A local Cheshire dog who was at risk of being put down due to obesity has found a new lease of life after shedding five stone.
Nine-year-old Philip the Springer Spaniel’s desperate owner didn’t know what to do after the pup had ballooned to 10st 5lbs – which was more than three times his recommended weight – from munching on too many cakes, biscuits, and other human food, before stopping eating and finding it extremely difficult to walk, CheshireLive reports.
Cheshire Pet vet Edward Davies feared Philip may “have reached the end” when he examined the dog mid last year.
“I’ve been a vet for 30 years and I’ve never seen a dog as overweight as Philip. It was amazing that his legs could hold him up at all, and he was so big it was hard to even examine him to find out what was wrong,” Mr Davies told CheshireLive.
“He could have had a football-sized mass in his abdomen, and we wouldn’t have felt it underneath all the fat – but his blood tests actually came back surprisingly clear.”
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Although Mr Davies said he thought Philip’s quality of life was “virtually non-existent”, the Holmes Chapel-based vet practice – which is a part of the My Family Vets family – said they’d “never want to put a dog to sleep when we feel we can treat and rehome it”.
Philip was adopted by Mr Davies and was put on special diet for six months.
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Credit: Cheshire Pet / My Family Vets
And now, Philip’s “tale is always wagging” and he loves to swim.
After a combination of replacing his usual sugary foods with a specially-tailored canine diet, and playing with Mr Davies’ other two dogs, going for long walks, and chasing balls and swimming in local reservoirs to build up stamina, Philip now weighs in at around 4st 10lbs.
Mr Davies added that Philip sould be down to the ideal weight before the end of the year, and that “his personality has really come out,” and it’s “lovely to see him happy.”
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“He’s such a friendly dog, and you just didn’t see that before.”
Featured Image – Cheshire Pet / My Family Vets
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One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right about now.
With just under two weeks to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Clearly, the moral of the story here is , enjoy yourself… but just not too much.
Featured Image – The OurWhiskey Company (via Pexels)
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Half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner, new survey reveals
Emily Sergeant
Christmas dinner is one of the key parts of any festive celebration.
No matter whether you choose to tuck into a traditional roast with all the trimmings and lashings of gravy, or you prefer to go for something a little different like a curry or a Chinese instead, your Christmas dinner is a chance to gather round with your loved ones and enjoy one of the heartiest meals you’ll likely have all year.
However, some shocking new figures have revealed that half of Manchester residents have no clue how to even cook a Christmas dinner.
Through a major study by the UK’s leading electrical retailer, AO.com, it was revealed that the majority of our city’s residents are “losing confidence” in preparing even the simplest of British dishes – with a traditional roast or Christmas dinner being one of them.
A new survey has revealed that half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner / Credit: Freepik | GoodFon
As part of its new campaign to get Brits back into the kitchen, AO found that just 57% of respondents reckon they would be able to make a roast dinner, 52% could whip up a classic shepherd’s pie, 58% could cook bangers and mash, merely 61% could prepare a full English breakfast, and again, only 57% could tackle fish and chips.
Classic desserts are clearly a struggle for us Mancs too, according to the survey, as only 19% of respondents said they’d feel confident cooking a Christmas pudding.
The survey also found that nationwide, it was Gen Z – those between the age of 16 and 27 – that are the least confident in their ability to cook great British classics, while on the other end of the spectrum, Baby Boomers are the most capable, proving that culinary confidence increases with age.
Our region’s residents are apparently ‘losing confidence’ at cooking simple British classics / Credit: Freepik
Commenting on the results, Jay Lockton, oven expert at AO.com, said: “Kitchens should be a place of creativity and joy, but our data shows that a lot of people in Manchester are losing confidence in preparing even the simplest of British dishes.
“Based on our findings, many younger people may be opting for convenience foods or takeaways due to their busy schedules and the perception that cooking from scratch is time-consuming or difficult.
Emily Sergeant -
14th January 2022 
