Pet Food Recall!

For a list of affected foods, go to http://www.petcare.mars.com/

Mars Petcare US Issues Voluntary Recall of Everson, PA Plant Dry Pet Food Product due to Potential Salmonella Contamination

Franklin, Tennessee (September 12, 2008)—Today, Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of products manufactured at its Everson, Pennsylvania facility. The pet food is being voluntarily recalled because of potential contamination with Salmonella serotype Schwarzengrund. This voluntary recall only affects the United States.

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. Healthy people potentially infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The company stopped production at the Everson facility on July 29, 2008 when it was alerted of a possible link between dry pet food produced at the plant and two isolated cases of people infected with Salmonella Schwarzengrund.

Even though no direct link between product produced at Everson and human or pet illness has been made, Mars Petcare US is taking precautionary action to protect pets and their owners by announcing a voluntary recall of all products produced at the Everson facility beginning February 18, 2008 until July 29, 2008 when we stopped production.

The company is continuing to work collaboratively with the FDA to determine the nature and source of Salmonella Schwarzengrund at the Everson facility. Since it has not yet identified the source of the Salmonella Schwarzengrund at the Everson facility, Mars Petcare US does not plan to resume production out of a commitment to the safety of our pet owners and their pets, customers, and associates.

The top priority of Mars Petcare US has always been and continues to be the health and welfare of pets and their owners. Consumers can continue to have confidence in the quality and safety of the products produced at other Mars Petcare US facilities. Only those products which were produced at the Everson facility are impacted by the voluntary recall.

Many of the brands involved in the recall are national brands produced at multiple facilities. A chart for all products is below. For example, PEDIGREE® is manufactured in numerous facilities throughout the country, and Everson represents a very small portion of the manufacturing base – 2.7 percent of total PEDIGREE® production.

Mars Petcare US will work with retail customers to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or fed to pets. In the event that consumers believe they have purchased products affected by this voluntary recall, they should return the product to the store where they purchased it for a full refund. Specific product details and other information can be found at www.petcare.mars.com

Please find recalled pet food UPC information below.
The products listed below are made at our Everson facility on behalf of a variety of retailers. All code dates, with the exception of PEDIGREE®, are listed in a similar format as noted below:
Consumers should look for “17” as the first two digits of the second line. Sample:
Best By Feb 18 09
17 1445 1

For PEDIGREE® the Everson code date format is as follows:
Consumers should look for “PAE” on the bottom line – the sixth, seventh and eighth digits. Sample:
PEDIGREE ® Small Crunchy Bites
Best Before 02/2009
808G1PAE01 12:00

In an effort to prevent the transmission of Salmonella from pets to family members and care givers, the FDA recommends that everyone follow appropriate pet food handling guidelines when feeding their pets. A list of safe pet food handling tips can be found at: www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/petfoodtips080307.html

Pet owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-877-568-4463 or visit www.petcare.mars.com.

Adopt Nimbus!

From Tree House:

The current economic crisis affects pets as well as people. Pets are are often abandoned in foreclosed homes or surrendered to animal shelters when families are forced to move. Sadly, many of these voiceless victims do not survive their ordeal.

Thankfully, Nimbus was one of the lucky survivors of the financial crisis. Nimbus’ owner brought Nimbus to the Uptown Shelter, explaining that he had lost his home and was forced to move into an apartment which did not allow pets. In most surrender cases, Tree House attempts to find a temporary foster home for the cat(s) while the guardian finds a new living situation. Unfortunately, this was not possible in Nimbus’ case, and Tree House decided to admit the cat to the shelter. Nimbus did not adapt well to the shelter, and although she is beginning to acclimate to the hectic environment, she would do best in a home where she could get the one-on-one attention she so desperately wants. Nimbus is a very affectionate girl who loves being brushed and having people fawn over her. She would do best as an only cat. If you would like to meet this sweet cat who loves being pampered, please visit the Bucktown Branch.

If you are interested in adopting Nimbus, please email Tree House adoption counselors (adoption@treehouseanimals.org) or stop by either the Bucktown or Uptown shelter to fill out an application.

Visit their website for hours and adoption procedures.

DOGS NEED RESCUED TODAY!

From Anissa: I have had no offers to help any of these dogs. This pound is overfull and if dogs are not pulled, some are going to go down.  Please if you can help with any of these dogs, contact me ASAP at westhancockk9@mchsi.com. Transport to Chicago is available!

