Media Contact:
Carey Phelps (770) 360-5292

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –- June 22, 2010 – United Pet Group, Cincinnati, Ohio is voluntarily recalling all unexpired lots of its PRO-PET ADULT DAILY VITAMIN Supplement tablets for Dogs due to possible Salmonella contamination.  The Food and Drug Administration is aware of this recall.

The product was sold nationally at various retailers.  The product comes in 100-count white plastic bottles with a light blue label, and UPC code 26851-01800.  These products are being removed from retail stores and consumers should immediately stop feeding these supplements to their pets.  The affected products are those with expiration dates on or before “06/13″. The expiration date can be found imprinted vertically on the right side of the product label.

Laboratory testing has revealed that one Lot of this vitamin product was contaminated with Salmonella.  The company is recalling all unexpired Lots of the product out of an abundance of caution.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

People who handle dry pet food and/or treats can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the chews or any surfaces exposed to these products. Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Consumers who have purchased the product are urged to contact United Pet Group or the place of purchase for further direction. Consumers may contact United Pet Group at 1-800-645-5154 ext. 3, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST.

Customer Service (800) 829-4493
Media Contact: Daniel Bernstein (310) 902-2554

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — June 18, 2010 – Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc., of Pacoima, CA, announces a voluntary recall of Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food with the “Best By” date of June 17, 2011, in 5-lb. and 28-lb. bags because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

No illnesses have been reported to date. The recall notification is being issued out of an abundance of caution based on an isolated instance in which a product sample with a “Best By” date of June 17, 2011, had a positive result for Salmonella in a random sample test conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This product was originally manufactured on December 17, 2009, and is the only Natural Balance product being recalled.

Salmonella can affect animals and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products. People handling dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. This product was manufactured on December 17, 2009.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Recalled products were only distributed in pet specialty stores in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The only product affected by the recall is the Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food with the “Best By” date of June 17, 2011, product information as follows:

Consumers who have purchased Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog formula with the “Best By” date of June 17, 2011, are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. A separate letter and instructions will be forwarded to all relevant Natural Balance customers. For additional information, please contact Natural Balance Pet Foods Customer Service at (800) 829-4493 (8am – 5pm, PDT) or by visiting www.naturalbalanceinc.com¹.

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By Brigitte Smith

photo by exfordy

Animals have lived for centuries in the wild, thriving on the most organic and simplest of fare, so why should today be any different? Unless they evolved to take on opposable thumbs to start operating stoves and ovens it would be safe to say that our canines are still meant to eat food in its most natural state. A raw dog food diet (sometimes referred to as the BARF diet) is one of the best ways to keep your dog healthy and strong.

Raw dog food is easy to prepare – you don’t even have to cook anything, that’s the point. Cut up chicken necks, backs and legs complete with the skin to provide the fat and calcium that are beneficial to the dog. Mix in fresh vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cucumber with raw meat or any organ meat. Chop the bones and the other ingredients into small pieces to prevent any danger of the animal choking on his food.

As you make his meals, always make sure to include grains and fruits in his dog supplies. Fresh fruits particularly supply antioxidants that will aid in keeping your pet from certain diseases. Season meals with herbs and spices that will make the food more interesting to eat for the canine. Garlic is an excellent healthy ingredient but do not overdo it. Too much of this pungent bulb can be the cause of digestive problems for the poor animal.

Walking your dog gives him opportunity to feed on the grass that cover the park and line most homes. If he does, let him go ahead and munch on these blades. Grass actually cleanse the canine’s colon and will help in proper elimination of undigested food in the doggie’s digestive tract.

One of the most obvious benefits of giving your pet a diet of raw food is a set of white teeth and them having fresh breath – better than their commercial pet food fed buddies at least. This is thanks to the enzymes found in natural food as well as lessened amount of toxins. It is these toxins that get stuck between their teeth that cause bad breath.

Another good reason to switch to this all raw diet is the decrease in the quantity of poop the dog makes; and the smell of it is not as bad as it used to be. You can determine through the appearance of the stool, how to improve the diet of the canines. If the stool looks too soft, you need to put in more bones to the meals. On the other hand, if the stool is too hard, raise the amount of vegetables you serve in his meals.

Perhaps the best thing about this is that you won’t need a lot of dog supplies – but the advantages are considerable. Imagine wounds and allergies healing faster, their coats are shinier, their stamina and energy levels are higher, among others. If not for the regular check-ups, your vet might be calling you because he misses seeing your pet. Transition your pet from processed to natural food gradually but begin as soon as you are able – you will not regret it.

By Destin Davis

Some people feel like they are saving money by buying the cheapest dog food on the market. The truth is, the better food you feed your dog, the less visits you will have to make to the vet (and you know how those visits can easily add up). Eating dog food that contains bad ingredients can make your dog unhealthy, shorten their life span, make their skin and coat look dull, and have your dog looking older than he really is. So do your best to only feed your dog good dog food!

The very first thing you want to do is READ the ingredients on the bag, look at what kind of meat is in the bag. The meat is going to determine how your dog receives his protein. You may want the meat to be either lamb, chicken, turkey, or fish. Keep in mind that the first ingredient listed is the main ingredient.

What you don’t want to find is a turkey, chicken or fish by-product. The by-product of chicken can include almost any part that is not used, like the neck, feet, intestines, etc.

Now you want to take a look at the grains in the food. What you ideally want to see is rice or oatmeal as the grain ingredient. Rice and oatmeal are easy for dogs to digest. If your dog’s food has corn, you may want to switch it up.

