More Pet foods being recalled....

Although the debacle of pet food contamination has been replaced by dangerous made in China toys, more pet food items have been placed on the list, including Ol’ Roy from Wal-Mart.

Ol’ Roy Dry Dog Food in 55 pound bonus bags have been reported as contaminated with Salmonella. Distribution area includes Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.

Numerous feed premixes in 25 kg bags ranging from Bioplex Copper to Purina Ratite Bioplex are in the recall, too. According to the recalls.org site, the Bioplex Copper products were made using copper sulfate pentahydrate that was contaminated with dioxin like PCBs.

Mars Petcare US, Inc. has voluntarily recalled select Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food in 50 pounds bag. A press release indicated that only two areas are affected: Reedsville and Richlandtown, Pa.

However, Mars has voluntarily recalled certain five pound bags of Krasdale Gravy dry dog food sold mainly in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania due to salmonella poisoning potential.

In addition, Wal-Mart quietly removed Chicken Jerky Strips and Chicken Jerky dog treats from stores. According to a Philadelphia television station, a woman’s Chihuahua died after eating the items. Both originated from China.

The stores pulled the products and blocked cash registers from ringing up the items.

lil Country Paws

Homemade pet foods are a great alternative...

Homemade pet food is a good alternative as purchasing pet food gets more complicated. But it's not as simple as cooking up some chicken for your kitty.

"Any change in diets should be done cautiously because animals do well on consistent diets, and changing from one diet to another can be upsetting in and of itself," Mahr says. Furthermore, homemade diets don't always meet an animal's nutritional needs, and what's good for a dog may not be good for a cat.

Mahr recommends consulting your veterinarian or a pet nutritionist if you are considering making your own pet food. The American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition may be able to help you locate a pet nutrition expert in your area.

Susan Davis a certified clinical nutritionist in Lake Forest, California, who helps people develop homemade diets, says what she recommends for a 10-year-old senior dog is different from what she recommends for a puppy. Pets with diseases and other health problems also have particular nutritional needs. Some human foods, such as brown rice, lean meats and carrots, are okay to serve pets. But avoid giving animals sweets or junk foods. Some foods, like grapes, raisins, chocolate and mushrooms, are toxic to dogs and cats.

Scrutinizing pet food labels

Davis, who advocates a holistic diet for animals, offers pet owners advice for buying quality, healthy pet food. When reading labels, "the ingredients shouldn't include a lot of chemicals you can't pronounce, like ethoxyquin, which is a potential carcinogen," she says. "Also avoid anything that is called a byproduct or digest, such as fish digest or beef digest."

Try to avoid foods with the additives BHT, BHA and food coloring, Davis says. Look for brands that include canola oil or olive oil rather than animal fat.

The FDA does not consider ethoxyquin, BHT and BHA to pose a health threat to pets. However, the agency has asked pet food companies to voluntarily lower the amount of ethoxyquin they use in their products.

Because ingredients must be listed in weight descending order, look carefully at the label. "A lot of pet foods have fillers like soy, corn or wheat as the first ingredient, but if it is a protein product, the protein source should be the first ingredient," Davis says.

Learn more about Sojos homemade BARF mixes by visiting our store. Make your own in minutes and know your pet is safe. Use raw or cooked meats.

The grain-free alternative to kibble, Europa is a wholesome pre-mix that you combine with meat and water to create a fresh, homemade dog food. Europa works great for dogs with sensitivities to grains, and also as a great fruit and vegetable supplement to our other mixes. Click here to learn more.

Ingredients: Sweet Potatos, Carrots, Broccoli, Celery, Apples, Whole Egg, Flax Meal, Parsley Leaf, Calcium Carbonate, Carob Powder, Kelp Powder, Alfalfa, Ginger Root, Garlic




lil Country Paws

Mars Petcare US, Inc. has voluntary recall......

Dog :: Select Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula Dry Dog Food 50lb bags recalled in Pennsylvania

Mars Petcare US, Inc. announces a voluntary recall of select 50 lb bags of Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food sold in two stores in Pennsylvania. Only three bags of product were actually sold, with only one bag still unaccounted for.
The pet food is being recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination, in people, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems.