All are very sweet dogs and good with other dogs.

Dog takes witness stand in murder trial

A dog nicknamed “Scooby” has become the first animal in the world to appear as a witness in a murder trial.

By Jessica Salter
from www.telegraph.co.uk

The animal is believed to have been with his 59-year-old owner when she was found hanging from the ceiling of her Paris flat. Police believe it was suicide but her family demanded a murder investigation.

During a preliminary hearing the pet was led into the witness box by a vet to see how it reacted to a suspect.

It is said to have “barked furiously”.

The aim was to decide if there was sufficient evidence to launch a full murder inquiry and a judge is yet to reach a decision.

French judge Thomas Cassuto praising the animal for his “exemplary behaviour and invaluable assistance”.

The dog has been named after the timid cartoon crime-buster Scooby Doo, who continually solves crime mysteries with the help of four American teenagers. A spokesman for the Palais de Justice in Paris confirmed that the Nanterre case was the first time a dog had appeared as a witness in criminal proceedings in France.

He said he was “almost certain” it was also a world first.

However, the French legal system does have a reputation for trials involving animals, most famously evoked in The Hour of the Pig, a murder-mystery film which depicted an idealistic Parisian lawyer defending a pig charged with murder.

Help animals and look great!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THEIR WEBSITE >>

Mutts

I love this comic strip. These two are from his “Shelter Stories” series. You can see more at http://muttscomics.com/.

Gustav Pet Evacuations Show Katrina Lessons Learned

By Maryann Mott
for National Geographic News
September 2, 2008

It’s not just the human evacuation that went much smoother this time.

Thousands of pets accompanied the estimated two million people who fled inland from the U.S. Gulf Coast this past weekend as Hurricane Gustav hurtled toward the region.

Rosemarie Jarreau and her son, Devontay Jenkins, hug their puppies at a pet evacuation center ahead of Hurricane Gustav.

On August 31, Gustav moved into the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane, raising fears of a repeat of the devastation caused three years ago by Hurricane Katrina and prompting evacuation orders for much of the Gulf Coast.

About 160 climate-controlled vehicles operated around the clock in New Orleans to whisk pets and their owners out of harm’s way. At least a half dozen emergency shelters throughout the state quickly filled with pets of all shapes and sizes.

“This is the first time in history that pets have been a priority in an evacuation,” said Ana Zorrilla, CEO of the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA-SPCA), based in New Orleans.

Now that the danger from Gustav has passed, pets from New Orleans will be sent from a huge shelter at the Shreveport, Louisiana, fairgrounds back into the LA-SPCA facility, where the animals will be housed until owners retrieve them.

Meanwhile, a team from the LA-SPCA is heading from Shreveport into New Orleans today to stock up on needed food, supplies, and backup generators, Zorrilla said.

The shelter’s stray animals were evacuated last week to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Dallas, Texas. Zorrilla hopes to bring back those animals next week and resume normal operations.

Meet Me at the Fair

The preparations for Gustav stand in sharp contrast to the situation during Hurricane Katrina.

In that storm’s aftermath, animals hadn’t been allowed on buses or rescue boats, forcing some people to choose between staying with their pets and hopping a ride to safety. (See photos of pets affected by Katrina.)

Since then government officials, emergency workers, and animal-welfare groups say they’ve worked hard to put disaster plans into place to help both people and animals.

In New Orleans—a city with 350,000 residents and at least 200,000 pets—evacuations began early Saturday morning for pet owners who didn’t have transportation.

Buses picked up New Orleanians at 17 locations around the city and dropped residents off at a processing center near the Louisiana Superdome. There, pet owners were issued wristbands and pet collars that had matching identification numbers.

Larger dogs were loaded into crates and placed in refrigerated vehicles. Smaller animals accompanied their owners on the ten-hour bus trip to a shelter at the state fairgrounds in Shreveport, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) northwest of the Big Easy.

“Throughout the evacuation process, I can’t tell you how many people said, The only reason that I’m leaving now is because I can take my animal with me and both of us can be safe,” Zorrilla said.

A steady flow of buses and vehicles loaded with cats, dogs, hamsters, snakes, and rabbits began arriving late Saturday night. The procession didn’t stop until early Monday morning, just before a slightly weakened Gustav made landfall about 70 miles (113 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans.

Animal-related disaster response teams were on hand to make sure pets would be well cared for.

