Recall: Jones Natural Chews Pig Ears

March 11, 2011June 5, 2013

Recall: Jones Natural Chews Pig Ears

The Jones Natural Chews Co company is recalling pig ears due to salmonella contamination. Please note that the pig ears are sold under a few different names—Jones Natural Chews, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, & Country Butcher Dog Chews. So far, there’s no info. on the company’s website. Boo! The recall is due to tests preformed by the Washington State Dept. of Agriculture.

These are the products included in the recall:

Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears 2pk bag with header card —item upc 741956001047, lot 2420
Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears bulk 100ct box —box upc 741956001139, lot 2490, 2560, 2630, 2700, 2840, 2910, 2980
Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears bulk 50 ct box —box upc 741956001504, lot 2490, 2840
Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears bulk 25ct box —box upc 741956001467, lot 2700
Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears 1pk shrinkwrapped —item upc 741956001146, lot 2700, 2840, 2420
Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears 10pk printed bag—item upc 741956001405, lot 2420, 2560, 2630, 2840
Blain’s Farm & Fleet Pig Ears 10 pieces bag—item upc 741956001405, lot 2560
Country Butcher Dog Chews Pig Ears 1pk shrinkwrapped —item upc 741956001511, lot 2630
Country Butcher Dog Chews Pig Ears 1pk shrinkwrapped —item upc 741956001146, lot 2420
Country Butcher Dog Chews Pig Ears 12pk bag —item upc 741956001245, lot 2910

What you need to know about Salmonella

Salmonella can cause serious illness in cats and dogs and cross-contamination to humans is possible resulting in serious illness.

Here is good information on the symptoms & treatment of salmonellosis in dogs & cats.
The FDA has information on safe pet food handling to prevent food born illnesses like salmonella.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has a very informative page on salmonellosis in humans.

March 11, 2011

UK Soldier & Loyal Dog Make Final Journey

Lance Cpl. Liam Tasker and his bomb-sniffing dog Theo were repatriated yesterday in a ceremony in the UK yesterday. The procession passed military personnel & their dogs and also civilians & their dogs lining the road as the hearse passed by. Liam was killed in a firefight and his dog,Theo, died hours later from seizures.

Theo had set a record in Afghanistan by finding 14 hidden bombs & weapons caches. According to Liam’s uncle, Liam was concerned about being separated from Theo when his tour was over, but his family is at least comforted that now they won’t be parted.

March 11, 2011March 11, 2011

Dog Trainer Preforms CPR On Dog

I’m really disturbed by this story and not for the reason you might think. Tiffany Kauth and her dog, Sugar, were taking a dog training class when Sugar stopped breathing. Trainer Ron Pace had someone start filming what happened so they could show a vet and when it became clear Sugar was in danger, Pace began pressing on Sugar’s chest to try to revive him. Pace is being hailed a hero by just about everyone.

What bothers me is wondering what was happening before Sugar collapsed. I became concerned when I realize Sugar is wearing a choke chain, and when I paused the video to make sure, it was clear the choke chain was also way too small for Sugar. I’ve seen first hand and read about enough abuses of “leash and collar” training, that I know those abuses can can choke a dog until it loses consciousness or dies. Obviously, I wasn’t there when Sugar stopped breathing, so I don’t know what was happening before the video starts, but I sure would like to know.

March 9, 2011March 9, 2011

Training Tip: Preparing Your Dog for Veterinary Visits

Great, great advice on how to help your dog have a better visit to your vet! Alena Van Arendonk from Canines In Action in Indianapolis has an excellent post on what you can do to make visits to the vet less frightening for your dog.(thanks Margaret!) I really like her description of being a training opportunist—taking advantage of a situation to teach your dog. Teaching your dog to get on and off something will make it so much easier to get them on a scale or a low exam table. Can you imagine what it’s like for vet techs to wrestle 50+ lbs. dogs onto the scale all day long? Teach your dog to do it herself and your vet tech will love you—so will your dog!

Some of Alena’s suggestions include training while you’re waiting for the vet and training before you ever get there. The idea of short visits to the vet’s office when you don’t have an appointment is also great. You can just go into the lobby, get your dog to sit, lie down, etc. and give treats. If the scale is accessible, work on on & off. It’ll help for your dog to have more positive associations with the vet.

Saffron became terrified of the scale at our vet’s office. The furnace turned on while she was on it and air suddenly blew out of the vent right into her face. That was enough to scare her so badly that it was almost impossible to get her on the scale ever again. So, I started randomly visiting our vet and if they weren’t too busy, Saffron & I would work on her fear of the scale. It took a while, but she got over it and now when we get to the vet, she walks right over to the scale and plunks her butt down. Help your dog cope better with a trip to the vet and do some training ahead of time!

February 23, 2011February 23, 2011

Noble The Dog

Canine Assistants and Milk Bone partnered on Facebook to follow the progress of a golden retriever named Noble as he went from puppy to service dog. Canine Assistants is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing service dogs, companion dogs, & seizure alert dogs to those who need them.

Well, Noble is all grown up now and has been matched with Sam Farr, a 23 yr. old Marine who was paralyzed in a car accident. I can only imagine what it means for someone to be given one of these special dogs—independence, friendship, confidence, more interaction with other people. So cool! (It looks like Sam will continue to give updates on Noble on the Facebook page.)

If you’re interested in helping foster or train assistant dogs, check out this list of service dog organizations around the world.