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A Labrador dubbed the fattest pooch in Britain has lost a
furr-raising four stone 7lbs!

When Alfie was brought into the RSPCA's Leybourne Animal Centre
near Maidstone in March he was the same weight as the footballer
Wayne Rooney (pictured below left).

At a chunky 12st 5lbs, the lardy Labrador couldn't stand up. He
was so fat it took four people using towels as slings just to lift
him.

Alfie, dubbed the
'fattest dog in Britain', before his weight loss. Pictures: Mike
Dooley, RSPCA

Described as "a massive blob with a leg at each corner", poor
Alfie weighed the equivalent of two normal-sized Labradors PLUS a
Staffie!

He had been almost killed with kindness - his elderly owner,
from Folkestone, kept forgetting he'd already fed his pet.

Now he's halfway through his weight loss challenge - and
half the dog he used to be.

Christine Dooley, centre 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."

She said poor Alfie was literally being fed to death. She added:
"It's amazing he was alive given his size.

"A healthy Labrador weighs about 30 kilos (4stone 7lbs) so poor
Alfie was carrying the weight of two Labradors and a Staffie
too.”

And it made daily life virtually impossible for the paunchy
pooch. At his worst, Alfie struggled to walk more than few
steps and could not even lift his legs a

couple of inches into a raised bed in his kennel.

Staff at the centre had to put a piece of carpet and
blankets on the floor to make him comfortable.

The heavyweight hound's neck is so big Alfie wears the same size
collar as a St Bernard dog.

"he was just a massive blob with a leg at each corner.he was being fed to death it’s amazing he was alive" – christine dooley, leybourne animal centre manager

Now he's
been put on a carefully calorie-controlled diet with two meals
a day, weekly weigh-ins and strictly no treats.

His extreme obesity caused him to pant as he struggled to
breathe, may have damaged his joints and led to pressure sores on
his legs.

Christine added: “When he 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.

“We want the weight to come off slowly to give his leg muscles a
chance to build up strength and for his skin to shrink. We cannot
foster him out yet because he wouldn’t be able to get him into the
back of a car.

“He’s such a lovely dog and his tail never stops wagging -
everyone here has fallen in love with him.”

But as rare as Alfie's size is, oveweight pets are not
unusual.

Alfie after some of his
weight loss in July. Picture: Mike Dooley, RSPCA

RSPCA Inspector Caroline Doe, based in Kent, said over-indulging
a pet is just asharmful as not feeding them enough.

She added: “Alfie’s case is exceptional, I’ve never seen a dog
that big before, but there are lots of dogs out there which are
overweight or obese.

“People don’t seem to realise it’s a problem because they think
they are showing their petslove by giving them treats and
titbits

“In fact in terms of causing suffering, allowing your dog to
become extremely obese is just as damaging as starving it and
letting it get very skinny.”

• If you would like to help the RSPCA help dogs like Alfie, you can give £3 now by texting HELP
  to 78866 (Text costs £3 + one standard network rate message).