Diamond Pet Foods expanded its recall of pet food produced at its Gaston, S.C., manufacturing facility to include six additional brands and resumed production at the facility.

Posted: May 6, 2012, 8 p.m. EDT
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Diamond recalled three brands of dry dog food: Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice Formula for Adult Dogs, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula and Diamond Puppy Formula. The company ceased production at the Gaston facility in April after samples from each of the brands tested positive for a rare strain of salmonella, S. Infantis.

Public health officials linked the strain to an outbreak of human salmonella infections, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched an investigation to determine if other brands of food produced in Gaston may be linked to the illnesses.

As a precautionary measure, Diamond expanded the recall to include:

• Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
• Country Value
• Diamond
• Diamond Naturals
• Premium Edge
• Professional
• 4Health
• Taste of the Wild

The recalled products are those that have a production code with the number “2” or “3” in the 9th or 10th digit and an “X” in the 11th digit and “Best-Before” dates of Dec. 9, 2012, through Apr. 7, 2013. The products were distributed in the following states and Canada, but may have been distributed further through other pet food channels: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The recall also includes the following Kirkland Signature products:

• Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Lamb, Rice & Vegetable Formula
• Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Formula
• Kirkland Signature Super Premium Mature Dog Chicken, Rice & Egg Formula
• Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Dog Formulated with Chicken & Vegetables
• Kirkland Signature Super Premium Maintenance Cat Chicken & Rice Formula
• Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Cat Formula
• Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato Formula for Dogs

The recalled Kirkland products are those with production codes with a number “3” in the 10th digit and an “X” in the 11th digit and “Best-Before” dates between Dec. 9, 2012 and Jan. 31, 2013. The food was distributed in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Pets with salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain, the company said. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. Owners of pets that have consumed the product should contact a veterinarian, the company says.

Owners handling the food can also become infected, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to the affected product. Healthy people infected with salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever, the company said. Salmonella can also result in more serious ailments, such as arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these symptoms after having contact with the recalled product should contact a healthcare provider.

Diamond has set up a website devoted to providing information about the recalls. Diamond states on the site that production and delivery out of its Gaston plant has resumed.

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By: Carrie Sloan | Vetstreet.com
It’s going to be summertime soon, when the living is easy — unless you have a pet who will be spending lots of time in the great outdoors. Spring and summer are the most popular (and prolific) seasons for ticks, especially thissummer.

“We’re going to have a big problem with ticks this year because of the relatively mild winter we’ve had across the United States,” says Dr. Rick Alleman, DVM, Ph.D., a researcher on vector-borne diseases and a professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida. “The climate is particularly conducive to seeing lots of them.”

“Ticks are dangerous,” he adds. “They transmit much more than Lyme disease.” In fact, some can emit as many as four or five pathogens, and cause infections in humans and pets. If a large number of ticks infest a pet, they can suck so much blood that your pet can become anemic — a good reason to nip the prospect of ticks in the bud.

Fortunately, there’s preventive medicine that can protect your pet from picking them up in the first place, as well as foolproof techniques to remove them. But there are also popular myths out there that won’t actually fix the problem. Read on for expert advice on what you should do when ticks attack.

4 Common Tick Removal Myths

Petroleum jelly, burning them off, freezing them off, nail polish. These are just a few of the common folk remedies that pop up when you google tick removal. And all of them won’t work — and have the potential to further hurt your pet.

“These techniques are not viable options,” says Dr. Alleman. “The problem is that I’ve never seen a tick back out. Their head remains embedded in the animal’s skin.” And this is precisely the problem with petroleum jelly and nail polish: Pet owners think that they can drown or kill the tick, but the head stays in place.

Then there’s the burning method. Fact: Lighting a match anywhere near your pet is the very definition of playing with fire. “This should be common sense,” says Sabrina Wehrhan, lead veterinary technician at St. James Animal Hospital in St. James, New York. “The dog has hair. The hair is going to go up in flames.”

She also recommends not toying with the idea of freezing ticks, which some owners try to do by using an aerosol-based liquid freezing gel. “For one, you’re not a veterinary professional, so you won’t know how long to hold it on,” says Wehrhan. “I’ve seen people just spray and spray.”

The other myth Wehrhan has often heard: Once you successfully take a tick off, you can burn it. “The tick is actually toxic,” she says, “When it pops, it can let off a toxic fume that can be harmful to pets and infants.”

The Best Way to Remove a Tick

“Simply pull them out using tweezers or a tick remover,” says Dr. Alleman.

