'She has the biggest personality': 50-pound dog loses half her body weight with water therapy

Updated: 5:50 AM EST Jan 8, 2020

A Montana dog named Pearl is much healthier than she was a year ago. You could even say she has a new leash on life.Pearl's owner Jessie Maclay, who works at the Humane Society of Western Montana, gave her a 2019 New Year's resolution to lose weight. The 50-pound pooch had trouble walking because of it. "She was unable to walk more than four to five steps before her legs would give out," Jessie Maclay told KTMF-TV. "She had a dislocated hip that prevented her from being able to walk well."Swimming lessons became a key exercise in her weight-loss journey, along with diet and other exercise. During her first time in the pool, she could only swim for a few seconds at a time, but eventually, she worked her way up to swimming for 15-minute spurts."In the time that we were swimming, she lost easily 20 to 25 pounds," Maclay said.She has to follow a strict diet to keep the weight off because she has Cushing's disease, but the vet said it's OK for her to eat green beans, which she has grown to love, Maclay said.Pearl's personality began to emerge when she began to lose the extra weight, too.Watch the video above to learn more about this story.

A Montana dog named Pearl is much healthier than she was a year ago. You could even say she has a new leash on life.

Pearl's owner Jessie Maclay, who works at the Humane Society of Western Montana, gave her a 2019 New Year's resolution to lose weight. The 50-pound pooch had trouble walking because of it.

"She was unable to walk more than four to five steps before her legs would give out," Jessie Maclay told KTMF-TV. "She had a dislocated hip that prevented her from being able to walk well."

Swimming lessons became a key exercise in her weight-loss journey, along with diet and other exercise. During her first time in the pool, she could only swim for a few seconds at a time, but eventually, she worked her way up to swimming for 15-minute spurts.

"In the time that we were swimming, she lost easily 20 to 25 pounds," Maclay said.

She has to follow a strict diet to keep the weight off because she has Cushing's disease, but the vet said it's OK for her to eat green beans, which she has grown to love, Maclay said.

Pearl's personality began to emerge when she began to lose the extra weight, too.

Watch the video above to learn more about this story.

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'She has the biggest personality': 50-pound dog loses half her body weight with water therapy - WCVB Boston