It's Awful, What Some People Do To Their Pets
I'm horribly mean -- for Aida's own good. The only time she gets people food is if she's fast enough when Gregg drops some tiny scrap on the floor when he's making dinner. (This doesn't usually happen anyway, because he immediately banishes both of us from the kitchen when he starts cooking.)
People think it's cute and sweet to give their pet table scraps or to let them eat food unmonitored, whether or not that works for the particular pet. Lucy, my late sweet Yorkie, would just stop eating when she was no longer hungry. Aida, my tiny Chinese Crested, is a little piggy who now gets fed out of a food toy she has to push around with her little pom-pom paws to make her little food pellets come out. (For a while, I was saying, "Eat!" and "Stop!" to slow her eating down, but that was a little dull and time-consuming for me.)
Anyway, what inspired this post was a piece in The Atlantic about fat pets. Lindsay Abrams writes that 50 percent of U.S. dogs and cats are overweight. There are some poor, sad fat pets pictured in the piece, too -- just awful to see.
It's this kind of indulgent irresponsibility on the part of owners that makes for sick, uncomfortable, obese pets:
Maverick, a cat enrolled in the Pet Fit Club, was declared by his vet to be the biggest cat he had ever seen. His owners couldn't help but give in to his cries for more food than he needed, until he reached the point where he was having trouble breathing. And even for a cat, he was sleeping too much.
I love this little doggie and have a responsibility to her and part of it is to be judiciously "mean."
I'm sometimes told that it's 'mean' to make my dog balance her occasional treat on her nose, or to be told to sit and wait to devour the cookie.
And truth be told the amount of drool she produces when she's got bacon draped across her muzzle does get to me.
But 'sit' and 'stay' sure pay off when I don't have to wrestle with her to keep her from bounding out the front door to shake hands with the occasional Jehovah's Witness.
Brian Dunbar at February 14, 2014 12:24 AM
This takes me back to the great Mother's Day incident of 2012. My parents showed up with their dog and my mother in law exclaimed in horror and told mom she was shortening the dog's life. (The dog is very fat.) Hurt feelings and drama abounded (in a quiet, WASP-y sort of way).
We occasionally give our dog food: bits of gristle and the like, but she is in great shape and not overweight. I'm not sure why people can't keep their dogs at a healthy weight. Nevertheless, my mom's pets are all fat.
Astra at February 14, 2014 5:55 AM
Exactly, Brian. Aida is made to wait to do all sorts of things. It really does pay off. Like when I need to go out and get the mail and don't want her coming out the gate.
Amy Alkon at February 14, 2014 5:56 AM
My sweet little old pug lady is in pretty good shape. She would eat all the time if given the choice, but she is not given the choice. She gets a set amount of food each day, and that's it. If she stares at my food and dreams of eating a piece of pizza, I just ignore it.
Pirate Jo at February 14, 2014 6:05 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/02/14/its_awful_what.html#comment-4258941">comment from AstraAnd Astra, my neighbors' little Yorkie died at maybe age 5 or 6. Lucy lived till age 15.
Once you start training them, they can be trained very quickly to do what you want. The food thing ("Eat!" and "Stop!") took about a minute to teach her. (Our wonderful breeder suggested it when I said she was eating her food too fast -- the little piggy. It's kind of hilarious because she looks elegant but ate like a pig rushing the trough. I think the food ball has trained her to slow down.)
Amy Alkon at February 14, 2014 6:15 AM
Personally, I think it's not so much the people as the GRAIN (and other carbs) in the food. I stop eating steak when I'm full, but not bread or pasta. Most pet food is chock full of carbs. This is particularly problematic for cats who are strict carnivores. Modern "healthy" pet food has a large proportion of calories from carbs. Even Blue Buffalo (strictly grain free) has lots of carbs from things like potatoes and peas. Increase blood sugar, activate insulin, get hungry 1-2 hours later.
Cats in particular are having problems with diabetes (the animals that shouldn't be eating anything BUT meat - whereas dogs are mildly omnivorous).
We had a cat that would stop eating when full, just like Lucy, but around age 8 started gaining weight. We used weight control formulations and monitored intake which helped (but was challenging in a two-cat household with one underweight cat), but the damage had been done, the cat had become diabetic - despite our monitoring and trying to take actions that were appropriate. Of course, this was before I was as educated on blood chemistry and the impacts of grains on insulin.
