Pet Poison Helpline (PPH) has seen a 330% increase in the number of accidental marijuana ingestions in pets over the past five years which means that, undoubtedly, veterinary professionals will be seeing more marijuana ingestions too. Due to increased availability for both medical and recreational marijuana, as well as the novel forms such as foods, pills, oils, and tinctures, marijuana is more accessible now than ever. It’s also stronger; new hybrids and cultivation techniques have resulted in plants with significantly more THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive compound), as compared to those in decades past. However, it’s not just plants that pets are getting into. At PPH, most cases involve pets ingesting “medibles.”

These are homemade or commercial marijuana-infused foods or drinks, like brownies, cookies, gummy candy, soda, pizza, ice cream, caramel corn, chocolates, bread, snack mixes, and much more. Other novel sources of THC include highly concentrated oil products, like butane hash oil (BHO or “dabs”), filtered and purified oil (“shatter”), or wax made from whipped oil. These products are meant to be smoked via a bong (water pipe), or “vaped” like e-cigarettes in order to give users an instantaneous, powerful high. All of them contain 60-90% THC, and small ingestions pose great risk for pets.

Meanwhile, as the availability of these products goes up, the stigma around marijuana use seems to be going down. This means that people are not only more likely to have a pet with an accidental marijuana exposure, but also more likely to seek help if they do. In spite of this, getting an accurate history can still be tricky. I’ve had pet owners tell me that their dogs have eaten matches, cookies, non-toxic plants carpet, paper—you name it—in order to avoid telling me that marijuana might have been involved. Usually, with a little gentle prodding and an explanation that I want to help their pets and assurance that I’m not going to report them to the authorities, the truth comes out.

At PPH, 98% of our marijuana cases involve dogs, but cats should not be forgotten. A few of our notable feline cases include Puff, a cat that snuck into his owner’s purse and stole brownies made with marijuana-infused butter. Another case involved Monster, a giant of a cat that ate most of a large homemade marijuana muffin. Yet another cat, Salvador, ingested marijuana after it had been vaped, and also went on to develop intoxication. Thankfully, with supportive care, all three made a full recovery.

Clinical Signs and Treatment
The classic case is a dog that presents with a dazed expression, glassy eyes, incoordination, slow response times, and dribbling urine. If you couple this with a somewhat sketchy story from the pet owner, you can start to get a pretty good idea of what’s going on. Vomiting and salivation are also common signs, despite marijuana’s potent antiemetic effects. This is especially true if the live or dried plant is ingested. Other possible signs include bradycardia or tachycardia, vocalization, CNS stimulation, hyperactivity and seizures. There is some anecdotal evidence that veterinarians have lately been seeing more serious clinical signs from marijuana exposures than in previous decades. This is likely related to the increased concentration of THC in plants and products. Depending on the route of administration, the onset of clinical signs may be five to ten minutes from inhaling the smoke, or thirty minutes to several hours if the products are ingested.

Thankfully, the margin of safety for marijuana is very wide, with the lethal dose being approximately 1000 times greater than the effective dose. The oral rat LD 50 is 666-1000 mg/kg, but no deaths were reported in dogs ingesting 3-9 gm/kg of marijuana. That said, while fatality is rare in pets, practioners should be alert to secondary signs or toxins which may complicate the presentation. For example, foods may contain chocolate or raisins, and severe CNS depression may increase the risk for aspiration of charcoal or vomitus.

Treatment is primarily symptomatic and supportive. Decontamination may be performed if the ingestion was recent or large; either emesis or gastric lavage should be considered. Multiple doses of activated charcoal may decrease the bioavailability and half-life. Vital signs, especially body temperature and blood pressure, should be monitored and corrected as needed. CNS stimulation may be treated with diazepam. Intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) has been tried with mixed success and, at this time, is not often recommended, but could be considered in severe cases. Recovery may take 24-72 hours, depending on the dose ingested.

