Posted on 02/07/2017 1:07:48 PM PST by nickcarraway
The owner of a rabbit which has been mistaken for a dog owing to its size is looking to get her pet back into shape.
Zeus, thought to be a Californian breed, weighs in at 8.2kg - the same as a one-year-old child, pet charity PDSA said.
His companion Nala, a Lionhead, is 900g overweight and owner Sharon Close, of Leicester, took in the pair after finding them abandoned five years ago.
The 46-year-old is looking to help the rabbits shift the pounds as part of the PDSA Pet Fit Club competition.
She said: "Both Zeus and Nala are very fond of food and absolutely love Ryvita crackers. I also feed them bags of salad, spinach and treats, which I hide in their hay."
"When they were found in the park, it was freezing and they weren't in great condition. They'd had a tough start in life and I suppose I wanted to compensate for that."
"Zeus is absolutely huge now, I can't lift him any more. He's just not interested in exercising or playing, even when I let him out in the garden. He just sits there.
One time I took him out into the front garden and a neighbour said 'shouldn't that dog be on a lead?'
"One time I took him out into the front garden and a neighbour said 'shouldn't that dog be on a lead?' When I told her he was a rabbit her jaw nearly hit the floor."
The plan is to make slow adjustments to the rabbits' lifestyle to help them slim down - and Ms Close has entered them into the competition to jump-start her rabbits' health kick.
Rae Andrew, from the Leicester Pet Hospital, said: "Zeus is the biggest rabbit we've ever seen, he's absolutely enormous."
"However, even small changes to an obese pet's diet and exercise regime can have a big impact and potentially help them live longer."
The Pet Fit competition will see 15 overweight dogs, cats and rabbits selected to be given a diet and exercise programme by vets.
Any rabbit owners here?
Do they really get litter trained?
My daughter has an evil cat from heck who is scratching his way into an early grave if he destroys one more piece of furniture- is declawing an option?
It’s that or the SPCA- she literally has cost me thousands of dollars in damage to carpets and chairs.
“Do they really get litter trained?”
Rabbits really can be litter trained. I knew a family who had three indoor pet rabbits and they used litter.
I remember him!
He and Apollo chased Magnum around Robin Masters’ estate.
Cats can be declawed. Cat's claws can also be clipped, which should be your daughter's job.
I was on something called the Coney Diet. I was supposed to eat only what a rabbit would eat. I quit after 3 months when I didn’t return to my original weight. But perhaps 7 lbs 6 oz. was not a realistic goal after all.
I must be missing something - the headline makes it sound as though someone overfed the rabbit after mistaking it for a dog...
Yes, the rabbit is owned by Mr. Magoo.
She can clip their nails or put those little nylon covers on them. I knew several cats that had those caps on their nails and they looked rather glamorous.
Being crepuscular, 'show time', will be starting soon.
Litter trained and understand/respond to voice commands. You haven't lived until you've seen a huge Rabbit riding a Roomba around the house
My wife had three cats and all had the front claws removed. They were happy, healthy, and did not scratch anything at all. You would think they could not defend themselves, but they learned to punch with those front paws.
Cute dogs!
Sounds like they get the “evening crazies” like our cats do.
And in the morning ... I call it the “Bunny 500”, my 6yo Daughter, prefers the “Zoomies”.
Get the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch!
Cats can be declawed, but if they are they should be kept inside or only let out on a harness and lead for supervised exercise. I did have one cat who was declawed, and then decided to spend much of her daytime outside. It turned out OK for her, but the urban bobcat and coyote population was much lower back then.
Declawing is really a misnomer. They don’t remove the just claw, they remove the last section of each toe at the knuckle. I’m not a cat fan but that seems to go too far. Your daughter’s cat would probably be welcomed at a horse farm as a companion and mouse hunter.
Yes, we had a Mini Lop who was litter trained. She was 10 when she died. Nice quiet affectionate pet you had to keep her teeth trimmed.
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