Giant rabbit put on diet after owner mistakes it for a dog

Thursday February 9th 2017

The owner of an overweight rabbit has vowed to get the beloved bunny in shape after he was mistakenly taken for a dog.

Zeus weighs in at 1st 4lbs (8.2kg) - the same as a one-year-old child, according to the pet charity PDSA.

His companion Nala, a Lionhead, is 2lbs (900g) overweight and owner Sharon Close, of Leicester, took in the pair after finding them abandoned five years ago.

The 46-year-old hopes both bunnies will shed a few pounds and get in better shape as part of the PDSA Pet Fit Club competition.

She said: "Both Zeus and Nala are very fond of food and absolutely love Ryvita crackers. I also feed them bags of salad, spinach and treats, which I hide in their hay.

"When they were found in the park, it was freezing and they weren't in great condition. They'd had a tough start in life and I suppose I wanted to compensate for that."

"Zeus is absolutely huge now, I can't lift him any more. He's just not interested in exercising or playing, even when I let him out in the garden. He just sits there.

"One time I took him out into the front garden and a neighbour said 'shouldn't that dog be on a lead?' When I told her he was a rabbit her jaw nearly hit the floor."

The plan is to make slow adjustments to the rabbits' lifestyle to help them slim down - and Ms Close has entered them into the competition to jump-start her rabbits' health kick.

Rae Andrew, from the Leicester Pet Hospital, said: "Zeus is the biggest rabbit we've ever seen, he's absolutely enormous.

"However, even small changes to an obese pet's diet and exercise regime can have a big impact and potentially help them live longer."

The Pet Fit competition will see 15 overweight dogs, cats and rabbits selected to be given a diet and exercise programme by vets.

Copyright Press Association 2017