National Hairball Awareness Day - Some things to be aware of and possible remedies

Today is National Hairball Awareness Day!  Yay?  But anyways, hairballs are often the subject of jokes, but there is nothing funny when the cat may have a serious problem.  Does your cat have the occasional hairball once in a blue moon?  Probably not much to worry about.  Does your cat have frequent hairballs?  Probably need to talk to your vet about that.

Here are some tips from the ASPCA:

• Brush your cat to decrease the amount of hair that is ingested. If he has long hair, try to brush him daily. Afterwards, wipe your cat with a clean cloth to remove any loose hairs.
• Feed your pet commercial cat food specifically formulated to reduce hairballs. By improving skin and coat health, reducing shedding and increasing the amount of fiber in your cat’s diet, certain foods can decrease the formation of hairballs.
• Give your cat a hairball remedy or lubricant, available at most pet supply stores, to encourage the passage of hair through the intestinal tract. Such products should be used as directed.
• If your cat grooms himself excessively, give him a new toy or engage him in play to distract him from this activity. You will not only reduce the incidence of hairballs, but also spend some quality social time with your furry friend.

You could also try brushing with the FURminator.  We have one, works wonders on shedding.

FURminator Large Deshedding Tool for Long Haired Cats

FURminator Small Deshedding Tool for Short Haired Cats

Perhaps you would like to try a food for hairball control

• Purina One SmartBlend or Special Care
• Royal Canin
• Science Diet
• Meow Mix
• Diamond Naturals 
• AvoDerm
• Professional
• Nature's Recipe 

                     

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RECALL*** Virbac Recalls Six Lots of Iverhart Plus Flavored Chewables

An important recall notice Virbac has voluntarily recalled 6 Lots of Iverhart Plus Flavored Chewables.  These lots were recalled due to a failure to meet stability specifications during the life of the product.

The following lots have been included in the recall:

• Lot 120076 (Large 51-100 pounds)
• Lot 120086 (Large 51-100 pounds)
• Lot 120856 (Large 51-100 pounds)
• Lot 120202 (Medium 26-50 pounds)
• Lot 120196 (Small up to 25 pounds)
• Lot 120844 (Small up to 25 pounds)

See more about the Recall notice via PetMD.

         

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Get a 42 piece compact First Aid Kit for FREE

Tanga is offering a deal right now where you can get a 42 piece first aid kit for FREE and all you have to do is pay $4.99 for shipping.  Whether its for your car, your office, your home, or your next lovely camping outing, you better stock up on this essential compact first aid kit!

Kit Includes:

• 5 × 3″ Sheer adhesive bandages
• 5 × 2 1/4" Sheer adhesive bandages
• 10 × 7/8" Spot bandages
• 10 × 1 1/2" Bandages
• 3 × 3″ Clear bandages
• 2 × 3″ Fabric bandages
• 1 × 4″ Fabric bandages
• 2 × 2X3" Non-adhesive pads
• 3 x Alcohol pads + case

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Save 44% on Pet Ego Walky Dog Bicycle Leash

Right now you can save 44% on a Pet Ego Walky Dog Bicycle leash.  Man and best friend get their daily exercise together with the Pet Ego Walky Dog bicycle leash. A sturdy stainless-steel rod fastens to bicycle frames and holds the leash safely away from wheels so it doesn't get caught in the spokes. Tethered four leggers race happily alongside their loving owners who, like a Pixar animator, maintain total control of where their animal goes. An internal shock-absorbing system and quick lock and release capabilities allow easy switching between bikes.

Features

• Designed specifically for bicycle rides
• Quick installation and easy to use
• Internal shock-absorbing system and quick lock and release capabilities allow easy switching between bikes
• $29 for a stainless-steel Pet Ego Walky Dog bicycle leash ($52 list price)
• Free shipping and free returns

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BOGO on Organic Virgin Coconut Oil!

Special Price! - Virgin Coconut Oil, Gold Label - 2 pints - Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!







Virgin Coconut Oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body’s metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss. More uses of coconut oil here. For hundreds of tasty recipes from people who use coconut oil.

Virgin Coconut Oil is also great for dogs with allergies, both of my dogs get it every morning with their breakfast!  

  

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Recall Alert!! - 26 lb AvoDerm Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Formula Adult Dog Food

Breeder’s Choice Pet Food of Irwindale, CA has announced a voluntary dog food recall involving one of its products due to possible contamination with Salmonella bacteria.