Medical Marijuana (AKA Medical Cannabis)
Twenty-three states and Washington DC have now passed laws allowing medical marijuana use, and twenty states have passed some form of decriminalization. In spite of this, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug and possession/use remains a criminal offense under federal law.

Medical cannabis contains a variety of components and extracts used to treat qualifying medical conditions which vary from state to state. In Minnesota for example, indications for the use of medical cannabis include HIV/AIDS, Tourette’s Syndrome, seizures, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cachexia, pain and nausea associated with cancer, and more. Some forms of medical cannabis contain THC and have psychoactive properties, while others (e.g., cannabidiol or CBD) have no psychoactive effects.

Medical cannabis can come in many forms as specified by state law. In some states, patients will have full access to a suite of products from dried plants to infused foods. Other states only allow capsules, tinctures, or oils for vaporization.

Marijuana alternatives (synthetic cannibinoids, K2, Spice)
In 2010, herbal marijuana alternatives such as K2 and Spice became popular in the US. They were often sold in gas stations, head shops, and convenience stores, and typically marketed as incense or potpourri, with the deceptive label “not for human consumption.” Aside from containing a variety of herbs, the products also contain synthetic cannabinoid compounds, which are agonists of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2). While recent legislation in many states has severely restricted the sale of such products, they can still be purchased online, and exposures continue to be reported to Pet Poison Helpline.

The majority of available information on these agents comes from human medical literature where surprising and, as of yet, unexplained symptoms have been reported. In contrast to the typical effects expected from marijuana, many human patients exposed to alternative products present with anxiety, paranoia, significant agitation and delusions. This can make them quite combative and difficult to manage. Other physical manifestations include sweating, tachycardia, dry mouth and conjunctival injection.
​
While there is limited data on animals exposed to agents such as K2 and Spice, common signs reported to Pet Poison Helpline include ataxia, vomiting, excessive salivation, inappropriate urination, twitching, hyperesthesia, and mydriasis. No fatalities have been reported. Treatment is largely supportive and symptomatic, as no antidote is currently known. Decontamination should be performed if appropriate, and vital signs should be monitored and addressed as needed. Agitation or CNS stimulation may be treated with benzodiazepines or phenothiazines (e.g. acepromazine). Intravenous fluids should be administered in cases of hypotension or poor perfusion. Recovery may take 24-48 hrs, depending on the dose and severity of intoxication.

Wrap Up
Marijuana in its many forms is more prevalent and potent than ever before. Due to increased use of tasty “medibles” and highly concentrated oil and medicinal products, the risk of poisoning in pets is on the rise (especially for those pets that can’t just stop at one weed-infused cookie). For veterinary professionals, it’s helpful to be able to recognize and be ready for the signs of marijuana intoxication, especially when clients may not be forthcoming.

Source: petpoisonhelpline.com

Salix Animal Health, LLC of Deerfield, FL is voluntarily expanding its recall of "Good 'n' Fun - Beefhide Chicken Sticks" because this product may be contaminated withSalmonella.

Sampling conducted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Salmonella in an additional lot of this product. In an abundance of caution, Salix Animal Health is expanding its original recall to include the tested lot and others made around the same timeframe. This affects Good 'n' Fun - Beefhide Chicken Sticks only; no other product is affected by this announcement.

Salmonella can affect animals that eat contaminated products and there is a potential risk to humans if they come in contact with Salmonella from handling contaminated products.

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. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers ofSalmonella and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The recalled Good 'n' Fun - Beefhide Chicken Sticks were distributed nationwide to Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar retail stores. The recalled product is packaged in a 2.8 ounce bag stamped on the back side with an item code number of 82247 and with an expiration date ranging from 02/2018- 07/2018.

The UPC code is 0 91093 82247 1 as shown in the table below.

It was 6:30 p.m., and Sheba was nowhere to be seen.

The indoor-outdoor cat was known for being punctual for her dinner. Sheba's caretaker, Riley McDermid, wasn't immediately concerned, but when the food remained untouched the next day, it seemed that Sheba was missing.

