Category Archives: News

Dognapping on the Rise – Protect Your Pets!

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This article comes from my For the Love of the Dog site and is well worth taking the time to read, for the safety of your canine companions;

Lately, if you watch the news, you will have noticed an increasing rash in the number of stolen dogs; from pets stores, shelters, vehicles, people’s homes and even off the street when someone may leave their dog unattended. The largest majority are smaller, purebred dogs because they have turned into a commodity. They’re easy to grab, transport and turn into cash. their popularity has risen dramatically recently especially with the celebs and their pocket pooches. It’s chic and thieves are taking advantage.

Here’s some information and advice to help you protect your canine companion and don’t think it can’t happen to you, it can happen to anyone! Don’t take the chance, be prepared!

Dognapping on the Rise

As the value and profile of purebred and crossbred dogs are on the rise, so are incidents of dognapping. The theft of pet dogs was once a rare occurrence, but has become a specialized criminal enterprise. Like car thieves, dognappers tend to target specific types of dogs. Toy breeds such as Chihuahuas, Yorkshire terriers and Maltese are especially desirable to dognappers as they are in high demand and can fetch upward of $2,500.

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Important Information for California Residents with Pets!

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Please pass this along. With these horrible fires, any help and information is so important! This comes from For the Love of the Dog

VCA Animal Hospitals Offers Free Boarding for Pets Affected by Southern California Fires

VCA Animal Hospitals announced that local SOUTHERN California VCA
facilities are offering free boarding for companion animals whose families have
been evacuated or displaced as a result of the current firestorms.

Conveniently located VCA animal hospitals will provide a safe environment for
pets that have been affected by the fires through November 5, 2007, on a space available basis.

As thousands of families are being evacuated to shelters or facing the loss of
their homes, VCA hopes to ease their burden by offering free boarding for pets
so they can focus on the critical issues with their families and homes, said
Art Antin, Chief Operating Officer of VCA Animal Hospitals.

Boarding assistance for pets is based on space availability at individual VCA
Animal Hospitals throughout Southern California.

Pet owners can Call the following VCA facilities that currently have space
available:

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Is Secondhand Smoke Killing Our Pets?

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To be quite honest, that’s a really stupid question! If it’s killing us, how can it not be harming and killing our dogs and cats?

So from Science Daily, here’s some more info on the harm we’re causing by continuing to puff away around our furbabies.

It has been in the news for years about how secondhand smoke is a health threat to nonsmokers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that secondhand smoke is attributed with killing thousands of adult nonsmokers annually.

If smoking is that harmful to human beings, it would make sense that secondhand smoke would have an adverse effect on pets that live in the homes of smokers, said Dr. Carolynn MacAllister, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service veterinarian.

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RECALL – Bravo! Brand Frozen Raw Pet Foods – Salmonella, Listeria

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Below is the FDA Press Release on the recall of the Bravo! brand frozen raw pet foods;

Recall — Firm Press Release

FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

Bravo! Issues Nationwide Recall of Select Poultry Products for Dogs and Cats

Contact:
David Bogner
(866) 922-9222

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Vernon, CT — Sept. 18, 2007— Bravo! announces a voluntary recall of select tubes of three of its poultry products for cats and dogs. The pet food is being recalled because two of the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, while the other product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

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Walmart Selling ‘Toxic’ China Made Pet Toys

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Toxic Dog ToyBy now I think most everyone knows that China has been killing our pets with food and treats but you now add ‘toxic toys’ to that list!

Rather than try to summarize it, I thought I’d let you read it and draw your own conclusion. Personally, I would NEVER allow my babies to come in contact with these hazards!!

This from Consumer Affairs

Two Chinese-made toys for pets sold at Wal-Mart stores contain elevated levels of lead, chromium, and cadmium, according to a forensic toxicologist whose lab tested the products for ConsumerAffairs.com.

Two veterinarians, however, said the levels of toxic metals found in the toys do not pose a health risk to dogs or cats. Whether the toys are a hazard to children and adults who handle them isn’t clear.Toxic Cat Toy

ConsumerAffairs.com hired ExperTox Analytical Laboratory in Texas to test four imported toys for pets — two for dogs and two for cats — for heavy metals and other toxins.

One of the dog toys — a latex one that looks like a green monster — tested positive for what the lab’s toxicologist said are high levels of lead and the cancer-producing agent chromium.

A cloth catnip toy also tested positive for “a tremendous amount” of the toxic metal cadmium, the lab said.

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Pet Food, Treat and Product Information

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The recent pet food recall is still on the minds of many and although there have been stories of a ‘clean-up’ and tighter regulations, to be honest, I’m not sure things are improving.

Just recently there were the stories about the Chicken Jerky Treats from Wal-mart that were proving hazardous to our dogs and there was never a recall issued in that!  Just the other day the AVMA, American Veterinary Medical Association did issue a warning regarding the deadly treats.

And now the latest seems to be ‘toxic toys’ that China is shipping and Wal-mart is selling!! You can find out more about the toxic toys here!

For all the latest info on the recalls and problems, take a look at Recalled Food Products, it will also keep up with any other products, like the toys, and keep you informed – Recalled Food Products

AVMA Issues Warning Regarding China Made Jerky Treats

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Many of you are familiar with the recent problems with the two brands of China made Chicken Jerky Treats sold by Wal-mart, well it seems the problems may be more widespread but there doesn’t seem to be anything conclusive at this point nor have there been any official recalls. Wal-mart did block the sale of the two brands of treats under suspicion. Now the AVMA, American Veterinary Medical Association has officially issued a warning regarding a ‘potential new threat to pets.’

MEDIA ALERT

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Michael San Filippo
Phone: 847-285-6687
Cell: 847-732-6194
e-mail: msanfilippo@avma.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 14, 2007

Update: AVMA warns of potential new threat to pets

Schaumburg, Ill. — The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has recently been made aware of several complaints from pet owners and veterinarians that multiple brands of jerky treats manufactured in China have been making pets sick. Symptoms of illness have included vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. To our knowledge, no deaths have been reported.

The AVMA posted an alert on its Web site on September 13 to inform its members and the public about what was known. Today, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) issued a statement saying it also has become aware of an unusual number of dogs presenting similar symptoms and abnormal test results associated with consumption of some jerky treats. The ACVIM statement is available at www.acvim.org/uploadedFiles/Jerky_Treat_Info_September_14.doc.

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Vets Holding Pets ‘Hostage’, Threatening ‘Death’

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If this is the latest trend in veterinary medicine, it makes me want all the more to be able to do whatever I can to take care of my own pets’ health as much as I can.

From For the Love of the Dog

Veterinary medicine, like human medicine, has its share of good and bad practitioners but I’ve been seeing an alarming trend in the area of veterinary medicine. There was a time when vets treated animals for the love of animals and because they cared. Veterinary medicine had gotten as bad as human medicine and in some ways even worse!

At least many people have medical insurance and there are programs for people who need medical care. For pets, yes, there is medical insurance available but compared to the numbers of pets, coverage is not wide spread yet. And yes, there are some low cost programs available but they are mostly spay/neuter programs and vaccination programs.

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