This makes me SO freakin’ angry!  More “Dump & Run” press releases where the information is released late Friday so it will get lost in the news cycle.  And what were they announcing at a time when it would get the least coverage?  A HUGE expansion of the pet food recall due to Salmonella contamination from food made in a Diamond-owned factory in Gaston, South Carolina.  It’s gone from 3 brands to 12 brands and that doesn’t include that different varieties made by each brand.

Not only has this recall expansion not gotten much news coverage, but the FDA website doesn’t even have this new information as of Sunday May 6th.  What the hell?!  Also, on the Diamond recall page, they only list some of the brands in the recall, but not all of them.  You also have to dig to discover that some cat food is now included in the recall—Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Cat Formula and Kirkland Signature Super Premium Maintenance Cat Chicken & Rice Formula (see below for Best-Before Dates involved).  Again, what the hell?!  Even more disturbing is that at least 14 people in 9 different states have become infected with Salmonella with 5 people hospitalized.  10 of those infected reported contact with dog food.  But even the CDC’s website has totally incomplete information on which brands are being recalled.  Useless.

The plant that manufactured the food included in this recall is the same plant that produced pet food contaminated with aflatoxin in 2005.  The current recall has grown so much not only because of the brands Diamond owns, but also because of all the other pet food companies who contract with Diamond to produce their food instead of producing it themselves.  I am running out of brands to feed our own pets that either haven’t been bought by a large conglomerate or that don’t contract with another company to produce their food.  This recall is precisely the reason I want to feed our cats and dog food made by independent companies that produce their own food and have rigorous quality control.  I’m seriously pissed off!  Grrrrrrrr.

Ok. enough with the ranting.  Here are the all brands being recalled.  (Important note: Don’t assume that if your state isn’t listed that you don’t have product included in the recall.  The press releases state that “Further distribution to other pet food channels may have occurred.”)

1. 4Health
2. *Apex
3. Canidae
4. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul
5. Country Value
6. Diamond
7. Diamond Naturals
8. Kirkland
9. Natural Balance
10. Premium Edge
11. Professional
12. *Solid Gold
13. Taste of the Wild
14. Wellness

_______________________________________

Update 5/8/12:

*Apex

Recalled from South Carolina.

Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, or who would like replacement product or a refund, may contact Apex Pet Foods via a toll free call at 1-866-918-8756, Monday through Sunday, 8 am – 6pm EST.  Their site is apexpetfoods.com.

*Solid Gold

Recalled from the U.S. and Canada.

Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, would like replacement product or have additional questions, can call (800) 364-4863 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM through 5:00 PM Pacific time) or visit solidgoldnorthland.com.

_______________________________________

1. 4Health
2. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
3. Country Value
4. Diamond
5. Diamond Naturals
6. Premium Edge
7. Professional
8. Taste of the Wild

To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production code on their bag. If the code has a “2” or “3” in the 9^th position AND an “X” in the 10^th or 11^th position, the product is affected by the recall. The best-before dates for the recalled products are December 9, 2012 through April 7, 2013.  The following graphic illustrates how to read the production code and best-before date:

The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states and Canada.  Further distribution through other pet food channels may have occurred.

• Alabama
• Florida
• Georgia
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Canada

_______________________________________

9. Canidae:

Only CANIDAE dry dog food formulas with production codes that must have BOTH a number “3” in the 9th position AND an “X” in the 10th or 11th position with best before dates of December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013 are being voluntarily recalled.

Following is an example of how to read the production code and best before date:

The recall affects only products distributed in the following Eastern U.S. states and were manufactured at the Diamond Pet Food Gaston, South Carolina plant. Further distribution to other pet food channels may have occurred.

• Florida
• Massachusetts
• New York
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee

_______________________________________

10. Kirkland Signature:

To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production code on their bag. If the code has both a “3” in the 9^th position AND an “X” in the 11^th position, the product is affected by the recall. The best-before dates for the recalled products are December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013.The following graphic illustrates how to read the production code and best-before date:

The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Canada.

• Alabama
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Canada
• Puerto Rico

_______________________________________

11. Natural Balance:

Recalled products may have been distributed in the following states:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Washington, DC
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Maine
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• Vermont
• Wisconsin
• West Virginia
• Wyoming
• Canada

_______________________________________

12. Wellness:

Wellness notes in their press release that they will no longer purchase any product from Diamond Pet Foods.

Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, would like replacement product or have additional questions, may call us at (877) 227-9587 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM through 6:00 PM Eastern time and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM through 5:00 PM Eastern time) or visit wellnesspetfood.com.

_______________________________________

First up we have an expanded recall of Diamond dog foods due to potential Salmonella contamination.  (If you have questions or want replacement product or a refund, contact Diamond Pet Foods at 800-442-0402, 8 am – 6 pm EST, Monday through Friday or check out their site www.diamondpetrecall.com.)

1. Diamond Puppy Food (dry dog food)

2. Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice

3. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula (dry dog food)

 ______________________________________________

Kaytee is recalling 2 types of baby bird food due to dangerously high levels of Vitamin D which can cause kidney failure.  Signs of hypervitamintosis D in birds include:

• Lethargy
• Anorexia
• Crop stasis
• Vomiting
• Dehydration
• Polyuria
• Polydipsia
• Stunting or delayed development

For important information on tests and treatment read Kaytee’s hypervitamintosis D information page for you and your veterinarian.  (Call Kaytee at 1-800 Kaytee-1 (800 529-8331) or email kayteehandfeedingbabybirdrecall@central.com for information on a refund.)

