As cold weather overtakes much of the country, it’s time to make sure your dog is properly prepared for the winter. Just as you winterize your home and your garden, you need to make special accomodations for your pets, as well. Below are the top ten tips from the American Kennel Club on ways to winterize your dog.
Continue reading Tuesday’s Top Ten: Prepare Your Dog for Winter
Franklin, Tennessee (November 25, 2008) —Today, Mars Petcare US announced an extension of a previously announced voluntary recall of dry cat and dog food products manufactured at its Allentown, Pennsylvania facility with “Best By” dates between August 11, 2009 – October 3, 2009. The pet food is being voluntarily recalled because of potential contamination with Salmonella. This voluntary recall affects product sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club, ShopRite Supermarkets, and Wal-mart locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia.
Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. Healthy people potentially infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
This action is an extension of the voluntary recall issued on October 27, 2008 of all sizes of SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend dry cat food produced at the Allentown facility on August 11, 2008. We recently learned that an additional sample of SPECIAL KITTY® made on September 25, 2008 at the Allentown facility tested positive for Salmonella. There have been no reported cases of human or pet illness caused by Salmonella associated with products produced at this facility. Mars Petcare US is taking an additional precautionary action to protect pets and their owners by extending the October 27, 2008 voluntary recall to include all dry pet food product produced at the facility with “Best By” dates between August 11, 2009 and October 3, 2009.
Recalled Pet Food
The dry cat and dog food listed below are made at our Allentown facility and sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club, ShopRite Supermarkets, and Wal-mart locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia.
All code dates, regardless of brand, are listed in a similar format as noted below:
Consumers should look for “50” as the first two digits of the second line.
Best By AUG 15 09 (Sample)
50 1445 1
More information can be found on the Mars website.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Continuing along the lines of yesterday’s post on dog obesity. If you have tried our top ten tips to manage your dog’s weight (link to prev post), there is an FDA-approved drug that may help your dog get to a more healthy weight.
It’s that time of year again. All of us gain weight over the holidays. Chances are your dog does, too. Here are our top ten ways to control your dog’s weight if he has put on a few more pounds than are healthy.
Continue reading TUESDAY’S TOP TEN: WAYS TO CONTROL YOUR DOG’S WEIGHT
Did you know that cancer kills one in every four dogs over the age of 2? If you’ve never had to live through watching your beloved animal being eaten up from the inside, let me assure you, you don’t want to. We finally had to put our fox hound (pictured above) down several years ago after the chemo failed.
Anyways, Fox 42 in Omaha recently aired a segment about this very topic. Click here, then do a site search (at the top right) for canine cancer. The video clip should be the first thing on the list that returns. The second thing is a link to the Morris Animal Foundation, which is trying to raise $30 million to find a cure for cancer.
Sorry to end the week on a down note.
Good day, and good dog.
BAKERSFIELD, CA — “Bubba” the chihuahua is lucky to be alive after chewing through the power cord on his electric blanket. Bubba’s owners Della and Nick Hendricks sprang into action when Bubba chewed through the cord and received the shock of his life Wednesday morning. The shock left Bubba unconscious and not breathing. Nick and Della quickly gave Bubba chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth and were able to revive him. They then rushed him to a nearby animal hospital. Bubba suffered minor burns, but is expected to make a full recovery.
(From WKYC.com – video here.)
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Have you ever noticed how your dog seems to be able to sense when you are down or not feeling well? They usually want to cuddle with you and take care of you. There was a story that circulated on the Internet recently about a woman who had cancer. When she lay down to take a nap, she awoke to find herself covered in dog toys, the precious treasures her dog had brought from his toybox in the basement. How do they do it? Recent research is pointing to their awesome sense of smell.
Just like you, your dog can get many benefits from exercising regularly. A daily walk or romp at the dog park helps with obesity, stress, blood pressure, and many other ailments. So, how much exercise does your dog need each day?
Any of you who study the science of exercise know that experts recommend you do different types of exercise or work out only every-other day to prevent muscle damage. So, how do sled dogs compete in the 1,100 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, which spreads over nine days?
Michael Davis of Oklahoma State University‘s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences has studied the sled dogs for the past 10 years, before, during, and after races both in the lab and in the field. His findings may even have implications for humans.
Have you gotten the e-mail yet that talks about a dog dying after eating a few grapes? I was tempted to write it off as another Internet scam, but I checked it out. Turns out, this one is true.