This is not a point aimed at any one show, animal or person.  This is just a general observation that has came from several years.

There has been a growing trend in the show ring.  Goats are getting fatter.  We are feeding them to be fatter and then spending several days before show day hardening them up.  Either way, winning goats are fatter than they have ever been.  This is just a trend that happens in the stock show world.  It won’t be long and we will start to swing back the other way.

However, a fat goat actually fits right in with all of the other species.  Sheep have been borderline obese for the past couple of years.  It isn’t uncommon to see 180 pound wether lambs that are pulled back to 158 #s.  How, fat pulls.

The key word in the cattle business for several years has been “chubby”.  We’ve put more and more body and guts into these animals.

And hogs, where to begin.   Low protein, high fat diets.  I couldn’t even begin to list all of the fat supplements for pigs.  Fittingly, there is a supplement called Sumo.  Pigs are so massive wide, with extra muscle and fat draped on to their skeleton that they can barely handle it all.

We have built all of these animals to be wide based, wide chested, round ribbed and big assed.  All of these “desirable” traits add up to people feeding them to be fatter to appear wider, etc.  Some of these animals can carry it and look good.  Some not so much.

Appropriately enough, the people feeding these animals are fat as well.  Not everyone.  But Americans as a whole.  We are the fattest country in the world.  So, it is only fitting that we would make our animals fat.  I can tell you that I am the fattest that I have ever been.  I’ve never weighed 200#s but I have gotten closer.  I weigh on the dog scales by the front door of the vet clinic.   199.4 is the heaviest that I have ever been.  For about 20 years, I ranged from 188 to 192.  Maybe it is almost 50 years of age catching up to me. Maybe it is a bad diet, lack of proper exercise and a bad habit or two.

And….cats and dogs in the USofA have a higher rate of obesity that ever before.  It is all relevant.

Have a good day and a better tomorrow.