The PetsitUSA.com Blog

Purina has implemented a voluntary “retrieval” (aka recall) of horse feed.

Here’s the info from Purina…

Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC has implemented a voluntary product retrieval of certain feeds manufactured between November 3, 2007 and February 8, 2008 at our Statesville, N.C., feed plant; between January 1, 2008 and February 8, 2008 at our Harrisburg, Penn., feed plant; and between January 1, 2008 and March 10, 2008 at our Guilderland, N.Y. plant.

This voluntary retrieval was initiated due to the possible presence of aflatoxin contamination above acceptable levels.

To date, we have received no confirmed aflatoxin-related animal health complaints involving any of the retrieved products. Nevertheless, we have taken such precautionary action as our utmost priority continues to be our customers and the well-being of their animals.

All dealers who purchased any of the retrieved products directly from Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC have been notified. These dealers are located in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

Our investigation and product testing identified one ingredient of concern, which originated from a single supplier. We have discontinued purchasing from this supplier. Other feed companies that purchased from this supplier are facing a similar situation.

For more information about specific products included in the retrieval, contact the Statesville, N.C., Feed Plant at 704-924-5100 or the Harrisburg, Penn., Feed Plant at 717-737-4581.

The Horse has some information about this as well..

Aflatoxins are a form of mycotoxin, and are secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. fungi. According to Gary Osweiler, DVM, PhD, professor of veterinary toxicology at Iowa State University, effects of aflatoxins can be progressive as well as cumulative. At levels greater than 50 ppb (parts per billion), aflatoxins can cause signs such as feed refusal, fever, weight loss, sluggishness, liver damage, jaundice, bloody diarrhea, kidney damage, birth defects, tumors, and suppressed immune function.

[…]

The recall is voluntary and precautionary, Botham stressed.

Dealers were notified of the recall in March. Botham said the aflatoxin was discovered through routine product testing performed by a state regulatory agency, with results confirmed by company testing.

Read more here.

Technorati Tags: horse feed recall, horses, equine, Purina recall

The momentum Oprah started on her show about puppy mills is still going strong. On today’s show, she’s expected to back legislation in Pennsylvania that targets puppy millers.

From Philly.com…

HARRISBURG - Talk about a lobbyist with clout.

Oprah Winfrey - the woman with the power to send authors to the top of the New York Times best-seller list - is planning to appeal to viewers tomorrow to back a crackdown on puppy mills in Pennsylvania.

Winfrey is expected to read excerpts from a letter Gov. Rendell sent to her last month seeking support for legislation to overhaul the state’s dog law, according to participants in a Monday conference call with producers of The Oprah Show.

A spokesman for the show declined through e-mail to comment on the program for the live show.

Tomorrow’s show follows an investigation by the show highlighting abuses in Lancaster County commercial kennels. The video showed sick dogs, dogs crammed into small cages, and dogs being mishandled by owners.

It generated one of the largest e-mail responses in the show’s history, a spokesman said.

Two years ago, Rendell vowed to improve conditions in Pennsylvania’s commercial breeding kennels. He wrote Winfrey after the show aired seeking help to counter “strong opponents in the breeding industry.”

No doubt about it - Oprah is a powerful woman - and if she can keep puppy mills in the public eye, hopefully some things will change. It’s time puppy mills are shut down!

Technorati Tags: puppy mills, dogs, Oprah

It’s time for another giveaway everybody - and these are some pretty high tech gadgets for you to enjoy with your pets!

The WaterDog is an automatic watering fountain that you can attach to an outdoor water spigot. When your dog gets within a certain range, a stream of water flows so he can get some clean, fresh water (or simply play in the water!) Read the WaterDog review.

The ChatterBowl is a fun little gadget that allows you to record a message for your pet, so that everytime he comes near the bowl, your message plays.

Visit our contest page to find out how to enter!

And, finally…

Congrats to our latest contest winners!

Our last contest was for a Brush Buddy, and our winners are…

• Angela, who entered for the founder of a local rescue group.
• Dale, from Pekin, IL who is sure his dog Bootsy (that’s him below) is going to really enjoy the Brush Buddy!

Technorati Tags: contest, pets, WaterDog, ChatterBowl, dogs, cats

PETA has sent a letter to the Kentucky racing authority asking that Gabriel Saez be suspended. Saez is the jockey that rode Eight Belles, the filly that was euthanized after yesterday’s Kentucky Derby.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is seeking the suspension of Eight Belles’ jockey after the filly had to be euthanized following her second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Gabriel Saez was riding Eight Belles when she broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter of a mile past the wire. She was euthanized on the track.

PETA faxed a letter Sunday to Kentucky’s racing authority claiming the filly was “doubtlessly injured before the finish” and asked that Saez be suspended while Eight Belles’ death is investigated.

“What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?” PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said. “If he didn’t then we can probably blame the fact that they’re allowed to whip the horses mercilessly.”

Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones said the filly was clearly happy when she crossed the finish line.

Read the rest.

