More trouble and a some rants

Now there are pet treats being affected by the recall. Here is the current list: http://www.sunshinemills.com/press_release.html

PLEASE check your pets food and treats. This recall is much more involved than originally thought and many more pets are dying that just the 16 as quoted by the original company involved. Also please spread the word to family and friends who may not be getting all the info from the news.

Now a couple of rants.

Rachel Ray had a search dog on her show this morning. It was a Shiloh shepherd. He was gorgeous. The owner/trainer said she has had him since he was 6 weeks old. ~big sigh~ I always cringe when I hears people say this. PLEASE do not get a puppy at this age if you can help it. In Maine it is a state law that they be at least 8 weeks old. There is a very good reason for this. Puppies learn many lessons about how to be a dog from their mother and siblings. They need the FULL 8 weeks minimum for these lessons to be complete. Think about it. This is an animal that is born blind and helpless and can eat on it's own and run in only 8 weeks time. 2 weeks doesn't sound like a long time to us, but to a dog that 2 weeks is a HUGE chunk of developmental time. Very important developmental time at that. This is when they learn bite inhibition. (that means learning not to bite hard during play, a critical lesson) This doesn't mean that raising an orphaned puppy means it will be a problem, it might be ok with proper socialization during puppy-hood, but why take the chance if we can prevent it?

One of the reasons trainers and reputable breeders are so against puppy mills and pet stores is that these puppies are taken to young from it's litter and mother which can cause serious behavior problems later. (taken young to ensure they stay cute while in those cages in the window) Buying a puppy from a pet store only keeps the supply and demand going for them. Please don't support them. If enough people stop buying they will eventually go out of business.

My other rant is about the so called "fat drug" for dogs. Would you believe there is a new medication for overweight dogs now available? (again, something I saw on Rachel Ray this morning) I think this is pretty ridiculous. They showed an owner that said she spoiled her dogs and fed them bacon and other treats because (get this) the dog was always hungry. Now she wants to have them on the miracle drug. OK first off dogs do behavior that works for them. If he has learned that "acting hungry" gets him bacon then of course he is going to do that. He is a dog, bacon is yummy. Keep in mind also that dogs descended from animals that had to hunt and scrounge for their food all day long, never knowing when the next meal was coming from. They are opportunistic eaters. Some dogs will even eat until they die! It is up to US as responsible owners to limit their intake of food and to exercise them to keep them healthy. Do some pets need this new drug? Maybe, but I think the majority do not.

What do YOU think?