Adorable Obie, The World's Fattest Dachshund Makes His TV Debut
Sept. 12 2012, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
By Breaking Celebrity News Staff
Obie, who holds the dubious accolade of being The World's Fattest Dachshund, made his TV debut Wednesday morning as his owner talked about the portly pooch's slim down plan on TODAY, and Breaking Celebrity News has the video.
Poor Obie, who topped the scale at a whopping 77 pounds when adopted by his caring new owner Nora Vanatta, had to be wheeled into the studios for his appearance on a specially designed trolly due to his burgeoning belly.
Vanatta, flanked by a vet, explained that she has placed the 5-year-old on a "high protein, high fiber, high energy diet" and that currently the only exercise he can undergo, due to his mobility issues, is "from the house to go potty every day."
The vet explained that Obie faces serious orthopedic dangers due to his gargantuan girth and that "this kind of weight will wreak havoc on his joints."
Despite his beautiful big baleful eyes, Opie's owner said he is actually a very happy dog, and that his current slim down plan is going great, with an average of two pounds weight loss per week.
As Breaking Celebrity News previously reported, Obie, who has such a huge barrel belly that his little legs barely touch the ground as he shuffles along, weighs twice as much as most Dachshunds after being almost fed to death by his previous elderly owners who continuously plied him with food as a display of their love.
Vanatta, of Portland, Oregon, is aiming to help Obie drop the 40 extra pounds that he is dragging around, with his new diet and fitness regime.
The EMT and Certified Nursing Assistant is working with Purina to create a low-fat, high-protein diet for the food-loving hound, which also contains isoflavones, a natural bioactive compound designed to reduce oxidative stress in overweight dogs.
While he's still too plump to workout, Obie'