Pets suffering from an epidemic of lousy owners

New statistics are out on pet obesity, and it's not good.  The pet trend mirrors the human trend.  What's just as disturbing is that the reporting and diagnosis of pet obesity is just as bad as that for human obesity.  Read it and weep...

The Wall Street Journal reports:

 "For 12-year-old Buffy of Calabash, N.C., the trouble began with too much steak (and chicken and ice cream) at dinnertime. In nearby Ocean Isle Beach, six-year-old Hershey harbors a fondness for beef and cheese snacks. And 14-year-old Fridge of Longwood, Fla., gets cranky if his bowl isn't full."

The first culprit mentioned in the article is...steak?  (Oh yeah, and ice cream.)  Something tells me that most pet owners are not force-feeding steak to their pets during the Great Recession.  Maybe steak-flavored kibble.  Or steak-flavored ice cream.  But not steak.  Also, know anyone else who is cranky if they don't get to eat exactly at meal time?  And usually excess sugar and carbohydrate is to blame.

"New data due out this week indicate the problem is reaching epidemic proportions, with more than half of U.S. dogs and cats now overweight or obese. Of pets considered to be "obese"—defined as 30% above normal weight—one-fifth of dogs and cats fit the bill, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, which conducted the survey with Mars Inc.'s Banfield Pet Hospital, the nation's largest general veterinary practice."

Okay, there's a problem.  How to solve it?

"The main culprit: owners who routinely overfeed pets, don't exercise them enough and are unaware of the severe, and costly, health problems caused by excess weight.

Calories in / Calories out, the bastard child of the First Law of Thermodynamics.  But no, the type of food we're feeding our pets couldn't be the main culprit.

Common woes include diabetes, arthritis, kidney failure, high blood pressure and cancer. Research also suggests that pets fed less over their lifetime can live significantly longer."

You don't say.  I hope the American Diabetic Association recommends a high carb, low fat diet for diabetic dogs and cats.  Because, you know, species that evolved from carnivorous wolves and wild cats will probably get heart disease from eating too much cholesterol.  I'm sure an eco-friendly plant-based diet is the way to go.

"Now, new efforts are afoot to stem what many vets believe is the single most preventable health crisis facing the country's 171 million-plus dog and cat pets. They include software for doctors to track a pet's "Body Condition Score," a blood test that could quickly determine animals' body-fat percentage, Weight Watchers-type pet diet plans and doggie treadmills."

Human weight loss methods have proven so effective that we are applying them to our pets.  Our pets are doomed.

"Obesity in pets is almost the equivalent of smoking in human medicine," says Steven Budsberg, director of clinical research at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. "There's the high cost to people, and it's self-induced. I never met a German shepherd who could open the refrigerator or food bag and pour himself another bowl."

Human smoking isn't a good comparison to pet obesity.  Yes, smoking is "self-induced", but so is human obesity.  And both behaviors can be hard to correct because of metabolic derangement and addictions.  But his point that German shepherds don't feed themselves is a good one.  You make the decisions for your pet.  You are in control.  But you know what this also means, don't you?  It means that when pets do get fat, owners are to blame.

"In 2010, pet owners holding insurance policies with Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. shelled out $25 million to vets for obesity-related conditions, such as ligament ruptures (about $860 to treat), disc disease ($649) and asthma ($163). At Petplan USA in Philadelphia, five of the top insurance claims all have a close correlation to obesity."

I wonder if the veterinary health care system functions any better than the human health care system.  Somebody needs to do a study on that.  Clear prices, more competition, probably more reasonable tort law.  But also less spending directed to the most expensive part of health care: end of life care.  We just put pets to sleep.

"When Cindy Nunes and her husband Joe of Folsom, Calif., adopted their beagle Daisy Mae, she was 41 pounds, suffered abdominal pains and couldn't roll over. Through a special high-protein and fiber, low-fat diet that's down to one cup a day, Daisy Mae has dropped to a more normal 29 pounds and walks three to four miles several days a week."

The low-fat monster rears its head.  Hell, why not feed the pooch Lean Cuisine?  IS ANYBODY GOING TO MAKE THE SLIGHTEST EFFORT TO INVESTIGATE WHAT A DOG IS DESIGNED BY GOD / EVOLUTION / MOTHER NATURE TO EAT?

For years, the topic of "fat pets" was considered taboo in the veterinary community, says Ernie Ward, founder of the pet obesity association and author of "Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter." Says Dr. Ward: "There are sensitivities to an owner's own weight condition and to making them feel guilty for overfeeding their pet."

Dear Pet Owner,

It's your fault that your pet is a fat-ass.

Truly yours,

John Durant

P.S. - I'm sure we can find a way to blame the pet food companies or the lack of government regulation.

"One hurdle: people's idea of what constitutes a fat pet often differs from clinical reality. A study by Pfizer Inc.'s Animal Health business showed that 47% of veterinarians felt their canine patients were obese, while only 17% of dog owners agreed."

You mean to tell me that "normal" no longer has any bearing on clinical reality?  That people's idea of normal is distorted, based only on what everybody around you is doing?  Isn't it normal to have heart disease?  Isn't it normal to be 25 pounds over weight?  Isn't it normal to have acne?  Isn't it normal to get sick a few times every winter?  Isn't it normal to have plantar fasciitis?  Isn't it normal to have back pain?  Isn't it normal to have high blood pressure?

