Euthanasia Means “Good Death”
If you are an animal lover, your pet is probably one of your best friends. When that best friend is facing the end, it’s tough to say goodbye. In this NBC29 Special Report, we look at the difficulty of deciding when it is time to say goodbye and your options afterward.
When animal lovers adopt a pet, they make a commitment to care for them, even when they’re sick and close to death. Most humans will outlive their companions, and the end of life for pets can bring deep grief and raise a load of questions. When that happens, we humans get very emotional.
When dealing with a pet with a terminal condition, people often have a difficult time deciding whether to euthanize, or when the time is right to end their companion’s suffering.
John Dove has two cats, Krogie and Mocha, and cherishes the friendship he has with them. “I don’t have any children, but if I had children, I don’t think I could love them any more than I love my animals, they’re my kids essentially.”
Dove recently experienced the profound pain of losing an animal when his 12-year-old cat Scamper had a stroke.
“And then all of a sudden, he let out a yelp and I looked around at him and he was hyperventilating very heavily, so it looked like something was really wrong,” he said.
A quick trip to an emergency veterinarian divulged the dilemma a lot of pet owners face. “So at that point I had to make that very painful decision.”
Dr. John Andersen deals with clients who face euthanizing their beloved pet. “We’re in control and there’s a time we just have to make that really hard decision.”
Dr. Andersen is not only a pet owner, he is also a veterinarian in Albemarle County and says he understands the deep human-animal bond. “They’re a best friend, they’re kind of a confidante, they’re an explorer with you, they provide a lot of things.”
Only last year, his dog Kaya died after a prolonged battle with cancer. “When we had our dog, I was not married, just a bachelor. She took me through that and getting married and having kids,” he stated.
After 30 years of practicing in a clinic, Dr. Liz Palmer decided to start a mobile veterinarian service specializing in end of life care for pets. So when a pet goes from having good and bad days to bad and worse days, she can help with in-home euthanasia.
“When an animal gets very, very old, it can be very stressful to bring them to a clinic. They can get very nervous or confused,” she stated. “I hear an awful lot, that ‘I would prefer my animal to die naturally’…barring a heart attack in their sleep, I think dying naturally is overrated.”
Dr. Andersen says some people have such a tough time letting go, they often put off the inevitable. “If I hear regrets from people, it’s often because people feel like they waited a little bit too long and when they look back, they have this image of their animal suffering.”
After Dove decided to end his cat Scamper’s suffering, he took his buddy’s body to the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA for cremation.
The SPCA offers private cremation for $130.00 and a variety of decorative tins for people to choose. “You leave your animal in their care and a day or two later, they call you and tell you the ashes are ready,” Dove said. Dove has Scamper’s picture and tin displayed at his home in memory of his beloved companion.
Paws and Remember is a company that offers everything from jewelry stamped with paw prints, key chains that carry ashes, to tiny caskets. The Staunton company also provides cremation, most packages start at about $150.00 and go up from there.
But some pet owners can’t afford any extras. Paws and Remember general manager Todd Dean says “If they don’t want their pet’s cremains back, then we will place them in one of these gardens here.”
The company has above ground crypts and a place where people can visit and leave flowers or pictures of their pets.
Since the death of Kaya, Dr. Andersen has adopted a new playmate for his other dog Boon. She’s an 8-week-old black lab named Ruby. Dove did the same for his other little cat Krogie. He adopted a playful 3-year-old named Mocha from the SPCA. The new addition to the family gives Krogie a friend, but can never replace Scamper.
When he thinks back on the loss, Dove says “Love your animal as much and as often as you possibly can because you never know. I mean it almost doesn’t seem fair in a way that they don’t live longer than they do.”
For people who are struggling with the decision of whether to end their pet’s suffering, Dr. Andersen says the meaning of the word euthanize might help: it means “good death”.
Distributor States Canidae, Natural Balance, and one Wellness Product Recalled
- Written By: Susan Thixton
- 5-4-2012
The following information was just forwarded to me from an Independent Pet Store – from their Distributor, Phillips Feed and Pet Supply. As of this posting, this information has not been confirmed on the respective pet food company’s websites. This was from a major pet food distributor, forwarded to me by a caring Independent Pet Food Retailer. I assume this information will become public soon, and will be posted as soon as I have it. May 4, 2012
Dear Valued Retailer, A few brands announced a recall late Friday, May 4th 2012. We are starting to get information in and will pass along updates and information as it becomes available. The information below is preliminary and each one of the brands below is preparing factual statements and processes and will be loading them on their individual web sites. Once they have finalized this information, we will also be loading it onto our web site under the forms button for your reference.
