NUTRO RECALL

Word on the street (aka twitter) is that Nutro puppy products may contain melted plastic. Their reps are calling it a "voluntary product withdrawl", but in everyday language, its called a recall. However, Nutro does not have this information on their website..

Petsmart said:

Thank you for contacting PetSmart. Nutro has done a voluntary product withdrawal. This was done by the company for certain Nutro products and size. The affected items were Nutro Ultra Puppy 4.5 lb bags and Nutro Natural Choice Chicken, Rice and Oatmeal Puppy Small Bites in 5lb bags. While we have not been notified of any injury or illness related to these products, Pet Parents who have purchased these products should immediately stop feeding the food to their pets.
Because the withdrawal of these items only affects certain sized packages, you can return these to your nearest PetSmart to exchange the affected product for an alternate-sized package of the same food or a full refund.
If you have any more questions about this withdrawal, please contact Nutro customer service at 1-800-833-5330 or visit www.nutroproducts.com.
Again, we would like to reiterate that this is a voluntary Nutro product withdrawl.

Science Fiction

Science Diet is a food I frequently hear people discuss on a few varying levels.
Level one is DIE HARD - Like trekkies or ringers, except for Science Diet.
Level two is the misinformed do-gooder.
Level three is the holistic minded skeptic.
Level four is the raw feeder.

Hi, and welcome to a level four discussion.

Science Diet published a page on their lovely website entitled: Bones and Raw Food Flaws. One has to imagine that they are either threatened by consciously dedicated raw feeders, or feel that their food is truly superior than Nature's Science (aka the raw food diet).

Lets tackle their concerns, shall we?

Facts
* There is no scientific data to support beliefs commonly held by supporters.

The explanation is simple : FUNDING. Who funds nutrition based experiments/tests at prominent veterinary universities? Science Diet. Purina. Pedigree. Why on earth would they lend money to researches collecting scientific data on a raw food diet? You would find out that corn starch and hydrolyzed chicken matter do not stand up well next to pure enzymes and amino acids in the fight against skin allergies.
Look, Science Diet, we're only doing what nature instructed us to do for thousands of years, and nature accomplished this without funding, formed data and peer reviews.

* Published Bones and Raw Food (B.A.R.F.) recipes contain excessive levels of Key Nutritional Factors, for example: protein, calcium and phosphorus for an adult dog or cat.¹

For this, Science Diet sites: 1. BillinghurstI. Give Your Dog a Bone. Alexandria, Australia: Bridge Printery, 1993. SchulzteKR. The Ultimate Diet. Descanso, California: AffenbarInk, 1998. VolhardW, Brown K. The natural diet. The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog. New York: Howell Book House, 1995; 167-190

Perhaps they do appear excessive based on studies founded on dry dog food. Ignoring the importance of moisture vs. protein, and calcium:phosphorus ratio rather than amount.
Since we're on Dr. Ian Billinghurst, let's examine some of his 'recipes'. Hmm, looks pretty good to me considering the recommended daily amounts for adult maintenance.

* Food poisoning is an obvious safety concern for animals eating raw foods and owners feeding raw foods.²

You are right, Science Diet - food poisoning is indeed a concern which is why I don't rub the raw beef on my face before I feed it, just like your specialists probably don't before they cook it for themselves. Actually, our routine goes like this:
A. Retrieve labeled, packaged portions from freezer and thaw.
B. Place food before dog on a designated 'raw towel' and let dog eat.
C. Take up towel to be stored until tomorrow
D. Wash hands thoroughly

Over a year and I'm still not sick. And neither are my dogs, who have a shortened digestive tract and lysosomes on their side.

* Pets eating B.A.R.F. diets or other raw food diets are at increased risk for intestinal obstruction, fractured teeth and gastrointestinal perforation.³

True, though pets inhaling dry kibble also have high risk for chocking and intestinal obstruction.. same as when a dog chews up a tennis ball and swallows the pieces. More alarming is the reality of pets eating Science Diet that are at increased risk for suppressed immune system, allergies, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, obesity, smell, etc.

The reason I'm horrible at updating..

