Dog Food Info/Food Recall Info

Eiyeiyei! More food has been added to the recall list! This is devastating. Here I thought we were getting closer to this all being over but I guess not. Here is a link to a list of MOST the foods that have been recalled from the Pet Food Tracker. I am noticing there there are more recalls then I think the USFDA can keep up with so I highly recommend going straight to your dog foods website and make sure it's not on the list. My advice to everyone would be if the brand of food you feed is on the list, you should NOT feed it anymore. EVEN if you feed a dry food that is not on the recall list but that same brand has a wet food that IS on the recall list, I would highly recommend that you switch to a new higher quality brand altogether. Why support a company that is not going out of its way to ensure the safety of your pet? There are tons of other foods out there that are healthier with more reliable manufacturing. I am going to put a TON of food information on here because I think it is so important.

A friend of mine, Holly from BPO explained dog food really well so I am going to quote her:

"Some companies are more forthright than others in listing their ingredients, so knowing some of the basics will help you get through the list without being bamboozled or confused.
Generally, you want to read through the ingredients carefully until you get to the first fat/oil listed. Ingredients listed before this make up the bulk of the food, and those listed after are included in much smaller amounts for flavoring, preservative value, to provide trace minerals, etc. There are some key things to look for among those top ingredients.

First, dogs are carnivores, so the meat is by far the most important ingredient in your dog’s food. You want to see specific animals rather than generic terms listed as the sources of protein (chicken/lamb/bison… not animal/meat/poultry…). “Meal” form is preferred, because it means it is weighed after the moisture has already been removed. You want to avoid foods with “byproduct” listed in the ingredients, because this pretty much means “anything left after all the stuff that is fit for human consumption has been removed.”

Let me clarify . . .
chicken meal = excellent
chicken = good
poultry = bad, because it is unidentifiable
chicken byproduct = crap
poultry byproduct = unidentifiable crap
poultry byproduct meal = unidentifiable crap in concentrated form

Second, if your food contains grain (most does), you want to check for both the type and form of the grain. Rice is generally the most digestible grain. Oats and barley are also OK. Corn is the least digestible. Other than corn, wheat is the grain most likely to cause problems because many dogs are allergic. So, generally rice is best, but not all rice is the same. Like your mother told you, brown rice is healthier than white rice. “Ground” or “meal” form is fine, but stay away from other forms of processing because any nutritional value is lost. A common ingredient is “brewer’s rice” which simply means “the crap left over from the brewery after we’ve gotten anything worthwhile out of that rice.” Stay away from that.

Third, anything that sounds mysterious on your list of ingredients is probably something the manufacturer doesn’t want you to know about. For example, stay away from foods with “animal fat” or “animal digest”—these are unidentifiable ingredients and often contain rendered animals, which can be diseased animals, animals that died before slaughter, roadkill, and euthanized pets from animal shelters. Eeeeewww!

Finally, anything that sounds like it isn’t good for your dog probably isn’t good for your dog. Stay away from “lard” or sweeteners (often used for flavoring). Stay away from foods with lots of grains listed among the first ingredients or several variations of the same grain listed early in the list (for example, ground rice, brewer’s rice, and rice flour? . . . can you say “filler”?). Also stay away from menadione (a vitamin supplement that may cause health problems).

One big confusion about dog food, I think, lies in the marketing terminology. The term "premium" has been used for years to distinguish foods you buy at pet stores from foods you buy at the grocery store. Unfortunately, the companies that produce "premium" foods are no longer committed to the same level of quality they once were. They are, however, banking on the reputation created years ago.

Companies that produce foods such as Iams and Science Diet have been bought out by corporations that also produce foods for human consumption. Therefore, instead of having their own chicken processing plant, for example, the pet food companies are getting whatever parts of the chicken we won't eat (and if you've ever had a Chicken McNugget, you know we'll eat almost anything).

Some people refer to the newer, more complete dog foods as "super premium." I avoid this term myself, because I think it promotes the same marketing confusion. I'd rather learn to understand what the labels say and decide for myself whether it's the best choice for my dog.

Manufacturers are keenly conscious of the growing awareness among dog food buyers about the ingredients listed for their products. If they have something good in them, they will highlight it however they can. So, yes, "chicken byproduct meal" may contain organ meat, but if it were all organ meat or even mostly organ meat, the label would surely indicate that. The grains listed are of little value nutritionally and there are several ingredients that are potentially detrimental.

I hope this helps. For a far more thorough and authoritative explanation, I suggest you visit http://dogfoodproject.com/ This post is really intended for those who don’t have the time or inclination to sift through all the content on that site. It is definitely worth a read if you do have the time."

Some of the brands of food that I recommend are Innova, California Natural, Wellness, Evangers, Evo (made by Innova), Solid Gold, Canidae, Natures Variety, Eagle Pack, Merrick and many more. One of the great things about these brands is that while you may be spending more on a bag (depending on which brand), you will be feeding less because these brands of food have many more ingredients that are digestible. So a bag of the healthy food will last just as long as the unhealthy.

Many companies i.e Iams, Science Diet, Nutro and more all use a lot of their money for marketing and advertising. The brands that I listed use their money on the quality of food they produce. I really hope that you find this information useful. Nutrition is a very important part of our lives as well as our furkids lives and can help them live longer and healthier lives just like us!

