AvoDerm Does Quality Control The Way It Should Be!

(Please note:  This kicks ass and therefore this post will possibly overuse bold & underlined text.  But, I’m really pumped that a company is actually putting our pets first.  I’m almost speechless, but not quite!)

It’s very rare I ever get to say anything good concerning a pet food recall, so take note!  AvoDerm is posting information about a recall that has no effect on you, at all.  Their own quality control testing caught this problem before the food ever left their distribution center, so it never even made it to any stores.  Not only that, they’re still letting their customers know about the possible Salmonella contamination.  Remember the food never made it to stores, but AvoDerm says the product concerned is their Natural Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Adult Dog Formula (26 lb. bag only) with “Best-By-Dates”28 Aug 2013, 29 Aug 2013, & 30 Aug 2013.

What a  stark freakin’ contrast to the way most companies handle recalls, even when there are pet deaths associated with their recalled food.  Most companies delay making a press release and very often use the Friday night Dump & Run, so the recall gets lost in the news cycle.  It’s basically a giant “Screw You” to you and your pets’ well-being.

Mistakes happen, but I think AvoDerm should be applauded for having truly effective quality-control and stepping up to take responsibility when it catches a problem.  Awesome!

Pet Food Recall: Dog, Bird, Mouse, Rat, Hamster, & Poultry

We’ve got a bunch of pet food recalls going on—several due to possible salmonella contamination, two because of dangerously high levels of Vitamin D, and another due to incorrect packaging.

First up we have an expanded recall of Diamond dog foods due to potential Salmonella contamination.  (If you have questions or want replacement product or a refund, contact Diamond Pet Foods at 800-442-0402, 8 am – 6 pm EST, Monday through Friday or check out their site www.diamondpetrecall.com.)

1. Diamond Puppy Food (dry dog food)

 Size  Product Code   Best-By Date   
 40lb  DPP0401B22XJW  6-Apr-2013
 40lb  DPP0401A21XAW  6-Apr-2013
 40lb  DPP0101C31XME  11-Jan-2013
 40lb  DPP0401B21XDJ  7-Apr-2013
 20lb  DPP0401B22XJW  6-Apr-2013
 20lb  DPP0101C31XME  11-Jan-2013
 20lb  DPP0101C31XRB  11-Jan-2013
 8lb  DPP0401B2XALW  7-Apr-2013
 6oz (sample)  DPP0401

 

2. Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice

Size Product Code Best-By Date
 6lb  DLR0101D3XALW  04 Jan 2013
 20lb  DLR0101C31XAG  03 Jan 2013
 40lb  DLR0101C31XMF  03 Jan 2013
 40lb  DLR0101C31XAG  03 Jan 2013
 40lb  DLR0101D32XMS  04 Jan 2013

 

3. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula (dry dog food)

Size Product Code Best-By Day
 35lb  CLF0102B31XCW  27/JAN/2013
 35lb  CLF0102B31XCW  28/JAN/2013
 35lb  CLF0102B32XWR  28/JAN/2013
 6lb  CLF0102B3XALW  28/JAN/2013

 ______________________________________________

Kaytee is recalling 2 types of baby bird food due to dangerously high levels of Vitamin D which can cause kidney failure.  Signs of hypervitamintosis D in birds include:

  • Lethargy
  • Anorexia
  • Crop stasis
  • Vomiting
  • Dehydration
  • Polyuria
  • Polydipsia
  • Stunting or delayed development

For important information on tests and treatment read Kaytee’s hypervitamintosis D information page for you and your veterinarian.  (Call Kaytee at 1-800 Kaytee-1 (800 529-8331) or email kayteehandfeedingbabybirdrecall@central.com for information on a refund.)

1. Kaytee exact Hand Feeding Formula Baby Bird 

Size Product Code Lot/Serial # UPC Code Best-By Date
 6/7.5 oz  100032326  A1  07185947510  21 Mar 2013
20 Apr 2013
 6/18 oz  100032328  A2  07185947511  9 Mar 2013
19 Apr 2013
 4/5 lb  100032330

 A3  07185947512  14 Mar 2013
30 Mar 2013
16 May 2013
 4/5 lb  100034332  A3 (Petco)  07185947512 30 March 2013
 1/22 lb  100032336  A4  07185947518  21 Mar 2013
13 Apr 2013
16 May 2013

 

2. Kaytee exact Hand Feeding Formula Baby Macaw 

Size Product Code Lot/Serial # UPC Code Best-By Date
 4/5 lb  100032337  B1  07185947515  1 Mar 2013
14 Mar 2013
19 Apr 2013

 ______________________________________________

Kaytee is also recalling a mouse, rat, & hamster food due to potential salmonella contamination.  This food was widely distributed around the world—states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin; and, into the countries of Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Dutch Antilles, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guam, Honduras, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, and Trinidad.   (Call 1-800-Kaytee1 (800 529-8331) phone number or Kaytee.com for questions regarding pets that have been fed the product.  For a refund, fill out this form on the Kaytee site.)

1. Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Mouse, Rat and Hamster

Size Material # UPC Code Best Before Code
 6/5 lb  100502315  71859 00001  03-Apr-2013 K61
 25 lb  100502086  71859 99995  31-Mar-2013
 6/3 lb  100502085  71859 99994  31-Mar-2013 K63
 25 lb  100502275 (Petco only)  71859 00000  30-Mar-2013

______________________________________________

And finally, DuMOR produced for the Tractor Supply Company is recalling a poultry feed due to incorrect packaging.  This one can be confusing if you look at the FDA site, so here it is in a nutshell.  Some packages of DuMOR Poultry Grower/Finisher (which is for chicks) actually contain DuMOR Poultry Layer 16% Crumbles (which is for egg layers).  The adult food can be harmful to chicks.  (For more information contact your Tractor Supply Company location, or Feed Solutions Customer Service at 615-315-4092 or 615-315-4090 (Monday-Friday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM CDT).

