Meet Britain's Fattest Dog

Meet Britain’s Fattest Dog

Some dog breeds are prone to weight gain, but we think this obese dog from the UK is in a whole other weight class.

Meet Alfie, an overweight Lab who’s believed to be Britain’s fattest dog. He weighs 173 lbs., or about as much as England’s football star, Wayne Rooney. (And probably several pounds more than David Beckham.)

Due to Alfie’s extreme weight, the 12-year-old dog was handed over to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). According to the RSPCA’s site, Alfie was given to them after his elderly owner kept forgetting that he had already fed his dog.

When Alfie first arrived at the RSPCA’s Leybourne Animal Centre (LAC), he was so overweight that it took four people to lift him out of the car.

Christine Dooley, the LAC manager, said: “He literally could not stand up when he arrived because he was so fat. I have never seen a dog that fat before in my 27 years with the RSPCA, he must be Britain’s fattest pet.”

Dooley added, “He was being fed to death, it’s amazing he was alive given his size. A healthy Labrador weighs about (55 pounds) so poor Alfie was carrying the weight of two Labradors and a Staffie, too.”

LAC workers noted that Alfie displays many of the symptoms of dog obesity, including having difficulty breathing, walking more than a few steps and damaged joints and pressure sores on his leg. The portly Lab couldn’t even lift his legs off the ground a few inches to get into the kennel bed.

Dooley said, “When (Alfie) first came in he couldn’t go on walks because of his size, but each day as the weight is coming off he is able to take a few steps further. We have to be careful when staff take him for a walk because if he sits down and refuses to get back up we have to call in extra people to lift him up again.”

The center won’t find Alfie a new home until he’s down to a manageable weight, and they are adamant that they will only let someone adopt him if they’re able to feed him a strict diet and maintain an exercise regimen.

Obesity is not just a growing problem amongst people, but dogs too. Overweight dogs are prone to serious health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, poor circulation, cancer and strain on their joints, bones or ligaments.

If your dog is obese, one of the ways you can help your fat dog, besides putting your dog on a diet and starting an exercise routine, is by giving him i Love Dogs Green Tea. Our Green Tea supplement helps to stimulate your dog’s metabolism and prevent fat absorption.

PHOTOS: RSPCA

Amelia LeRutte

Amelia Lerutte is a public relations and social media expert, and a pack leader to a couple derpy Boston Terriers, a lovable Leonburger and a Keeshound. When not writing or promoting the i Love Dogs brand, Amelia is an avid NHL fan, ice hockey player and video gamer.