A Sad Post

It is with heavy heart that I must report that a member of our family has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Zoe, the Mama Dog of the house, left us Saturday, November 19th, at about 10:30 a.m. She'd been feeling her age over the last several months - she was somewhere between 13 and 16 years old; we're not sure.

After a large amount of research into senior dog nutrition, Bandit's Dad put her on a vegetarian diet. She'd shown so much improvement, we were hopeful that we'd get a bit more time with her.

No matter how long they're here, it never seems long enough.

On Thursday, Zoe had an attack of what appeared to be vestibulitis - kind of like doggie vertigo. It is treatable, but is sometimes an indication of other problems, like kidney disease or cancer. Zoe had developed a heart murmur and suspected Cushing's Disease, and we were reluctant to see her go through a lot of complicated tests, etc. Our vet recommended giving Zoe a couple of days and seeing where things went.

Friday morning, she seemed a little better. But by Friday afternoon, that all had changed. Zoe actually refused her food, walking away from it when it was put in front of her. That was either one of the signs of the Apocalypse, or something was seriously wrong. Then she refused water - another seriously bad sign from Zoe. By the time I got home, she was lying down, refusing to get up, and barely lifting her head. She urinated where she was, and really just wanted to sleep. Obviously, she was crashing. And she had "that look" in her eyes - one I'd seen before, and recognized.

We spoke to the vet that evening, and concurred that the best choice at this point for her was to let her go. She would not be in the next morning, but as it turned out, the new vet at the office, who had seen Zoe last and who Zoe obviously liked, would be.

The vet could not have been more professional, more compassionate, or in any way kinder that day. When Zoe left us, we were both there to pet her, hug her, and tell her how very much we loved her.

She was a great dog, and we're confident that she's now happy, healthy, and reunited with her very best friend, our Bullmastiff Sam, who can show her the ropes.

Farewell, Zoe. You were very much loved, and are greatly missed.

Natura Foods

Sadly, another one of the food brands we swore by has gone by the wayside.

Natura Pet Products has recently sold to Proctor and Gamble. Why does that matter? Because Proctor and Gamble makes IAMS, notorious for animal testing.

P & G, in fact, is still using animal testing, despite the fact that more efficient, reliable, humane methods exist.

Natura has issued numerous statements attempting to assuage concerns about the quality and morality of purchasing their products given the change.

The latest, issued June 1st, contains a bit of a surprise. Former President of Natura, Don Scott, was expected to step down as part of the change. He's staying. And he assures retailers and consumers that:

"...our commitment to quality has never been stronger and we will continue to offer world class products for your pets... our nutritional philosophy will not change... our approach to formulation and product design will remain the same... all Natura dry products will continue to be produced in Natura's plant in Fremont... and our ingredient selection philosophy is unchanged..."

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it - and maybe that's true. For now, anyway. But what happens when Natura's product line doesn't have the same profit margin as Eukanuba and IAMS? Will Natura then be manufactured by Menu Foods, a prime player in the national recall of pet foods in 2007? The number of pets killed due to the poison allowed to be placed in those foods remains unknown, but is almost certainly in the thousands, with some estimates nearing 10,000.

P & G's participation in the recall was voluntary, but the fact remains that it never should have needed to partipate in the first place.

They're such a huge producer of products, that I'm not sure we'll be eliminating every P & G food from our home, but none of the animals here will be using any Natura or P & G product --ever.

Sadly, the impact on a few reputable retailers has been significant. One of our family's best friends has seen significant impact to her store. When the news was issued, all Natura Products were immediately pulled from her shelves. You see, Pack Tracks has an absolute commitment to not selling any product made in China, or any product they wouldn't feel 100% confident feeding to their animals. They put countless hours of research into identifying the sources of all products they sell, including personally speaking with manufacturers and distributers to be sure that they are selling high-quality, USA or other safe-sourced products. You'd be surprised how few of those there are, and now several (California Natural, EVO, Innova, Healthwise, Mother Nature, and Karma) are off the shelves for good.

Hope it's worth it, Natura. What doth it benefit a pet food company that they gain a large backer, and lose their integrity?

If you're looking for a high-quality pet store (they do take online orders), why don't you give Pack Tracks a looksee.

Been away for a while...

...but here I am again! To celebrate my return, here's a video I think is pretty darned funny:

Hmmm...gives me an idea, too.

