Meaty dog gets help in weight loss battle
70-pound canine receives assistance from foster mom in Oregon
Obie, an obese but lovable dachshund, is inspiring people to lose weight.
The 5-year-old pooch is nearly 70 pounds – and that’s seven pounds less than when he came to live with foster mom Nora Vanetta.
Vanetta volunteered to take him after seeing him on the Oregon Dachshund Rescue Facebook page.
“I just read the story and I said, ‘I’ll take him, how hard can it be?’” said Vanetta, a former veterinary technician turned EMT. “He can lose weight.”
Obie’s former owners were elderly and used to feed him only people food, right out of their hands.
Now, Vanetta said, he is on a high-protein, high-fiber diet. The goal is to get him down to 40 pounds, which could take up to one year.
“As soon as he loses the weight, he’ll be a happy, normal dog,” Vanetta said. “The exciting thing is how he’s inspiring people.”
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