Shannon M. Howell at February 14, 2014 7:38 AM
We buy high-end cat food that has a lot of meat in it, and we're glad for it. Our cats have never been overweight. One is 13 and is perfectly healthy. The other has cancer and will need to be put down soon, but she's 15 and was healthy right up until she wasn't. We leave the food bowl out all the time and they moderate themselves.
MonicaP at February 14, 2014 8:24 AM
Hmmm...what is this "people" food you speak of? anything on a paleo diet should be consumable by a dog. We've been sharing our food with dogs ever since we domesticated wolves.
As with everything else, it is a matter of quantity.
I R A Darth Aggie at February 14, 2014 8:29 AM
My dog eats home cooking, about 95% paleo, but she's a big girl and the vet calls her overweight. That said, she's a whole lot firmer than most other dogs I pet, which are squishy and skinny-fat.
Lori at February 14, 2014 9:12 AM
I forgot to mention that I weigh her food on a scale to keep track of her calories.
Lori at February 14, 2014 9:13 AM
I have three cats. All are from the same litter, One is too skinny, we got him as a six week old kitten. One is absolutely the perfect weight, we acquired him as a seven month old kitten.
The third cat didn't come live with us until she was four years old. She is the chubby one. She lived outdoors for her early life, and caught a lot of mice.
All of them are perfectly healthy, and now 14 years old.
While I agree it is a bad idea to feed pets a lot of people food, a thin animal is not necessarily healthier than a chubby one, and I suspect the reason has to do with gut bacteria , and
the development of their immune system when very young.
Isab at February 14, 2014 9:34 AM
My old mutt is a carb craver who will steal the chicken feed if she can. (She'll self-regulate dog food.) She's been fatter in the past, but I've been much more careful about what she's allowed to eat. I will echo Shannon's observation about what's in the dog food: most of it is full of corn meal- sometimes even the more expensive stuff (Iams, etc.). Looking for "grain free" won't always mean low-carb, either, since they do sneak potatoes in. You have to read the ingredients. When my dogs are on grain/potato-free food, the difference in their energy level, skin, and coats is pretty amazing.
ahw at February 14, 2014 12:18 PM
Thread Hijack: I think Designer Dogs can be a form of abuse: not only the genetically inherited diseases and flaws, but the deliberately induced changes like a pug's nearly-vanished snout and bulging eyes, a dachsund's ridiculously short legs (although perhaps that makes them better vermin-killers) and the lower of certain larger breeds' hindquarters.
Good news: Vets are doing gene studies to show what hybrid pairs give the best outcome for the puppies.
DaveG at February 14, 2014 1:47 PM
Lower = Lowering
DaveG at February 14, 2014 1:49 PM
I have the weirdest dog right now. I got here when she was about 1 year old (March 1st will be 12 years to the day I got her) and she was always an only dog, so she has never been what I know of as "normal" where eating is concerned. She'll often leave 1/2 the bowl of food and either finish it the next morning before we walk (I joke she's filling up so she'll go during the walk) or not finish it at all. She tends to go in cycles of not finishing it for a few days here and there.
I walk her twice a day, every day (ok, so probably 55 times or so every 30 days as I do skip the occasional evening walk due to being tired or just not getting home until late). This dog is crazy about walks and gives me the hardest time until we go.
This is a 75lb Shepherd/Lab mix who's ~13 years old at this point now. She's well into borrowed time now but the walking is probably the primary reason she's still here. She's been maybe 3 or 4 lbs overweight at most, usually when walks were shortened or stopped for short periods due to injury (on her) or because of weather.
Been a great dog in helping me to stick to the regular walking too.
Miguelitosd at February 14, 2014 3:44 PM
I make baked chicken with a rosemary, thyme and catnip rub for my cats weekly. They snack on the dry food, but live for the chicken.
Most animals need stimulation of their "seeking" state. Anticipation of the treat is actually better than eating the treat. Jaak Panksepp (psychologist, psychobiologist and neuroscientist)explains this better than I, but it's easy to use.
I give my cats a long, drawn-out feeding ritual that that pleases them more than the food itself.
I would love it, Goddess, if you could have Jaak on your show. My seeking mode is aroused at the very thought!
bmused at February 14, 2014 11:34 PM
DaveG - Your thread hijack topic is a strong issue with me. My family has deep rural roots, and every generation has run cattle since 1780 or so, (which ends after my generation.) I understand and appreciate breeding farm animals for their utility as has been done since the human race farmed. Many breeds of dogs arose the same way - selective breeding for abilities and usefulness.
