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How to get financial assistance with veterinary care: The ultimate resource
When disaster strikes, it never comes at a convenient time, we are never fully prepared. The panic, of realizing that you are powerless to stop it, never leaves you. Lurking around every corner, behind every smile, is the fear that it could happen again. While nearly every waking hour I have is happily devoted to a cause for which I…
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Dangerous Mold Found in Dog Food, Prompting Recall of Hy-Vee Brand Dog Kibble
Iowa-based grocer Hy-Vee is recalling some of its dog food for aflatoxin contamination, a dangerous mold commonly found in corn which can be lethal to pets. “Routine random tests conducted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture indicated higher than normal levels of aflatoxin in some samples of Hy-Vee dog food produced at a Kansas City plant operated by Pro-Pet, LLC,” the…
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FDA Announces Final Rule on Administrative Detention of Food
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced a final rule amending the criteria for administrative detention to prevent potentially unsafe food from reaching the marketplace. Evidence vs. Belief Under the new criteria, FDA can order an administrative detention if the agency has reason to believe that an article of food is adulterated or misbranded. Before the passage of…
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Treats Found Contaminated with Pathogenic Bacteria, Study Found
Popular dog treats called bully or pizzle sticks may contain more than just dried penis meat – they could be contaminated with dangerous pathogens, according to a new study published this month by researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the University of Guelph. The study, published in the January 2013 issue of the Canadian…
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Consumers, Pet Advocates Plan Black Friday for Pets Protest at Wal-Mart Stores Nationwide to Demand the Removal of Toxic Dog Treats
Today Susan Thixton and I issued a press release announcing the Black Friday for Pets campaign with a letter to the chairman and president of Wal-Mart Stores asking the company to voluntarily remove jerky pet treats manufactured in China from the shelves of all Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores. In the letter we explain our reasons for demanding the immediate…
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Big Pet Food Says No to Your Right to Know
Tomorrow when the polls open in California on November 6, The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act Prop 37 will be voted on. The country looks nervously on as the future of food as we know it hangs in the balance. If it passes, it will prohibit pet food manufacturers who include genetically engineered material in their formulas…
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New finding could help solve jerky treat mystery
Have you ever heard of Clostridium perfingens in connection with the jerky dog treats from China? A veterinarian from Roseville, California has. Veterinarian James Reynolds says he’s found a link between four of his canine patients to chicken dog snacks. The usually mild-mannered veterinarian, was unnerved by what he found. So much so, he thought the finding significant enough to…
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ALERT: Snail bait poisons autistic boy’s beloved companion and closest friend, his dog
Some stories are so tragic one struggles with how to begin telling it. I tell this story with a heavy heart, the story of a boy’s dog that was accidentally poisoned by eating a commonly found toxic chemical, a tale that must be retold until such tragedies cease to occur. Every day families lose a beloved pet because accidental poisonings…
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This Month in Crazy: Pot for Pets and I Don't Mean Flower Pots
We all love our pets to distraction and want to keep them happy. Since it’s hard for pets to roll a joint, a Seattle company is working feverishly to fix that problem by developing a pot patch for pooches. Yup, you read that right, a transdermal drug delivery system for marijuana for dogs. Cannabis sativa, weed, bud, pot, smoke, ganja,…
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Fire-proof pet food? Flame retardant chemicals in pet food
You know, sometimes when I pop open my email and read the morning news, I just scratch my noggin and wonder, just what the bleep are they going to contaminate pet food with next? It just boggles my little pea brain. Rationale, well, that’s simply out of the question. Let’s see, if I was in that product development meeting, I…
