Biggest Loser? Fat Dog Obie The Dachshund Loses 50 Pounds, Weighed 77 Pounds Before Diet [Photos]

The real biggest loser is not even human. Formerly fat dog Obie the Dachshund has managed to lose 50 on a diet, dropping all the way down to 27 pounds after weighing a gargantuan (for a wiener dog) 77 pounds!

In a related report by The Inquisitr, the pirate cat Sir Stuffington was apparently stolen by a scallywag, according to the owner, but fortunately the story has a good ending.

The now seven-year-old Obie the Dachshund was nearly loved to death by his previous elderly owners. After being put in a Dachshund rescue organization Obie was adopted by Nora Vanetta, a Portland veterinary technician, who put Obie on a strict diet she called the “Biggest Loser, Doxie Edition.” She even created a page on Facebook so dog lovers could watch Obie’s progress.

In 2013, the fat dog even had to receive a tummy tuck and a skin lift to remove 2.5 pounds of excess flab after losing more than half his little body weight. To give you an idea how fat Obie had gotten, a normal standard breed Dachshund tends to weigh between 16 and 32 pounds.

Vanetta explains that the secret to success was exercise combined with a high fiber, low carb diet:

“”It was mostly diet change. I think he ate only people food prior, and I put him on a specially-formulated doggy diet… he wasn’t able to move much at all until he got down to about 35 pounds, so after eight months he was able to go for real walks…. He was eating only people food before, so it took a little bit of a transition to get him on dog food. Now [he has] two meals a day, a couple snacks and lots of exercise. He didn’t really take to the treadmill very well, but lots of walks on the beach and hikes. He is perfect at this weight. I got him down to 21 pounds, but he looks better at 23. I had no idea what he should weigh when I got him. You can see his bone structure now. This is a great weight for him.”

Obie used to hate vegetables but now he even munches down on carrots like a rabbit. But in general, Vanetta says she used Purina Veterinary Diet OM, which is only available only through vets.

While Americans have a problem with obesity, it’s claimed by vets that fat dogs are the number one problem they see in their practices. Since the owners are essentially personal chefs for their canine pals, they set the type and amount of food and thus the caloric intake. In addition, many people have a tendency to give snacks to man’s best friend way too much outside of scheduled feeding times.

Do you think Obie the Dachshund deserves the title of the Biggest Loser?