The following brands have issued a voluntary recall. More information will be following as it is released.
The below Diamond Pet Dry Dog Food Brands – To determine if what you have is affected, you should check the production codes on the back of bags that have a number “2” or a “3” in the 9th or 10th digit and an “X” in the 11th digit. The best-before dates for the recalled brands are December 9, 2012 through April 7, 2013. Please note- not all Diamond brands were produced on the affected plant manufacturing lines. Phillips receives products from numerous Diamond plants. Also, no cat or can skus are affected.
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul – All skus * Country Value – All Skus * Diamond – All Skus * Diamond Naturals – All Skus * Premium Edge – All Skus * Professional – All Skus * Taste of the Wild – All Skus
The below Wellness sku with a Best by Date of January 9, 10, & 11th 2013:
Wellness Large Breed Puppy in 15 pound and 30 pound
May 4th, 2012- No other Wellness skus were affected.
Please note that no salmonella cases have been reported on Wellpet. They are recalling for the safety of the pet and the pet parent.
The below Natural Balance Skus:
5 LB Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison Dog; Best By Date: December 12, 2012; December 13, 2012; March 12, 2013
15 LB Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison Dog; Best By Date: December 12, 2012; December 13, 2012; December 14, 2012; March 5, 2013; March 6, 2013
28 LB Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison Dog; Best By Date: December 12, 2012; December 13, 2012; December 14, 2012; March 5, 2013; March 6, 2013; March 7, 2013; March 8, 2013; March 12, 2013
5 LB Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog; Best By Date: December 10, 2012; December 21, 2012; December 22, 2012
15 LB Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog; Best By Date: December 10, 2012; December 21, 2012; December 22, 2012
28 LB Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog; Best By Date: December 10, 2012; December 21, 2012; December 22, 2012
5 LB Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Bison Dog; Best By Date: December 17, 2012; December 18, 2012; December 28, 2012; December 29, 2012
15 LB Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Bison Dog; Best By Date: December 9, 2012; December 17, 2012; December 18, 2012; December 28, 2012; December 29, 2012
28 LB Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Bison Dog; Best By Date: December 9, 2012; December 17, 2012; December 18, 2012; December 28, 2012; December 29, 2012
5 LB Natural Balance Vegetarian Dog; Best By Date: December 9, 2012
28 LB Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog Large Breed Bites; Best By Date: December 12, 2012; December 20, 2012; December 21, 2012
5 LB Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog Small Breed Bites; Best By Date: December 21, 2012
12.5 LB Natural Balance Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog Small Breed Bites; Best By Date: December 21, 2012
May 4, 2012- Please note that only these 5 flavors of Natural Balance were affected. The other flavors are produced on other lines and plants.
Please note that no salmonella cases have been reported on Natural Balance. They are recalling for the safety of the pet and the pet parent.
The below Canidae skus with production codes that have both a number “3” in the 9th or 10th digit and an “X” in the 11th digit with a best before dates of December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013 which are being recalled.
Canidae Dog, All Life Stages
Canidae Dog, Chicken Meal & Rice
Canidae Dog, Lamb Meal & Rice
Canidae Dog, Platinum
A message from Canidae:
It is with regret that we are reporting a voluntary recall on a limited production run of CANIDAE dry dog food produced out of the Diamond Pet Foods South Carolina plant. Even though not one of our products have been tested positive for Salmonella, it is out of pure precaution that this product is being removed from the market place. We are working diligently to make this process as seamless as possible for you, our retailers and consumers.
Although there have been no animal or human illnesses related to Canidae Pet Food, and the product has not tested positive for Salmonella, the company has voluntarily initiated this recall out of caution to ensure the health and safety of consumers and their pets.
