they are what they eat

we're out!

2010-06-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to briefly post and let any readers know that I will not be posting any longer on this blog.

I think I've sort of exhausted the food topic and have explored a great deal (along with pics!) on this blog.
It will still be here, with all topics covered in the bubble on the right - feel free to dive in and share.

Think of it as a launch pad for you - the conscious dog owner. Go out, discover... and watch how marvelously your dog will be thriving.

Thank you for reading, and happy feeding :)
Jen

recall | pro-pet adult daily vitamin

2010-06-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

United Pet Group, Cincinnati, Ohio is voluntarily recalling all unexpired lots of its PRO-PET ADULT DAILY VITAMIN Supplement tablets for Dogs due to possible Salmonella contamination. The Food and Drug Administration is aware of this recall.

The product was sold nationally at various retailers. The product comes in 100-count white plastic bottles with a light blue label, and UPC code 26851-01800. These products are being removed from retail stores and consumers should immediately stop feeding these supplements to their pets. The affected products are those with expiration dates on or before "06/13". The expiration date can be found imprinted vertically on the right side of the product label.

Laboratory testing has revealed that one Lot of this vitamin product was contaminated with Salmonella. The company is recalling all unexpired Lots of the product out of an abundance of caution.

Consumers who have purchased the product are urged to contact United Pet Group or the place of purchase for further direction. Consumers may contact United Pet Group at 1-800-645-5154 ext. 3, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST.

good deal | merrick's hungry dog

2010-06-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Our former foster dog was a seriously aggressive chewer.... he could get through most bones within an hour.

So, I thought I'd try Merrick's Hungry Dog grab bag to see if it would last us longer than investing in a handful of bully sticks/rawhides/chews.

It is considered a "grab bag" so you'll never get the same mix twice. Our bag was a pretty good mix of one snoozle, tons of texas toothpicks, one small flossie, two corporal caps, and what looked to be ears :

It wasn't a great deal, but it was a good deal at $9 via heartypet. Bestbullysticks also has them at $10.

fun find | ethnic markets

2010-06-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Ethnic markets can sometimes be a conscious pet feeder's best friend (especially if you feed raw!)

A mere 6 blocks from my door is an Asian market that sells a plethora of fantastically fun items that I like to eat, and some that I can feed my dogs. No where else can I find CHEAP fresh, frozen prawns, frozen anchovies and frozen duck necks!

I've started to utilize everything I've learned about my dogs and their nutritional needs - and I'm finding things that maybe a few years ago I would have never fed that I do now.

For example : Dried, lightly salted fish snacks

It's actually a fairly large bag and would last a while as a once in a while snack (due to salt content)

And they don't smell that bad, but just enough to entice the dogs

(p.s. this is the last pic you will see of Vander the pibble sampling my food discoveries. He got adopted!)

raw feeding - not just a fad, pt 2

2010-06-18T18:00:00.001-07:00

The Dick Van Dyke show (of all things!)

Minute 10:20 - listen to the "houseguest" dog's menu:
Chunk horse meat... lamb's liver... tripe!

Recall | Natural Balance Chicken & Sweet Potato

2010-06-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

From Natural Balance:

Our 5 lb. and 28 lb. Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog food, manufactured on December 17, 2009 with a “Best By” date of June 17, 2011 is being voluntarily recalled. A random sampling of this product tested positive for Salmonella by the FDA. In my mind, I asked, “How can this happen? I spent over $900,000 putting in our laboratory to test our products before we release them.” We tested samples from the production run when it was manufactured six months ago, and the results came back negative.

Upon hearing from the FDA, I immediately went to our Director of Customer Service, a licensed Registered Veterinary Technician, to check call logs for any complaints with this product. Our Customer Service department closely tracks and monitors complaints for any potential issues; and I heard no reports in our weekly meetings, so I was not surprised when I found we did not have a single complaint about this product. Next, I immediately pulled the retention samples for this product to be sent to an independent third party laboratory. The samples were sent to Zoologix, a laboratory that does real-time PCR testing, the most sensitive type of testing for Salmonella. Those test results also came back negative (CLICK HERE to see results). I reported our test results and call logs to the FDA, but due to the positive result they had found, they recommended a recall.

Vander's new food

2010-06-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

Vander seemed to be having a tough time adjusting to Wellness Super5 Mix Lamb/Barley (which he was transitioned to from EVO Herring).

I suspect, though haven't tested the theory, that he may be sensitive to the grains in the formula.
Wellness Super5 Mix Lamb/Barley Ingredients:
Lamb, Menhaden Fish Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Rye Flour, Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Salmon Meal, Rice Bran, Tomatoes, Ground Millet, Natural Lamb Flavor, Ground Flaxseed, Carrots, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Minerals [Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite], Vitamins [Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement], Choline Chloride, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols (a natural preservative), Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Chicory Root Extract, Garlic, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Green Tea Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation products.

Vander is now switched (cold turkey) to Taste of the Wild High Prairie

Ingredients:

Bison, lamb meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, roasted bison, roasted venison, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

We switched him from EVO for three reasons -

1. EVO (natura) sold to Proctor & Gamble :(

2. TOTW is more cost efficient for a dog his size, and easier to obtain should he be adopted.

3. I think he needed a red meat based food (zinc!) because he already gets fish oil supplements.
And bonus, it's still grain free.

Recall | Iams Cat Food, canned

2010-06-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

I'm so relieved that Proctor & Gamble bought out Natura/Evo.

They are recalling some cat food for deficiencies :

The following Iams canned cat foods are included:

Iams ProActive Health canned Cat and Kitten Food – all varieties of 3 oz, 5.5 oz cans
Date stamped 09/2011 to 06/2012

This recall is limited to only Iams canned cat food distributed in North America. No other Iams pet food is involved.

Early signs of thiamine deficiency may include loss of appetite, salivation, vomiting and weight loss. In advanced cases, signs may include ventroflexion (downward curving) of the neck, wobbly gait, falling, circling and seizures. Contact your veterinarian immediately if your cat is displaying any of these signs. If treated promptly, thiamine deficiency is typically reversible.

Consumers who have purchased canned cat food with these codes should discard it. For further information or a product refund, call P&G toll-free at 877-340-8826 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST).

Pet Food Institute to NYTimes : kibble is awesome

2010-06-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

Don't take my word for it (it being be aware of what you feed, and why) - take Duane's word for it that pet food on the grocery store shelves is just awesome and wonderful.

What does Duane advocate? Here's his website. He's the voice of the pet food industry. And he wants you to remember, always, that grocery store pet food is prem-o!

benefits of a grain free diet

2010-06-08T11:14:00.001-07:00

check out this simple, to-the-point article

treats | instinct grain free

2010-06-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

very cool!

my local feed store just introduced Nature's Variety Instinct Grain Free (guilt free) biscuits!

We grabbed two boxes, duck and rabbit. Many are alarmed that the rabbit source in Nature's Variety comes from China, which they are up front about, so feed only what you are comfortable with.

Duck Ingredients:
duck meal, tapioca, garbanzo bean flour, sweet potatoes, pork fat, pumpkinseeds, montmorillonite clay, natural vegetable flavor, dried egg whites, cinnamon, guar gum, inulin, mixed tocopherols with citric acid (a natural preservative), rosemary extract, direct-fed microorganisms (dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product)

supplement | colostrum

2010-06-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

Since my foster dog took a turn for the worst in his fight against demodex mange (and staph infection) I've been researching for immunity boosters non-stop.

A universally recommended one seems to be Colostrum : the "liquid gold" that comes in before breast milk.
Why 'liquid gold'? Before the development of antibiotics, colostrum was the main source of immunoglobulins used to fight infections, such as polio.

So - for our foster dog we're currently looking to
a. reduce stress
and
b. boost his immunity

For now we've settled on Pet Natural's Calming Formula treats.
Active Ingredients Per 1/4 Teaspoon (1.25 ml):
Thiamine (Vitamin B1) . . . . . . .31.25 mg
L-Theanine (Suntheanine® brand) . .10.56 mg
Colostrum Calming Complex . . . . . 5.28 mg

A bit more about colostrum:

What is Colostrum?
Colostrum is the pre-milk fluid produced from the mother's mammary glands during the first 72 hours after birth. It provides life-supporting immune and growth factors that insure the health and vitality of the newborn.

Does Colostrum Help With Cuts And Burns? After Surgery Or Accidents?

Colostrum's immune factors are highly effective anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents to help reduce and eliminate infections in external injuries (cuts, burns, abrasions and surgical wounds). Colostrum also contains epithelial (skin) growth hormone that stimulates accelerated healing and powerful anti-inflammatory agents that can eliminate swelling and pain. Open the capsule and mix with sterile water or a saline solution to form a paste. This can be applied directly to the affected area. Bandage if needed. Reapply two to three times daily until healing is complete.

What About Pets?

Bovine Colostrum is not species specific and works wonderfully with cats and dogs and other mammals. Open capsules and sprinkle in pet dish...most pets love the taste of Colostrum. Encourage them to drink water along with it.

More Chews as Nylabone Alternatives

2010-06-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Terrabone

From bestbullysticks :

Terrabone is the world's healthiest and safest edible dental chew bone for fresh breath. The #1 ingredient in a Terrabone is USDA certified organic brown rice. Unlike other edible chew bones, Terrabone contains no animal by-products like gelatin or animal glycerin.
Ingredients:

Sam's Yams "Veggie Rawhide"

Ingredients are simply:

They look, smell, and I suspect taste just like the sweet potatoes I bake for the dogs:

Shop at Petsmart?

2010-06-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

I was on a mission last week to find decent treats and/or chews at Petsmart.

I don't know why the disconnect - but of the chain stores, it seems that Petco has embraced more of the natural/grain free way of feeding dogs and cats when compared to Petsmart.
(where natural means less corn, wheat, soy, salt, corn syrup, etc)

I find, however, you'll always win at a local specialty dog boutique. But, if all you can find is a Petsmart - here are two suggestions.

1. Treat - So Natural Bison. Made in the USA
Ingredients: Bison Recipe: Barley, bison, oat flour, peas, rye, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), cranberry, carrots, apples, tomato pomace, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress.

2. Chew - Health Smart Dog
They were almost identical to Health Bones/Berry, but smaller. Here's a link to the ingredients - our dogs enjoyed both the super berry & the pumpkin/carrot.

8 ways to get a finicky eater to eat

2010-05-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

From Dogster:
First, you want to rule any health issues out first when a dog makes any behavioral change but if your vet gives your pup the thumbs up, there are several ways to get him to eat without disrupting his stomach.

1. Tone Down the Treats - A finicky eater is more likely to eat if he's not comparing his dog food to a liver treat.

2. Feed Often - Try feeding smaller amounts of his regular food three or four times a day.

3. Exercise - It's good for so many things and it increases a dog's hunger. Try always exercising your pup before a meal.

4. Spay or Neuter - If you haven't already, fix your pup. Besides the many health and behavioral benefits, it can help prevent a finicky eater.

5. Make it Positive - Always make feeding time a positive experience. If your pup associates it with irritability or punishment from you, he will be less likely to want to eat.

6. Keep It Quiet - Feed your dog in a quiet area without children or other dogs mulling around.

7. Try Different Times - Some dogs eat better in the afternoon, others eat better an hour after you're home. Test it and see what time and situation work best for yours.

8. Resist Temptations - Try the other tips before giving into the urge to tempt your finicky pup to eat with people food. You'll find that a few pieces of cooked chicken will perhaps tempt him for a time but he'll soon grow bored of that, too.

Treats | Milkbone Alternatives

2010-05-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

cheap. $2.50 each at big lots.

easy. open box and hand to dog.

just like a milkbone, but better.

Ingredient comparison:
Milkbones Crunchy Treat - Wheat flour, beef meal and beef bone meal, corn flour, sugar, dried digest of poultry by-products, cooked bone marrow preserved with BHA, BHT and citric acid, beef fat preserved with tocopherols, salt, brewers dried yeast, artificial color (includes red 40), iron oxide, sodium metabisulfite (dough conditioner), natural flavor.

Cloud Star Muttos (duck/sweet potato) - Whole Wheat Flour, Ground Oats, Duck, Chicken Fat, Sweet Potato, Caramel Color (natural coloring agent), Salt, mixed tocopherols (natural preservative).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Milkbones Biscuits - Wheat flour, wheat bran, beef meal and beef bone meal, beef fat preserved with tocopherols, wheat germ, poultry by-product meal, dried vegetable pomace, salt, lamb meal, chicken meal, turkey meal, minerals (dicalcium phosphate, iron oxide, zinc sulfate, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, ethylenediamine dihydriodide (source of iodine)), artificial color (includes yellow 5, red 40, blue 1), brewers dried yeast, malted barley flour, vitamins (choline chloride, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), vitamin A acetate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamin B12 supplement, d-activated animal sterol (source of vitamin D3)), sodium metabisulfite (dough conditioner), whey casein (a milk protein).

Cloud Star Trail Hound (peanut butter) - Whole Wheat Flour, Ground Whole Oats, Peanut Butter, Rolled Oats, Amaranth, Sunflower Hearts, Apples, Carrots, Flax Seed, Kelp, Beta-Carotene, Green Tea Extract, L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols (natural preservative).

Dr. Khuly (of Fully Vetted) talks Science Diet

2010-05-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Check out this post..

Great. I'm glad to see that people in the veterinary profession can objectively comment on what they push in their offices.

The logic though... I don't ask my general practitioner about dietary issues, I seek out a nutritionist or holistic specialist. These options also exist for your canine companion.

I think it is best to just say - don't just take the vet's word for it. Do your own research.

Pet Food Perspective

2010-05-17T11:10:00.001-07:00

A great article - check it out here.

