By Nelson Espinal
Copyright newsweek
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton‘s dog, Roscoe, was battling health issues as of Friday. According to Hamilton, Roscoe is in a coma after being treated for pneumonia.
“Please keep Roscoe in your thoughts. I want to keep you all updated,” Hamilton wrote in a post on Instagram.
“Roscoe caught pneumonia again and was struggling to breathe. He was admitted into the hospital and sedated to calm him while they did checks on him, and during the process, his heart stopped.
“They managed to get a heartbeat back and now he’s in a coma. We don’t know whether he will wake from this. Tomorrow we’ll try to wake him up. I’m by his side and want to thank you all for your prayers and support.”
SILVERSTONE – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) with his dog Roscoe in the paddock prior to practice 1 leading up to the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone on July 1, 2022 in Silverstone, England. REMKO DE WAAL (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
Unfortunately, this is not Roscoe’s first run-in with health complications. Since Hamilton adopted him back in 2013, Roscoe has gone through several health problems.
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Back in May, before the race at Imola, Roscoe suffered from pneumonia, though he managed to recover; but the illness has struck again.
Why is Roscoe on a Vegan Diet?
To improve Roscoe’s quality of life, Hamilton switched his dog’s diet to a vegan one in 2020, and it seemed to help him remain healthy.
“He always had health issues and would struggle with things like his breathing and his walking,” Hamilton told People.com.
“I saw that having a plant-based diet was something that could be helpful as long as you were making sure the dog was getting all its nutritional needs met, so I decided to try it.”
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In 2021, Hamilton invested in Bramble, a plant-based dog food company that makes high-protein foods developed by veterinarians.
The British driver has been a vegan himself since 2017, and after experiencing the benefits of the diet firsthand, decided to have Roscoe switch.
“I’m always looking for ways to look after his health and really just improve his quality of life, and his diet is just one part of that – but he has so much more energy and doesn’t struggle as much with the health issues he had before,” Hamilton added regarding the decision to change Roscoe’s diet.
Roscoe has supported Hamilton over the years, living with the athlete through his seven World Championship titles that have him penciled in as the greatest of all time.
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