March 2011: Pet Food Recalls You Should Know About
As always, we try to let you know about the latest recalls. Even if we don’t carry these items, we are aware that you still might purchase or feed your dogs (or cats) some of these items, so let’s spread the awareness. Be safe out there, if you own any of the items, take the steps you need to, to keep all of our pets safe.
Wellness Canned Cat Food:
Wellness Canned Cat Food (all flavors and sizes) with best by dates from 14APR 13 through 30SEP13;
Wellness Canned Cat Food Chicken & Herring (all sizes) with 10NOV13 or 17NOV13 best buy dates.
Read more details from the FDA on this recall..
Jones Natural Chews:
Jones Natural Chews Pig Ears were distributed in CT, IA, IL, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NJ, NM, NY, PA,VA, WA, and WI. They were shipped to distributors and retailers between September 15, 2010 and November 2, 2010 where they were available for purchase. Read more details from the FDA on this recall..
Harmful Foods to Keep Away from our Dogs
Good tidings for a fresh new year! As we embark on 2011, let’s keep an eye on our loved ones and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on more fun tips, places to go, the latest and greatest for our dear doggies.
As we return from the holidays, there was probably a little more foot traffic than usual. Just think of all the gifts and snacks left laying around the house! There is no way we can keep our dogs in protective little bubbles (nor should we! dogs deserve to roam freeeeee!) but there are always simple safety measures we can take to make sure our mischievous pups don’t get themselves into trouble.
Here is a list of things you should be sure to keep AWAY from your dogs. Dangerous foods can cause more harm than good. You can eat, drink, and be merry together as long as you don’t let your pup get into things he shouldn’t.
The No-No’s:
- Chocolate. Chocolate IS toxic. Everyone seems to already be aware of this one. But it’s quite common for dogs to mistakenly get excited and get into bags of chocolate by mistake. Leftover from the holidays, you might have some chocolate laying out, be sure to keep it out of your dog’s reach. Store extra snacks and junk goodies in your cabinets, out of sight, out of dog’s mind.
- Bones. Not bones that are actually MEANT for dogs, we’re talking bones from leftover meals. Whether you just had a plate of fish or chicken, these are the bones that can become choking hazards for your dog, so keep away! Just one little bone mistakenly lodged in your dog’s throat can be threatening. Even the dog chews and bones that are actually meant for your dogs can on extreme rare occasions become potential choking hazards, in this case keep them supervised as they get their gnaw on.
- Grapes. A lot of people I tell this casually to usually look at me like I’m crazy. Grapes? Yes. Grapes can cause kidney failure, and should be avoided at all costs. Some things that are perfectly safe for humans are just plain no-no’s for our four-footed friends. This includes raisins.
- Macadamia Nuts. These have been proven to be fatal or cause paralysis. If you can avoid nuts all together, don’t give them raw nuts. Peanut butter as we know is a common treat however, and is fine. But no on the macadamias, for sure.
- Marijuana. One day when I was at the emergency clinic, a distraught couple brought in a poor little terrier that had gotten into their share of marijuana. The symptoms from marijuana intoxication are severe ranging from damaging the nervous system, pupil dilation, coma, and in some cases death.
- Alcohol. Blame it on the alcohol. Dogs are smaller than humans and their tolerance to alcohol is minimal compared to ours. A little alcohol can do far more damage than you think, such as coma, nervous system damage, breathing trouble, vomiting, and diarrhea. I don’t see why you can’t train a dog to fetch you a beer, but don’t let him drink it.
- Pesticides, Fertilizers, Traps. This includes snail bait. Perhaps you have a green thumb, or you choose to use certain tools outdoors to maintain your turf. I recently sat at an emergency animal hospital and met a beautiful 5-year old black labrador who happened to get himself into some snail bait by accident. Symptoms are devastating – uncontrollable seizures take over, and my heart broke because you just want the uncontrollable pain to pass and you can’t do anything about it. Just be sure to fence off areas you wouldn’t want your dog getting into by mistake.
- Guacamole and Avocado.Sure, you and your friends might like to bust out the guac for your chips but don’t sneak any to your dog. Avocados contain persin which in large amounts can be toxic to your dog.
- Garlic and Onions.While delicious for human consumption, it is highly discouraged to give dogs any type of garlic and onion especially in large amounts because they contain sulfoxides which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia.
- Fruit Pits. Peaches and plum pits when swallowed can obstruct your dog’s esophagus/digestive tract.
- Tobacco. If he gets a hold of your cigarettes, nicotine can cause symptoms such as coma, rapid heart beat, and in severe cases, death.
- Gum, Candy, Sugary Junk. This is bad for you and me already, but for dogs “xylitol” which is found in many gums and candy can cause low blood sugar resulting in vomiting, collapsing, and liver failure in severe cases. Keep away!
- Decorations, Trinkets, Gifts. Though your dog may be used to his surroundings, there’s no telling why they may get into certain things in a random spur of the moment. Now that the holidays are over, you’ve probably put away all the holiday decorations already. Just make sure everything gets put away.. this includes ribbons, lights, etc.
- Table Scraps. I’m not going to point fingers or anything, but we all know we’ve been there, done that. As tempting as those puppy-dog eyes of his are, don’t give in. The food we eat, is meant to be food we eat (though even sometimes that isn’t even the best for us either), but it certainly isn’t meant for your dogs.
Watch out for friends, roomies, family members, or just someone you invited over for dinner, too.. they may think it’s all cute to save a scrap of whatever they have for them, but deter them afterall, you are looking out for your dog. Dogs just have more sensitive stomachs than humans do, and it’s best to keep them on their own food. Check out some of the food and treats we offer at Healthy Spot to see if your little (or big) guy could use some good food for his tummy.
