Entries in pets (6)
venison dry food recall
We are receiving consumer complaints regarding the Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food, and Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Foods. We do not know what is wrong with the food at this time, but we have heard that animals are vomiting and experiencing kidney problems. Although the problems seem to be focused on one particular lot, as a precautionary measure, we are pulling all dates of Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food and Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food from the shelves.
Please discontinue feeding all Venison and Brown Rice Dry Dog Food, and Venison and Green Pea Dry Cat Food.
We are working closely with the FDA. We will update this website today, as more information comes available.
NO OTHER NATURAL BALANCE PRODUCTS ARE AFFECTED.
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/
k.
in dogs, dog supplies, food, poisonous, health, pets, food recall
|
Post a Comment
|
1 Reference
| 
Email
| 
Print
more pet food recalls
A recall of pet food expanded Friday to include the first dry product, which is available only through veterinarians’ offices. Meanwhile, the FDA now says the contamination in wet pet food that has injured and killed pets across the country may not have been the pesticide aminopterin but possibly a fertilizer and plastics agent called melamine. In a news conference Friday morning, the Food and Drug Administration announced that its labs had detected melamine in samples of the pet food, in the wheat gluten used to make it and in the urine and kidneys of cats who were injured by it. FDA investigators are not certain how melamine would sicken or kill dogs and cats; there is little scientific information available about melamine exposure in animals.
five diagnoses later
Hoorah! East does not have Hip Dysplasia!
$3,000 and four misdiagnoses over six months… I should be upset, but I’m not in the slightest. I’m so very happy.
So what is wrong with East? I thought maybe Lyme Disease. The symptoms can include lameness in legs, especially if they shift the legs back and forth on a regular basis (which East did for a long time).
So we had him tested. No Lyme Disease. Not too common in the Bay Area or Northern California in general.
Tomorrow he goes starts his neurological examinations. It’s truly astounding that East has been to four doctors, one surgeon, one radiologist, one accupuncturist, one hebalist, one dermatologist and tomorrow, a neurologist. All in less than a year. I can’t even get the doctor from my health plan to call me back. What does that say about our health program? (Oops. Straying. That rant is for another post.)
Photo: East eyeing the fuzzy sock, February 2007 (Yes, that is a full height table he is resting his chin on.)
k.
in giant schnauzers, dogs, health, pets, oakland, hip replacement surgery, lyme disease, neurology, injuries, legs
|
Post a Comment
| Email
| Print
would you spend $13,000?
I thought I would share the feedback I received from some of my dog-loving friends. There is no wrong answer here. Their words are the same words that came and went inside my mind during the past 24 hours, and I am amazed to discover how parallel the voice of a community is to one’s conscience.
To my friends. Thank you, and I love you for caring.
____________________
I am so sorry Kristine! A former employer of mine had a dog with advanced hip dysplasia. He very quickly lost complete use of his hind legs and grew morose and obviously depressed. The dog was older, so they figured he didn’t have long left, but they got one of those carts with wheels to strap onto his hind quarters. The dog’s spirits picked up and he wheeled himself around with pride the rest of his days, which were many. This may not be of any help, but all I can contribute for now.
Quality of life vs. death is an age old dilemma.
____________________
Oh shit, Kristine. That’s so hard and I’m so sorry to hear it. I don’t honestly know what I would do. That’s awful, especially since he’s such a young dog, and the breeders are supposed to screen for these things so you don’t have to go through this kind of heartbreak. =(
But here are my immediate thoughts:
If you do the hip replacement, after recovery, if all goes well, how likely is he to be in little enough pain to have a happy life? I’ve seen dogs at the park whose back legs are on wheels/carts and that are running around on their front legs, smiling and having a great time.
If he can be relatively pain-free, I would consider all the expense and difficulty to rehabilitate him. I mean, you have money, so that shouldn’t really be so much of an issue in your case.
