Obie was born an adorable, healthy dachshund, but by the time he was six he had developed an eating disorder.
His owners didn’t know how to help him, so they decided to post his story on Facebook and see if anyone was able to come to rescue and give him a better life.
The normal, healthy weight for a fully grown dachshund is between 16 and 32 pounds. Obie weighed 77 pounds.
Eating disorders in dogs differ from how they affect people.
For one, dogs only eat when we feed them.
Overeating becomes an issue when too much food is readily available, and the dog doesn’t know how to regulate how much it consumes.
Just because a dog is begging, doesn’t mean it’s hungry – it’s just something they all do! Especially if they haven’t been trained to stop. So it’s important as a dog owner to take control and regulate how much food your dog is eating.
Obie’s owners probably had the best of intentions, but lost control of the situation and allowed him to continue eating even when he started to seriously exceed a healthy weight.
Thankfully, he was rescued by Nora Vanatta, a Facebook user who saw the plea for help and wanted to give Obie a better life.
The disorder had gotten so bad that his feet hadn’t touched the ground in eight months.
Dachshunds already commonly struggle with back pain because of their long backs and little legs. So adding all that extra weight to his belly was even more dangerous to his health.
It was hard to break him of his habits, after he had been living that way for six years.
But Nora put him on a low-carb diet.
And because he lived in a house with other dogs he wanted to be able to play with them outside. He was clearly sad that he couldn’t keep up with the other dogs, but it gave him some drive to keep trying.
Slowly but surely he started to lose weight, and became much happier and more animated because he was able to play with his brothers.
Obie lost more than 50 pounds in one year!
He was finally down to a healthy weight after years of being so unhealthy he was virtually unable to move. Nora had saved his life.
“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. Thank you to those who have helped and supported us along the way.” – Nora Vanatta
He had so much extra skin after losing so much weight so quickly, so he had to have a surgery to remove some of the skin.
It’s now been six years since his dramatic transformation and he is still a healthy weight, and living a happy life.
He needs some steps to get up on the couch or the bed on his own, but with those adorable short little legs he may have needed those anyway!
And he still begs along with his brothers, but Nora makes sure to feed them healthy food, and doesn’t give in to their every wish.
Look at those puppy dog eyes!
Obie has inspired people around the world, and has his own Facebook page where you can follow him, his mom Nora, and his brothers.
Thanks to Nora for saving this little angel’s life.
Watch the video below to see his incredible transformation from 77 pounds to 23 pounds in just one year!
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