Obese dog diets to get in shape

A dog so obese he is unable to walk has been being placed on an extreme low-fat diet by vets.

Patch weighed 28kg when he was brought in to the Dogs Trust centre in Glasgow just before Christmas after his owner passed away.

His legs could not support his weight - roughly equivalent to an eight-year-old child - so he had to be carried around in a special harness.

The centre's staff want to get the six-year-old Beagle Cross into shape.

Their aim over the next few months is to slim him down to a more manageable 15kg.

Victoria Kelly, from the centre, said: "We get a lot of overfed dogs in the centre, but nothing to the extent of Patch.

"As soon as he came in we knew something needed to be done."

Patch's weight leaves him at grave risk of developing heart failure, diabetes, liver disease, pancreatitis or arthritis.

Source and see picture: BBC