News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People
Mercury fumes can cause damage to the central nervous system. Clancy can find as little as half a gram of mercury and protect students and teachers from prolonged exposure. (Check out the video.) Clancy works with Carol Hubbard for the the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as part of the Mercury-Free Zone Program.
Clancy’s health isn’t overlooked either. To protect Clancy, his blood is checked for mercury every three months and it has always been below detection levels.
Chinese officials have detained two managers from the two companies that exported melamine contaminated wheat flour. (As mentioned previously, these companies were actually selling tainted wheat flour, but representing it as wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate.)
I hope this actually signals a change in China, but they have a long way to go. Spiking ingredients with melamine isn’t uncommon. In the news today, Chinese farmed catfish are being banned in Mississippi because they tested positive for two banned antibiotics—ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin.
You can find out much more on the recall on my Pet Food Recall Archive Page.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
First it was tainted, salvage pet food being fed to hogs and chickens, now it’s fish farmed for human consumption being fed fish meal made with melamine tainted ingredients.
It’s also become clear that, the tainted “wheat gluten” and “rice protein concentrate” that has killed and sickened so many pets is actually just wheat flour. It’s pathetic.
ChemNutra, the U.S. company that supplied the melamine tainted materials to pet food companies, also sold contaminated material to the fish meal maker. When asked, ChemNutra said they chose not to include the shipment to the fish meal company in their April 2nd recall of materials sold to pet food companies because they “co-brokered” the deal and didn’t actually “sell” the tainted material.
You can find out much more on the recall on my Pet Food Recall Archive Page.
Ron Callan, Jr. killed himself leaving no will, a $2 Million estate, and a 13 year old Golden Retriever named Alex. It’s Alex that Callan, Jr’s divorced parents have been fighting over, but there’s also Callan, Jr’s ex-girlfriend and his fiancee who are both interested in having access to Alex too. This isn’t a case where the money goes where the dog goes. Because there are four people interested in the dog, the judge appointed a lawyer to represent Alex’s interests. Alex’s lawyer recommended joint custody between Callan, Jr’s parents and the judge ruled that Alex will move every two weeks between Callan, Sr. and Esther Snow Gnall.
Have you always wondered just what your mixed breed dog is? Are his legs short because he’s part dachshund, does she bay because she’s part hound, is her speed because there’s Whippet in there somewhere? Now you can get some answers. The Canine Heritage Breed Test can test for the thirty-eight breeds listed below. All you do is swab the inside of your dog’s cheek with the swab provided in the kit and send it in. It’s non-invasive and you don’t need a vet to do it. Owners and rescue groups can now have more information about the dogs in their care. This could be really useful in explaining behaviors like herding and for keeping an eye out for health issues. The kit costs $65. Of course, I wish they had more herding dogs, like the Australian Cattle Dog, and the terriers seem underrepresented. The company does say it intends to add more breeds. We plan to check Saffron. I’ll let you know what we find out.
I am in no way affiliated with MetaMorphix, nor am I an investor.
Afghan Hound
Akita
Basenji
Basset Hound
Beagle
Belgian Tervuren
Bernese Mountain Dog
Border Collie
Borzoi
Boxer
Bulldog
Chihuahua
Chinese Shar-Pei
Chow Chow
Cocker Spaniel
Collie
Dachshund
Doberman Pinscher
English Setter
German Shepherd
German Shorthaired Pointer
Golden Retriever
Greyhounds
Italian Greyhound
Labrador Retriever
Mastiff
Miniature Schnauzer
Poodle
Pug
Rottweiler
Saluki
Samoyed
Shetland Sheepdog
Shih-Tzu
Siberian Husky
St. Bernard
Whippet
Yorkshire Terrier