Following is an example of how to read the production code and best before date:
Production Code Best Before Date FDE0104R5 3X TS 10 – January – 2013
The recall affects only products distributed in the following Eastern U.S. states which were manufactured at the Diamond Pet Food Gaston, South Carolina plant. Further distribution to other pet food channels may occur:
Florida, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee
Canidae Pet Foods apologizes for any potential issues this may have caused pet owners and their pets.
To ease this process, a returns/credit form will be posted on our web site soon. The form will request the following information:
Customer Name Phillips Account Number UPC Lot Code Best by Use Date Quantity Phillips Delivery Day Product Description Product Size
As of this posting, this information has not been confirmed on the respective pet food company’s websites. This was from a major pet food distributor, forwarded to me by a caring Independent Pet Food Retailer. I assume this information will become public soon, and will be posted as soon as I have it.
Updated Food Recall Includes Kirkland and Taste of the Wild
Diamond Expands Voluntary Recall
Diamond Pet Foods Expands Voluntary Recall of Dry Pet Food Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination
Batches of the brands manufactured between December 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012 are affected
Consumer Contact: 866-918-8756 Media Contact: 816-255-1974
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 4, 2012
Diamond Pet Foods today announced that it is expanding a voluntary recall to include batches of nine brands of dry pet food formulas manufactured between December 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012 due to potential Salmonella contamination.
In April 2012, Diamond Pet Foods initiated three voluntary recalls of Diamond manufactured dry dog food. Although none of the additional products being recalled have tested positive for Salmonella, the company is pulling them from store shelves as a precaution. Diamond Pet Foods is coordinating efforts with federal and state health and regulatory agencies and decided to independently expand the recall to ensure the safety and well-being of customers and their pets.
The company stated: “We have taken corrective actions at our Gaston, S.C., facility and voluntarily expanded the recall out of concern for our customers and their pets.”
Brands included in the recall include:
- Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
- Country Value
- Diamond
- Diamond Naturals
- Premium Edge
- Professional
- 4Health
- Taste of the Wild
To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production codes on the back of bags that have a number “2” or a “3” in the 9th or 10th digit and an “X” in the 11th digit. The best-before dates for the recalled brands listed above are December 9, 2012 through April 7, 2013.
The following graphic illustrates how to read the production code and best-before date:
The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states and Canada. Further distribution through other pet food channels may have occurred.
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Canada
The Kirkland Signature products included in the recall include:
- Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Lamb, Rice & Vegetable Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)
- Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)
- Kirkland Signature Super Premium Mature Dog Chicken, Rice & Egg Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)
- Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Dog Formulated with Chicken & Vegetables (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)
- Kirkland Signature Super Premium Maintenance Cat Chicken & Rice Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)
- Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Cat Formula (December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)
- Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato Formula for Dogs (December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)
To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production codes on the back of bags must have both a number “3” in the 10th digit and an “X” in the 11th digit. The best-before dates for the recalled brands listed are December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013.
The following illustrates how to read the production code and best-before date:
The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Canada.
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Canada
- Puerto Rico
Diamond Pet Foods apologizes for any issues this may cause consumers and their pets. Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, or who would like replacement product or a refund, may contact Diamond Pet Foods via a toll free call at 1-866-918-8756, Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. EST. Consumers may also go to a special website, www.diamondpetrecall.com, for more information. The company is working with distributors and retailers to ensure all affected product is removed from shelves.
Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. People who believe they may have been exposed to Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. According to the Centers for Disease Control, people who are more likely to be affected by Salmonella include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS and people receiving treatment for cancer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have received a limited number of reports of salmonellosis, the illness caused by Salmonella. We are working with the CDC, but due to patient confidentiality, we cannot comment further.
Help Your Senior Pet Live His Golden Years in Style
You and your furbaby have enjoyed ten glorious years together. You’ve watched her grow from a frisky little pup learning to potty train to learning to sit on command after snagging more than a handful of treats. Sure you’ve had your moments like when she ran away and you spent three hours combing your neighborhood only to find her patiently waiting at your doorstep. She’s been a constant companion in your life and the one who dutifully sat by your side when you were laid up in bed with the flu. But lately, she seems to be slowing down and napping for increasingly longer periods of time.Of course at 10 years old, with each dog year being equal to about seven human years, your furbaby is the ripe old age of 70 and you want to make sure she lives out the remaining time she has left in the most joyous way. Dr. Ernie Ward, author of Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter – A Vet’s Plan to Save Their Lives (2010 HCI) and owner, chief-of-staff at Seaside Animal Care in Calabash, North Carolina, recommends that pet parents be mindful of a host of potential health issues their senior pet’s caretaker.