"Charles Dolcimascolo, owner of the 12-year-old cocker spaniel Buffy, routinely fed his dog table scraps until she ballooned to 42 pounds, double normal weight for the breed. "You couldn't tell if she was a dog or a pig because she's beige," Mr. Dolcimascolo, 72, says. "She'd get depressed if I didn't feed her."

Finally, the faintest glimmers of hope.  We see a reference to a normal weight for the breed.  Finally, someone ties health back to the type of creature in question.

As for Buffy getting depressed, that sounds a hell of a lot like Buffy loves comfort food.  Sound familiar?

"Knowing how much to feed pets can be confusing."

Hint: if you leave the food out, you're probably feeding them too much.

"Many cat owners leave out full bowls of food for pets to graze, but feeding just 10 extra kibbles of a typical dry cat food could add up to one pound of weight gain annually, says Dr. Ward."

Ahh, the Calories In / Calories Out bastard child re-appears.  If you just eat 3 fewer calories a day, that will add up to a gazillion pounds over the course of your life!  OUR BODIES ARE NOT THAT STUPID, PEOPLE.  Do you know how hard it would be to consciously measure your caloric intake and get it to match your caloric expenditure with the accuracy necessary not to gain or lose weight over time?  That's not how it works, people.

"Manufacturers aren't required to list caloric content on labels unless the product bills itself as low calorie, according to the Food and Drug Administration, which says there's now a proposal circulating to change that."

Why are we listing caloric content on pet food, when dogs and cats don't even know how to read. 

"And as with humans, vets say some animals are more genetically prone to obesity, meaning they may need fewer calories than similarly sized pets who are metabolically lean."

Right, it's a genetic problem.  Just like diabetes is a genetic problem.  Go back a few generations, and nobody had diabetes.  The genes haven't changed, but the environment has.  Now look, of course some people and pets are pre-disposed to certain conditions, but that's true about anything.  And it leads people to believe in genetic determinism, i.e., "It runs in the family, what is little old me supposed to do?"

"Heather Noelte and Eric Frew own Fridge, who weighed a hefty 25 pounds when they adopted him eight years ago. Since Fridge had come from a shelter, "we didn't feel a forced calorie-reduction regimen" was fair, Mr. Frew says.

His current diet consists of 2/3-cup dry food in the morning and a weight-management turkey-and-rice cat food in the evening. Even so, Fridge currently weighs 30 pounds and needs a ramp to get onto his parents' bed, and Ms. Noelte said they cut off the side of his litter box because his tummy scraped it climbing in.

Is anyone surprised that a cat named Fridge needs a ramp to get into bed?  As for what's fair, I'm sure that Fridge think it's unfair that he can't choose better owners.

"Food makers are expanding their offerings to make cutting back easier. Last fall, Nestle Purina, for example, launched "Project: Pet Slim Down"–designed to help pets achieve 1% to 2% weekly weight loss. In January, Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., maker of Science diet and Prescription Diet, introduced a line of weight-reduction food systems with meals and biscuits in pre-measured packets."

I have little doubt that over the past two decades Purina and Hill's Science Diet have added one of the following processed ingredients into pet food: corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, soy protein, or any of the countless industrial waste products that we routinely find in people food.  (Note: the high end dog food brands are all removing grains from their products.)

"Exercise is another hurdle, especially when owners don't keep themselves fit. Larger breeds such as Labradors and German shepherds need 30 to 60 minutes of active play daily, vets say, or two to three miles of walking. Smaller breeds still require about 15 to 30 minutes of play, while cats benefit from short five- to 15-minute bursts of activity like chasing toys."

Another glimmer of hope.  The appropriate type and amount of exercise varies by breed and species.  You mean cats don't like to go on long walks like dogs?  I wonder why that is?  Could it be because wolves naturally cover more territory in the wild, whereas cats tend to hunt and then lounge around?

"The pet industry is hungry to help pets shed pounds. Sales of specialty "DogTread" treadmills costing $599 to $999 have risen 200% since Ogden, Utah-based PetZen Products LLC began manufacturing them in 2007."

I'll bet there's a market for running shoes for dogs.  (Why don't dogs need shoes for those long walks on concrete?)

At the Morris Animal Inn pet resort in Morristown, N.J., 32 dogs participated in "Fido's Fit & Spaw Retreat" clinic this January, complete with swimming and dog yoga.

You've got to be fucking kidding me.  Dog yoga?  What a bunch of yuppies for owners.  I've got an idea: go hunting with your dog.  Or go lure coursing.  That's what they want to do, that's what they were bred to do.

"And in April, Camp Bow Wow, a 125-location doggy day and night camp franchise will launch a "Furry Fitness Challenge" contest for owners and pets to lose weight together.

"It goes to the dynamic of people looking like their pets," says Heidi Ganahl, CEO of Camp Bow Wow. "If the owner is focused on health, then the pets will be, too."

There is one dietary approach that will also work for you AND your pet: an ancestral, species-specific diet.  Here's info for dogs and cats.

People, if we can't solve the pet health epidemic, we are NEVER going to solve the human health epidemic.  It requires less discipline to make your pet healthy than it does to make yourself healthy, and the case for feeding a species-specific diet to pets "just makes sense" to people.

It's we humans who are always the great exception to Nature's Laws.