Four Paws Acupuncture

Another Diamond Dog Food Recall…

jeanie — Sun, 06 May 2012 14:15:48 +0000

Diamond Pet Food, has issued a voluntary recall of limited batches of their Dry Dog Food formulas manufactured between December 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012 due to Salmonella concerns.

Brands affected by the recall are: Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Taste of the Wild and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul.

Although none of the Taste of the Wild products have tested positive for Salmonella, the company is issuing the recall as a precaution.

How can I tell if my product is affected?
If your production code has a “2” or “3” in the 9th position AND an “X” in the 10th or 11th position, your product is affected by the recall. 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:

What do I do if my product is affected by the recall?
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 am – 6pm EST. Consumers may also go to www.diamondpetrecall.com for more information. The company is working with distributors and retailers to ensure all affected product is removed from shelves.

Are all of the products contaminated with Salmonella?
No. Only 4 bags of food have tested positive for Salmonella out of nearly 6 million bags produced during the recall time period. Out of an abundance of caution, Diamond Pet Food voluntarily recalled a broad amount of product to be sure their customers and pets are safe. Only samples of the following three products manufactured by Diamond in Gaston, South Carolina, between December 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012 have tested positive for Salmonella:

- Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food
- Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food

The company has voluntarily recalled all formulas of the following brands of food manufactured at its Gaston, South Carolina, plant during this same timeframe. With the exception of the formulas listed above, none of these foods have tested positive for Salmonella, but the company is taking this broad action as a precautionary measure.

More Information
Diamond Pet Food has set up a special website at www.diamondpetrecall.com which provides updates, press releases, questions and answers and safety tips.

Happy Earth Day!

jeanie — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:18:26 +0000

This year Earth Day is Sunday April 22, 2012. Please do something extra special to honor Mother Earth. Recycle. Pick up trash. Use biodegradable dog poop bags. Hug a tree. Turn off the lights when you are not using them. Walk whenever you can. Walk your dog more.
Be a good Earth Citizen. This is the only planet we have!

The scoop on poop!

More than 4 million tons of dog poop is collected each year. Dog waste is thought to be third or fourth on the list of contributors to bacteria in contaminated waters. Yuck! (One more reason for you or your pets not to drink tap water.)

What can you do help? First, always pick up after your dog. But what do you put it in? Most people like to use the plastic bags that come from grocery stores.

Unfortunately these bags are not biodegradable, becoming something that our great grandchildren will still be finding. It would be better to bring your own canvas totes to the grocery store and skip using their plastic bags at all. Many stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes now sell reusable grocery totes for a mere dollar.

Back to the problem of where to put your dog poop. I never thought I would be suggesting this as a blog post, but there is a solution: 100% biodegradable dog poop bags are now available. There are several brands to chose from. Most pet stores carry them now.

For more information on dog poop bags, cat box liners and other environmental friendly pet products check out the Poop Bag website.

www.poopbags.com

Music To Soothe the Savage Beast.. or at least your dog or cat!

jeanie — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:20:17 +0000

We get several requests each week for recommendations on how to keep dogs and cats calm during the day. One of the easiest ways is to keep calm music playing while you are gone. The cd Through a Dog’s Ear is one of our favorites. I keep it on repeat for the cats and Quan Yin during the day. There is even a cd for driving! We have also used this cd while treating patients at the Acupuncture Center of Salem… it even calms stressful humans!

For more info visit the website throughadogsear.com

“Music to Calm Your Canine Companion, Vol. 1
The nine compositions of Music to Calm Your Canine Companion, Vol. 1have been clinically tested to calm dogs, and in many cases, reduce anxiety. The instrumentation is simple — solo piano. The individual pieces have been selected and/or rearranged to gradually reduce the heart rate. This is accomplished naturally by progressively slowing rhythms and simplifying auditory data.Music to Calm Your Canine Companion, Vol. 1is recommended for when you want your dog to rest, when your dog is left alone, or when anxiety or excitement in your dog is anticipated — thunderstorms, fireworks, or the arrival of guests. People will also find it to be deeply relaxing; for this reason please don’t operate heavy machinery or drive when listening.”

Dr. Deborah Wells, Belfast, Ireland In 2002, Belfast-based psychologist and animal behaviorist Deborah Wells undertook a research program to determine the influence of five types of auditory stimulation: human conversation, classical music, heavy metal music, pop music, and a silent control (no music at all).