If you have ANY questions, feel free to contact me! I would love to help in any way that I can!

Bon Appétite!

Julie

Grooming Tips

Alright, so some of us take on the grooming of our pets with gusto! We bathe, we ear clean, we cut or dremmel nails. But not all of us know how. So I'm gonna do a little explaining and linking to great sites that will help show others how to, so they can be more in tune with their dog!

BATHING
Bathing can be a HUGE chore, but it doesn't have to be! There are self serve dog washes all over the city where you can bring your dog and get a big tub that has both side exposed. You get lots of shampoo, conditioner, brushes and towels. Your pooch even gets a doggy facial. All of this plus NOT cleaning up when you're done costs about $18! Not bad! One of my favorite places to go to is Soggy Paws.

EAR CLEANING
Fun stuff, hahaha! This great ear wash recipe is courtesy of a member of BigPawsOnly.

Blue Magic Ear Wash

> 16 drops of Gentian Blue Solution, (also known as Gentian Violet) found at any local drug store in dropper bottles

> 2. 4 Tablespoons of Boric Acid Powder, (also found at a pharmacy)

> 16 ounces of Isopropyl Alcohol

Mix all the above ingredients well...shaking it works well...pour into a large squirt bottle, (like a large water bottle with the pop-up squirt top, try to get a bottle that will hold the entire amount you have made). And this is very important: SHAKE IT WELL before every use, so the boric acid powder is distributed in the solution before you squirt it out. I squirt a very generous amount onto a sterile gauze pad, I put enough on the cotton to make a big circle and it is sopping wet with the blue solution...then I wipe the outer ear flap first, until the dog gets used to the coolness of the solution, and then proceed to working deeper and deeper into the ear canal, gently swabbing it out, and removing the brown build-up...I never squirt this solution straight into their ears...if you have the cotton soggy enough with this solution, it will be enough to coat the inside of the ears just fine...do not wipe it out, leave it dry in their ears.

This can be done every couple of days for a week or so, then once a week, then once every two weeks, until you only need to do it once a month until you see no build up any more (this may take several months if there is a really bad ear infection), but eventually you will only have to wipe their ears with this every 3-6 mos...it seems to put a very nice balance back into their ears...and over cleansing for too long, can actually cause some problems.... so once the dog has clear ears, I back off and let their body take care of itself...there should be a little waxy build up which is normal and healthy and protects the ear canal...(of course I don't mean the gross black/brown fudgey stuff, that isn't normal in large amounts). OK, I hope this works for you, as well as it has for me! I love it!

(Another tip: I typed the recipe on a piece of paper and taped it to the bottle it's in, so I have the recipe right in front of me the next time I need to make it, but it lasts forever, so you don't have to make it often...and it's sooooo inexpensive! Also, place a big "SHAKE WELL" tag on your bottle too...you must shake it well before each use, even between squirts!)

NAILS
I am a HUGE fan of Dremeling. A Dremel is a hand held tool that you can put multiple bits onto for whatever project you're working on. They are great to have around the house! Your chances of hitting the quick are so small that once you get used to it you'll never go back to clipping nails. There is also a long attachment (below) you can use so the sound that the tool iteself makes is further away from your dog, therefore making him or her less wary of it.

When we do it, I have Aaron (my boyfriend) feed the boys treats, talk to them and pet them while I work at the nails. It's a perfect arrangement! Here's a site that I recommend for learning how to Dremel!

Good luck! This is a terrific bonding experience for you and your pup!

Homeowners Insurance Available to Breeds Previously Excluded with CGC Certificate

Do you have a dog that is not covered by home owners insurance? Well we just found out some terrific news from the AKC (American Kennel Club)! Nationwide Insurance is issuing homeowners insurance to owners of breeds previously prohibited by the company, providing the dog passes the AKC Canine Good Citizen test.

"Nationwide has begun to allow the owners of certain prohibited dog breeds to attain homeowners insurance if they provide an original copy of a certificate demonstrating successful completion of the AKC Canine Good Citizen program. This provision is currently available in limited areas and provided the applicant meets traditional underwriting requirements. The Canine Good Citizen program demonstrates responsible dog ownership and we certainly hope this change will prove successful."
(see original article)

Note: at the moment, only specific Nationwide Insurance locations are participating.

Here is the link to the AKC Canine Good Citizens information page.

Wooohoooo for smart insurance companies!

Bark In The Park!

Bark In The Park is around the corner and I wanted to give everyone a heads up! This is a fun, fantastic fundraising event for Anti Cruelty. It's a 5k walk (3.1 mi) up at Montrose Harbor! It starts at 9 am on May 5th! Here is the site for details. If any of you would like to meet up and walk with me, Aaron, Gweck and maybe Beans we would LOVE to see you! It is sooo much fun, TONS of dogs and people, great weather, and lots of companies set up tents for you to check out. There is an agility course that you can run your dog through for fun a raffle and other fun contests. All in all it's just a great time! If you can't make it, please think about donating, our Park Place Bark page is www.firstgiving.com/parkplacebark2. We really hope to see ALL or some of you there.