The recalled product should not be sold or fed to pets. Pet owners should dispose of product in a safe manner (example, a securely covered trash receptacle) and return the empty bag to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Recalled pet food
Product: Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food
Size: 50 pound bag
UPC Code: 4286900062
Best By Date: July 12, 2008
Best By Date Location: Back of bag
Affected Stores: The stores are located in Reedsville, PA and Richlandtown, PA
Mars Petcare is issuing this action out of an abundance of caution and it sincerely regrets any inconvenience to pet owners as a result of this announcement. This voluntary recall has been issued because FDA detected Salmonella in a sample of Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food with a best by date of July 12, 2008 during a recent review.

In an effort to prevent the transmission of Salmonella from pets to family members and care givers, the FDA recommends that everyone follow appropriate pet food handling guidelines when feeding their pets. A list of safe pet food handling tips can be found at: www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/petfoodtips080307.html

This product UPC has been blocked from retail sale at these locations.

Additional information about the product is available on www.marspetcare.com. Pet owners who have questions about the voluntary recall should call (866) 298-8332, or visit the web site for more information.

Looking for an alternative way to feed your pets. Use our all natural, organic Sojos mixes and make your own pet foods in minutes.

Monzies Organic Muesli for Dogs differs from our other pre-mixes in that it is organic and wheat & corn free. Simply add meat & water and you've got a fresh, organic, homemade dog food in minutes. Click here to learn more.

Ingredients: Organic Oats, Organic Barley, Organic Rye, Organic Quinoa, Organic Flax Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Kelp Powder, Carob Powder, Vegetable Broth Powder, Garlic, Parsley, Organic Alfalfa, Organic Dandelion




lil Country Paws

How to elliminate doggie waste odor from your yard...

How to cover the smell outside from dog waste

The only way to effectively cover up the smell outside from dog waste is to neutralize the odor instead of trying to cover it. And the only way to neutralize the odor of what comes out of a dog is to control what goes in.

1. Reducing the smell of dog poop can be achieved by switching to a higher quality food. The more digestible a food is the better. A food that is easily digested will result in food that is smaller in volume and smell. Look for a food that is corn, wheat, and soybean free. The top three ingredients should be a type of meat or high quality protein. Fillers are not digestible, so the fewer fillers in the food, the fewer fillers in the dog’s waste. Chain pet stores do not carry high quality pet foods because there is less of a markup for them, so check independent pet stores and feed stores for a filler-free dog food.

2. Reduce the smell of dog poop by feeding a human grade liquid chlorophyll supplement that neutralizes smells. Years ago an animal herbalist recommended a supplement of liquid chlorophyll for one of our dogs having digestive problems. We learned that not only does liquid chlorophyll aid in digestion and heart function, but it also is a natural deodorizer that neutralizes (not just covers) odors from a dog’s breath, body, and waste. A small squirt or two of liquid chlorophyll in your dogs water every morning will significantly decrease the smell of his body and his waste. Dogs love the taste of liquid chlorophyll and a large bottle lasts about 6-8 weeks in our single large dog family.

lil Country Paws

Woman wages campaign against Purina

August 13, 2007
For the past year, professional dog breeder Julie N. has waged a one-woman campaign against pet food giant Nestlé Purina.
Stryker: black Lab
Beeble: Bichon
Kayla: Bichon
She’s convinced the company’s food contributed to the recent and mysterious deaths of three of her healthy dogs -- two Bichon Frise and a Labrador Retriever.

And this spunky Harlan, Kentucky woman has evidence that suggests Purina’s products might be the culprit in the death of at least one of her dogs.

“I’m not going away,” says Julie, who fed her dogs Purina One, Purina ProPlan and Purina Dog Chow. “I want justice for my dogs and peace of mind for myself.”

Julie’s nightmare started last July when her 12-year-old Labrador Retriever, Stryker, suddenly died of liver complications.

“He was a healthy dog,” she says, “but then his liver just shut down.”

One month later, Julie’s puppy, Beeble, unexpectedly died.

“She was a healthy 12-month-old Bichon Frise. But then she suddenly started drinking excessive amounts of water, was vomiting, and became very lethargic.”

Julie immediately took Beeble to the veterinarian.

“He put her on antibiotics, but that night she had a seizure. She also had a difficult time breathing. She was so weak that she couldn’t hold up her head.”

