Tag Archives: pet food

Is Age Important When Buying Pet Food?

A recent survey conducted by polling company Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Iams found that most people consider ingredients the most important factor in what type of food they buy for their pets. The pet’s personal preference was frequently the second most popular factor, followed by price and then recommendations from friends or veterinarians. What’s got many pet websites and news agencies in a tizzy is the least most considered factor when people purchase pet food: age. Not the age of the food, but the age of the pet. Only one in ten people said that the age of … Continue reading →

How to Decide What to Feed Your Pet

Sometimes standing in the pet food aisle feels like shopping for things like body wash or shaving cream; with so many options how does one ever decide what brand to buy? When it comes to pet food, the decision carries more weight. I might randomly pluck a bottle of soap off the shelf, but I want to put greater thought into what I’m feeding my pet. But all those options can be overwhelming, and I sometimes wonder if they aren’t all the same. The truth is they probably are. My dog had some digestive problems in the winter so I … Continue reading →

Mars Petcare Dog and Cat Food Recall Announced

Mars Petcare US — makers of several brands of pet food — announced a voluntary recall of products manufactured at a specific plant on September 12, 2008. The food is being recalled because of a potential salmonella contamination. Affected brands include Pedigree, Retriever, Country Acres, Pet Pride, and Ol’ Roy. You can see a full list of recalled foods at www.petcare.mars.com. Salmonella can cause infections in pets and in humans handling pet food. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets can include: Lethargy Diarrhea and/or bloody diarrhea Fever Vomiting Decreased appetite Abdominal pain If you believe that your pet has eaten … Continue reading →

Is Pet Food Regulation Coming?

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It has been more than a year since contaminated pet food from Menu Foods killed hundreds of beloved pets. It’s been even longer since contaminated pet food from Diamond Pet Foods sickened and killed dogs and cats around the country. So what’s happened since then to protect our pets from contaminated food? The good things: Pet food safety legislation has been passed. The FDA Amendments Act of 2007 will set up an early warning system to help quickly identify contaminated food and outbreaks of associated illness. This should be happening by September 2008. A pet food industry commission has made … Continue reading →

Fat Cats: A Growing Problem

Girth View: Tab’s ever increasing belly A while back I wrote about Tabby’s eating disorder and how she’s packing on the pounds lately. That’s why when I finally booted up my computer today and saw the title “Morbidly Obese Cats On The Rise” for a Comcast Fan story I clicked on it. Apparently a university in Edinburgh (might have even been the University of Edinburgh) did a study and determined one third of cats are now overweight. They also calculated that diabetes in cats has risen 500%. They attribute it to the same thing that befalls many humans these days: … Continue reading →

Hilton’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure

Just when I thought I had written my last Paris Hilton blog (hold your applause) I get word that the world has stopped revolving and people have actually gone mad… all because of Paris Hilton… or at least Paris Hilton’s trash. Allow me to explain. A while back a couple of jokesters from the website HollywoodTrash.com rummaged through the hotel heiress’ trash and placed their finds on eBay. Some of the items that were recovered from the socialite’s garbage include a used toothbrush, an autographed postcard and a fan letter to the reality TV star. All of the aforementioned items … Continue reading →

Pet Parent Alert: Pet Food Recall Expanded, Could Expand Even More

The Menu Foods Pet Food Recall that began back in March of this year is still an issue. Except, now some of the recalled food is not related to Menu Foods. Other manufacturers have fallen victim to tainted product supplies as well. What started with a recall of “wet, gravy and cuts” style foods has now been expanded to include some dry foods too. As recently as May 7, 2007, the ASPCA’s Pet Food Recall Resource Center added a new product: Doctors Foster and Smith Dry Dog Food. (Made by Chenango Valley.) Some of the more recent recalled foods don’t … Continue reading →

Menu Foods Pet Recall: New Clues, More Questions

Photo by hagit M. Are you as mystified as I am about the Menu Foods Pet Recall? Aminopterin On March 24th, Menu Foods issued a press release stating that researchers at the New York State Food Laboratory discovered Aminopterin in samples of the recalled pet food provided to them. In some countries, excluding the United States and Canada, Aminopterin is used as a rodenticide. That’s where all the talk about “rat poison” has come from in the news. However, in the week following this announcement, other scientists trying to also find the root of the problem haven’t been able to … Continue reading →

The Case of the Menu Foods Pet Food Recall

Photo by H. Berends We’ve seen this before. Last year Diamond Pet Food recalled dog and cat food when their products became contaminated with aflatoxin, a fungal toxin, and a lot of pets, mainly dogs, died of liver failure. The fungus was later identified to have come from contaminated corn crops used in manufacturing the pet food. Diamond was really good about it. They offered to cover vet bills for pets that were affected. What I found frustrating was that reports conflicted regarding the number of deaths: it ranged anywhere from two dozen to over 100, depending on who was … Continue reading →

Travel Food and Water

Whether you’re taking a long walk, a trip to the dog park, or a family vacation… you’ll need a way to bring food or water for your pets. Some dogs are willing and able to drink from a squeeze bottle or a regular drink bottle. My Miko wouldn’t lap water while it was being poured, but he would drink from my hand if I put the water there. My Lally isn’t quite as picky about her water — I’ve caught her drinking rainwater out of flowerpots on more than one occasion! Planning a long car ride? Look for a bowl … Continue reading →