1. DuMOR Poultry Grower/Finisher

Item # Formula # Lot #
 0046445  60Y9  2MAR15OKC1

Training Tip: Don’t Yammer! Don’t Yell!

My first goal when I began teaching our dog Saffron commands was to keep her safe, so it was really important that she paid attention to me when I talked to her.  I knew someday it might save her life.  So first, I trained myself to not do anything that would cause her to not pay attention to me.

Tip #1   Don’t repeat!

This is an easy mistake to make and I see it all the time.  The person tells their dog to “sit” and when the pup doesn’t, the person keeps repeating “sit”—all the while, getting more and more frustrated.  Unfortunately, what they’re teaching their dog is that the command isn’t “sit”, it’s “sit-sit-sit” or even “sit-sit-sit-sit-Rover-sit-sit”.  So stop flapping those gums and just give the command once.

If Saffron doesn’t do what I ask, I give her a cue that she missed it.  (We use “whoops!”.)  And I wait.  If she still doesn’t do what I asked, I get her to refocus either by getting her to move or by moving myself.  For instance, I wanted her to sit before we ever crossed a street because when we first got her, she would walk right into the street if I wasn’t paying attention.  We would approach a corner, I’d stop & say “sit” and I’d wait.  If she didn’t sit, I’d say “whoops!” and I’d wait.  If she still didn’t sit, I’d get her focused again by turning us away from the street, walking in a small circle, and then approaching the corner again and say “sit”.  You can also move into your dog’s line of sight to get their attention.  Don’t jerk them or grab their face to get them to look at you.

Tip #2   Don’t babble!  

When you’re at the dog park or out walking your dog, don’t keep blathering on to your dog about everything, about how cute they are, about how you want them to behave, blah, blah, blah.  I certainly don’t mean don’t speak to your dog.  I mean put a cork in the verbal diarrhea.  If you just yammer on and on, your dog will start tuning you out, because she’ll quickly catch on that you aren’t saying anything of importance and anyway, that tree smells really interesting and that squirrel looks tasty, etc.  This especially goes for repeating your dog’s name over and over again.  You want your dog’s name to have a lot of power and meaning to your dog.  If you say your dog’s name with urgency, you want your dog’s attention to snap to you immediately.

Tip #3   Turn down the volume!  

This is one that came easily to me.  I tend to be a quiet person out in public and don’t like to draw attention to myself.  In the beginning when I was out with Saffron, I was self-conscious because I had a dog that was obviously terrified of everything.  I felt like we were already a spectacle, so the last thing I wanted to do was draw more attention to us by firing commands at her.  So I whispered to her.  We’d get to a corner and I’d whisper “sit”.  The result is she has to pay closer attention to me than if I’d been loud.  It also means that if I do shout, she knows it’s serious.  If I shout “leave it!” when she’s running towards a fight at the dog park, she puts the brakes on.  I can count on her to pay attention because I’ve avoided giving her any reasons not to.

Remember to think before you speak!

News Bites: Diamond Dog Food, Wardley Tropical Flake Fish Food, Chicken Jerky Pt.II

Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice is being recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.  Salmonella is dangerous for people and dogs. The affected product is Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice:

  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
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.

If you have any product being recalled, stop feeding it to your dog and discard it.  For further information or to obtain a product refund,  call Diamond Foods at 800-442-0402 or visit www.diamondpet.com.

 

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
What you need to know about Salmonella

Salmonella can cause serious illness in humans.  I couldn’t find anything on whether fish can get salmonellosis.

If you have product included in the recall, stop feeding it to your fish and discard it.  Consumers can contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414 (24 hours/day 7 days/week) with any questions they may have and to obtain reimbursement for purchased product.

 

 

FDA inspectors are visiting plants in China the produce chicken jerky looking for links to the over 600 chicken jerky related illnesses & deaths reported to the FDA by pet owners and veterinarians.  A concrete reason for the illnesses & deaths hasn’t so far been discovered, but 3 brands have been implicated according to internal FDA documents.  The FDA has yet to an announce a recall.

Those brands are:

  • Waggin’ Train chicken jerky treats or tenders made by Nestle Purina PetCare
  • Canyon Creek Ranch chicken jerky treats or tenders made by Nestle Purina PetCare
  • Milo’s Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats made by the Del Monte Corp

Happy New Year! Finally!!

Wow, sorry for the radio silence!  I wasn’t planning on taking a vacation from the blog when we went to Texas to see my parents and their puppies, Bart & Sadie.  But, those boogers are a lot of work—the puppies, not my parents.  My husband & I spent a lot of time helping my parents with them.  Puppies are hard enough to integrate into your home, but are even harder to cope with when you weren’t planing on getting them in the first place.  Bart & Sadie weren’t doing well when they showed up at my parents’ place a few months ago.  I think Sadie had kept them alive to that point, but they weren’t going to last much longer.  Now they’re fattened up, have gorgeous shiny coats, and are loved to bits by my parents.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday and that the coming year brings you all joy, good health, & prosperity.  My pet resolutions this year are to play more with our cats, put together their new cat tower (I’ll be doing a post on this great cat tower I’m making), finally make Saffron’s rain coat from one I got at a thrift store, and to be consistent about teaching Saffron new tricks.

Here’s what Bart (top) & Sadie looked like the day they showed up dehydrated and hungry.

And here they are now.  Happy, healthy, and so much fun!