Chunky dog Hattie who couldn’t stop eating burgers raises enough money to have lifechanging tummy tuck surgery

weight
Rens Hageman
Rens Hageman

Sweet pooch Hattie put on huge amounts of weight thanks to a diet of daily burgers and not being taken on any walks.

Metro reports that not only did she become dangerously overweight, Hattie also developed diabetes and cataracts.

Thankfully she was rescued by the RSPCA and given to a rescue centre, who made a commitment to get Hattie back into shape.

Ruth Rickard, 51, who has worked at the centre for 10 years, said: ‘When I first saw Hattie I couldn’t believe it as she looked more like a pot bellied pig than a dog. ‘I just knew we had to try and help her. I take her home with me at night so I can administer her insulin injections, which she tolerates very well.’

Ruth and other volunteers at the centre put Hattie on a strict diet and started taking her out on walks.

Now at 36kg (the same weight as two full bags of concrete), she’s already lost 4kg - but will need tummy-tuck surgery to help her progress further and get rid of heavy excess skin, as well as surgery to fix her cataracts. That surgery’s pricey. So the centre started a JustGiving page to raise the cash needed to get Hattie back on the road to recovery.

The fundraiser smashed its target of £1,000, raising £3,586 to go straight to Hattie’s healthcare. She’s set to undergo surgery any day now.

‘As the weight has started to come off we have found that she is very spirited and extremely loving, despite the fact we put her on a diet,’ said Ruth. ‘She spends her days in our reception, keeping an eye on the staff and customers, and as we watch her gain confidence and lose weight it makes me proud that we are a genuine non euthanasia charity.

‘We have seen some wrecked animals that we have found homes for after proper care, nutrition and TLC. I try to be positive. I’m aiming to get her down to about 23 kilos. We are trying to get her to go out four or five times a day. She was over 40kg, we’ve got the previous vet history - I don’t think the owner was very well. She’s only six years old. For a collie, she should be looking at a 15- year life expectancy. She’s quite a character, she so deserves the public to get behind her. Since she started losing weight, she’s changed - it was like she had no real enjoyment of life before and was just existing.

‘Because she was fed fatty human food like burgers, she put on so much weight. I looked at her and thought she looked like a pot bellied pig. It is so wrong. It is because of her fatness. She is carrying so much weight. Her muscles are quite wasted as she hasn’t been walked. We’ve tried to turn her life around. She’s cheerful and happy now.’

(Story source: Metro)

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