Corn is used as cheap filler and some dogs have problems with it. Dogs that are allergic to corn will start itching, scooting their butts, or getting ear infections (again, more trips to the vet). These are all signs that the dog isn’t able to tolerate the corn in the food. Corn is an ingredient that you want to weed out when searching for good dog food.

If you know your dog has a problem with wheat (or any other grain) you may want to check out some grain free dog foods as an option. Wheat can irritate your dog worse than corn, so be careful if your dog is known to have a problem with wheat.

Preservatives

Yasha, photo by tibchris

The last thing we want to explore is the preservatives. If the food contains bha, bht, propyl gallate or ethoxiquin (which is alleged to be linked to liver damage in dogs) you want to avoid buying it for your dog.

The best preservatives you can find in good dog food is vitamin e (like mixed Tocopherols). Vitamin e allows the food to be preserved as natural as possible.

Believe it or not, that smell is caused by the ingesting chemicals and preservatives in the food. If you give your pet a homemade dog food diet, then this will all change. Yes, just by changing the diet of your pet, you are going to not only get a dog that is less odorous, but you will find that he or she is more energetic and healthier. When we gave our pit bulls this type of grub for the first time, we noticed a big difference. This article describes how to change your dogs diet from commercial to homemade dog food.

Stop and think for a minute… Could you imagine eating that same dry, preservative and chemical laden food each and every day of you life? It is thought by many experts that commercial brand food can adversely affect the health of your dog and may account for most of the illness we see in pets today, so if you value the health of your pet, you might consider making his food at home.

Now, if you think that making your dogs food instead of just dumping it out of a bag is a lot of work, that is not necessarily the case.  In fact, dogs eat the same foods we do, but in different combinations so you can actually use most of the “human” foods you are preparing along with a little extra to feed your pet.

When it comes to making homemade dog food, you should make sure it is well balanced. You want to include about 50% meat, 30% fruits and vegetables and 20% grains like oats or barley or brown rice.  There are some foods you should avoid such as cooked bones, garlic, onions, avocado, potato, nuts, fat trimmings, grapes, raisins, dairy products, mushrooms, sugary and salty foods.

When changing your dogs diet, you want to be sure to do this gradually so as not to cause digestive upset.  Start by mixing in some of the homemade food with his regular food – about 10% homemade to 90% regular for a few days.  Then up the percentage of homemade and lower the percentage of regular for the next few days.  Continue until you are feeding all homemade food to your dog.

Feeding your dog homemade dog food might be a little bit more work, but it is well worth it for a happy, healthy and long lived pet.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with vegetable oil spray. Lightly dust work surface with flour. Blend flours and cornmeal m large mixing bowl. Add apple, egg, oil, brown sugar and water; mix until well blended.
2. On floured surface, roll dough out to 7/8-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters of desired shape and size. Place treats on prepared sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven 35 to 40 minutes. Turn off oven. Leave door closed 1 hour to crisp treats. Remove treats from oven.
4. Store baked treats in airtight container or plastic bag and place in refrigerator or freezer.

MAKES 2 to 2 1/2 dozen

Photo by exfordy

Have you noticed everything that is going on regarding the commercial dog food industry?

With all of those recalls last year, dog owners are rethinking the type of dog food to give their beloved four legged friends. Have you given much thought to all natural dog food? There is one main issued in the commercial foods and that is quality… Or lack there of. The commercial brands of food that we are feeding our dogs is causing them to get sick.

When it comes to the benefits of feeding your dog natural dog food, you are going to find many. Simply put, it is much more healthy for your pet – just like eating natural foods is more healthy for you. Natural foods do not have harmful chemicals or fillers in them which can cause illness and disease.

There are plenty of natural foods on the market that you can buy for your pet, but before you settle on a brand, you might want to talk to your Vet and see if they have something they recommend. Take note that dogs systems can be sensitive and if you change your dogs diet suddenly it can cause stomach upset and diarrhea. So, if you are switching foods, you’ll want to add in the new food gradually.

So, what exactly should you choose for your pet to eat?

As you know, meat is known for being the main part of a dogs diet. Beef, in addition to chicken and fish are important to make that your furry friend is getting enough protein. In effect, your dogs diet should consists of about 50% protein which should come from full meat products (not by-products).

As stated above, you can buy natural dog food, or you can simply cook the foods for him yourself. Dogs eat a very similar diet to humans so you could include some of your dinner meats along with some grains (oats, brown rice, pasta) and vegetables for a well rounded diet. Dogs need a bit of extra fat for healthy skin and a nice coat so add some fresh fish oil to your pets meal. Finally, don’t forget the veggies – green beans, carrots, peas, apples, blueberries, and spinach are all great foods to feed Fido – they’ll help provide him with vitamins and minerals for health and longevity.

Find out how Eukanuba uses the right type of carbs blended in proper ways to help your dog get the most out of life. More on www.eukanuba.com

Eukanuba uses beet pulp as a fiber source for their dog foods. Learn about Eukanuba’s special fiber source that’s scientifically proven to aid in proper digestion for your dog.

• 1/2 cup powdered milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups rice flour
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup chicken broth, or beef broth
• 1 jar baby food, meat, beef, strained — meat, any flavor

Combine all ingredients well. Form into a ball. Roll dough out on a floured surface. Cut out desired shapes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Let cool. The treats should be hard and crunchy.