Julie rushed Beeble back to the vet.

“And he admitted her and put her on IV’s. Beeble also had some nasal discharge and our vet checked her for canine flu. But she passed those tests.”

Beeble died on August 17 — four days after she started IV treatments.

“There’s no reason that puppy should have died,” Julie says. “Her parents had genetic clearance. She was a perfectly healthy dog.”
Deaths Come In Threes

There’s an old saying that deaths come in threes. And that’s what happened with Julie’s dogs.

On October 26 -- two months after Beeble’s death -- another one of her dog’s died. In this case, it was Julie’s eight-year-old Bichon Frise, Kayla.

“Kayla was a healthy female who did pet therapy. But then she started drinking enormous amounts of water. At first, I thought she might have diabetes. But the tests were negative on that.”

What caused Kayla’s death?

What about Beeble and Stryker?

And what role did Purina’s foods play in their deaths?

Julie says she may never know why Stryker died. “At the time, we didn’t do an autopsy because we just thought it was old age.” But she vowed to found out why Beeble and Kayla died.

“I don’t want anybody else to go through the same pain that I’ve gone through,” she says. “These are my children. They were here after my dad passed away and when my brother was ill. They were my babies … all my dogs are my babies.”

Julie, however, didn’t test Purina’s food for possible toxins.

Her dogs died months before Menu Food recalled 60 million containers of melamine-tainted food. That action -- the largest pet food recall in U.S. history -- occurred in March 2007.

Thousands of dogs and cats that ate the contaminated food suffered kidney disease or died.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered melamine in the imported wheat gluten and rice protein used to make the pet food. FDA officials traced the source of that chemical contamination to two now-defunct companies in China.

“It didn’t dawn on me to save the food so I could have it tested,” Julie says, unable to hide the regret in her voice. “And Purina told me to throw the food away.”

She did, however, have autopsies performed on Beeble and Kayla at the University of Tennessee’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Knoxville.

“I wish we would have done the same with Stryker,” she says of the Lab that was titled in obedience. “But like I said, we just thought he died from old age. I don’t think that anymore ... I think there’s something wrong with the dog food.”

According to Beeble’s autopsy report, that’s possible.

Pathologists at the University of Tennessee discovered problems with the puppy’s liver that were “consistent with exposure to a hepatotoxin such as aflatoxin.”

Aflatoxins are poisons produced by fungus or mold. These toxins are often found in corn and other agriculture crops and commonly cause liver disease.

But how could Beeble become exposed to -- and ingest -- aflatoxins?

Simple.

“The aflatoxins could have come from the (dog) food,” Beeble’s veterinarian, Douglas Mickey, told ConsumerAffairs.com. He reviewed Beeble’s and Kayla’s autopsy reports and -- with Julie’s permission -- agreed to discuss them with us.

“Aflatoxins are known to be found in moldy grains, like corn that would be in dog food,” he said, adding: “If you’re asking me if there’s a possible connection between the pet food and Beeble’s death, the answer is: you can’t rule that out.”

Aflatoxins in pet food have contributed to the deaths of more than 100 dogs in recent year, including:

• The deaths of 25 dogs in 1999. In that case, Doane Pet Care recalled more than one million bags of corn-based dry dog food tainted with aflatoxins. Fifty-four brands of dog food, including Ol’Roy, were part of that recall;

• The deaths of 100 dogs in 2005. In that instance, Diamond Food recalled some of its pet food because the moldy corn in the products contained aflatoxins.
Kayla’s Death Remains A Mystery

Aflatoxins, however, did not play a role in Kayla’s death, Dr. Mickey said. “That dog didn’t die from anything in her food.”

Her death remains a medical mystery.

Kayla’s autopsy report revealed she had “multiple organ mineralization,” which Dr. Mickey said was likely caused by an adrenal problem.

“But (the pathologists) couldn’t pinpoint on the autopsy what caused the mineralization of all those organs,” Dr. Mickey said. “It would be consistent with adrenal or kidney problems, but her adrenal glands and kidneys were fine.

“Kayla’s death has puzzled everyone who has looked at it.”

Everyone, that is, except Julie.

Despite the autopsy report, she’s convinced Purina’s dog food contributed to Kayla’s death.

