Boxer Poppy feeling grrr-reat after losing 15kg

An Invercargill dog's love of fruit has helped it overcome a weight problem and get back into chasing sticks at the beach.

Boxer Poppy, 4, lost 15kg over eight months almost 40 per cent of her body weight.

Poppy's owner Patricia Cahill said weight became a problem after the dog was spayed. "She just looked like a round blob. She was as fat as she was long."

With the vet concerned about Poppy's ballooning mass, she placed Poppy on a strict diet of weight-reduction food and plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Kiwifruit was a favourite, along with oranges, but anything was gobbled up during three daily meals.

Ms Cahill said she had noticed a big change in her dog, with an increase in energy since she lost the weight.

"She can go for longer, she loves the beach so we go out there and she just goes crazy." MORE>>