Dogster for the Love of Dog Blog » dog treats

FDA Health Alert for Certain Pet Treats Made by Pet Carousel

Horst Hoefinger — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:39:49 +0000

For Immediate Release: Nov. 5, 2009

Media Inquiries: Rita Chappelle, 301-796-4672, rita.chappelle@fda.hhs.gov

Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Health Alert for Certain Pet Treats Made by Pet Carousel

Products may be contaminated with Salmonella

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pig Ears and Beef Hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, Calif.

The products were manufactured under conditions that facilitate cross-contamination within batches or lots. Although no illnesses associated with these products have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these products to not handle or feed them to their pets.

The affected pig ear products were packaged under the brand names Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel. The affected beef hooves were packaged under the brand names Choo Hooves, Dentley’s, Doggie Delight, and Pet Carousel. All sizes and all lots of these products made by Pet Carousel are included in this alert.

During September 2009, the FDA conducted routine testing of pig ears made by Pet Carousel. The test results detected a positive reading for Salmonella. This prompted an FDA inspection of Pet Carousel’s manufacturing facilities. During the inspection, the agency collected additional pet treat samples. Further analysis found Salmonella present in beef hooves, pig ears and in the manufacturing environment.

Salmonella can affect both humans and animals. People handling dry pet food and/or pet treats can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the treats or any surfaces exposed to these products. Consumers should dispose of these products in a safe manner by securing them in a covered trash receptacle.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella may experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Although rare, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their health care provider immediately.

Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may only experience a 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 any of the affected products or is experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.

The FDA will continue to investigate this matter to determine the source of the Salmonella contamination and offer updates as appropriate.

Consumers can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food and pet treat products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in their area. You can locate the nearest consumer complaint coordinator at:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ConsumerComplaintCoordinators/default.htm

Windee (Moo Tubes & Beef Trachea) Chewies Choking Warning

Horst Hoefinger — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:14:51 +0000

Yesterday I received a heartbreaking letter from Bobbie, she had given her pup Nikko a Windee chewie and the dog choked to death. I am not familiar with these treats but we had a scary experience with Copper years ago when she was chewing a rawhide.

I was away on business and Lisa had given her one of the chewies with the knots on the end. Copper had eaten them before with no issues, the girl can chew. This time she almost choked to death when one of the knots separated and got stuck in her throat. Lisa thought she was going to watch her die, it was horrible. Eventually she was able to grab hold of a piece and pull it from her throat, we were very lucky, she never would have made it to the emergency vet.

We have never bought those types of chewies again. I have heard horror stories about many different types of rawhides/chewies, and while some pups have no issues it is always good to be aware of what can happen. Here’s Bobbie’s story…

On Saturday night, (8/16/09) my 6 year old Shih Tzu, Nikko, was eating a dog chewie named Windee (a/k/a Moo tubes & Beef Trachea). He began choking and I tried but could not get the Windee chew from him. I thought the choking stopped before I went to bed but the next day I woke up and Nikko was dead. The necropsy performed that morning revealed approximately 2 inches of the chew lodged in the trachea leading to death by asphyxiation.

The 6″ Windee chew is manufactured by Jones Natural Chews Company (the label says Jones Gourmet Chews Company) located in Rockford Illinois. The chew is advertised as \”good chewing for all size dogs\”. There are absolutely no warnings that choking can occur and cause death OR the Windee can lodge in the trachea and thus cause death by asphyxiation.

I contacted Jones Natural Chews company and spoke to Dean Jones, one of the owners. I told him what happened and he said he would send me a letter advising as to what would be done. When I didn’t receive the letter I called him back and he said the letter was sent. I still have not received any letter. I requested they take this product off the market so that it would not happen to another dog. He said they would NOT take the Windee chew off the market. I then requested a warning label on the product that choking can occur and lead to death. He said he spoke to their Attorneys and they may put some type of warning that \”Choking could be hazardous\” That is not sufficient. It minimizes the reality, death can occur.

I know our dogs love bones and chewies and we all love to see our dogs happy BUT the consequences are not worth it.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE IF YOU HAVE A DOG DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GIVE Windee (a/k/a Moo tubes & Beef Trachea) TO YOUR DOG.

