Posted on 09/12/2012 8:29:59 AM PDT by 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."
Poor fat doggie ping
Poor dog. :(
Joe 6-Pack, a sad doggie ping, but one that the doggie ping list members might find of interest.
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.
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.
THAT is sad.
Abusive, abd very, very sad. I hope the dog lives long enough to lose the weight.
abd = and
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!
Who doesn’t love having a really fat wiener dog but honestly that’s just unhealthy
Poor dog doesn’t need a facebook page — just a diet and some exercise.
How much does it cost to NOT feed the dog?
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.
“77-pound dachshund seeks to lose 40 pounds”
I bet not. I bet the dachshund would like to eat even more.
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~
“... is that a carryin’ strap?”
Of course not, silly. Don’t you know Dachshund purses are all the rage!
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