Greetings fellow pet lovers!
Yet another week of pet food recalls has plagued our lives and if possible, it's getting worse. Now it has expanded into a commonly used rice protein concentrate that is affecting pet treats, dry foods and additional canned foods. When will it end? We have no idea but we hope soon. Meanwhile, we are having a hard time keeping up with the changes ourselves, so we hope that you'll visit the FDA at www.fda.gov and subscribe to their email updates to be immediately notified of any changes. The AVMA also has a downloadable excel file of information of all the foods in one easy to search file. We had done this same thing two weeks ago, and have the file on the front page of PetsWeekly , but we strongly recommend that you download the updated file from the AVMA and stay up to date with the FDA.
In general, we are asking people to STAY AWAY from ANY brands of food that are not manufactured in the US and those that do not use US, human-grade ingredients. In addition, we suggest you avoid any type of fillers (wheat gluten, corn, rice protein, etc.). We have also included a file of foods that we recommend and hope that gives you a few ideas on where to start. Remember to read labels, stay away from grains, particularly wheat and corn, and hope for the best...
A few notes: The Pet Food Institute has created a special investigation committee to evaluate these issues. You can view their reports here . Natural Life has added one more dog food and has added extended dates to eight of the previously listed brands. Natural Balance has added two of their brands of food to the list due to contaminated RICE PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, not Wheat gluten, and Blue Buffalo foods recently followed suit. Many other manufacturers expanded their recall lists this week as well. TW Enterprises pulled their pet chews due to Salmonella contamination. Recalled foods, in many cases, are still sitting on store shelves, so just because someone has it stocked does NOT mean it is safe. Please due the research needed to keep our pets safe.
We have now switched to a food (that we highly recommend) called Life's Abundance, which uses only U.S. ingredients, is manufactured in the U.S., and is such a wonderful solution to the recent pet food recalls and import problem, that we're recommending it to everyone we know. They guarantee their products 100% and will gladly back up any claims they make. We haven't recommended it to one person who didn't love it.
On the lighter side, we have lots of new additions to PetsWeekly this week, including a new contest that Pet Planet Outfitters has generously sponsored! Get a friend to subscribe now and they could win a free Drinkwell's Pet Fountain! For those who already subscribe, you're automatically entered for a free WubbaWorld Pet Toy! We want to hear from you! If you have any type of pet problems that you want to discuss, whether it is physical or emotional, we can help! Just send an email to petsweekly.gmail.com and we will do our very best to help answer your questions! With that said, let's move into our PetsWeekly update for mid-April!
This week on PetsWeekly :
· On The Prowl: A Feline Purr…spective: Contech Cat Repellents – Why are we evaluating a repellent? Because your neighbors will love you, and most of them even work on neighborhood children!
· The Weekly Growl: A Canine Commentary: Drinkwell's Hydro-Go Pet Canteen Are you ready for the long hot summer? Get prepared with this fantastic new item from Drinkwell's!
· Purrs Page :
· GrokQuest! Donates 20,000 Children's Activity Books
· Stacy Mantle & Alley Cat Rescue Work To Raise Funds
· Photo of the Week : This week's photo comes from Lianne in Canada! See who sends us OUR email now: Sending PetsWeekly an Email! !
· Story of the Week: Total Recall : Interested in the details of this recall? Please check out this article, but be sure to follow up with a visit to the FDA and the AVMA.
· Children's Section: We've added a section just for kids! Click here to download some fun puzzles for your favorite mini-humanoid! Do you have a talented human kid? Send their work in too us and we'll include it on the website!
· A Breed Apart: We're sure you've all heard about the new trend in designer dogs and cats ? Check out the contests that we have going on with our "Contest Page". If we use it, we'll send you a free toy from WubbaWorld and/or SmartCats or free treats from Full Petential! Send your reviews to info.petsweekly.com or write to us for more information!
· Faux Paws : Interested in humane solutions to stop feral and "outdoor" pets from taking over your yard? Check out this article, " Pesky Neighborhood Cats" and learn how to stop them!
· Hisses Page: In the spirit of fairness, we have added a section on people who are not doing much for the animal world, or worse, abusing these animals that we love. Please take a moment to check this new area out, as you will be able to lend your wisdom to apprehending these criminals, or perhaps learn about ways to make a difference
· Veterinary Viewpoint : Dr. Diego Florez answers a question about a pet that just seems to be "growing older". Is he grieving or is it physical? Do you have a question? Send Dr. Florez an email at petdoc.petsweekly.com and we'll post the answer on our next weekly update!