Comparison | Acana Pacifica & EVO Herring

2010-05-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Due to the recent sale of Natura to Proctor & Gamble,

I have begun to transition my foster dog to Acana Pacifica.
Here is a side by side comparison (taken directly from each bag label) to show you why I chose this food:

Animal Protein Ingredients:

ACANA PACIFICA, 60% EVO HERRING/SALMON, 76%
Boneless salmon Herring
Salmon meal Salmon meal
Herring meal Herring meal
Whitefish meal Salmon
Salmon oil Eggs
Boneless Herring Herring Oil
Boneless Flounder Cottage Cheese

Fruit/Vegetable/Carbohydrate/Botanical Ingredients:

ACANA PACIFICA, 40% EVO HERRING/SALMON, 23%

Russet Potato Peas

Peas Pea Fiber

Sweet Potato Sunflower Oil

Sun-Cured Alfalfa Apples

Pumpkin Carrots

Turnip Greens Dried Chicory Root

Spinach

Tomatoes

Carrots

Apples

Organic Kelp

Cranberries

Blueberries

Juniper Berries

Black Currants

Chicory Root

Licorice Root

Angelica Root

Fenugreek

Marigold Flowers

Sweet Fennel

Peppermint Leaf

Chamomile Flowers

Lavender Flowers

Summer Savory

Rosemary

Vitamin/Mineral/Probiotic Ingredients:

ACANA PACIFICA EVO HERRING/SALMON

Vitamins A, D3, E, B5, B6, B12 Vitamins E, A, B12

Niacin Niacin

Zinc Proteinate Glucosamine Hydrochloride

Thiamine Mononitrate Chondroitin Sulfate

Riboflavin Zinc Proteinate

Iron Proteinate Iron Proteinate

Manganese Proteinate Copper Proteinate

Copper Proteinate Manganese Proteinate

Folic Acid Calcium Iodate

Biotin Betaine Hydrocholoride

Selenium Thiamine Mononitrate

Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Calcium Pantothenate

Dried Enterococcus Faecium Biotin

Riboflavin

Beta Carotene

Pyridoxine Hydrochloride

Phylloquinone

Folic Acid

Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus

Dried Lactobacillus casei

Dried Enterococcus faecium

Select Analysis:

ACANA PACIFICA EVO HERRING/SALMON

Protein 33% Protein 42%

Fat 18% Fat 18%

Moisture 10% Moisture 10%

Calcium 1.4% min, 1.6% max Calcium not listed

Phosphorus 1.1% min, 1.3% max Phosphorus not listed

Enjoy your new ownership, Natura....

chews | nylabone alternatives

2010-05-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for alternatives to edible chews like nylabone.
Sample Ingredients (Roast Beef flavor):
Wheat starch, glycerin, Powdered Cellulose, lecithin, potato starch, chicken powder, roast beef flavor, natural bacon flavor, natural flavor, oat fiber, calcium carbonate, soy flour and rosemary oil. Vitamins: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B-6, Folic Acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Biotin, Choline, Inositol and PABA. Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Ferrous Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Copper Oxide, Manganese Oxide and Sodium Molybdate.

Two of my (aka my foster dog's) favorites:
Zukes Z Ridge

We've tried two varieties, Original Fresh Breath and Cranberry Fresh Breath
Ingredients (original):
Potato Starch, Vegetable Glycerin, Cellulose Fiber, Alfalfa Concentrate (a source of Chlorophyll), Natural Flavor, Lecithin, Whey, Vanilla Extract, Clove Powder, Parsley Powder, Nutmeg Powder and Fennel Seed Powder.
It takes about 10 minutes for pibble Vander to get through a medium Z Ridge

Health Bone Mixed Berry

I actually found these at Petco and was delighted by how great a product this is!
Vander tried the Mixed Berry... ingredients:
Quinoa flour, rice, rice protein concentrate, mixed berries (blueberry, cranberry, cherry), ground flax seed, calcium carbonate, natural flavor, canola oil, mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract, green tea extract.

It took Vander over 45 minutes to get through this bone!!

Response from Natura/P&G

2010-05-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

I wrote an email to Natura explaining how much I depended on them for my foster who is combating demodex mange. I told them how saddened I was by their big corporate buy out. I told them I will no longer buy or recommend any of their products.

We've since switched our foster to Acana Pacifica.

I received an email back from them (or P&G rep?) which seems to be the standard response many are getting if they contact Natura/P&G - how disappointing:

----- Original Message -----
From: Customer Service
To:
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 4:12 PM
Subject: RE: Innova & Evo

Dear Jen,

Thank you for confiding in us and sharing your opinion.

Our dedication to quality and our philosophy has not changed. Natura's Founders; John & Ann Rademakers and Peter Atkins, started their business with the purpose to provide the healthiest pet foods in the world. In building their business they have maintained animal health and wellness as a priority. They have strongly supported their independent retail partners.

Let's take a moment to reflect on that and think about the fact that they would not entrust their legacy to a new owner if they were not convinced that P &G would carry out their product philosophies and quality. P&G is committed to growing the Natura brands and they recognize the critical nature of growing the entire portfolio through the independent pet specialty stores.

We will continue to celebrate and advance Natura's legacy and nutritional philosophy and maintain Natura's current high standards for product and ingredient quality, food safety and manufacturing excellence. We will continue to support the development of a thriving independent pet specialty channel.

I'll leave you with a parting thought…

Did you know P&G is working with the FDA and respected animal welfare groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States, to work on reforming regulations and validating alternative methods to support this?

To learn more about these efforts and other facts, please visit…

http://www.pg. com/animalaltern atives/

www.IamsTruth. com

www.aspca.org/ iams Viewpoint of an independent animal welfare organization

http://www.biorap. org Biological Research for Animals & People

http://altweb. jhsph.edu/ Alternatives to Animal testing site

http://www.hsus. org Humane Society of the United States

http://www.ampef. org/ Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation

Thank you once again for confiding in us. We sincerely appreciate your history of support and hope that you will continue to trust our brands and our people. We especially thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

Your Friend,

Ember, Veterinary Technician

Natura Pet Products

what is kefir?

2010-05-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

and how can you use it?

Find out what Kefir is

How it compares to yogurt

And how one dog came back from the brink because of it..

depressing... NATURA sells to PROCTOR & GAMBLE

2010-05-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

That means Innova, EVO, Karma, California Naturals.. they are all family with Iams now. Ugh. That's all I can say...

Story here.

I'm probably going to email them and let them know why I can't in good conscious buy their products anymore. If you feel you need to do the same: custserv@naturapet.com

sweet potato chews

2010-05-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

There are a few companies (like this one, and this one) that make sweet potato chews for your dog.
Or you can buy a bag of um fresh, get a really nice slicer cheap on ebay, bake in your oven, and make your own sweet potato chews!

Foster dog Vander likes um, even if they do only last 45 seconds!

Grass

2010-04-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

I find two (unsupported by documentation or scientific) reasons why my dogs eat grass.

1. they enjoy it (kitsu almost looks zen munching on grass!)
2. they have to barf (expel excess mucus, bile, and other impurities)

I also have heard that there are other benefits as grasses act as an internal cleanser and a sort of herbal medicine.

Dr. Patty of Dolittler/Fully Vetted gave these reasons:

#1 The vitamin and mineral theory: As in, they’re not getting enough, therefore they consume grass.

#2 The roughage theory: Because dogs need some cellulose in small quantities to aid in bacterial digestion (sort of like a prebiotic), they sometimes consume the green stuff by way of reestablishing bacterial homeostasis.

#3 The vomiting theory: To raise a little bile when something didn’t go down just right, the nausea-inducing properties of grass are well-documented. Just eat a handful yourself if you don’t buy this logic.

#4 The angry tummy theory: If you had some excess gastric acid, maybe a little esophageal reflux and no prehensile thumbs with which to grab a bottle of Tums or a little Pepcid AC, you might just eat grass, too.

#5 The hungry dog theory: Some dogs just like it. Period. We all know a few who doubtless do.

either way I like them to have it if they need it and I planted some organic 'cat grass' for them this year because I can never guarantee that the grass in our yard is worm guts/bird poop/chemical free.

Colitis

2010-04-08T12:35:00.001-07:00

From the Honest Kitchen Newsletter:

Colitis is essentially an inflammation of the large intestine, or colon. The term Colitis is used to cover several different conditions of the gastro-intestinal tract and can include:

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (a condition where the animal’s white blood cells invade the intestine and cause inflammation to occur). The result is that nutrient absorption is impaired and this causes weight loss and general GI disturbance
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which can be related to stress
Pancreatitis in which the pancreas becomes inflamed
Parasitic infections such as giardia, hookworms or whipworms
Bacterial infection such as Campylobacter or salmonella
Food allergies in which an animal is intolerant of certain ingredients.

Thy symptoms of colitis include diarrhea, which can sometimes alternate with constipation. Mucus or blood in the stool and excessive gassiness are also signs of Colitis. Stool volume may be reduced but there may be much straining and the frequency of defecation may increase.

Click for A holistic approach to treatment

treats | fruitables

2010-04-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

Fruitables - these things smell so good, that you can eat them (I didn't... but I'm just sayin). And they're an adorable flower shape.

I got these as a buffer for when we do longer hikes between meals.You will see they are packed with carbs -

Ingredients:
Pumpkin, Organic oatmeal, Pearled barley, Whole ground potatoes, Oat fiber, Canola Oil (with mixed tocorpherols, a natural preservative), Organic cane molasses, Blueberries, Cinnamon, Vanilla

You can now get a bag from bestbullysticks! Tell um shibaslave@gmail.com sent ya!

treats | evanger's nothing but natural

2010-04-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

Evanger's Nothing but Natural Buffalo with Fruits & Vegetable Treats were a big hit in our house!

Ingredients:
Natural Buffalo, Oat Flour, Potato Flour, Dried Chicory Root, Gelatin, Vegetable Glycerin, Cultured Whey, Fruits and Vegetables (Blueberries, Cranberries, Carrots, Peas), Sea Salt, Natural Flavors, Oil of Garlic, Tocopherols (Vitamin E).

Super helpful in training 'sit-stay' by paradigm for the puppy!

Interesting video

2010-03-28T08:21:00.001-07:00

Avoderm

2010-03-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

Arguably, where there is a Petsmart, there is a Petco. At least in my experience.

I prefer Pet Suppies Plus either way. They typically sell Sojos, EVO, Orijen/Acana, Wellness Core, Nature's Variety, Horizon Legacy... all exceptionally great foods.

I get a few emails here and there asking for the best food you can find at Petsmart. I try to ask if one of the other two stores are local to them as well, and if the answer is "no", then there are one of two foods that in a total bind, I might feed.

- The first is Blue Buffalo Wilderness, but seeing that each variety (original, duck & salmon) has chicken in it, I wouldn't be able to feed it to one of my dogs with a proven chicken allergy.

- The second is Avoderm. The funny thing about this brand of food is that it garners either die-hard lovers, or adamant haters. Why the haters? The ASPCA warns us not to feed our dogs avocados, which is a major ingredient in Avoderm (if you couldn't tell...)
However, the company says:

Concern has been expressed by the ASPCA about the consumption of the leaves, fruit, bark, and stems from the avocado tree, with the exception of the avocado fruit which is used for the oil and meal; none of these parts are factors in any of the AvoDerm Natural pet products formulations.

Dr. Art Craigmill, UC Davis, Professor and Extension Specialist in Environmental Toxicology has said that his studies and other research in the United States and Australia have shown that the problem of toxicity is in the leaves and the pit of the Guatemalan variety; the avocado meat of the fruit and oils have not been shown to be toxic. AvoDerm Natural pet products do not utilize any Guatemalan variety avocados, nor do we use any leaves or pits of any variety of avocados for our avocado meal and oil.

The avocado meal and oil used in the AvoDerm Natural pet products comes from the meat of the fruit and does not contain leaves, bark, skin or pit of the fruit. The oil is extracted from ripened fruit in which the meat pulp has been separated from the skin and the pit. Through a mechanical separation process the oil is extracted and filtered and placed into sealed containers. The pulp of the fruit is dried, ground, and screened before being placed into its final packaging and than shipped to our facility.

So, if you believe their research, you should also believe that avocados are full of vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, and essential fatty acids for excellent skin and coat condition.

I'll admit that I was a skeptic with Avoderm, because of the toxic potential of parts of the fruit, but I decided to try one of their canned products anyway so that IF you can never, ever find any other store than Petsmart, I could safely say "try Avoderm".
I chose the Lamb & Rice canned formula because of its exclusion of chicken and beef (nice!).

Ingredients
Lamb, Lamb Broth, Ground Whole Rice, Lamb Liver, Dried Eggs, Flax Seed, Lecithin, Guar Gum, Calcium Carbonate, Kelp, Avocado Oil, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B Complex), Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Choline Chloride, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of Vitamin B1), Biotin, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Carbonate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.

Would I feed this long term? I would have to say no, honestly. Avocados contain persin, which leeches into the fruit from the pit. At toxic levels in non-humans (which may vary), symptoms include gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress, congestion, fluid accumulation around the tissues of the heart and even death. So, you know, it's just not worth it when varieties of fish contain the same essential fatty acids and coat health properties without the persin.
In fact, I'm pretty sure I won't be trying any other Avoderm products again, because other safer foods exist out there with the same benefits. I'm not an adament hater, I just feel the risk doesn't exceed the benefit.

Spot's Stew

2010-03-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is this canned Salmon formula from Halo's line of Spot's Stew (the cat version is grain free, and nothing in it is harmful to dogs!) getting harder and harder to find?

I think the ingredients are great, and the pup loves it and doesn't have any digestive upset from it (while I get to observe any sensitivities to cooked beef/chicken/turkey, which he doesn't seem to have).. but it is getting HARDER and HARDER to find!

Luckily a local health foods store keeps a nice stock of it, which I patronize. But I guarantee that the average dog feeder wouldn't go out of their way to find it since chains like Petco seemed to stop stocking it readily.

Anyway, this is why I like it - the ingredients - which you can see in wholesome form within the mix:
Ingredients: Salmon, chicken liver, broth, turkey, water (sufficient for processing), carrots, green beans, yellow squash, celery, zucchini, green peas, mustard greens, dried kelp, calcium citrate, flax seed meal, oats, pumpkin, sweet potato, ascorbic acid

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein - 6.4% min.
Crude Fat - 1.8% min.
Crude Fiber - 4.3% max.
Moisture - 84.0% max.

(as a kibble topper for the pup - you can see the whole vegetation)

Teething Help | Nylabone Edibles

2010-03-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Normally... I wouldn't give these bones as a treat.
Normally... I wouldn't be dealing with a wirey coated alligator.
However, I am.

There isn't a huge appeal to me about these edible bones that Nylabone makes, there is even less appeal to the non-edibles that just look like huge (phallic!) choking hazards. I guess its nice that a company is giving awareness of the need for dental health in our canine friends.

I would prefer my puppy eat raw meaty bones but with the uncertainty of which teeth are active for chewing, which are falling out, and what kind of pain he's in, I'm hesitant to give him anything raw that needs to be chewed in total before digestion.

So - in the interest of [some] safety, sanity and moments of peace that only a chew bone allows from a teething dog, I bought Healthy* Edibles Lamb & Apple for Puppies. I watch and listen while he eats this.

picking the correct size (per weight) for potential choking hazard bones should be a priority!

*In their defense, they do now claim they are gluten free formulas. Below are the ingredients.

Ingredients

Wheat Starch, Glycerin, Soy Meal, Cellulose, Lecithin, Potato Starch, Natural Flavor, Natural Flavor, Lamb Meal, Apple, Oat Fiber, Calcium Carbonate, Soy Flour, and Rosemary Oil Vitamins: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B-6, Folic Acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Biotin, Choline, Inositol and PABA Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Ferrous Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Copper Oxide, Manganese Oxide and Sodium Molybdate.