And she says a recent ConsumerAffairs.com investigation -- about the mysterious reproductive problems several Newfoundlands across the country have encountered -- confirmed her belief.

Our investigation revealed that healthy Newfoundlands -- in Idaho, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania -- had suddenly stopped getting pregnant or -- if they conceived -- delivered deformed and dead puppies.

All these gentle giants had previously delivered healthy litters, their breeders said. They were all two to five-years old, which veterinarians say is the best age for dogs to deliver healthy litters.

None of the dogs were related — a factor that could have caused genetic problems. And nothing in the breeders’ protocols had changed.

The only factor the Newfoundlands had in common was their food: They all ate Purina dog food.

“After I read your story, I was convinced that there was a link between the deaths of my dogs and what happened to those Newfoundlands,” Julie says. “What got me with your stories was how those breeders talked about the mummified fetuses (deceased puppies) their dogs had delivered. In Kayla’s autopsy report, it talks about the mineralization of all her internal organs.

“That made me think that there’s a connection with those stone puppies and my dog’s internal organs turning to stone.”

Dr. Mickey, however, said there’s no correlation.

“It’s not the same thing,” he said. “Kayla apparently had adrenal problems ... that’s a metabolic disease.”
“I think they now realize something is wrong with their food.”

If that’s the case, Julie wonders why Purina is finally taking her concerns seriously.

In just the past two weeks, the pet food maker’s insurance company has requested copies of her dogs’ medical records and autopsy reports.

“But when they called, they wanted me to know that my dogs’ deaths had nothing to do with the recall because they died before that action was announced,” she says. “I told them that stuff from China (melamine) could have been in the food long before anyone knew.”

Purina, she says, downplayed her concerns when she first contacted the company last fall — right after Kayla became sick.

“One lady kept saying she’d never heard of any adverse effects from the company’s food. Purina also kept sending me letters (of condolences) and samples of their stinking food. That made me ever madder. I don’t want their food. I’ll never feed Purina again to my dogs. I cook for my dogs now and they’re much healthier.”

Julie no longer recommends Purina to her customers, either.

“I’ve gone as far as to state in my puppy contract that if you feed Purina products, I have a right to void the health guarantee on the dogs,” she says, adding her pups cost $1,000 to $1,500.

Of Purina’s latest interest in her dogs’ deaths, Julie says: “I think they now realize something is wrong with their food.”
Purina Defends Its Products and Actions

A spokesman for Purina denied that assertion, saying there’s nothing usual about his company’s recent actions in Julie’s case.

He says it demonstrates Purina’s commitment to its customers.

“We’ve been in contact with this consumer since last September and since we’ve worked with her that long, we like to follow up on the process,” said spokesman Keith Schopp. “We would want to gather the appropriate documents and any other records that we could look at and then take the appropriate action.

“As part of our standard operating procedure,” he added, “we would initiate a claim and investigate a matter further if a consumer requested compensation above product replacement.”

Schopp said he hadn’t seen Beeble’s autopsy report, which stated the puppy’s liver problems were consistent with exposure to aflatoxins.

“But there are no aflatoxins in our products in the United States,” he said. “Our veterinarians, however, would like to look at that autopsy report and talk her vet.”

What about a possible connection between Julie’s concerns and those raised by the Newfoundland breeders?

Schopp said there’s no link. “This consumer is not reporting any reproductive issues.”

He also defended his company’s response to Julie’s concerns.

“We’ve expressed our sympathy for the loss of her dogs and told her that we want to find out more about her situation,” he said.

What does Julie want from Purina?

“The main reason I contacted them was because I didn’t want any other dogs to die,” she says. “I wanted them to test the food and to apologize.”

Julie says she didn’t wage this battle against the St. Louis-based company for financial gain — even though her vet bills total more than $2,750.

“I’m not out for money. I just don’t want anyone else to go through a dog’s mysterious death.”

lil Country Paws

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I'm having a Super August Sale just for you. Buy now and save $$$$$$$! Just email me with the products you want and I will send you an invoice. We accept Paypal and Google payments. Note: If using Google to pay, your item will not ship till payment clears. (3 to 5 business days) Allow 5 to 10 business days for delivery. This does not include weekends.

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