I can’t tell you how much I loved Nikko, I bred him and thus had him since the day he was born. IF you have had a dog die because of choking on this or any other product please notify me via email.

We are so sorry to hear about the loss of Nikko and extend our heartfelt condolences. I want to thank Bobbie for sharing her experience so others can be spared the pain she is going through.

Biscuits Aimed At Fighting Mouth Disease

Horst Hoefinger — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:51:35 +0000

Hartz is working to make healthy biscuits that are aimed at fighting mouth disease. Check it out…

If you can’t see the video click here.

How Do You Choose A Treat Survey

Horst Hoefinger — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:46:42 +0000

A group of MBA students from the Kellog School of Management contacted me to find out if our readers would take a poll about treats – knowing how much you guys love treats, I thought I’d pass the survey on to you.

What follows is one page containing a series of questions about purchases that you might consider making, and several about yourself and your pet.

It should take only a few minutes in total, but you are encouraged to work at your own pace.

Once you’ve submitted your responses to the survey, you will receive a coupon code for 25% off handcrafted canine treats.

When we get the findings we’ll post them, so you can see what the rest of the country is eating.

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this research project.

* “The things they make us do for treats.” – Ginger

Treat Contest Ends Wednesday

Horst Hoefinger — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:32:36 +0000

I just wanted to remind everyone that our Earth Day treat giveaway ends on Wednesday, April 29th.

We have a last minute treat giveaway to celebrate Earth Day thanks to the nice folks at The Honest Kitchen who have generously donated three boxes of their homemade dog treats for a contest. They’re all natural and have great names: Nuzzles, Pecks, and Smooches.

To get all the details and to enter please go to the ORIGINAL post.

Earth Day Treat Giveaway

Horst Hoefinger — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:00:30 +0000

We have a last minute treat giveaway to celebrate Earth Day thanks to the nice folks at The Honest Kitchen who have generously donated three boxes of their homemade dog treats for a contest. They’re all natural and have great names: Nuzzles, Pecks, and Smooches.

•Smooches – hand-crafted, heart-shaped cookies made with real chicken, cranberries, parmesan cheese and an extra helping of love. Made exclusively for The Honest Kitchen customers at a local bakery in San Diego, Smooches are sure to please even the fussiest hounds.

•Nuzzles – natural artisan cookies made with real duck and cherries. Made for pups who demand only the best, Nuzzles have a luxurious, rich and irresistible flavor.

•Pecks – Hand-made, bite-sized buffalo and blueberry cookies for pups of all sizes. Perfect for training.

Besides offering great food and treats for your dog The Honest Kitchen also promotes environmental responsibility. Their line of all-natural human-grade treats were recently released in new eco-friendly packaging.

The new sustainable packaging includes:

• Boxes made with 100 percent post-consumer recycled chip board – reduces the amount of virgin materials used to create packaging materials.

• A recyclable inner bag

• Only soy based inks used for all printing – require substantially less energy to produce in comparison to standard petroleum-based inks, and also help reduce air pollution.

• The finished product is 100 percent biodegradable

In addition, The Honest Kitchen employs the following eco-conscious practices:

• Using only certified organic grains, hormone and antibiotic-free meats, non-GMO fruits and vegetables and certified fair-trade quinoa in its products supports sustainable farming processes and decreases the amount of toxic chemicals released into ecosystems.

• Virgin materials are eliminated wherever possible.

• All packaging elements are produced in North America to prevent reliance on excessive transportation, which helps reduce carbon emissions.

The treats have such fun names, I thought for the contest I would have Dogsters suggest a name for a new treat to see how creative the pups out there really are. So, to enter the contest just leave a comment in the comment section telling me what name you would come up with if The Honest Kitchen was looking to create a new treat. The contest runs today through Wednesday, April 29th when I will choose three lucky winners.

Breadfarm, Inc. Sirius Dog Treats Recall

Horst Hoefinger — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:49:37 +0000

Here’s another product that’s a casualty of the salmonella breakout caused by Peanut Corporation Of America. That place is the gift that keeps on giving.

