesity, high blood pressure, dilated cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart), thyroid problem (hypothyroidism), higher Body Mass Index (BMI), panting, salivation (watery discharge) from the mouth, joint problems and bluish tongue (cyanosis)," said Dr Shashank Shah, leading laparoscopic bariatric surgeon, Laparo Obeso Centre, Pune.

“The normal lifespan of dogs is 12 -15 years and it tends to reduce by six years if they are obese, and fail to seek timely treatment,” said Dr Pardeshi. “This dog underwent various medical tests like humans to check for the fat percentage by measuring the ratio of the stomach and hind legs. Based on this ratio, the diet and medication of the dog were decided. Various attempts were made to reduce his weight by prescribing her dog foods like obesity, heart and joint problems, exercise, and thyroid medication. But that did not create any impact on the dog. The pet owner was determined to make her pet battle the bulge, and insisted on weight loss surgery.”

The cost of the surgery was around Rs 1.20 lakh and the family has raised Rs 1.40 lakh by way of loans for the surgery and subsequent treatment course.

Dr Shah and Dr Pardeshi are planning to start a training center for veterinary laparoscopy, endoscopy, bariatric surgery, laparoscopic hernia surgery, and laparoscopic thoracic surgery in future.