If it’s not likely that he can have a relatively pain-free life, I would think hard about putting him to sleep. Because I think it would be unfair to prolong the dog’s life if he wasn’t really having any fun, even though my knee jerk response would be to do anything I can for my dog.
____________________
I would take your doctors advice on this one… and recognize the externalities in this situation that so many of us tend to forget. This is not your fault. You’ve been an amazing mother and care taker. East knows this. Dogs feel our energy. We all want the best quality of life we can have and if east is in pain, then it might be time to put him down.
____________________
Wow, this is really, really hard. I know how much you love that dog.
If it were my Uma and I knew she would be in constant chronic pain, even after surgery, I would forego the surgery, then I would wait until it seemed like the pain was getting in the way of her enjoyment of life and then I would schedule her euthanasia. When I put my kitty Iggy down after 16 years of wonderful companionship, it was really, really hard, but we spent an excellent last 3 days together, and she died in my arms in our own house, and the vet took her body away. That was in 2003. (Incidentally, her ashes went to BM last year with Rikki and Mike and went up in the temple.)
If there was a good chance for recovery, I would bite the bullet and have the surgery and do the physical therapy every day religiously. That same cat, Iggy, got her pelvis crushed by a car when she was only a year old. The vet told me to put her down or have some ridiculously expensive surgery to try to pin back together the pelvis, but he said it was unlikely that it would heal well without her being in constant pain. I still have the x-ray somewhere. I mean, it was shattered. Dozens and dozens of little pieces — unrecognizable as a hip. So, I took her home to my little apartment and kept her confined to the bathroom and every day, I would go sit on the floor with her and gently stretch and rotate her leg (while she mewed “owwww”). it took several weeks for her to get to the point that she could hobble along, but she ended up healing just fine, miraculously even, and went on to immensely enjoy her remaining 15 years with me.
___________________
If I could afford it, had the time and money was not an issue and I loved this dog, I would go through with the surgery. But reality may be different, you have to ask yourself, will East’s quality of life will continue to improve after the surgery, hopefully so? We all love our pets but their lifespans are so small compared to ours and going through their life-cycle is part of the joy and sorry of being pet owners.
____________________
Sweetie- first off I’m so sorry for your agony. You are a tender heart and I know how much this must tear you up.
That being said, my feelings are that 13000 is waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much money to spend on a pet. If it were 1300 I’d agree there’s a dilemma; for 13000 there is no longer any choice (imho). Just because options exist doesn’t mean they’re acceptable. Just because the technology exists doesn’t obligate you to use it. If he had terminal cancer, you’d feel no guilt in his fate…grief yes but no guilt.
Grief is the price we pay for love. It inevitably enters any loving relationship at its end…the only variable is time….not if, but when? Yet we love anyways because its what makes life worth living.
If this were Alex obviously you’d do it….but in the end this is a pet…one which you’ve already bestowed a life of extravagant luxury, beyond any dog’s wildest dreams. You’ve given it a great life; you didn’t give it hip dysplasia.
If I were u, I’d get the pain meds and try to have him for as long as I could….and eventually by witnessing his pain it might make it easier to ‘put him out of his misery’ and say goodbye. Or just let him live out his life, pain and all…the hedonic principal would suggest that he’d adapt/’get used to it’.
I know this must kill you inside, and I’m so sorry. But in the end, he is just a pet, and despite your attachment, love, and fondness for him, he can be replaced. I know that sounds heartless but its not-its factual. You will fall in love again.
I just feel the cost and impacts of his recovery are wayyyy out of bounds. Practice detachment. Realize you’ve done all that any reasonable person can do for these dogs and wayyyy more. That surgery is just too expensive. Damn the vets for even offering it as an option.
_____________________
If he has lived a full and good life, then I would put him to sleep.
I guess to me, it’s all about (potential) regret. If East has years to go and you put him down, then you’ll always regret it. Money can be earned… The $13k you make a few years from now will be the same as the $13k you have now (not counting inflation). Even if you get a new dog…. It’ll never be the same as East. personalities are unique, money isn’t.