The latter is a tool that’s specially designed for safely and quickly removing ticks. “There are a couple of types,” explains Dr. Alleman. “One functions as blunt-ended, plastic tweezers. The other I’ve seen is called the Tick Key, a little gizmo that resembles a bottle opener. The hole in it comes down to a very thin point, so you can kind of slip the tick into this hole, slide the tick down to the end and basically lift — just like you would remove a cap off a bottle — and it pulls the tick out.”

Your technique is equally important: Start by parting your dog’s fur where you see a tick, and then “pull it out by the body, so as not to twist or pinch the head off,” says Dr. Alleman.

And be sure to take extra care if you’re using a tick-removal aid, like tweezers. “With tweezers, you need to be careful that you don’t squeeze the head and neck of the tick so hard that you break it,” he says. Instead, apply enough pressure to grab the body right where the head and neck attach — and don’t leave the head embedded.

Once you’ve removed a tick, there are a couple of ways to banish it for good. “If you just have a tick or two,” says Dr. Alleman, “I’d put them on a piece of tape, so they can’t move, and flush them down the toilet.”

Be warned: Flushing alone may not do the trick. “You don’t want to flush a live tick down the toilet because they can crawl back up,” explains Wehrhan.

“Putting them in rubbing alcohol will kill them,” says Dr. Alleman, who suggests pouring a little alcohol into a bottle, dropping in the tick and then waiting five minutes until you’re sure that the tick has met its match.

Protect Your Pet Before You Have a Tick Problem

The best way to protect your pet from ticks is to apply a monthly flea and tick preventative. “We’ve already seen flea and tick cases this year,” says Wehrhan. “We recommend starting now.”

And since ticks require a little bit of geo-targeting, you’ll want to consult with your vet first. “There are different tick products, and the first thing you need to recognize is that, depending on what kind of insecticides and repellents have been used in your area, some products may not work as well as others,” says Dr. Alleman. “Insects do develop resistance.”

Not all tick preventers are created equal, either. “We don’t recommend flea and tick collars because they’re localized around the neck,” says Wehrhan. Since fleas and ticks tend to latch on near the neck, the rump and in the crooks of a dog’s legs, most collars won’t provide total coverage.

So how do you know if your pet requires professional care? According to Dr. Alleman, there are a few signs to watch for: “I don’t want to say that you need to bring your dog in because you found a single tick on your animal, but if you notice a large red ring developing — regardless of whether there are 1 or 100 ticks — that’s evidence of the migration of pathogens, and a good sign that prophylactic treatment will be effective.”

The second red flag is the actual tick count: A lone tick isn’t reason enough for a visit. However, “any dog who has a lot of ticks needs to seek prompt professional attention,” says Dr. Alleman.

Bottom line: Seek out preventive care, and give your dog (along with yourself and any kids in your home) a thorough going-over on a daily basis to help ensure a carefree — and tick-free — summer.

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated Press–20 hours ago

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salmonella concerns prompted Missouri-based Diamond Pet Foods to recall a second batch of dry dog food produced at a South Carolina plant where production has been suspended, the company announced Thursday.

The plant in Gaston, S.C., is the same one that made mold-contaminated food that killed dozens of dogs nationwide in 2005.

A statement from the company said the recall includes one production run of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food. The Meta, Mo.-based company said one bag tested positive for salmonella, and the recall of four production codes is being conducted as a precautionary measure. No dog illnesses have been reported.

The product was distributed to customers in 10 states: Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.

Production was suspended April 8 at the Gaston plant after a recall two days earlier involving a different product, Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food. A cat food recall at the plant in 2009 was prompted because the food didn’t contain enough thiamine, an essential nutrient for cats.

“We’ve taken swift action and suspended production,” said Diamond spokeswoman Janine Smiley. “We take quality issues very seriously and will resume production when we can assure that our products meet our stringent quality standards.”

The latest recall covers the following production codes:

— Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul 35 lb. CLF0102B31XCW 27/JAN/2013, CLF0102B32XWR 28/JAN/2013

— Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula 35 lb. CLF0102B31XCW 28/JAN/2013

— Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul 6lb. CLF0102B3XALW 28/JAN/2013

The company said customers should stop feeding the food in question to their pets and discard it.

Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

ATLANTA

Diamond Pet Foods says it is voluntarily recalling its Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food because the product may be contaminated with salmonella.

A news release from the company Friday says no illnesses have been reported and no other Diamond products are affected.

