Whole Dog News

Battling Fleas, Ticks, & Mosquitoes: Pet Health Care or Billion Dollar Pet Industry?
By Drs. Jeannie Thomason & Kim Bloomer

We all look forward to sharing some fun in the sun with our pets during the summer. However, this is also the time of year when many of us grow concerned over how to protect our pets from fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. The big pharmaceutical companies not only know this, but they actually motivate our fears so that we’ll use their products to “protect” our pets from such scary bugs as fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. They have us believing that lurking in every nook and cranny are all these nasty pests, just waiting to consume our pets with their infectious diseases. They would have us believe that unless we use their toxic chemicals in fancy packages - advertised using cute puppies and kittens - that our dogs and cats will be sitting ducks (so to speak) for all the fleas, ticks and mosquitoes in the neighborhood. They tell us this so often and in so many forms of media that many tend to believe this fear-mongering and surrender to the purchase and use of these toxic pesticides on their pets. <--Read The Entire Article Here–>

Healthy Treats, an oxymoron?

If you are the typical dog lover, then you have, I am sure, found it hard to resist rewarding your dog with a few treats now and then, especially when they give you that irresistible look that says “It’s time for a treat!” Treats can be an essential tool for training and behavior modification with dogs. However, like people snacks, dog treats are usually nothing more then junk food! If you use “treats” to train your dog or just because they make you feel sorry for them, please check the ingredients, this is just as important as it is to to analyze Read the rest

Pet Food Recalls & Food Safety Issues

While much smaller in scope since the 2007 recall, pet food recalls continue, including this week’s cat food and February’s peanut butter Salmonella contamination that affected both human and dog food products. For the latest information on food recalls and safety concerns, visit the US Food & Drug Administration’s Food Recall page on their website.

To summarize events since the 2007 recall, while the US FDA (responsible for pet food regulations, which are enforced at the state level) has taken some action toward improving response and tracking of pet food safety crises, and committees have been formed to further define safety standards for our pets’ food, no legislation has yet been passed to impose stricter rules for pet food safety and ingredient testing.

It seems likely that there will be no additional federal regulations enacted, as many industry insiders believe that existing laws and safety protocols adequately address pet food safety needs, and there is often general resistance to expanding governmental controls in big businesses like the pet food industry.

Instead of new federal legislation, there may be some stricter “guidelines” made by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the agency that (loosely) regulates the pet food and livestock feed industry by setting feed standards and definitions of acceptable feed and pet food ingredients.

What this means for pet owners is that nothing much is very likely to change in the near future. We all need to come to the realizatin that the responsibility for providing safe foods to our canine companions remains where it always has been - squarely on our own shoulders! The best way to ensure you’re feeding a safe food to your dog is to do your homework and as far as possible feed a more species appropriate diet to our carnivorious pets.

On a related note, I often hear a common misconception about the AAFCO statement found on most dog foods: the idea that AAFCO approves foods, and that the AAFCO statement on a dog food label guarantees safety. AAFCO offers guidelines for dog food and livestock feed manufacturers, but does not actually approve or strictly regulate what goes into our dogs’ food. The AAFCO statement simply says that the manufacturer avows that their food contains the AAFCO-recommended minimum requirements of all nutrients necessary to sustain life for a particular species of animal.

So if you are still feeding commercial pet food (kibble or canned) and the lable says that the food is “formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.” This simply means that dogs eating the food as their whole diet won’t die from a nutrient deficiency. It does not mean that the ingredients in the food are of high quality, actually digestable, or that they are even healthy for your canine! Dogs are developing serious health problems like cancer, diabetes and kidney/liver diseases at alarming rates since commercial dog food was introduced - just a coincidence? I think not! Just because a food meets “AAFCO guidelines” doesn’t mean it’s healthy for your animal to eat.

In fact, many of the AAFCO-approved ingredients in dog food are considered quite unhealthy by those who know what the tricky ingredient language really means. Acceptable dog food ingredients include things like sawdust, peanut or soybean hulls, newspaper pulp (powdered cellulose), rendered road kill (animal fat, animal digest), and worse!

Interestingly, the melamine that harmed in so many pets in 2007 is believed to have been added to the grain-based ingredients to increase the protein content so the food would meet standard pet food nutritional guidelines! How’s that as “food for thought”?

To read more about what is really in pet food, read the articles below:

What’s Really In Pet Foods?

Grains in Pet Food?

Complete and Balanced Pet Food?

Processed or Cooked Diets vs. Raw Meat And Bone Diets

I know this is a dog blog but really friends, when will we all wake up, smell the coffee and read the handwriting on the wall??? There is NO safe processed pet food and there is no such thing as complete and balanced pet food in a bag or can!

Nutro Products Announces Voluntary Recall of Limited Range of Dry Cat Food Products
Contact:
Monica Barrett
Nutro Products, Inc.
(615) 628-5387
monica.barrett@effem.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) — Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.

This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier. An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST, or visit www.nutroproducts.com.

Recalled Pet Food

The varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods listed below with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010 are affected by this voluntary recall.

