Are you a dog owner? If so, it would stand to reason that you’d want to be up on your dog’s health and give him or her the most wonderful, long life possible. Dogs bring us so much joy, and us to them, as they are beings with personality and spirit and we are creatures with a great capacity for kindness and love. In recent decades, attitudes toward family animal companions has become even more precious, with animals being treated more and more like members of the family (as they should be) rather than disposable playthings or occasional sources of amusement.
The ways in which we’ve decided to show our love and adoration for our animal companions as grown in depth and breadth and are certainly rooted in commodity culture. Nevertheless, better we spoil our pets and shower them with attention and affection than neglect them, tying them up in the backyard for the majority of their lives with nary a rawhide bone or soft bed to sleep on.
The commodity culture surrounding our pets has taken shape in many forms, the most obvious, perhaps, being clothing for our little four-pawed children. It was first just in specialty or novelty shops that these items were sold but now we see them in big box pet stores such as Petco and Petsmart. Crafters have definitely gotten on the bandwagon as their attention to detail, tendency toward humor, and ability to make commissioned pieces give them a wonderful, possibly lucrative, niche market. As you’ll see, rhinestone collars are as commonplace as little argyle sweaters for your cats and dogs, and if you comb the internet, you’re liable to find that people knit sweaters and make capes for animals like chickens too! Holiday outfits for pets enjoy some of the greatest popularity, as occasions like New Year’s, Halloween, and Christmas/Hanukkah just beg for season-specific outfits.
Other commodity ventures based on the needs of pets and the spending power of owners range from flavored water to elaborate electronic toys to gourmet treats to professional pet photography. Capitalism aside, it is nice to know that people enjoy improving their animal companions’ quality of life as they would maybe with a human family member or friend. Showing this sort of appreciation toward animals is something we need more of in this world, as there is a lot of animal suffering that occurs needlessly every day. Another important way we can keep the bar high in terms of caring for our animals is making sure they get the proper medical attention they need throughout their lives. Dog itching means that a dog might have ticks, fleas, or mites and must be treated immediately in order to put a stop to the animal’s discomfort and avoid infection or complications from the source of the problem. Something like dog tumors must also be kept in check; general surgery as well as full-on radiation treatment for our pets with cancer is certainly a treatment option for your furry friend.
Eric Blair is a writer for NuVet Labs, a company that is dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles for millions of dogs and cats through its line of supplements. Instead of covering up symptoms, their products attack the causes of disease such as itchy dog. NuVet Labs has been developing its product line for over eight years and uses an FDA approved laboratory with natural, human grade ingredients in all of its compounds.