The Parable of the Two Dogs

By Michael Anchors, MD, PhD

 I have two dogs of the same breed, Sam and Lulu. Sam is 8 years old, Lulu 3. Sam weighs 88 lb. He is overweight by the charts. I can’t feel his ribs, a standard way to tell if a dog is overweight. Lulu weighs 50 lb, normal by the charts; I can feel her ribs. Sam gets more exercise than Lulu. I feed Sam 50-70% of the amount I feed Lulu at each meal, using the same food. They have no other source of food. Their relative weights are not changing. Neither dog is sick, and their blood tests are normal.
What can you learn from this true story? The answer is not a trick, and you ought to understand it after reading the two previous MOWs.