How To Report Pet Food Complaint to FDA

March 12, 2010March 17, 2010

How To Report Pet Food Complaint to FDA

If you suspect your pet has gotten sick from it’s food or you think there’s something wrong with the food, be sure to file a report with the FDA. The FDA has instructions on the information to include and where to file the report. It’s okay if you don’t have all the info. listed, just include as much as you can.

If you transfer your pet food to bins or other containers, it’s important that you keep the packaging until all the food is eaten so you can provide information on the variety, point of manufacture, lot numbers, best-by dates, etc. I haven’t been good about this at all.

When you file a report, you’ll deal with your state’s Complaint Coordinator. Check the FDA list for each State’s contact information.

I think it’s also a good idea:

to file a report with the manufacturer and let them know you’ve filed one with the FDA
to get your veterinarian to file a report
to be diligent about reporting concerns given how long it can take the FDA to respond

February 2, 2010February 2, 2010

FDA Launches Searchable Pet Food Recall Database

Finally! I am so glad the FDA has made it easier for us to find out about recalls of pet food products with this searchable database. Here’s hoping they did a good job.

January 13, 2010June 5, 2013

Thrifty Things: Towels & Bowls

I’ve written before about some of the great things you can find for your pets at thrift stores & garage sales and I was reminded today just how much money you can save by recycling or repurposing things you find at thrift stores.

A bunch of the towels we use on the cats & dog had become pretty ragged & threadbare, but the towels we use for ourselves are still too nice to be relegated to the pets. I wasn’t about to go buy new towels for the 4 legged creatures, so I checked my favorite thrift store and found 4 thick bath towels for under $8 total, which is about the cost of one new towel.

I also needed a couple of glass bowls for water and found good sized Pyrex bowls for under $5 total that will be perfect. Pyrex is thick and pretty rugged so these bowls won’t get chipped or cracked. Sweet!

Here are some of the other things I’d try to find at a thrift store or garage sale before I bought them new:

pet crates (This is probably the best bargain you’ll find. Crates can be pretty pricey ($20-150+), but I see them in all sizes pretty regularly at my favorite thrift store.)
bird cages
glass aquariums
stainless steel pet bowls
Habitrail components
kitty condos (you could recover it pretty easily with carpet remnants and a staple gun)
storage bins with lids (for storing toys or to make your own awesome litterbox)
blankets for pet beds

May 14, 2009May 14, 2009

Thrift Store Finds

You can save some real money on pet supplies using thrift stores and garage sales. Remember, don’t getting anything that’s broken or questionable. Don’t save money at the expense of your pets. Here are some of things I’ve spotted:

pet crates (This is probably the best bargain you’ll find. Crates can be pretty pricey ($20-150), but I see them in all sizes pretty regularly at my favorite thrift store.)
bird cages
glass aquariums
ceramic or stainless steel pet bowls
Habitrail components
towels (for baths or bedding)
kitty condos
storage bins with lids (for storing toys or to make your own awesome litterbox)

May 6, 2009

Fire At Seattle Animal Shelter

First off, the good news is no animals or people were injured in the fire. However, the shelter did lose their commercial dryer and all the supplies in the laundry room. They would really appreciate donations of:

blankets
towels
cat toys
dog toys

Take your donations to 15th West – one mile south of the Ballard Bridge at 2061 15th Ave West, Seattle, WA 98119. You can also make a monetary donation.

We’re very fortunate here to have a pretty progressive animal shelter here in Seattle. A new director, Don Jordan, came in 1996 with a plan to move beyond simple animal control & public safety. The Seattle Animal Shelter began focusing on animal welfare too with extensive animal fostering, adoptions doubling, over 600 volunteers, low cost spay/neuter for everyone. As I understand it, they’re are working to make Seattle a no-kill community.