Misty’s Story

This is Misty, my baby girl. She is our first dog as a married couple. Misty has always been a fussy eater and at times I would have 3 plates of different food down for her to choose what she would eat as I was terrified that she would go hungry. Pups were supposed to gobble their food, weren't they? 

Well, that was the start of buying lots of different brands of dry kibble with the addition of human food. As time went by, Misty got her own order when we would order take out meals. This give, take, swap and feed continued for the next 8 years.

After my husband passed away in 2018, Misty and her adopted rescue sister Breeze, became my everything. Every decision to be made about the well-being of my girls fell on me. I felt lost, unsure and not able to make decisions. The one decision I made was about to change our world forever, not only for my girls but for me as well.

In 2019 I enrolled them for doggie day care at K9 Academy in KZN. Soon afterwards we joined their training classes. It opened up a new world to us - bonding with my girls, learning how to keep them engaged, making lifelong friends and learning about canine nutrition through Hill's talks. As time went by their trainer gently mentioned, on multiple occasions, that Misty needed to lose weight especially if I wanted her to live longer. My baby girl is overweight .... Never....She is just fluffy.

What I failed to see was how often she was lying down, the rabbit hop she had when she gets excited was disappearing and she was stiff when she would get up.

On Misty's 8th birthday I had ordered a dog-friendly cake and was excited to dress her up in a tutu then reality hit me on the head, real hard. Going through her birthday photos I noticed how the tutu looked like a diaper, I had to cut the elastic band to slip it on her and most of the time she opted to lay in the shade rather than engage with her fur friends. 

That was my wake up call. Moira, the trainer, introduced me to Dr Thashia Reddy, a local vet, and the three of us came together to become Misty's weight-loss team. It was recommended that Misty be put on the Hill's Pet Slimmer programme. What I didn't know was that Misty's new food, Hill’s Metabolic + Mobility, was going to play a crucial part in recovery from injuries a couple weeks later. 

In October 2021 I took my girls out for a run in a nearby open field. They were racing around enjoying life and freedom when all of a sudden Misty stopped running. I called her... She was limping badly. I got her to the vet and she was diagnosed with a terrible case of arthritis and cruciate injury.

The next couple of months consisted of x-rays, medical procedures to her right and left hind legs, cage rest, hydrotherapy and massages. It was a God send that Misty was already into her weight-loss programme which contributed to her recovery over the next several months.

Misty was a real trooper through all the highs and lows. Today I am so proud to say my 9 year old baby girl has lost over 9kgs, we have settled into the correct eating plan for her and Misty has gone back to doing her bunny hop when she is excited!

Misty is living her best life thank you Hill's for the difference you made!