Did you know ....


That not only are dandelions OK for your doggies to eat, but that they also may be beneficial?


Dandelions contain vitamins A, B, C, and E, plus potassium, calcium, and iron. They are known to help with an assortment of ailments such as acid indigestion, arthritis, constipation, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, liver disease, loss of appetite, mild pain, and urinary disorders.

So next time your doggie eats a dandion, don't panic ... your doggie just might be needing a little something extra to help along his constipation. ;0)


Wonder if my chin will glow too, if  mom holds a dandelion flower up underneath it ...
~ Zena ♥



A word of caution - if you do allow your doggie to eat a few dandelions, be sure they are chemical free ... that no pesticides have been applied to them! Also, if your dog is on any medications or is being treated by a veterinarian for anything, be sure to double-check with your vet that dandelions will not cause a bad interaction.

.

date Monday, April 30, 2012

 



There sure have been a lot of recalls lately!  Ugh! This time, instead of a pet food recall, this one affects the heartworm medication, Iverhart Max.

We posted this recall on our Facebook page back in March, when it first came out. And later realized that we did not post it here too. Since it is now "that time of the year", when mosquitoes & heartworms are a danger to our pets, we thought now was a good time to post it here too.

Iverhart Max was voluntarily recalled because of concerns with the stability of the main ingredient, Ivermectin. Here is a copy of their press release >>>

Virbac Announces Voluntary Recall Notice for One Lot of IVERHART MAX® Chewable Tablets (ivermectin / pyrantel pamoate / praziquantel)

March 26, 2012


On Monday, March 26, 2012 Virbac AH, Inc. announced a voluntary recall of a single production lot of   IVERHART MAX® Chewable Tablets.
Affected Product:  IVERHART MAX Chewable Tablets, Lot #110482 (Large, 50.1 - 100 lbs)
The lot number is stamped on the side lid/flap of the box in a white text field and on the blister foil of the individual doses. Please note that this voluntary recall affects only this specific lot – no other products are affected by this recall.
Virbac, after promptly notifying the FDA, is coordinating with our distributor network to voluntarily recall the affected product.  Letters have been sent directly to veterinary distributors instructing them to cease distribution of this identified lot and to advise veterinary clinics in receipt of the identified product to cease dispensing this affected lot.
It is important to note that prior to releasing the identified product lot for sale and distribution, numerous tests were performed and all test results were within specifications permitting the release of the product. After release, routine product testing has determined that the ivermectin (an active ingredient) has failed to meet our required stability specifications. Consequently, some dogs dosed with the identified lot may not be fully protected against heartworm disease.

It is Virbac’s goal to ensure that all dogs receive adequate protection against heartworm disease. For potentially affected dogs, veterinarians should contact Virbac Technical Services (800-338-3659 x3052) to discuss recommendations for heartworm testing procedures. If any dog receiving IVERHART MAX Tablets is found infected with heartworms, treatment can be administered and will be covered under the IVERHART product satisfaction guarantee.
Virbac regrets this isolated incident and remains committed to manufacturing quality products.  Testing has confirmed that all other lots of IVERHART MAX Chewable Tablets remain potent. Only this single lot is affected by this recall. Since only the ivermectin is affected, protection against other internal parasites covered by the product is not compromised. Additionally, no heartworm-related adverse events or illnesses have been reported to-date with this lot of product.

 Call your veterinarian, if you have been giving this product to your dog, for further advice.

And as always ... hug your doggies ♥,
~ Zena & Pamela
.

date Saturday, April 28, 2012

 




Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Issues Voluntary Recall (04/26/12)

Recall is limited to one formula of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul distributed to 10 states
Diamond Pet Foods is recalling one production run of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food. One bag of the product has tested positive for Salmonella, and the recall of the four production codes is being conducted as a precautionary measure. 

We encourage consumers who have purchased Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food with the specific production codes and best before dates to discard the product. Diamond Pet Foods apologizes for any potential issues this may have caused our customers and their dogs.  No dog illnesses have been reported.