People who handle the pet food could become infected with salmonella. Healthy people infected with salmonella should monitor themselves for the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.

Pets with salmonella may have decreased appetite fever and abdominal pain.

The product was distributed to customers in 12 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. It is possible those customers may have distributed it to other states.

Federal health officials have sent inspectors into Chinese plants that make chicken jerky pet treats to investigate potential links to illnesses and deaths in hundreds of dogs in the United States, two lawmakers say.

Staffers for Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, confirmed Wednesday that Food and Drug Administration officials were conducting the inspections.

“Based on our ongoing discussions with the FDA, we are expecting important new information soon,” Vic Edgerton, a spokesman for Kucinich said in an email to msnbc.com.

It’s not clear exactly how many inspectors are involved or which plants the officials will visit as they attempt to solve the mystery behind at least 600 reports of illnesses including abrupt kidney failure after dogs have been fed chicken jerky treats made in China.

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Last month, msnbc.com reported that FDA records showed that a log of owner and veterinarian complaints of harm referenced at least three popular brands of jerky treats: Waggin’ Train, Canyon Creek Ranch and Milo’s Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats.

Waggin’ Train and Canyon Creek Ranch products are produced by Nestle Purina PetCare Co. Import data compiled by the firm ImportGenius showed that those treats are produced and supplied by JOC Great Wall Corp. Ltd. of Nanjing, China.

The move comes as the FDA faces growing pressure from consumers and lawmakers to address rising numbers of illnesses blamed on the treats.

Robin Pierre, a co-founder of “Animal Parents Against Pet Treats Made in China,” has collected more than 7,000 signatures urging on a petition urging the FDA to take action and more than 2,600 on a petition taking Nestle Purina to task, she said.

Pierre, 49, of Pine Bush, N.Y., believes Waggin’ Train chicken jerky treats were responsible for the sudden death last fall of her previously health 2-year-old pug, Bella, who developed kidney failure.

“While I am happy that the FDA is in China investigating now, it never should have taken this long. Too many of our innocent and voiceless companions suffered horrific deaths and many will forever be dealing with the repercussions of falling victim to corporate greed. No animal should have ever had to die because of a ‘treat’”, she said.

In February, Brown and Kucinich sent letters to the FDA asking the agency to step up testing and inspections of the China-made products. After a meeting with Kucinich, the FDA stepped up its investigation, spokesman said, and traveled to manufacturing facilities in China.

The FDA has issued three warnings about the treats since 2007. Agency scientists have been testing the products since then as well, analyzing the jerky treats for evidence of dangerous toxins, including heavy metals, melamine, melamine analogs and diethylene glycol, chemicals used in plastics and resins.

So far, they’ve found nothing that would lead to the kind of illnesses reported in the animals.

Keith Schopp, a spokesman for Nestle-Purina, did not immediately return calls asking about the inspections. Previously, Schopp had said the company’s treats are safe if fed as directed and that the illnesses may be a result of other causes.

By JoNel Aleccia

Stumped by mysterious illnesses in at least 600 dogs in the U.S., federal health officials have turned to consumers for help investigating problems possibly tied to chicken jerky pet treats made in China.

A log of complaints collected from pet owners and veterinarians contains references to at least three popular brands of jerky treats that may be associated with kidney failure and other serious ailments, according to internal Food and Drug Administration documents obtained by msnbc.com.

Of 22 “Priority 1” cases listed by the FDA late last year, 13 cited Waggin’ Train or Canyon Creek Ranch jerky treats or tenders, both produced by Nestle Purina PetCare Co., the records show.

Another three listed Milo’s Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats, produced by the Del Monte Corp. The rest listed single brands or no brand.

Priority 1 cases are those in which the animal is aged 11 or younger and medical records that document illness are available, an FDA spokeswoman said. In many cases, samples of the suspect treats also are collected.

The report, obtained through a public records request, is the first agency indication of any brands linked to illnesses that have climbed since the FDA warned pet owners about jerky treats in November. That was the FDA’s third caution about the pet products since 2007.

Nestle Purina and Del Monte officials said their treats are safe and FDA regulators said repeated tests have shown no absolute tie to any brand or manufacturer.

“No specific products have been recalled because a definitive cause has not been determined,” FDA officials said in a statement.

The internal report, overseen by the FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak and Response Evaluation, or CORE, group, is one of several ongoing assignments in which FDA regulators are seeking jerky treat samples and medical records of dogs that may have developed kidney failure, liver disease or Fanconi syndrome, which can lead to serious illness and death.

