Dog Health Alerts

Two dog health alerts have been brought to my attention. The first has been around a week or so, but it's extremely important that dog owners in the affected areas be aware. Diamond Pet Food announces a recall. It seems that the product that was manufactured in Gaston, South Carolina was tainted with aflatoxin, which is a mold that is toxic to animals. This toxin can cause major blood clotting disorders, many other symptoms, and can be fatal. The following states are affected by the recall: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Vermont and Virginia. I just spoke to a friend of mine yesterday who runs a large breed rescue here. One of her weimaraner's got poisoned by a bag of this recalled food. It was just a stroke of luck she and the vet figured it out, before it was too late. This dog and another got into a scuffle, and she had taken him in for just a couple of stitches. As the vet began to work on him, he started bleeding out. The vet thought he'd been poisoned, and notified my friend. She immediately pinpointed the problem as the recalled Diamond Pet Food. So, if you are feeding Diamond Pet Food and live in these areas, please stop feeding from this food source and watch for symptoms!! For recall information and symptoms click HERE. For a full story, click HERE.

There has also been some safety concerns with the favorite dog pet treat, Greenies. Now, my dogs absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE greenies!! So much so, that I refer to them as, "crack for dogs". Just like my dogs know what "out, outside, O-U-T, and potty" mean, they also know the words, "greenies, and G-R-E-E-N-I-E-S" mean. So I sat up and listened, when I heard the blurb on the local news last night. The concern is, "...the larger pieces can get stuck in the intestine," says Dr. Bruce Graves, Murphy Road Animal Hospital." This is apparantly done when the dogs swallow a bite that is too large. A law suit has even been filed against the Greenies manufacturer. My opinion? I think it is good to be concerned about it, but I don't think I'll stop using them. I mean, the same thing can happen with regular food. Bear and Fergie love to crunch ice cubes for goodness sake. However, I don't think they should be given to dogs, when they are alone. The manufacturer warns against giving multiple greenies during a short amount of time and suggest using the size that is appropriate for your dog. For now until I hear otherwise, I'm going to keep using them. For more information on the story, click HERE.

These are just a couple of things I thought you all should know. Everyone have a great day!