(NBC) When it comes to overweight dogs, Obie the daschund takes the cake. The 77-pound daschund appeared on the Today show this morning with his new owner, Nora Vanatta and veterinarian, Dr. Andrew Kaplan.
When asked about the dog's weight, Vanatta said "… they estimated that he was 70 [lbs], and I thought I hadn't seen a picture. And I thought, well maybe we're expecting a basset hound here. And there's no way he could possibly weigh 70 pounds...and I saw him. And he really is a pure-bred daschund. And I took him to the vet the next day, and he weighed in at 77."
Dr. Andrew Kaplan, Obie's vet said "No doubt this is the biggest daschund I've ever seen."
Obie's weight loss goal is one percent per week. Based upon that plan,he's right on track. But it could take as long as a year to get Obie to his fighting weight.
Kaplan explained further "…if you think about people, that being overweight could lead to things like arteriosclerosis and heart attacks and hypertension, but dogs aren't at risk for these things for being overweight. For dogs, it's orthopedic mostly."
See Obie's video at NBC.com.