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula – dry dog food:
35 lb - CLF0102B31XCW,    Best by Date 27/JAN/2013
35 lb - CLF0102B31XCW,    Best by Date 28/JAN/2013
35 lb - CLF0102B32XWR,    Best by Date 28/JAN/2013
6 lb - CLF0102B3XALW,     Best by Date 28/JAN/2013

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food is manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods and was distributed in Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia, who may have further distributed the product to other states, through pet food channels. The company is working directly with distributors and retailers who carry these products to remove them from the supply chain.

Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. Healthy people infected with salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. According to the Centers for Disease Control, people who are more likely to be affected by Salmonella include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS and people receiving treatment for cancer.
Pet owners, who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, or who would like replacement product or a refund, may contact us at 800-442-0402.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 In the past two weeks, Diamond has had 2 recalls, and has closed down their South Carolina plant.  If it were us, we would discontinue feeding all dog food manufactured at this plant ... in our opinion, "where there is smoke, there is fire".

Hug your doggies,
~Zena & Pamela



***Once again, here is the list of food manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods:

-Diamond Pet Foods
-Kirkland Dog Food (sold at Costco)
-Taste of the Wild*
-Canidae/Felidae
-Solid Gold Health Products for Pets*
-Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pet Foods
-Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
-4Health (sold at Tractor Supply Co)


.

date Friday, April 27, 2012

 

Reminder
 We will have a booth set-up at the up-coming Bark for Life event in Ramsey, MN
and will also be collecting treats, toys, grooming items, etc. for our MWDs

We encourage y'all to come on out and enjoy the fun 
(while supporting the fight against cancer),
and be sure to drop-off a donation for Operation K-9 Care Package while you are there!

There will be games, demonstrations, vendors, and more!

Saturday, April 21 (10am-2pm)  

Please come on out ... we would LOVE to meet you & your doggies! :0)

THANKS!

date Friday, April 20, 2012

 




Update (04/12/12):  Diamond Pet Food is now SUSPENDING deliveries (NOT a recall)
 of ALL dry - dog & cat - products made at their South Carolina (SC) plant!

The following are also ALL made by Diamond (although not necessarily at the SC plant):

-Kirkland Dog Food (sold at Costco)
-Taste of the Wild*
-Canidae/Felidae
-Solid Gold Health Products for Pets*
-Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pet Foods
-Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
-4Health (sold at Tractor Supply Co)
-NutraGold ? (have not yet verified where manuf.)



*Per a Taste of the Wild representative >>>

 "If your bag of food has an X, M or O in the Production Code, then it was made in the SC Plant. The suspension of production is to do a TOTAL CLEANUP, and to make sure that the issue (recall) was only with the Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice."

 


* Per Solid Gold's Facebook page >>>  

"Diamond Pet Foods manufactures four Solid Gold® dry dog foods: WolfKing, WolfCub, Just a Wee Bit, and Hund-n-Flocken. The remainder of our dry dog foods and both dry cat foods are made at Crosswinds Pet Foods in Kansas.

All WolfKing, WolfCub, Just a Wee Bit, and Hund-n-Flocken sold in the United States are made in the Diamond Pet Foods plant in Meta, Missouri. 

The Diamond Pet Food plant in Gaston, South Carolina makes a very small amount of WolfKing, WolfCub, and Just a Wee Bit for export purposes. There are no safety concerns with these Solid Gold® foods made in Gaston and they are not part of the limited voluntary recall of Diamond Pet Foods."

 

*Per a direct response we received from a Wellness pet food representative >>>

"Diamond no longer produces any Wellness products. At Wellness, programs, guidelines and specifications have been carefully put in place to protect the nutritional integrity of our natural pet food. We are currently in the process of bringing the majority of our Wellness dry diet production into our own manufacturing plant in Mishawaka, IN. For each of our Wellness recipes, we source the highest quality ingredients in order to provide you and your pets with the best quality available."