“While we may still view our eight-year old Lab as our “puppy” the reality is she is undergoing many of the same physical changes of a 50-year old person,” says Dr. Ward.”Simple changes in nutrition and lifestyle can make a huge difference in preventing age-related diseases and preserving quality of life.”
The definition of a senior pet
Historically, any pet over age seven is considered a senior pet, says Dr. Ward. In strict physiological terms, giant breed dogs over age five should be considered senior and toy breeds and cats over age nine are viewed as senior pets. The differences in ages are due to the rate of physiological changes in certain breeds; giant breeds age faster.
Senior pets need specialized diets
As dogs and cats age so do their nutrient requirements and ability to digest certain foods, notes Dr. Ward. If your pet is over seven years old, it’s important to talk to your veterinarian about switching to a diet specially-formulated for older pets.
“Senior pets need less fat and carbohydrates and more highly digestible proteins,” says Dr. Ward. “For example, older cats actually require higher amounts of protein because studies show their ability to digest proteins deteriorates as they age. In general, older pets need fewer calories because they’re less active and begin to lose muscle mass.”
Diet and supplements
Dr. Ward recommends that pet parents give their senior pet low or no-grain, higher protein diets for older cats and highly digestible, low-fat diets for dogs. And since nutritional gaps and cellular damage can accelerate as pets age due to genetics, pollutants and illness, Dr. Ward advises giving nutritional supplements such as omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils), glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate, and a good multi-vitamin (especially B vitamins and vitamins A, D, E, and K, biotin and beta-carotene) to almost every older pet. He also prescribes SAM-e, silybin/milk thistle, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and probiotics to many senior pets to combat age changes.
Preventative medical care: What you need to know
Start testing at seven years old. Changes in kidney, liver and pancreatic function, arthritis, cataracts, heart disease and high blood pressure are more common in older pets. To diagnose a disease in the early stages requires consistent examinations and lab tests. As soon as your pet turns seven, pet parents should ask for basic blood and urine tests, even if their pet appears perfectly healthy. The value of routine testing is that it establishes baselines for future reference.
“I recently saw a nine-year old cat for a routine visit,” says Dr. Ward. “The owner reported her cat was in excellent health yet our test results showed an increase in two kidney enzymes from the previous year. While the kidney values were still within normal limits, the change alerted me to a potential problem. Additional tests confirmed early kidney disease. If not for the previous test results, we would’ve never diagnosed kidney disease at this early stage. ”
Bottom line: The money you spend on routine diagnostic tests may save you big bucks in the future and add years of life to your pet. Never ignore that tiny voice telling you “something isn’t right.” If you suspect something – anything – is wrong with a pet over age 7, have it checked out.
Melissa Chapman, Contributor to Care.com www.care.com/pet-care
Things You Can Do to Keep Your Pet Young at Heart
When you think of your children, you make almost no distinction between your two-legged ones and four- legged ones. Unfortunately, our fur babies don’t have the same life expectancy as our own human children. But with some vigilant attention to their diet and mental state, we can keep them with us (depending on the breed) for 12 to 15 years. In fact, I’m banking on 20 years for my now 11-year-old Shih Tzu. And I’m willing to undertake any measures that will both prolong her life span, and enrich the quality of her life as well.
Here are tips to keep you and your four-legged kid happily joined at the hip for years to come:
Obesity can shorten your senior pet’s life: less food equals longer life
According to Dr. Ernie Ward, author of Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter – A Vet’s Plan to Save Their Lives (2010 HCI) and owner, chief-of-staff at Seaside Animal Care, PA, obesity is a big problem in older pets that can cause and exacerbate many preventable diseases.
“Do your pet a favor and trade the treats for extra playtime,” says Dr. Ward. “You just may add years of high-quality life to both of you.”
Dr. Ward recommends substituting treats with healthy, whole foods such as carrots, broccoli, asparagus, celery, apples and bananas. Adding plain kefir or yogurt is also a great way to supply essential probiotics without all the calories.
