A dog who was so morbidly obese that she couldn’t even stand up has made an incredible transformation after losing a whopping 36lbs.

Bertha the beagle pug cross weighed an enormous 4st 7lb in November 2019, when dog fitness trainer Meredith Wille spotted a shocking picture of her online.

But after an emergency diet and fitness programme – which usually costs £18,000 – Bertha is enjoying life on the lighter side, and now looks like any other healthy puggle.

Meredith told The Mirror : “Her biggest accomplishment this year was walking up an entire flight of stairs! She hasn’t done that in years.”

Bertha was more than double the size she should have been when Meredith picked her up for the first time from a rescue shelter in Ohio, US.

Meredith, from Beaver County, said: “Bertha couldn’t stand, let alone walk, and was so unbelievably fat, you could barely see her head. It was very sad to see.

“I’m pretty convinced she wouldn’t have survived another month or two without tackling her chronic obesity.”

The giant dog was estimated to be between eight and 10 years old, and centre staff knew a lot of work would be needed to save her.

Determined Meredith wrote to the rescue shelter’s vet and listed everything she could do for her, but it soon became apparent they couldn’t afford it.

“So I suggested they allow me to foster her,” Meredith said.

It was the perfect solution, but it definitely wasn’t going to be easy – Bertha was so obese that she had to be carried outside to go to the toilet.

Shortly after taking her home, Meredith discovered that Bertha had an underactive thyroid and a snapped tendon in her left hind leg.

On top of that, the poor puggle was borderline diabetic and in danger of developing both pancreatitis and liver failure.

Meredith admitted it was a “little worrisome hearing all her medical problems”, but she was set on keeping Bertha alive.

She devised a weight loss programme, supported by gentle exercise and thyroid medication, with the goal of Bertha losing between four to five percent of her total body weight each month.

Bertha started by using the underwater treadmill, but could only walk for around two minutes.

As her fitness started to improve, she progressed to a special swimming pool for dogs.

In four months, she lost around 15 to 20lbs, and as Bertha’s fat began to melt away, her cheeky personality shone through.

During June 2020, Bertha was finally slim enough to undergo surgery to fix her injured tendon in her ankle, which Meredith said was a “game-changer”.

Then a month later, disaster struck when Bertha was diagnosed with a serious gallbladder infection.

Whilst under the knife, the vet discovered she had a lump on her spleen so that was taken out too.

“I was told she had a 50 percent chance of surviving all that surgery but she pulled through,” Meredith said.

Once recovered, Bertha was back on track and reached her target weight in October 2020 – in less than a year.

Her health and training programme would have cost in the region of £18,000 in total – but Meredith provided her part for free and raised approximately £7,000 through donations.

Best of all, Meredith, who had only intended to foster her in the beginning, formally adopted Bertha in December 2020 – giving her a forever home.

Meredith said: “After spending so much time with her, I realised she is an older dog and I didn’t want her to have to adjust to another new home.

“She’s a very cheerful and naughty dog and she’s very attached to me.”

Now, it’s almost been three years since Bertha hit her target weight – and she’s managed to keep it off.

“Over the last year, age has caught up with Bertha. She is having a harder time getting around with her back legs. They are getting weak and not functioning normally,” Meredith explained.

“Her liver mass has grown and is causing some problems, but Bertha is not a good candidate for surgery to have it removed.

“So we are managing it best we can with all-natural supplements and a slight change to her diet.

“She continues to live a fun life of naps and snacks (healthy ones).”

Bertha’s favourite activity is a good old nap and you’ll often find her snoozing next to the underwater treadmill that once saved her life.

Meredith added: “Her favourite thing to do is follow me around the house. She is my shadow and lays at my feet all day long.”

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