Captain Haddock is competing against previous obese South African cats and dogs and has been listed in the top five finalists.
The dog suffered a stroke because of overweight, making its owner Magdalena Gomez realise that obesity was not only a problem for human beings but also for pets.
At 50kg, Captain Haddock was twice the weight of a healthy dog of his breed and his owners blamed themselves for stuffing him with too much snacks.
A veterinary declared Captain Haddock obese early last year, and the stroke in August last year was a wake-up call that the dog needed an urgent healthy diet plan.
“The children were mystified to find him lying on the ground unconscious one afternoon. We didn't know what was wrong,” Gomez said, adding that they rushed the dog to the Swakopmund Veterinary Clinic where he was diagnosed with a brain stroke.
“We were informed that the stroke was a result of Haddock being overweight and that if we did not take precautions, he might have another stroke,” explained Gomez.
The bad news was that Captain Haddock had a life-threatening weight problem, but the good news was that the clinic would help him shed off the extra fat by placing him on their special pet slimming programme.
After successfully going from a 50 to a mere 34,9kg, Captain Haddock made it to the top five of the 2014 Hill's Pet Slimmer of the Year, a South African pet-slimming competition organised by Hill's Pet Nutrition.
This is the first time a Namibian dog has made it this far in the competition, and the Gomez family is ecstatic.
“We just didn't realise how dangerous his weight was. We used to joke that Captain Haddock had to be pushed up the dunes when we went sand-boarding. He looked sad and usually just lazed around. Now he's a different dog. He enjoys running up and down the dunes as much as we do and jumps easily into the back of the car when he knows we are ready for an outing. He is super healthy and is a very happy dog,” says Gomez.
The competition's media spokesperson, Cathy Williams says Captain Haddock has been doing exceptionally well and has managed to stay on the top spot since the competition opened on 1 October 2014.
She said the finalist with the highest number of votes at midday on 22 October (tomorrow) will become the 2014 Hill's Pet Slimmer of the Year and the top five entrants will each receive R5 000.
Swakopmund's Veterinary Clinic's Sheela Bagot-Smith said just like with humans, pets need to watch what they eat in order to avoid obesity. “An obese pet can have mobility and breathing problems as well as develop diabetes at a later stage,” she warned.
The competition is an annul event organised by Hill's Pet Nutrition and is dedicated to helping pets reach their full potential through quality nutrition and healthcare. Dog lovers can vote for Captain Haddock at www.petslimmer.co.za