Meet Obie, the 77-lbs Dachshund That's Struggling to Lose Weight

Oregon resident Nora Vanatta took on quite the task last month when she decided to adopt Obie, a 5-year-old dachshund that had been overfed to the point of morbid obesity. While the maximum weight for the average dachshund is around 32-lbs, poor Obie, as of four weeks ago, was weighing in at 77-lbs.

Since the adoption, Vanatta, a former vet tech, has been putting Obie through a weight loss program that includes a special diet (custom made by a Purina pet food representative) and hydrotherapy to reduce stress on the dog’s joints (at this point, he is unable to go for walks). Vanatta’s goal is for Obie to eventually lose 40-lbs and has set up the Facebook group Biggest Loser, Doxie Edition to chart his progress as well as a PayPal account to raise money to cover the cost of his care.

Obie’s former owners were an elderly couple who over fed him because they, according to Vanatta, “couldn’t say no to those big brown eyes.” (Yeesh.) Eventually, they were forced to give him up when faced with their own declining health. Luckily for Obie, his adoption might have been the best thing to have ever happened to him.