Monday, June 24, 2013

RECALL! Did I tell ya? Surely this is a no brainer!

Oh my, a  week or two has gone by since Inova has recalled their food for salmonella so it was just a matter of time before more recalls would be heading your way!


 Abady dog food, frozen, is being recalled for salmonella.

Salmonella can cause vomiting , diarrhea sometimes bloody, fever, lethargy,  dehydration and of course if you have more than one dog in the home keep in mind they can all have salmonella but some are just carriers and may display no symptoms.

Salmonella can be spread  to humans who touch the dog food and do not wash their hands or utensils, counter tops, etc.  This is particularly worrisome in the elderly and very young children but also those whose immune system is already compromised .


 I have had and I can tell you it ain't no picnic! 

read all about the recall by clicking here

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Here we go again! Dog & Cat food recall!

Isn't there a song with that lyric in it?  Yes you guessed it another recall for salmonella. My guess would be it won't be the last!  

In dogs, salmonella as you know can cause diarrhea (sometimes bloody), vomiting, fever, lethargy and can this can be transferred to humans. If the human touches the food then does not wash prepping areas or their hands then the family can become ill.  What you may not know is that some dogs can exhibit the symptoms while other dogs are seemingly just carriers without symptoms so if you live among a pack and some are ill and some are not don’t discount a salmonella outbreak.

Keep an eye on the elderly and young children if they  have contact with pets.

I will be watching for the next recall and let you know as soon as it comes in. Getting kind of hard to title these salmonella recalls!

You can find the information on this link but I have done a copy paste from the FDA site so you can give a quick glance.


The affected products are:

BRAND LOT CODE/UPC/SIZES; EXPIRATION
Innova Dry dog and cat food and biscuits/bars/treats All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
EVO dry dog, cat and ferret food and biscuits/bars/treats All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
California Natural dry dog and cat foods and biscuits/bars/treats All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
Healthwise dry dog and cat foods All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
Karma dry dog foods All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
Mother Nature biscuits/bars/treats All Lot Codes, All UPC's, All package sizes All expiration dates prior to 6-10-2014
Consumers who have purchased the specific dry pet foods listed should discard them.
For further information or a product replacement or refund call Natura toll-free at 800-224-6123. (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST).
About Natura Pet Products
Natura Pet Products is recognized as a trusted name behind natural and holistic pet foods and treats. Founded more than 20 years ago by John and Ann Rademakers and Peter Atkins, Natura is dedicated to providing the best natural nutrition. Natura is committed to making premium pet foods and treats based on nutritional science and high-quality ingredients, combined with trusted manufacturing processes, for complete pet health. Lines include: Innova®, California Natural®, EVO®, HealthWise®, Mother Nature® and Karma®. To learn more about Natura Pet Products visit www.NaturaPet.com1.





Saturday, June 15, 2013

ASPCA Names Potential Puppy Mills In Your Area


Forrest Gump: Saint Bernard, Pet City (Pet store) Danville PA
 Puppy mill dog, Cost 450.00 many health problems

Maxie: Chow- Lab Mix
Brookhaven pet Store, Long Island NY
Not a purebred or designer dog. no health problems
Cost 75.00


Before I go on I need to explain the caption of the picture above. Maxie my Chow /Lab mix did come from a pet store, but there was a sign clearly stating  that this is a mix, being sold for a friend of the owner, and the dog had vet checks and a spay program all for only 75.00!  So I can't exactly lump all dogs that come from a pet store into one, but I will say that I have never seen such a purchase in a pet store since Maxie unless it was an adopt -o- thon going on at a pet/ farm store.  Maxie seems to be the exception to the rule, but wouldn't it be nice if more pet stores did this on a regualar basis and took back the customers who boycott them for selling pure bred dogs from puppy mills?   
                                                    
                                            <><><><><><><><><><><><>

Well good news! There is a way to check if your dog came from a puppy mill although by now many of you know that any dog (purebred and registered)  from a pet store is from a puppy mill but that does not stop back yard breeders who breed only for money in deplorable conditions and who are USDA licensed, or puppy brokers who sell the pups for puppy mills, or added into the mix are online puppy sites with great pictures of a lovely field where puppies play all day ,  as well as one of the newest scams they are creating which is to call themselves a “Sanctuary” or  non profit rescue.