Breadfarm, Inc. Recalls Valencia Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sirius Dog Treats, and Wonder Bars, purchased in January 2007 and October of 2008, Because Of Possible Health Risk

Contact:
Scott Mangold
(360)766-4065

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Bow, WA — March 2, 2009 — Breadfarm, Inc. of Bow, WA is recalling Valencia Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sirius Dog Treats, and Wonder Bars purchased in January 2007 and October of 2008 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The Valencia Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sirius Dog Treats, and Wonder Bars were manufactured using peanuts recalled by Peanut Corporation of American because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in pets, young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

The Valencia Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sirius Dog Treats, and Wonder Bars were sold in Washington State at the Bellingham, Mount Vernon, and Everett Farmer’s Markets and at the Breadfarm retail location in Bow, Washington. This recall affects products purchased between January 2007 and October 2008.

All products were sold under the Breadfarm label with no additional labeling or code information on the package (Excepting the unpackaged, single cookies).

The following products are affected by this recall:

* Valencia Peanut Butter sold in 16 ounce jars.
* Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies sold in sealed cellophane packs of 5 cookies or as unpackaged single cookies
* Sirius Dog Treats sold in sealed 7 ounce cellophane packages
* Wonder Bars sold in sealed cellophane packages of 2 bars

Breadfarm products produced after October 2008 are made using non-recalled peanuts from a different source and are not affected by this recall.

No known illnesses have been reported to date in connection with these products. The recall was initiated after it was determined that some of the Organic Peanuts received by Breadfarm were manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America. Breadfarm, Inc. has informed FDA of its actions and is fully cooperating with the Agency.

Consumers who purchased the Valencia Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sirius Dog Treats, or Wonder Bars, between January 2007 and October of 2008 are urged to return them to Breadfarm for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-866-372-7323, between 8am and 5pm, Monday through Friday, Pacific Time. Breadfarm products produced after October 2008 were made using non-recalled peanuts from a different source.

Please pass the word, we want to keep all the pups out there safe.

*Pic from FDA site

Milk Bone Contest Winner

Horst Hoefinger — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:29:52 +0000

In November Dogster member Lady let us know she had become one of the finalists in the Milk- Bone SpokesDog contest.

Some exciting news about our Lady. Lady, our 4 year old pup has been chosen as 1 of 100 finalists, out of tens of thousands of entries across the U.S.

I also just found out there was another Dogster who made it into the finals, Wyatt.

Although neither won, they deserve a big congrats for making it so far. After all, they were 2 out of 100 finalists from thousands of entries across the country.

A winner has been chosen and was announced yesterday on The Bonnie Hunt Talk Show.

SAN FRANCISCO – February 23, 2009 -
Del Monte Foods (NYSE:DLM), today announces that its Milk-Bone® brand has named its first-ever SpokesDog.

It was a doggone great competition, but when America voted to pick just one dog to represent Milk-Bone®, a Great Dane named Winston from Mosinee, Wisconsin stood, literally and figuratively, head and shoulders above the rest.

Winston and Melisa Ruppert, his proud pet parent, are taking home first prize in the Make a Milk-Bone Moment^TM contest-a search for those genuine moments of joy that strengthen the bond between a pet and his or her pet parent.

The contest was in honor of Milk-Bone’s 100 year anniversary.

A century ago, a New York City baker was barking up the right tree when he decided that his four-legged friends deserved a tasty treat too. Originally created in a small bakery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the biscuits became known to millions as Milk-Bone® dog biscuits, America’s favorite dog snack.

A big congrats to Winston and Melisa Ruppert, we look forward to seeing their picture on a Milk- Bone box.

* Pic on left is Lady, on right is Wyatt.

American Health Kennels Recalls Treats

Horst Hoefinger — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:58:17 +0000

On February 8, 2009 I posted some additional recalls due to the salmonella breakout caused by products connected to Peanut Corporation of America. At the time American Health Kennels, Inc. was not one of them, however, it has since been added.

The company has voluntarily recalled these products. Stating they were ” effecting this recall in the interest of public safety even though we know our product is safe.”

