White Dogs Need More Drugs?

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2010-01-30 08:00:00 UTC
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What do white dogs and chickens have in common? Unnecessary drug use that is contributing to the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Chickens and other factory farmed animals are pumped full of antibiotics -- as much as 70 percent of the antibiotics used annually in the U.S. -- to compensate for the unsanitary conditions where they're kept. The consequences of this drug abuse has hundreds of organizations, such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, worried enough to band together in support of the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act.

One of the antibiotics commonly used to cover up the cruelty of factory farms is also being used in tear stain products to cover up blemishes in light-colored dogs.

Are the rust-colored tear stains on white dogs a sign of sickness? Not at all. But if it's not an infection, why would it be treated with antibiotics?

Tear stains are a result of natural organic compounds. Antibiotics kill the natural bacteria that interacts with yeast to cause the pigmentation. Technically Tylosin should only be available by prescription from a veterinarian for use in dogs and cats, but products like Angels' Eyes get away with it due to an FDA loophole in labeling pet supplements.

No matter what the company is allowed to slap on the bottle, the bottom line is that healthy pets are being given drugs for purely cosmetic reasons, which makes them no better than PermaStay Ear Implants and Neuticles. Indeed the abuse of antibiotics puts not just your dog but you at risk.

If your white dog is looking a little too sad for your taste, try the healthier, natural alternative of probiotics, the supplements which will aid your dog's digestive tract and clear up those tear stains without the risk of cultivating super bacteria.

Photo credit: fauxto_digit

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.
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