PetSugar

Pet Food Recall: Solid Gold Pop-Top Cans

PetSugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:30:22 -0800

If your pup dines on Solid Gold brand dog food, then sit up and take note! The company has voluntarily recalled one formula from their line of canned pet food because of several complaints regarding mold found in a batch of 13.2 oz cans. Affected formulas are:

13.2 oz Turkey and Ocean Fish Canned Dog Food
Purple label with a POP –TOP (Pull top) only
Date on bottom of can 01/02/2010
(Turkey and Ocean Fish cans without a Pop-Top are not affected.)

This limited production was never distributed in the following states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, or Washington so, if you live there, you may have never seen this item anyway. If you have any of these affected formulas with the dates noted as above, please return or discard the item! If you suspect your pup has eaten a contaminated food, or you see something suspicious, refresh your memory about how to report this to the FDA here.

To the Rescue: How To Report a Pet Food Problem to the FDA

PetSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:45:15 -0700

My heart stops anytime I hear pet food recall news and, sadly, it doesn't seem like this issue will be fixed anytime soon. Luckily, North's brand has never been recalled but I now know what to do if I've got any suspicions.

If you think something is wrong with your furry friend's food – problems, adverse reactions, infestations, etc. – there's actually a FDA district office for all 50 states. Look up the consumer complaint coordinator for your geographic area, call them, and they can take it from there.

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Major Pet Food Recall – Is Your Brand One of Them?

PetSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:00:45 -0700

I'm kind of a stickler about pet food. North eats pretty well, and I personally wouldn't have it any other way. So if the last pet food scare had you up in arms, then you should take notice to this news. Fourteen brands of pet food were placed on a voluntary recall list after two people may have contracted salmonella poisoning since coming in contact with food that was made between January and July of this year.

One of these is a top seller - Pedigree! I know a lot of you stick to all natural pet foods (and some of you even serve vegetarian or raw foods to your pampered pets), but I know there will be tons of you that are affected by this recall, so listen up! To find out which brands are being pulled from the shelves, and how to determine if you have one of them, just read more.

Brands that are being pulled include:

Pedigree
Ol' Roy
Retriever
Paws & Claws
Member's Mark
Natural Dog Food
Natural Cat Food
Doggy Bag
PMI Nutrition
Red Flannel
PetPride
Special Kitty
Country Acres
Wegman's Bruiser
Wegman's Buju & Ziggie

All recalled foods were produced between January and July of this year. Look for these specific notations on the UPC bar code of your products:

For Pedigree brand pet foods, consumers should look for “PAE” on the bottom line - the sixth, seventh, and eighth digits. Sample:
PEDIGREE ® Small Crunchy Bites
Best Before 02/2009
808G1PAE01 12:00

For all other brands listed above, consumers should look for “17” as the first two digits of the second line.
Sample:
Best By Feb 18 09
17 1445 1

If you have a supply of recalled food from one of the brands listed above, return the food to the retailer for a full refund.

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Rachael Ray Rolls Out a Line of Pet Food

PetSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:30:20 -0700

Since Rachael Ray is a big fan of making her own fresh food to feed her baby Isaboo and features pet friendly recipes in her magazine and on her website, I guess it was only a matter of time before she took the plunge into the pet food business!

Dubbed Nutrish, her specialty line of dog food is filled with 100 percent natural ingredients like her famous EVOO, real beef, chicken, veggies, oatmeal, vitamin E, calcium, and absolutely no byproducts. And what's better, a portion of the proceeds go to Rachael's Rescue, a nonprofit organization she founded to help animals in need. Now that's something I can get behind! And, not to be left out, her specialty line of cat food is coming soon!

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Pet Food Recall: Timberwolf Organics

PetSugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:30:00 -0700

If your pup dines on Timberwolf Organics brand dog food, then sit up and take note! Timberwolf has voluntarily recalled two formulas from their line of pet food due to customers reporting instances of dogs vomiting, diarrhea, and refusing to eat. Affected formulas include the Dakota Bison and Ocean Blue lines with the following "best by" dates printed on the bag:

Dakota Bison: best by date of February 12, 2009
Ocean Blue: best by date of February 20, 2009
Ocean Blue: best by date of March 8, 2009

If you have either of these affected formulas with the dates noted as above, you can simply take the bags back to the retailer you purchased them from for a refund or a store credit. If you're an online shopper, you'll want to contact Timberwolf Organics directly for your refund.

