The toll is approaching 5,000 verified deaths due to contaminated pet food. The culprit is no longer Menu Foods – it’s just about every pet food manufacturer. Why are our beloved pets dying? Greed. The manufacturers sourced to China because it was cheaper than buying the ingredients in the United States. There are no controls in China, no regulations to ensure that our pets are not being poisoned. Chinese officials say it’s too hard to regulate pet food ingredients because so many different farmers and brokers are involved. I’m sure just as many are involved in the production of human food, so that means there are either no regulations for that as well, or there ARE controls for human food, but they can’t be bothered to put those controls in place for pet food. The American pet food manufacturers (of course) know about the lack of regulations, and apparently the quality control here is not a big concern to them. Now that they have been outed, they go to great lengths to assure their customers that THEIR products are safe, except of course for the recalled ones that we are aware of. They tell those dazed, worried, and confused consumers that their (the company’s) remaining products are safe to feed their beloved pets, that the safe products are produced entirely in the US.
Frankly, I don’t trust them. Some of the very same manufacturers that were loudly proclaiming that their products were safe have fallen. Are any of us so naïve that we really believe Purina, Proctor & Gamble, Walmart, etc. actually care about our pets? They hold teary press conferences, trying to salvage their reputations and thus, their profits. I’m all for profits, but when raw greed takes over at the expense of our animals, it is time to punish those companies. They’re hurting now, but not enough. It will be interesting to watch them scramble to get our money back in their CEO’s bank accounts.
The American farmers will have to give up government subsidies to not grow crops, and will have to get back to work. This is good for all Americans. We pet owners have begun making our pet’s food, and we’re finding it’s not as tricky, expensive, or complicated as we once thought. Recipes abound on the Internet, friends and groups are sharing recipes & preparation tips, and many pet owners have switched to raw food diets. Nearly 5,000 pets have been sacrificed. Their deaths have not been in vain, as the change to preparing our pet’s meals will prove to be better nutritionally, resulting in stronger, healthier dogs and cats. I predict we’ll see a decrease in cancer and liver and kidney diseases. We’ll see much healthier immune systems. We’ve been brainwashed by the big manufactures to believe that THEIR products are the best for our pets, but the reality is they simply don’t care about anything but their bottom lines.
Let’s put them out of business while we grow stronger pets.
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Regarding the Multi-Level Pet food recall currently going on:
I started out writing an article to let readers know which brands and which types of foods have been recalled. However, after downloading and printing out nearly 200 (189 to this day) pages of recalled items and brands, it simply is too lengthy ... and actually, a little confusing. What started out as just two brands of canned pet food, has escalated into nearly everything edible, including jerky treats and dog biscuits. So, I did the reasonable thing: I asked a friend to compile a listing - she agreed, and now I have the easier task. I am suggesting that because of all this uproar ... very well-founded uproar ... we learn to make our own pet foods. I know. This is a daunting task - but only at first. Our ancestors fed their dogs very well ... and they had no supermarkets or gigantic warehouses to pick up pre-packaged dog foods from. And I'll be honest with you ... running a kennel and canine rescue joint means feeding A LOT of furkids. I still use my Iams and Eukanuba (dry kibble only), simply because they're made here in the States where everything that goes in them is inspected. No plug ... just what I do. However, I also make a lot of my own dog food and treats.
For the past several years, I've been making my own dog food ... not only for my own ratties, but also for the rescues that we get out here in the boonies. They've survived very well on it, are healthy, very few medical problems, nothing involving the food I've made them, and the yearly dental bills are generally just surface cleaning. Well, I just lied. Medically, sometimes they might eat too much. Last month, Tigger complained that her belly hurt ... then she really started hurting and whining, and I worriedly took her into the vets - of course this was late at night, on the weekend, when only the emergency vet - which is 35 miles away - was open. They did all manner of tests on her, and eventually she was released (when I refused to allow them to keep her overnight) to come home with me. The next day, being Monday, I called my regular vet and took her in to see him. Turns out that Tigger had eaten too much the night before (I suspect she ate not only her portion, but someone else's too), and had a gas bubble that needed to pass. A little Pepto, running her a bit (exercise), and a little pain medication, and she was right as rain. My vet dispensed this advice with no charge. And the emergency vet ...? How does paying nearly $400. for a gas bubble sound to you? Doesn't set well with us, either.