McDermid checked shelters for the microchipped cat and asked neighbors through NextDoor -- a residential social media app that connects neighbors to each other -- about whether they had seen Sheba. McDermid searched for the friendly, black cat in the neighborhood, but to no avail.

A week later, after talking with a neighbor, it became apparent that maybe -- just maybe --the cat had taken a 1,600 mile trip.

To Omaha, Neb.

Suspicions
McDermid's neighbor had recently passed away and his adult children had come into town from Omaha to move out items -- including his three cats --from his apartment. On Sept. 19, the day the family had packed their U-Haul for Nebraska, the three cats had gotten out and the neighbor's son and daughter searched for the felines, including a black cat named Lucy.

Another neighbor told McDermid that they had seen the siblings leave town with a cat carrier.

"Sheba's not skittish and not wild," McDermid said of her cat. "She probably went up to them and they weren't familiar (with their dad's cats) and they had thought it was just one of the cats that had gone back (to his home). ... I briefly hoped that they had the cat."

Sheba was adopted by the family in February after being rescued from a coal factory in Crockett. The cat played well with McDermid's 2-year-old daughter, Frankie, and got along with their cattle dog, so McDermid felt she had to try and find Sheba.

Finding out the contact info for the son and daughter, McDermid sent Facebook messages and text messages, made phone calls to the two, but did not hear back from them.
Getting no reply, the question remained: What were the chances that Sheba was in Omaha?

Investigation
Tracking down a cat in another state was out of McDermid's experience as a reporter, but having a strong clue that the cat was in Omaha spurred McDermid to try another avenue: A private investigator.
"I was sure we'd never see her again," McDermid said. "...This was a last ditch effort and if she was anywhere, she'd be with these people."
Looking up private investigators in Omaha, McDermid called around to see who would take a case like this. On her fourth try, she found Mona Kay, who was willing to give it a shot.
Kay's practice, Mona K. Investigations, rarely deals with missing pet cases, but she wanted to try and find Sheba for McDermid's family.
"Deep down in my gut I really thought I would (find Sheba)," Kay said. "I know my determination and I don't give up easily. I really thought if these people still had the cat, I would find it."
Researching the names, Kay came up with four addresses in the Omaha area. At the first house, Kay found Brittany Hulett and, armed with a photo of Sheba, asked if Hulett had seen the cat.
"I introduced myself and told her I was a private investigator and I showed her the picture and said, 'Does this cat look familiar? Have you seen this cat?'" Kay recalled. "... I said, 'I'm here to find this kitty, it belongs to a nice family that loves it and misses it and wants to get their kitty back."
Hulett told Kay that Sheba was inside her house. Kay saw Sheba -- wearing the exact same collar from McDermid's photos that she had sent along -- and knew she had found the right cat.
"They brought the cat out to me," Kay said. "It was much easier than I ever anticipated, which is shocking. I locate people all the time, some take weeks or months and then finding a cat (from) across the country takes three minutes."
Hulett said that it was Kay's surprise visit to her home that made her realize she had brought the wrong cat to Omaha.
"That's what convinced me that maybe it wasn't (my father's cat)," Hulett said on the phone. "Because who would really go to that extreme? That's why I was like, 'Just take it.' It had to have been true."
"What were the odds?" Hulett later added about the mix-up. "Two little black cats, green eyes, same neighborhood."
When asked why she took the case, Kay said she loved animals and if this happened to one of her pets -- the private investigator said she has three cats, fish and frogs -- she, too, would have hired a private investigator.
"I would be so upset if someone took one of my animals," Kay said. "I would do the same exact thing. I know most people wouldn't, but... I wanted to at least give (the case) a try."
"I don't think a lot of private investigators would take the case," Kay later added. "They would have said, 'Oh gosh, I'm not gonna go find a cat. I can't go find a cat, they all look the same.' I can't imagine anyone going to go look for a cat and so I thought she's lucky she found me ... I think a lot of people would have thought it's a wild goose chase."
Sheba had finally been found, after having gone missing for 18 days.

