To look at her is actually quite painful.
Cassie, a seven-year-old border collie from Kenilworth Warwickshire, England weighs three times more than she should and has never eaten normal dog food before.
The hefty hound, who is too fat to stand up to eat and suffers painful bed sores all over her body from lying down too often (which is why they had to shave her down), lived alone with her elderly female owner – who regularly served her gut-busting treats like fish and chips on Fridays and full roast dinners on Sundays.
It took three people to lift the chubby canine, who can barely walk, out of the car when she arrived at the Dog’s Trust Re-homing Center two weeks ago after her owner fell ill. It is here that the staff has been given the task of helping Cassie, who weighs as much as a snow leopard and even teen sensation Justin Bieber, to slim down so she can be re-homed with a loving family. They fear however, it will take them at least a year to accomplish the task..
And there’s good reason for concern–years of unhealthy eating has left Cassie over three times the weight she should be – she tipped the scales at 58kg, when she should be 18-20kg – and now she has been forced to go on a strict diet by staff, who say that she faces the same health problems as an obese human.
Staff at the center had to fight back tears as they were greeted by the unbelievable sight before finding out the obese animal had never eaten any dog food and instead woofed down sweets, chocolate, crisps, and fry-ups.
She has sadly had to have all the fur on her body shaved off so staff can treat the bed sores on her skin properly – leaving her looking in a sorry state.
Dogs Trust Kenilworth manager Sandra Wilson said: ‘Cassie initially turned her nose up at the wet and dry dog food we gave her because it’s not as tasty as the human food she’s used to but she’s getting better.”
?Staff take Cassie out for short three-minute walks – any longer and she gets breathless – in an attempt to shed the pounds.
Though she admits the staff have a long road ahead of them, Wilson remains hopeful: ‘Once she’s healthy enough to be re-homed Cassie will need loving but responsible new owners who can resist those big brown eyes pleading for treats and will take a tough love approach to ensure her weight loss.’
My little dachshund is a little chubby. Everyone calls her fatty(which makes me mad) but she only eats dogfood. Occasionally my Mom with sneak her a little treat off her plate. But she has stopped because I scolded her and told her she was killing her. But I notice that they tend to get shubby after being fixed. All of my animals have been fixed(male & female) and after a year they started getting chubby. Even my rottie & lab, that only eat once a day have gotten broad. Whats up with that.?????
You know you are so right Dsojourner. My sister’s Chi had to get a hysterectomy after her first and only pregnancy of one pup. That’s all she produced was one pup that was so big that she needed a C-section and then a hysterectomy due to the pup. After she she healed up she started to become a sausage. We were like, what the heck is going on? She only ate dry dog food and rarely if ever got doggy treats. But it took a couple of years for her to shed some of the lbs. Although she’s never been the same as she was before she had the pup. Seems like when they doggies get fixed one way or another they tend to chunk up.
If your doggy gets some healthy food (real food is not just for humans – what did dogs do before kibble?) then just reduce the kibble that day. Before “dog food” dogs ate what their owners on the farm ate – eggs, potatoes, meat and healthy scraps). Its portion sizes and exercise. Real food will not kill a dog. Too much food will kill a dog :-)) Really, they love fresh foods, its good for them if you are only feeding healthy stuff that is good for you too. I fed kibble for years. Then I researched and realized I was brainwashed by dog food companies. Good high end kibble is fine, but real food mixed in or on its own is great. Before you diss this comment, just research real food for dogs or “BARF” diet (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones and Raw Food diets). Or feed really good kibble :-))
Aw… and I bet your dachshund is a little cutie!!!! 🙂
Surgery doesnt make dogs fat. To much food and too little exercise does that. Just like humans.If you get mad when someone calls your dog fat-its because you know their right, and your embarressed. Treats from the plate, arnt the issue-thats not why your dog is fat. Treats of lean meats and vegis-arnt going to cause a fat dog-unless they are fed in excess. Feeding once a day isnt the answer either-when your overfeeding, your overfeeding. Your dog is fat, simply because you (yes you) overfeed her. Period. Working in the vet world for 30+ years, I can tell you this-quite plainly. A fat dachshund is a bomb waiting to go off-and if you dont get her weight down-you are just KILLING HER WITH CALORIES! Her heart will suffer, her lungs and liver will suffer. Her back will go out, and start saving your money now-cuz back surgery is incredibly expensive. You can count on her loosing 1/3 of her life span, due to your heavy hand in the food bin. If you love your dog-if you have any conscience at all-put her on a healthy lifestyle change now. You dont need anything but a good hard look into the mirror and say “Eat less-move more, or die young”, and repeat. Lower calorie food, more exercise-and LOVE as a reward. Overfeeding dogs because you feel guilty when they beg, or you didnt spend enough time with them, or you yelled at them, or their lonley-or any of the excuses you can come up with-isnt loving them. Your just killing them slowly, one calorie at a time. A healthy dog will be around to love you longer, and all they want is your love in return.
Great points, thanks!
THIS IS ABUSE! Feed less DOG FOOD ONLY, exercise more. If that doesn’t work, see a Vet about changing food, or seeing if there is an underlying medical problem. NO DOG should be even close to this size!
MOST dog food is manufactured by the large human food companies, in order to make a profit from the food products that they cannot sell to humans by law. Dog food is NOT the healthy diet those manufacturers spend billions of dollars promoting, and your vet (who gets lots of ‘gifts’ from dog food manufacturers, not to mention the profit from sales of inferior food in their clinics). If you want a healthier, longer lived, happy dog, FEED WHOLE FOODS.
