Pfizer has been granted a license by the US Food and Drug Administration to market the world's first medical treatment for canine obesity. The product, called Slentrol, was originally tested as a potential treatment for overweight people. But it was found to cause undesirable side-effects including abdominal distension, colic, diarrhea, flatulence and headaches.
(PressZoom) - Slentrol is a selective microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor, blocking the assembly and release of lipids from the gut wall into the bloodstream. It also appears to have effects on the nervous system in suppressing appetite but the company admits that the precise mechanism for this is unclear.
As carnivores, dogs can tolerate much higher levels of fat in the diet than humans and avoid some of the side effects caused by preventing lipid absorption. Yet treatment can still cause problems in dogs such as vomiting, and the FDA license authorizes its use only under veterinary prescription.
“We all know obesity is a concern among us humans, but I think as pet owners we also have a responsibility to try and keep our pets as healthy as possible too.”, said Mr. Jablonski, owner and founder of Mustlovepets.com, a dating website for singles who love and own pets. “Exercise is important and will help keep your pet fit and healthy, but not all pet owners are physically able to exercise their pets like they should. This new drug can benefit those owners and help their pets maintain a healthy weight.”
Obesity is a growing problem across the developed world in dogs as in their owners. Alex German from Liverpool veterinary school, UK, estimates that about 40 per cent of dogs in the US and Europe are overweight, with about 10 per cent clinically obese.
As in humans, canine obesity is linked to a number of diseases including heart problems, diabetes and arthritis. Typically, the owners of an overweight dog can expect their animal to die two years earlier than one of normal weight.
The duration of treatment with Slentrol will depend on the extent of the animal's obesity and its response to treatment but may last for several months. Given as a liquid which can be taken orally or added to food, treatment is likely to cost the owner between $1 and $2 a day, according to the company.
German, who runs a special clinic for the owners of obese pets, acknowledges drug treatment may help in the short term but he is skeptical about its long term value.
'Canine obesity isn't a complicated issue - it's a simple imbalance between calorie intake and the amount of exercise that the dog takes. It should be easy to prevent but it is complicated by the strong bonds between the animal and its owner. It's also difficult to stop other members of the family from giving the dog treats. The bottom line is that successfully maintaining the dog at a healthy weight needs a change in the owner's behavior,' he said.
NOTE FOR EDITORS
U-DRIVE DATING was founded in 1997 by Mr. John Jablonski, who noticed a gap in the market for an online dating service for larger people and their admirers. His first dating website, “Large and Lovely Connections” quickly grew in size and recently hit the milestone of its five millionth visitor.
Now his dating empire has grown, with a brand new concept in online dating. It allows members more connections without the tedious chore of typing and submitting multiple profiles to multiple online dating websites. Only one free profile is all it takes to become a member of the U-DRIVE DATING Network, which currently has nine dating websites from which to choose, and more planned for the not too distant future.
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