​Reunion
Bringing the cat home with her, Kay called McDermid to give her the good news -- only an hour after the two had first spoken on the phone about Sheba.
"I called her and said, 'Guess who's here at my house' and she said, 'You have my cat!'" Kay said.
"I just started crying," McDermid said of that phone call from Kay. "I couldn't believe it."
Saying she's not a "cat lady," McDermid said that her story got its share of opinions at work, drawing comparisons to "Homeward Bound" and "Milo and Otis."
"Half of my colleagues in the newsroom thought it's a great story, the other half thought I was crazy," McDermid said of her co-workers. "Once I knew where she was, I had to go get her."
"I'm not really a cat person," McDermid later added. "I'm not a big cat lady, I don't like cat memes, but Sheba's just so good with my daughter Frankie that I thought I need to figure out what happened."
McDermid disputes Hulett's account of the situation as a "mix-up," and said the siblings ignored two weeks of messages offering a reward and money to ship the cat back. McDermid had also filed a police report at the time the cat went missing.
Three days after Sheba was found, Kay shipped the cat home on a plane on Oct. 10 to San Francisco Airport. McDermid and her family picked up Sheba shortly after midnight, three weeks after her adventure first started.
And now, every day at 6:30 p.m., Sheba is home for dinner with her family.

Source: Times-Herald / Dianne de Guzman

1. It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.

2. Dogs DO have better low-light vision than humans because of a special light-reflecting layer behind their retinas

3. A German Shepherd guide dog led her blind companion the entire 2100 mile Appalachian Trail

4. If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their puppies could produce over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!

5. Dogs’ only sweat glands are between their paw pads

6. Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age

7. The breed Lundehune has 6 toes and can close its ears

8. Teddy Roosevelt’s dog, Pete, ripped a French ambassador’s pants off at the White House

9. President Lyndon Johnson had two beagles named Him and Her

10. Franklin Roosevelt spent $15,000 for a destroyer to pick up his Scottie in the Aleutian Islands

11. In Roman times, mastiffs donned light armor and were sent after mounted knights

12. The Russians trained dogs during WWII to run suicide missions with mines strapped to their backs

13. A dog’s mouth exerts 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch

14. … with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per square inch.

15. A one year old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15 year old human

16. The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world

17. France has the 2nd highest

18. The average city dog lives 3 years longer than a country dog

19. 87% of dog owners say their dog curls up beside them or at their feet while they watch T.V.

20. Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures

21. 15 people die in the U.S. every year from dog bites

22. In 2002 alone, more people in the U.S. were killed by dogs than by sharks in the past 100 years

23. Gidget is the name of the Taco Bell dog

24. Newfoundlands are great swimmers because of their webbed feet

25. Basset Hounds cannot swim

26. Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth, with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour

27. Bingo is the name of the dog on the side of the Cracker Jack box

28. The bible mentions dogs 14 times

29. Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic – a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese

30. The Labrador Retriever is the #1 favorite breed in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

31. Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs

32. An estimated 1,000,000 dogs in the U.S. have been named as the primary beneficiaries in their owner’s will

33. An American Animal Hospital Assoc. poll found that 33% of dog owners admit to talking to their dogs on the phone and leaving answering machine messages for them while away

34. Dog’s nose prints are as unique as a human’s finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them

35. At the end of the Beatles’ song “A Day in the Life”, a high-pitched dog whistle was recorded by Paul McCartney for his sheepdog

36. 70% of people sign their pet’s name on greeting and holiday cards

37. 58% put pets in family and holiday portraits

38. There are only 350 Cisky Terriers in the world – perhaps the rarest breed

39. The phrase “raining cats and dogs” originated in 17th century England when it is believed that many cats and dogs drowned during heavy periods of rain.

