Dog Owners: Danger-read this please
 

This was posted on ABC news today, regarding dog treats marketed by the trusted name Purina that are manufactured in China, and are poisoning dogs. So please read:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/chines...ry?id=16414600

Chicken jerky treats
 

My cousin in Syracuse, NY lost his bulldog to kidney failure. She was a young dog and the vet determined it was the chicken jerky that did her in. Very sad!

I have two bags downstairs
 

My dog, Bonnie, loves them. :(
I can't believe that they are being sold after all this time being "looked at".
These are going back to the store, and the manager is going to get a huge piece of my mind. 10-to-1, he/she has no idea either, so education will be my first priority, and then a letter or two to the head offices.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. (From me, my wife, and of course, Bonnie)

Purine?
 

Since when has Purina been a trusted name? Please people, do not buy your dog treats or food at a grocery or hardware store, and do to feed them pig ears no matter where they say they're manufactured. Ask your local pet store to suggest treats and food. They have the health of your pet in mind, not the bottom line.

I am sorry to say that in my opinion all the traditional american brands of dog food are garbage. Look at the first 3 ingredients. Nuff said.

Dog Food and Treats
 

Sometimes even the high-end brands can have problems. Recently our friends at the lake almost lost their Golden to salmonella. Thankfully, Charlie got better. They switched to another high-end brand and he got salmonella again. They are very lucky that he recovered again. Both batches of food tested positive for this contaminant. This is so very distressing, even buying top-dollar doesn't always mean safe. :(

Not sure of the brands from above recent story, I just know we do not use them. We use California Naturals mixed with Blue Buffalo and Charlie Bear all natural 3 calorie liver treats. (Trader Joe's is the most reasonably priced vendor.)

I have always supplemented my dog's menu with anything she will eat that we eat. I give her vegetables, bread and fruit along with 2 cups a day of dry food and 2 or 3 chewzies a day. It's important to pay attention to where the rawhide chews are manufactured because some countries allow the use of arsenic (heavy metals?) in the tanning process.

My cat eats better than I do. He likes cukes, strawberrys, string beans and tons of other healthy foods. The one that makes me laugh the most is what I gave him this weekend along with ourselves. After cutting or eating most of the corn on the cob, he goes crazy chowing the cob for the rest of the corn. Pretty funny seeing him carry that ear of corn around.:laugh:

Dog Chews
 

China certainly doesn't have the quality control and higher standards that the US maintains. We try to always buy made in the US, if possible, and prefer nothing from China for dog or cat food. Several years ago food manufactured in China killed both dogs and cats (kidney failure) and we returned the Iams we had purchsed for the cats. My next door neighboor lost her adult dog.

We recently started giving our three dogs bully sticks made in the US -- they love them and they chew for longer than you would think. Can be pricey, but piece of mind is worth it for us.

I could not agree more. Nicely said.

Most rawhide chews sold in this country come from Puerto Rico, one of the countries allowing the use of arsenic.

Not just dog food!
 

Take a look at a can of mushrooms. I don't know of even one that's not made in China (even Pennsylvania Dutch brand). Would YOU eat something from China? How about vitamins? If you take vitamins, most likely you're eating something from China. I designed a packaging machine for a large vitamin company and the engineer I worked with said that almost all vitamins are either made in China or the ones made in USA are compounded from ingredients sourced in China.

I'm no granola or anything, but I do try to eat locally grown food and avoid eating food from other countries. I travel occasionally so I have to eat foreign food, but it's almost universally understood that it's healthier to avoiding ingesting (or breathing) anything from China until they start having more regard for life.

Okay, back to dog food...

I love mandarin oranges, but they also come from China.