From Dr. Wells’s study, we came to understand that classical music had a marked soothing effect on dogs in animal shelters when compared to the other types of auditory stimulation. In the discussion section of her published research, Dr. Wells stated, “Classical music resulted in dogs spending more of their time resting than any of the other experimental conditions of auditory stimulation. This type of music also resulted in a significantly lower level of barking. Research suggests that calming music may have a beneficial effect on humans, resulting in diminished agitation, improved mood and lower levels of stress. Although the specific effect of classical music on dogs remains unknown, the findings from this study suggest that it may, as in humans, have a calming influence.” She concluded that heavy metal agitated the dogs, indicated by increased frequencies of standing and barking, and that neither human conversation nor pop music had any apparent effect on the dog’s behaviors, perhaps due to habituation to radio exposure.”

Click here to read more research about the effect of classical music on animals.

Please Keep Your Pets Cool!

jeanie — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:06:11 +0000

We are having freakishly warm weather for March. Please remember to keep your pets hydrated, cool and do not leave them in the car during this heat wave.

Wishing You A Pawsitive Valentines Day!

jeanie — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:44:26 +0000

Valentines Day is a sweet day for people, but can be very dangerous to your furry loved ones. Leaving out candy, ribbon, flowers and other gifts may end in an emergency visit to your local veterinary hospital.

Treat your dog this Valentine’s day with safe and healthy snacks such as carrots, apples or wheat-free dog cookies.

Here is a list of substances to keep out of reach from Fido. If your dog consumes any of these, please call your veterinarian immediately.

Chocolate
Macadamia nuts
Alcohol
Tylenol
Yeast dough
Coffee grounds, beans & tea
Raisins and grapes
Moldy/spoiled foods
Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips
Rhubarb leaves

Happy Valentines Day from all of us at Four Paws Acupuncture now located in Falls Church VA!

3000 Hours Acupuncture Training VS 12 Hours

jeanie — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:58:58 +0000

Who do you trust to needle you? Someone with a mere 12 hours of training or one who has a master degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine with over 3000 hours of training which also includes western medicine?

Animal Planet’s The Puppy Bowl

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:02:48 +0000

Click here for more about The Puppy Bowl

We are so happy to be watching Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl with a kitty half time special… a pawsitive alternative to the Super Bowl!

Please note:
Four Paws Acupuncture is now located in the Falls Church, Virginia and Greater Washington DC area. Offering Traditional Chinese Medicine, Canine Herbal and Nutritional consultations, acupressure and laser acupuncture available for dogs and cats.
Please visit the website for more information. www.fourpawsacupuncture.com

Happy Chinese New Year!

jeanie — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:03:22 +0000

Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Year of the Dragon.
Gung Hay Fat Choy!

For All Those Crazy Cat and Dog Ladies!

jeanie — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:45:05 +0000

Christine Kane – Four Legs Good Two Legs Bad

Four Legs Good Two Legs Bad

Top 10 Best and Worst Dog Foods by Whole Dog Journal

jeanie — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:09:34 +0000

Happy 2012!
For all those who asked that i repost this info. You are what you eat applies to dogs too.

The Whole Dog Journal’s Dry Foods of 2011 in alphabetical order- not in order of best dog food. Some of these companies make several brands of dog food. Please check their websites for more info.
drum roll please…

Addiction Foods New Zealand addictionfoods.com

Annamaet petfoods Sellersville PA USAwww.accamaet.com”>

Artemis Pet Foods N. Hollywood CA www.artemiscompany.com

Back to Basics Meadville PA www.backtobasics.com

Bench & Field Pet Foods Grand Rapids Mi www.benchandfield.com

Blue Buffalo Company Wilton CT www.bluebuff.com

Blue Seal Feeds (By Nature )Londonery NH www.bynaturepetfoods.com

Breeders Choice (AvoDerm) Irwindale CA www.apdselectchoice.com

Burns Pet Health Val. IN www.burnshealthpet.com

Canidae Corp San Luis Obispo CA www.canidae.com

Canine Caviar Pet Foods (Organix) Costa Mesa CA www.caninecaviar.com

Castor & Pollux Pet Works www.castorpolluxpet.com

Champion Petfoods (Acana & Orijen) Alberta Canada www.championpetfoods.com

Della Natural Commodities (Wenawe) Bayside NY www.dellanaturalpet.com

Diamond Pet Products (Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover Soul, Taste of the Wild) Meta MO chickensoupforthepetloversoul.com

Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pacoima CA www.naturalbalance.net

Dogswell LA CA www.dogswell.com

Dr G’s Pet Food Company Sedona AZ www.drgsfreshpetfood.com

Dr Tim’s Pet Food Company Marquette MI www.drtims.com

Drs Foster & Smith WI www.drsfostersmith.com

Earthborn Holistic Evansville IN
www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com

Since this list is very long i will not be posting the html for the rest of the websites. So sorry!