40. Dogs have no sense of “time”

41. Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 12,000 years

42. The largest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound

43. The world’s smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua

44. The St. Bernard is the heaviest

45. Only dogs and humans have prostates

46. But dogs do not have an appendix

47. Every dog on earth likely descended from a species knows as the Tomarctus – a creature that roamed the earth over 15 million years ago

48. The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki – originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.

49. In 1957, Laika became the first living being in space via an earth satellite

50. … while JFK’s terrier, Charlie, father 4 puppies with Laika’s daughter

51. An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark

52. There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs

53. Dachshunds were originally bred for fighting badgers

54. The world’s smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever

55. … while the dumbest dog is believed to be the Afghan hound

56. A dog’s smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human’s

57. … which they need because their eyesight is not as keen as a human’s.

58. Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape

59. Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill

60. George Washington had thirty six dogs – all foxhounds – with one named Sweetlips

61. All dogs are identical in anatomy – 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth

62. Smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds

63. Female dogs are only ready to mate – “in heat” – twice a year for a total of roughly 20 days

64. Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks

65. Rin Tin Tin was the first Hollywood dog star

66. … and he really signed his movie contracts – all 22 of them – with a pawprint

67. The Wizard of Oz’s Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry

68. Their vision is not fully developed until after the 1st month

69. Dogs have two times as many muscles to move their ears as people

70. The longer a dog’s nose, the more effective it’s internal cooling system

71. An elderly woman was saved by her 12 pound Yorkshire Terrier who fought off an 80 pound Akita and survived with only 9 stitches

72. U.S. Customs dogs “Rocky” and “Barco” were so good at patrolling the border that Mexican drug lords put a $300,000 bounty on their heads

73. Dogs are all direct descendants of wolves

74. Wolves and dogs can mate to produce fertile offspring

75. Female wolves have been known to travel great distances to regurgitate full meals for their hungry pups

76. Cerberus was the tri-headed dog that guarded the underworld in Greek mythology

77. Female dogs bear their young for 60 days before they’re born

78. Dogs’ sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human’s

79. Humans can detect sounds at 20,000 times per second, while dogs can sense frequencies of 30,000 times per second.

80. The earliest dog fossil dates back to nearly 10,000 B.C.

81. Bloodhounds are prized their ability to single out and identify a number of scents simultaneously

82. Dalmatian puppies are born completely white.

83. The Ancient Chinese carried Pekingese puppies in the sleeves of their robes

84. Boxers are so named because of their manner of playing with their front paws

85. All breeds of dog have been found to attack livestock – from 3 month old puppies, all the way up to thirteen year old poodles

86. A dog’s heart beats up to 120 times per minute, or 50% faster than the average human heartbeat of 80 times per minute

87. The oldest dog on record – a Queensland “Heeler” named Bluey – was 29 years, 5 months old

88. Davy Crockett had a dog named Sport

89. Dogs were first domesticated by cavemen

90. Dogs live 15 years on average

91. Many foot disorders inn dogs are simply an issue of long toenails

92. More than 5,000,000 puppies are born in the U.S. every year

93. More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog

94. Average body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees

95. The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts both offer merit badges in dog care

96. Dogs are natural pack animals

97. They are naturally submissive to any creature with higher pack status – human or canine

98. After birth, puppies’ eyes do not fully open until they’re about 12 days old

99. Dogs with little human contact in the first three months typically don’t make good pets

100. The Chihuahua was named after the state in Mexico where they were discovered

Source: cesar.com 

A Chinese research company is planning to sell its 'micro pig' as a pet after it successfully edited the DNA of the animal to stunt its growth.

Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) created the pig, which grows to weigh between 14 and 20 kilograms, by changing the DNA responsible for its growth.

The company originally genetically modified the Bama pig breed for research but announced at a Bio Tech Leader summit in China recently their plans to sell it.

But the reasons as to why researchers are excited about the micro pigs are quite different to people wanting a petite pet porker.

Researcher Dr Hannah Brown from the University of Adelaide said gene editing techniques were fascinating.

"It's almost like GPS-guided molecular scissors," she said.

