At least this recall isn’t related to Chinese wheat. This press release appeared on Yahoo Finance.

Eight In One Announces Nationwide Recall of All Lots of Dingo(R) CHICK’N JERKY Treats for Dogs, Cats and Ferrets
Saturday March 31, 11:30 am ET

CINCINNATI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Eight In One, Inc., a division of United Pet Group, Inc., is voluntarily recalling nationally all lots of Dingo® CHICK’N JERKY treats due to Company concerns that the jerky treats have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination, in people, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. The Food and Drug Administration is aware of this recall.

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Purina is only recalling this one dog food product.

Follow this link to see the original press release.

Alpo® Brand Prime Cuts In Gravy Canned Dog Food Voluntary Nationwide Recall
No Dry Purina Products Involved

March 30, 2007

Nestlé Purina PetCare Company today announced it is voluntarily recalling all sizes and varieties of its ALPO® Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes. The Company is taking this voluntary action after learning today that wheat gluten containing melamine, a substance not approved for use in food, was provided to Purina by the same company that also supplied Menu Foods. The contamination occurred in a limited production quantity at only one of Purina’s 17 pet food manufacturing facilities.

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Thanks to Rhon for barking in this potential cure against aminopterin poisoning in dogs. This article comes from WFTV.com9.

Veterinarian Uses Drug to Treat Dogs Sick From Tainted Food

Longwood, Fla. — A Longwood veterinarian has been successful with a treatment to counteract the poison that some believe is making pets sick.

It all started with a patient.

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People often ask me if the “virtual” friendships made on Dogster are as meaningful as the ones we make in the “real” world. I tell them yes. The friendships and connections we make on Dogster are based on our mutual love of dogs and what dogs stand for in our lives. That gives us a basis for trust and friendship that most of us don’t see in our adult lives where most of our contacts are limited to the office or short-term daily interactions. Dogsters know that the other humans on the site are just as “crazy” about their furbabies as they are and they can relax and be themselves. I don’t know of a better way to build a relationship.

Thanks to Stephanie for sharing her Dogster story! As you’ll read, Stephanie has made some very real friends here on Dogster.

I’d like to tell you about a friendship I have from the Dogster site and the generosity this virtual stranger showed me, which I have emailed you in the past to enquire about.

The Machound brothers sent us paw mail to congratulate my dog Henry on being Dog of the Day, that’s how the friendship started. They awarded Henry a rosette, and when we mailed them back to thank them, my Basset and the 2 Machound brother Bassets started talking everyday.

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All you Scottish Dogsters looking for new furbabies to add to your pack, check this out.

Thanks to the Scotsman.com for this article.

Saved by a vet, then dumped - unwanted dogs with three legs
RAYMOND HAINEY

ADVANCED surgical techniques have led to a glut of amputee dogs abandoned by their owners, a pet charity warned yesterday.

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) says it is looking for good homes for three-legged dogs which have been thrown on to the streets by their owners.

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Jim Willis, animal rescuer, science writer and author of some of the most moving pet literature including the best seller Pieces of My Heart — Writings Inspired By Animals and Nature, was kind enough to bark in his advice on pet feeding.

Maybe we can’t all afford to or have the time to go to the lengths that Jim does, but we can all use some of his tips. I feed dry food most of the time (at this point I’m feeding Veterinarians Formula made by Arkat for those who are going to ask) but I dry to add some things like green beans to augment my pack’s diet.

Cross-posting permitted.

Roadkill versus Asparagus - On Canine and Feline Homemade Diets
Jim Willis, Copyright 2007

The recent recall of some petfoods, canned and in pouches, by a Canadian manufacturer and reports of the deaths or illness of some pets who were fed tainted food has scared many animal guardians. The current biggest culprit is wheat gluten from China, used to thicken the gravy in such foods. Recently, there have been reports that perhaps even some kibbles (dry food) have been contaminated. There have been other frightening warnings that include insecticides, bacteria and molds that have contaminated petfoods. We can add to that the reports of some petfood manufacturers’ treatment of animals during feeding trials, and the horrors of the slaughterhouses and rendering plants that produce the raw ingredients that go into many pets’ diets.

I’ve made my own homemade dog food for at least 20 years (mixed with a variety of high-quality kibbles), and have always supplemented my cats’ diet with various attempts at the same, or at least with some cooked meats and fish on occasion. My background is in biology and animal behavior, I am not a veterinarian or animal nutritionist, but still I’ve done my homework and am confident about the choices I’ve made. All the usual caveats apply, you should always check with your veterinarian before making a dietary change, each animal is an individual, some breeds are predisposed to certain conditions, and most vets will recommend that you make dietary changes gradually.

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FINALLY someone is saying it — companies need to be rethinking their sourcing globalization! Other than making five cents more, why would a company buy food products from the other side of the world, especially if that part of the world is known for having less stringent controls over storage and potential contamination?

Thanks to AOL News for this update.

Pet Food Recall Expands to Dry Food Maker
Testing Continues to Determine Cause of Poisonings
By ANDREW BRIDGES
AP

WASHINGTON (March 31) - Federal testing of recalled pet foods turned up a chemical used to make plastics but failed to confirm the presence of a cancer drug also used as rat poison. The recall expanded Friday to include the first dry pet food.

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it found melamine in samples of the Menu Foods pet food involved in the original recall and in imported wheat gluten used as an ingredient in the company’s wet-style products. Cornell University scientists also found melamine in the urine of sick cats, as well as in the kidney of one cat that died after eating some of the recalled food.

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Hill’s is recalling one of its dry food products. Here is their press release with the announcement.

These recalls are coming so quickly I can’t seem to get them on the blog fast enough.

Thanks to the PetConnection Blog for publicizing this recall.

Hills Pet Nutrition, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Single Product, Prescription Diet™ m/d™ Feline Dry Food, Only Product Containing Wheat Gluten

Topeka, KS (March 30, 2007) - In accordance with its over-riding commitment to pet health and well-being, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is voluntarily recalling Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food from the market. Hill’s is taking this precautionary action because during a two-month period in early 2007, wheat gluten for this product was provided by a company that also supplied wheat gluten to Menu Foods. U.S. Food and Drug Administration tests of wheat gluten samples from this period show the presence of a small amount of melamine. Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry represents less than one half of one percent of all Hill’s products.

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Thanks to Ted R. for barking over more news from the New York Times on the Menu pet food scandal.

F.D.A. Tests Show Chemical in Pet Food

By BRENDA GOODMAN
Published: March 30, 2007

ATLANTA, Ga., March 30 — Scientists with the Food and Drug Administration have linked a chemical to the illness and deaths of cats eating tainted food and raised for the first time the possibility that dry pet food may have been affected as well as wet food.

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Tonight’s the night to catch Cesar on CBS’ “The Ghost Whisperer.” And Cesar’s folks told me to jump over to the National Geographic Channel right after “The Ghost Whisperer” to catch a special “Dog Whisperer” episode. Tonight’s the night to have a lot of buttered popcorn ready for snacks!

Can Dogs Really See Ghosts?

In tonight’s episode, Delia’s dog, Bob, is able to see – and even to play with – Homer the ghost dog. Could this actually be possible? I teach that dogs read human energy as if we are speaking a language with them. They know our every mood and emotion – sometimes, even before we do! Could dogs really be aware of spirits that we humans cannot see?

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