Nutro Products Recall List – Dry Cat Foods

U.S. Product Name
Bag Size
UPC

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food
4 lbs
0 79105 20607 5

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food
8 lbs.
0 79105 20608 2

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food (Bonus Bag)
9.2 lbs.
0 79105 20695 2

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food
20 lbs
0 79105 20609 9

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food (Sample Bag)
1.5 oz
none

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult
4 lbs
0 79105 20610 5

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult
8 lbs.
0 79105 20611 2

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult (Bonus Bag)
9.2 lbs
0 79105 20694 5

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult
20 lbs
0 79105 20612 9

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult (Sample Bag)
1.5 oz
none

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor
4 lbs
0 79105 20622 8

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor
8 lbs
0 79105 20623 5

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor (Bonus Bag)
9.2 lbs.
0 79105 20698 3

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor
20 lbs
0 79105 20624 2

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
3 lbs
0 79105 10228 5

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
6 lbs
0 79105 10229 2

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
16 lbs
0 79105 10230 8

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor (Sample Bag)
1.5 oz
none

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
3 lbs
0 79105 10243 8

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
6 lbs
0 79105 10244 5

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
16 lbs
0 79105 10245 2

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor (Sample Bag)
1.5 oz
none

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor
3 lbs
0 79105 10246 9

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor
6 lbs
0 79105 10247 6

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor
16 lbs
0 79105 10248 3

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control
3 lbs
0 79105 10249 0

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control
6 lbs
0 79105 10250 6

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control
16 lbs
0 79105 10251 3

Colloidal Silver/Ionic Silver
-Yes works for dogs!

The Rediscovery of a Super Antibiotic?

Extensive research conducted by Robert O. Becker ( a research medical doctor who wrote the book “The Body Electric” ) conclusively demonstrated several important facts:
1) silver electrodes placed at the site of a wound eliminate bacterial infections 100% and speed tissue repair and growth.

2) Most likely because of its charged state, ionic silver encourages the production of stem cells, or at the very least causes fibroblasts to alter their normal cellular morphology.

Ionic and Colloidal silver appears to be a powerful, natural antibiotic and preventative against infections. Acting as a catalyst, it reportedly disables the enzyme that one-celled bacteria, viruses and fungi need for their oxygen metabolism. They suffocate without corresponding harm occurring to enzymes or parts of the body chemistry. The result is the destruction of disease-causing organisms in the body and in the food.

The presence of ionic or colloidal silver near a virus, fungus, bacterium or any other single celled pathogen disables its oxygen metabolism enzyme, its chemical lung, so to say. Within a few minutes, the pathogen suffocates and dies, and is cleared out of the body by the immune, lymphatic and elimination systems. Unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, which destroy beneficial enzymes, colloidal or ionic silver leaves these tissue-cell enzymes intact, as they are radically different from the enzymes of primitive single-celled life. Thus silver is absolutely safe for dogs, cats, birds, humans, reptiles, plants and all multi-celled living matter.

Taken orally, the silver solution is absorbed from the mouth into the bloodstream, then transported quickly to the body cells. Placing the solution under the tongue briefly before swallowing may result in faster absorption. In three to four days the silver may accumulate in the tissues sufficiently for benefits to begin. Read the rest

Have You Heard?

Did you hear? The EPA says they are increasing scrutiny of chemical spot-on flea and tick products due to the high number of reported side effects. From the report summary: “Adverse reactions reported from the spot-on products range from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and in some cases death.” Read the entire report summary here.

Please, just say NO to chemical spot-on products, and say YES to All Natural flea and tick remedies!

Pet stores are literally filled with aisles and aisles of dog treats. The variety of options available can make choosing a treat for your dog seem overwhelming.

It’s easy to take your dog’s treats for granted and assume that their treats don’t do much harm, especially when they only get a small amount each day. However, are commercial dog treats really safe, or are they just a trick that treat makers let us play on our canine companions?

For the most part, if you dog is healthy, he/she can process and eliminate junk ingredients in “treats” over time. However, even in small amounts, junk ingredients can cause problems for our dogs. Even small amounts of toxic substances take more time and excess effort for our dog’ bodies to eliminate them. Read the rest

FDA Confirms Probe of NUTRO Pet Food Deaths, Illnesses
Menu Foods earlier revealed it was the target of a federal probe

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com
Copyright 2009 © All Rights Reserved

April 20, 2009

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that the agency is investigating NUTRO pet food, following a series of unexplained illnesses and deaths. Consumers have been complaining for more than two years that their pets have become ill after eating NUTRO products; many have recovered when they were switched to other foods. The company has steadfastly denied that its food is to blame.

Until now, the FDA has been mum about whether it was actively investigating the company. Today, the FDA’s Division of Freedom of Information confirmed the agency has an ongoing investigation into NUTRO — and said that …

Read the entire article by clicking HERE

Bully Stick Warehouse sent me (Chase) and the pack some wonderful samples of their Bully sitcks and wow did we love them!

Dr Jeannie loved them because they are 100% All Natural! No artificial preservatives or chemicals added! All of Bully Stick Warehouse’s Bully Sticks and chews come from Brazilian Free-Range green cattle. We Boston Terriers (and Dr Jeannie) love how there is NO strong smell so often found with other brands that add smoke flavor to cover this smell and/or process their sticks with peroxide or bleach. We feel these are ARE a quality product and higly recommend them to all our readers!

I give these yummy, healthy bully sticks 4 paws!