New Diet Drug Is Approved for Pudgy Dogs

If you ever had any doubt that the drug companies, altruistic protestations aside, mainly want to get more people to take their drugs, take more drugs, take them longer, look no further:

New Diet Drug Is Approved for Pudgy Dogs - New York Times: "Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration announced one possible way to address the problem: the first prescription drug to treat obesity in dogs.

“This is a welcome addition to animal therapies, because dog obesity appears to be increasing,” said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the food and drug agency, announcing the approval of the drug.

Veterinarians define obese dogs as those that are 20 percent overweight. About 5 percent of dogs in the United States are obese, and another 20 precent to 30 percent are overweight, according to the drug agency. In all, Pfizer, the maker of the dog drug, called Slentrol, estimates that four million American dogs are obese and potential candidates for its therapy, which will cost $1 to $2 a day.

Not only is this silly in the face of real health crises facing people, but it's doubly brazen and outrageous because canine obesity can be so easily "cured" by feeding dogs less and exercising them more...