India’s first & Unique Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery to cut excess fat of Pune pet dog
Dogs need to be active almost as much as they need to breathe. But, Ms Daruwalla, a resident of Karve Nagar, Pune was worried as her dog avoided participating in the fun activities, 7-8 years ago. “Our house was filled with happiness after the arrival of our pet Deepika who was neutered 5 years ago. Initially, she would run around the house, help me with some of the household chores, play with me, go for walks, won’t get irritated easily, followed my instructions, eat properly, exercise with me, help me fetch my things, and was attentive. I also noticed rapid breathing, inability to walk, and breathlessness. She was 5-6 years old when she lost interest in all the activities, she would just sit on the couch being lazy, salivated, panting severely for breath. Her food intake and medication increased and we would end up spending 10,000 per month. We were worried and consult various medicos but nothing seemed to work. While browsing on the internet, I came across Dr Narendra Pardeshi (M V Sc – Surgery Vet laparoscopic surgeon) of Small Animal Clinic, Pune, and tried various ways to reduce weight by prescription diets for obesity, cardiac food, and joint foods. Then Dr Narendra Pardeshi decided to go for laparoscopic sleeve gastronomy surgery so consulted Dr Shashank Shah, and found that much-needed respite as I found a solution for my dog’s misery,” said Daruwala.
Daruwalla along with her pet visited Dr Shashank Shah a month back after that her dog’s life changed for the better. “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. Labrador, Pug, Golden retriever, boxer, St. Bernard are more predisposed breeds along with Indian dogs who are fed more on carbohydrate-rich food. The same was the situation in the case of this dog. Like humans, this dog had a history of obesity, high blood pressure, dilated cardiac myopathy (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 tends to reduce by six years if they are obese, and fail to seek timely treatment,” said Dr Narendra Pardeshi (M V Sc – Surgery Vet laparoscopic surgeon) of Small Animal Clinic, Pune. “The joints of dogs get degenerated because of obesity and they are immobility and less physical activity. 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.”
This dog went for surgery on Sunday 6 June 2021 at Small Animal Clinic & Referral unit of Dr Narendra Pardeshi. He had to Fast for 12 hrs prior to surgery and on a liquid diet for 5 days with protein-rich powder in liquid form. Dogs weight was 50 kegs before going for surgery which should be about 18 -20 kgs. Surgery was performed at the most advanced surgery center of Pune Small Animal Clinic & Referral unit of Dr Narendra Pardeshi located at Pimple Saudagar, Pune.
After giving sedation n general anesthesia, surgery was performed with minimum invasion through the high-definition camera, and stomach 1/3 RD portion was cut and stapled with minimal blood loss of 3-4 ml by most advanced harmonic. The surgery took about 2 hours as we used the most advanced instruments and the dog made an uneventful recovery after surgery, and the dog was discharged in 1 hour as an outpatient way. It is the world’s first laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery done by using the harmonic instrument and staplers like used in humans. It is not easy to give sedation and anesthesia in animals when compared to humans. But it was swiftly managed by us. After surgery, Deepika was on liquid clear chicken soup for the last 7 days. In 5 days, the dog’s weight reduced to 4 Kgs. The dog was discharged immediately after operation within 1 hr of recovery from gaseous anesthesia. After surgery, we informed to restrict movement and exercise for 15 days. Now the dog is weighing about 45 kgs.
Dr. Narendra Pardeshi suggested closely monitor the pet’s obesity issue and treat timely under expert veterinary supervision, Deepika will have to be on diet for a short period of time and then she can have a normal diet with good exercise.
Dr. Shah further informed, “Dr. Narendra Pardeshi and I am planning to start a training center for veterinary laparoscopy, endoscopy, bariatric surgery, laparoscopic hernia surgery, and laparoscopic thoracic surgery in future.”
“There is a tremendous change in my dog after the surgery. She performs all the activities with ease now. She moves without any fears and all the complications have been effectively dealt with. There is a huge relief to a distraught pet mom like me. Not many pet owners are aware that bariatric surgery is even available for dogs and they suffer in silence. Avoid pampering your dogs with sweet foods as they can make them fall prey to obesity and diabetes,” concluded the elated dog owner Daruwalla.
Tags- Pune News, Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery, cut excess fat of dog, unique operation of dog, Ms Daruwalla, Karvenagar, rapid breathing, inability to walk, breathlessness, latest pune news, Deccan Express,