The following items manufactured by American Health Kennels, Inc. are subject to this recall:

American Health Kennels, Inc., Cookie Bars: Creamy Peanut Butter UPC 725999522004; PB & Carob Chips UPC 725999523001; Lucious Carob UPC 725999521007; 4pack Cookiebar Assortment UPC 725999538005; Best Before: 11/09

American Health Kennels, Inc., Peanut Butter Crunch 12oz UPC 725999001103; 16oz UPC 725999161104; Best Before: 11/09

American Health Kennels, Inc. Bark Bars Peanut Butter: 1.5oz Jumbo UPC 725999000168; 2.25 Pillow Pack UPC 725999333105; 2.5lb canister UPC 725999005064; 5lb bulk UPC 725999001257; 6oz Smiles UPC 725999530009; Giggles UPC 725999530009

American Health Kennels, Inc., Christmas Stocking 6oz UPC 725999000175; Christmas Card Mailer UPC 725999513003; Birthday Mailer UPC 725999528006; “With Love” Hearts UPC 725999512944; Holiday Smiles UPC 725999222300

American Health Kennels, Inc., 100 Calorie 2oz Pillow Pack UPC 725999539101; 100 Calorie 14oz dispenser UPC 725999539200; Gravity Trial 2oz UPC 725999400166; Best Before: 11/09

American Health Kennels, Inc., Bark Bars Minis UPC 72599953300; Best Before: 11/09

American Health Kennels, Inc., Bark Bars Animal Snackers 3oz UPC 725999512098; 12oz UPC 725999512098; Best Before: 11/09

American Health Kennels, Inc., Bark Bars Milk & Cookies UPC 725999333808; Best Before: 11/09

American Health Kennels, Inc., Dog Ate My Homework Jumbo UPC 725999531006; 2oz Pillow Pack UPC 725999535004; Best Before: 11/09

American Health Kennels, Inc., Bark Bars Naughty or Nice UPC 725999530092; Best Before: 11/09

American Health Kennels, Inc., Bark Bars Carob & Peanut Butter, 2.5lb canister UPC 725999005071; 2.25oz Pillow Pack UPC 725999333402; 5lb bulk UPC 725999003251; Best Before: 11/09

American Health Kennels, Inc., Bark Bars Brownie Delight 12oz UPC 725999003107; 5lb bulk UPC 725999003251; Best Before: 11/09

Although the products are thought to be safe, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Thanks Marg for barking this important information to me.

Peanut Butter Pet Product Recalls Update

Horst Hoefinger — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:28:04 +0000

I have been receiving requests for specific pet products that have been recalled due to the peanut butter Salmonella scare.

Here is the latest information from the FDA, you can go to their page and check out the individual companies that have affected products.

This list includes human and pet food subject to recall in the United States since January 2009 related to peanut products recalled by Peanut Corporation of America.

This list will be updated as new information is received. The information is current as of the date indicated. Once included, all human and pet food recalls will remain listed.

If we learn that any information is not accurate, we will revise the list as soon as possible. When available, this database also includes photos of recalled human and pet food products that have been voluntarily submitted by recalling firms to the FDA to assist the public in identifying those products that are subject to recall.

I’ve already posted on the following products; Carolina Prime, Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits by PetSmart, and Salix. New recalls include: Happy Tails, Healthy Hide, Healthy-hide Deli-wrap, Shoppers Valu.

The FDA site is a great way to keep updated on any new products being pulled from shelves, make sure to check back often.

Dogster for the Love of Dog Blog » dog treats

FDA Health Alert for Certain Pet Treats Made by Pet Carousel

Windee (Moo Tubes & Beef Trachea) Chewies Choking Warning

Biscuits Aimed At Fighting Mouth Disease

How Do You Choose A Treat Survey

* “The things they make us do for treats.” – Ginger

Treat Contest Ends Wednesday

Earth Day Treat Giveaway

Breadfarm, Inc. Sirius Dog Treats Recall

*Pic from FDA site

Milk Bone Contest Winner

* Pic on left is Lady, on right is Wyatt.

American Health Kennels Recalls Treats

Peanut Butter Pet Product Recalls Update

* Happy Tails multi-flavor biscuits, one of the recall items.