Avoderm Release

The recall includes AvoDerm Natural Lamb Meal and Brown Rice Adult Dog Formula in the 26 pound bag only manufactured with Best Before dates of August 28, 2013, August 29, 2013 and August 30, 2013.

The recall affects products distributed in the following U.S. states:

• California
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Nevada
• Virginia
• Washington

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Essential Oils and Cats

Came across an interesting read earlier about essential oils and how they can be toxic to cats and figured it would be good to share.

Here is the link to the article


Here is a list of some essential oils that are known to be toxic to cats:
• Peppermint
• Oregano
• Clove
• Sage
• Citrus oils
• Lavender
• Melaleuca (tea tree oil)
• Cinnamon (cassia)
• Wintergreen
• Thyme
• Birch
• Bergamot
• Pine
• Spruce
• Any other oils containing phenols

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RECALL ALERT: Petco Issues Recall on Stainless Steel Dog Bowls

As of 8/16/2012 - Petco has not even mentioned this on their facebook page or their twitter account to try and get the word out about it.  It is on their webpage, but it is NOT noticeable because I even missed it and I was looking for it!  I'm disappointed in Petco not putting this out there more, I mean, possible radiation is kind of a big deal.

Also, I'm really glad my dogs are eating out of plastic bowls right now and have never eaten out of Stainless steel bowls, and not only that, but they didn't come from Petco.

One of Petco’s suppliers mistakenly used Cobalt-60, a radioactive material, in the production of the recalled bowls. Due to the presence of this material, the bowls are shown to emit low levels of radiation.

Statement from Petco Website (information is the same as below)

Stainless Steel Bowl Notice

Petco has determined that one of its foreign suppliers used stainless steel mistakenly containing small quantities of Cobalt-60 when fabricating certain orders of certain SKUs/models of stainless steel pet food bowls. Cobalt-60 is a radioactive material commonly used in industrial gauging equipment and other uses.

We don’t know for certain how it got into our product, but we believe it came from scrap metal that had some Cobalt-60 accidentally mixed in. The affected products were found to emit low levels of radiation.

The Cobalt-60 levels in the affected products are far below State and Federal regulatory limits. All of the expert testing conducted on these products to date indicates that there is no health risk to the public, to our associates or to pets.

To our knowledge, the affected products were limited to two cargo containers that entered the United States in late May and early June. We’ve also determined that the affected products pose no health risk, and were and are safe to be handled by our associates.

The issue was discovered by Customs and Border Protection agents during a routine import screening of one of the containers. That container was held at the port and never reached Petco. The second container had previously cleared Customs and reached Petco’s distribution network.

Upon learning of this issue following the delivery of the affected products to our distribution centers, we promptly retained experts to examine the potentially affected products, and those experts determined that the SKUs examined were safe for handling.

Out of concern that products from the second container reached our stores, we removed from our store shelves and from our website all products from the supplier that produced the bowls.

We have confirmed that the vast majority of all of the affected products remain at Petco distribution centers, are quarantined outside and never reached our stores.

We also confirmed that very few affected items were actually sold to consumers. We are working to contact those customers to inform them of the situation and to retrieve those particular bowls.

Petco has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a number of state governments, and is in the process of notifying other appropriate states as we continue to collect and verify information.

The Illinois state government did its own testing and issued a news release stating that “a person would have to hold one of the bowls against their chest for roughly six and a half days to receive a dose of radiation equivalent to a single chest X-ray,” and that “these bowls do not pose an immediate health risk.”

Petco tested other stainless steel pet products it carries from other suppliers and found no similar issues. The supplier that produced the affected products has told us that it has already instituted special screening procedures. We are in the process of reviewing those procedures ourselves, and we have put a hold on future shipments until this issue is resolved.

Customers who purchased these products between the dates of May 31 and June 20, 2012, should bring it to their local Petco store for a full refund. If you have any questions, please call Petco Customer Service at 877-738-6742.

SKU numbers can be found on labels inside and on the bottom of the bowls.

SKU 1047493
PETC-3.75C DEEP TWO TONE NOTIP
9.25” diameter; 3.75 cup capacity

SKU 1386956
PETC-3.5C NO-TIP SS HAMMRD BWL
9” diameter; 3.5 cup capacity

SKU 1047477
PETC-7C TWO TONE NONTIP BOWL
9” diameter; 7 cup capacity

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