Analysis

Min. crude protein: 5.0%, Min. crude fat: .5%, Max. crude fiber: 8%, Max. moisture: 13% Calories per gram: 3.47

puppy meatloaf version 2.0

2010-03-12T06:19:00.000-08:00

We had a major score recently and got some local buffalo meat! The shibas got it raw, but the puppy got some mixed into a super baked meatloaf. This was a meal, not just a kibble topper.

Ingredients:
Buffalo (ground)
Turkey (ground)
Whole eggs
Spinach
Carrots
Peas
Kelp
Parsley

Served with:
Cottage cheese
Sweet potato (steamed)

Treat | for adult dogs only!

2010-03-12T06:09:00.000-08:00

I say for adult's only because these come out thick and hard, and require adult teeth to chew them down.

Chicken Gizzards are a great muscle meat when served raw. Check out nutritiondata.com for the nutrient breakdown.

I thought it would be a great treat for the puppy (who is teething) but he couldn't get through the raw form. It is really elastic and chewy, and he had a tough time.

So, I sliced them in half, put them on a tin covered baking tray on broil and let them sizzle for about 45 minutes.
They came out looking a bit like chewy beef jerky:

My adult dogs LOVE them, but still the puppy had a tough time with them! He did manage to "num" it down a bit, just chewing it and chewing it. I think it did the trick and he ended up eating two in one sitting.

In retrospect, I think sticking with the raw version would have been easier on us all!

floormat commentary

2010-03-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

Get it here.

Weight

2010-03-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

Taken from a post by K9 Solutions Dog Training (thanks!) called Killing them with Kindness

..This chart which might make it more helpful for people to understand how a little bit of weight can be more of a problem than they realize.

In toy breeds 1 pound of extra weight = 31 pounds on a human body
+2 lbs = 63
+3lbs = 94

In small breeds 2 lbs of extra weight = 13 lbs on a human body
+4 lbs = 26 lbs
+6 lbs = 40 lbs

In medium breeds 4 lbs of extra weight = 17 lbs on a human body
+6 lbs = 25 lbs
+ 8 lbs = 33 lbs

In large breeds 6 lbs of extra weight = 11 lbs on a human body
+8 = 14
+10 = 18 lbs

In giant breeds we are equal 10lbs = 10 lbs and so on.
* * * * * * * *
Here is a chart that lets you see how to assess your dogs body condition:

http://www.placervillevet.com/canine%20body%20condition.htm

ASPCA Report | Three Dogs Die from Meatball Poisoning

2010-03-05T11:46:00.001-08:00

Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS), an ASPCA community partner, has launched an investigation into the recent deaths of three dogs at two different locations in the South Hill neighborhood of Spokane, WA.

On February 19, a woman reported to SCRAPS that she let her dogs outside at approximately 6:00 A.M., and when she went to feed her horses, saw one of the dogs eating something off the ground. She called her dog away from what was later identified as meatballs. Approximately 30 minutes later, the dog started having convulsions and was taken to an emergency clinic, where he died. Two other dogs were reported dead by another pet parent in the South Hill neighborhood on the same day... click for the whole story

feelin' feisty | risks of raw

2010-03-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

The following is from a 'tidy' little blurb about how feeding raw meat to your dog is going to cause you, well, death. Or at least a nasty case of salmonella.

Let's explore the blurb:

Risks of Raw
The study looked at 138 dogs from 84 households in Ontario. One-quarter of households (21/84, 25%) had at least one dog (32/138, 23.2%) that was shedding Salmonella at one time, which is considerably higher than the 1-4% of pet dogs that are typically expected to be shedding this zoonotic pathogen.

1. Consuming a commercial or homemade raw diet, a homemade cooked diet, or raw meat and eggs, increases a pet dog’s risk of carrying Salmonella.
Raw is raw, and by now we're hoping that people are getting the message that raw is contaminated, whether we're talking about a commercial or homemade raw diet, or feeding any raw animal products (e.g. meat, eggs). The fact that homemade cooked diets also made the list could be explained by the fact that in order to make such a diet, owners still need to start with the raw ingredients. Handling and cooking raw meat and animal products for your pet should be done with the same precautions as handling and cooking raw meat for yourself or your family. If these homemade diets were not cooked as thoroughly as they should have been, or if there was contamination of the dog's dishes with raw product, that could explain the association with Salmonella shedding. Although traditional commercial diets can also be contaminated with pathogens (usually after processing), the risk with these is much lower.

Can I just say that handling an egg for yourself to fry can also pose a risk of salmonella?
This is my favorite line, like ever, "homemade cooked diets also made the list could be explained by the fact that in order to make such a diet, owners still need to start with the raw ingredients". Because commercial products (that they are so very much for, I gather?) are never ever made with fresh, raw ingredients? Science Diet gets their chicken ingredient from already cooked chicken that was never, ever raw?
And... isn't this how we prepare our own food? Shouldn't there be a 1-4% increase in Salmonella in my own stool samples?

Can I also just say that perhaps all these homes visited were never taught how to wash their hands? Never taught how to store, handle and prepare raw meat? If feeding myself comes at somewhat of a "no brainer", feeding my dog should also.
Ever eat sashimi? Specifically chicken sashimi dipped in raw egg? It is fabulously tasty. Risky? Sure, but most Japanese cuisine (that I've had the good fortune to consume) that is served raw is handled with the utmost care and selected from only the best of sources. I aim to do the same with myself and dogs. Choose meat intended for food with the utmost care and selected from the best source.

Or maybe its luck that I've been preparing and eating flesh & eggs & spinach & tomatoes for decades, and feeding my dogs raw for over two years... and none of us have contracted any parasites or bacteria.

2. Testing multiple consecutive whole fecal samples greatly improves Salmonella recovery in dogs.
This is no great surprise either. Dogs (and many other species) shed Salmonella intermittently, so not every fecal sample from a Salmonella-positive dog is going to yield Salmonella on culture. The authors tested five daily fecal samples from each dog. Based on this study, the sensitivity of testing a single fecal sample in a dog (i.e. the likelihood that a Salmonella-positive dog will test positive on one fecal sample) was only 35.5%. That means almost two-thirds of positive dogs will be missed if they're only tested once. The take-home message on this point is that in order to find Salmonella in a healthy pet dog, multiple samples should be tested.

FIVE daily samples. FIVE. I can't imagine any raw fed dog providing a fecal sample FIVE times a day. I'm lucky if I get ONE a day (because of how wonderfully a raw diet is digested).

I want to explore how one gets infected with Salmonella.
From the Center for Disease Control:
How do people catch Salmonella?

Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds. Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods usually look and smell normal. Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs, but any food, including vegetables, may become contaminated. Thorough cooking kills Salmonella. Food may also become contaminated by the hands of an infected food handler who did not wash hands with soap after using the bathroom.

Salmonella may also be found in the feces of some pets, especially those with diarrhea, and people can become infected if they do not wash their hands after contact with pets or pet feces. Reptiles, such as turtles, lizards, and snakes, are particularly likely to harbor Salmonella. Many chicks and young birds carry Salmonella in their feces. People should always wash their hands immediately after handling a reptile or bird, even if the animal is healthy. Adults should also assure that children wash their hands after handling a reptile or bird, or after touching its environment.

Also, the Risks of Raw study points at raw-fed dogs shedding Salmonella. Not infections, not infections of family members, but just that it is present in their feces. As the public is not prone to rub dog feces in their face, the risk of infection should be low. Is there proof otherwise? Not in this study.
Dogs also shed E.coli! Shouldn't we be having a state of emergency over E.coli as well?
Shouldn't we never own reptiles? Never eat peanut butter? Spinach? Tomatoes?

3. Having multiple dogs in a household, using probiotics and contact with livestock are important potential risk factors that need to be investigated further.
These were factors that were flagged by the authors for future investigation, because at first they seemed to be associated with Salmonella shedding in the dogs, but when the feeding of raw diets was taken into account the associations were no longer significant. A larger study, or one using a different design, will be needed to help tease apart the potential effects of these factors from feeding practices.
The bottom line: Feeding raw is risky business. Some people swear by the benefits of raw diets, but the objective evidence is lacking. There is clear evidence of the risks. In my mind, the potential up-side simply cannot outweigh the well-established down-side of feeding raw diets to pets.

The unbelievably biased point of view is most evident in their final paragraph.
Well-established? When? By whom? How much risk, exactly, and of what?

Now that my feisty has run out... I'm just trying to see if from their perspective... do you think its also a case in knowing TOO much? Being TOO aware? Never doing what could be biologically the best thing ever for your dog (feeding raw) because you are too hyper aware of the POTENTIAL risks?

Maybe a bit of ignorance is truly bliss... I don't worry as much about the risks of parasites, bacteria and zoonosis thereof because I'm confident in how I safely/smartly handle, store, prepare and feed the raw food.

Man, I wish I worked for Mythbusters!

puppy meatloaf

2010-03-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

I've been trying something new with Buckley, who doesn't seem to have any sensitivities to food yet.

Raw is the ultimate diet for many educated dog owners/feeders... and it should be. It is the original canine diet.

However, for one reason or another, sometimes the owner or the dog just can't do it all the time.

For me, the puppy and his teething was a hindrance for beginning raw (sans grinder). Well, I got my grinder and I find there is quite a bit to be desired with ground bones. For me (and me alone) I don't feel safe feeding them in their raw, ground form. I have been giving Buckley raw chicken bones, whole, and he's done well with them.

I use the grinder now to make meat loaf. Our first batch was a hit!

raw, not yet cooked.

Ingredients:
Ground sirloin, approx 90% lean + few oz of beef liver (also ground)
Salmon
Whole Eggs, 2, (with ground egg shell)
Carrots
Spinach
Peas
Ground Apples (without skin or seeds)
Kelp, powder
Parsley, fresh
Alfalfa, powder
Garlic, fresh minced

To measure - I used a ratio of about 60 meat/protein : 40 vegetation. That's it.

baked 1 hour, chilled, and served as a kibble topper.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Analyzing the recipe on nutritiondata.com, per ounce:
Fat - 2g
Protein - 4.4g
Carbs - 1g (dietary fiber - 0.3g)
B12 - 0.6mcg
Calcium - 28.1mg
Phosphorus - 55mg
Omega 3 - 183mg
Omega 6 - 85.4mg
Water - 20.3g

raw feeding is not a fad.

2010-03-02T07:13:00.000-08:00

Health consciousness is not a fad. It is a way of living life!
Visit Jack LaLanne's website for more videos, blog, etc.

Do we really need prescription diets?

2010-02-17T07:18:00.000-08:00

From The American Dog Magazine...

Dr. Paula Terifaj, a holistic veterinarian in Orange County, owner of Founders Veterinary Clinic and author of How to Feed Your Dog if You Flunked Rocket Science, recalled being “courted by" pet food companies in vet school: “It was conveyed to us that people are too stupid to cook for themselves,” she says. As most veterinarians do, she utilized “Prescription Diets®” in her practice initially. In 1999, however, she had a light bulb moment when she came across a book written by one her favorite professors, Dr. Donald Strombeck, entitled, Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative, which is still available today on Amazon.com. His advice set her on a journey that changed her practice forever. Today, Dr. Terifaj operates a holistic practice and encourages her clients to cook for their dogs. She feels that the manufacturer of Prescription Diets® uses “substandard ingredients and then fortifies the hell out of their formulas."

...A More Natural Approach
So what is a pet owner to do if their dog develops kidney disease, urine crystals, or any other diseases that these diets would normally be prescribed to treat?

Dr. Terifaj first suggests first verifying that the dog does indeed need a special diet. She feels that often times a dog is “on the fence” and the easiest thing for a veterinarian to do is to suggest a Prescription Diet®. Instead, she often turns to a Web site, www.balanceit.com. This Web site provides recipes at a nominal charge to pet owners interesting in cooking their own food. In addition, vets can log in at no charge and request diets designed to treat specific diseases. She suggests asking your vet to do so for you if he or she is adamant about a specific diet. Not only will this be a cheaper alternative, but Dr. Terifaj feels it is a much healthier approach to feed real “human food.”

...If a veterinarian won’t budge from the idea of a Prescription Diet®, it may be time to locate a holistic veterinarian for second opinion. Dr. Jasek is a member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) and clients often find her using the vet finder on the group's web site, www.holisticvetlist.com.

The next time your veterinarian suggests a diet for your four-legged child that you’re not comfortable with, don’t hesitate to ask questions. A good veterinarian, traditional or holistic, will welcome that discussion and encourage you to look at all the options available.

Rate Your Dog's Kibble

2010-02-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

First, find the ingredients... either on the food's website or a decent vendor, like K9 Cuisine.

Second, go to Rate Your Dog's Food and answer the 20+ questions.

EVO Herring & Salmon got an A+ (102)

Solid Gold's Wolf Cub got an A+ (105)

Go find yours!

filtered water

2010-02-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

I am often asked about the type of water we set out for our dogs.

It's tap water.

I'd like to say that I'm diligent enough to give them the same Brita filtered water that I drink, but that isn't the case. I keep their bowls cleaned and refreshed twice a day at least, but it's all tap water.

A bit about filtered water:
Filtration systems, such as Brita, can reduce (not eliminate) the following contaminants from tap water (click), the most common are:
* Copper

Source - corrosion of household plumbing & erosion of natural deposits
Potential Health Effects - gastrointestinal distress, liver or kidney damage

* Mercury

Source - Erosion of natural deposits, runoff from landfills/cropland
Potential Health Effects - kidney damage

* Cadmium

Source - corrosion of galvanized pipes, runoff from waste batteries/paints
Potential Health Effects - kidney damage

* Lead

Source - corrosion of household plumbing systems, erosion of natural deposits
Potential Health Effects - Infants and children; Delays in physical or mental development; children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults: Kidney problems; high blood pressure

getting canned

2010-02-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

aka - crash course in wet dog foods.

Puppy is not yet on a raw diet. I have been preparing his portions each time I shop for my shibas, but I am waiting for my grinder before I begin him on his new diet. He just turned 4 months old, and still has a mouth full of razor sharp puppy teeth.

In the meantime, I've been feeding him wetted kibble mixed with canned foods... soup really.

A lot of people advise the use of canned foods be the same as kibble (slow transition, etc) - and that is sound advice.
Except, I didn't follow it.

And it turned out OK.

What I do is take his normal portion of kibble and add approximately 2 tablespoons of a canned food, some warm water, mix and serve. Yeah, it is a bit more than his package-printed serving, but he's a growing puppy.
- A basic rule of thumb, especially in raw feeding, is to feed your dog the amount you would feed him at his adult weight. It comes to about 5-8% of his current weight while growing (depending on the weight), which ultimately 2-4% at his adult weight. [eg. a 25lb adult dog will get 0.5-1 lbs of fresh/raw food a day, at 2-4% of his weight. A puppy that may only be under 10lbs at 12 weeks, but is determined to be about 25lbs as an adult should get 0.5-1 lbs of fresh food daily]

Back to "getting canned" - either he has a stomach of steel, or changing cans on a tri-daily basis (a few tablespoons at a time) won't cause stomach upset without transition. If you've had a different experience, post a comment - we all learn from each other!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A note about consistency: Canned foods seem to have three different consistencies..
1. Cubed.

