Obie, the 77lb dachshund (kind of a tearjerker) Update

[dendawg]

https://www.facebook.com/BiggestLose...dition?fref=ts

How could anybody let such a little dog get so big?

Luckily, he's with a foster mama now, and he's down currently to approximately 54lbs.

Here he is just woke up from a nap and giving doggie kisses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fGLJWS7Dvs

[Pixilated]

A former newspaper coworker allowed his cat to get dangerously obese and then wrote laughingly about having "The World's Fattest Cat." I always thought it was a shame he didn't pork himself out instead; then we could've had an article on "The World's Fattest A$$hole."

Some people shouldn't own a stuffed animal, much less a live one.

[dendawg]

Some people shouldn't own a stuffed animal, much less a live one.

Obie was taken away from his previous owners. He's currently being fostered.

[PepperElf]

I think it stems from the fact that some people don't understand dog eating habits.

Dogs in the wild often gorge themselves simply because they don't know when the next meal is coming. So a dog that takes down some prey, eats only a little, and then stops... may find itself starving later cos it didn't stock up when it had the chance.

The problem is, this trait still exists in domesticated dogs, even if they have a regular food source. My own dog is like this - the running joke here is ... "Is the dog hungry?" "Of course! She's a dog!"


Plus some owners equate giving treats with giving affection. Or give treats every time the dog looks like it's begging.


Before Miss Dog, I had cats. For the most part my cat was self-regulating. He stopped eating when he was done, and I could leave food out for him to nibble, knowing he'd only eat when he was actually hungry.

With the dog, I've had to learn about measuring out the food, knowing how many treats are enough for a day, paying attention to her moisture intake (& how easily she does #2). If it wasn't for the fact that my BF was already a dog person and had previous experience with family dogs, I'd probably have never known how to care for her properly.

[KellyHabersham]

The problem is, this trait still exists in domesticated dogs, even if they have a regular food source. My own dog is like this - the running joke here is ... "Is the dog hungry?" "Of course! She's a dog!"

Is this trait more obvious/worse in particular dogs? Reason I ask is because our current dog is really bad about getting into the trash, trying to jump on the table to get food,...etc., and I don't recall any of our other dogs having that habit.

[wolfie]

Can't recall where I read it, but supposedly there are 3 categories of animal which will keep eating so long as food is available, regardless of how much they've already eaten: fish, dogs, and humans.

[Draper Mel]

Wow, that video of him walking on the beach is pretty sad. But apparently he's lost about 20 lbs or so since then, so hopefully his chest isn't dragging on the ground any more.

I'm glad he's in a better home now, where they're watching his diet and making sure he exercises. And giving him those oh-so-annoying kisses :-)

[Eevie]

That poor dog... I mean, I understand his previous owners were elderly and didn't realize they couldn't take care of him anymore... But it's really sad when the animal is the one who has to suffer through it...

[Teysa]

My dog will try to convince you she's a poor starving puppy but don't let her fool you. Fortunately, she's energetic enough that she burns everything off. She's right around 50 lbs and that's almost all muscle. We do give her treats, but it's not an everyday thing.

[PepperElf]

Is this trait more obvious/worse in particular dogs? Reason I ask is because our current dog is really bad about getting into the trash, trying to jump on the table to get food,...etc., and I don't recall any of our other dogs having that habit.

Yeah, every dog is different. Could be learned habits, breed, or who knows.

For example my dog doesn't beg at the table. When we eat she sits under the table quietly (even falls asleep at times) and waits for us to finish. She'll get scraps, but only in her food bowl. If she's truly hungry she'll pace and stare at us as if to say, "OK feed me already!" and if we get up she'll go to the kitchen.

Likewise she leaves the table alone - it's too tall for her to reach anyway. She sniffs at the coffee table ... but I hiss at her if I catch her. (always funny watching her jump back looking guilty!).



However she's an Italian Greyhound / Rat Terrier mix so... she loves to run and has a strong "prey instinct". So while she may have habits we like at the table... she's a pain in the ass when see sees a cat or squirrel while on a walk. She can ONLY see what she wants. I finally got her to the point where she's not always pulling when we walk. (TDW vid clips helped).

[dendawg]

UPDATE:

Obie had his skin reduction/removal surgery sometime last night, and is currently in recovery and resting. GO OBIE!!!

Here's a link to the surgery pics (WARNING: Somewhat graphic!)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...4803907&type=1

[Tama]

That's wonderful! What is he down to in weight now?

[dendawg]

What is he down to in weight now?

Not sure, but last I heard I believe he's about half his starting weight. Literally half the dog he used to be.

[bhskittykatt]

Aww poor doggie...glad he's getting down to a healthy weight.

We're lucky with Ozzy (4 yr old Jack Russell/Italian Greyhound). He only eats until he's sated. I can fill his food dish and it will last for 2-3 days. Someday down the line I'm sure my luck will run out and I will have to be more diligent about portioning out his food, but for now he makes it simple on me. (He is a terrible beggar for food, though.)

[PepperElf]

ooo nice mix. Ours is Rat terrier/ Italian Greyhound.

Although be careful if you're free-feeding. Even if the dog isn't overweight, there's still other risks involved. From an article from a vet I found, there's also a risk of infestation, and one of the warning signs of illness is a loss of appetite.

And, from personal observation of my BF's parents' dogs... sometimes the dogs may just eat the bits they like from kibble and leave the rest behind. Well, except when our dog was there, cos ours eats everything in the bowl if it's there. So the Chihuahuas suddenly started getting more interested in the bits they didn't like, when they realized ours was going to eat anything left out.

ours is the kind that eats everything - i somewhat wonder if that's because she was living on her own as a puppy for a bit, or just because she's a dog. needless to say we've pretty much gotten in the habit of feeding her twice a day, usually when we get up and then after dinner (or before, if we're having a late meal)