A copy of Chow Hounds by Ernie Ward has just landed on my desk. It's a chunky volume and there is slim chance of me having the time to read it cover to cover, but the press release says:
Dr Ernie addresses the problems with the pet food industry and dogs and their owners are victims of a calculated assault from shrewd marketing and the addition of fat, sugar and salt to treats.Might these be the same companies that are also marketing diet food for dogs?
I also heard that one charity is asking psychologists to look at why we are making our dogs fat. It is interesting. Why do you think dogs are getting fatter?
To find out more about the book, go to Ernie's website.
1 comment:
Although I am a pet food manufacturer, I hold no brief for the industry as a whole as many products are of a poor standard and likely to cause ill-health in pets. Your extract seemed to imply that Dr Ernie was holding the pet food supplier wholly responsible for overweight pets but I did look at his website. He does say that pet owners are victims but he also said that they have a responsibility to make sensible choices.
I can give you three problems for starters.
1)Most pet foods are too high in fat
2)Recommended feeding amounts are too high.
3)When pet owners want to give the dog a treat, food is used as a substitute for exercise and play which is what the dog would really like.
4) Being overweight is now the norm. Lean dogs are seen as being underweight(even by many vets). This problem is aggravated by many show judges who favour overweight dogs and breeders who know that.
John Burns BVMS MRCVS
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