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Bare Bones: Pet Food Can Cover

PetSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 03:00:02 -0700

Spring cleaning doesn't have to be limited to actual cleaning. You can take this opportunity to tidy up your daily routine as well. And what better way than to start with your beloved pets, and the food that fuels your pet's body! Since you should be keeping your pet food in a sealed container – to keep creepy crawlies from munching on it instead of your dog or cat – these Bamboo Can Covers ($7) come in handy for those wet food containers. Since aluminum foil doesn't quite make the cut for keeping the food sealed and fresh, this can cover keeps an airtight seal and is inexpensive to replace if your furry friend somehow gets a hold of it, mistaking it for a toy. Plus, it will help your fridge smell free. Not that you don't love the smell of your pet's food, right? Right.

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Pampered Pals: Dehydrated Raw Food From Honest Kitchen

PetSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:00:38 -0800

One of my favorite holidays is Thanksgiving – with the indulging and feasting on sweet potatoes, spinach, cranberries, yams, and . . . excuse me while I drool! Since we know that some kinds of people food can be dangerous, Honest Kitchen has come to rescue us from the guilt of eating yum yums in front of a pet – and confusion over what can be shared – by including those delish items (and others) in their special line!
Honest Kitchen's line of pet food is filled with 100 percent of the appropriate human grade goods (minus any wheat, soy, or corn to keep digestive systems healthy), which means that you won't wonder what is going into the chubby belly of your fave pet. It's all whole food, all the time, just dehydrated. Fans of Honest Kitchen have boasted about their pets' newfound energy, shinier coats, and all around better health. Prowl ($7-$50) is formulated for the felines in the house and Preference ($25-$52) is made just for your beloved pups. You can add the protein of ~~your~~ their choice to the food, but don't need to cook up an entire meal everyday! Would your furry family dig in?

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Pet Peeves: Keep Away From My Food!

PetSugar — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 07:00:09 -0800

Q: My cat is food-obsessed! I know that it can be a metabolic issue, diabetes, or a dislike of his dry food . . . but my kitty has none of these issues. How do you discipline a cat when he steals food and breaks dishes?!

A: That's one problem with kitties – they're so agile, they can often hop and climb onto places we'd rather not have them (read: countertops) leaving things we'd rather not have (read: cat hair in our food)! My first recommendation would be to try to keep the food as far away from your pet as possible. If you've got a cat that can get into a cabinet or the fridge, consider securing the doors of temptation with duct tape or looping handles together with a string before you leave the house. It's an extra step but, if your cat's as wily as I'm imagining, it may be your best bet. Now keeping your kitty off the counter to begin with is a different story altogether so read more.

Attach duct tape sticky side up or double-sided tape to the counters. Place three or four long strips onto your cat's favorite tabletop areas about three inches apart (for duct tape, add a perpendicular strip to hold those down). When his paws reach the stickiness, he should be diverted.
Tape sheets of aluminum foil to the edges and tops of the surface. Many cats don't like the crinkly sound when they land on the silvery surface, and the tape secures and deters them from thinking it's a toy.
Consider spraying counter tops with a mixture of either lemon juice and water or vinegar and water – the smell alone can keep them away . . . but possibly you, too!

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Do Tell: What's on the Menu For Your Pets This Thanksgiving?

PetSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:49 -0800

Introducing large quantities of rich "people food" into a pet's diet on Thanksgiving is bad for their tummies! In fact, some typical holiday fare should never be fed to pets. One sure way to be certain no one slips up is to place the appropriate portion of your furry friend's normal snacks in a convenient location. Point out the healthy treats to your guests and encourage them to pamper your pals with extra petting or playtime . . . not to feed the snacks all at once.

Dog-Approved Snacks:

Small piece of white-meat turkey
A few cooked, unseasoned carrots or green beans
Spoonful of canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
Sweet Potato Dog Chips
Small apple or banana slice

What's on your pet's menu for next week?

Source: Flickr User TheGiantVermin

To the Rescue: Can Adult Dogs Eat Puppy Formula?

PetSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:55:24 -0800

Can they? Yes. Should they? Probably not. Although not that different ingredient-wise than adult formulas, puppy-specific kibble usually has more fat and protein.

The meat sources are likely listed first (ie, in higher proportion) for a growing body, which obviously makes it more appealing to an adult dog. The high protein and caloric content can make adult dogs overweight super quickly, so there's a reason the packaging says to only feed to the lil ones for a limited time - that meal for an extended period of time is damaging and dangerous to health.

In fact, some breeders of large dogs (especially those prone to weight issues or bloat) recommend not feeding these puppy formulas more than a few months due to the high content of all those things mentioned above. Did you feed your pets puppy food or move straight into adult bits for the babes?

Source: Flickr User estoril