Pedigree Dog Food Recall

MARS PETCARE US ANNOUNCES VOLUNTARY RECALL OF LIMITED RANGE OF PEDIGREE® BRAND WET DOG FOOD

Franklin, Tennessee (June 30, 2012)

– Today, Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of a limited range of three varieties of PEDIGREE® weight management canned dog food products due to a potential choking risk.

Affected product may contain small pieces of blue plastic, which entered the food during the production process. The source of the plastic has been identified and the issue resolved. We encourage consumers who have purchased affected product to discard the food or return it to the retailer for a full refund or exchange. While a small number of consumers have reported finding the plastic pieces, we have not received any reports of injury or illness associated with the affected product. The lot codes indicated below should not be sold or consumed.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers throughout the United States. Mars Petcare US is working with all of our distributors and retail customers to ensure that the recalled products are no longer sold and are removed from inventory. Click here for details

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Boarding Your Dog This Summer?

By Rebecca Lynch
Filed in - Special Situations
V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N
Hurrah—summer is here! When travelers pack bags to head off on vacation, many will be packing bags for their dogs, too. Here are some great suggestions for choosing a pet boarding facility, and for making your pet’s stay as comfortable and stress-free as possible. Read the entire article

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Is Your Dog a Dog Park Dog?

Most people don’t realize just how small the socialization window is for puppies. The optimal time to have puppies playing with other puppies, off leash, is between age 8-16 weeks, then on through adolescence and adulthood. That’s the optimal time to bring a puppy to puppy class as well. While we used to wait for pups to have all their shots, we now understand that there is a behavioral risk to waiting, so many trainers now use the guidelines established by the American Veterinary Society for Animal Behavior in their Position Statement on Puppy Socialization. Key Point: If you think your dog “needs more socialization” because he is having issues with other dogs, chances are that he needs something else, such as classical conditioning or desensitization work, and he may not be ready for the dog park. Read the entire article

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Dog Philosophy 101: What Dogs Teach Us About Life
A lighthearted look at what we can learn from our dogs.
Published on June 19, 2012
by Stanley Coren, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. in Canine Corner

I recently was pleased to receive an honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Guelph. As part of the ceremony I was asked to give a convocation address to the university graduates majoring in the social sciences. Rather than give the usual "inspirational" speech, I chose to give a lighthearted talk about what we can learn from dogs in terms of the philosophy of life. I decided to present this material it as if it were a summary of a university course which I named “Dog Philosophy 101.” The talk appeared to be well received, and when I returned home I found a flock of e-mail messages asking me to publish my brief little address. In response to those requests I give you an outline of Dog Philosophy 101.
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June 22, Take Your Dog To Work Day

On Friday, June 22, businesses across the country will increase the “canine employment rate” by opening their doors to employees’ furry, four-legged best friends for the 14th annual event to celebrate the great companions dogs make and to promote pet adoption. Click here for details!

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Heartworm Efficacy Study

Abstract A controlled laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of four commercial products administered as a single treatment for the prevention of heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis in dogs. Forty-four commercially sourced Beagle dogs, 6-7 months of age, were received at the test site (Auburn University, Department of Pathobiology) on Study Day (SD) -72 to begin acclimation. On SD -30, each dog was inoculated subcutaneously with 100 infective, third-stage D. immitis larvae (MP3 strain, TRS Laboratories, Inc., Athens, GA). On SD -1, 40 dogs weighing 18.2-25.3 lbs were ranked by decreasing body weight and randomized to five groups of eight dogs each. On SD 0, the dogs assigned to Group 1 were treated orally with ivermectin/pyrantel pamoate chewable tablets, Group 2 dogs were treated orally with milbemycin oxime flavored tablets, Group 3 dogs were treated with selamectin topical solution, and Group 4 dogs were treated with imidacloprid/moxidectin topical solution. Group 5 dogs remained nontreated. Dosages for dogs in Groups 1-4 were based on the individual body weight of each dog and current labeled dose banding for each commercial product. All dogs were fasted overnight prior to treatment. Food was returned four hours after treatment. Animals were observed for abnormal clinical signs involving eyes, feces, respiration, behavioral attitude, locomotion/musculature, or skin conditions at prescribed intervals immediately after treatment and at twice daily intervals thereafter. On SD 90, whole blood was collected and tested for adult heartworm antigen. On SDs 119/120, the dogs were euthanized and subjected to necropsy examination for recovery of adult D. immitis and/or worm fragments. At necropsy, all 8 dogs in the nontreated group were infected with adult D. immitis (34-70 worms/dog, geometric mean (GM)=51.6 worms/dog). One or more adult D. immitis and/or worm fragments were recovered from 7 of 8 of the dogs each in Groups 1-3 (87.5% were heartworm positive). The respective GM worm burdens/dog for Groups 1-3 was 2.3, 2.4, and 2.3 which resulted in 95.6, 95.4 and 95.5% efficacy, respectively. No worms were recovered from any of the 8 dogs in Group 4 resulting in 100% efficacy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Read the entire article

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Dog Aggression-Pain

If Your Dog Is Aggressive, Maybe It Is in Pain

ScienceDaily (June 13, 2012) — Dogs can sometimes suffer sudden episodes of aggression without their owners understanding why. But, in many cases, the cause of these attacks can be pain that has never been diagnosed or treated. For the first time the study describes the characteristics of this irritability, which can make dogs violent and increase aggression in already conflictive individuals. Read the entire article
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The Danger of Water Intoxication

Swimming dogs are at risk of ingesting too much water

JoAnna Lou | May 28, 2012

Last week a friend’s dog had a close call with water intoxication. Her crew was playing in a local river when one of her Border Collies emerged staggering and vomiting liquid.

Symptoms quickly worsened on the way to the vet, but after a few harrowing days, the dog was fortunate to make a full recovery.

Apparently the poor pup ingested too much water while repeatedly diving into the river, mouth open, trying to catch a ball. Drinking too much causes electrolyte levels to drop, thinning blood plasma and leading to swelling of the brain and other organs
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Before I learned about water intoxication, I thought that playing in the lake was safe if your dog was a strong swimmer. But now I know to be mindful of how my guys interact with the water and to force them to take ample breaks. Dogs can even drink too much water from playing with a lawn sprinkler.
Unfortunately water intoxication progresses quickly. Now that summer is officially here, it’s important to review the signs so you can get an affected dog to the vet as soon as possible.

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