Beagle embarks on gruelling fitness regime of swimming and vegetables after ballooning to six stone

A grossly overweight dog has been put on a gruelling diet and exercise regime to help it shed almost three quarters of its bodyweight.

Wolfgang, a five-year-old beagle with a thyroid condition, ballooned to six stone after his previous owner loaded him with food and allowed the lazy pup to mooch around without burning any of it off.

But attorneys Chad Scatz and Erin McManis, who fostered the colossal canine in May, have reduced his daily caloric intake to 600 consisting of lean turkey and green vegetables.

The pair, from Phoenix, Arizona, captured some of Wolfgang’s new fitness routine on camera which shows the hefty hound swimming in the pool and going for power walks.

Wolfgang, a five-year-old beagle with a thyroid condition, ballooned to six stone after his previous owner is thought to have loaded him with food

The two-minute video starts by showing the beagle stepping on the scales which peaks at around 88lbs.

It then cuts to some footage of Wolfgang waddling down the road with his massive flanks hiding his legs when filmed from above.

Another shot shows the dog, assisted by Erin, paddling in the pool and ferociously moving its paws through the water.

Throughout its exercise, Wolfgang appears rather happy and Erin confirmed that she believes the dog is enjoying his new regime.

However, he appears most relaxed when, in the final piece of footage, he is lying on the grass and basking in the sun with his tail wagging furiously.

He appears most relaxed when, in the final piece of footage, he is lying on the grass and basking in the sun with his tail wagging furiously

Another shot shows the dog, assisted by Erin, paddling in the pool and ferociously moving its paws through the water

The fat dog requires a giant flap to accommodate its enormous body which it is trying to reduce through dieting

Erin, who adopted Wolfgang through Arizona Beagle Rescue, said: ‘Wolfgang has a thyroid condition and is now on medications for that.

‘We don’t know anything about his former owners as he ended up in a no-kill shelter, but he likely was also overfed.

‘Other than his strict diet, we exercise him every day by taking walks and also in our swimming pool. 

She added: ‘We are confident Wolfgang will lose weight and he’ll be about 11 kilos.

‘It might take a long time though, possibly over a year.

‘However, we are active people so we will keep up his exercise and we previously adopted a dog who was 30 kilos and now is 10, so we know what it takes!’

His weight peaked at around 87lbs when his thyroid condition and a relaxed previous owner saw his weight swell

Little by little, he is slowly shedding the pounds after Chad and Erin put Wolfgang on the new diet

 Swimming and long walks are also helping the fat pooch to drop weight and reach a goal of 11kg

He goes on brisk walks with his new owners as a form of exercise, which he was not doing in his previous home

Erin says that she believes Wolfgang likes his new regime, but he still appears extremely happy to lie down and relax

Wolfgang (pictured with another of Chad and Erin’s dogs) takes a break from the exersise and basks in the sun 

Despite his new regime, Erin projects that it will take the Wolfgang over a year before he manages to get his weight down to 11kg