Pet food sure can be a nightmare as of late

Laura Northrup had just a classic line last month: “…pentobarbital is not supposed to be in anyone’s food.”

Party Animal Recalls Dog Food Due To Potential Presence of Pentobarbital

The safety of pets is and always will be our first priority. We sincerely regret the reports of the discomfort experienced by the pet who consumed this food. As pet parents ourselves, we take this matter seriously. On April 13, a retailer in Texas notified us that their customer had presented samples of our 13-ounce-can Cocolicious Beef & Turkey dog food (Lot #0136E15204 04, best by July 2019) and 13-ounce-can Cocolicious Chicken & Beef dog food (Lot #0134E15 237 13, best by August 2019) to a testing lab, and that the results had tested positive for pentobarbital. We have requested those results.

When we were notified, we immediately tracked the lot numbers of the food in question and determined that the food had been manufactured and distributed in 2015. We then contacted the two probable retailers that had sold the customer the food and asked them to isolate all remaining cans from these lots. If pet parents have cans with either of those lot numbers in their possession, they should return them to the place of purchase and will of course receive a full refund.

We also requested that the retailers send all of the cans from those lots to us so that we can forward them on to an accredited independent laboratory for independent testing. We expect to receive the receive the results in 7 to 10 days. We first saw the formal report from the lab at Texas A&M regarding the customer’s samples, today, April 17.

Out of an abundance of caution, we are retrieving the remainder of these two lots nationwide. We are working with our distributors and retailers to determine if any additional beef-flavored products manufactured during this 2015 production period remain on shelves and, if so, to retrieve them from shelves, immediately, as well.

Party Animal wishes to emphasize that we have submitted many recent lots of our beef flavors for testing and all have tested negative for any pentobarbital. We have also had extensive discussions with our manufacturer regarding the potential cause of the reported contamination of the 2015 lots, and we will continue with such discussions even as we await testing results for the 2015 lots. In order to ensure adherence to our commitment to the safety of pets, we are also actively re-examining our manufacturing processes.

Yeah, April 11 is NATIONAL PET DAY

Happy Birthday to Chris Velez!

Not only is it Chris' birthday today it is National Pet Day!

I am so grateful that Mama & Dad keep me around because I know I am not the easiest dog to live with and they didn't want another dog after Sierra crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I really do try to be on my best behavior but I have quirks that I can't get over. They continue trying to train me but I keep resisting. I think I understand why Dad often says aloud "Thank you Danielle." My sister, Danielle, is the one who drove in a snow storm to upstate New York to save me from death and dropped me off at my new home. I have happily lived here ever since. 

National Pet Day was founded in 2006 by Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert, Animal Welfare Advocate Colleen Paige, to celebrate the joy pets bring to our lives and to create public awareness about the plight of many different kinds of animals awaiting a forever home in shelters and rescues all around the globe. 

https://www.nationalpetday.co/

 

{A quote from our founder, Colleen Paige}

"I believe all animals are sentient beings that deserve our love and compassion...even not-so-cuddly animals like reptiles and rats. No animal should ever have to suffer, especially at the hand of humans. MILLIONS of unwanted animals perish every day, due to just that....being "unwanted". I'd like to ask animal lovers everywhere to pledge to give $5 a month to their favorite animal shelter or rescue to help support animals in need. Even if all you did was donate $1 a month, if a million people cared enough to do that, that's 12 MILLION dollars raised for shelters across the nation and most of you wouldn't even miss that dollar. Think of how much that would change the world for unwanted pets...especially if it were to become a global trend."

Woof, woof, till later, 

Zoey Elizabeth

National Dog Bite Prevention Week

Re-posted from Consumerist / April 7, 2017

Ashlee Kieler

Our Online Shopping Is Hurting Mail Carriers As Dog Attacks Increase

Online shoppers might joke that their habit only hurts their wallets, but it turns out, it could actually be hurting someone else: The number of mail carriers attacked by dogs is the highest it’s been in three decades. 

The U.S. Postal Service released its annual dog attack findings Thursday as part of the lead up to National Dog Bite Prevention Week April 9 to April 15, revealing that there were 6,755 dog attacks reported by mail carriers in 2016, an increase of 206 from 2015.

Los Angeles mail carriers were more likely than those in other states to face an attack last year, with 80 reported incidents. Houston carriers reported 62 attacks, Cleveland came in third with 60, San Diego reported 57, and Louisville carriers were attacked 51 times.

The Associated Press reports that the increase of dog versus mail carrier attacks could all be our fault, as USPS workers are delivering more packages on more days of the week.

While fewer people are writing letters or getting bills in the mail, the Postal Service has significantly increased — particularly thanks to deals made with Amazon.

More package deliveries mean that carriers are leaving the comfort of their cars more often, potentially putting them in the line of dog danger.

The USPS, which saw a 14% increase in attacks in 2015, has continued to enhance employee safety when it comes to dog attacks.

For instance, the agency now has an area in its Package Pickup application that allows customers to indicate if there are dogs at their address when package pickups are scheduled. This info is then passed onto the carriers via their delivery scanners.

The scanners can also relay when an unleashed dog is reported roaming in delivery areas.

In addition to releasing its annual dog attack numbers this week, the USPS also offered consumers tips on how to help prevent such incidents, including moving a dog to a separate room when deliveries are expected and refraining from taking mail directly from a carrier when a family pet is present.

How You See Yourself vs How Your Dog Sees You

Copied from Paw My Gosh FB post / April 4, 2017
http://www.boredpanda.com/how-you-see-yourself-vs-how-your-dog-sees-you/

By​ James Gould-Bourn

We all know what cats think of us. They hate us and they want to overthrow the human race. But only once we've fed them first. What about dogs though? Ever wondered how they view us? Well Illustrator Kelly Angel has and she's drawn the pictures to prove it.

We often think of our relationship with our dogs in very linear terms. We are their owners, they are out pets. It's easy to forget that from a dog's perspective we're actually so much more. Think you’re an average Joe? Not to your dog you’re not! Total disaster in the kitchen? Your dog thinks you’re a master chef! Feeling worthless? To your dog you’re the best thing ever! So next time you're feeling down, just stop and think: "Yeah, but what does my dog think of me?" You’re sure to feel better. Never do it with cats though. You'll only feel worse.

Illustrator Kelly Angel