Friday, August 5, 2011

New Help from the FDA

Gourmet dog treats produced by dog bakery Nate...Image via WikipediaI'm a couple days late with this, but it's worth noting anyway.  I've written before about the importance of reading pet food labels, and how we really need more information than is there.  Now the FDA has a new pet food initiative that will at least keep track of pet food problems as they occur.  Read their announcement of PetNet, which "is a secure, web based information exchange system that will allow FDA and Federal and State Agencies to share initial information about pet-food related incidents, such as illness associated with the consumption of pet food or pet food product defects."  Sounds good.
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Friday, July 15, 2011

It's too darn hot

PADSTOW, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 21:  A small d...Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWe're in the dog days now, so it's a good time to review hot weather dangers for our dogs, and WebMd's animal section has a good article on it.  Excessive heat is often a serious problem for diabetic dogs because of their special hydration issues, so we need to pay closer attention to our pets' drinking habits and monitor their time outside.
My sister's larger Great Pyrenees, Doc, was clipped close for the summer in early June and doesn't seem to be having too many problems this year, though his fur seems to be growing back a lot faster than it should.  Not all fluffy dogs should be clipped, however, so you need to check with your vet before jumping on the bandwagon.
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Monday, May 23, 2011

Visiting Minnesota

Woody, after a hard day
I'm visiting family in Minnesota right now, and hanging out with a dog I don't see as often as I would like, Woody the "Sharpador."  Woody belongs to my brother Eric (Eric Wiertelak, the well-known neuroscientist and ballroom dancer), who just got married yesterday (Congratulations, Eric and Yuki), but right now he's living with my nephew Dan.  Since both Eric and Dan have experienced owning a diabetic dog (the late Lucky), I was not surprised to find that Woody is on a well-regulated feeding schedule (twice daily, portion controlled) to keep him healthy.  
I kind of wonder if I have an obsession about this, because it's not the first time I've been visiting someone and watched how the dogs of the house were doing in terms of diet and exercise.  So far, so good.
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