Monday, April 30, 2007 , the wee hours

String theory

It’s been almost 72 hours since TJ ingested about two feet of stretchy string, and we’re a bit mystified about what happened to it.  TJ’s been eating normally, and I haven’t seen any poopy-string in the litterbox (and yes, I’ve been breaking up big pieces with the litter scoop to make sure I don’t miss anything… blech).  He doesn’t seem to have a belly ache, and his behaviour is fine (although he’s a bit more clingy than normal).  Maybe the string was made of some sort of material that dissolved really easily?  It was elasticized, and on a toy it’s quite durable, but maybe it just fell to pieces when exposed to stomach acids.  I really hope that’s what happened to it, and that we can put this incident behind us.  TJ is enthralled with the red string that comes on this particular Hartz-brand fishing pole toy (we go through a lot of them, because we use them as toys for foster kittens), and while he’s chewed a few of the strings in half before, he’s never actually eaten a big chunk this way.  We have one more toy that we haven’t opened, and I’ll be sure to keep a close eye on it when we start to use it.

If the string-eating incident hadn’t been so worrisome, it would have been kind of amusing.  We took TJ to the vet on Friday afternoon, and he was going to stay overnight so they could feed him a lot of bulky food, and then watch for him to pass the string.  On Saturday afternoon I called to find out how he was doing, and they asked us to come in and get him because he refused to eat!  They said he’d been terrified during his entire stay, and did nothing but hide behind the litterbox and cower.  They even put him in a quiet part of the clinic and put a blanket over his cage so he’d have privacy, and he still wouldn’t budge.  When we went to pick him up, he started to meow as soon as he saw us, and when I opened his crate door he practically leapt into my arms and wrapped himself around me.  It’s funny because TJ has always been a very confident and bold kitten, and he’s never seemed overly fond of us (he prefers other animals).  Since his night at the vet he’s been totally in love with us.

I still have to post Carlo and Bunny’s five-week photos.  They’re both doing great (they’re at that really cute stage where they hop around a lot), and Carlo has gained two ounces since last week.  That’s about 15% of his body weight, so I’m really happy about it.  His stools are getting more solid, too, although they’re still not absolutely normal.  I’m starting to think that he may end up being perfectly healthy, it’s just going to take him a bit longer to get there.  He’s still a week or so behind Bunny in terms of physical development and coordination.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/30 at 01:17 AM
The Litterbox • (6) Comments • Permalink

Saturday, April 28, 2007 , early afternoon

How do I cook chicken to make bones soft?

A quick question… does anyone know how to cook chicken pieces, like wings and thighs, so that the bones turn into soft mush?  These types of bones are found in foods like Merrick’s “Wingaling”, and Evangers canned chicken thighs.  The bones look normal, but they’re so soft you can just squeeze them between your fingers and they crumble.  I’m 100% sure the chicken has to be cooked in a pressure cooker, but I can’t find anything online which tells me a specific time to cook them, or whether they should be cooked at high pressure or low pressure.  I found someone’s Flickr photo of homemade dog food, and they said they pressure cook the bones in vinegar to soften them, but I wasn’t sure if this was accurate.  Even if it is, that’s just cooking the bones seperately, whereas Merrick and Evangers are able to keep the entire piece of chicken intact, and the meat soft and tender, while also softening the bone.

If anyone has specifics, please let me know.  Otherwise, I’ll just buy a bunch of wings and thighs and start experimenting.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/28 at 02:59 PM
The Litterbox • (8) Comments • Permalink

