Animals Unfolded

I'm always on the lookout for interesting ideas to help create a better life for companion animals.  While I was in a local pet store picking up a couple of things this week, I stumbled on one new product— Inaba Ciao Churu treat paste—and I think it would be a terrific tool to accentuate your efforts in training your cat using positive reinforcement.  Also, I touch on another possible use for this product, which is available locally at stores like  Huron Pet Supply  and Dexter Mill  (where, as I understand, it got the stamp of approval from the mill cat, Leo!) as well as why you might want to seek out free samples found in better pet stores. Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer and owner of  Professional Pet Sitting . She has been a  featured guest on the Pawprint Animal Rescue Podcast,  talking about her career working with companion animals and writing about her experiences. Shoot her  an email , contact her at  734-...

On the heels of a nationwide recall of dog food by one company over concerns of pentobarbital contamination, yet another has issued one for the same reason. On February 14, a recall of a single lot of canned dog food product manufactured by Against The Grain was listed on the Food and Drug Administration's website.  The product,  Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs, was manufactured in 2015, and sold in 12 oz. cans. The packaging bears a lot number of 2415E01ATB12, and the second half of the UPC code is 80001—the latter of which can be found on the back of the product label. The food was distributed to independent retail outlets in two states, Washington and Maryland, and has an expiration date of December 2019.   No other pet foods in the Against The Grain product lines are thought to be affected, and no illnesses or deaths have been reported at this time.  If ingested by pets, pentobarbital can cause dizziness, drowsin...

Illinois-based Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Company is voluntarily recalling specific lots of one of its products as it may be contaminated with pentobarbital.  If ingested by pets, pentobarbital can cause dizziness, drowsiness, loss of balance, nausea and in some cases, excitement. Death can result in some cases. Evanger’s indicated on their website that a few weeks ago,  5 dogs had taken ill  after consuming the product matching one of the lot numbers.  Though the substance was found in only one lot of Hunk of Beef Au Jus (12 ounce cans), the company made the decision to recall additional lots of the product—5 in all—that were produced the same week. Evanger’s uses suppliers that are USDA approved. A few weeks ago, after learning of the illness of the 5 pets and subsequent death of one of them, an investigation was launched by the pet food company. It was first thought that a toxin or bacteria might be the culprit, but on January 29, they learned the caus...

I run up against a lot of carelessness in my day-to-day adventures with dogs. That has nothing to do with the dogs themselves, mind you. It’s always the humans: the unnecessary distractions on the biped’s part (usually because of mobile phones, and more on that in a minute), people who insist on interacting with my charges , dogs off-leash, the ‘ my dog is friendly !’ folks and most of all, the guardians that insist on using retractable leashes. Yes, that last one, oh, so annoying. And dangerous. I’ve written about retractables in the past ; while they seem like the perfect solution when walking a dog, the dangers are numerous and aren’t limited to the dog. Admittedly, I use them in some situations, but they are extremely rare. When my dog, Bruiser had been diagnosed with cancer, his sleep and potty schedule was off kilter. I found a retractable (one with an LED flashlight attached!) quite useful so that he could have some autonomy to go potty at any hour of the day/night, ...