Puppy Mills...Puppy Arthritis...Sad...but still...really?

Ok, PRODsters. This is indeed a sad issue. But still kind of goofy, in this country where there are definitely purse dogs that get better healthcare than many children do.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JUVENILE ARTHRITIS IN DOGS LINKED TO PET STORES

FORT MYERS, FLA. - (October 4, 2011) - Is there a connection between pet stores, puppy mills and younger dogs with joint degeneration? Juvenile arthritis happens in humans, but Flexcin wanted to know if there was a link with the growing number of dogs, ages 4-7, that are given the FlexPet supplement for degenerative joints. 

(Yes, dogs aged 4 ot 7 getting arthritis! They're going to need a special elevator installed in the mansion to get up to their master bedroom suite...)

FlexPet experts and pet advisors believe dog arthritis typically doesn't begin to show itself until age seven in an average dog. And while the bulk of pet owners seeking FlexPet have dogs in their senior years, a growing number of dogs between the ages of four and seven now are taking the FlexPet supplement. "There are some similarities between the dog and human bodies, and joint degeneration is certainly one of them," said Tamer Elsafy, CEO and founder of Flexcin International, maker of the FlexPet supplement.

So...this company that makes a supplement for joint health in dogs...found that owners are giving their medicine to younger puppies...that come from pet stores, not breeders or shelters. And really, there is no SADDER place than a pet store. Now I admit I get suspicious of people who seem to be obsessed about animal welfare and health, instead of advocating on behalf of our own human species who are suffering...but this next paragraph is pretty sad.

Debi Day of the No Kill Nation believes pet stores and puppy mills play a significant role in the lack of health later on in a dog's life. "Puppies and dogs that come from pet stores are most often raised in cramped, small cages, and they mostly receive no exercise because of a severe lack of space and the breeders don't care about their welfare," said Day in the FlexPet blog. "Muscle atrophy sets in, and their back and hips never get fully developed, not to mention mental problems that can occur due to 'cage rage.'"

OK, a pretty serious PROD, as I warned. But I still keep picturing some young realityTV-utant cooing over her arthritic MaltaPekePoo while her actual sickly grandfather rots in a shoddy nursing home. Maybe that's just me...