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Overweight dog loses almost 20kg after it stops eating fast food

After taking just a few steps, he would have to stop and catch his breath.

And his meals would include burgers, pizza and ramen noodles. Basically all he would eat is fast food.

Sounds like an obese man struggling with his weight?

You would only be half-right.

In fact, we're actually talking about a severely overweight dog.

Dennis, a miniature daschund, weighed at about 25kg at his peak.

In two years, he has lost almost 20kg and is now a normal, happy dog.

Dennis' current owner Brooke Burton, 27, first met the dog at her great-uncle's house.

Burton noticed how heavy he was and that he was receiving little attention. As a result, Dennis was sad, scared and timid.

After Ms Burton (below) adopted him, she put Dennis on a strict diet of dry dog food and took him to walks.

His weight started to drop.

However, his weight dropped so drastically that excess skin hung off him. And he often trip on his skin folds while walking.

The dog was also in pain from infections originating in the skin folds. 

So his excess skin was removed in three surgeries.

These surgeries were funded by people who donated to a crowdfunding page, where $2,800 was raised. 

Now the dog is happier, and happily plays with the other dogs.

Ms Burton says: "I show him I love him through taking proper care of him

"And it's not through White Castle burgers and pizza".

According to statistics from the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, over 50 per cent of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. Meanwhile, 58 per cent are too heavy.

Here are other animals that were known for being hefty:

1) Obie the Daschund

Just like Dennis, Obie was also severely overweight.

But it has also successfully managed to get its weight down to 18kg thanks to a strict diet, many walks and a tummy tuck surgery.

2) Oshine the Orangutan

The Orangutan, which was kept as a pet in South Africa for 13 years, tipped the scales at about 95kg - more than double her natural weight. It has also since lost weight after cutting out sweets, marshmallows and jelly. Instead, it now eats fruits and vegetables. 

Photos: Facebook

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