30 Of The Most Impressive Animals' Before And After Weight Loss Pics

Animals are just as capable of losing weight as we are. All it takes is a healthy diet and plenty of exercise for them to bounce back to a healthy weight in no time!

Stephanie

• Published in Animals
• October 23, 2021

Roughly 13% of the world's population today is obese. In fact, the number of obese people has almost tripled since 1975!

And it isn't just humans that are suffering. Obesity is also a serious issue for pets, and can cause some pretty nasty health problems for them.

But animals are just as capable of losing weight as we are. All it takes is a healthy diet and plenty of exercise for them to bounce back to a healthy weight in no time!

Vet, Lynne James, says spoiling pets is one of the most common reasons they end up overweight. "One mistake that is easy to make when faced with adorable kitten or puppy eyes is indulging our pets with treats," she said.

"Treats can quickly add up, yet they should only make up 10% of your pet's daily food allowance. Work out how much your pet should be eating each day and don't overfeed them; weigh out their daily allowance to prevent accidental over-feeding and take out 10% of their allowance to use as their treats for the day."

"Choose healthy treats such as a few slices of carrot for dogs or a small piece of white fish or lean meat, which both cats and dogs can enjoy," Lynne said. "Most pets would be just as happy with extra attention, an extra walk, or playtime!"

Subreddit r/dechonkers is a place for pet owners to celebrate and share their fur babies' weight loss journeys. Scroll down to see some incredible before and after photos of animals that have successfully lost weight.

1. From Absolute Unit On The Brink Of Being Put Down Due To Health Issues, To A Smiling Boy

2. Kai Has Lost 100 Lbs Between 2018 And 2019, Goodest Of Boyes

3. My Cat Was 23lbs When We Adopted Him, Today He’s 12lbs And No Longer Diabetic!

4. Jazzy Is Running & Jumping Just In Time For Her 10th Birthday Tomorrow! We Love You Jazzy! 16 Lbs To Go!

5. Phoebe’s Diet Is Going Well!

6. The Cutest Ex-Chonker

7. My Mill Rescue Who Made It Full Circle. Now She's Spayed And Well Muscled!

8. Bruno Gets Dechonkt

9. Buddy’s Epic Weight Loss! He Was Around 20kg, And Now He’s At 13kg

10. From 95 Grams To 80 Grams. Alexander Has Reached His Goal Chonk!

11. I Got Darling Belle About Two Months Ago (On The Left) And Immediately Put Her On A Diet. Show Her Some Love As She Continues Her Dechonkin’ Journey!

12. From Thicc To Stick: Massive Tuxie Loses 3 Kg/Half A Stone. More Pounds Have Rolled Since The Picture Was Taken (April 2019)

13. Motivation: The Weight-Loss Journey Of Skinny The Cat. He Lost About 10 Kg In Total

14. Sookie Progress: 90% Dechonkified. Started Fostering Her 7 Months Ago After She Was Abandoned From A Puppy Mill Operation At 74lbs. We Adopted Her A Month Ago And Is Now At 48lbs!

15. One Of My Favorite Dechonks - Meet Bronson!

16. A Sad Update/Cautionary Tale. Some Of You Might Remember Molly, Who Came To Live With Me For A While To Lose Weight. Sadly Today At The Age Of 6, Molly Crossed Rainbow Bridge. Please Do Not Over Feed Your Pets, It Kills

17. Chasing The Dog Chased Away The Chonk!!!!

18. My Service Dog, Avalanche, Is Back To A Healthy Weight!

19. My Reverse Chonk! He Stopped Eating Last Summer And Lost A Lot Of Weight, Turns Out Many Of His Teeth Were Bad And He Was In Too Much Pain To Eat. He Had Surgery In December And Has Been Putting On Weight Since! Vet Wants Him A Bit Chonky Since He's A Senior And Prone To Being On The Lighter Side

20. One Year Of Dechonkification

21. Even Though We Loved Our Chonker Girl, We Knew She’d Be Happier Healthy. After Starting Medication For Her Barbering, A Prescription Diet For Weight Loss, And A New Feeding Schedule, She’s A Chonker No More!

22. Almost Three Years Of Dechonkin’

23. Was Told Ernie Would Be Appreciated Here

24. My Handsome Man 7 Months Ago And Today!

25. Bella Has Lost 9 Pounds And Is Very Close To Her Goal Weight. I'm Not Sure If She Looks Thinner But She Seems To Feel Better And Run Around More

26. Eli Lost A Whole Cat's Worth Of Weight! From 23 Lbs Down To 13.8

27. Chonk To Dechonk: Gary’s Workout Plan... Food And Water On Separate Levels Of The House

28. Another Dechonk - Barsik! He's Gone From 41 Lbs To 27 Lbs

29. It Took A Heafty Bribe, And Two Years, But My Cat Finally Lost The Weight!

30. Months Progress - 8.2 -> 6.7 Kg!

Dr. Ernie Ward, founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, has been diagnosing pets with obesity for more than 25 years. "Part of the reason is due to the fact that I’m a veterinarian whose area of interest is obesity; the other part is that pet obesity is becoming more prevalent," he said.

"This is an incredibly important issue because pets with obesity are at increased risk for developing serious weight-related disorders such as diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney disease, cancer, and more. Currently, an estimated 60% of cats and 56% of dogs in the US are classified by their vet as overweight or have obesity."

"That equals over 100 million dogs and cats at risk for avoidable disease, pain, and shortened life expectancy," Dr. Ward said. "We must do better."

We certainly must! So, let's make an effort to feed our best friends the healthiest diet possible - they deserve it!

Stephanie