Evangers Dog & Cat Food www.evangersdogfood.com

FirstMate Pet Foods BC Canada www.firstmate.com

Fromm Family Foods Mequon WI www.frommfamily.com

Horizon Pet Nutrition Canada www.horizonpetnutrition.com

Laughing Dog INC Lodi CA www.laughingdogorganic.com

Linocoln Biotech East Bend NC www.lincolnbiotech.com

Lotus Natural Food Torrance CA www.lotuspetfoods.com

Merrick Pet Care (Before Grain, Whole Earth Farms) Armarillo TX www.merrickpetcare.com

Mulligan Stew Pet Food Jackson Wy www.mulliganstewpetfood.com

Natura Pet Products (California Naturals, Innova, Evo, Karma, Healthwise) Davis Ca www.naturalpet.com
From Four Paws Acupuncture : Please note that this company has been bought out by Proctor and Gamble which tests on animals. There is no guarantee that the quality or same ingredients will remain the same in the future.

Nature’s Variety (Instinct & Prairie )Lincoln N.E. wwwnaturesvariety.com

Omnipro Pet Foods Madison MS www.omnipropet.net

Perfect Health Diet Products Elmsford NY www.phdproducts.com

Pet Chef Express New Westminister Canada www.petchefexpress.com

Petcurean Pet Nutrition BC Canada www.petcurean.com

Pet Valu Ontario CA

Precise Pet Products TX USA www.precisepet.com

Smartpak Canine Plymouth MA www.smartpakcanine.com

Solid Gold Health Products. El Cajon CA www.solidgoldhealth.com

Tuffy’s Pet Foods Inc Perham MN www.nutrisourcedogfood.com

Verus Pet Foods Abingdon MD www.veruspetfoods.com

WellPet Tewsbury MA (Wellness) www.wellpet.com

Here they are folks, the top 8 dog foods that are claiming to be holistic and oh so healthy for your dog. This info comes from Whole Dog Journal.
Don’t you wish David Letterman would do a top ten worse dog food list?

And the losers are:

Eukanuba Nautrally Wild Turkey & Multigrain

Iams Healthy Chicken Naturals

Nature’s Best Science Diet Chicken & Brown Rice

Rachel Ray Nutrish Beef & Brown Rice
(Rachel please stick to cooking for people!)

Chef Michaels Purina Chicken

Purina ONE Smart Blend Chicken & Rice

Are you ready for this one?
Whole Foods 365 Performance
ingredients: chicken-by-product, rice, corn meal, corn GLUTEN, wheat, dried beet pulp, natural flavors, flaxseed and dried egg product
More proof that not everything you buy at Whole Foods is good for you or your pets!

And drum roll please.. the absolute worst dog food claiming to be holistic and nutritious is….
Beneful Purina Healthy Harvest
corn, corn gluten, whole wheat flour, animal fat, soy protein, soy flour, water, rice flour, pearled barley, and sugar
(Do you think you could add any more allergens or junk to this! No animal protein is in this food at all. Yet people buy this for their dogs because the healthy picture on the bag. I think the bag would be more nutritious for your dog than the ingredients.)

I would also like to include on the worst dog food list the following brands which contain wheat, corn ,soy, by-products and who knows what else!
IAMS
EUKANUBA
SCIENCE DIET
PURINA
ALPO
HILLS

Please note that wheat, corn, and soy can be the cause of allergies in dogs. Wheat and all gluten exacerbates all pain and arthritis and auto-immune disorders. It has also been proven to bring on seizures in dogs.

Please note that Four Paws Acupuncture has moved from MA to VA and are no longer making acupuncture house calls. However nutritional and herbal phone consultations are still available. www.fourpawsacupuncture.com