A pasta-obsessed dog who could only walk a few steps without stopping is now 'unrecognisable' after losing half her body weight.
Emmabele Hodges adopted Rosie after the death of a family member but when taken to the vet in April 2020 was told she was the biggest dog they'd ever had in the practice as she tipped the scales at 10 stone.
The 25-year-old said that after that 'surreal' visit she knew that in order for her 10-year-old dog to have a happy and healthy life she needed to drop the pounds.
Through a combination of healthy diet and exercise Rosie has dropped a whopping four and a half stone - and can now do 'just about anything she wants'.
The nursing assistant claims that since her weight loss Rosie, who needed a ramp to get in and out of a car, is a 'completely different dog'.
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Animal lover Emmabele describes Rosie as a 'bundle of joy' and photos she shared online of her weight loss transformation have racked up more than 24,500 likes, comments and shares.
Emmabele, of Thomasville, North Carolina, US, said: "She's almost like a completely different dog. She can do so much more.
"The biggest transformation we've seen is watching her run because for years she couldn't.
"She was just so slow with walking because of all the excess weight she had but now she'll run out the backyard or after a ball. It's just completely night and day for that.
"She has done very well with her weight loss.
"All of our friends, and family in particular, some of them have mentioned to us over and over how great she looks.
"They cannot believe it's the same dog and they're so proud of everything that we've done and that she's been able to do.
"People haven't recognised her. I've posted pictures online and some of my friends have said 'that's Rosie? That's the same dog?'."
Rosie, who is a golden retriever, labrador, husky and chow-chow mix, was rescued by Emmabele's in-laws when she was around four years old in 2014.
Emmabele said: "We took her to the vet shortly after my mother-in-law passed away and that's when they told us she was the biggest dog they had ever had in the veterinary practice, which was very surreal to hear.
"They said that if we wanted her to live a happy, long, healthy life, she won't be able to do it the size that she is.
"When we heard that we knew that we needed to give her the best rest of her years that we could.
"My husband and I took care of her and took it upon ourselves to do everything we could to get Rosie the healthiest she could be because at that point she was the heaviest she had ever been.
"Even with her being overweight, she has always been such a loving, happy and just awesome dog.
"You would never think that for a dog of her size she would still just be so playful and loving towards others. She's always been such a bundle of joy."
Emmabele, who works in a children's hospital, said that multiple people were needed to hoist poor Rosie onto the examination table and scales.
She was also told during their trip to the vets that if they didn't take drastic action it was unlikely that she'd live much longer given she was at high risk of developing an injury or diseases like cancer.
Emmabele said: "Her weight definitely crept on over the years. She is a mixture of four different breeds, which all have completely different metabolisms.
"The vet said that a mixture of the metabolisms seems to be what caused her weight gain because she wasn't able to metabolise the food and burn off the calories the way that other dogs do.
"For years it was Rosie with her sister Piper who was a golden retriever terrier mix.
"She would eat the same things as her and was super active, but for whatever reason Rosie just always gained weight from what she was eating.
"Back then she'd eat some dog food but I think it was primarily table food.
"I think my mother-in-law was unable to resist her sweet little face and would give her all sorts of extra treats and stuff like that.
"Typically they'd give her a little bit of her dried dog food and put some shredded chicken on top of it, maybe some type of vegetable or a bit of egg and some boiled pasta over that. Pasta was a big thing.
"She was very slow, we'd try to take her on walks and it was just so hard for her. Just going on a walk for five minutes she'd have to stop every few steps.
"She would push through it and do her absolute best but I could tell that she wanted to do better.
"She'd try and stay close to her sister and it was hard for her to see her move so much faster and she had to sit there and kind of watch. I could tell that it bothered her."
Rosie started her diet in May 2020 after the vet prescribed her specific food and treats and Emmabele also bought her an elevated feeder to help with her digestion.
As Rosie started to shed some pounds, they then incorporated exercise into her routine and she now enjoys regular trips to the dog park.
The 'sweet' and 'friendly' pooch now weighs five and a half stone and has maintained since December.
Emmabele said: "We have stairs in our backyard and she would have to go up and down them to go to the bathroom.
"At one point she'd stand at the bottom and I guess almost prepare herself to go up them and sometimes we'd have to encourage her.
"Even those two or three steps she'd struggle with.
"It was hard for her to even get in and out of the car, we had to have a ramp because she couldn't hop in and out.
"She jumps for toys now and she definitely couldn't before. She can jump in and out of the car by herself and roll on her back now as before she couldn't roll over completely.
"It has amazed us to see all the things she can do now and seeing her realise that she can do them. She can do just about anything she wants to do."
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