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"Humanization" is fueling explosive (and weird) growth in the pet industry

13 pointsby theoneillalmost 17 years ago

3 comments

Lockealmost 17 years ago
This is a pretty long article. The title here makes it sound like a business article, but it doesn't really strike me as such.<p>At the heart of the article is the philosophic question: Do animals think in the way humans do? Do they feel not only fear but anxiety? Do they reason? Or, are they thoughtless automatons, acting on instincts and learned behavior alone?<p>Turns out a lot of big pharma companies are developing doggy equivalents of a lot of human drugs like prozac and friends. Vets are prescribing medications for separation anxiety and other behavioral problems that were once addressed soley with training (or euthanasia).<p>If human drugs work the same way in animals, what does that say out about an animal's capacity to think and feel?<p>Or, turn it on it's head: If unwanted behavior is seen more often in animals that are in "unnatural" environments (for example, a horse left in a tiny stall all day, as opposed to horses in the wild), and we "fix" those animals with the same drugs we prescribe humans, what does that say about us?<p>Do we need drugs strictly because we lead unhealthy lifestyles?
joeteralmost 17 years ago
I always thought it was that funny that animals have humane societies.
Tichyalmost 17 years ago
Wow, an 8 page NYT article that didn't bore me. Well done.