All of the groups had worked for months after Katrina, helping to save some 6,000 animals left behind in flooded streets and homes.

After Katrina, the American Red Cross had loosened its “no pets” policy and began actively partnering with animal-welfare agencies throughout the country.

For Gustav, the Red Cross set up a shelter across from the Shreveport fairgrounds to provide temporary housing for pet owners.

“It’s really been such a relief to know that people were able to leave with their pets and they didn’t have to stay behind,” says Allison Cardona, ASPCA director of disaster response.

Amy Maher of Noah’s Wish, a disaster-response group operating another pet-friendly Red Cross shelter in Covington, Louisiana, added: “Part of our mission is to rescue pets that are left behind. But if you don’t have to leave them behind, that makes everyone a lot safer, healthier, and happier.”

The truth about offshore drilling

Offshore drilling spill on fire

From Defenders of Wildlife:

Ready to line our coasts with oil rigs that would pollute our waters, threaten dolphins and other marine wildlife and wreck coastal economies?

George Bush and Dick Cheney (with McCain’s/Palin’s full support -z menagerie) are making plans to do just that, and we’ve got less than two weeks to stop them! Click here to sign the petition. It only takes a minute!

Sea otter covered in oil.

Please urge the U.S. Minerals Management Service — the federal agency accepting comments on the Administration’s plan — to shelve the Bush/Cheney Administration’s latest offshore oil drilling scam.

As part of Defenders of Wildlife’s marine wildlife program and someone who has studied offshore drilling for more than three decades, I can tell you with absolute certainty that offshore drilling and sensitive coastal ecosystems are a dangerous combination.

• Offshore drilling contaminates water, routinely spilling oil and toxic liquids into our oceans and releasing hazardous fumes into our air.
• Pollutants like mercury and persistent hydrocarbons contaminate important marine habitat near platforms.
• Seismic testing associated with drilling can cause dolphins, whales and other marine mammals to become disoriented and stranded and — in some cases — even die.
• Massive spills that can result from drilling and increased tanker traffic can kill dolphins, seabirds, sea turtles, fish and marine mammals.

And while the environmental damage of offshore drilling may be significant, the savings to U.S. consumers would not be. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that drilling off our coasts would have “no significant” impact on domestic production until 2030, and even then “impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant.”

Richard Charter, Outer Continental Shelf Drilling Specialist
Defenders of Wildlife

(and I hope we aren’t still this dependent on oil by then!)

Click here to sign the petition. It only takes a minute!

Not happy with Happiness…

Please join local activists for a demonstration against Happiness is Pets and its contribution to the animal overpopulation crisis. Come out for an hour (or two, if you can!) to remind shoppers that every time an animal is bred and born, an animal in an animal shelter loses his or her chance of finding a home.

When: Saturday, September 6, 12 noon-2 p.m.
Where: Happiness is Pets, 10338 S. Cicero St., Oak Lawn, Ill.

Posters and leaflets will be provided, but feel free to bring your own as well. For more information about the demonstration or to RSVP, please contact Eileen at emfl@panduit.com.

Please visit PETA’s animal birth control (ABC) Web site for more information about our ABC campaign, and e-mail AnimalBirthControl@peta.org if you’d like to get involved!

Thank you for everything that you do to help animals!

For all animals,

Heather Whidden, Activist Liaison
People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals
757-213-8729
757-628-0784 (fax)
HeatherW@peta.org

Ryan Dempster chooses Chicago Canine Rescue

All-Star Ryan Dempster was named the Chicago Cubs recipient of the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevy. He is one of 30 Major League Club nominees for the national 2008 Roberto Clemente Award, which is given annually to the Major League Baseball player who combines outstanding skills on the baseball field with devoted work in the community.

Dempster elected to donate his $7,500 grant from Chevy to Chicago Canine Rescue.

As the official sponsor of the Roberto Clemente Award, Chevy will donate $7,500 to the charity of choice of each of the 30 Club recipients. They will also donate $30,000 and a Chevy vehicle to the national winner’s charity of choice and an additional $30,000 will be donated to Roberto Clemente Sports City, a not-for-profit organization in Carolina, Puerto Rico, designed to provide recreational sports activities for children.

Fans are encouraged to participate in the selection of the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award. From September 3-October 5, 2008, fans can log on to www.chevy.com/clemente and vote for one of the 30 Club nominees.