I plan to keep updating this blog very soon. I'm concluding a study on gluten intolerance and its effect on the canine system, as well as natural internal parasite eradication (mainly, tapeworm).

This nutritional journey has really opened my eyes to a whole world of natural well being and prevention through what we consume and what our body can break down and utilize from that which is consumed. For the past 21 days, I have been meat-free and I feel absolutely wonderful. It's like seeing daylight for the first time - a whole new chapter in my understanding of nutritional make up and comprehension. In making the change to vegetarianism, the dogs have certainly benefited! All the meat in my freezer went to them, including a whole duck and cubed venison.

To add to nutritional understanding and content, I may begin including recipes that I try that achieve a complete meatless meal criteria, like this Chickpea Soup for the [vegan] Soul that I added spinach to:

So bear with us, we'll be back very soon!

Honest Kitchen's Youtube

And other recipes here.

Worst smelling tripe treat EVER!

Congratulations, Canine Caviar! You have officially created the WORST smelling tripe experience EVER with your Buffalo Green Tripe Hormone and Antibiotic Free Compressed Bone! But, that must mean they are good, because my dogs were only gasping for air as they sucked them down, while I gasped for air out the open window.

Luckily, this only lasted about an hour until they consumed the thing.

From Canine Caviar:

Buffalo have 70% to 90% less fat compared to beef, on average it has 50% less cholesterol. Buffalo graze on open grassland & natural grass. Because they are not fed manufactured feed, there is no concern about mad cow disease at this time. Canine Caviar Buffalo Tripe Bones are extra delicious to give your dogs a long-lasting, satisfying chew (helping to reduce tarter and maintain your dogs teeth and gums). Canine Caviar Buffalo Tripe Bones come from premium quality 100% free range grass fed buffalo. Ingredients Dehydrated Buffalo tripe

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein 70.0 % min. Crude Fiber 1.0 % max. Crude Fat 7.0 % min. Moisture 10.0 % max.

Holy Mackerel! (non edible..)

Coolest looking toys EVER!




<- You got your mackerel







And an eerily accurate turkey leg ->

Inform thyself!

Bully Stick Alert: Bully Sticks or Buffalo Sticks from India (from bestbullysticks.com)

Please know you sources! There is now a huge influx of “bully sticks and other natural treats” coming into the US market from India. Several private labeled brands in the US are advertising these products as free-range, grass fed, and all natural. The Indian buffalo market (not even beef) is unregulated and has several health concerns that we will discuss below. Several companies have approached us, from India, offering lower costs of raw material, but we are committed to a high quality natural product; so we have decided to use only free-range beef from Brazil for our chews.
The bully sticks that we sell are only from cattle considered “green cattle” as they are not given hormones or fed corn, which cattle are not accustom to. Our cattle graze freely on open grass fields and grow naturally. Products from India are almost always sun-dried, not baked and are not regulated like the bully sticks we offer on our site. Although, it is much cheaper to sun dry bully sticks and other natural treats, the bad outweighs the good. Our bully sticks are vertically baked to drain any residual liquid from the product. Sun dried product is many times laid horizontally, out in the sun, so residual liquid remains in the product. This product typically has a high level of odor to it (a urine smell), or a chemical added to it to help with the smell. There is also higher potential for diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, and the finished product is routinely affected with bacteria because the products temperature during cooking is not well regulated. Also, because they are exposed to the environment, there is a great chance of bugs. Although our treats are sometimes more expensive, the quality of the product remains high, and you do not have to worry about any of these issues with our products.

Many people ask why not make bully sticks from North American cattle? The reason for this is that not only is it expensive, but most of the cattle in the US is kept in feedlots and encouraged to grow at a much faster rate (growth hormones) than is natural. In addition, the US has very little grazing land, which forces farmers to over populate grazing areas.

Prior to purchasing any bully stick products you should first ask your pet store or online vendors the country of origin for their bully sticks and treats. Don’t worry; they are legally obligated to inform you. We think your dogs’ health is most important, which is why we pay close attention to these types of details and only offer products that we feel comfortable feeding our own dogs.