· In The News: With the recent tragedy in Virginia and the ongoing issues with recalled pet food, we have chosen to not put any news on our site this week. There is simply too much to keep up with as it is.
Newest Pages on PetsWeekly :
· Free Stuff for Dogs and Cats (and their owners): Free stuff - We have added a new section online where you can find the hottest links for free pet products! Click here to take a look!
· Contests For Pet Lovers : We have several contests running where you can easily pick up some free treats for your pets. Click here to find out what's going on!
· Just for Kids : Kids are people too, and we have uploaded some fantastic new activity sheets just for them! We've also added a section where we can display some original poetry, stories and artwork from our younger readers. Click here to read the latest from 12-yr old Stephanie. To submit your children's work, email it to petsweekly.gmail.com .
· Hisses Page : Who is making a difference and who is causing problems in the animal world? Find out here and learn how you can change the hisses into purrs.
EVEN MORE at PetsWeekly:
Humor Section : We have a video of a cat taking on an entire slew of curious pups! Click here to watch! Check out our animal-related cartoons, jokes and just about everything else humorous. Find anything yourself? Send it to us at info.petsweekly.com
Videos and Photos: In our video section, we have added some of the some fantastic pet videos! Check out this fantastic letter to the government about the "Dam Beavers"! You can also view our funny photos , pretty hilarious jokes , and kind of comedic cartoons .
Newsletter : Sign up for our free newsletter ! It's free and easy. Just scroll to the upper right hand corner of the home page for the form, and you'll receive our weekly update complete with coupons for some of the products we profile here on www.petsweekly.com
Pet Loss Section : Have you or someone you know recently lost a pet? We can help. Visit our newest page on how to deal with the loss of a pet. Read our new poem by Genine Hamms, "Angel of Cats ".
Forms: Looking for a form? We have it here for you! From pet sitting instructions to health records , feel free to download in either Word or .pdf format. They're free and we're updating each week!
Quotes about Dogs and Cats: We've updated our cat and dog quotations with lots of new ones! Check out our newest additions!
Book Club: Looking for a good book to read? This is our newest book club for animal lovers! If you've read a good book recently, let us know! We'll throw it up online for all to see! This week check out Cesar Millan, "Cesar's Way". Winter reading that serves a purpose!
Buy Books: Enjoying the weekly stories? Why not buy a book with all new ones? You can purchase Stacy Mantle's book, " Conquering the Food Chain: Living Amongst Animals (Without Becoming One)" direct from Barnes & Noble, Amazon or even the author herself. If you would like a signed edition, just send an email to smantle.petsweekly.com.
Buy Fun Products : Do you love our logo? Show your support for PetsWeekly , and for animals all over the world! Purchase one of our unique products here . 10% of the proceeds are donated to a different nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue association each fiscal year. If you would like to be one of these rescues, or if you would like to place an order, please send an email to smantle.petsweekly.com.
The IAWIA: Are you an artist, author, illustrator, or photographer? Looking for a niche group that understands your needs? Why not spend $35 and join the International Association of Authors and Illustrators ? We're building membership now!
Fascinating Facts : Each week we try to throw out some interesting facts that you may not know about animals. Check out our front page for the most recent (right hand, middle of page) or click here for our archives in case you missed any! We even have specifics about dogs and cats!
Please take time to support our sponsors:
All of the wonderful companies whose products have been reviewed on our website, our contest sponsors (WubbaWorld, Full Petential, Pet Planet Outfitters, and Smart Cats) as well as Drs. Foster & Smith, PetsMart, Your Active Pet and 1-800-Pet-Meds.
Remember, we love to hear from you! If you have a product that you think is the best thing since "canned tuna", let us know about it and we'll take a look at it ourselves! We want to bring you the best pet products and information on the market!
Remember that we have help for you and your pet! Here are some quick links for you to contact us:
Medical questions: petdoc.petsweekly.com
Behavior questions: smantle.petsweekly.com
Photos for submission: petsweekly.gmail.com
General information: info.petsweekly.com
Web, email or subscription problems: webmaster.petsweekly.com
Thanks for paw-sing here a spell!
You can reach us at: info.petsweekly.com with any questions or suggestions!
