A major recent study suggests that being just moderately overweight is deadlier for a dog than a lifetime of smoking is for a human being. Being just “a little fat” is simply horrible for a dog’s health. It is literally worse than smoking. And being “very fat”? Well, it’s likely even worse than that. That’s […]
(What follows is a gross oversimplification of a somewhat nuanced issue. If, by the end of this post, you remain skeptical of my conclusions, I urge you to grab a copy of my book, Dogs, Dog Food, and Dogma. It includes a much more fulsome discussion of this important topic, one complete with citations, end notes, […]
First of all, if you’re at all interested in this topic, you really ought to check out Dogs, Dog Food, and Dogma, my book about the science (and business) of canine health and obesity. If you don’t think it’s the most honest, rigorous, in-depth, and all-around helpful book you’ve ever read on the topic, I’ll refund 100% of […]
First of all, if you’re at all interested in this topic, you really ought to check out Dogs, Dog Food, and Dogma, my book about the science (and business) of canine health and obesity. If you don’t think it’s the most honest, rigorous, in-depth, and all-around helpful book you’ve ever read on the topic, I’ll refund 100% of […]
You’re probably familiar the terms “Big Tobacco,” “Big Pharma,” and “Big Ag.” They’re used by skeptical consumers to derisively refer to the colossal multinational corporations that dominate the tobacco, drug, and food industries, respectively. These entities are notorious for putting profits ahead of consumer well-being. It’s unfair to suggest that they always put their bottom-line […]
When it comes to canine obesity, sometimes the folks at Varsity Pets can get a little bogged-down in the minutiea. What’s the most effective regulatory regime for making Big Kibble tell the truth about the nutritional content of its products? What’s the target fat content of the optimal canine diet? How many calories should a […]
The first step in defeating canine obesity is figuring out whether your dog is actually overweight or not. Sounds simple, but in our experience most folks don’t even get to this first step because they refuse to even consider the idea that their dogs might be overweight. Instead, they just reject the possibility out-of-hand. Which […]
Your dog’s not overweight, is she? Of course not. You’d never let your dog become overweight. You’re not one of them, you’re one of us.
If you’re reading this blog then you probably fancy yourself a pretty responsible dog owner. You probably hear us droning on and on about the prevalence of canine obesity and think to yourself “that’s a good point, but I’m part of the solution, not part of the problem. I work hard to keep my dog […]
Domestic dogs evolved from wolves some 15,000 years ago. When it comes to temperament, the animals are obviously quite different—the wolf is in every sense a “wild” animal, while the dog is the quintessential domesticated one. But when it comes to how the “below the neck” organs function and interact—particularly those organs relating to digestion […]