This is Merrick Wilderness Blend. Buckley was actually less inclined to chomp the cubes in an amongst his kibbles, but ultimately he did.This type of food comes packed with gravy, which helps when mixing with kibble.

2. Semi Solid.

This is Nature's Logic Venison Dinner. Buckley can't get enough of this food! It has the perfect consistency to mix in with kibble.

3. Spam-Solid.
I don't have a picture of this, but if you've fed anything like Tripett's Green Tripe you'll know what I mean. It is s-o-l-i-d in the can... that you have to scrape it out (and with Tripett specifically, its just. not. pleasant!). Like a stinky carving station..
For this consistency, I think its actually better to serve it separately from the kibble, lest a choking hazard should present itself.

raw recall | Nature's Variety CHICKEN

2010-02-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

Nature's Variety has initiated a voluntary recall of their Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet for dogs and cats with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10 because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The only products affected are limited to chicken medallions, patties, and chubs with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10. No other Nature's Variety products are affected.
The affected products are limited to the Nature's Variety Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet packaged in the following forms:

3 lb chicken medallions (UPC# 7 69949 60130 2) with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10
6 lb chicken patties (UPC# 7 69949 60120 3) with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10
2 lb chicken chubs (UPC# 7 69949 60121 0) with a "Best If Used By" date of 11/10/10

If you are a consumer and have purchased one of the affected products, please return the unopened product to your retailer for a full refund or replacement. If your package has been opened, please dispose of the raw food in a safe manner by securing it in a covered trash receptacle. Then, bring your receipt (or the empty package in a sealed bag) to your local retailer for a full refund or replacement.

puppy kibble | solid gold wolf cub

2010-02-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

Almost three weeks ago, I got a call first thing on a Sunday morning that I'd be fostering a puppy that afternoon. A 13 week old puppy.
At first, I was like ok.... then the panic set in that I was SO NOT prepared for a puppy! Especially nutritionally.

I ran out to find a decent kibble that I could feed, and also some wet foods (will describe in next post) to make into a sort of 'soup' to make sure puppy was also getting some real meat and proper hydration.

treats | nature's logic venison

2010-02-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

I've always said that I pick out treats based on their ingredient list, and for me - named products and a super short ingredient list are the best. I love picking up something like wagger's champion chips where the ingredient is simply "100% beef lung".

However. We are now raising a puppy. Who is picky when eating. And needs to be trained, socialized.

So I went out to find a treat that was like a meal (think protein bar) but was also nutritious and its protein source named. I found Nature's Logic Venison Treats.

It has a monster list of ingredients, but all of them pretty good (yes, there is a grain - millet):
NGREDIENTS: Venison Meal, Lamb Meal, Millet, Chicken Fat, Montmorillonite, Brewer's Yeast, Flaxseed, Dried Egg Product, Spray Dried Chicken Liver, Pumpkin Seed, Animal Plasma, Kelp, Natural Flavoring, Cottage Cheese, Suncured Alfalfa Meal, Egg Shell Meal, Avocado, Chicory Root, Tomato Powder, Almonds, Spray Dried Cod Liver Oil, Apple Powder, Blueberry Powder, Apricot Powder, Carrot Powder, Pumpkin Powder, Cranberry Powder, Broccoli Powder, Spinach Powder, Parsley, Artichoke, Rosemary, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium Bifidium Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Pineapple Extract, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma Longibrachtium Fermentation Extract, Mixed Tocopherols.
Nature's Logic Natural Venison Meal Snack Recipe Canine Treats are intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only.

For my purposes, feeding puppy while training throughout the day, this treat will do. If I were feeding him raw, perhaps I wouldn't use this treat because of the grain and extensive list of ingredients - but most are what some raw feeders supplement anyway (like alfalfa, brewer's yeast, spinach, etc).
Plus, they look decent in our 'doggie treat' jar:

Chews | Salmon Skin Rolls

2010-02-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

Snack 21 really has a good thing going with all their dehydrated fishy chews.We've been trying the different varieties as I come across them. Bestbullysticks.com sells them!

From their website:

Salmon Skin Rolls

An alternative to rawhide and a natural source of Omega-3 fatty acids with
no digestion issues. Made of 100% dried Wild Pacific Salmon skin, the chews
contain no additives, preservatives, colors or artificial flavours, and are ideal for use
with rubber treat toys.

How a raw feeder spends her tax return...

2010-02-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

By purchasing a meat grinder, y'all.

I am officially one of the weirdest people I know. Instead of going out to dinner or whatever normal people do, a portion of my tax return is going towards something I've wanted for almost two years.

The powerful 400-watt/120-volt motor in the Cabela's Heavy-Duty Grinder is capable of grinding more than 2 lbs. per minute to make quick work of a lot of meat. And unlike most grinders, it has an all-metal head and tray, instead of plastic, for greater durability. Metal cutting knife and grinding plates in three sizes (3mm, 4.5mm and 8mm) produce coarse- or fine-ground meat. Forward add reverse. Imported.
Protect your grinder with this tough canvas cover. It will keep dust and dirt from collecting on your appliance.

Look out veal shoulders! Watch your back, pork necks! I'll be grinding you soon.

(**A word about grinding.. I do not believe grinding size appropriate bones for your dogs beats letting them rip, tear, grind and crunch raw meaty bones on their own. For my shibas [18 & 24lbs] I will not, not, not be grinding anything they handle themselves [chicken cuts, turkey necks, lamb cuts, fish, goat, et al] but I will be grinding cuts I wish they could handle, but cannot [veal shoulders, pork necks]. I plan to grind more for the puppy @ 14wks old until his adult teeth come in, then he will be able to tackle meaty bones on his own)

the most disgusting thing I've fed. yet.

2010-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

was from a can.

Tripett New Zealand Green Vension Tripe. I have seriously never thought I would vomit from feeding something until I opened this can. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous! And I've fed some pretty gag-worthy things before... organs, brain, tongue, feet, etc. But nothing - and I mean NOTHING - smelled this putrid.

But wouldn't you know... the dogs LOVED it. Ate every little morsel they could find.

The Tripett Beef Green Tripe wasn't as bad, still the 'tripe-y' smell, but not nearly as horrible as the venison. And the dogs also enjoyed it. I enjoyed the limited ingredient list (as compared to something like Solid Gold's version)

From Best Bully Sticks.com:

Tripett Pure Green Venison Tripe is from venison raised and fed on the grasslands of New Zealand. Like the lamb tripe, venison tripe is easy for puppies to digest and is a great alternative for your pooches who are allergic to beef. Green Tripe (Green simply means the tripe is pure and unbleached) contains the partially digested grasses in an animal's stomach and is rich in digestive enzymes, gastric juices, taurine, amino acids and essential fatty acids which are important to all aspects of your pets' health. Tripett is intended to be mixed with dry or raw food. It is not a replacement for your pooches current dog food.
Ingredients: New Zealand Venison Tripe, Water, Garlic, Vegetable Gum

Ingredients: Beef Tripe, Water, Garlic, Vegetable Gum

Ucky Unagi

2010-01-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

Since researching the origin of the Shiba Inu, I've always been a believer of incorporating some of their more 'natural' homeland ingredients into their diet.
Including fish, seaweed, etc.

So when I found this (on bestbullysticks, also a product reviewed positively by WDJ):

I was super excited. Addiction's Unagi (eel) and Seaweed entree.
It is a novel protein and grain free formula which therefore caters to many dog suffering multiple allergies.

Ingredients:

Eel, Venison, Potatoes, Carrots, Peas, Carrageenan, Cassia Gums, Dried Seaweed, Garlic, Taurine, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulphate, Ferrous Sulphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Sulphate, Manganese Sulphate, Niacin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid

Looks fine, right?

I open it. Date on can is good, packaging intact. Looks like a normal dog food with nice chunks, you can see the seaweed and potatoes. You can smell the meat, sort of like a sushi-type smell. I think - awesome! the dogs will LOVE it.

Not so much.

Not one single dog ate any of it (which, are three dogs in total). Not even Kitsune the food guru. Not even the ravenous puppy. Not even the picky Tsuki.

So. If your dogs liked this food, let me know!

Salmon Paws

2010-01-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

best. training. treat. ever.

Salmon Paws Omega Stix , as described by Best Bully Sticks:

These jerky treats are made from 100% wild caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon and contain no fillers, bones, or other salmon by-products. These treats come in a two pack of stix which are each about 6-7 inches in length.

Many of the other salmon treats out there are made from farm raised salmon, which contain lower levels of nutrients and higher levels of fat Farm raised salmon is also very oily in nature and can lead to loose stools. Many fish dog treats also contain bone and other unwanted by-products. These do not!

Besides being a great low fat protein source for pups, these treats also contain high levels of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These omega acids are great for maintaining a healthy skin and coat, and help to promote cardiovascular and joint health.

And I do cut them small to use as training treats!

They last longer than a bag of pre-portioned training treats if you cut them small enough. They are stinky, but therefore incredibly enticing for most dogs.

The puppy got some and learned to sit and down!

Rabbit Feet, v 2.0

2010-01-27T07:01:00.000-08:00

I have blogged about dehydrated rabbit feet as a treat before, but wanted to highlight a new company's dehydrated rabbit feet that we tried recently.

Aunt Jeni's Rabbit Feet.
The ingredients listed are just that simple: Rabbit Feet: rabbit feet (furry)

The feet were just right for my adult 18 & 24lb shiba inus.
However, I chose the smallest foot in the bag for our foster puppy, and I think it was a little too much for him (he was unable to chew it/crunch it)

VPI top 5 ailments

2010-01-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

According to a list dogster.com posted, (VPI) evaluated this issue and released the following results, listed in order of frequency:
The most common health problems in dogs are:

Ear Infections
Skin Allergies
Pyoderma/Hot Spots
Gastritis/Vomiting
Enteritis/Diarrhea

Its rather amazing. It seems the solution to all the above problems is a natural, unprocessed diet. And perhaps many are issues that arrise due to vaccine damage. Just sayin...

back up foods | canned salmon

2010-01-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

salmon seems to be a coveted protein in a canine diet. I can't get past all the potential harms of feeding raw salmon, fresh caught or farmed, so this is the route I take:

Wellness 95% Salmon, canned. Naturally preserved and ethoxyquin free protein sources.

Please note, this is a supplemental feeding item - NOT intended as a complete & balanced diet!

nature's variety | bison

2010-01-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

Despite a little hang up in sourcing (so far, unknown) and ingredients, I did have my dogs try this new protein variety from Nature's Variety.

Ingredients:

My main question is about the montmorillonite clay. And its function in raw dog food.

According to their website, this ingredient is defined as:

Montmorillonite is a clay that is primarily colloidal silicate, which contains over 50 ultra-trace mineral compounds including Antimony, Barium, Beryllium, Boron, Bromine, Cadmium, Carbon, Cerium, Cesium, Chloride, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Dysprosium, Fluoride, Gadolinium, Gallium, Germanium, Iodine, Lanthanum, Lithium, Manganese, Neodymium, Nickel, Phosphorus, Rhenium, Rubidium, Samarium, Scandium, Silicon, Silver, Strontium, Sulfur, Tellurium, Thallium, Thorium, Tin, Titanium, Vanadium, Ytterbium, Yttrium, Zinc, and Zirconium. Feed studies by the Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory at Texas A&M University have shown that Montmorillonite clays can sequester (bind) aflatoxins contained in grains and oilseeds.

Wikipedia has this:

Other uses include as an anti-caking agent in animal feed

And complete mineral data for montmorillonite here.

The dogs did enjoy these medallions, though.

what does 'organic' mean?

2010-01-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

From The Honest Kitchen:

The term ‘organic’ refers to ingredients that have been grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), or radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones and must be fed only organic feed, and raised in an environment that meets organic standards.

Click to read more!

RECALL - Merrick Beef Filet Dog Treats

2010-01-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

The FDA issued a warning about Merrick Beef Filet Squares. If you still have the resealable package, check for a "Best By 11/19/11" date — those batches may be contaminated with Salmonella. To be on the safe side, if you're not sure when you bought the treats, discard!

Luckily no illnesses have been reported yet — the bacteria was caught in a routine inspection in December — but be careful when handling the treats (to discard them), remove anything else they could have contaminated, and thoroughly clean any containers, too.

Ark Naturals

2010-01-15T12:32:00.000-08:00

I first discovered Ark Naturals when I was helping a certain beloved shiba inu compensate for any joint problems he may have had due to a missing leg.

We began using Sea Mobility treats for him:

Because of their active ingredients (and being wheat/corn/soy free!):

After contacting them, and being sent multiple 'test' packets, I found they had two more very useful dog products (that I have not yet tried):
1. Gentle Digest Probiotic:

Ingredients:

Why use a probiotic?
All mammals have numerous beneficial bacteria living in their digestive tracts (gut), including dogs, cats and humans.
Periodic use of antibiotics, as well as natural aging tends to decrease the amount of beneficial bacteria in your pet’s digestive system. Beneficial bacterium helps to digest food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate toxic substances. [Gentle Digest Probiotic] alleviates occasional gas, diarrhea, and intestinal upset.

2. Happy Traveler

Active Ingredients:

An all-natural herbal calming formula for stressed, nervous, or anxious pets.
Happy Traveler® helps to control stress-related behavior in your pets. Great for those difficult times for your pet: Car Rides, Visits to Vets, Bath-Time, House Guests, Thunderstorms and Fireworks.

feeding philosophy

2010-01-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

- aka - why I do not feed (much) vegetables/fruits or grains:

Carbohydrates

Dogs do not have an essential requirement for carbohydrates. In their natural habitat, dogs consume prey that is high in protein with moderate amounts of fat and minimal amounts of carbohydrate (1-2%) are utilized in the diet (soluble or insoluble fiber). Although dogs can use carbohydrates as a source of energy, the limitations of substituting animal-origin nutrients with plant-origin nutrients in dog foods are being increasingly realized. Recent research has shown that high-carbohydrate diets are responsible for many cases of canine diabetes. In fact, not only diabetes but many serious health problems in dogs have a dietary factor. Some are caused by diet, and all are affected by it. Diet-related diseases include: obesity, chronic vomiting, pancreatitis, arthritis, heart disease, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, urinary tract disease, hyperthyroidism, skin and coat problems and cancer.