As a pet photographer, I witnessed an incredible life-changing example of one client’s dog. She had a female mix breed/pit bull that was almost as round as she was tall. The vet prescribed adding frozen green beans to the dog food as a filler. The client returned to have more photos taken (just over a year later) – and I could not believe it was the SAME dog. She was fit, trim & beautiful, with an energenic personality to match. Since that observation, I have added frozen green beans (which do NOT have salt as canned green beans do) to my dogs diets… with daily walks and weekly dog-park visits. Hmmm… conscious GOOD choices & exercise?! Who knew!!!
We’ve been adding unsalted (canned or fresh) green beans to “bulk up” the food for one of our rescued dogs as well. She loves the way they taste, and it lets her feel like she’s eating almost as much as our other dogs, who are about half again her size. It took a little trial and error to find just the right amount of kibble (and grilled chicken) for her, but she’s gone from being about 25% overweight to being happy, sleek, and energetic.
My dogs do not eat dry dog food unless I forget to defrost their frozen raw “dog” food. They also eat real food that is healthy, like sweet potatoes, veggies, roasted chicken thighs, salmon, plain yoghurt, cottage cheese. Much research has shown for all living things, that fresh is better than any processed foods. Just like with most people, if its the right amount of food and exercise, your dog will stay slim and trim even after neutering, just like all my 4 dogs. Lots of running one day? More dog food. Little exercise or an older dog…less food (kibble or otherwise.) Just be smart about it. This obese dog is definitely abuse in my opinion. Poor sweetheart.
My guess is the geriatric woman who owned the dog was just as plump as the dog. Don’t blame human food, blame junk food. The prepared food for dogs you get at the grocery store is junk food too. Don’t be fooled by the pretty pictures or aggressive marketing by the pet food companies. Fresh diets are best, high grade holistic prepared pet food from your local pet store are second best. What would you think if your pediatrician told you to feed your child the same thing every day but in different proportions as he/she ages? Why is this acceptable from our veterinarian or other pet professionals?
Desexed dogs do not have to become overweight – mine never have. Feed them an appropriate amount of appropriate food and get them OUT for walks/runs/fetch and they will burn the calories they ingest. Not all that complex.
My dog has food allergies…. to PEOPLE FOOD…. soooooooooo, she is on Hill Prescription Diet from the Vet (can also get from PetSmart), the “z-d” canned, dry, and treats. She likes it, and has been healthier and happier ever since. She also maintains her healthy weight. Yes, I have to pay more for it, but I’ll keep her around for several more years, and she will have great quality of life. I have to compromise a little something to feed her better, but it is worth it to me.
What do you think is in the dog food? In other words, are proteins and carbohydrates in dog food different from proteins and carbohydrates in human food? No. Your dog is not allergic to “people food” but the very low-quality food you’re currently feeding (any Hills food is comparable to the grocery store brands. Read the labels and compare for yourself) is FULL of 4-D meat (dead, dying, disabled, or diseased). This is meat they CANNOT SELL FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. You can do much better for your dog, if you’re willing to educate yourself about whole food feeding.
….make that food allergies to people food AND some dog food….
My Vet says to mix wet and dry food for “balance” for their digestive system, and the “crunch” to help clean their teeth. Every pet is different. What works for one, may not work for another. I suggest you talk to you Vet, educate yourself, research, and make an informed decision. Don’t just throw down whatever in the food bowl. If your pet starts having skin problems, digestive problems, or whatever, get tests run, and ask the Vet how to change the pets diet to improve his/her health.
I feel so sorry for this poor dog. Who would ever let an animal get to the size she is and not realize that they were causing grevious health problems. Shame on them no matter if they were old or not.
A terrible shame, I doubt the owner meant to be cruel but it was.
Horrible abuse . As a groomer I see it all the time. All of my dogs are fit and slim healthy wieght . This is over feeding palin and simple.
HOW SAD! IT’S TRUE THAT THEY GET BIGGER AFTER SPAYING. OUR FEMALE IS SLIGHTLY CHUBBY AND OUR MALE IS SLIM AND TRIM! THEY ARE BROTHER AND SISTER. I HOPE AND PRAY THIS DEAR PUPPY SHEDS THE LBS. AND GET A LOVING HOME.
That is actually a fallacy – or I should more accurately say that altering a dog doesn’t mean that they will always get fatter. All of my dogs have always been spayed/neutered and I’ve never had a fat dog because I feed an appropriate amount of food for their body type and energy level.
I also make sure they’re exercising every day, because when they lose those reproductive hormones, they may become a bit more sedentary. (No need to wander around “looking for love” anymore. )
Good point, Petsilly!
Good point, Petsilly!
Would love to see how this dog gets on after a weight loss programme. It is sad to see this happen. I am an owner of a slim trim and very fit labrador bitch who has been spayed. I feed her good DOG food and maybe a treat of crust from my morning toast sometimes! But thats all!
Who would feed his/her dog like this and watch him suffering??! Its kinda abuse as starving him!
That headline makes it sound like the dog got fat by eating people!! Egads!! ;-D
Actually, I wish that people would realize that food is food, not people-food, not dog-food, not cat-food, just plain food, and I totally agree with the posters who have made statements about feeding their dogs fresh whole food. If this dog was my responsibility, I would put her on fresh raw meat, fresh steamed veggies and raw bones to chew.
Good grief! I can’t believe that someone would feed a dog the stuff she was eating! Fried fish and chips! Chocolate!! It’s amazing this girl is still alive, poor thing.
Yes, I’d say it was human junk food.