Half Dog, Half Goat

This story caught my eye and made me think about the things that my dogs have eaten. I almost lost one once because she had eaten a towel and the towel was almost as big as she was. I've had one of my big dogs swallow a tennis ball.... with my hand attached. I wasn't letting go and neither was she.
Dog Reflections post on The Most Shocking Things Ever Found in A Dog's Stomach had my jaw dropping. I'm not sure how a dog could eat a eight inch sharp knife and live through it. And the article might have your kids picking up the Xbox.

Diamond Pet Food Agrees to $3.1 Million dollar Settlement

Consumer News reports that Diamond Pet foods has agreed to $3.1 Million Dollar Settlement to reimburse people whose pets were ill or died due to eating their pet food. Back in 2005, Diamond Pet food made a batch of food with corn that was contaminated by aflatoxin, a mold. Although they recalled the affected products quickly, many pets became ill or died.

You can read more here.

Pet Food Recall

I was just reading the AVMA list of recalled pet foods. It is just scary how many different companies and foods have been included at this point. AVMA updates their list daily and it makes sense to check it to make sure that the food and the treats that you are feeding your pets have not been recalled. The recall, which started out as only canned foods, has extended to some dry foods and treats. While stores like Petsmart pull their products off the shelf as soon as the recall goes into effect, smaller stores may not. Cost of food is also not an indicator as the higher priced brands were the first to be recalled and some of the store brands have been added recently.


It makes you really think about preparing your own food for your pets. There are several different schemes for providing a complete diet for your pet. The one that comes to my mind is the BARF diet. BARF stands for Bones And Raw Food, not anything regurgitated, and was developed by Australian veterinarian Dr. Billingshurst. Personally, for me, it seems like an awful lot of work. I have enough trouble just trying to provide a balanced diet for two teenagers, however, if they keep recalling pet foods I might have to try it.