Obese Dog Must Lose Half His Body Weight: Depressed Doberman Put On Strict Weight Loss Regime

An obese dog must lose half of his body weight to be healthier physically… and mentally. Bear, a 147-pound Doberman from San Antonio, is believed to be depressed due to his large size. He has his own Facebook page that already has 1,038 likes.

KSAT 12 in San Antonio reports that Bear is getting a health makeover during his residency at a foster home with Lone Star Doberman Rescue in Conroe, Texas. President and founder of the rescue group, Jennifer Rentfrow, tells the news source:

“He’s pretty miserable. He looks sad. He doesn’t feel good, maybe a little depressed.”

A vet is helping Rentfrow with a diet plan designed to remedy Bear’s problem. His goal weight is 80 pounds. Rentfrow says the obese dog has to start out on very short walks to work his way into serious weight loss.

“He’s going to have to get conditioned somewhat to really have an exercise program,” Rentfrow says.

The large Doberman eats four small meals a day of premium dog food.

Bear’s enormous weight limits his physical activity; he also has hyperthyroidism. He takes a joint supplement and thyroid medication to fix those. On top of that, Bear has high cholesterol.

“There’s feeding your animal and there’s feeding the food bowl,” says Dr. Marilyn Gotbeter, chief veterinarian at ACS.

Dr. Gotbeter adds that overfeeding a dog leads to early development of arthritis and it makes weight loss more difficult because it’s too painful for them to move.

The vet informs people of an ingredient in dog food that promotes weight gain:

“If the main ingredient is going to be corn, or something that it’s not normal for them to be eating, then obviously they’re going to gain weight more than if it’s protein.”

With all the help this lovable Doberman is getting, he’ll be successful in his weight loss program. His Facebook page has tons of photos of him and his daily activities.

One Facebook post reads:

“Due to his weight/size, Bear can’t do everything that a normal dog can do. For example, he can’t really scratch. He’s a smart guy though, so he finds a human to scratch for him when he itches, or he backs his big rear up against a wall, & scratches it himself! This evening, he proved that he can almost roll in the grass. He had a great time & although he couldn’t quite get up on his back, he gave it a valiant effort.”

Bear will remain at his foster home for now until he finds his forever family. Given the amount of interest his Facebook page has generated, he shouldn’t have any obstacles in that department.

[Photo Credit: Bear The Big Doberman Facebook Page]