Obie the formerly obese dachshund, who once weighed 77lbs, has over two pounds of loose skin removed after shedding half his body weight

• Obie, aged seven, is recovering at an Oregon veterinary clinic after surgery
• He became famous last year after owner Nora Vanatta put him on a diet and went on TV appealing for money
• Obie is doing well and his owner wants him to lose another 5lbs
• A dachshund dog should only weigh a maximum of 32lbs

Recovery time: Obie the formerly obese dachshund is recovering after surgery at an Oregon veterinary clinic that removed 2 1/2 pounds of loose skin.

Obie the formerly obese dachshund, who found fame last year after tipping the scales at 77lbs, is recovering after surgery at an Oregon veterinary clinic that removed 2 1/2 pounds of loose skin.


The loose skin was dragging after the dog lost 40lbs in eight months. But he was down to a svelte 37lbs for Tuesday's surgery.

He now weighs about 35lbs and owner Nora Vanatta wants him to lose about 5 more.
Vanatta told KGW that the surgery went well at the Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Tualatin.


Weight struggles: Obie the obese Dachshund, pictured, tipped the scales at 77 pounds last year

Fans have been following his weight loss ever since on Facebook. The dog was so overweight he needed to wear a harness to stop his body dragging on the ground and was temporarily adopted by former veterinary technician Nora Vanatta after his elderly owners almost fed him to death.


But Oregon Dachshund Rescue owner Jenell Rangan accused the woman of exploiting the dog for 'sensationalistic promotional value' and began fighting for custody.

Obie became a nationwide celebrity after appearing on TV shows such as 'Live With Kelly and Michael' and the Today Show with Ms Vanatta, who put him on a drastic diet.

A Facebook page that chronicled his weight loss now has almost 90,000 followers.


But the rescue centre claimed to be Obie's owner six months ago and in court papers filed on October 22 accuses Ms Vanatta of 'wrongfully' holding the dog in an effort to get famous and pocket the donations that are flowing in to help pay for his care.

'They say I'm exploiting him,' Ms Vanatta told KATU.com last year. 'They say I'm misusing his funds and they claim he belongs to them.'

The woman, who is now his permanent owner, collected thousands of dollars from Obie's supporters. But she insists that everything she's done was for the dog benefit.

Oregon Dachshund Rescue put out an online plea for help when they heard the dog was in need of a home.
A rescue centre volunteer picked up Obie from his former owners and delivered him to Ms Vanatta after she volunteered to help.





'He's famous and he’s touched so many people and I think they regret not taking him on in the first place,' she said.

Dubbed the world's fattest sausage dog, Obie found fame in September after Ms Vanata put him on a drastic diet to try and get him back into shape.

Obie, who was double the size of an average Dachshund, was nearly fed to death by his doting elderly owners who had to give him up because of their deteriorating health.

A Dachshund normally has a maximum weight of 32 pounds - a little over two stone - with Obie more than twice the size at the age of just five.

Ms Vanatta said: 'He arrived on August 18 and to my astonishment he was a dachshund and he actually weighed 77 lbs.

'He is extremely sweet and loving. He was obviously loved and is a joy to work with. The aging owners just couldn't say no to those big brown eyes.

Exploitation: Nora Vanatta, pictured, is being accused of exploiting the dog for 'sensationalistic promotional value'


Battle: Oregon Dachshund Rescue owner Jenell Rangan, pictured left, is fighting to take Obie from Ms Vanatta, right

'But we are thrilled to be able to help him, and now moving on with his new life.'

Ms Vanatta, who has a degree in animal science and is a certified veterinary technician, said the dog's staggering weight meant she was unable to take him out for exercise.

Instead, she resorted to a special diet and hydrotherapy in an attempt to shed the pounds.

Ms Vanatta set up a Paypal page to encourage people to donate money to pay for Obie's care and the donations have been flowing in.

When she embarked on the project, she said: 'I feel tremendously blessed to be involved in his rehabilitation and I am amazed at the outpouring of love and support that I have received.

'My hope is that he can be an inspiration to any person or animal trying to lose weight.
'It is so important to introduce pups and kids to a healthy lifestyle and food choices as early as possible.'


Big boy: At five and a half stone - the equivalent of 77 lbs - Obie is the world's fattest Dachshund
Big boy: At 77 lbs - Obie was the world's fattest Dachshund
Fat: Obie, pictured, has to wear a harness to stop his belly dragging on the ground

Dieting: Obie, aged five, has now been taken in by vet Nora Vanetta in Portland, Oregon, who is determined to get him back in shape