Greed keeps people doing dishonest things and as long as there are people there is greed and dishonesty especially in the puppy market business which can rake in thousands of dollars many times over in one year for one unscrupulous breeder.

Think about dogs that are popular in movie premiers such as 101 Dalmatians or Beethoven. When such movies come out the breed in the movie becomes vastly bred and overbred by everyone!  Each pup can bring in 600.00 and up. Put that to an average litter of 7 pups and that’s over four thousand dollars in one breeding. Then times that by a variety of breeds all of which are giving birth in one month, so 5 different breeds having 7 puppies one litter one month, 21,000.00!    Can anyone say mortgage payment, expensive car, in- ground pool?    

These puppies are usually given a first round of shots but rarely are  seen by a vet after a first check up and some are never seen by a vet as anyone can buy shots online for a dog and administer them so cost is minimal. Most dogs will come with a set of worms that you will need to take care of and since the breeder dogs are not well kept there is little overhead.  Buy some lumber, some wire,  stack the cages to use less of the precious lawn and make the  cages overcrowded with several dogs sharing one space, toss some food on the floor maybe fill a water dish once in the AM and you’re good to go!   .
 If you have ever seen the show hoarders, times that scene by 10 and put dogs in place of cats or garbage, yeah, it’s that bad!

The ASPCA has a site where you can type in the USDA  License #, or you can type in the place  or person from where you purchased your pup and see if they came from a puppy mill.  While there are many things the ASPCA does that I disagree with, and I am sure you have heard me rant about that before,  this is one thing they are doing right.  The public has a right to know where their pups come from.

On the site although the ASPCA says to make adoption your first option I would surmise  like anything else, many purebred dogs put into shelters are actually puppy mill dogs whose health has declined and the owner can’t afford the cost anymore or they are of poor temperament and untrustworthy. So I don’t actually agree with adoption meaning you are getting a breed of good standing.  No owner turning in a purebred dog is going to tell the shelter that the dog is unhealthy or has bad temperament.        




This site also helps consumers to recognize online scams which are running rampant right now. You can find many web sites of  out of state listings that will ship you a pup or will meet you at a half way point in the state so you don’t see how the pups are really kept.

The ASPCA site also offers you the privilege to look up stores in your area which offer adoptions and stores that sell puppies and they tell you not to buy from that store.

I typed in the Danville Zip code and got the list below and yes I have heard of a store or two which have sold puppies that were of ill health right from the get go!  The list had pages and pages of listings, to numerous for me to post here  so if you live in PA  check out the direct link   to surrounding pet stores and pet supply stores by  Clicking here




 If the store you are searching for is not in the ASPCA data base then they direct you to the  USDA site for the data on inspection reports and upon that page comes the below message which can seem intimidating because recently the government admitted to gathering access to our  Verizon phone records, so of course the warning below  was something to think about. But hey, if you use the internet they are already following you!   

Taken directly from the site:

 You are accessing a U.S. Government information system, which includes (1) this computer, (2) this computer network, (3) all computers connected to this network, and (4) all devices and storage media attached to this network or to a computer on this network. This information system is provided for U.S. Government-authorized use only.
  • Unauthorized or improper use of this system may result in disciplinary action, as well as civil and criminal penalties.
  • By using this information system, you understand and consent to the following:
    • You have no reasonable expectation of privacy regarding any communications or data transiting or stored on this information system. At any time, the government may for any lawful government purpose monitor, intercept, search and seize any communication or data transiting or stored on this information system.
    • Any communications or data transiting or stored on this information system may be disclosed or used for any lawful government purpose.
    • Your consent is final and irrevocable. You may not rely on any statements or informal policies purporting to provide you with any expectation of privacy regarding communications on this system, whether oral or written, by your supervisor or any other official, except USDA’s Chief Information Officer.
  •  

To visit the ASPCA Site click here



For more on Puppy Brokers and feedback from the general public warning you against certain breeders read my article here http://2ndchance-caninecapers.blogspot.com/2011/02/pupy-brokers-new-stock-market.html 



Until next time, Happy Training!