Dogs lack salivary amylase, the enzyme responsible for initiating carbohydrate digestion. Many pet owners and pet food manufacturers insist on adding vegetables or grains to a dog's diet claiming that they would eat them along with the stomach and intestines of their prey. However, this does not take into account that the amount of vegetable matter in small prey is small and more often than not, the stomach and the intestines are not eaten from large herbivorous prey.

Dogs do have a metabolic requirement for glucose. This requirement can be supplied either through endogenous synthesis (endogenous synthesis refers to the synthesis of a compound by the body) of glucose or from carbohydrate food sources. Metabolic pathways in the liver and kidney use other nutrients to produce glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis. This glucose is then released into the bloodstream to be carried to the body’s tissues. The dog can maintain normal blood glucose levels and health even when fed a carbohydrate-free diet.

- Dr. Corinne Chapman, www.carnivora.ca

treats | cow ears

2010-01-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

redbarn cow ears are 100% natural with no added chemicals or preservatives! They are 100% digestible, are low in fat and sodium, and rich in protein. A great odorless, non-perishable treat, that is USDA and FDA approved from Free Range Cattle. This is a natural product so thickness and shape may vary.

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein: 90% Min

Crude Fat: 1.1% Min

Crude Fiber: 1% Max

Crude Ash: 2% Max

Moisture: 10% Max

Calcium: .8% Min

Phosphorous: .4% Min

Shelf Life: 36 months

organs

2010-01-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

prey model raw is dependent on the inclusion of secreting organs (liver, et al) for a balanced diet.
Prey Model Guidelines: Feed 2 to 3 percent of your dog's ideal body weight each day, with 80 percent of the diet being muscle meat, 10 percent bone and 10 percent organs. Of the 10 percent organs, 5 percent, half, can be liver.

what are [some] secreting organs?
Liver (in rabbits, pancreas is also [sometimes] included in their liver), Brain, Testicles, Kidney, Spleen, Thymus

Commonly confused as organs, but still in the 'offal' catagory - heart, skin, eyes, stomach (lining), tongue and lungs are considered muscle meat.

sunday-fast day

2010-01-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

Our dogs go through a fast once a week, on Sundays unless something is planned (like a hike).
Sundays are also my fasting & meditation days. Basically, we all look forward to Sundays because:

all day long :)

Technicalities on fasting, from Kymythy Schultze:
- Fasting enables the energy used to digest food to be used for other things in the body (healing, cleansing, maintenance). Many dogs and cats instinctively fast when ill.
- Fasting is a normal occurrence for carnivores.
- Water aids in flushing out toxins from the body, and therefore should be available on fast days.

CAUTION!
- What is good for one dog/family may not be good for another. Know your dog (and know yourself) before you decide to regularly fast your dog.
- It’s important to remember to make sure your pet has plenty of fresh water on fast day.
- Do not do fast puppies, lactating bitches or pregnant bitches.

GOAT, v 2.0

2010-01-08T15:47:00.001-08:00

So I inadvertantly 'got smart' by storing the left over goat in a bag with defrosting, juicy cuts of beef.

Either this was enough to entice consumption, or accidental trickery - but the goat was eaten alongside the beef.

Success. Sort of.

GOAT

2010-01-08T06:52:00.001-08:00

aka - why shibas are ridiculous.

I was SO excited to find a bag of chunk, raw, bone in goat meat at a market. So excited. I took pictures because the dogs seemed excited, too:

Slightly freezer burnt, but still lookin' good.
- - - - - -

A little bit about goat:
Some interesting facts about goat meat:
Goats are the No. 1 red meat in the world. It is low in fat and cholesterol. According to nutritional facts supplied by the USDA, one 3-ounce serving of goat meat contains 122 calories, 2.58 grams of fat, 23 grams of protein and 3.3 milligrams of iron. The same amount of chicken has 120 calories, 3.5 grams of fat and 0.5 milligrams of iron. The same serving of beef has 245 calories, 16 grams of fat, 23 grams of protein and 2.9 milligrams of iron, while pork has 310 calories, 24 grams of fat, 21 grams of protein and 2.7 milligrams of iron, and lamb provides 235 calories, 16 grams of fat, 22 grams of protein and 1.4 milligrams of iron.

Some pics from other raw feeders
- - - - - - - - - -

After packaging up most into freezer bags (portioning) I gave a smidgen to each dog, for a taste:

Which did seem to go over quite well, besides Tsuki trying to bury it, but did eat it (she got the marrow):

- - - - - - - - - -

Then comes the real test - the actual meal of goat.
Consideration:

Tasting:

More consideration:

Rolling??

Needless to say, he got a bath, and the goat was put away until their morning meal.
Which, again, was not successful. They just stared at it.

Tsuki chose her turkey neck over the goat:

So, perhaps goat stew for the dogs tonight? Or I can suck it up and buy a meat grinder, mix the goat with tripe or something irresistible...

the easy way out

2010-01-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

For every topic in this world, there is always one who argues it... or doubts it... or has tried it and found it to be a negative experience and is advocating that everyone avoid it.

The internet is FULL of this stuff. Take, for instance, a place called Second Chance Ranch and their negative views on the raw diet 'fad'. Now read the rebuttal (long, but full of good stuff - promise!)

Picking the truth from the lies is the hard part. Unfortunately, most people would rather not take the time to find the truth--they just want the info, now.

Which I suppose is, in a way, a blessing in disguise when it comes to the raw diet. If you're not willing to do a lot of truth-seeking and research before feeding it, then you shouldn't feed it. Period. Better to feed kibble than a poorly balanced raw diet.

Admit it - kibble is the easy way out. Whether the issue is time (not enough), availability (hard to find), research (haven't done it) or personal (can't touch it) - kibble is the easiest way to feed a dog. I'll admit it. I go back to kibble when I have foster dogs - its easier. But is it better? I can't make that claim, I can only tell you what I have learned - via this blog.

Just to put the SCR's argument into perspective... the 'extensive' research mentioned can only have taken place in the last 60-70 years, as kibble had not existed before then and it was widely practiced to feed raw scraps to dogs. Therefore, it is not a fad. It is (was, and should be) a way of life for the domestic dog.

Reading accounts like this put it into more perspective for me. This is a breeder who has seen many generations THRIVE (not just live, or survive) on a total raw diet. For me, 'nuff said.

I have seen the benefits in my own dogs, its not just a digestive revolution - but a total wellness one. The results I have seen MYSELF, after the due research going into the diet, is enough to convince me forever - the raw diet works.

and now admitting my dorkiest side.. Hell, even Hagrid is shown feeding his pets/creatures raw meat/prey! Like hippogriff Buckbeak, who gets whole prey ferrets in Prisoner of Azkaban; and dog, Fang, gets a big red steak in Half Blood Prince. :)

Lamb

2010-01-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

Lamb is a protein I generally give in medallion form, unless it is post-holiday and on sale in whole form.

Luckily, our little local grocer had a fantastic sale on cuts of lamb shoulder and the shibas enjoyed it.

Lamb is very fatty, one of the highest according to Dr. Pitcairn's calculation, but also quite nutritious [including high levels of zinc for stamina, skin, and heart health while containing all essential amino acids] when part of a variety-rich raw foods diet.

Also, the shibas (24 & 18lbs) had no trouble getting through the bones in the meat cuts:

Bland diet on raw?

2010-01-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

Not that I've had a serious problem with it yet...

But lets say you are feeding raw - have tons of variety in the diet and for some reason, your dog has an upset stomach (the runs!)
1. I would fast the dog for a full day (or half a day if you can't handle it) then up the bone content in the next meal (like, a chicken back).

Lets say your dog is vomiting, and/or has 'the runs' (after you consider a vet visit..)
2. Chicken, plain old raw chicken is the blandest thing I can think of on a raw diet. It is what is recommended as the very first protein to try when switching your dog to a raw diet from kibble.

^this^ I have had to do. When I first began raw, we spent about a week and a half introducing different parts of the chicken (including liver). Then we introduced beef in combination with chicken. Then we added turkey. Then fish. Then pork - ACK! The pork was a disaster... we had to A. FAST him a day, and B. backtrack all the way to week one (chicken) to get Kitsune's digestion back to normal.

As a last resort
3. Nature's Variety Raw Medallions are SO bone heavy, they firm up even the runniest of stool!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I say this because I recently got an email about a Wheaten terrier who has been on raw for about a month, and had a digestive set back when trying to be introduced to veal. The owner wanted to give him a bland diet (of cooked chicken & rice, maybe some pumpkin).
Once your dog has adjusted to the digestion of raw foods, it will make his digestive track work even harder to digest cooked foods (topped with carbohydrates - rice, and vegetation - pumpkin). The owner was even considering going back to kibble until the issue resolved. NO NO NO! Just backtrack, keep your head, fast, and go back to chicken.

I certainly have more research to do on the topic, these are just observations tested on and approved by my dogs!

Avocados & Garlic | Vet Commentary

2010-01-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

Dolittler explores the dangers (or not..) of Garlic and Avocados

where the magic happens

2010-01-01T21:06:00.000-08:00

aka the kitchen (prep room)

Generally I allow my dogs to intermingle with me as I prepare their meals, it is encouraging to me to see the non-competitive comradeship my dogs have when I am the center of their world, because the food always comes from my hands. It is also smart on their behalf, as I appear "clumsy" and often drop smidgens of liver or kidney onto the floor that they cheerfully gobble up (something that doesn't often happen when their meal is before them in its entirety).

My husband, on the other hand, finds their 'mingling' a dangerous distraction and keeps them separated from him by a gate. I understand why, he is nervous to be using a cleaver to begin with and the chicken was still a tad frozen to be cutting into quarters.
This, however, led to a very cute photo opportunity... 'waiting'

heavens, i love her sweet little face.

HEALTH ALERT | Pacific Rimism

2009-12-31T08:15:00.001-08:00

Relevant to all dog owners, especially those who own Asian breeds, particularly the spitz types (shibas, akitas, jindos, chows, etc)

A scary experience of a fellow Shiba owner led to this awareness:

Pacific Rimism in Japanese Dogs
An informal case study in the lethal misdiagnosis of Hyper-kalemia and Addison’s disease in Nihon Ken

Hi all, I wanted to write up some of what I have come to know about this recently. I believe it is essential that all Nihon Ken owners, or anybody with related Asian spitz breeds like Jindo, etc, read, understand and share this information, especially to the Veterinary community.

Following our Christmas dinner (and scraps from the relatives), my spayed 2.5 year old Shiba Inu female Beebe began to have some GI upset/gastroenteritis/colitis symptoms, mainly mucous diarrhea. This is not a new thing for her. To refresh, she was diagnosed last year with an immune deficiency and has been on interferons, allergy injections, and has required treatment for demodex, papilloma virus warts, and histiocytomas. She suffers from environmental and food allergies, and thus we made the transition to a home prepared raw diet for 6 months now to help with her GI issues. It works well, except when she eats grain and table scraps, and for the fact that she is not a healthy dog to begin with.

Her most recent bought of diarrhea went on for 2 days, but it wasn’t severe to cause me to panic. I made her NPO and then fed her a bland diet of rice and chicken which resolved the diarrhea. On top of the GI disturbance, she also seemed to just not be herself, seemed more tired, had some trembling episodes during the night, and appeared to be developing some rear limb weakness in conjunction with hesitance when rising, getting on the couch or jumping into the backseat of the auto. She occasionally regurgitates her food (prior to starting raw). These symptoms are suggestive of Addison’s, and are symptoms sometime seen with conditions like hip dysplasia, LP, hypothyroid, mega-esophagus, cauda equina, colitis, and pancreatitis. I took her in to my Vet to do bloodwork and x-rays.

Of note, the spun serum had blood stranding and a pinkish hue, even though it was allowed the standard time to clot and set prior to being spun. This suggested cellular lysis (hemolysis). When this happens, electrolytes in the cells can be released, giving falsely elevated electrolyte levels, and in certain breeds, it can appear that the electrolytes are at lethal levels as their cells are naturally more prone to this condition, and contain higher levels of K naturally which is not a detriment to the animal.

These were her aberrant labs, which Dr. told me was scary to see.

K: 8.1, reference range 4.0-5.7
Repeat K level the following day was 8.4. We performed an EKG which was normal.
As a human nurse for 5 years and an animal nurse for 15 years, I can tell you that I have never known an animal with K that elevated, and if it was a human they would be dead in an ICU. Hyper-kalemia (elevated K), can result in fatal heart arrhythmias if not treated. K can be elevated in renal failure, adrenal insufficiency, and hemolysis, secondary to leakage of cellular material in platelets and RBCs during the clotting process and is influenced by lag time in blood collection. In Addison’s (hypo-adrenocorticism), K is elevated and sodium (Na) is reduced (hyponatremia). Her Na/K ratio was also low (18, with a reference range of 27-40). Following this, the definitive diagnostic rule-out is an ACTH stimulation test. Her sodium was normal, so I was encouraged to have her undergo an ACTH stim test as the pieces didn’t fit into the larger picture. All other significant labs were normal, including glucose, and renal/liver values (which are often abnormal in Addison’s).

In addition to the abnormal labs, the blood cells themselves exhibited slight hypochromasia (most commonly related to iron deficiency anemia in dogs, vitamin deficiency, or celiac disease) and poikilocytosis (a misshapen and distorted RBC seen as a result of hemolysis, immune mediated injury, or by a congenital process).

Unlike the Vet in the instance below, my Vet had heard of Pseudo-hyperkalemia in Akita, and wondered if it wasn’t the same for my Shibas, given that Addison’s is NOT known in Shibas and the generally unknown instance of Pseudo-hyperkalemia can easily be mistaken for it. I decided to phone some breeders, this is what they had to say:

This paragraph on Pacific Rimism is listed further down in this article.
I have seen a number of Shibas over the years with elevated potassium levels and this is entirely NORMAL for Shibas, as well as a number of other Asian breeds. A vet in Seattle actually treated a 6 month old Shiba puppy for Addison’s with only the elevated potassium levels. The dog came in with a gastrointestinal problem and vomiting. What was probably just a bug, was treated totally improperly and led to this dog's demise. I am absolutely dumbfounded at the number of vets over the years that have no knowledge of Pacific Rimism. I really feel that the information should be given in written form to the new Shiba owners to give to their Vets along with the health record. I am sure that some vets would see this as insulting, but it has cost me entirely too much time and effort over the years to educate the uneducated.

