Morbidly Obese Dog Is Unrecognizable Following Woman's Adoption Of Her

Oct 15, 2020

Faith the Chiweenie arrived at an animal shelter in California weighing 30 pounds. The poor pooch was so heavy that it was affecting her movement and her overall quality of life. 

Luckily, a thoughtful and kind woman named Nioaka, who lives in Roseville, took Faith into her home in 2019 as a foster dog with the aims of improving the Chiweenie's weight and getting her adopted.

Faith was taken to an animal shelter where all she wanted to do was sit, The Dodo reported. She weighed over 30 pounds and was on the verge of developing diabetes, cancer, arthritis, high blood pressure, and respiratory disease.

A woman at the shelter took a picture of her and sent it to a friend named Nioaka who was already a foster mother to a few dogs. She said in the text “You have to save her.” She knew Faith would not have much time to live, so she stepped in to help.

Nioaka had no choice but to pick Faith up and carry her after bringing her home. It was extremely difficult for her to walk and move around. She took her to the vet and was told that she needed to lose half her weight. This task was going to be difficult, but it was necessary to help Faith have a chance at surviving.

Nioaka began by making adjustments to Faith’s diet. She placed her food in a special bowl that made it difficult to finish it all in a short period of time. This kept her from overeating and taught her to pace herself.

She then took the dog to rehab training for four days out of the week. Her treatment included walking on a treadmill that was submerged in water and climbing across inflatable objects. Her motivation? Getting a treat at the end of the course.

It was becoming noticeable that Faith was enjoying her rehabilitation. She would bounce up and down and wag her tail as she walked up the steps to the entrance of the building. She was extremely motivated to partake in the exercises because of the good time she was experiencing. Even though the goal was for her to lose weight, she was focused on being able to move around and have some fun.

Nioaka could see the results Faith was having and was happy to see them. She was now able to play with her toys and run with Nioaka’s other dogs. No longer was it a struggle to walk, climb, or get from one place to another.

The other milestones Faith reached during her treatment included crawling through the dog flap with ease and making it up the stairs on her own.

After working so hard and staying on track, Faith had finally lost over half her body weight. She went from weighing 30 pounds to 13 pounds and looks like a completely different dog, as you can see on Faith's Instagram. Nioaka had a hard time realizing that the sluggish, inactive dog she brought home some months ago is now this confident, energetic dog. Even though she has reached her goal weight, Faith’s diet is still restrictive. She only eats for her size, which helps maintain her weight. But she does receive a treat here and there.

Seeing someone go on a weight loss journey and succeed is very inspiring. Even though Faith is a dog, she has proven that with effort and consistency anyone can reach their health goals.

What do you think about Faith’s weight loss journey? Do you know someone who owns a pet that is obese? Post your opinion in the comments and let your family and friends read this story.