That being said… $13k is a lot of cash. It’s a really really tough decision to make… I would never want to make that call :(
_____________________
Oh Man…..uuugh. The recovery sounds difficult and demanding. The money is a lot even for someone who has money……you can buy a horse….oh yeah he is one:)
It just doesn’t sound worth it but then again how can you put a price on love……I don’t know what I would do. I think with our family of 4 kids we could not justify spending that kind of money on a dog.
_____________________
I’m so sorry about your dilemma with East! I have to say my initial reaction is to put him down. The rationale for this decision is:
-He’s in pain and a hip replacement isn’t 100%
-West’s quality of life is lessened due to the constraints of East’s ability and the amount of attention you and alex need to give East alone.
-the cost of hip replacement and the continual health issues and costs
-Your family will be strained due to this illness - your quality of life will be lessened.
I know this sounds heartless, but I lean more towards being a dog owner and not a dog companion.
_____________________
As a dog owner, I don’t doubt that you love East very much. Whatever you decide, we know that you love East and your decision is not based on anything less.
However, given the pain that he is in and the potential long term disability, I wonder if it is extending his agony. I personally would not be able to afford the $13,000 operation. Even though I am a dog lover, I don’t consider dogs to be humans and my ethical decisions regarding end-of-life is different for animals.
The bigger question is if you and Alex will be able to handle the grief of putting him down if you decide that route. You have to be ready for that, and what to do with West when East is gone. He will grief as well.
_____________________
I’m so sorry to hear this is happening with East. How truly horrible.
I’ve thought about it a lot — putting mine in the place of East — and I think that if I could afford $13,000, I would do the hip replacement surgery. That is, if he would have a reasonable quality of life once his recovery is complete. You don’t really say if that’s the case, but if so, then $13,000 seems like it’s worth it.
_____________________
I’m very sorry to hear about East. You have been through the mill with that dog and now this. Not fair – to either of you.
We were faced with something similar, but not as severe. One of ours broke a ligament in his knee last year, and we were faced with a $3600 surgery bill and the prospect of several weeks of trying to keep him in the house and sedate. Fat chance of that with all the cats for him to try and play with/catch. I had just been laid off so the surgery really wasn’t an option.
After much soul searching and tears, we opted to give him medication to help him through the initial phase and see how he did. I hated the thought of putting him to sleep but I knew it might come to that if his leg really started to give him trouble. Basically, we just waited and treated his discomfort.
He is still with us. He is off the meds (liver complications can result from long-term use so we DC’d the meds after about 3 months) and still enjoys his life. He runs slower than his brother but he still runs. He has developed a knack for sitting down on his good leg as soon as he comes to a stop so he takes the weight off his weak limb. He’s doing okay for a dog with a bum leg.
East has a much more severe condition, but I do not recommend you go through with the surgical repair. The recuperation period you are facing with this is going to strain every aspect of your life, Alex’s life and the lives of the dogs.
If East can get around, he will adapt to his limits. If it is possible, look into getting him fitted for a rolling carrier so he can have his hips suspended and not have to bear his own weight. A friend of mine in France built one for his dog using two old bicycles. You can probably use one of those jogging strollers as a starting point and fashion one for him. Hell, I have one of those strollers downstairs you can have, if you want to start doing some alpha testing. And check the Internet for other possible methods of fabrication.
In the end, you may have to face the idea of ending his discomfort. I know that’s hard; I am the consummate softie and understand your feelings on this all too well. Still, it may come to that so be prepared emotionally for having to go through that barrier.
____________________
I’m so sorry, Kristine. This would be a really heartbreaking decision for me too.
I think this is a really personal decision for you and Alex. I’m sure you’re considerring all aspects of this situation and asking all the right questions.
Here’s some I’d have to ask…
* Can I monetarily afford this?
