Rusty Saber: Pet equipment makers target pudgy pooches

Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.

It was bound to happen. First came the reports that multitudes of Americans are becoming obese, aka "The Thickening of America" (sorry, I couldn't resist that).

The culprits are a lack of exercise and hankerings for triple cheeseburgers with fries, deep-dish pizzas, jumbo servings and all-you-can-eat buffets. Next came attacks against high-fat, calorie-, carbohydrate- and sugar-laced foods. Products began to crop up claiming to be low in calories, with reduced carbs, low fat and sugar; everything from ice cream to beer is offered.

Now the Food and Drug Administration is questioning some of these claims. If a food is to labeled healthy, it must prove it.

With the drumbeat increasing for humans to eat more healthy foods, lose weight and exercise, it is no surprise that pets have become a part of the saga. The care, feeding and pampering of pets in America is a $30 billion industry. It got that big because people love their pets. It follows that the fallout from fretting about overweight people leads to fretting about overweight animals. Apparently there are a lot of both.

Overweight people and pets get that way for the same reasons. People feed themselves and their pets too much rich food, and both spend too much time on the couch. Since pets lack the human quality of thinking logically, they aren't likely to make the decision on their own to lose some weight and start working out; people do it for themselves and their pets.

When I first heard about the availably of treadmills for dogs, I was skeptical. I was wrong. According to the Wall Street Journal, for a mere $1,095, you can be the first on your block to own a Jog-a-Dog Treadmill.

I'm not sure how one goes about getting a dog to run on a treadmill. If I were to, by some miracle, entice either of my dogs onto an operating treadmill, the belt would toss them off the back; which would be the last time either would set a paw on it.

What about couch-potato cats? Obviously, no self-respecting cat will get on a treadmill. Kitty Tease to the rescue. The Wall Street Journal says this is a $10 fishing pole-like device with a kitty treat on a string. Ideally, the cat will chase the treat and lose weight.

Assuming the cat will chase the thing, will it do it long enough to lose any weight? Cats I know are so independent they might be curious and chase the thing for awhile, but not enough to shed any kitty pounds.

As a realist, I assume cats will exercise when and if they want to. Dogs will exercise if owners take them for walks or play with them in the yard.

Overeating causes animals to gain weight just as it does with people. Although WSJ reports that a pet catalog, Drs. Foster & Smith, offers "lite" rabbit food, dogs and cats comprise practically all of the market for animal diet food. Alas, no one cares if groundhogs get fat, as long as they aren't too fat to waddle out to try to cast a shadow.

Pet nutrition is a major issue for pet owners because 25 percent of cats and dogs are overweight. The market has reacted with all sorts of diet foods and treats, including a high-protein diet for cats based on the Atkins diet. Some companies are even looking into creating doggie and kitty weight-loss drugs. Thank goodness, none are yet on the market.

Coming to the aid of people intent on getting those excess pounds off of uncooperative pets are two services detailed by WSJ. First, "Dogs Can Dance," a $45 cassette and video that teaches dogs to dance off weight. I don't know if you have to dance with the dog or it does a solo act. The other, a doggie fat farm, offers two weeks at a boarding kennel with a daily swim, massage and diet meals, all for just $500. I can't visualize any dogs I know cooperating with either of these programs.

But I couldn't visualize a doggie treadmill, either.