All it takes is one person to make you believe it’s possible. And, for Buddy, that person was Jalessa!
When this 140-pound boy first entered the vet clinic in Kansas, everyone stopped in their tracks. The staff was absolutely shocked by Buddy’s weight and the fact that he didn’t even look like a dog anymore.
He was a lost cause, waiting to be euthanized, as no one believed that he could ever recover from his condition.
But, Jalessa never stopped believing.
A Remarkable Weight Loss Journey
Buddy’s owners never saw anything wrong with him. They kept overfeeding the dog to the point that he could not stand or walk properly anymore.
Due to his extreme weight, his ankle bone was completely shattered.
“I was working at a vet clinic in Kansas and someone brought in their dog. He was coming in at over 140 pounds. His ankle bone was shattered under the pressure of his weight. At that point, we thought there’s no way this dog is gonna make a recovery,” Jalessa told Cuddle Buddies.
The thing was – Buddy wasn’t always hungry; he just had constant access to food and kept eating.
“He didn’t look like any sort of dog, he was completely round. He had so much weight. He would scoot around, wasn’t able to stand,” she added.
But, when Jalessa finally met him, she decided to intervene.
Despite everyone suggesting that taking care of Buddy would be in vain, she persisted. Jalessa adopted this big boi in a heartbeat, and the rest, as they say, is history!
The two walked into a new life together, ready to embark upon a brand-new recovery journey. All they had to do was start somewhere!
First things first, Jalessa cut off his food access and designed a proper meal plan for her new companion. Then, it was time to heal that broken leg!
Buddy was subjected to surgery, after which he successfully recovered. It was a long and difficult road filled with love and care around the clock, but he eventually got there.
Months into his adoption, Buddy started to walk slowly. In the beginning, he couldn’t get far, and he’d make long pauses between walking sessions. But, he was definitely making progress… until, eventually, he completely transformed!
A Brand-New Boi
With a little push from his mom, not only did Buddy manage to lose some weight, but he lost a whopping 80 pounds!
That’s right!
This amazing pooch lost more than half of his weight in a fascinating journey, all thanks to that one person who wouldn’t give up on him. And now, he’s happier than ever!
“I’m so grateful Buddy picked me to experience life with. Watching him grow (shrink) has been an amazing long journey for both of us,” Jalessa wrote on Instagram.
Today, Buddy can’t stop running and taking on exciting adventures with his momma.
He absolutely loves taking walks in nature. You could just tell he’s an outdoor boi, even though he behaves like a real lap dog when he’s home. Buddy adapted perfectly to his new environment, and now he’s happier than ever.
He even makes a great sibling to his cat brother and doesn’t mind sharing his doggo bed with him.
You can keep up with Buddy’s incredible journey on his official Instagram.