Does This qualify as a bad hair day?

And Mom wonders why we don't like going to the groomer.


(Picture originally posted here)

ALERT - Poisonous Houseplant

Received via email (thanks, Michelle!), original message from the Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital (and checked via several other sources)

Poisoning ALERT!!!!

"Sago Palm" or "Cycad"
Poisoning Alert- It has come to our attention that many home improvement stores are selling a houseplant that can cause serious poisoning in pets and children. The plant is called the “Sago Palm” or “Cycad”. It is also referred to as “The Oldest Known Plant”. It is used in outdoor landscaping in Southern States, but can only survive as a houseplant in the North. All of this plant, including the seeds and root ball are toxic. Signs of illness first appear about 12 hours after ingestion and include gastrointestinal sign such as vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy. The toxins in the plant lead to severe liver failure with progressive weakness, jaundice, bruising and bleeding and other signs of liver failure that lead to death.

It is estimated that 75-80% of animals ingesting this plant will die in spite of aggressive medical treatment.

If you have one of these plants in your home you will want to be sure to keep it away from pets and children, preferably by disposing of it safely in a covered trash can or “rehome” it with someone who does not have pets or young children in the household.

Here is what this plant looks like:

Best. Treat. Ever.

Dang, I love these things:
Taco bell cheese roll-up. 200 calories (whatever the heck those are) of doggie bliss.

When I'm really good I get to go in the car and get one.

Tonight I got two.

Life is good.

FDA Stops Interstate Trade by Evanger's

Last year, the FDA determined that Evanger's was not meeting requirements to ensure the safety of their product. Specifically, the concern was botulism, which can cause paralysis and death. The FDA ordered Evanger's to take measures to ensure that their products did not carry the risk of botulism, including both manufacturing and record-keeping requirements.

At the end of last week, the FDA announced that Evanger's had failed to comply with both, and so the company was now going to be prevented from shipping their product:

FDA Suspends Temporary Emergency Permit of Pet Food Maker
June 12, 2009

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today it was suspending the temporary Emergency Permit issued to Evanger's Dog & Cat Food Co., Inc.

Evanger's, operating in Wheeling, Illinois, deviated from the prescribed process, equipment, product shipment, and recordkeeping requirements in the production of the company's thermally processed low acid canned food (LACF) products. The deviations in their processes and documentation could result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum), a bacterium that causes botulism in some animals as well as in humans.

In April 2008, Evanger’s was issued an “Order of Need for Emergency Permit” after the agency determined that the company had failed to meet the regulatory requirements to process a product that does not present a health risk. In June, 2008, FDA issued Evanger’s a temporary Emergency Permit. During inspections conducted between March 2009 and April 2009, FDA determined Evanger’s was not operating in compliance with the mandatory requirements and conditions of the Temporary Emergency Permit.

“The FDA is stopping Evanger's ability to ship pet food in interstate commerce,” said Dr. Bernadette Dunham. “Today’s enforcement action sends a strong message to manufacturers of pet food that we will take whatever action necessary to keep unsafe products from reaching consumers.”

In order for Evanger's to resume shipping in interstate commerce, the company must document that corrective actions and processing procedures have been implemented to ensure that the finished product will not present a health hazard.

Botulism is a powerful toxin that affects the nervous system and can be fatal. The disease has been documented in dogs and cats. Signs of botulism in animals are progressive muscle paralysis, disturbed vision, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and progressive weakness to the body. Death is usually due to paralysis of the heart or the muscles used in breathing.

While FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is responsible for regulating all human and animal LACF processing, FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine has authority over animal feed and foods. The two centers are collaborating on this enforcement action.

Sadly, Evanger's, who many people swore by, is now joining the ranks of the pet food makers that can't be trusted. Mom and Dad have been concerned about Evanger's since they started putting metadione in some of their products earlier this year.

It's important to note that this does not mean that botulism has been found in Evanger's food, nor has Evanger's issued any sort of recall. In fact, their response has really amounted to simply "Our products are safe." Oh, and they "accidentally" deleted pertinent records. The FDA feels that the company's practices mean that this could happen in the future, though, and that combined with Evanger's disappointing response to the FDA's actions is good enough for Mom and Dad to swear off Evanger's (we used to love their Mackerel).

And given the fact that the FDA doesn't exactly do a great job with human food, how bad do you think companies have to be before the FDA steps in on pet food?