TJ and the bright red string

TJ is at the vet clinic tonight, under observation.  Actually, his poop is under observation, and we’re hoping that a two foot long piece of red elasticized string will make an appearance.  I was feeding the foster kittens their bottles this morning, and TJ was on the floor next to me, playing with one of those “fishing pole” toys.  When I realized he was chewing on the string of the toy and not the feathered end, I went to take it away from him and voila, no string.  I know the toy had been intact earlier that morning, and I scoured the bathroom looking for the string, but couldn’t find it anywhere.  I stupidly called the vet’s office to find out if string-eating was a big deal, and we were told to bring TJ in immediately so they could try to get him to pass the string.  If he didn’t, they suggested emergency surgery.  I wish I hadn’t asked.  I wish I’d just thought, “oh, TJ ate string, I’d better make sure I see that in his poop, and I’d better watch him to make sure that he doesn’t stop eating or start vomiting”.  I could have done that myself, because it’s common sense.  Instead, I asked for an expert opinion, and then I was obligated to take TJ into the vet, pay for the office visit, pay for the overnight stay, and pay for whatever meds he’s been given, when he’ll probably just poop the string out the same way he could have at home.  Sheesh.

To top it off, a few minute after TJ ate string, Derek came sauntering by with a big reddish glob on his thigh.  Did he sit in something?  No, the doofus got himself bitten in the leg, again, by one of the other cats.  I think he was bitten by Jackson yesterday.  There’s one puncture mark that I’ve tried to keep open and bleeding, but it wants to close.  It doesn’t seem too deep, but it’s hard to tell.  Derek should really be put on Clavamox right now so the bite doesn’t get infected, but that means another office visit, plus antibiotics, and the whole thing will cost about $100.  We’re already spending about $60 per week feeding them—don’t they realize that at some point, they need to start making a contribution around here?

All of this throws a damper on my desire to take Carlo in for a checkup and perhaps some tests.  He’s barely grown at all since last week… I think he’s gained three-tens of an ounce, and that’s it.  We call him our little hamster boy.  He’s the size of one of those teddy bear hamsters (but he’s much sweeter).  Through discussions with some vets and vet techs online, we think Carlo might have a case of cerebellar hypoplasia.  That’s better than a liver shunt problem, for sure.  He’ll need extra supportive care, and he may always be small and unsteady, but he should have a normal lifespan.  Eventually I’ll have some bloodwork done on him, just to make sure his liver is fine as well.  I’ll try to upload Carlo and Bunny’s five week photos tomorrow.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/28 at 01:13 AM
The Litterbox • (4) Comments • Permalink

It’s World Veterinary Day!

To quote from the AVMA website, “World Veterinary Day celebrates and showcases the vast contributions that veterinarians make to the health and welfare of both people and pets”.  You can read some press releases about the event on the Worldvet.org, but rather than just reading about it, why not surprise your vet with something unexpected, like a pizza?  Or hey, if you’re feeling adventurous, why not run down to your local vet clinic and give your favourite vet a big hug?  Just don’t do anything which will cause a restraining order.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/28 at 12:01 AM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • Permalink

Thursday, April 26, 2007 , late at night

More pet food recalled: you can’t trust the ingredient lists!

(More foods have been recalled since I wrote this last night, so I’ve added them to the list)

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been blogging about the pet food recall, and telling people to be aware of what they’re feeding their pets by reading the labels and ingredient lists on the pet food.  Today it was shown that trying to be informed just isn’t enough, as more recalls were issued, and it was admitted that ingredient lists aren’t always complete and accurate.  Today’s recalls are tied to food produced by American Nutrition, who apparently liked to put rice protein concentrate in food they manufactured without informing the pet food company (or so the companies say).  These are big recalls, so pass the word along to everyone you know:

  • All canned dog and cat food has been recalled by Blue Buffalo, as well as “Blue Health Bar” treats.  The brands are “Blue"and “Spa Select”.  The company says none of the products have tested positive for melamine or any other contaminants, but they just found out that rice protein concentrate was put into the food by American Nutrition without Blue’s consent.  Until Blue Buffalo has done further testing, they’re unable to guarantee the safety of these products.
  • Natural Balance is recalling canned dog food (Chicken Formula, Lamb Formula, Beef Formula), as well as Ocean Fish Formula canned cat food (all sizes).  This recall was also caused by American Nutrition’s admission that they put rice protein concentrate into the products during manufacturing, without informing Natural Balance or listing the ingredient on the label.
  • Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul is recalling all canned puppy and kitten food (American Nutrition may have added rice protein concentrate)
  • Diamond brand is recalling Lamb & Rice Formula for dogs (American Nutrition may have added rice protein concentrate)
  • Costco is recalled Kirkland Signature Super Premium Chicken and Rice canned food for dogs, and Kirkland Signature Super Premium Lamb and Rice canned food for dogs.  The problematic ingredient here is “rice flour”, which is apparently secret code for rice protein concentrate.
  • Lick Your Chops (a brand I’m not familiar with) is recalling Lamb Meal, Rice & Egg cat food.
  • SmartPak is recalling LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice dog food.
  • Harmony Farms canned dog foods
  • Harmony Farms canned cat foods
  • Harmony Farms Health Bar biscuits
  • Mulligan Stew Chicken 13.2oz
  • Mulligan Stew Turkey 13.2oz
  • Canine Caviar Gourmet Beaver 13.2oz
  • Canine Caviar Gourmet Turkey 13.2oz

Wow.  Just… wow.  And, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” I really don’t know what to advise or suggest anymore, because apparently the labels are there to just look pretty, not to actually tell you what might be in the product you’re buying.  It does seem that the recalled products are limited to certain manufacturers, so it’s probably wise to avoid foods manufactured by Menu Foods and American Nutrition.  If possible, look for foods from smaller companies with their own manufacturing plants, and off the top of my head, I’m suggesting Merrick and Evangers.  Canidae/Felidae are manufactured by a company which hasn’t been implicated in any of the recalls.  There are many others—check the Pet Food List for more information.  Breeder’s Choice has apparently been verified as okay, even though they’re made by American Nutrition.

At the FDA hearing today, it was revealed that Iams was the first company to step up and demand that Menu Foods issue a recall, so props to Iams for doing that, even if I still dislike them for other reasons.  And in this news story, China says they’ve banned melamine for use in food, which seems to prove that they deliberately put melamine in food previously, even though melamine is not a food item.  And in typical Chinese government fashion, they banned melamine in food at the same time they claimed that the melamine was harmless and not the cause of any pet deaths.  It’s kind of the, “I meant to do that/you’re not the boss of me” defense.

Frankly, I miss writing about stuff other than recalled pet food, but it’s so important to keep repeating it, over and over again, until everybody knows.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/26 at 11:15 PM
The Litterbox • (2) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, April 25, 2007 , late at night

More recalls, and free cat or dog food

Drs. Foster and Smith recalled two of their branded products today because they contain rice protein concentrate which was purchased from Wilbur-Ellis (importer of melamine-contaminated rpt).  The two products are Drs. Foster & Smith Adult Dry Lite cat food, and Drs. Foster & Smith Adult Dry Lite dog food.  Neither product has tested positive for melamine, so at this point the recall is just a precaution, but better safe than sorry.  I appreciate Drs. Foster and Smith erring on the side of caution.

In related news, Iams company is giving away free food in an attempt to encourage consumers to use their product again.  You can sign up to receive a coupon for a free bag of dry dog or cat food at IamsPromise.com.  I’ve signed up for a free bag because it will be perfect for feeding my stray front porch cats, and I encourage everyone reading to sign up and donate the coupon to your local animal shelter or to a rescue group if you don’t plan to use it yourself.  The coupons are one per household (but don’t forget many of you have work addresses wink).  Many of the cats I feed are just happy to have a meal, and I prefer to feed them dry food because I can leave it out without fear of flies laying eggs in it (ewwww).  The pigeons like to eat the kibble, too.  I personally don’t think free food is going to make one iota of difference to public perception of Iams and their products, but maybe it’s assuaging the company’s guilt.