Mischievous Kids
These are just some of the major items that can affect your dog’s well-being. There are plenty of things in the world that can be unsafe, especially in large amounts, just try to at least keep these in mind as a general guideline of keep-away’s. Don’t forget dogs are pretty resourceful. They know how to jump and leap any bounds to get to what they want. Your dog may be smart enough to jump on tables or chairs and still get into these off-limit items and foods. Be sure to keep food items sealed and locked down tight, and if possible up and away in cabinets or inside refrigerators rather than readily accessible.
Pay Attention
If you start noticing anything strange about your dog’s behavior, remember dogs can’t tell us if something is wrong but you’d be able to tell immediately if something is out of the ordinary. Is he more lethargic than usual? Vomiting or diarrhea? Shaking? Whimpering? There are telltale signs, and better to be safe than sorry. If there are any severe warnings, don’t hesitate to take your dog into your vet. As an added precaution, make sure you have jotted down the address and phone number to the closest animal emergency hospital, in case something should happen to your dog in the middle of the night when your vet isn’t available. Chance favors the prepared mind. Keep our loved ones safe and sound throughout the year.
POWER UP… with mushrooms!
No, this isn’t a line from the Mario Brothers. This is for your dog!
Although we make reference to a video game, we are not playing around when advocating mushrooms for your companion animals. Mushrooms provide so much goodness. They give our dogs nutrients, proteins, minerals and vitamins it needs to generate energy and repair cells.
Here are some key attributes about mushrooms you may not know.
-Low in carbohydrates, calories and sodium
-High in fiber and protein
-Rich in Vitamin B, riboflavin, niacin and selenium
-Cholesterol and Fat Free
-Excellent source of potassium
It is important to know that Selenium is an antioxidant that helps to fight off the damaging effects of free radicals. As a result, regular ingestion of mushrooms has been proven to decrease the amount of cancerous cells in the body. They not only fight and reduce cancerous cells and tumors, but they help prevent more of those cells from forming in the body.
Mushrooms keep the body, through the boosting of immune cell function, in a state of vigilance. This helps your dog fight off disease, prevent cancer and generally keeping your animal in optimal health.
Since we recognize the importance of mushrooms for your pets health, we our giving our seal of approval to Organic Pet Superfood. The company provides 4 lines of mushroom whole-food daily supplements for our pets’ health.
1. Immunity – safeguards against free-radical damage and immune system imbalances.
2. Joints – potent nutrition for joint health.
3. Skin and Coat – for a healthy skin and glossy coat.
4. Digestion – efficient digestion and enhanced wellness for your pet.
The supplements are made in the USA, USDA certified organic, safe and non toxic and veterinarian approved. The mushroom blends are also adaptogenic. Just a fancy word for saying that, it gently adapts for your pet’s specific nutritional needs.
Healthy Spotlight – Holidays 2010 from Healthy Spot on Vimeo.
We are also fans of the brothers behind this company. No, not the Mario Brothers. We are referring to James and Michael Crouch. They come from a family that has been in the mushroom farming business since 1985. They married the family business with their passion for pets to come up with this great supplement line. The icing on the cake is that purchases also go help fund Cancer Treatment for working dogs.
After personally researching this line, I use the supplements for myself. Not just my dogs, but for me, too. Yes, I take this pet supplement for myself. Dog gone crazy? Maybe. But who doesn’t want to
POWER UP?!
A “Berry” Nutritious Meal
Has your dog had their cranberry a day today? No, I’m not in a post Thanksgiving haze. Taken on a regular basis, cranberries are a great antioxidant that can help your dog stay healthy.
Native Americans were the first to discover the benefits of cranberries. Though the pilgrims and early settlers did not understand the scientific reasons, they used cranberries to fight off scurvy. Scurvy, we now know, is a result of extreme vitamin C deficiency.
RAW Introduction Continued…
In the second installment, I wanted to address the reasons and hurdles that people may have with feeding the raw diet for dogs.
Here are my top 4 reasons: read more
RAW Introduction
After a long hiatus, I am back to write about the benefits of a raw food diet for your dogs and cats. We’ve discussed various raw alternative solutions that work well but the gold standard in feeding is the Raw Diet for your dogs.
read more
Healthy Spotlight – October 2010: Acana
Hi, hi! Every month, we’ll bring you a closer look at some of the awesome products we carry at Healthy Spot – if we could, we’d name them all but let’s take it one at a time. Introducing the Healthy Spotlight of the month… if your dog has tried it, liked it, loved it, not so much, likes something better, refuses to eat anything but this, please share with us. We’d love to hear how you guys enjoy our products and appreciate your feedback. And if you ever have any questions, we encourage you to ask – visit us in person, or just drop us a line here, on Facebook, or via Twitter.
Recall Alert: Blue Buffalo
We’d like to let you know about yet another recall to hit dog food recently. Though we do not carry this product line at Healthy Spot, we would like to keep our Healthy Spot family informed, in case you may have purchased this item elsewhere or have friends and family who might be affected.The latest food recall news you should be aware about is from Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd., recalling certain dry dog food because of excess Vitamin D that can affect the health of some dogs. The products affected in this recall are.. (read more..)
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Freeze Dried Feeding Your Spot
This is my third installment in my series of food rotations I give to my dog. Stella and Chewy’s is the maker of raw and freeze dried dog food and treats. I’ve met with the founder Marie Moody a few times and she started her rescue Chewy and Chewy’s best friend Stella on raw diet. This was the start of Stella and Chewy’s!
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Lucky’s Honest Kitchen
Second in the installment of foods I rotate with my dogs is the Honest Kitchen. This company is family run and based out of San Diego. The food is very unique because it is dehydrated. All you do is add warm water to the 100% human grade ingredients, stir and voila! You have fresh, healthy and yum yums dog food ready to serve.
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