Posted on 02/21/2008 7:53:13 PM PST by blam
Even 150 years ago, almost the entire world, including America, fought varying degrees of malnutrition and poverty, and dealt with the associated health afflictions. A few hundred years before that, all but royalty lived their entire lives in an undernourished state, always under the specter of starvation. In every period in history save for the present, securing a source of food was challenge enough for people, and "pets" were almost universally kept just short of beasts of burden, or (at best) as companions on the condition of self-sufficiency.
Thanks to science, technology, individual ingenuity and smart work, most westerners - and the vast majority of Americans - instead deal with the ills borne of abundance, prosperity, and the greatest degree of absolute material wealth humanity has ever experienced. And there is so much room for improvement (on every front - political, technological) that it is frightening.
Today, such is the extent of our prosperity that even pets enjoy standards of living, nutrition, and comforts exceeding those not just of the overwhelming majority of our ancestors, but even of many people alive today in other parts of the world. Don't mistake my intent - this, the rise in our absolute measure of prosperity, should be a source of immense pride. The rest of the world (slowly in parts, stagnant in others for largely local political reasons) moves in our direction.
Just think about this again - the obesity epidemic (which rather than hitting just America, is broadly international in character, extending from the UK to China to South America) and its associated problems is almost something to celebrate. We (for the most part at least) have it so good, even our pets are fat!
Where we once fought the diseases of poverty, we now fight the diseases of wealth.
A fat pet mouse.
I’ve been making food for our kitties since last spring. When the chinese adulterated ingredients were discovered, and pet food recalls started, I learned more about feline nutrition and changed their diet. They’re both 8 years old, and at a healthy weight. Our calico dropped some excess weight, and she and her sister are in great shape (for indoor kitties). Callie used to throw up frequently when she ate kibble of any kind. Now they get a home-prepared chow made with raw chicken, turkey, rabbit or duck. No more stomach upsets, and their dinner vanishes almost as soon as the dish hits the floor. Very gratifying, and far fewer worries about adulterated ingredients. I just hope my ground meat supplier doesn’t go out of business for a looonng time!
Why? This is the way the left begins. A few well meaning human interest stories and then a demand for mandatory gov't run health insurance for pets. They did this with smoking, SUV's, cholesterol and health insurance.
ping
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