April, 2015

Twin Cities Veterinarians Preparing For Dog Flu
Story by Kate Raddatz, WCCO

Twin Cities veterinarians say it’s only a matter of time before dog flu makes it way to Minnesota.
At least 1,000 dogs have come down with canine influenza in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. Six of them died.
“I think they should be concerned about it a little bit but mostly just aware,” Dr. Brek Perry, a veterinarian at Westgate Pet Clinic in Minneapolis, said.
Westgate Pet Clinic got 60 doses of the canine flu vaccine last Thursday—by Tuesday they were out. They ordered a new shipment immediately to keep up with demand for the vaccine.
“I haven’t gotten the vaccine,” Sara Shaw, from Minneapolis, said about her dog, “Hawkeye”. “Gosh, I’m being a bad dog mom and I should go get it.”
Still, veterinarians say the vaccine is given on a case-by-case basis and isn’t necessary for all dogs.
“Dogs that go to dog parks, dogs that board, go to daycare—social dogs that go out quite a bit,” Perry said.
Symptoms to look for include coughing or sneezing, fever, and nasal discharge.
Shaw said she is avoiding dog parks until she can get her dog to the vet to get the vaccine.
“I want him to live forever so anything to keep him healthy, and if I have to keep him from playing with other dogs, so be it,” she said.
If your dog has symptoms, keep him away from other dogs and call your vet.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/04/16/twin-cities-veterinarians-preparing-for-dog-flu/

March, 2015

Primal Pet Foods has initiated a voluntary recall of their Feline Raw Frozen Turkey Formula with a "Best By" date code of 060815 B22 because this product may contain low levels of Thiamine (Vitamin B1). No other Primal Pet Foods products are affected.

Go to http://www.primalpetfoods.com/company/notification for more information.

Lawsuit Claims Purina's Beneful Is Poisoning, Killing Dogs
By Daniella Silva

A recent lawsuit filed against Nestle Purina PetCare Company is claiming that one of the company's most popular dog food brands contains toxins that are poisoning and even killing people's pets.
The lawsuit, filed in California federal court earlier this month by pet owner Frank Lucido, alleges that thousands of dogs have become ill or died as a result of eating Beneful dry kibble dog food.
Lucido and his family owned three dogs — a four-year-old German Shepherd, an eight-year-old English Bulldog and an 11-year-old Labrador — and began feeding the pets Beneful exclusively beginning in late December or early January, according to the suit. Because of home renovations, the dogs were kept in three different houses.
By the end of January all three of the dogs became ill and the English Bulldog eventually died, according to the suit. A post-mortem examination revealed signs of internal bleeding in the dog's stomach and lesions on his liver. Similar symptoms were found in Lucido's German Shepherd, who became violently ill before the bulldog's death. A veterinary exam of the dog also showed signs of internal bleeding and liver malfunction "consistent with poisoning," the lawsuit said. Lucido's two remaining dogs remain in veterinary care, his lawyer said.

"All three of them weren't exposed to a singular condition," Jeffrey B. Cereghino, a lawyer representing Lucido, told NBC News. "The one constant they had was they were all eating the same dog food."
Lucido's story is similar to more than 3,000 complaints consumers have made online of dogs becoming ill and in some cases dying after eating Beneful kibble style dog foods, according to the complaint. The consistent symptoms reported include stomach internal bleeding, malfunction or failure of the liver, vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss.
The lawsuit claims toxins in Beneful are to blame, listing propylene glycol and mycotoxins as possibly harmful substances in the dog food.
While the suit alleges propylene glycol is a known animal toxin and component of automotive antifreeze, Purina says on its website that the type it uses is "an FDA-approved food additive that is also in human foods like salad dressing and cake mix."

Mycotoxins are a group of toxins produced by mold found in grains, a major ingredient in Beneful. Mycotoxins pose a health risk to dogs and consumer complaints on Beneful report symptoms consistent with mycotoxin poisoning, according to the lawsuit. Cereghino said he and his team plan to collect further data and perform testing of the products for toxins.

For full story, click here.

Purina Beneful Dog Food Poisoning killing thousands of dogs

The FDA says products that are stamped 'Made in the USA' could still contain ingredients sourced from China or other countries.
Dogs may have specific signs of sickness including vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy.
Levine says if your dog has any of those symptoms contact your vet right way.
Another dog owner we spoke to, Miriam Bouchma, says after reading about the toxic treats, she's stopped feeding store bought jerky to her dog Baily altogether.
"I've started making my treat at home in terms of the jerky strips, it's not that hard to do" she said.
Read more: 1,000 dog deaths linked to 'toxic jerky treats' - KMSP-TV

Proctor & Gamble has issued a press release regarding a voluntary recall they are performing on select Iams and Eukanuba dry dog & cat foods, due to a possibility of Salmonella contamination. Fortunately, according to P&G, there have not yet been any reports of illness due this contamination.

Please review the list to ensure that your dog’s food is not affected! If your food is on this list, please visit the original press release for more information on what to do.

Read more here for the affected list of food for cats and/or dogs.

October 23, 2013

Jerky treat mystery: Nearly 600 pets dead; still no source, FDA says

Nearly 600 pets have died and more than 3,600 have been sickened in an ongoing, mysterious outbreak of illnesses tied to jerky treats made in China, federal animal health officials said Tuesday.

Most of the cases have been in dogs of all breeds, ages and sizes — although 10 cats have been sickened, too — after eating chicken, duck and sweet potato jerky treats. The pace of the reported illnesses appears to have slowed, but federal Food and Drug Administration officials are now seeking extra help from veterinarians and pet owners in solving the ongoing puzzle.

“To date, testing for contaminants in jerky treats has not revealed a cause for the illnesses,” Martine Hartogensis, a deputy director for the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in the new report. “Despite these warnings, we have continued to receive reports of illnesses in both cats and dogs.”

The new numbers are up from some 500 deaths and 3,200 illnesses tallied in January, but the rate of reports has fallen sharply since then, mostly because two of the largest sellers of pet jerky treats announced recalls tied to the presence of unapproved antibiotic residue detected in the products.

For more info, click here.

January 9, 2013

Milo's Kitchen® today announced that it is voluntarily recalling its Chicken Jerky and Chicken Grillers home-style dog treats from retailer shelves nationally. No other Milo's Kitchen® products are affected.

On Monday, New York State's Department of Agriculture informed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Company that trace amounts of residual antibiotics had been found in several lots of Milo's Kitchen® Chicken Jerky. After consultation with the New York Department of Agriculture and FDA, the company decided to voluntarily recall Milo's Kitchen® Chicken Jerky and Chicken Grillers, which are both sourced from the same chicken suppliers.

For more information on the recall, click here
For more information on both recalls, click here and here.

Updated for 2012

Menu Foods announced a nationwide recall of more than 40 popular brands of pet food. The contaminated products—including well-known brands like Iams, Eukanuba, Purina and Science Diet—were causing severe, and often fatal, kidney problems in dogs and cats. Nearly 180 brands of wet and dry food were eventually added to the recall list, provoking a tense period of uncertainty for pets, pet parents and animal welfare professionals.

For more information on the recall, click here
If you think your animal has been affected by this recall, click here

There have been quite a few dog on dog attacks at the dog park located in Battle Creek Park. There have been some dogs with some severe injuries.

Please keep an eye on your pet.