-Leslie, of San Jo Shibas

“What is Pacific Rimism?
Dog breeds originating in the Pacific Rim, such as the Akita and Shiba inu, commonly have elevated potassium levels on blood tests. This can be very confusing when a patient has symptoms that suggest Addison's disease. These patients will have normal ACTH Stimulation test results if they do not have Addison's disease.”
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=608

The Vet feels it is likely this syndrome, so the next step for Beebe is an ACTH stim test just to be sure. I am obviously hoping that it is normal. I am so thankful to the knowledgeable people who pointed me in the right direction as had we undergone steroid treatment for Addison’s when it is likely not, the result could be lethal. Here is the Dogster page and journal entries for the Shiba pup who died from misdiagnosis: http://www.dogster.com/dogs/266218

Fujise, Hiroshi; Higa, Kazunari; Nakayama, Takahiro; Wada, Kayoko; Ochiai, Hideharu and Yuichi Tanabe. Incidence of Dogs Possessing Red Blood Cells with High K in Japan and East Asia. The Journal of veterinary medical science. 59( 6): 495-497. (Jun 1997)

ABSTRACT: The phenotype of high K (HK) red blood cells, which is an autosomal recessive, was found in dog groups from 10 of 13 breeds or populations in Japan. The incidence of HK was 26 to 38% in the San-in-Shiba, Shinshu-Shiba and Akita breeds, and the gene frequencies of HK ranged from 0.513 to 0.612. The highest incidence (42%) was found in the Jindo breed from Korea, and the gene frequency was 0.652. Two other groups from Korea also possessed this HK variation. However, although HK cells were not found in dogs from Taiwan, Mongolia and Sakhalin, Russian, the HK phenotype is clearly distributed now throughout Japan and Korea.

COMMENTS: Very interesting article for the researcher and layman. It gives evidence on the flow of dogs from Korea to Japan. The following quotes are what I consider crucial conclusions that every Jindo owner should be aware of::

"There are a couple of clinical problems related with high K (potassium) cells or hyperkalemia. The first is pseudohyperkalemia where cellular K may leak out from red blood cells into the serum during separation procedures confusing diagnosis. The second possibility is life-threatening hyperkalemia resulting from transfusion. In this instance, the availability of fresh blood as well as stored blood is critical
because K may move from plasma when the recipient is acidotic or the hemolysis may result from improper transfusion."

"HK cells also exhibit high sensitivity to onion extracts and aromatic sulfide and have a tendency to hemolyze."

leftovers

2009-12-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

Tsuki is very 'particular'. Where she sits, how she sleeps, where she potties, how she walks across a room and especially what and when she eats.

It was a particular challenge to get her used to 'timed' raw feedings after being free fed kibble most of her life (my fault, exclusively).

But she does well, most of the time.

I have been trying to transition the dogs to large meals, fed once a day. Tsuki is not fond of this.

We start with something similar to this portion for each dog, where Kitsune (24lbs) gets the larger, compared to Tsuki's (18lbs) portion:

Then each gets as much time as it takes to eat it. Generally for Kitsu, this is about 5-10 minutes. Sometimes Tsuki is the same, and sometimes she just (literally) d-r-a-g-s it out...

Until she completely ignores the fact that it was, in fact, mealtime.

So, we do package up her leftovers:

And she gets them during her next meal.

The transition to once a day larger feedings has been a challenge because of Tsuki's finickiness. She doesn't eat the whole of her portion, then about 10-12 hours later, she does a yellow foamy urka-gurka vomit on an empty stomach, thus necessecitating a 2-meal-a-day system again.

I really don't mind much that she requires two smaller meals... I take the time and do the extra portioning. She just has to be difficult! :)

holiday meal | cornish hens

2009-12-26T22:04:00.001-08:00

the shibas got cornish game hens for their 'holiday feast', and some chuck roast chunks on the side. (click the link for nutritiondata's nutrient breakdown)

raw towel

2009-12-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

easy clean up when feeding raw - use a designated 'raw towel'

and train your dog to stay on it ;)

recipe book | the honest kitchen

2009-12-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

Check out this sweet Recipe Book compiled and sold by The Honest Kitchen:

Our first ever recipe book is now available! Made out of Love is packed with more than 65 recipes of meals and treats that you can prepare for (and some to actually share with) your animal companions. Some recipes include Honest Kitchen products and many are simply made from ingredients that you’d find in your own kitchen.
There are recipes to cook and some to serve raw, as well as a special section on ‘medicinal meals’ for special needs pets and of course a chapter exclusively for cats. Made out of Love also includes lots of beautiful photographs of finished recipes, raw ingredients and some of our canine taste testers.

Turkey Necks

2009-12-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

To dress or not to dress...

2009-12-21T07:32:00.000-08:00

the fish? Most people dress it, but I think the dogs prefer it au naturale.

Dressed Smelt

I often search grocery store aisles for decent deals on both canned (in water, no added salt) and fresh fish. Not every fish should be fed (or consumed by you!) but many are safe.
I've heard way too many questionable things about farmed fish, or wild caught salmon that I tend to steer clear of many larger, 'popular' fish. However, my dogs do get a Wild Caught Salmon Oil capsule a few times a week.

There are several kinds of fishy treats for dogs, including the Herring by Snacks 21 and Grizzly NuTreats Salmon.

Fresh
Our dogs get a mixture of Jack Mackerel, Sardines, Smelt (not as often), Anchovies & occasionally Trout (when in season). Most canned products have loads of extra salt, but I have been able to find a few companies that only can in water with no salt (look at the ingredients!). Jack Mackerel is harder to find without salt, so I feed that very seldom.

In the fresh variety, I have been able to find whole anchovies, some whole smelt. Mostly, the smelt and trout are 'dressed', aka 'cleaned & gutted'.

At this point, the dogs are not getting the full nutritional benefit of a whole fish (bones, organs) just the skin and flesh.

It isn't ideal, but at least its a part of a larger variety of raw meat protein sources for them in their raw diet. My goal is to find and feed whole raw fish at least once a week.

Some other items I've been able to find (whole) and feed: prawns, squid, fish heads

Purebites

2009-12-21T07:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is a cat treat bag. No, I do not have a cat :)

I often buy Purebites Dehydrated Beef Liver treats for the dogs when on sale. I love these treats because
1. The dogs cannot resist them, and Kitsu learned to "touch" for them.
2. They are single ingredient treats.
3. They market them for dogs AND cats. I think too often cats get the shaft on healthy treats, and these help bridge that gap.

I think the in-law's cat will enjoy his Christmas present!

Pig Ear/Cow Hoof Recall CONT'D

2009-12-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

Read here for the update, recall has been expanded

First Time Raw

2009-12-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

I filmed Maisy's very first time eating a whole raw meal (medallions don't count!).

My best and most trusted advice is to give the dog a Raw Meaty Bone that is bigger than its head. It requires them to work at it (and not gulp) and will be a very fulfilling meal experience for them.

This held true for Maisy. She went from gulping kibble and swallowing medallions whole to carefully chewing and crunching her entire half chicken. Good girl!

Ostrich Medley

2009-12-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

A super cool fellow raw feeder sent me these. They are perfect! The dogs love um!

Aunt Jeni's Ostrich Medley. I'll let Best Bully Sticks say in their words, because every word is true:

This Ostrich Medley contains dehydrated ostrich liver, ostrich heart, ostrich lung, and ostrich trachea. It comes in a 10 ounce re-sealable container and is made in our own backyard, the USA! These treats are single protein sources, and contain no additives or preservatives. They are also great for raw feeders because most of the treats are organ meat!

Mmmmm.

Pig Ear/Cow Hoof Recall

2009-12-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pig Ears and Beef Hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, Calif.

The affected pig ear products were packaged under the brand names Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel. The affected beef hooves were packaged under the brand names Choo Hooves, Dentley’s, Doggie Delight, and Pet Carousel. All sizes and all lots of these products made by Pet Carousel are included in this alert. During September 2009, the FDA conducted routine testing of pig ears made by Pet Carousel.
The test results detected a positive reading for Salmonella. This prompted an FDA inspection of Pet Carousel’s manufacturing facilities. During the inspection, the agency collected additional pet treat samples. Further analysis found Salmonella present in beef hooves, pig ears and in the manufacturing environment.

Salmonella can affect both humans and animals. People handling dry pet food and/or pet treats can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the treats or any surfaces exposed to these products. Consumers should dispose of these products in a safe manner by securing them in a covered trash receptacle.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella may experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Although rare, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their health care provider immediately.

Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may only experience a decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed any of the affected products or is experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.

The FDA will continue to investigate this matter to determine the source of the Salmonella contamination and offer updates as appropriate.

Consumers can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food and pet treat products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in their area. You can locate the nearest consumer complaint coordinator at:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ConsumerComplaintCoordinators/default.htm

Nature's Calming Agents

2009-12-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

Herbs

Chamomile is a very helpful herb for easing anxiety. You can simply make a tea by steeping a chamomile teabag in hot water for a few minutes and adding the brew to his food.

St John's Wort is another popular herbal remedy for anxiety and stress since it relieves troublesome symptoms without sedation.

Nutrition

B-complex vitamins are very helpful for stress. Vitamin B12 and Folic acid are especially helpful. The amino acid phenylalanine is also used for anxiety; it helps to form a state of natural relaxation and has a positive effect on mood and behavior. In Traditional Chinese medicine, fear may stem from hereditary weakness involving the kidney or heart. Barley and Oats nourish these organs and the nervous system. Adding 1 teaspoon to ½ cup of these thoroughly cooked grains to the diet may help calm an anxious pet.

Flower Essences

Honeysuckle is useful for more straightforward cases of separation anxiety.

Gorse is useful for despair and grief, especially when an owner has passed away
Rock Rose helps to calm terror that manifests as trembling, cowering and panting as though the world might end.
Mimulus helps with fears of everyday life — strange places, the dark, and strangers or crowds for example.
Larch helps to cultivate bravery and courage along with emotional security.
Walnut helps to build up a sense of security and emotional independence.
Chestnut Bud can help as a preventive for a young dog, so that he can learn form his experiences and process new information to assist him in becoming an emotionally stable young dog.

You can add 3 drops of any or all of these flower essences to you pet's water bowl. Some people also apply flower essence to their pet?s paws or ears.

Homeopathy

Arsenicum Album is a very useful homeopathic remedy for fear and anxiety that are caused by a deep-seated insecurity — those pets who are constant worriers.

Aconite especially good for animals who bite when they are frightened, especially when going to the veterinarian. Use 1-3 pellets (depending upon the animals size) 30 minutes before a vet visit to calm the animal.
Gelsemium is good for the animal who becomes weak, shaking with fear in the rear legs. Use 1 dose.

For more information, check out The Honest Kitchen & Bach's Flower Remedies which includes RESCUE REMEDY FOR PETS

The Honest Kitchen ROCKS

2009-12-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

DEFENDING OUR STANCE

We’re sometimes asked why we are so strongly opposed to the farming of puppies, breeding on a mass scale and raising of puppies to be sold in retail outlets. We have refused to allow Honest Kitchen products to be sold in stores that sell puppies and kittens for the past seven years and remain committed to this. Some stores and distributors have taken exception to our decision and we wanted to take a moment to explain our position.
We believe that puppy mills do not constitute responsible breeders, since puppy-mill pets are not sufficiently socialized to normal every day situations, causing them to suffer various social problems and making them difficult house pets – which in turn makes them even more at risk of ending their days in a shelter. There are about 100,000 to 200,000 dogs inside puppy mills at any given time in the United States In addition, puppy mills do not offer lifetime support to puppy owners and do not agree to take back any puppy they have raised, for the duration of its entire life, as a responsible breeder does. Further, when puppies are sold in retail outlets, there is insufficient vetting of new homes to ensure that owners are sufficiently educated on how to care for their new animal, have the means to care for their new family member and properly understand the lifetime responsibility they are undertaking.
The mass scale breeding of puppies on farms, transportation across the country and re-sale in shops is the single biggest cause of massive over-population of companion animals in the United States and has caused puppies to be considered as commodities or possessions rather than members of the family. According to The Humane Society of the United States, exhaustive documentation on the problems surrounding puppy mills include the following: “over-breeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of human socialization, overcrowded cages and the killing of unwanted animals. Many puppy-mill dogs are also born with genetic diseases, the symptoms of which, may not surface for several years into the animal’s life.
The greatest victims in the puppy mill problem are the breeding parents, because they will live their life in a cage and it generally ends fairly brutally. A number of national media outlets including American Dog Magazine, Best Friends Magazine and National Geographic’s Cesar Millan, as well as NY based radio personality and author Tracie Hotchner, are highlighting the horrors or mass scale puppy breeding and helping to inform the public, as well as showcasing success stories or businesses that are removing themselves from the trade.
If you’d like get some information on what constitutes a responsible breeder, the The Whole Dog Journal has an outstanding article. To learn more about our policies, or better still learn about where to adopt a shelter pet, please ask. We’d be delighted to help.

Can Raw Help Her?

2009-12-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

Update: I truly believed feed Maisy this way helped. It at least eliminated her constant hunger/hungry behavior, and helped her take food from hands without biting them. She did however continue to show troubling behaviors within the home structure with our other dogs and inevitably we made the difficult decision to bring her back to the no kill shelter.

Our newest dog Maisy has some pretty severe resource guarding tendencies.

Would a raw diet help the resource guarding? Or make it worse?

I don't know yet. But I'm going to try it.
She is some sort of terrier though. The last terrier I tried to acclimate to raw nearly took my fingers off and inhaled a drumstick right out of my hand (remember, Jana?!)

I also think, with the added moisture and balanced natural bioavailibility/distribution of nutrients (especially protein) may even calm her down temperamentally over a few weeks time.

My belief is that it has to do with how she is fed. Large meals. Meals enough to fill her stomach. Challenging RMBs. An ideal RMB is the size of the dog's head or larger. I'm going to start with half a chicken.

Small meals (what humans tend to consider "normal meals") directly feed into the resource guarding. A dog who never feels full can feel it needs to do anything to secure its next meal. The dog constantly feels hungry, and that feels like starving. This is something I CAN control.

Mogens Eliasen said it best, "Few dog owners want to starve their dog or to keep it constantly hungry. Nevertheless, this is what most people end up doing when they feed their dog multiple daily meals, assuming that this is just as good for a dog as it is for a human.

"An adult dog needs an amount of food in average per day that is about 2-3% of its body weight. Considering that it takes 6-8% to fill the stomach, there is just no way the average dog will ever get to experience the satisfying fulfillment of having a full stomach…"
Why your dogs needs to fill its stomach on a regular basis

So. We'll see if raw can help save her.

Does anyone have advice to behaviorally make a feisty terrier who INHALES her food accustomed to eating RMB's from my hand?

Dry Matter Basis

2009-11-25T19:08:00.001-08:00

I hear so many conflicting things about protein levels in kibble. The one that irks me is the argument that high protein kibbles are dangerous to dogs, because if fed raw the protein content is so much lower.

False.

You simply cannot compare kibble protein content to raw protein content without first converting the protein content in raw to a DRY MATTER BASIS.

FDA Dry Matter Basis Conversion

As stated on the above linked site:
"Canned foods typically contain 75-78% moisture, whereas dry foods contain only 10-12% water. To make meaningful comparisons of nutrient levels between a canned and dry product, they should be expressed on the same moisture basis."