Exercise more
Regardless of your pet’s current physical state, daily walks or play can rewind years’ worth of damage and boost your pet’s mental and physical health. For dogs, a brisk 20 to 30-minute walk once or twice a day is just what Dr. Ward orders. For cats, interactive toys such as feather dancers, laser lights or remote-controlled toys can get even the laziest cat on its feet. Whatever activities you choose, just do it.
Brain games
To keep mental reflexes sharp, Dr. Ward recommends that pet parents constantly provide their older pets with new experiences. Add a food puzzle, teach a new trick, take a trip to a different dog park or enroll in therapy pet classes. Rotate toys by packing old ones out of sight and offering a “new” one every two to three days.
“Even a simple change such as reversing your normal walking route can provide freshness to an otherwise stale routine,” says Dr. Ward. “As often as possible, ask yourself, ‘How can I make this more fun or interesting?'”
Don’t forget
Older pets tend to have a higher incidence of phobias and anxiety, notes Dr. Ward. If your pet suddenly becomes fearful of thunderstorms or loud noises, has accidents in the house, or begins to wake unexpectedly at night, see your veterinarian. Nutritional supplements, behavior training and medications can also help your older pet maintain normal abilities and combat age-related behavioral changes.
A new pet can breathe life into an older one
In almost 20 years of practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Ward says he’s witnessed one thing innumerable times – a new pet breathes new life into older pets.
“Not long ago I diagnosed a long-time patient, Prince, with a serious form of heart disease. After outlining a treatment plan, I told the owner that my next best advice was a bit unorthodox: get a new puppy,” says Dr. Ward. “I shared with her the fact that many times the older pet seems to regain lost vigor and lives much longer than I’d ever dreamed possible whenever a new pet is introduced. What I didn’t tell her was that adding a new pet before losing one helps soften the loss.”
“Sure enough, two months later she appeared in my office with a brand new puppy and a brand new “old” dog. It had been years since I’d seen Prince prance like that,” Dr. Ward says. “Prince lived another year and-a-half, at least six to 12 months longer than I originally estimated. The beautiful part of the story was that not only did Prince live longer and have a better life than I’d expected, but when it was time to let him go, the owner had a new friend to console her. I’ll keep recommending a new, best buddy for every old friend I see.”
Melissa Chapman, Contributor to Care.com www.care.com/pet-care
Helping Kids Deal with the Loss of a Pet
Losing a pet can impact the entire family, but it can be particularly traumatic for children because it’s usually their first encounter with loss and death. As parents, we can feel overwhelmed and helpless knowing that we cannot shield our kids from the painful reality of death. Although we can’t stop our kids from having a broken heart, there are things we can do to make their bereavement process as healthy and manageable as possible.
The first step to help kids learn how to cope with the loss of a pet is to be honest with them. As difficult as this may feel it’s important to tell them the truth! Stay away from half truths and euphemistic descriptions about death. Instead, sensitively explain to your child that his or her pet has died. A child’s understanding about death will vary based on his age.
According to the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement, kids between the ages of 7 and 9 tend to have the most questions about death. If your child asks you what happens after death, you can explain your understanding about life after death, but it’s also okay to admit that you’re not entirely sure.
This loss can also trigger a child’s fears that you or other people he or she loves will die. Remember to be patient and try to address these fears as they come up. For example, if your child asks you if you’re going to die and leave them too, you can say something like, “Most people die when they are very old, and I don’t plan to leave this earth for a very long time.”
The second step is to honor your child’s feelings. Help your child to express his or her grief. You can encourage your children to make drawings or write stories about their pet. It’s also very helpful to have them recall happy memories, which allows them to both grieve and remember happier times with their pet.
Kids may need to cry and express their feelings of loss, which is to be expected. They might also struggle with other complex emotions like anger, denial and guilt. Encourage your child to talk with you about his or her feelings. This will allow you to explain that what they are experiencing is normal and a natural part of the grieving process. Ultimately, parents want to help their children move through their feelings of depression and eventually come to a place of acceptance.
One of the ways to encourage your child’s healthy acceptance of a pet’s death is to find a way to memorialize this passing. Having a burial, memorial or similar type of ceremony helps to reinforce the importance of the pet’s life while also marking its death. This can be done in many different ways. Kids should be allowed to participate in whatever way feels right for them. Maybe it’s marking the gravesite, making a garden stone with the pet’s name on it, planting a tree in remembrance of the pet, or designing a collage of the pet’s photos and placing it in a frame.
