Everyone loves a fat dog. They’re just squishy and freaking adorable. There’s just more of them to love.
But sometimes that extra weight can be extremely unhealthy to the point where it can put the dog’s life at risk or cause them serious discomfort.
That’s what happened with Wolfgang the beagle. While you can’t help but to be charmed by his portly frame, his massive size made it difficult for him to move.
“You know that dog has to be in discomfort,” Erin told The Dodo.
Erin said that Wolfgang was found weighing 90 lbs. as a stray in Phoenix, Arizona.
It’s believed that the dog wasn’t on his own for too long since it was hot and he could only walk a couple of feet at a time.
But now Wolfgang was in Erin’s hands and she was determined to help him get healthy.
Despite being so heavy, it didn’t seem to bother Wolfgang all that much.
“I’ve never seen a dog that was so happy given the circumstance,” Erin said.
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But he was definitely up for the challenge of a new way of life.
Wolfgang was very happy to be in the hands of people who wanted him to live a healthier life.
According to his Facebook page, when he weighed 90 lbs. he would flop over and not be able to get back up again. And when it was hot he would just start to drool until someone rolled him over again.
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Beagles are typically 25 to 30 lbs.
So, Wolfgang had a lot of work to do.
And he showed “no signs of fear” when it was time to get busy.
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“He’d get really excited when the leash would come out,” Erin recalls. “He was ready to go. He was able to go outside but he couldn’t use all fo his energy at one time. It was really hard for him to move. I think he had the desire to do more but Wolfgang always seemed happy to be doing whatever is it that he was able to do.”
Erin began making special food just for Wolfgang. He was also going for walks and walking on a water treadmill, which he likes to do while carrying a toy in his mouth.
The toy is basically his workout buddy.
With those combined efforts, the weight started dropping off of Wolfgang. He was able to walk a full mile within six months.
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Eventually, Wolfgang lost about 70 percent of his body weight and came down to a healthy 32 pounds.
Now he loves to walk and exercise and goes on mile walks at least five or six times a week.
“Morbid obesity in dogs is a serious problem,” says Erin. “There’s obviously a huge difference between your dog being 5 to 10 pounds overweight versus the dog ends up 90 lbs. like Wolfgang.”
According to VCA Hospitals, dogs are considered obese when they weigh more than 20 percent of their ideal body weight.
“Obesity shortens a dog’s life and makes them more likely to develop disease. It was always accepted that heavy dogs lived a shorter lifespan than lean dogs, usually by 6-12 months,” VCA Hospitals writes.
So, Erin is very thankful that Wolfgang is healthy. Check out his story in the video below.
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