"The percentage of dry matter of the product is equal to 100% minus the percentage of moisture guaranteed on the label."

"To convert a nutrient guarantee to a dry matter basis, the percent guarantee should be divided by the percentage of the dry matter, then multiplied by 100. For example, a canned food guarantees 8% crude protein and 75% moisture (or 25% dry matter), while a dry food contains 27% crude protein and 10% moisture (or 90% dry matter). Which has more protein, the dry or canned? Calculating the dry matter protein of both, the canned contains 32% crude protein on a dry matter basis (8/25 X 100 = 32), while the dry has only 30% on a dry matter basis (27/90 X 100 = 30). Thus, although it looks like the dry has a lot more protein, when the water is counted out, the canned actually has a little more."

Foods like EVO are actually the next best thing if for some reason you cannot feed raw, provided you compensate for the lost moisture.

My dogs are doing fantastic on their EVO fish formula trial.

Just as an example for the true comparison:
Take 1 oz (19g) of chicken leg (raw, bone in)
*Moisture: 11.48g (60.42%)
*Protein: 4.89g (25.75%)

According to the FDA, the DMB of this chicken leg would be
25.75% protein, divided by 39.58% dry matter, multiply by 100 = 65% protein in Dry Matter Basis. MUCH more than EVO's dry matter basis protein percentage.

EVO, Herring & Salmon
*Moisture (max): 10%
*Protein (min): 42%

Unless I'm understanding this wrong, I think higher protein diets from quality protein sources and no grains are the best possible kibble solution you can get for a healthy dog (with adequate daily water intake)

As an aside to the "high protein" debacle is the myth that higher quality meat protein diets can contribute to kidney failure. Protein has nothing to do with kidney failure. What is true is that kidneys that are already diseased or not functioning properly have trouble processing nitrogen. Nitrogen is a by-product of the digestion of poor quality proteins, like from plants. That is why, according to the holistic nutritionist I've been working with, canine kidney patients should avoid eating low quality protein and eat only high quality proteins from MEAT sources instead.

BULLY STICKS SALE!

2009-11-18T07:47:00.001-08:00

Save 10% on your entire order!
For three days only we are offering discount code HOLIDAY to save you 10% on your entire order.** This is the biggest discount code we have ever offered, and we can only do it once a year-so please be sure to take advantage of it! All you need to do is enter the word HOLIDAY in the coupon code field at checkout.

**This discount is valid on November 18th, 19th, and 20th only and is not retroactive. It cannot be combined with any other promotions or coupon codes.

bestbullysticks.com

Unfit for Human Consumption

2009-11-17T05:55:00.000-08:00

How utterly fascinating... the things we do not know. In the years following the massive pet food recalls, a major shift of focus began to happen, major scrutiny of the pet food industry. And yet, there is still so much left in the shadows for the origin of the feeds we use daily for our dogs and cats. Many have begun to only feed "human grade" products, believing that those products go under a greater review than food products not intended for human consumption. Case in point - Nebraska By-Products and their contribution to Happy Hounds dog food. The following are snippets from this article. Be sure the click the link, you'll see a fantastic image of a man handling a box that clearly states "unfit for human consumption".

Nebraska By-Products removes dead stock from farms and ranches and processes it. It’s a vital and important business to the livestock industry, but has importance to other businesses, too... The dead stock received is rendered into two products: tallow and rendered tankage that is processed into meat and bone meal for use in the animal feed industry. One of the most important issues for a rendering facility is the promptness of retrieving the fallen animal. Deterioration leads to lower product value...

In 1997, the company created its own red meat product bearing the Happy Hound label for greyhounds and farms in Kansas and Florida, then began expanding its distribution into Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Arizona and Iowa.
“We’re recycling dead animals into useful products,” Fagot said. “We get the beef from farmers, ranchers and feedlots.”
Two years ago, Happy Hound dog food became available in Montana, Wyoming and Alaska for sled dogs. Some of the product is used by sled dogs that race in the Iditarod...
“This is not the kind of dog food a person would feed a family pet,” Fagot said. “It’s higher in fat for cold temperatures. It’s raw red meat, 100 percent beef. It’s more for energy than as a food source.”
Nebraska By-Products processes much the same as a slaughterhouse. “They work with live animals. We work with dead stock.”
...Another byproduct is the hides. They’re removed from the animal and sold to tanneries in China, Vietnam, Mexico and Korea.
“We are the original recyclers,” Fagot said.

Inu Treats | noribone

2009-11-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

We had the dogs try a new treat today : INU TREATS!

When I saw the name of the treats, of course I had to pick it up and look at the ingredients.
And, we took a chance... as they do contain grains and have more ingredients than the treats I tend to buy.

Ingredients for noribone (list on packaging) are:
Brown Rice Flour, Whole Oats, Oat Flour, Wild Salmon Meat, Fish Broth, Canola Oil, Seaweed, Salmon Oil, Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage & Basil

So far, no allergic reaction to the rice or oats, and it is "inu" approved!

Herring by Snacks 21

2009-11-04T07:14:00.000-08:00

A super healthy, tasty (& albeit stinky) dog treat! ^Shiba approved^
From Petfooddirect.com:

Snack 21 Herring Strips for Dogs
100% Natural treats made only from dried Pacific Herring with no by-products fillers or rendered materials. Ideal for pets with allergies to meat products and chemical additives.

EVO | Herring & Salmon

2009-10-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

We are trying a new kibble in our PM rotation!

EVO Herring & Salmon Formula

Analysis:

Protein	42.98 %
Fat	18.6 %

Moisture 10%
Carbohydrates 18%
Calcium 2.21% (not appropriate for growing dogs)
Phosphorus 1.41%
Calories 3,815 kcal/kg (1 cup=119 g)
456 kcal/cup (1 cup=4.20 oz)

Ingredients:
Herring, Salmon Meal, Herring Meal, Peas, Salmon, Eggs, Herring Oil, Pea Fiber, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Apples, Carrots, Cottage Cheese, Dried Chicory Root, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Minerals, Vitamins, Direct-Fed Microbials

'What to Do If Your Pooch Eats Something Poisonous'

2009-10-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

What to Do If Your Pooch Eats Something Poisonous

Originally published on October 29, 2009

Dogs seem to have a knack for sniffing out and sampling potentially dangerous substances. That's why it's important to get a gauge on which hazards may be lurking around your home and learn how to respond if your pooch takes a taste of any of them.
What to Watch For
Some substances, like insecticides, fertilizers, and household cleaning products, are pretty obvious dangers, but many others are less well-known. Citronella, fabric softeners, batteries, and certain sugar-free candies are a few that could cause problems for your pet. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) keeps an updated list of possible canine toxins at ASPCA.org.

What to Do
If you ever suspect your dog has eaten or swallowed something poisonous, call your veterinarian's office or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435 right away.

You can call this center 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It's staffed by veterinary toxicologists who'll be able to quickly advise you on what to do in your situation. Their phone consultations generally cost $60 and include a follow-up call.

What to Say
When you call, be ready to provide the following:

Basic info about your dog.
A description of any symptoms she's having.
Details on what your dog has ingested, including an approximation of how much was consumed, and when. Have the bottle or package of the substance on hand for reference, if possible.

If your dog is having a strong adverse reaction, seizures, trouble breathing, or is losing consciousness, skip the phone call and get her to the emergency vet clinic as quickly as possible.

Cows vs. Cars

2009-10-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Are Cows Worse Than Cars?

These days almost any proposal to reduce global warming gets taken seriously, even by conservatives. Solar panels are proposed for powering everything except submarines. Oilman T. Boone Pickens wants to put windmills on every empty patch of land in Texas, and Republicans have finally found something to like about France: nuclear power.
But when Rajendra Pachauri, who runs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), made a suggestion that could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 18 percent, he was excoriated. Why was his proposal so unpalatable? Because he suggested eating less meat would be the easiest way people could reduce their carbon footprint, with one meat-free day per week as a first step. "How convenient for him: He's a vegetarian," sneered a Pittsburgh Tribune Review editorial. "Dr. Pachauri should be more concerned about his own diet. A new study shows that a deficiency of vitamin B-12, found primarily in meat, fish and milk, can lead to brain shrinkage." Boris Johnson, London's outspoken mayor, posted a long screed on his blog, declaring, "The whole proposition is so irritating that I am almost minded to eat more meat in response."
Johnson may not appreciate the environmental value of replacing his steak and kidney pie with a tofu scramble, but the benefits would be quite real. Animal agriculture is responsible for local pollution from animal waste and chemical use and for greenhouse gas emissions from the energy-intensive process of growing feed and raising livestock, plus the, ahem, byproducts of animal digestion. It would be much easier -- and cheaper -- to give up meat than to, say, convert an entire country's electrical grid to using solar, wind, or nuclear energy. A rural Montanan might have no choice but to drive to work, but he can certainly switch out his pork chop for pinto beans. While Pachauri was correct to note that one need not go vegan to help the environment -- simply eating less meat would help -- he could have also emphasized the more politically appealing point that one can be a carnivore and still reduce one's impact by choosing different meats. Even limiting one's meat consumption to chicken yields major environmental benefits -- not to mention health and financial benefits.
What should be a surprise is not that Pachauri made the comments he did but that it took him so long to do so. In fact, the environmental movement has largely ignored meat consumption. The man with whom the IPCC shared its Nobel Prize for raising climate change awareness, Al Gore, has never mentioned the environmental impact of meat consumption. Green groups tell their conscientious constituents to trade in their SUV for a Prius and buy compact-fluorescent light bulbs but haven't dared suggest that they give up steak.
Perhaps even more so than cars, meat is deeply embedded in American culture. Apple pie may be the quintessential American food, but McDonald's hamburgers aren't far behind. We carve turkey on Thanksgiving and host Fourth of July barbeques. Without meat, how do you know it's a meal? To most Americans, veggies and tofu are a laughable substitute. "It was a reaction to the '60s hippie cooking that gave this important idea of vegetarianism a bad name," says Alice Waters, the chef and author who is widely credited with creating the organic-food revolution. Environmentalists, who know they must change the stereotype that they are all either tree-hugging radicals or self-righteous scolds, may be reluctant to embrace vegetarianism because of those easily caricatured cultural connotations.
"Environmental groups don't want to come out too strongly on it," says Danielle Nierenberg, who researches the intersection of animal agriculture and climate change for both the Humane Society, an organization that promotes the compassionate treatment of animals, and the World Watch Institute, an environmental think tank. "People get very upset when they feel they are being told what to eat."

***
Now should be environmental vegetarianism's big moment. Global warming is the single biggest threat to the health of the planet, and meat consumption plays a bigger role in greenhouse gas emissions than even many environmentalists realize. The production and transportation of meat and dairy, particularly if you include the grains that are fed to livestock, is much more energy-intensive than it is for plants. Animals, especially cattle, also release gases like methane and nitrous oxide that, pound for pound, are up to 30 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. Internationally there is an additional cost to animal agriculture: massive deforestation to make land available for grazing, which releases greenhouse gases as the trees are burned and removes valuable foliage that absorbs carbon dioxide. As a result, according to a 2006 United Nations report, internationally the livestock sector accounts for 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions -- more than the transportation sector.
The numbers for the United States are more hotly contested. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that meat is only half of the U.S. agriculture sector's share of domestic greenhouse gases and that the entire agriculture industry produces 7.56 percent of the U.S.' contribution. This is considerably less than the transportation sector, which the EPA estimates accounts for roughly 29 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The American Meat Institute, an industry trade association, cites the EPA numbers as credible. But they fail to take into account that 50 percent of grain is being fed to livestock and that its production and transportation costs should also be attributed to what you find in the meat or dairy aisle of the supermarket. Additionally, the EPA numbers do not include large categories such as the transportation of plants and animals.
In fact, some environmentalists allege that the Bush administration's EPA chose the lowest possible estimate, which the meat industry routinely cites, for political reasons. "With the EPA being in the pocket of the meat industry, it's not in their interest to come up with the best numbers," says Bruce Friedrich, who works on environmental issues for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The real U.S. figure is roughly halfway between the UN's and the EPA's numbers, according to independent experts. "There are many assumptions that one needs to make when quantifying emissions," explains Gidon Eshel, an environmental studies professor at Bard College at Simon's Rock. "It's not that any one assumption is correct. Almost all of them are defensible." Eshel estimates that if you used the UN's standards, animal agriculture would account for 10 percent or 11 percent of U.S. greenhouse gases.
Consumers may not have a say in whether or not another coal power plant will be built, but they do have control over how much meat they personally eat. A University of Chicago study co-authored by Eshel found that, for the average American, "the greenhouse gas emissions of various diets vary by as much as the difference between owning an average sedan versus a Sport Utility Vehicle." One meat eater going vegetarian results in putting the equivalent of 1.5 fewer tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. Further, according to the study, if all Americans ate a vegan diet it would cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 6 percent, probably more. Those savings would have a more immediate impact than would reducing the same amount of carbon through other means, because the average time scale for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is about 10 times as slow as for methane. Most important, as Eshel notes, one can reduce personal greenhouse gas emissions through dietary change more easily and comfortably than, say, cutting back on electricity use by living in the dark or forgoing air conditioning all summer.
But meat eating has grown dramatically in developed countries in recent decades, with developing countries beginning to catch up. The average American eats 200 pounds of meat, poultry, and fish per capita per year, 50 pounds more than Americans did in the 1950s. Between 1970 and 2002 the average person in a developing country went from consuming 24 pounds to 65 pounds of meat annually. In all, the world's total meat consumption in 2007 was estimated to be 284 million tons, compared to 71 million tons in 1961. It is expected to double by 2050. "You're seeing now India and China, with a growing middle class, are eating more meat," says Laura Shapiro, a culinary historian and author of Something from the Oven, about the cuisine of 1950s America.
Yet the environmental conversation remains solely about cars and power plants, not beef and pork.