"What they do is they put those scissors into a cell and those scissors attract specifically to a place in the DNA.

"They can make a cut and cut out a piece of DNA and exchange it for a different piece.

"In this case this is actually what they did in pigs.

"They took some pigs cells and they put in these molecular pair of scissors and they trimmed out a piece of the DNA that determines how big the pig grows," Dr Brown said.

Dr Brown said it's understood the pigs were firstly created for medical research.

"They were attempting to generate a smaller and faster-breeding pig so they could use them for genetic testing for the development of disease models.

"The thing about pigs is that generally they are quite large and expensive to look after, so reducing the size of the animals means that it's less expensive to work with and easier to look after."

What genetic editing could mean for human health

In terms of research, Dr Brown said the pigs were of high interest.

"Evidence like this, a generation of what looks like happy live pigs, is really exciting.

"It means we are advancing what we know about these genetic-editing technologies and advancing towards a place where maybe we will be able to use them to cure diseases in humans."

Dr Brown said successfully editing the pigs' growth wasn't far removed from curing a human disease.

"Research-wise they aren't that far apart," she said.

"Curing a genetic disease would require us to identify the message in the DNA that's faulty and replace it and that's basically what they did in these pigs.

"They took the pig DNA and cut out the part of the message that we know regulates pig growth.

"We now know that many of the genes or many of the parts of the DNA that regulate diseases like Huntington's and Cystic Fibrosis.

"Potentially this offers us hope in terms of hoping to trim out those disease-causing bits of DNA in humans," Dr Brown said.

Dr Brown said research coming out of China was already looking at modifying human DNA, in a contentious way.

"Three or four months ago there was some similar technology that looked like it had been pushed out of China in terms of genetically modified human embryos.

"This was really concerning because we hadn't seen a lot of this same technology being used in large animals, we had seen it be used with cells in the dish, we had seen it being used in rodents — but not in larger animals."

Dr Brown said cloning work was occurring in Australia but not in this form.

"In terms of generating cloned pigs and miniature pigs, that kind of research isn't going on, I'm not aware of it," she said.

"In pigs we do clone for other reasons so there's research looking into pigs as models for diabetes, as the pig is very similar to the human in many mechanisms."

A company spokesman said the animals were expected to live to 15 to 20 years old.

However Dr Brown did say the micro pigs had only been through one reproductive cycle, so its life expectancy was yet to be proven.

"We don't really know what their outcome is long term; we don't know if they'll live a happy full life based on the fact that we have modified their DNA," she said.

"They may be completely normal, but the jury is still out on whether that's the case or not."

Source: ABC Rural / Tyne McConnon

LONGMONT, Colo. — A 650-pound pig that fell off a trailer in Colorado is getting a new name -- "Lucky" -- and a new home at a sanctuary for abandoned pigs.

The Daily Times-Call reports (http://bit.ly/1hsk5eM ) that Lucky rolled onto Interstate 25 on Sept. 30. He was probably destined for a slaughterhouse, but will instead be headed to a cozy home east of Denver.

The Weld County Sheriff's Office couldn't find the 3-year-old pig's owner, so the boar was given to Hog Haven Farm owner and director Erin Brinkley-Burgardt.

Brinkley-Burgardt says she primarily cares for pot-bellied pigs, which people buy as pets but often abandon as they grow larger. The veterinarian who treated Lucky says he appears to be a Yorkshire pig.

Brinkley-Burgardt says Lucky can expect to live about 13 years in captivity.

You're living in your cat's house, and there's nothing you can do about it.

To find out whether humans or their pet counterparts rule the land, Houzz conducted a survey of more than 3,100 pet owners and found that 53 percent of the cat owners who responded said their cat sleeps in their bed, while 73 percent said their cat has "free reign" over the furniture.

Good luck trying to tell a cat it can't do something.

As for dogs, 41 percent command bed space and 48 percent can get on the couch and other furniture, but they're more expensive than cats: 22 percent of dog owners spent more than $1,000 on their dog in toys and other items for the home in the past two years, versus 14 percent of cat owners.

