Oscar has managed to shed an impressive 39 per cent of his bodyweight.

Spaniel crowned PDSA Pet Fit Club Champ 2016

A dog that shed almost 40 per cent his bodyweight in just six months has won a top prize in a national slimming competition.

Ten-year-old Oscar once tipped the scales at a colossal 3st 6lb (21.6kg) - double his ideal weight. But now, thanks to the help of the PDSA’s Pet Fit Club, the spaniel has made an incredible transformation.

In just six months, the once podgy pooch has managed to shed an impressive 39 per cent of his bodyweight (1st 5lb/8.35kg) - making him the club’s biggest ever loser.  

“He is a completely different dog now – like a puppy again,” said Oscar’s owner June Lawrence. “People simply don’t recognise him because he’s changed so much, in looks and personality. We now walk for miles and he runs around the house with his toys, nudging you until you play fetch with him.”

Oscar beat off competition from six other pet slimmers to be crowned PDSA Pet Fit Club Champ 2016.

The formally morbidly obese dog used to be so unfit that just walking in the garden left him out of breath. His elderly owner struggled to take Oscar out for exercise and often treated him to leftovers and Sunday dinners.

After an intense fitness regime - including hydrotherapy, long walks and a clampdown on fatty treats - June describes Oscar as a completely different dog, almost unrecognisable and much happier.

PDSA veterinary nurse Kay Brough, who supervised Oscar’s weight loss described the transformation:

“Oscar has done amazingly well on Pet Fit Club. His family have been very dedicated and worked extremely hard to help change his lifestyle for the better. He has virtually halved in size; his whole personality has changed. They’re all now seeing the rewards for their hard work.”

PDSA vet Rebecca Ashman, who helped to judge the competition, added: “Oscar’s transformation during Pet Fit Club is truly incredible. His success is a testament to the hard work and dedication of his owners and the PDSA vet team.

“He is living proof that it’s never too late to make positive changes to improve our pet’s health and wellbeing. Oscar and his fellow Pet Fit Club slimmers will enjoy a better quality of life thanks to their weight loss.”

PDSA’s Pet Fit Club helps Britain’s fattest pets embark on a strict six-month diet and exercise programme, tailored and overseen by the charity’s vets and vet nurses.

This year’s seven Pet Fit Club finalists, which include a Labrador, Chihuahua, Bullmastiff, two cats and a rabbit, have lost a total of 4st 12lb (31kg).

Image (C) PDSA