The recent complaints were filed from October through December by people in cities from California to New York, but the agency will continue to accept them.

“We still invite owners and veterinarians to submit complaints and samples,” said Siobhan DeLancey, an FDA spokeswoman. “The more information we have, the more likely we can find a link.”

The move comes as the FDA is under growing pressure from consumers and lawmakers to address rising numbers of illnesses blamed on the China-made treats. Before the warning was issued in November, the agency had logged 70 reports of illnesses tied to the treats last year. Since then, more than 530 additional complaints of illnesses and some deaths have been filed, officials said.

Bella, a 2-year-old pug, died last fall after her owner, Robin Pierre, said she ate Waggin’ Train chicken jerky treats.

Consumers who say their dogs were sickened or killed have launched at least three petitions demanding recalls of jerky pet treats made in China, including one begun in December that has more than 3,400 signatures from the U.S. and around the world.

“At the slightest doubt, these products should have been recalled, especially knowing there was a link or at the very least a caution/warning label put on the packaging warning the consumers,” said Robin Pierre, a co-founder of “Animal Parents Against Pet Treats Made in China.”

With Easter a month away, Easter lilies will soon appear in stores, so cat owners should take a few precautions.

“All lilies are toxic to cats,” Collins said. “And any part of it could be toxic. The leaves and flowers are the worst, but even the pollen is bad.”

Nobody knows why lilies are toxic to cats, and Collins said this is particularly harmful because few are aware of the danger. An afflicted cat might initially become lethargic, but symptoms progress to drooling, loss of appetite, tremors, and, if left untreated, kidney failure and death.

“(Owners) may go to work for the day and not think about it, and come home and the cat’s lethargic, and think it’s not a big deal. Often if a number of hours have gone by it may be too late, so my goal is to forewarn people,” Collins said.

Collins has treated four or five cats that have ingested lilies. They all survived, but with permanent, chronic kidney disease. He suggests cat owners don’t buy lilies.

“Cats have to be hospitalized, and the major treatment is IV fluids, and sometimes they have to be in there for two or three days or more,” Collins said. “If it just chewed a lily and you rush it to the vet, it might not need to be treated as it would if the cat started having kidney problems. So there is no antidote.”

Collins said he hopes to raise awareness of the toxicity of lilies enough that flower vendors begin warning cat owners that certain bouquets or arrangements contain lilies.

While Easter lilies will soon be available, Collins said many types of lilies can be toxic to cats, and care should be taken when introducing them to a garden or house where cats live.

According to the Cornell cat health website, vomiting, lethargy, thirst and lack of appetite are signs of intoxication caused by eating lilies. Those symptoms worsen as kidney damage progresses. If you think your cat has eaten a piece of lily, no matter how tiny, take it to an emergency hospital right away. Left untreated, a cat can develop kidney failure in as little as 36 hours.

A. Stop giving your dog aspirin. Although veterinarians have recommended its use for decades, recent peer-reviewed studies have linked the use of aspirin in dogs to gastric ulcers. The findings are so recent and so important that I had to rush revisions of my book  “Your Dog: The Owner’s Manual” last spring to remove my own recommendations for aspirin in the treatment of mild pain in dogs. (Aspirin, like all over-the-counter pain medications, has never been recommended for use in cats. These medications can and do kill cats.)

Now, to your question. Yes, you can help your arthritic dog without prescription medication — but I don’t recommend that you try to help without at least reviewing all the tools at your disposal. That’s why my biggest recommendation is that you take your dog to your veterinarian for a thorough checkup, including bloodwork that will help to determine what non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), if any, your dog can handle. While I know you prefer to avoid prescription medications at this point, you do need to know and understand all pain management options in order to make informed decisions on your pet’s care.

Discuss with your veterinarian how to relieve your pet’s pain. The focus of these discussions, beyond any prescription your veterinarian can provide, will likely be two areas: weight loss and supplements.

Fight the fat: More than half of all pets seen by veterinarians are overweight or obese. We veterinarians traditionally have had a difficult time bringing this matter up with pet owners, because it’s a sensitive topic. When you tell someone a dog or cat is fat, the criticism is often taken very personally, especially if the pet owner (or the veterinarian!) is overweight as well. In recent years, though, we veterinarians have begun to meet this problem head-on, because the simple truth is that when we ignore it we’re not doing our jobs. Fat is linked to chronic health conditions, and arthritis is one of them. The more excess weight those joints are carrying, the worse it will be for you pet.