So if you're thinking about getting a cat or a dog, know you'll probably spend a good chunk of change just getting your home ready. More than a third (35 percent) said they remodeled their home in preparation for their pet, whether they moved their furniture around, upgraded their flooring or re-landscaped their yard.

But don't let that discourage you. Ninety percent of the responders said having a pet around makes them happy.

Of course, none of this be that surprising to anyone who already lives with a cat (or many of them).

Source: James Cave / The Huffington Post

ontact:
Consumer:
1-800-338-4896 

Media:
Connie Caldwell 
314-683-2460

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 30, 2015 – Deerfield, FL – Salix Animal Health, LLC today announced it has initiated a voluntary recall of one lot of "Good 'n' Fun - Beefhide Chicken Sticks" because it may have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the product and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated products.

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. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. 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.

The recalled "Good 'n' Fun – Beefhide Chicken Sticks" was distributed nationwide by Salix Animal Health to Dollar General and Dollar Tree retail stores.

The recalled product is packaged in a 2.8 ounce bag stamped on the back side with lot # AO15010 and with an expiration date of 03/2018. The UPC code is 0 91093 82247 1.

No pet or consumer illnesses from this product have been reported to date. However, because of our commitment to safety and quality, Salix Animal Health is conducting a voluntary recall of this product.

The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the Georgia Department of Agriculture revealed the presence of Salmonella in one 2.8 ounce package of "Good 'n' Fun - Beefhide Chicken Sticks" labeled with the recalled code.

No other product is affected at this time. Customers should look at the lot code and expiration date on the product package to determine if it is subject to the voluntary recall. Customers who have purchased the product subject to this recall are urged to dispose of the product or return it for full refund.

We take our responsibility to pets and their owners seriously and as a result we are investigating the cause of this problem so that we can prevent it from occurring in the future. Salix Animal Health, is also working with retailers to ensure that the affected product is no longer sold and removed from inventory.

If you have these products, please contact Salix Animal Health's consumer affairs team at 1-800-338-4896, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time for a refund. Customers with questions may call the consumer affairs team at the number listed above.

For press inquiries, please contact Connie Caldwell at 314-683-2460, Monday through Friday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Contact:
Consumer:
1-844-215-DOGS (3647)

Media:
Olivia Hudson
949-215-1111

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 25, 2015 – Santa Margarita, CA – OC Raw Dog of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is voluntarily recalling 640 lbs. of Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulation. This is being done in an abundance of caution, as the product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No illnesses have been reported and no other OC Raw Dog manufactured products are affected.

Individuals handling raw pet food can become infected with salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the product or to surfaces exposed to the 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. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. If a consumer exhibits these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

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.

This voluntary recall is limited to Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulations that were packaged into 6.5 lb. Doggie Dozen Patties, 4 lb. Doggie Sliders, and 3 lb. Meaty Rox with the lot number 1819, and use by date of 05/05/16. These codes can be checked on the bottom left corner of the back of the package. Distribution is limited to customers in Colorado, Vermont, and Pennsylvania and sold to consumers through independent pet specialty retailers.

The potential for contamination was noted after routine testing by the Colorado Department of Food and Agriculture of a sample that they collected at retailer revealed the presence of Salmonella in a 3 lb. bag of "Chicken, Fish & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulations" Meaty Rox. Another sample from the same lot was previously tested by the California Department of Agriculture and it had a negative Salmonella result.

If you are in possession of this recalled product please submit a picture of the package with the lot number to [email protected] for verification. Either dispose of the product immediately or return the product to the retailer where you purchased it for a replacement product.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-844-215-DOGS (3647) Monday thru Friday 9am - 4pm PST. If you get our automated answering system please leave a message and we will call you right back.

At OC RAW DOG, we are passionate about our products and the safety of canine and human customers is our top priority. We apologize for any inconvenience this recall may have caused.