With Barbaro still fresh on many people’s minds, yesterday’s tragedy has many asking questions…

Just hours before the Kentucky Derby, trainer Larry Jones got up early with his filly Eight Belles and took her to the track for a ride before the big race.

This was supposed to be a day of tempting history for Jones and Eight Belles.

They were taking on 19 colts and trying to make Eight Belles the fourth filly, and the first since Winning Colors in 1988, to win the “Run for the Roses.”

[…]

Perhaps if the wounds of losing Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro were not so fresh there would not be this feeling of “Here we go again.” Perhaps the shock would not have been so severe.

Eerily, Barbaro’s trainer, Michael Matz, saw another one of his horses, Chelokee, injured Friday at Churchill Downs with the same injury as Barbaro, a broken lower leg.

Just when the industry needed good news, officials will have to explain why this happened again.

There will be questions with few answers.

•Should horses run this young?

•Is a 20-horse field too filled with danger?

•Should fillies be running against males?

•Does medication play any role in this?

•Are dirt surfaces, such as those at each Triple Crown track, more dangerous than grass or the new synthetic surfaces?

•Has breeding caused a weakening of the talent pool?

Read more from USA Today.

Technorati Tags: Eight Belles, Kentucky Derby, horse, race

The Filly, Eight Belles, broke both front legs just after a second place finish in the Kentucky Derby today. She was euthanized a short time later.

Boy, did Eight Belles hang with the boys. All that heart and her gallant fight, however, ended in the worst of all possible ways: a breakdown, an ambulance on the track. And, with no other choice, she was euthanized by injection.

The day began with hope and pomp. Bolstered by the sentimental support from 157,770 fans and endorsed by presidential contender Hillary Clinton and cheered by daughter Chelsea, the filly finished second in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

[…]

“Everyone breathed a big sigh of relief that everyone came around the track cleanly and then all of a sudden it happened,” said Dr. Larry Bramlage, on-call veterinarian.

Quickly, word spread about the horse that was down in the second turn. Fans focused binoculars on the scene, using Saez’s red helmet to identify the horse.

[…]

Bramlage said the fracture in Eight Belles’ left front ankle opened the skin, allowing contamination to set in. At least one of her sesamoid bones was broken, too.

“She didn’t have a front leg to stand on to be splinted and hauled off in the ambulance, so she was immediately euthanized,” he said. “In my years in racing, I have never seen this happen at the end of the race or during the race.”

Here’s the rest from The Associated Press.

Absolutely heartbreaking!

Technorati Tags: horses, Eight Belles, Kentucky Derby

A Maryland winery is teaming up with a Westie rescue group to help raise money for the group. From the Baltimore Sun…

If a Sunday afternoon of wine-sipping and dog-walking — all in the name of a worthy cause — is your idea of a good time, the Linganore Winery has a deal for you.

On Sunday, May 4. the winery in Mount Airy will hold a “Wine and Fleas” event to benefit Maryland Westie Rescue, a volunteer group that’s dedicated to saving West Highland White Terriers in Maryland.

[…]

Dogs are allowed in the winery’s private tasting area, and for those wanting to take the full tour petsitters will be available.

What a cool idea for them to have pet sitters available to take care of dogs while their people go through the no-dogs allowed part of the tour.

Here’s the Maryland Westie Rescue website, in case you want to learn more…and maybe stop by the winery for a glass of wine!

[Tags]Wine and Fleas, rescue, pets, dogs[Tags]

Menu Foods settlement info, from Business Week…

Lawyers who ironed out a settlement in a series of lawsuits over contaminated pet food say it will be another week before details are made public.

Streetsville, Ontario-based Menu Foods Income Fund announced the tentative settlements on April 1. Lawyers for the company and plaintiffs in the lawsuits initially said they would disclose the details May 1.

But Thursday, the lawyers told a federal judge that they would need until May 8 to finish the document. A court hearing on the settlement is scheduled for May 14 in U.S District Court in Camden.

It’ll be interesting, to say the least, what they worked out.

Technorati Tags: Menu Foods, pet food recall

I’ve talked to quite a few pet sitters lately and what they’re telling me about how business is going is a bit surprising, considering the economy. Obviously there are those who are having a rough time - their clients have tightened up their spending and are not traveling, and/or they’re no longer using daily dog walking services. For the most part though, I’m hearing more positive talk than negative. In fact, I’ve talked with a number of pet sitting business owners who are saying that the recent months have been the most profitable ever. As a result, some are considering hiring employees or using independent contractors to help with the amount of business.

Regardless of how well (or not) some pet sitters are doing, the rising costs are hitting the pet sitting and dog walking industry, just as they’re hitting every other aspect of American life right now. Many pet service business owners have reluctantly had to raise their rates, and for some this is a very difficult thing to do. There’s not much of an alternative right now though with gas closing in on $4.00 a gallon.

We’ve all seen in the news about how people are cutting costs these days, and I know some folks are deciding to stay home instead of taking their usual vacations. I’m curious though, for those who are going on vacations, are they trips that have already been paid for, or are they throwing caution (and money!) to the wind and deciding they need a break regardless of what the cost is?

Technorati Tags: pet sitting, pet sitters, economy