Recalled Pet Food Settlement

U.S. District Court of New Jersey approved the settlement this past Tuesday, addressing the class-action lawsuits filed after the pet food recall last year.

Eligible pet owners may receive potentially 100% compensation for their documented economic damages. The payment will come from the $24-million fund created by the defendants, Menu Foods, Nestle Purina PetCare Co., Wal-Mart, PETCO and others.

Claims have to be submitted by November 24, 2008. According to the FAQs, documentation of Recalled Pet Food purchases may include receipts, cancelled checks, credit card statements, copies of the product labels from the products, other records from the place of purchase, or any other records that could demonstrate you purchased the food and how you paid.

The companies hope the settlement will allow them to move forward and regain consumer trust and confidence. However, some believe the settlement did not do enough to address the non-economic loss.

For more information on the settlement, visit PetFoodSettlement.com.

A Friendly Reminder for Los Angeles City Residents....

The grace period for the mandatory spay/neuter law ended yesterday, October 1st. Now most dogs over 4 months of age must be spayed or neutered. More information can be obtained here.

Dog Training

Most of our clients either know of or heard of Elaine, my 6.5 years old Pit Mix. I have her pictures in our clinic and often mention her. I've neglected working with her lately and was horrified last week when she disobeyed the "off" command. She jumped onto the bed with her rope toy (she is not allowed on the bed), refused to get off the bed, and then actually growled at me.

Regardless of how busy we've been, I realized that I cannot let up on her training. So we restarted our basic training. I reviewed some online information for motivation. I liked the pages below for their step-by-step guidance and easy-to-read format.

We worked on Go-to-your-spot (in our case, it is "Kennel" as that was the command we used when we trained her to go to her kennel aka her bed) and heeling.

I was amazed at how quickly Elaine recalls her training. Then I realized that she never forgot the commands; it was I who forgot to use them consistently. I slacked off and got lazy since it was easier sometimes to ignore her mis-behaviors than to correct them.

I am also reminded that the time spent with her was probably just as important as the training. Our interaction builds our bond. How can I expect her to be a well-behaved companion when I was not doing my part as an effective leader?

Elaine will probably never be an AKC certified Canine Good Citizen (due more to my shortcomings than hers) but we will continue to train and, in the process, build a stronger bond that will enrich both of our lives.

Mars Petcare Recall: Potential Salmonella Contamination

On September 12, 2008, Mars Petcare US issued a voluntary recall on certain dry pet food produced at its Everson, PA plant. Dry pet food ranging from Pedigree, Special Kitty, Paws & Claws, Pet Pride, Ol' Roy, Sam's Club Natural Dog and Cat food, etc... are recalled due to potential salmonella contamination.

For our local clients, Pedigree sold in California is so far not included in this recall.
Please see the Mars Petcare site for lot numbers and further information.

Did You Know... Some Sugar-Free Products are Poisonous to Dogs?

Xylitol is a sweetener commonly found in sugar-free products such as chewing gum, candies, toothpaste, and baked goods. While Xylitol does not affect glucose levels in people and has shown to be safe for human consumption, it is very toxic to dogs.

Xylitol causes a rapid release of the hormone insulin, resulting in a sudden drop in blood glucose. Signs of severe hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, include:
* Vomiting
* Weakness
* Loss of coordination
* Depression
* Seizures
* Coma

These signs can develop within 30 minutes of ingestion and, without immediate veterinary intervention, may lead to death.

Even if your dog seems fine after eating Xylitol-containing products, you should still contact your family veterinarian or an emergency clinic. In addition to hypoglycemic crisis, Xylitol can cause severe liver damage in dogs.

There is no antidote for Xylitol poisoning. Timely supportive care, including inducing vomition, hospitalization with intravenous fluids, and blood sugar monitoring, can successfully get us past the immediate danger of Xylitol toxicity. A 24-hr post-ingestion blood panel may be done to evaluate liver values and determine if further treatment is needed.

How toxic is Xylitol? It depends on the amount of Xylitol in the product and the size of the dog. Some reported 2 sticks of Xylitol-containing sugar-free chewing gum can cause hypoglycemia in a 10-pound dog and 10 sticks can do it for a 60-pound dog.

Xylitol poisoning is not a recent finding. A 2006 press release from the ASPCA and the AVMA warned us of the danger. However, most people may have forgotten about those articles and the media coverage that followed. This lack of public awareness and the increased presence of Xylitol in the market (i.e. sugar-free chewing gum, low-carb diet products, and toothpaste) have lead to the rise in Xylitol toxicity.

Don't let your dog be one of the statistics. Read product labels and keep all Xylitol-containing goods out of your dog's reach.

Mars Petcare Issued Limited PEDIGREE Food Recall

August 8, 2008: Mars Petcare issued a recall for 100 of its 20-pound bags of PEDIGREE Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites sold at some Albertsons in Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. The affected bags have the "best by" dates of July 7, 2009.

Nutro products, also made by Mars Petcare, are not included in this recall.

You can read more at Consumeraffairs.com.
For more information and details of the recall, call 1-877-568-4463 or go to Mars Petcare website.

Puppy Games I on Animal Planet Tonight

Fans of Animal Planet's annual Puppy Bowl can catch the first ever "Puppy Games" tonight, also on Animal Planet. Here's footage from this years Puppy Bowl: