This makes me SO freakin’ angry!  More “Dump & Run” press releases where the information is released late Friday so it will get lost in the news cycle.  And what were they announcing at a time when it would get the least coverage?  A HUGE expansion of the pet food recall due to Salmonella contamination from food made in a Diamond-owned factory in Gaston, South Carolina.  It’s gone from 3 brands to 12 brands and that doesn’t include that different varieties made by each brand.

Not only has this recall expansion not gotten much news coverage, but the FDA website doesn’t even have this new information as of Sunday May 6th.  What the hell?!  Also, on the Diamond recall page, they only list some of the brands in the recall, but not all of them.  You also have to dig to discover that some cat food is now included in the recall—Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Cat Formula and Kirkland Signature Super Premium Maintenance Cat Chicken & Rice Formula (see below for Best-Before Dates involved).  Again, what the hell?!  Even more disturbing is that at least 14 people in 9 different states have become infected with Salmonella with 5 people hospitalized.  10 of those infected reported contact with dog food.  But even the CDC’s website has totally incomplete information on which brands are being recalled.  Useless.

The plant that manufactured the food included in this recall is the same plant that produced pet food contaminated with aflatoxin in 2005.  The current recall has grown so much not only because of the brands Diamond owns, but also because of all the other pet food companies who contract with Diamond to produce their food instead of producing it themselves.  I am running out of brands to feed our own pets that either haven’t been bought by a large conglomerate or that don’t contract with another company to produce their food.  This recall is precisely the reason I want to feed our cats and dog food made by independent companies that produce their own food and have rigorous quality control.  I’m seriously pissed off!  Grrrrrrrr.

Ok. enough with the ranting.  Here are the all brands being recalled.  (Important note: Don’t assume that if your state isn’t listed that you don’t have product included in the recall.  The press releases state that “Further distribution to other pet food channels may have occurred.”)

1. 4Health
2. *Apex
3. Canidae
4. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul
5. Country Value
6. Diamond
7. Diamond Naturals
8. Kirkland
9. Natural Balance
10. Premium Edge
11. Professional
12. *Solid Gold
13. Taste of the Wild
14. Wellness

_______________________________________

Update 5/8/12:

*Apex

Recalled from South Carolina.

Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, or who would like replacement product or a refund, may contact Apex Pet Foods via a toll free call at 1-866-918-8756, Monday through Sunday, 8 am – 6pm EST.  Their site is apexpetfoods.com.

*Solid Gold

Recalled from the U.S. and Canada.

Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, would like replacement product or have additional questions, can call (800) 364-4863 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM through 5:00 PM Pacific time) or visit solidgoldnorthland.com.

_______________________________________

1. 4Health
2. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
3. Country Value
4. Diamond
5. Diamond Naturals
6. Premium Edge
7. Professional
8. Taste of the Wild

To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production code on their bag. If the code has a “2” or “3” in the 9^th position AND an “X” in the 10^th or 11^th position, the product is affected by the recall. The best-before dates for the recalled products are December 9, 2012 through April 7, 2013.  The following graphic illustrates how to read the production code and best-before date:

The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states and Canada.  Further distribution through other pet food channels may have occurred.

• Alabama
• Florida
• Georgia
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Canada

_______________________________________

9. Canidae:

Only CANIDAE dry dog food formulas with production codes that must have BOTH a number “3” in the 9th position AND an “X” in the 10th or 11th position with best before dates of December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013 are being voluntarily recalled.

Following is an example of how to read the production code and best before date:

The recall affects only products distributed in the following Eastern U.S. states and were manufactured at the Diamond Pet Food Gaston, South Carolina plant. Further distribution to other pet food channels may have occurred.

• Florida
• Massachusetts
• New York
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee

_______________________________________

10. Kirkland Signature:

To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production code on their bag. If the code has both a “3” in the 9^th position AND an “X” in the 11^th position, the product is affected by the recall. The best-before dates for the recalled products are December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013.The following graphic illustrates how to read the production code and best-before date:

The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Canada.

• Alabama
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Canada
• Puerto Rico

_______________________________________

11. Natural Balance:

Recalled products may have been distributed in the following states:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Washington, DC
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Maine
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• Vermont
• Wisconsin
• West Virginia
• Wyoming
• Canada

_______________________________________

12. Wellness:

Wellness notes in their press release that they will no longer purchase any product from Diamond Pet Foods.

Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, would like replacement product or have additional questions, may call us at (877) 227-9587 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM through 6:00 PM Eastern time and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM through 5:00 PM Eastern time) or visit wellnesspetfood.com.

_______________________________________

Just imagine if he had opposable thumbs.

And then this one just cracks me up!  Have you ever lived with a cat this focused?  We do, and funnily enough we call her Boo also.

1. 6lb,  DLR0101D3XALW,  Best Before 04 Jan 2013
2. 20lb,  DLR0101C31XAG,  Best Before 03 Jan 2013
3. 40lb,  DLR0101C31XMF,  Best Before 03 Jan 2013
4. 40lb,  DLR0101C31XAG,  Best Before 03 Jan 2013
5. 40lb,  DLR0101D32XMS,  Best Before 04 Jan 2013

Hartz is recalling Wardley Advanced Nutrition Perfect Protein Tropical Flake Fish Food also due to possible salmonella contamination.  The affected products is:

• 1oz. containers,  UPC Code 0-43324-00591-7
• lot PP34911
• lot PP34912
• lot PP35011
• lot PP35012

Anthony is one of those people who gives me hope for the world.  Not only does he go to great lengths to save this kitty, he also has a world view I really admire.  He’s a man of faith, but doesn’t believe anyone should push their beliefs on someone else, he believes there’s answers to the world’s problems in technology and in working together, and that if we changed our spending priorities, we’d have a better world.  He also actively supports animal rescue groups in his community, including building a cat house for one.  AND he’s a musician—the music playing during the video is his own song, which you can download.  What a nice guy!

I’recommend modifying the shelves by attaching sisal, sea grass, or carpet so your kitties have traction.  I’m thinking hot glue would be the best way to do this since it might be hard to get staples or tacks through the melamine on the shelves without cracking it.  I love this idea and just might put one up in our guest room.  Too cool!

Must. See. Hamster.

Very patient Great Dane.  Very cute Basenji.

I LOVE the idea of the Modular Cat Climbing Wall where you can rearrange things and add or subtract elements.  I mentioned in the podcast on environment enrichment for cats how kitties seem fascinated when something familiar gets moved or rearranged.  Being able to change up this cat wall would keep it forever interesting.  Awesome!

The Cat Scratching Board is brilliant!  Cats can prefer different surfaces for scratching—fabric, cardboard, sisal, carpet, and wood.  The can also prefer different orientations—angled, upright, or horizontal.  The best way to keep them from scratching inappropriate things is to provide options they like.  Wood cat scratchers are much harder to find, so this is great.  It also looks wide & long enough to really make a cat happy and you can have it at an angle, flat, or upright.

The Catwheel looks like so much fun for the right cat.  You may have seen the video of the cat wheel someone made for their bengal kitties?  This one from Catswall is pretty nice looking!  I know a certain rotund cat of ours who could definitely benefit from a catwheel, if we could keep him from just lying down on it.