Woof Wednesday: Food, Glorious Food & Worry-icity!

by Amy Shojai | May 9, 2012 | Dog Training & Care | 7 comments

“Num, num, num, num…”

PET FOOD RECALL–REDUX

Yes, it’s happened again and the culprit is salmonella. But it’s not home cooking folks or raw feeders, but commercial foods once again. BRAVO to Diamond Foods, the manufacturer/packager of a number of brands, that kicked off a VOLUNTARY RECALL as a precaution even though only small amounts of product actually was suspected to be a problem. Since that initial announcement, additional foods–dog, puppy, cat, kitten–and brands have been added to the recall list. Brands include:

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
Country Value
Diamond

Diamond Naturals
Premium Edge
Professional

4Health
Taste of the Wild
Apex Foods

Solid Gold

You can find links to the various products along with batch codes and dates to ensure your pets’ foods are still safe or should be returned in this recall blog.

PET FOOD SELECTION

How do you know a pet food is the best for your furry wonder? Every pet is different, of course, but there are ways to figure things out. Reading labels gets you part of the way there–but the labels are a legal document and serve to satisfy the regulators more than they do to inform the public. There are terms that have legal definitions but can be misinterpreted by pet owners (ain’t that the way legalese works?), and even some ways the labels can mislead (accidentally on purpose, LOL!) to get you to open up your wallet. After all, dogs don’t have thumbs or bank accounts so it’s up to us to choose wisely.

Here are a few links to further information about pet foods–much of this applies to cats, too:

What’s On Pet Food Labels?

Learn about Label “Myth-Information”

How Food Claims Are Verified

Learn about Additives In Food

So what do you feed your furry wonder? What does your veterinarian recommend? Do you rely on other “expert” advice and if so, where do you get your information? Have you been affected by the pet food recall? How do you advise your pet-loving friends? Do tell!

I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly PUPPY CARE must knows, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!

7 Comments

Left-Brained Business for Write-Brained People on May 9, 2012 at 2:29 pm

Good message for every pet owner, Amy. Thanks for the great post!

Joanie

leftbrainedwritebrained.wordpress.com
Reply
- amyshojai on May 9, 2012 at 2:31 pm
  
  Thanks for visiting the blog, Joanie.
  Reply
Raelyn Barclay on May 9, 2012 at 10:39 am

First off that top picture is adorable. And the caption, LOL, I can just SEE it happening between fur babies.

I haven’t clicked through your links yet to read that info but after your other post about reading the labels, I read ours. Not overly thrilled with the order of listed ingredients but also not sure it’s completely bad. Here you’re asking about expert advice. We did ask our vet, bought what was recommended, followed the recommended process of introducing the new food, and our dog up-chucked everything. Went back to Beneful and she was fine. Also talked with a dog trainer who recommended another brand. Went through the same process and returned to Beneful. So for peace of fur baby’s tummy we’re done with trying different foods. I guess my concern is, what if Beneful isn’t enough nutrition-wise, or worse, is actually bad for her?

I know she’s healthy. She’s the perfect weight for her size, she gets decent exercise, and has a shiny coat, clear eyes, etc. Maybe I’m over thinking it.
Reply
- amyshojai on May 9, 2012 at 11:15 am
  
  Hi Raelyn, thanks for posting. This is where the “individuality” of the pet matters most–and proof is in the dog. The best food in the bag is worthless if the dog refuses to eat it (or loses her lunch, LOL!). I’m a big proponent of not messing with success and as long as your dog gets a clean bill of health from the vet–happy, good weight, fine energy, et al — and her body does NOT agree with other foods, I’d say you have a winner. *s*
  Reply
  - Raelyn Barclay on May 9, 2012 at 11:21 am
    
    Thanks Amy. Sometimes we just need someone else to affirm we’re doing the right thing 🙂
    Reply
patriciasands on May 9, 2012 at 10:00 am

Amy, that top photo brought tears to my eyes! How sweet is that! Great AND important advice, as always.
Reply
- amyshojai on May 9, 2012 at 10:13 am
  
  Thanks Patricia–yes, the photo is awesome. He’s a great photographer but terrific subjects and caught a delightful moment.
  Reply

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