Anyway, I've got a recipe below that I feed my critters. And I've asked the NRTA if they can add another file to their wonderfully informative website, entitled "Making your own dog food". In this, I hope to be able to encourage all of you to send me your own recipes for making everything from doggy treats to canine kibbles. Please, don't be shy on this. I will look at every single recipe that comes in, and if I have questions on it, I'll get in touch with you. My email addy is: terrier@conninc.com
Dog - Dandy Dinner
1 large package chicken (I use the meaty thighs)
3 cups cooked rice (I use 1/2 white, 1/2 wild or brown)
1 large package frozen peas and carrots (they also like cut green beans)
1 package frozen squash, thawed (I can my own from Halloween pumpkins
- cheaper!)
1/2 loaf whole wheat bread, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 cup flaxseed
1 cup dry milk
1/2 cup parsley or 1/4 cup dried parsley
minced garlic (I use 1 Tablespoon of minced, cooked garlic)
Boil the chicken until done. Debone, keeping the knuckles and skin with the meat. Discard the bones and process the meat, knuckles and skin a bit in a food processor, then mix everything together. Make into individual meal-sized patties, wrap in foil and freeze in freezer bags. I feed my dogs one of these patties twice a day, three times a day if their pregnant, lactating ... or just hungry. In addition to this meal, the dogs also get two gelcaps of 1000 mg. fish oil daily.
Respectfully,
Sherri Chatterton
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Below is a list of some of the foods that were put
on the recall list:
ALPO
Americas Choice, Preferred
Pet
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Bruiser
Cadillac
Champion Breed Lg Biscuit
Champion Breed Peanut Butter
Biscuits
Companion
Companion's Best Multi-Flavor
Biscuit
Companion/Giant Companion
Companion/Giant Companion/Tops
Companion
Companion/Tops Companion
Demoulas Market Basket
Dollar General
Eukanuba Can Dog Chunks in
Gravy
Eukanuba Pouch Dog Bites in
Gravy
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Giant Companion/Tops Companion
Gravy Train
Grreat Choice
Hannaford
Happy Tails
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams Can Chunky Formula
Iams Can Small Bites Formula
Iams Dog Select Bites
Jerky Treats Beef Flavored
Dog Snacks
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Meijer's Main Choice
Mighty Dog
Mixables
Natural Balance (RICE GLUTEN)
Natural Life
Natural Way
Nutriplan
Nutro
Nutro - Ultra
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nuture
Ol' Roy
Ol' Roy 4-Flavor Lg Biscuits
Ol' Roy Canada
Ol' Roy Peanut Butter Biscuits
Ol' Roy Puppy
Ol'Roy US
Paws
Perfect Pals Large Biscuits
Pet Essentials
Pet Life
Pet Pride / Good n Meaty
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority Canada
Priority US
Publix
Roche Brothers
Royal Canin (RICE GLUTEN)
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet
(RICE GLUTEN)
Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels
Schnuck's
Shep Dog
SmartPac (RICE GLUTEN)
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Brothers
Stater Brothers Large Biscuits
Stop & Shop Companion
Stop & Shop Companion/Giant
Companion
Tops Companion
Weis Total Pet
Western Family US
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet
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ONE OF THE "SAFE ONES"
Amid the devastating scares of the pet food recalls over recent months,
Gina Goff has decided to get back into distributing Flint River Ranch -
all-natural, oven-baked, human-grade pet food products. She has received
assurances from the company that all of the products are safe, manufactured
all in one place, not partnered with any outside facilities for packaging
and distributing, etc. Besides being good for your pets, another
element that is nice is the free delivery right to your doorstep.
Feel free to take a browse at the website www.frrco.com/AAAA5887
and contact Gina if you have any questions.
Gina Goff
* FosterMom - NY *
FLINT RIVER RANCH
DISTRIBUTOR #AAAA5887
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Raisin Toxicity in Dogs
Written by:
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danv ille Veterinary Clinic
Danville , Ohio
This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM. I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but.... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1½ times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.
The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was i n acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.
He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase ease daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220.. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.
This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville , Ohio
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Easy tick removal
Please forward to anyone with children... or hunters or dogs, etc!! thanks!
A School Nurse has written the info below -- good enough to share -- And it really works!!
I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's some times difficult to get to with tweezers, between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.
Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on it's own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.
This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me.Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used this method and immediately called me back to say, "It worked!"
Please pass on. Everyone needs this helpful hint.