If you do nothing but work with your veterinarian to get your pet to a proper weight, you may not need to do anything more. If your veterinarian is reluctant to bring up the subject, bring it up yourself and ask if your pet’s weight is healthy. Keeping your pet at an ideal body weight is, without a doubt, the number one thing you can do to improve the quality of her life and extend her lifespan. If you need another reason to trim your pet, how about the money you’ll save on treatment? It can be considerable.

Boost the body’s power: I’ve written about “nutraceuticals” before, and I’ll likely write about them again. I am constantly recommending them to pet owners and giving them to my own pets — and I take them myself. For a dog with arthritis, you’ll likely get a recommendation for glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate combined with omega fatty acids; you can find these products competitively priced at many retailers once your veterinarian provides you with guidance on the proper dosage and which products he or she recommends. There are also foods and treats that have these ingredients, as well as therapeutic diets with higher levels of nutraceuticals available from your veterinarian, that are designed to help.

Finally, don’t dismiss the options only your veterinarian can provide. While NSAIDs, like any medication, are not without risk, when used with proper care under the guidance of a veterinarian, they can be game-changers in terms of improving quality of life. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers an excellent pamphlet that explains the risks and benefits; it’s available for free from your veterinarian or can be downloaded from the FDA here. I have also personally seen near miraculous results in dogs who have been given stem-cell therapy. It’s cutting-edge care that we’ll be hearing a lot more about in the years to come.

It all starts with a trip to your veterinarian, so please make that appointment today. Your dog is counting on you.

Dr. Marty Becker

Dr, Jay Hreiz at Ebenezer Animal Hospital in Rock Hill says in the past few years while the economy has been down, so has the number of clients bringing in their pets for checkups.

“We understand the economy has hit everybody hard but we still think that annual pet care is extremely important,” said Hreiz.

A Bayer Veterinary Care study last year found that 24 percent of pet owners agreed that routine checkups for their animals are unnecessary.

The same study showed 33 percent of dog owners and 41 percent of cat owners agreed that if their pet did not need to be vaccinated every year.

Though Hreiz has seen a decline of pet checkups yet he’s seen a rise elsewhere.

“We’ve seen a large rise in emergency care where people have waited too long, and something that’s going on with their pet and let it simmer awhile and we see them here on a life threatening basis,” said Hreiz.

Which he says can make a vet bill even higher.

“The cost of preventative care is so much less for what it costs when something goes wrong down the road,” said Hreiz. “Just like if you ignore an ear infection in your own child, eventually that’s going to turn into a much bigger problem down the road.”

Hreiz says most vet offices like his are willing to work with clients financially.

“We’re not here to rip you off we’re here to help your pet and make them healthy,” said Hreiz.

Step 1

Attend to your dog rapidly after it has been sprayed. The smell will be much more difficult to remove after the chemicals in the skunk’s spray have dried on the dog’s coat. Realize also that if nothing is done, most of the odor will eventually go away on its own, but this will be only after several weeks; dogs with longer hair that happen to get wet will have the foul smell return.

Step 2

Take the dog outside to wash it. Change into an old set of clothes for this task that you can afford to dispose of right after the washing and use a pair of gloves. Keep the dog contained after it has been sprayed so that it will not contaminate the interior of your home before you can attempt to deal with the odor.

Step 3

Combine 1/4 cup of baking soda with 2 teaspoons of a dish washing product (such as Dawn) along with 2 pints of hydrogen peroxide in a basin. If you have a very large dog, simply double the amounts of these three ingredients. Use your outside hose to get your pet wet, then begin to shampoo the hair of your dog thoroughly. An old sponge will come in handy while using your mixture. Do not be alarmed that it will be fizzing as this is what happens when the baking soda and peroxide are mixed. Avoid getting any of this mixture in your dog’s eyes or on its nose.

Step 4

Leave this concoction on the dog for as long as 4 minutes before rinsing it. One application will not be enough to have removed the entire amount of skunk spray, so you will have to repeat this process a few times. After applying it once and then rinsing, resume right away with another shampooing. There’s no need to let the dog dry off.

Step 5

Apply a crème rinse to restore moisture to your dog’s coat, but only after about a week has passed since it was treated for being sprayed. Do not do it during the treatment as this will be very counter-productive, since it will keep the mixture from being effective. Bring your dog to a veterinarian if it shows any ill effects from its meeting with the skunk.