By Daily Mail Reporter


-Border collie weighs three times more than she should do
-Cassie weighs as much as a snow leopard and even Justin Bieber
-Staff at dog home fear it will take a year to right Cassie's weight

Pot dog: Cassie weighs three times more than she should and had never eaten normal dog food before she was taken into care


Cassie splats on the floor and looks out of breath after years of being allowed to gorge on junk food - including fish and chips, takeaways - and roast dinners.

The seven-year-old border collie, who weighs three time more than she should, had never eaten normal dog food before she was taken in by the Dog's Trust re-homing centre in Kenilworth, Warwickshire.

Years of unhealthy eating has left her over three times the weight she should be - she tipped the scales at 58kg, when she should be 18-20kg - and now she has been forced to go on a strict diet by staff, who say that she faces the same health problems as an obese human.


Staff at the centre had to fight back tears as they were greeted by the unbelievable sight before finding out the obese animal had never eaten any dog food and instead woofed down sweets, chocolate, crisps, and fry-ups.

They have now been given the task of helping Cassie, who weighs as much as a snow leopard and even teen sensation Justin Bieber, to slim down so she can be re-homed with a loving family but fear it will take them at least a year.

The hefty hound, who is too fat to stand up to eat and suffers painful bed sores all over her body from lying down too often, lived alone with her elderly female owner - who regularly served her gut-busting treats like fish and chips on Fridays and full roast dinners on Sundays.

Big girl: Cassie weighs about 58kg when the average border collie should weigh between 18 and 20kg


Walkies is not fun: Cassie has to be lifted by two or three workers, and gets out of breath very quickly


She has sadly had to have all the fur on her body shaved off so staff can treat the bed sores on her skin properly - leaving her looking in a sorry state.

It took three people to lift the chubby canine, who can barely walk, out of the car when she arrived at the re-homing centre two weeks ago after her owner fell ill.

Dogs Trust Kenilworth manager Sandra Wilson said: 'Unfortunately, when owners treat their pets as if they were humans and feed them the wrong food, they're simply killing them with kindness.

'Cassie has been put on a diet to slowly bring her weight down, but she's more than three times the weight she should be and is at risk of heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis so it needs to be a slow process.

'She initially turned her nose up at the wet and dry dog food we gave her because it's not as tasty as the human food she's used to but she's getting better.'

Staff take Cassie out for short three-minute walks - any longer and she gets breathless - in an attempt to shed the pounds.

Dogs Trust veterinary director Chris Laurence, who has put Cassie on her calorie-controlled diet, said: 'This level of extreme obesity would have taken a long time to inflict and is likely to be the result of an inadequate diet of human food.

'The consequences of this excessive weight gain for Cassie are very much the same as the problems an obese person would face.

'She's at risk of arthritis and heart disease and it will take many months of careful feeding to get her weight back to normal without causing other effects such as liver damage.

'It will also be difficult for her to cope with the changes in lifestyle needed to lose such a huge amount of weight and she will need a lot of TLC.

'Once she's healthy enough to be re-homed Cassie will need loving but responsible new owners who can resist those big brown eyes pleading for treats and will take a tough love approach to ensure her weight loss.'

Staff at the centre are desperately trying to help Cassie slim down by feeding her low-calorie dog food and taking her out on short walks, but it could be up to a year before she's back at her healthy weight.



source:dailymail