But it has gone way too far. Needle-nosed brainless Collies, thin, nervous Irish Setters as opposed to the calm robust field dog they were, and the designer dogs like Labradoodles are a few examples.
The recent explosion of designer cat breeds is totally repugnant. Cats have remained fairly homogenous because they have traditionally self-selected their mates, with most intact males being feral. 50 years ago, breeds were just regional variations.
Cats don't have a wide range of utility and so intentional breeding is all about appearance. Now they breed every mutation they can find. The bald sphynx cats, the stumpy-legged Munchkin, the abnormally calm Ragdoll, curly cats, earless cats...endless fashion varieties. Toygers are being created to look like tigers, Pixie-bobs like bobcats.
Hybrids with wild cats are very popular, and anger me the most. I have an insane ninja F3 Bengal (Asian leopard cat cross) who was discarded by the breeder due to a deformed tail. He (like many a Bengal) has extreme neurological and behavioral problems. (He's been called "a lawsuit on 4 feet".) It's rumored that many Bengal culls are raised and skinned for their luxurious pelts. Savannahs are huge cats- a hybrid with the African Serval. Savannahs that get loose are commonly shot on sight. Marketed as pet-quality but they require lifestyle changes people are unwilling to make. The wild foundation stock often end up at exotic cat rescues if unmanageable or used-up as breeders.
Any farmer can tell you that the new lean hogs have meaner dispositions than the old breeds. With every physical change comes neurological changes that are unpredictable. We Humans need to stop this idiocy.
*Off Soapbox*
bmused at February 15, 2014 2:57 AM
It is awful, what some people due to their pets.
As in, leave them out here in the boonies to fend for themselves. With no collar, they will simply be shot on sight and left where they fall, because, unknown to the clueless and irresponsible idiots who leave them out here, domestic dogs form packs which hunt indigenous life.
Bang. Done.
Radwaste at February 15, 2014 6:16 AM
The only people food our dogs ever got was the occasional tidbit that fell on the kitchen floor while preparing dinner; and we were too lazy to pick up: "here, doggie, come get this!"
Funny, after our last dog was put down, I dropped a piece of carrot one night and said; "crap, I guess I have to pick that up myself now."
All of our dogs were taught that while in the kitchen they had "their rug" that they had to stay on until we told them otherwise. One just had to say "rug" and they would go sit, or lie down on their rug. I believe that dogs need discipline; the owners of such dogs are happier and so are the dogs!
Charles at February 15, 2014 7:46 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/02/14/its_awful_what.html#comment-4261586">comment from CharlesAida does that -- I trained her to stay, and she will (or gets in trouble), but what's fascinating to me is that she prefers a "base" to stay on…a sweatshirt, a small rug, a pillow. She'll of course stay if there isn't one, but it's kind of a thing for her.
Amy Alkon at February 15, 2014 8:21 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/02/14/its_awful_what.html#comment-4261592">comment from bmusedif you could have Jaak on your show.
I've read his research -- will look and see whether he has a book that would work.
By the way, this week's show (and the book it's based on) on judicious quitting should be great. I was very impressed by the book, by Peg Streep and Alan Bernstein. (Mastering the Art of Quitting: Why It Matters in Life, Love, and Work)
Amy Alkon at February 15, 2014 8:23 AM
I don't feed my dog people food either but failed to realize how many treats I was giving her. Needless to say THAT has stopped too. Also, I didn't believe the vet when she said they love frozen peas as treats but I'll be damned, Keiko goes nuts for them.
Daghain at February 15, 2014 5:02 PM
Amy, in our obedience class (which we took primarily because it's harder for the dog with all the doggie distractions and, if he can do it there, at home will be easy) we did "stay" and "park it." The difference was the park it had a towel/mat/whatever that the dog had to be touching. The doggie lawyers would have just a toe on, but they HAD to be touching it.
Crazy, but EVERY SINGLE DOG did better with long stays on their park-it object than without. I think it mentally says "you'll be here for awhile" and so they don't get as easily distracted, but I think it gives them a defined "territory" which must be soothing or something.
If I want my dog to be un-annoying during dinner, I put a towel down (even on carpet) and use park it. If I don't use a towel, it doesn't work nearly so easily.
Shannon M. Howell at February 17, 2014 10:02 AM
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