 

 

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The above was originally posted as an "update" to the Diamond recall posted below.  However, to clarify that this is NOT a recall, but rather a suspension of deliveries, we felt it should have it's own posting.

date Friday, April 13, 2012

 

Diamond Pet Foods Recalls Bags Of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice Dog Food



Diamond Pet Foods Voluntarily Recalls Limited Number of Dry Dog Food Bags Due to a Potential Health Risk.

Recall is limited to one formula of Diamond Naturals, distributed to 12 states; no illnesses reported.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 05, 2012

Diamond Pet Foods is voluntarily recalling Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice. This is being done as a precautionary measure, as the product has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. No illnesses have been reported and no other Diamond manufactured products are affected.

Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. Healthy people infected with salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, 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 have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The product, Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice, was distributed to customers located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia, who may have further distributed the product to other states, through pet food channels.

Product Name                                   Bag Size          Production Code & “Best Before” Code
Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice     6lb                   DLR0101D3XALW Best Before 04 Jan 2013
Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice     20lb                 DLR0101C31XAG Best Before 03 Jan 2013
Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice     40lb                 DLR0101C31XMF Best Before 03 Jan 2013
Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice     40lb                 DLR0101C31XAG Best Before 03 Jan 2013
Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice     40lb                 DLR0101D32XMS Best Before 04 Jan 2013

Consumers who have purchased the Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice with the specific production and “Best Before” codes should discontinue feeding the product and discard it.

At Diamond Pet Foods, the safety of our products is our top priority. We apologize for any inconvenience this recall may have caused. For further information or to obtain a product refund please call us at 800-442-0402 or visit www.diamondpet.com.  Media Contact: 816-255-1974




date Friday, April 6, 2012

 


So many cute Bunnies looking for a home ... 
Do you have room in your heart & home for a new Bunny family member?
(♥ Make sure to read my friend Robby's tips on "Rabbit Ownership" first though! ♥)


Side note - please do not buy Bunnies as impulse Easter gifts.  Bunnies are WONDERFUL pets, but please only get a bunny if you are prepared to keep her for her whole life (approx 10 years).  There are WAY TOO MANY bunnies that end-up in Rescues 6 months after Easter, because folks did not think through the commitment needed to keep & care for a bunny.  :0(




Please Read !!!




If you are an owner of a dog that belongs to a "dangerous breed" category,
and you also have a small child ... please take this as a warning.


Don’t leave your dog with the child unattended ... under any circumstances.

Only a few short moments was enough for the following to happen …




 ↓


 ↓

 
 ↓







 Hahahaha ... very dangerous, indeed! ;-)





In all seriousness, however ... a child should never be left alone

with ANY dog/animal.

Given the right (or should we say 'wrong') set of circumstances,

ALL animals have the potential to bite.




.

date Tuesday, April 3, 2012

 





This is so cool ... a laptop for dogs! Made by Toshiba USA, it comes loaded with software designed for dogs, and was tested by the US Boxer Club!

We think this is a GREAT idea! ♥

It comes complete with -

  • Bone-Shaped Touchpad which Provides Easy Browsing and Navigation - An oversized, chemical-free touchpad makes canine computing fun and protects sensitive paw pads.
  • Slobber Resistant Design - A suite of SlobberGuard technologies protects your investment against overabundant salivation, unfortunate accidents and spills.
  • Built-in DoggyCam for Inter-Canine Video Conferencing - With a fully integrated 3.2 megapixel doggycam with mic, socializing can happen anytime, anywhere — his 3:00am barking outbursts are now a thing of the past.
  • Pawprint Reader Offers Added Security and Convenience - Forget complicated usernames and passwords. A simple swipe of the paw lets you safely log in to your system and access important files and programs.
  • Pet Pack for Dogs - The Pet Pack is perfectly designed to fit all doggy shapes and sizes and comes in several exciting colors.
  • Bark-to-Text Software - Easily convert your barks to text using innovative ruff recognition. Send emails or create documents three times faster than most dogs can type with up to 99% accuracy.



For more info and/or to order see >>> http://us.toshiba.com/petbook

~ Zena

.

date Sunday, April 1, 2012

 
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