1. Kaytee exact Hand Feeding Formula Baby Bird 

2. Kaytee exact Hand Feeding Formula Baby Macaw 

 ______________________________________________

Kaytee is also recalling a mouse, rat, & hamster food due to potential salmonella contamination.  This food was widely distributed around the world—states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin; and, into the countries of Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Dutch Antilles, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guam, Honduras, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, and Trinidad.   (Call 1-800-Kaytee1 (800 529-8331) phone number or Kaytee.com for questions regarding pets that have been fed the product.  For a refund, fill out this form on the Kaytee site.)

1. Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Mouse, Rat and Hamster

______________________________________________

And finally, DuMOR produced for the Tractor Supply Company is recalling a poultry feed due to incorrect packaging.  This one can be confusing if you look at the FDA site, so here it is in a nutshell.  Some packages of DuMOR Poultry Grower/Finisher (which is for chicks) actually contain DuMOR Poultry Layer 16% Crumbles (which is for egg layers).  The adult food can be harmful to chicks.  (For more information contact your Tractor Supply Company location, or Feed Solutions Customer Service at 615-315-4092 or 615-315-4090 (Monday-Friday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM CDT).

1. DuMOR Poultry Grower/Finisher

Just imagine if he had opposable thumbs.

My first goal when I began teaching our dog Saffron commands was to keep her safe, so it was really important that she paid attention to me when I talked to her.  I knew someday it might save her life.  So first, I trained myself to not do anything that would cause her to not pay attention to me.

Tip #1   Don’t repeat!

This is an easy mistake to make and I see it all the time.  The person tells their dog to “sit” and when the pup doesn’t, the person keeps repeating “sit”—all the while, getting more and more frustrated.  Unfortunately, what they’re teaching their dog is that the command isn’t “sit”, it’s “sit-sit-sit” or even “sit-sit-sit-sit-Rover-sit-sit”.  So stop flapping those gums and just give the command once.

If Saffron doesn’t do what I ask, I give her a cue that she missed it.  (We use “whoops!”.)  And I wait.  If she still doesn’t do what I asked, I get her to refocus either by getting her to move or by moving myself.  For instance, I wanted her to sit before we ever crossed a street because when we first got her, she would walk right into the street if I wasn’t paying attention.  We would approach a corner, I’d stop & say “sit” and I’d wait.  If she didn’t sit, I’d say “whoops!” and I’d wait.  If she still didn’t sit, I’d get her focused again by turning us away from the street, walking in a small circle, and then approaching the corner again and say “sit”.  You can also move into your dog’s line of sight to get their attention.  Don’t jerk them or grab their face to get them to look at you.

Tip #2   Don’t babble!  

When you’re at the dog park or out walking your dog, don’t keep blathering on to your dog about everything, about how cute they are, about how you want them to behave, blah, blah, blah.  I certainly don’t mean don’t speak to your dog.  I mean put a cork in the verbal diarrhea.  If you just yammer on and on, your dog will start tuning you out, because she’ll quickly catch on that you aren’t saying anything of importance and anyway, that tree smells really interesting and that squirrel looks tasty, etc.  This especially goes for repeating your dog’s name over and over again.  You want your dog’s name to have a lot of power and meaning to your dog.  If you say your dog’s name with urgency, you want your dog’s attention to snap to you immediately.

Tip #3   Turn down the volume!  

This is one that came easily to me.  I tend to be a quiet person out in public and don’t like to draw attention to myself.  In the beginning when I was out with Saffron, I was self-conscious because I had a dog that was obviously terrified of everything.  I felt like we were already a spectacle, so the last thing I wanted to do was draw more attention to us by firing commands at her.  So I whispered to her.  We’d get to a corner and I’d whisper “sit”.  The result is she has to pay closer attention to me than if I’d been loud.  It also means that if I do shout, she knows it’s serious.  If I shout “leave it!” when she’s running towards a fight at the dog park, she puts the brakes on.  I can count on her to pay attention because I’ve avoided giving her any reasons not to.

Remember to think before you speak!

Hey, Earth Day snuck up on me—it’s this Sunday!  Be sure to check out the multitude of DIY projects on the DIY archive pages and last year’s post on Earth Day.

And then this one just cracks me up!  Have you ever lived with a cat this focused?  We do, and funnily enough we call her Boo also.

When a passerby saw the black lab staying near her dog friend who had been struck and killed in traffic, he set up orange cones to warn motorists and filmed the remarkable dog while waiting for help to arrive.  The black lab, now named Grace, remained by her friend’s side despite the heavy traffic.  She didn’t have tags or a microchip and has actually already been adopted.  I hope she is kept safe and happy from now on.

Grace’s story is reminiscent of a pair of dogs in Japan after the tsunami, a dog in Chile who hauled it’s mortally injured friend off a very busy highway, and the New York dog who protected his mom after she had been hit by a car.

1. 6lb,  DLR0101D3XALW,  Best Before 04 Jan 2013
2. 20lb,  DLR0101C31XAG,  Best Before 03 Jan 2013
3. 40lb,  DLR0101C31XMF,  Best Before 03 Jan 2013
4. 40lb,  DLR0101C31XAG,  Best Before 03 Jan 2013
5. 40lb,  DLR0101D32XMS,  Best Before 04 Jan 2013

Hartz is recalling Wardley Advanced Nutrition Perfect Protein Tropical Flake Fish Food also due to possible salmonella contamination.  The affected products is:

• 1oz. containers,  UPC Code 0-43324-00591-7
• lot PP34911
• lot PP34912
• lot PP35011
• lot PP35012