Unique operation to cut excess fat of Pune pet dog

MUMBAI: A dog underwent surgery to reduce weight last week. This is the first such known laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on an animal in India and beyond, doctors claimed. The 7-year-old female Indian cross breed, Deepika, is a “family member” to the Daruwala family who live in Pune.
Over the last few years, a playful Deepika had put on quite a bit. She had difficulty walking, could barely stand, and panted excessively. She was diagnosed with a host of ailments – liver, kidney, cardiac, blood pressure problems, cataract, thyroid and intestinal hernia too, said Dr Narendra Pardeshi, veterinary laparoscopic surgeon from Pune.
Despite a controlled diet, exercise and medicines, her condition only worsened, said her owner Daisy Daruwala, a resident of Karve Nagar. “Her playfulness had almost waned… At one point, she was popping more tablets for the ailments than the food that she consumed,” said Daruwala.
As her condition continued to worsen, the vet advised a bariatric laproscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Since the anatomy of a canine is different from that of humans, Dr Shashank Shah, a bariatric surgeon for humans, had to first study these differences, a bit.
“Excess of grelin, a hormone, reduces metabolism to slow down. This, in turn, affects the liver, the viscera and other organs,” said Dr Shah who is attached to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. “The curvature of the stomach was detached to reduce the size of the stomach, and later sutured. This helps reduces the size of the stomach. The patient feels satiated by consuming much lesser food.”
Deepika’s weight has reduced from 50kg to 45kg. Her high blood pressure is now in better control and the ECG is also normalising, said Dr Pardeshi. “This surgery will give her a better quality of life and lifespan too,” he said.
For the last few days, Deepika has been feeding on chicken stock which is very diluted. A week into the surgery, Deepika is already looking slimmer and feeling better, said Daruwala. “She is back to walking around the house. She will bounce back soon.”