Pet Food Recall: Hartz Naturals Real Beef Treats For Dogs

The recall affects 75,000 bags with the lot number BZ0969101E. If you have any bags with this lot number, you should carefully dispose of any unused product.

If you have any questions, you can contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414.

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.

August 27, 2010

Friday Fun: Sheltie + Baby = Squeals

Omg, how cute are these two? I love that the dog created this game!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_I9ld-oDTs

August 27, 2010August 27, 2010

News Bites: Climbing, Driving, Parole Hearing, Goat, Seals, Dog Park Violence, Bin Lady

Climbing

Lucy the dog could have ended up just being another dog that died on the streets of Puerto Rico after being hit by a car, but she was lucky. She was adopted by some wonderful people. With their help, a wheelchair, and conditioning similar to the conditioning marathon runners practice, Lucy became the first disabled dog to climb Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.

Driving

Have you been hearing about the results of that AAA survey on the hazards of unrestained pets in cars? Turns out the survey is inacurate— the statistics and hazards are actually worse.

Parole Hearing

In Alabama, the canine victim was present for the parole hearing of his attacker. Louis the dog still has the physical scars from being set on fire and beaten with a shovel by Juan Daniels who was denied parole.

Goat

First there was a male goat and a female dog, who are best friends, wandering loose around a wedding chapel, then there was the threat of goat rustling charges, then add their friend Lucky, a tripod dog, and you’ve got one of the oddest rescue stories I’ve heard.

Seals

In Washington, a dog swims after seals, a boy paddles after the dog, the boy rescues the dog, the seals swim after the boy and dog.

Dog Park Violence

The man who repetedly stabbed a woman’s dog at Fort Funston in San Francisco has been identified and is expected to be arrested. Lenny the dog survived the attack, but lost his spleen.

Keith Elgin Shepherd, the off-duty police officer who shot and killed Bear-Bear, a husky, at Quail Run Dog Park in Severn, Maryland was charged with two misdemeanors and that is only after public outcry. He claims he shot Bear-Bear with a hollow point bullet after the dog attacked his German Shepherd. His German Shepherd apparently received no injuries. Bear-Bear’s family & friends say he was not an aggressive dog and the woman who initially rescued and foster Bear-Bear agrees.

Bin Lady

Mary Bale, the wack-job woman caught on camera dumping a cat in a trash bin, is being investigated by the RSPCA and may face charges. The cat was trapped for 15 hours until her person heard her cries.

August 23, 2010

Pet Food Recall: Merrick Recall Expanded

All 10 oz. bags of Beef Filet Squares treats and Texas Hold’ems treats are now being recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.

If you have purchased either of these, return the unused portion to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-664-7387 M-F 8:00 – 5:00 CDT.

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.

August 18, 2010

News Bites: Dog Brains, Animal Emotions, Stem Cell Therapy For Pets

Brains

A recent study indicates the selective breeding of dogs hasn’t just changed their appearance, it’s also changed their brains by causing rotation and reorganization most notable in brachycephalic dogs like pugs, some mastiffs, bulldogs, etc. The position of the olfactory lobe has dramatically moved in these dogs, possibly affecting their sense of smell, which is comparable to changing a human’s sense of sight. It’s unknown at this point if these changes in the brain have led to changes in behavior. (You can also read the original journal article on the study at PloSOne.)

Emotions

Emotions help animals make decisions in a way similar to humans. For example, animals and humans in a negative emotional state (anxiety, fear) “tend to judge ambiguous stimuli negatively.” If anxious, something ambiguous like a rustling noise in the grass is judged negatively as a predator or danger of some kind. Likewise, animals and humans in a positive emotional state tend to judge something ambiguous like rustling noise in the grass in a positive way as prey or reward of some kind. It seems to me this could have interesting bearing on training methods, for example, the effects of coercive training versus operant conditioning such as clicker training. (You can aslo read the original journal article on this study at the Royal Society of Biological Sciences.)

Stem Cell Therapy

More and more, stem cell therapy is becoming an option for our animals. A process that used to take 3-4 days, can now be done in about 4hrs. if clinics can process the stem cell in-house. About a tablespoon of the animal’s own fat is removed, then it is treated to stimulate the stems cells, and is injected back into the animal. Numerous dogs are having the treatment for arthritis and pain—Bentley in New Jersey, in McIntyre in Georgia, Samantha in Pennsylvania, and Eric in New Zealand. A new fund, Frankie’s Fund, has just been started to help continue the study feline stem cell therapy at Colorado State University for the treatment of diseases like chronic renal failure, a very common disease in cats.