* Can I commit to the time it would take to be with him through recovery?
* What does recovery REALLY mean? How full of a recovery are we talking about here?
* What are expected post surgery and even post recovery issues? How likely is it that his hips will deteriorate again?
* Is Alex completely ready and willing to stay home?
____________________
that is a really tough decision. if it were my dog, i would probably have to put her down, but my dog is 11 years old. hip surgeries go really well for humans, so for a young dog it will be a great option…but with humans we have movement precautions to make sure the joint stays stable…not sure how this would play out with a young dog. the money is definitely a hurdle. you can throw a fundraiser party for him. i don’t know…i don’t know about the activity level he could have after the surgery. what is the success rate of the surgery? does he have any precautions after the recovery time? can you get insurance for him to cover the cost?
i think whatever decision you make will be the right one. i would not judge you at all if you decided to put him down. sometimes that is the most humane thing we can do for our pets. i often think it is unfortunate we can’t do that for each other. i have heard of more than one german shephards getting put down early on because of hip dysplasia. i think that is the route most often taken.
i would be interested in the statistics about the outcome of this surgery. i would also sit with the decision of putting him down for a few days before you make it. like any surgery there is probably no guarantee for full recovery, which would be really really hard to negotiate with a second active dog in the family. and yes, you can carpet your house, but is that something you really want to do? you could always restrict his access, but again, is that something you want to do.
its a tough one dear. if you want to process this in person, i can be available for that. i support you either way. good luck. and trust that there is no right or wrong in this scenario.
______________________
We spent some time discussing this and having gone through a similar but different end of life decision for our dog last summer, we are very sad to hear of east’s medical problem. The cost would be prohibitive for us, and the decision
process would be taken out of our hands. But you need to be prepared for the emotional drain and changes that will take place. Taking care of our dog was very stressful, very difficult, and though we tried to provide all that we could to keep her comfortable and happy ultimately she was miserable and the act of putting her down was an act of kindness. Knowing the little that I know about dysplasia, it is going to be an extremely difficult time that may not have a determined end.
Ted, our other dog, went through a period of depression and though it has been since july, he still searches the house for her on occasion.
Despite this, he seems to be himself mostly and is probably happier now that he doesn’t have to endure her anger and misery. It was as if he walked on egg shells around her during the last year of her life. I hope this is helpful. We are empathetic and our thoughts are with you.
No matter what the two of you decide are in for a difficult time. Maybe the best thing is to enjoy the time you have with East to its fullest and try to be as objective and honest with yourself as possible.
______________________
I agree with one of the the comments above regarding ethics for life is different with animals, and I would also ask what his quality of life would be like after the surgeries. Some surgeries are more successful than others and if the recovery rate will also be slow, or maybe require recurring surgeries, that’s another long-term quality of life factor. And it may not feel very nice to consider, but if the cost and the care will make you resent him, that’s something you’ll have to deal with whatever you choose to do. I’m so sorry you have to go through this and I wish you all well.
k.
in giant schnauzers, dogs, puppies, health, pets, PHOTOS, hip replacement surgery, advice, friendship, how to decide, cost
|
1 Comment
| Email
| Print
joaquin miller dog park
The highly anticipated Joaquin Miller dog park is open and is literally 5 minutes by car from Dimond. I was surprised how quiet the dog park was when we visited, considering all the hoopla. I suppose people need to find out about it.
I am very happy we have another off-leash dog park.
It is small and quaint and lacks the glamour (of Piedmont, for example). But it is nice and clean, and the dog owners who visit are very friendly. The only concern we have is the combination of small and large dogs in a somewhat small fenced area.
Word is we have Oakland Dog Owner’s Group to thank for diligently lobbying for and making this park happen. Thank you!
Location is at Joaquin Miller Road at Sanborn Drive. The dog park location is about a half mile into the park. It cannot be seen from the road. Map
Jean Quan