Late on Friday night, Diamond Pet Foods issued a voluntary recall on dry dog foods manufactured in their South Carolina plant with ‘best by’ dates of December 9, 2012 through April 7, 2013. Several other brands have since issued preventative recalls as well. The reason for the recalls is contamination by salmonella. 14 people so far, including one person as close as [...]
Diets for Dogs with Pancreatitis
Zip has had two bouts of pancreatitis, once, in an instance of worst-timing-possible, while I was away on a silent retreat with no phone or internet access. He’s now 11 yrs old, and thriving, as near as anyone can tell, as he looks and moves like a much younger pug. I manage his health with [...]
Flea & Tick Defense Requires Multiple Lines of Defense
Well there’s one good thing about the New England cold spring seasons, and it’s that bugs lay dormant that much longer. As soon as the temperatures climb, it’s time to figure out your plan for flea and tick prevention. All dog owners should be thinking about heartworm prevention too. Heartworm preventative works retroactively remember; it [...]
Probiotics & Enzymes…do I need to add them to a raw diet?
Living foods, from plants or animal sources, contain enzymes (but they are wiped out by heat beginning at 110 degrees…so cooked food does not contain active enzymes) . The body, human or animal, manufactures enzymes. But as we age, our store of them and our ability to make them gets depleted. And they’re important not [...]
Get a Raw Deal from Fetch
Every month at both stores (Portland and Boston, Fetch and Fish & Bone) we pick a brand of pet food to discount by 10%. The idea is, encourage customers to experiment, or move what we have an overstock of, or just give a good deal because it’s fun. Who doesn’t like a bargain? This month [...]
Natura, the Newest P & G Acquisition
They’re at the purchase agreement stage but signs look like they’re pointing toward the sale. Natura lines include California Natural, Evo and Healthwise. Proctor and Gamble owns Eukanuba/Iams. Changes are bound to come. My immediate concern is quality of ingredients, with a sudden interruption in ease of digestion for dogs and cats on Natura foods. [...]
Proportions
There’s a new dog food out there called Proportions. The idea is to customize a diet for your dog’s breed, age, and activity level. I walked through the phone interview to get a sample for my dog Zip, but I found quickly that his grain allergy and pancreatitis tripped up their formulas. There is only [...]
Old Mother Hubbard Goes to Hollywood
There’s a story on the front page of the The Globe today on the growth of natural pet foods since 2005. It’s essentially a story on Wellness, who launched a new marketing campaign at this year’s Golden Globes with an opening party at an LA venue called the Buddha Bark Celebrity and Canine Lounge. That’s [...]
February, Choose Anything Raw for Your Food of the Month
The subject of feeding raw diets to pets continues to polarize. I won’t get into the controversy here. I’m a raw food believer. I’ve been feeding Zip a raw diet for most of his 9 years. I’ve witnessed over time the impact: lean body mass, bright clear eyes (except during allergy season), calm demeanor (I [...]
Food of the Month, January…
Wellness has some strong products in its line of natural dog and cat foods. My sense, from 4-footed customer ‘feedback’ is that the palatability is best in their canned foods, and their dry cat kibble. They just seem to hit it square on in those areas, while the dry kibble for dogs has had just [...]
