Literally.
In one heck of a sign of the times I bring you Pup-peroni's new 50 Calorie snack pouch for pooches.
You see it's not just people who are gaining weight.
According to the organization Stop Canine Obesity,
"The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has estimated that there are 41.2 million pet dogs in the United States. Other sources estimate 40 percent of those dogs, approximately 17 million, are overweight or obese."I find this canine obesity epidemic fascinating.
Should we blame lack of gym class? Fast-food? Less walkable neighbourhoods? Maternal imprinting? Air conditioners? Big food advertisements? Celebrity product endorsements? Not fidgeting enough? TVs in their rooms? XBOXs? The internet? Their transition from a manual labour workforce to holding desk jobs? Over-protective parents? Human adenoviruses? High-fructose corn syrup? Artificial sweeteners? MSG? Social networks? Early weaning? Pesticides and industrial chemicals? Sleep deprivation?
Or could it simply be that we're feeding them too much food?
[FYI: One of my favourite authors on the subject of food, politics and nutrition, Marion Nestle, has just released her latest work Pet Food Politics. Not having read it, I can't formally review it, but I can tell you that my copy is en route from Amazon.]
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I have an obese dog. It is not my fault. She is 13 years old and riddled with arthritis so she does not get as much exercise as she used to, but as we suspect, that may not be the problem. The thing is that she has been on a special diet for several years now to help her avoid forming crystals in her urine. This food is an expensive vegetarian formula and we ration it. I wonder what the actual content of these pet foods are. I suspect there are a lot of fillers and things like corn syrup in them.
ReplyDeleteOne of the last times we visited my maternal grandparents out west, my grandfather was dealing with type 2 diabetes. Ironically, so was their dog. I clearly recall my grandmother having to give Cleo insulin injections.
ReplyDeleteCleo was a dachshund whose form embodied the meaning of the term "sausage dog".