Thor, dog of thunder, was taken ill. There was no longer a spring in his step. A forlorn look of despair was plainly visible. His well-to-do owners were supplying him with the best veterinarian care available, including a daily regimen of shots. A topic that concerns every canine pet owner, dog health touches on several of my own concerns, despite the fact that I don’t have a dog. Animal neglect and environmental contamination are the issues in question.
Medicated pet excreta – doesn’t sound that bad does it? But it’s increasingly becoming a frightening hazard. Affluent dog owners lavish their pets with more pharmaceutical products than most third world humans ever get to see: Acetylpromazine, Acepromazine, fluoxetine, clomipramine… And whereas human feces are usually processed in elaborate sewage treatment facilities, dog manure and urine often end up degrading naturally in the great outdoors. A new and dangerous vector of contamination has cropped up -- ecosystems are unaccustomed to such chemicals. It’s no wonder our frogs are sprouting third legs and second heads.
Then there is the sorry sight of dogs depressed, everywhere. Millions of busy pet owners go off to work and leave their dogs imprisoned within the small confines of an apartment or small backyard. Often, these are big, energertic dogs who have no business living a sedentary life. From the German Shepherd on my South corner, to the Basset Hound chained on my East Corner, to the Jack Russell Terrier next door, they all should be living a better life. We treat them like couch potatoes when they’d prefer the life of an Alaskan sled dog. Their resultant obesity and depression are no doubt prime etiological factors behind much canine sickness.
If more dog owners considered these two issues, many benefits would unfold.
-An authoritative site worth consulting.
Series Description: Remnants of the marvelous Southern California canal network built by Abbot Kinney. Upscale, modern real estate dominates this affluent socal neighborhood near Santa Monica, in Los Angeles county. Oddly enough, insane vagrants are common passersby due to Venice Beach's close proximity.
