77-pound dachshund seeks to lose 40 pounds

upi ^ | Sept. 11, 2012

[JoeProBono]

PORTLAND, Ore., - An Oregon woman has started a Facebook page to support her quest to help the 77-pound dachshund she adopted lose 40 pounds.

Nora Vanetta, a Portland veterinary technician, said she adopted 5-year-old Obie the dachshund from his elderly owners when they were no longer able to care for him due to their deteriorating health and she discovered he weighed more than twice as much as he should, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday.

Vanetta started the "Biggest Loser, Doxie Edition" page on Facebook to support her attempt to get Obie to lose 40 pounds and to track the canine's progress.

"He is extremely sweet and loving," Vanetta wrote on the page. "He was obviously loved and is a joy to work with. The ageing owners just couldn't say no to those big brown eyes."

Vanetta said Obie's current regimen involves dieting and hydrotherapy, as he is currently too large to exercise.

"I plan to do swim therapy with him and treadmill work once he starts to lose a little," Vanetta wrote. She said Obie "may eventually need to have excess skin surgically removed."

The page includes a link to a PayPal account for Obie's fans to donate funds to his healthcare and weight loss effort.

"I feel tremendously blessed to be involved in his rehabilitation and I am amazed at the outpouring of love and support that I have received," Vanetta wrote. "My hope is that he can be an inspiration to any person or animal trying to lose weight."

[JoeProBono]

VIDEO

[afraidfortherepublic]

Poor fat doggie ping

[Altariel]

Poor dog. :(

Joe 6-Pack, a sad doggie ping, but one that the doggie ping list members might find of interest.

[Joe 6-pack]

WOOOF!

The Doggie Ping list is for FReepers who would like to be notified of threads relating to all things canid. If you would like to join the Doggie Ping Pack (or be unleashed from it), FReemail me.

[muir_redwoods]

I’m not unaware of the humor potential of a picture like that but it is, pure and simple, just a case of animal abuse or grevious negligence. I hope the poor dog can be saved.

[ScottinVA]

Too often, dog owners fall into that “he thinks he’s a person” mindset and overfeed their dogs to the point of killing them. Unless that weight gets off that dog in short order, he’s going to die soon. The heart can’t stand that level of obesity. Thankfully, the vet tech is working to get that extra weight off.

[Monkey Face]

THAT is sad.

Abusive, abd very, very sad. I hope the dog lives long enough to lose the weight.

[Monkey Face]

abd = and

[rarestia]

We have a mini-longhaired red who recently dropped almost 4 lb. just from changing her diet to the proper feeding portion and time. It took her less than a year.

40 lb. is ambitious, but it sounds like the owners are doing the best they can. God bless them and their efforts!

[Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh]

Who doesn’t love having a really fat wiener dog but honestly that’s just unhealthy

[Uncle Chip]

Poor dog doesn’t need a facebook page — just a diet and some exercise.

[ShadowAce]

The page includes a link to a PayPal account for Obie's fans to donate funds to his healthcare and weight loss effort.

How much does it cost to NOT feed the dog?

[JoeProBono]

[skinkinthegrass]

looks like the doggie;
likes food even more...
just sayin'

[skinkinthegrass]

LOL!..is that a (carryin' :) strap?

[Altariel]

Not feeding the dog altogether would cause its body to work to *retain* fat to keep the dog alive.

A high protein diet, plus exercise (as the dog is able) is a better choice.

[JLS]

“77-pound dachshund seeks to lose 40 pounds”

I bet not. I bet the dachshund would like to eat even more.

[Responsibility2nd]

Poor Doggie.

His troubles are going to get worse. I just heard Pres. Obama has scheduled a luncheon in Portland for later this week.

~burp~

[momtothree]

“... is that a carryin’ strap?”

Of course not, silly. Don’t you know Dachshund purses are all the rage!

[skinkinthegrass]

“... is that a carryin’ strap?” /// Of course not, silly.
Don’t you know Dachshund purses are all the rage!LOL!...don't they clash w/ the Alligator ....
boots / swimming goldfish earring?

[JoeProBono]

[edhawk]

“... is that a carryin’ strap?”

Of course not, silly. Don’t you know Dachshund purses are all the rage!

Ha, at 70lbs I think there is enough for a steamer trunk there.

[skinkinthegrass]

I just heard Pres. Obama has scheduled a
luncheon in Portland for later this week.that's gonna need more slaw and/or....
mustard for that lill' puppy.

[Monkey Face]

Back in the day when I had dogs, I would fast them at least once a month, just like I did myself. It didn’t hurt them a bit, and they still loved me in the morning.

;o]

[skinkinthegrass]

I just heard Pres. Obama has scheduled a
luncheon in Portland for later this week.that's gonna need more slaw....
and/or mustard for that lill' puppy.

[momtothree]

I cannot believe you found an actual picture of one! LOL!!

[Daffynition]

[JoeProBono]

[Cicero]

It’s especially dangerous because dachshunds, because of their unusual length, sometimes have back problems and spinal disorders as they get older. Extra weight worsens the odds.

[JoeProBono]

[Ditter]

Doxies tend to have back problems because of their length, I can only guess how much trouble this poor pup is going to have.

[brytlea]

My dog just called you a bad word. ;)

[Daffynition]

Too much *want.*

[JoeProBono]

[momtothree]

I’m figuring that poor boy isn’t a happy camper in deep snow. LOL!

[Salamander]

I can find no humor at all.

That is horrible.

I love my dogs enough to ‘say no’ to them.

What they “want” is not always what they should have and God gave me the thumbs and bigger brain to ensure their best interests are being served.

[Salamander]

*And* his spine.

[Salamander]

To put this is in proper, horrifying perspective, *this* dog

only weighs 20 pounds less than *this* dog

I can't even wrap my mind around that...:(

[KGeorge]

Oh God Love it! That’s terrible!
It is very, very easy (esp for women, with our ‘if you love it, feed it something delicious’ mentality) to overfeed. Treats do not equal love, though. Good care & quality time equals love.
I bet my Doxie friends are freakin out. 37 pounds seems like an awful lot for a Doxie. 37 pounds is dangerous for an Eskie & they’re quite a bit bigger (taller & more muscular).

[austingirl]

I hope the poor abused animal can survive.

[I Drive Too Fast]

In that picture he looks more like a seal than a dog.

[potlatch]

Oh my, that’s such a shame that they let him get that way. I keep my Yorkie on an adult Purina dog food now so that he won’t gain weight.