Got dog(s)?

My sister recently alerted me to a dog toy recall from Four Paws. The recall is on a series of toys which have been reported to cause massive trauma for some dogs. The full recall alert can be found at the Four Paws website. I've put some info below also*.

The info above is in a jpeg format. My apologies for any inconvenience imaging the text makes for anyone who wants to pass the info on, which I encourage you to do. If you want text for copy/paste, go to the Four Paws recall site, or you're welcome to use this image if you want. My reason for doing this is that while sometimes I think it would be nice to have more visitors, I don't think I want the ones who will be brought in via searches run on phrases constructed from certain isolated words in the names of the various dog toys above.

kitty

Who wants a kitten? Anyone? Vengicar perhaps? C'mon....you know you want another kitty.
8 week old grey female who was rescued but who can't be kept by her rescuer. I'm told she's very sweet. More details as I get them. For now, here's a not very high quality picture of the kitty.
Email me if you're local to CT or MA and interested.

dogs

There are dogs upstairs. Medium sized fluffy dogs with tails that curve all the way over so they are touching the fluffy backs of these dogs. That kind of dogs. They don't bark too much but they make noises. The strange thing about these noises are they are sounds I had forgotten. The sounds were immediately familiar but strangely unplaceable, at least when I first hear them. Like a bit of a song you haven't heard since you were a kid. The soft "ka-thunk" of paws hitting a floor. The "whap-whap-whap" sound of a wagging tail or of a leg belonging to a paw which is busily scratching at the fleas who are permanent tenants of this building. I hear them when it's quiet, often at night, like now. It catches me off guard.

no pet food recipes

What's good for people isn't always good for pets. And, as is consistent with my deep faith in the fallibility of our species, I am quite certain some recipes out there are in fact toxic.

For example, someone just posted in my comments section with a link to a blog with dog food recipes on it. I looked the blog over and noticed several of the recipes included garlic powder (I also noticed it was a strangely impersonal blog with no info about where the recipes came from and with ads all along the side...not the sort of environment which induces a sense of trust).

The problem is, garlic and onions contain a substance which is toxic to animals. The raw forms have been associated with hemolytic anemia, and the powdered forms show evidence of the same effects.

The ASPCA operates an animal poison control center which has an "ask the animal poison control center" page with an archive of questions about food. If you are planning to feed you pet home made pet food or human food, do some research first. Check this list out, if you don't see something you want to feed your pet on there ask about it here or talk to your vet before you introduce it into your pet's diet. The whole point of switching to home made food would be to AVOID poisoning your pet.

pet food recall lawsuit

Yep. It's that time.
Tennessee
Chicago
Toronto1 (talk of lawsuit)
Toronto2

I'm not going to debate the pros and cons of lawsuits as a form of regulation since the pain, frustration, and anger these people feel is too immense for me to even risk disparaging it with an academic debate on the topic. I've noticed most of the comments of people in this situation indicate that they felt guilty. Some have said that they couldn't help feeling they had "poisoned" their pets. I'd be just totally devasted myself. I'd feel exactly the same way. And I know I'd come out of it looking for my pound of flesh from what seems to be over-consolidated pet food industry.

If my cat didn't need prescription cat food, I'd be looking into making my own cat food at home. There are indeed sites out there with recipes for "homemade" dog and cat food. I'm not posting links because I am not in a position to evaluate the nutritional value of those recipes myself. Most of us aren't - which is why I strongly recommend, if you are considering homemade pet food as an option, you talk very explicitly about it with your vet before hand to ensure such a diet will provide the right amounts and kinds of nutrients your pet needs.

what to do about pet food?

I got a comment from someone looking for answers about what people should do if they have food at home that is part of the recall on pet food. Read on for a small selection of items I found in my search (search in NEWS in Google or Yahoo and use terms "pet food recall" + compensation; refund; and/or "veternary care")

But first...a request from me to you. Please make sure the store you shop at has clearly posted and comprehensive information on the recall. Names of brands should be up in several areas, but especially around the pet food. Phone numbers (FDA, Menu Foods) and website info should be posted as well. There are some people who live in the shallower and slower parts of the information stream, and those folks are more likely to see the info up at their local store than anywhere else. If this info isn't up where you shop, please take a moment and ask that they post it.

What to do (search results)
Illinois Fox 43:
PETCO is offering a full, no hassle refund on any of the products listed in the recall.

Denverpost.com
Tuite [spokesperson for Menu Foods] added that Menu Foods would compensate owners of pets that died, although she declined to say what the compensation would be. Pet owners who want to make a claim must mail documentation of their use of the affected products to the address on the company's Web site, she said.

Pet Connection.com Dr. Marty Becker - what to do if you have recalled food (pdf)

Newsday.com Q&A:
Q: What should I do if I have some of this pet food in my cupboard?
A: The FDA says stop feeding it to your pet. Many of the major store chains are also granting refunds for returned food.
(also from the same article)
Menu Foods has a consumer hot line at 1-866-463-6738 and 1-866-895-2708. The FDA is asking those with sick or dead pets to call FDA state complaint coordinators. A list of contacts for such coordinators is available at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html