Pet Food Recall, AKC Plan to Reorganize Groups, and Aging Pets and Owners
Presidential Quote: “Study hard and you might grow up to be President. But, let=s face it. Even then, you=ll never make as much money as your dog.@ George H Bush (1992, after learning Millie had made nearly a million dollars in book royalties.)
Dog Speak: Did you ever wonder how dogs bark in other countries? There is a glossary that explains their language. In Denmark dogs say Avuf-vuf@; in Iran, it’s Ahauv-hauv@; Italian dogs, on the other hand, say Abau-bau@. The far eastern dogs seem to have the most unusual sounds. Indonesian dogs say Agong-gong@; in Taiwan, it’s Awang-wang@; and in Thailand–@hong-hong@.
Pedigree Food Recall: The recent Pedigree food recall reminds us that Mars is a part of Nestle and Nestle is a part of Purina! It gets complicated. Also, the foods affected are sold under so many names. Ol Roy is affected and is a Walmart brand and Wegman=s will be emptying its shelves of the Bruiser brand! The plant was in Everson, Pennsylvania, so we can=t blame the Chinese. And, the problem was salmonella, which can affect pets and people–so this is more serious than increasing protein levels with suspicious labeling. Did you know the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) has a free e-mail service that will alert you promptly on recalls and dangers? The subscription service has many categories and as a new subscriber I will keep you posted on what this means so that perhaps readers would like to also join the subscription list. Apparently the UPC code reveals where the food was produced. PAE means Everson, Pennsylvania. Of course I checked all the treats made by Pedigree, too.
AKC-Proposed Revision of Dog Groupings: The AKC is proposing a revision in dog groupings, which will affect conformation events, among other things. Instead of 6 groups there will be 10. The Sporting Group will be divided into Group 1 with Setters and Pointers and Group 2 with Retrievers and Spaniels. (The Irish Red and White Setter gains full recognition in 2009. ) The Hound Group is also divided into two groups–Scent and Sight Hounds. The Working Group remains the same but gains the Leonburger and Cane Corso. Terriers are Group 6 and Group 7 is the Toy Group. Group 8 is titled ACompanion@ and consists of Bichons, Boston Terriers, Bulldogs, Chinese Crested, French Bulldogs, Lhasas, the Lowchen and the Miniature and Standard Poodle, as well as both the Tibetan Spaniel and Terrier. Group 9 is the Herding Group and the new Group 10 is called ANorthern Breeds@. In the 10th group are the Akita, Malamute, Eskimo, Shar-Pei, Chow, Spitz, Keeshond, Elkhound, Samoyed, Husky, Schipperke and Shiba Inu. The Board of Directors is due to vote on the proposal in October and the delegates get to voice their approval or disapproval next year. Since researchers are finding that there are breed-specific dangerous drugs, categorizing dogs into groups must be done cautiously. For example, the last study I read discussed dangerous drug effects in Aherding dogs@. The long-haired Whippet was included with Old English Sheepdogs and Australian Shepherds. But is a herding a dog a dog bred for the purpose of herding or is it one the AKC decides belongs in the herding dog group for purposes of conformation judging? Should dogs be grouped along drug sensitivity breed lines or by other criteria? Is safe convenient?
Seniors and Their Dogs: It seems like only yesterday thatI watched a dog with greying muzzle, portly and slow of gait, enter the veterinary hospital where I take my pets. The owner would be on the other end of the leash, of course, and usually grey-haired, moving slowly and perhaps even a bit portly too. The veterinarian (now retired) would joke, ABring your owner into the hospital, Spot@. Today I am one of those Apet/people portly dog couples@ as both Cagney and I move slowly. According to the new president of the Dog Writers Association of America, Carmen Battaglia, our number will increase from one in eight to one in four in the next twenty years. Battaglia is concerned and wants dogdom to work now to meet the need of seniors in learning about the issues that affect us.
Sep 22, 2008 | | Uncategorized