Managing loss and death is ironically one of the most difficult aspects of life. But if handled correctly, the loss of a family pet can be a valuable opportunity to teach an important, yet tough life lesson about how to deal with loss in an open and healthy way.
Dr. Robi Ludwig, Contributor to Care.com www.care.com/pet-care
Another Diamond Pet Food Recall
CLICK HERE TO READ UPDATE ON DIAMOND PET FOODS 2021
A third dry dog food product is being voluntarily recalled by Diamond Pet Foods due to salmonella concerns.
Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food, like the other two dry dog food products, was made at the company’s South Carolina plant, which has been temporarily shut down.
The latest recall involves its Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food. No canine illnesses have been reported.
The product was distributed to customers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The latest recall covers the following production codes for Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food:
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food 40 lb. DPP0401B22XJW 6-Apr-2013
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food 40 lb. DPP0401A21XAW 6-Apr-2013
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food 40 lb. DPP0101C31XME 11-Jan-2013
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food 40 lb. DPP0401B21XDJ 7-Apr-2013
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food 20 lb. DPP0401B22XJW 6-Apr-2013
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food 20 lb. DPP0101C31XME 11-Jan-2013
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food 20 lb. DPP0101C31XRB 11-Jan-2013
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food 8 lb. DPP0401B2XALW 7-Apr-2013
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food 6 oz. samples DPP0401
Consumers who have purchased Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food with these production codes and best before dates should discard the product.
For more information about this recall, consumers can contact Diamond Pet Foods at 800-442-0402.
The company also announced in April that it was recalling batches of its Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula and Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice.
Dogs change their minds based on human actions
From LiveScience and the AVMA:
Want to trick a dog? It’s all in the body language, a new study finds.
When given a choice between a big serving of food and a small one, dogs almost always go for the bigger option. But when a person makes a fuss over the small amount, particularly by handling it, dogs can be tricked into picking the less-hearty portion.
The study, published Wednesday (April 25) in the journal PLoS ONE, highlights dogs’ ability to follow human social cues, a tendency which has likely served them well over thousands of years of domestication.
Researchers recruited 149 dog owners to bring their ordinary household pets into the psychology laboratory at the University of Milan, Italy. There, study leader Sarah Marshall-Pescini and her colleagues set up a series of experiments in which dogs had a choice between two plates, one with a single piece of food on it and one with six pieces. Other experiments had dogs choosing between equal-size portions.
The researchers mixed and matched these various conditions. For example, in some conditions the person merely looked at the dog and then at one of the plates. In others, the person might walk up to the food, pick up a piece and say, “Oh wow, this is good, this is so good!” while looking at the dog.
When left to their own devices, 73 percent of the dogs made a beeline for the bigger portion of food in the majority of trials. But when people started to get involved, the dogs were more often swayed to make the worse choice, going for the smaller food portion. The most powerful gesture for tricking dogs into making this choice turned out to be a hand-to-mouth action by the person. [What Your Dog’s Breed Says About You]
Dogs in two experimental conditions were significantly more likely to make a dash for the small plate, the researchers reported. In one, the person approached the food, picked up a piece and held it to her mouth for five seconds before putting it down and retreating. In the second, the researcher did the same thing, except she also talked to the dog and looked at it as she held the food. When food was lifted and dropped with utensils from behind a curtain — so dogs couldn’t see that a person was involved — the dogs were no more likely to pick that plate, suggesting that the animals are cueing in to human actions.
Dogs may see the handling of food as an explicit invitation to come chow down, the researchers wrote. Or it may be that seeing a person grasp a piece of food makes dogs want to do the same, much in the same way that babies imitate their parents’ expressions and gestures. Earlier research has suggested that dogs are at least as receptive to human communication as are pre-verbal babies.
The study also highlights that imitation is not always the best strategy for learning, the researchers reported.
“The current study adds to a small but growing literature showing that social learning is not necessarily always the best strategy and provides an experimental paradigm which may potentially be used to explore when an animal will rely on private vs. social information,” they wrote.
