This is Roxanne, the eight-year-old Staffy cross who lost nearly half her body weight after being taken in by the RSPCA.

Female Staffordshire bull terriers should weigh around 15kg (2.3 st) to be healthy, but poor Roxanne weighed 38.5 kg (6 st), and was barely able to move as a result.

Roxanne was put on a special diet and took up swimming with the help of staff at the rescue centre, who started caring for her after her previous owners sadly couldn’t care for her anymore.

This helped her lose an impressive 17kg (2.6 st), and she’s since found a new forever home.

Angela Chan, dog rehoming coordinator, said: ‘Roxanne was clearly well-loved but had been overindulged over the years with lots of unhealthy treats and was morbidly obese. She could barely move due to her weight.

‘We put Roxanne onto a sensible diet immediately and, although her progress was slow, she started to shed the weight.

‘She now weighs 21.1kg and the vet, who has been monitoring her closely over the last 10 months, is happy for her to officially be discharged as pet slimming su-paw-star of the year.

‘Exercise was difficult for Roxanne; she couldn’t walk far without getting out of breath and her weight put a huge strain on her little legs.

‘She started hydrotherapy as swimming allows her to move freely, and use her muscles but avoid putting pressure on her joints. Although she doesn’t need to lose any further weight, she’ll continue swimming to help manage her arthritis.

‘We slowly increased her walks and it’s so lovely now that she’s able to enjoy exercise, running and even playing with her ball.’

Why we need to be careful about not overfeeding our pets

RSPCA chief veterinary officer Caroline Allen said: ‘Pet obesity is a serious welfare issue and recent studies have suggested that around half of all pet dogs are overweight. We are, quite literally, killing our pets with kindness.

‘Obesity can affect all types of pets and the main causes are from eating too much or not exercising enough.

‘As a rough guide for cats and dogs, you should be able to see and feel the outline of their ribs without excess fat covering them. You should also be able to see and feel their waist and it should clearly “pinch in” when you look down at them from above.

‘Overweight pets can suffer from serious health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. Carrying more body weight can also increase the chances of pets suffering from conditions such as arthritis and can even shorten their life expectancy.

‘If you’re worried about your pet’s weight, we’d recommend speaking to your vet before making any significant diet or lifestyle changes and ruling out any health conditions that may be affecting their weight.’

Since she got fitter, Roxanne has found a new forever home where she gets to enjoy her new more active lifestyle to the fullest with owners Hazel and Mike Ducker, from Shropshire.

Angela added: ‘As well as being fitter and healthier, Roxanne is now having lots of fun with her new family.

‘They go on lots of holidays in their motorhome, visiting the seaside, lakes, farms and even castles.

‘Roxanne is such a sweetheart. She’s a lovely, easy-going girl who loves a fuss and a play, and is always pleased to see everyone.

‘Her favourite thing in the world is her squeaky blue ball. We hope that now she’s fitter she’ll be able to play and play until her heart’s content.’

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