If you’d like a to read a well-written overview of the pet food scandal, from its beginnings, check out The Great Pet Food Scandal at Macleans.ca.  I stopped subscribing to Macleans last year, because the price of the subscription for a US address was really expensive.  It’s times like this that I most miss it, and I’m glad they’ve got such a good website.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/25 at 11:38 PM
The Litterbox • (2) Comments • Permalink

Pet food ingredients to watch out for

The FDA is inspecting the following pet and human food ingredients, and testing for contaminated supplies:  wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein and rice bran.  So far, only wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate, and corn gluten (in South Africa) have tested positive for contamination with melamine and/or cyanuric acid.  However, the remaining ingredients on the list are things which are also imported from China, and I’d have to assume they’re supplied by the same companies which provided the contaminated ingredients.  Until more is known about the extent of the contamination, keep an eye on your pet food labels and ingredient lists, and be aware if you’re feeding any of the listed items.  I’m not familiar with rice bran as a pet food ingredient (at least, not off the top of my head), but there are hundreds of kibbles and snacks which use corn meal.  As always, the important thing is to know your pet, and to be aware of any health changes.  It seems that many pets can be saved after they’ve eaten contaminated ingredients, but timely veterinary care is essential.

I’ve been up all night applying for jobs, as my wonderful stint with IFAW is already half over and ends next month.  Anyone wanna hire me?  I make a lip-smacking good baby bottle of kitten formula… just ask Carlo.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/25 at 04:58 AM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • Permalink

Monday, April 23, 2007 , the wee hours

Drama at Noah’s Wish

Since I started my blog, I’ve maintained a link to Noah’s Wish in the sidebar under my list of “favourite websites”.  I’ve been donating to them ever since I first read Terri Crisp’s book, ”Out of Harm’s Way”, quite a few years ago.  I guess I’ve been really distracted by the pet food recall, because I completely missing reading news that Crisp was dismissed as the head of Noah’s Wish last month, and that the charity is in limbo while under investigation by the California Attorney General’s office.  Apparently there were bookkeeping and reporting problems related to hurricane Katrina donations.  The group was used to receiving less than $100K per year in donations, but suddenly received millions in donations as they worked in pet recovery efforts after the hurricane.  Not all the donated money has been accounted for, hence the investigation.  I personally don’t fear that any fraud has occurred… I really just think the group wasn’t organized enough to deal with so much money, and probably had lousy record-keeping to keep track of everything received.  I really liked and respected Terri Crisp for her hands-on approach to rescue, and her book was an inspiration to me.  I wish her the best, wherever she ends up, and hope Noah’s Wish will soon get back to the task of saving animals in disasters.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/23 at 01:55 AM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • Permalink

More Royal Canin recalls in Canada

Royal Canin Canada (Medi-Cal.ca) is recalling some more of their dry prescription diets because of contaminated rice protein concentrate.  This time, the contaminate detected isn’t melamine, but cyanuric acid.  That’s the stuff our pool needed last year when I couldn’t keep the chemicals stabilized, and you know, if it’s a pool chemical then it just doesn’t belong in cat and dog food :p Here’s the recalled product list:

  • ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET CANINE EARLY CARDIAC EC
  • ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET CANINE SENSITIVITY RC (Rice and Catfish)
  • ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET CANINE SKIN SUPPORT SS
  • ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET FELINE HYPOALLERGENIC HP
  • ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET FELINE SENSITIVITY RD (Rice and Duck)

Again, this recall only involves Canadian products at this point, but now that cyanuric acid has been found in one type of food, I have to assume there’s going to be some new testing done on pet foods in the US.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/23 at 01:45 AM
The Litterbox • (0) Comments • Permalink

Sunday, April 22, 2007 , evening

Outsourcing goes to the dogs

Here’s one form of work outsourcing which doesn’t irritate me:  dogs which are trained to detect pirated movies.  I guess they could probably detect illegal software as well, so I suppose Bill Gates must be behind the whole thing.  Click the link above to read Susie Felber’s latest entry in the Court TV Informer blog, and when you shop at malls in Manila, leave your illegal movies at home! 

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 04/22 at 08:48 PM
The Litterbox • (1) Comments • Permalink
Page 1 of 5 pages  1 2 3 >  Last »

Adopt a Big Dog!