***
Unlike the vitriol that Rajendra Pachauri encountered, Caryn Hartglass has been met with a different reaction when she suggests people eat less meat: deafening silence. Hartglass is the only paid staffer for Earth Save, the most prominent (using that term loosely, as it only has 3,000 members) organization dedicated solely to promoting an animal-free diet for environmental reasons. "I go to [environmental organizations'] Web sites and it's supposed to tell you what to do to reduce global warming and it doesn't say eat less meat," says Hartglass. "So I ask them why not. They say they're focusing on reducing carbon-dioxide emissions not methane-gas emissions."
Why are environmental groups and even politicians willing to tell Americans to drive smaller cars or take the bus to work but unwilling to tell them to eat less meat? If you live in a recently built suburb you must drive most places whether you wish to or not. Walking or public transit simply isn't an option. But you could stop buying ground beef and start buying veggie burgers tomorrow, saving yourself some money and sparing yourself some cholesterol in the process. And yet no one, other than a small cadre of lonely fringe activists like Hartglass, devotes much energy to making the connection. Food experts and environmentalists generally worry that Americans might react with hostility similar to Boris Johnson's if asked to put down their hamburgers.
Their timidity is understandable. On the rare occasion that the federal government has tried to even suggest that Americans lower their meat consumption, it has failed. In 1977, the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs recommended eating less meat and dairy to combat heart disease. But the meat and dairy lobbies complained vociferously, and the committee rephrased the report to say that people should instead choose animal products that would "reduce saturated fat consumption." Just to be sure no one else got the foolish idea of suggesting Americans eat less meat, the beef industry spent heavily to successfully defeat Committee Chairman George McGovern in 1980.
But while politicians may have reason to fear the meat lobby, environmental groups are supposed to push the political envelope. They began calling for caps on carbon emissions in the late 1990s, before it was politically palatable, and both major party candidates for president endorsed cap-and-trade in 2008. Many people see their car or truck as a part of their identity, but that hasn't stopped the Sierra Club from ensuring that every American is aware of the environmental threat their vehicle poses. And yet, the major environmental groups have been unwilling to push the meat issue. "I don't know of anyone in the environmental community that has taken a stance of 'we support no meat consumption because of global warming,'" says Tim Greef, deputy legislative director for the League of Conservation Voters. Adds Nierenberg, "It's the elephant in the room for environmentalists. They haven't found a good way to address it."
The Sierra Club's list of 29 programs -- which includes such relatively small-bore issues as trash-transfer stations (they threaten "quality of life and property values") -- does not include any on the impact of meat consumption. Their main list of things you can do to help prevent global warming mentions hanging your clothes out to dry instead of using a dryer but makes no mention of eating less meat. "The Sierra Club isn't opposed to eating meat, so that's sort of the long and short of it. [We are] not opposed to hunting, not opposed to ranching," says Josh Dorner, a spokesman for the Sierra Club, the nation's oldest and largest grass-roots environmental organization.
Of course, asking Americans to eat less meat is not the same thing as actively condemning ranching and hunting, but ranchers and hunters might consider it a threat to their livelihood and lifestyle all the same. And there's the rub. Though the Sierra Club does not have a position on meat consumption, it does ally with small ranchers and hunters on an array of issues, from opposing the development of giant feedlots to preserving land. "We believe that making connections with hunters and anglers is critical to ultimately getting a solution to global warming," says Dave Hamilton, director of the global warming and energy program at the Sierra Club. "They are often in places that are targets for what we're trying to do, and they are a key constituency for policy makers."
Calling for less meat consumption would almost certainly endanger that relationship. But the Sierra Club denies that is the reason for its lack of a stance on meat, saying that it focuses instead on issues where it can have a greater impact. "It does not necessarily pay to appear to be telling people how to live their lives," says Hamilton. "We want to give positive solutions. We've tried to focus on the things that we feel can make the greatest difference with the energy and resources that we have."
Other environmental groups, such as Natural Resources Defense Council, acknowledge that reducing meat consumption would be helpful in ameliorating emissions, but it simply is not a high priority. "We haven't taken a position [on meat]," says Elizabeth Martin Perera, a climate-policy specialist at the NRDC. "There's no reason not to; we just haven't gotten around to it." The League of Conservation Voters, which coordinates environmental political efforts, explains it as a process of fighting one battle at a time. "Once you deal with the largest emitters of carbon, complementary policies need to get passed," says Greef. "After they pass cap-and-trade, you will see work for a better transportation bill, work on deforestation and the logging industry. Meat falls into that bucket." When it comes to sorting out legislative priorities, Greef's position is sensible. The car-dependence of the American landscape and other energy-intensive consumption habits make attacking those larger emitters a higher priority domestically.
But environmental groups do more than just lobby Congress. First and foremost, they explain how our activities affect the environment. It is obvious that a car spews pollution, but to see your beef burrito first as a burping cow, and before that as oil being burned to grow corn to feed that cow, requires education. The movement also can advise the public on lifestyle choices and demonstrate how those choices can be practical. A typical Sierra Club member cannot do much to pass cap-and-trade, but she can skip the bacon in her breakfast sandwich.

***
Remember those TV commercials that declared, "Beef, it's what's for dinner"? Only a few foods are so central to American cuisine and culture that they can assert their primacy simply by reminding you that you've always consumed them. Americans do indeed eat an extraordinary amount of meat, roughly twice their daily recommended dose of protein. But contrary to the commercial, this was not always the case -- consumption has not just been driven by market demand. The other culprit is cheap corn.
Meat has become cheaper -- and therefore more prevalent in American diets -- in the last 30 years because it has been heavily subsidized, albeit indirectly. Ever since Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz declared in 1973 that "what we want out of agriculture is plenty of food," American agricultural policy has encouraged overproduction and lower prices, primarily in the form of massive subsidies for corn. Livestock, in turn, consumes more than half the corn grown in the U.S. because it is cheaper to confine animals to a tight lot and funnel corn in than to allow them to graze freely on grass. With cheaper grain and denser, dirtier feedlots replacing free-range ranches, meat prices and meat quality have dropped, while meat's environmental impact has increased.
"The livestock doesn't get direct subsidies per se, but they have until recently done very well by getting subsidized corn," says Larry Mitchell, director of government affairs at the American Corn Growers Association (ACGA), a rival offshoot of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), which the ACGA contends represents agribusiness conglomerates rather than small farmers. "Most of the huge, confined animal-feeding operations, factory farms, wouldn't be viable if they had to pay the true cost of corn," Mitchell says.
Some environmental scientists contend that, in addition to filling local groundwater with animal waste and destroying the open spaces of the West with feedlots, grain-fed meat creates more emissions per pound than grass-fed meat. "Some work from the EPA suggests that you can reduce methane by half by not confining animals and not feeding them high-energy grains," says Nierenberg. But, she concedes, the evidence is mixed. Other studies, such as those promoted by conservatives, find the opposite: Eating grass gives cows gas. A spokesperson for the NCGA declined to comment for this article but referred me to Alex Avery, a researcher at the conservative Hudson Institute. Avery, who acknowledges that his research is underwritten by industry interests, cites studies suggesting that corn-fed livestock emits less methane.
Fundamentally, though, Avery and food-industry spokespeople don't acknowledge the role that cheap corn plays in the prevalence of meat in the American diet. "The world needs to eat," says Tamara McCann Thies, chief environmental counsel for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, "and demand dictates how much beef is produced in the U.S. and elsewhere." Of course, demand is a product of price, and price is a product of production costs, and production costs are affected by subsidies. The world needs to eat, but it does not need to eat burgers.
Indeed, while a public-relations campaign would have some marginal impact, it has long been established that only government regulation can be certain to change America's consumption patterns. Despite all the publicity surrounding the ills of oil, average auto fuel efficiency has stagnated. And how many people do you know who hang-dry their clothes to keep the polar ice cap afloat?
So what would a political agenda to reduce the emissions from animal agriculture look like? The answer is surprisingly simple.
As with so many environmentally damaging habits, such as driving, our over-consumption of factory-farmed animals is the product of a set of indirect subsidies that make its cost artificially low. Much of the agriculture industry is exempt from compliance with the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, thus reducing its business costs. Grain subsidies lower the cost of feed. And the Government Accountability Office recently found that the EPA has failed to hold factory farms accountable for massive violations, essentially another form of government subsidy by freeing them of the cost of compliance. Undoing any of these boondoggles would raise the cost of meat. Another option is to raise the standards of animal treatment, which would also make the production of meat more expensive. California recently passed a ballot proposal to ban cruelly overcrowded conditions in factory farms. By eliminating dense feedlots, which animal-rights activists and even many farmers regard as inhumane and which create local pollution, it should become more expensive to produce meat because it will require more land per animal. Although it is not clear how much meat consumption would fall as a result, it makes sense, as it does with driving, to at least remove the price advantage of such an environmentally destructive activity.
And, of course, the government could remove corn subsidies. Whatever the merits of grass-fed versus grain-fed meat, an increase in the price of corn would mean more expensive meat. But the institutional barriers to removing subsidies -- the key committee positions of senators from farm states, the power of the Iowa caucuses, the political largesse of agriprocessor Archer Daniels Midland -- make such a dramatic reversal in American agricultural policy an incredibly tall order. In any case, the environmental movement has not shown any desire to make this a top priority.
In the meantime, activists are taking small bites out of the problem. Food experts like Shapiro and Waters say that raising awareness about reducing portion size, which has grown over the years, is one first step. And a Web site called PB&J Campaign, launched in February 2007, encourages a plant-based diet for environmental reasons. Bernard Brown, the site's 31-year-old creator, says he is careful to advocate not outright vegetarianism but intermediate steps that are more realistic.
Yet they still have a long way to go. "I think it's amazing that even the greenest of green liberal environment activists, the vast majority of them tend to consume meat at the same rate as people who think global warming is a hoax," says Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. "Meat consumption seems to be the last thing that progressive people address in their lifestyle. If I had a nickel for every global warming conference that had roast beef on the menu, I'd be rich."

CPC

2009-10-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

Cooperative Pizzle Consumption:

Yes, steer pizzles do smell quite rank and tonight that smell was x3. Try some today!

For dogs... with glaucoma?

2009-10-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

CBP: Marijuana Found Inside Dog Food At Bridge Of The Americas
October 15, 2009
EL PASO, Texas -- Bundles of marijuana were found inside dog food bags Wednesday by officials at the Bridge of the Americas.
A drug-sniffing dog alerted U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to the trunk of 2009 Peugeot. CBP officers opened the trunk and found large bags of dog food, but when they opened them up, marijuana was found inside.
CBP officers removed 30 marijuana-filled bundles from the dog food. The drugs weighed 31 pounds.
The driver, a 25-year-old Mexican male from Ciudad Juarez, was turned over to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department for prosecution.

Smooth.

Cruelty Free. Does it matter to you?

2009-10-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

As a cheese & egg consumer, and a meat purchaser, I often try to consider cruelty free items. These, however, are hard to find at an affordable price in my corner of the US. Perhaps if I made more of an investigative effort I could procure items from a local farm or a free range farming system, this would be ideal though not all together practical when shopping in a hurry, and on a budget.

Do my dogs care that their beef was free range and cruelty free? Should I care for them?
What conditions are considered cruelty free?

Consider the ever 'powerful' HSUS and their allegation against IHOP. View IHOP's Social Responsibility statement here.

IHOP claims that its eggs are "cruelty free" and animals used for its food receive "dignified, humane treatment." The animal welfare group said that's not true and filed complaints with federal regulators saying the Glendale-based company is engaged in "false or deceptive advertising."
The complaints allege that the eggs for IHOP's 1,421 U.S. restaurants come from chickens raised in cramped cages that do not allow them to stretch their wings, walk around or nest.
That doesn't meet a consumer's reasonable expectation of what "cruelty-free" means, the Humane Society said. "Consumers do not consider it `humane,' let alone `cruelty free,' to confine hens for life so tightly in wire cages that they cannot fully spread their wings, as IHOP's standards allow," the group said in its complaint.

Another recall | Wysong

2009-10-14T06:43:00.001-07:00

The following batches of Wysong Canine Diets Maintenance™ and Senior™ have shown above acceptable moisture levels and may contain mold.
Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090617
Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090624
Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090706
Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090720
Wysong Senior™: lot #: 090623
We ask that if you have received any of these Wysong products to please not feed them, and contact Wysong for product replacement.
Email: Wysong@Wysong.net
Subject: Product Replacement
Alternatively, please return or exchange at the store from which you purchased the product. Credit will be issued via our Distributors to the Retailer.
We apologize for the inconvenience.

More Caution | Ground Beef

2009-10-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

"Ground beef is not a completely safe product" says Food safety expert Dr. Jeffrey Bender, mildly. This in response to the story of a 22 year old woman who is paralyzed and brain damaged after an e. coli infection due to eating tainted hamburger.

After the E. coli outbreak that sickened Smith, the USDA did spot checks at 224 plants, only to discover that nearly a quarter of them had "serious safety problems" -- they weren't even following the safety plans the plants themselves devised. The USDA allows this, as well as allowing grinders to decide whether they want to test for harmful bacteria before or after grinding beef; beef suppliers prefer having the meat tested after it's ground and combined with other companies' beef, since it keeps their exposure to recalls low.

Not only is this the old story of enormous slaughterhouses where overworked, underpaid employees are the only defense against cross-contamination of the meat by feces, and the ingredients are so cheap that quality cannot possibly be expected; but there are new little shockers throughout the story. Ammonia masks the presence of E. coli, so is often used to treat cow trimmings from the outside of the animal, those more likely to be contaminated. Bread crumbs and spices are added to patties -- even though the ingredients list only "beef." "Using metal detectors, [Cargill] workers snagged stray nails and metal hooks that could damage the grinders, then warned suppliers to make sure it did not happen again," Michael Moss, the Times reporter, writes. (Oh good! They are protecting their grinders! Consumers will be so happy.)

Costco, The New York Times says, is a bright spot in bacterial testing; the retailer, which grinds its own meat, tests all its suppliers' offerings upon delivery. Because of this practice, feedlot giant Tyson won't supply them with beef parts. The USDA, ever the nagging grandma, never the dictatorial dad, finally released a "draft guideline" in August 2008 in which the word "should" appears far more often than words such as "must." Helpfully, it says, "Optimally, every production lot should be sampled and tested before leaving the supplier and again before use at the receiver."

The USDA has responded by reminding consumers to use "safe handling" procedures when cooking hamburger, and yes, not following these rules could have contributed to Smith's paralysis; but even scientists find it difficult to avoid contamination with such a virulent strain of E. coli as the one from 2007. Cooking hamburgers to 160 degrees and washing counters with bleach wouldn't save, for instance, a few cells that dripped onto the side of the sink or the corner of an apron. And those few cells are enough to make you sick.

At least three different slaughterhouses and a separate beef processor supplied the meat that went into Smith's family's hamburgers, and despite many investigations neither the USDA nor Cargill has ever determined which supplier was responsible for the contamination. In my opinion and that of a vast number of consumers who've read this article, it's obvious that sickness is not the result of bad home cooks who can't handle their meat; it's the necessary and evil result of a factory meat system that is ill-regulated and designed in a way that breeds disease. Source

It's complicated to explain why this is. Looking at a photo of a feedlot, where cows are kept in extremely close quarters for the few months' fattening before slaughter, fed antibiotics and stomping in one another's excrement until they're eventually, messily, killed, skinned and chopped up for delivery to one of hundreds of independent grinders may explain a bit of it. More important is the realization that washing your hands and using a meat thermometer won't fix this: only a wholesale redesign of our meat industry will.

Raw feeders and home-cooked meat eaters alike - take caution. Its not our fault, but we are the ones who pay.

Mostly Garbage

2009-10-04T14:14:00.001-07:00