You can follow LiveScience senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.
AVMA Brochure on Pet Loss
Coping with the Death of a Pet
The English novelist George Eliot said it best about pets when she wrote, “Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions and pass no criticisms.” Perhaps that is why some pet owners feel closer to their animals than even other members of their family.
It is no wonder, then, that people experience intense grief at the loss of a pet and that it can even rival the same levels as the death of a human friend or family member. Rest assured, that somber feeling following a loss is completely normal.
What sometimes can make it harder to cope with the death of an animal in a pet and owner relationship is the impossibility of being able to talk about the situation if the pet is aging or ailing. — In human interaction, such a discussion may be able to alleviate some of the questions people face. Animals don’t understand the process of dying as much.
With humans, conversations can create some closure for loved ones. But depending on the type of death the animal experiences, there may be no sense of resolution for a pet owner because there is no opportunity for communication.
There are several ways that pet owners can help themselves, and others, move forward after a loss. Here are 7 tips to cope with the loss of a pet.
1. Maintain a normal routine
Sometimes pet owners are used to a schedule that was based on their animal’s needs. Waking up to walk the dog in the morning was not only a way to keep the pet healthy but it also helped boost the owner’s activity level.
Be sure to stay active so physical health does not become a concern on top of emotional strain.
2. Consider holding a farewell ceremony
A farewell ceremony doesn’t need to be as elaborate as a human funeral typically is, but having a dedicated time set aside to remember your pet and say goodbye can be very therapeutic and help move you closer to closure.
Deciding how to dispose of your pet’s remains is a personal choice. Some people choose to bury their pet nearby where it can be visited on a regular basis. This might not an option for everyone so cremation and keeping or releasing the pet’s ashes might also help. Still others have gone to the extreme and decided to take the remains to a taxidermist to preserve the pet.
3. Keep photos or videos
Photos, scrapbooks, home videos, collages and other forms preserving memories can be a good way to remember the fondest times owners have shared with their pets. Whether it is a visual reminder or just a journal or even as simple as a poem, having something concrete that you can revisit time after time can help you remember your animal.
4. Understand the grief of others
What might be easy for one person to move beyond can seem like an insurmountable obstacle for another.
Seniors, especially, may have had a long relationship with a pet that may have been more significant because they have already lost a lot of people in their lives. The loss of a pet can trigger a response in them to revisit some of the pain of the loss of human relationships as well.
With a child, the best thing to do is to be honest with them as much as possible about the death of the pet. Assure them that this pet is no longer in any pain and although they’re gone, they will always be alive in their memories.
Having a memorial service is even more important for kids than adults — even if it’s just for a pet like a fish or hamster — it’s just as important to acknowledge the significance of the animal’s life.
5. Understand the grief of other pets in the household
For families with multiple pets in the household, the owners are not the only ones who suffer when an animal dies. The pets themselves have their own unique relationship in playing with each other or just serving as companions.
Owners must take that in consideration to give the remaining pets a little more love and attention to help fill the void that was left without their animal friend.
6. Finding a replacement pet
Depending on the circumstances surrounding the death of the pet, jumping in and trying to find a replacement as a distraction is not a good idea and can actually make the grieving process worse.
If the death of a pet is sudden and unexpected, it is important for owners to take time and fully evaluate when might be a good time to find another pet. However, if the pet has been ailing or aging for some time, owners may have already begun the grieving process earlier, and can plan to find a new pet sooner than expected.
7. Find a support group
If the grief becomes too much to handle alone, surrounding yourself with others experiencing similar feelings can be beneficial.
Support groups are available in some location for those who need it.
Pet owners will often feel the same five stages of grief associated with human loss including denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Perhaps they feel guilty because they didn’t do enough to save them or second guessing themselves on deciding if euthanasia was the best option.
Sometimes people will look at you and try to make you think you shouldn’t be experiencing as much pain as you are at the loss of a pet. But grief over the death of a pet really depends on where you are in your life. People have different reactions to grief and different expectations of death and dying. This naturally creates varied responses to death of human figures or pet figures.
Rhondda Waddell is the Professor and Director of the Center for Values, Service and Leadership at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida.
Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/04/28/7-tips-to-deal-with-loss-pet/#ixzz1tYQiN9Ee