Pampered pets? Botox and a massage for your dog
- added July 15, 2008
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- JanaPokana
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One area of the economy that has escaped recession is pet care. Despite the credit crunch, it's booming. According to the New York Times, American consumers spent $49bn (£25bn) on pet products and services last year, up $11.5bn from 2003, with health care and cosmetic surgery the fastest growing. A pet may now be subjected to ear cropping, liposuction, Botox, eyebrow correction, a skin graft or a face peel. Analysts suggest that baby boomers whose children have fled the nest are now piling their devotion - and dollars - on their pets.
But all this attention - and the increasing degree of cosmetic enhancement - is not necessarily improving the welfare of the average cat and dog. Evidence on both sides of the Atlantic suggests that pets are experiencing increasing emotional and behavioural problems, including obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and depression.
For pet-care providers, this is a virtuous circle (though pets may see it differently). If pets are upset by treatment, the answer of course is more treatment, and pharmaceutical companies are marketing behaviour modification drugs specifically for pets. For lonely dogs with separation anxiety, there is Eli Lilly's Reconcile, distinguishable from Prozac only by the fact that it is chewable and tastes like beef. Pfizer's Anipryl treats cognitive dysfunction in animals, and the 20% of American dogs that are overweight can reap the benefits of Pfizer's Slentrol, America's first canine anti-obesity medication.
In the UK, insurance firms such as Pet Plan include an allowance for complementary therapies such as homeopathy and acupuncture as part of their packages. Alternative therapists offer osteopathy, aromatherapy and massage for animals, and the website petsbehavingbadly.com boasts reiki treatments for traumatised horses and psychology for parrots.
(Excerpts / Heidi Blake, The Guardian)
But all this attention - and the increasing degree of cosmetic enhancement - is not necessarily improving the welfare of the average cat and dog. Evidence on both sides of the Atlantic suggests that pets are experiencing increasing emotional and behavioural problems, including obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and depression.
For pet-care providers, this is a virtuous circle (though pets may see it differently). If pets are upset by treatment, the answer of course is more treatment, and pharmaceutical companies are marketing behaviour modification drugs specifically for pets. For lonely dogs with separation anxiety, there is Eli Lilly's Reconcile, distinguishable from Prozac only by the fact that it is chewable and tastes like beef. Pfizer's Anipryl treats cognitive dysfunction in animals, and the 20% of American dogs that are overweight can reap the benefits of Pfizer's Slentrol, America's first canine anti-obesity medication.
In the UK, insurance firms such as Pet Plan include an allowance for complementary therapies such as homeopathy and acupuncture as part of their packages. Alternative therapists offer osteopathy, aromatherapy and massage for animals, and the website petsbehavingbadly.com boasts reiki treatments for traumatised horses and psychology for parrots.
(Excerpts / Heidi Blake, The Guardian)
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- JanaPokana
- 2 months ago
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