I hope that you are having a fun Saturday.
Ours started at sunrise, partly because R wasn't feeling well.
R has had an upset tummy all night and day. This is how the whole health scare "episode" started. At the beginning, we suspected his dog food contained a toxin that had made him sick. However, the board-certified pathologist on his case said that "no
known dog food contaminant" could have damaged his blood cells in the way that he observed. So, we didn't report the dog food or even throw all of it away.
Then, by mistake, R ate some of that same dog food yesterday. And, he is sick again - I now feel pretty confident that there's something wrong with the food (of course, it could be a coincidence but I'm dubious). I've called the store where we bought it (no help) and have tried to report it to Natural Balance (not open on weekends). So, we are just watching R and hoping that the relatively small quantity of it that he ate didn't do too much harm. We are in contact with our vet so we will know if he needs to be seen this weekend.
What has gone so awry with the dog food industry that dogs are getting sick and even dying from eating commercial dog food? It makes me angry and upset. I just hope that R is okay.
Many of you know that we used to make K's dog food from scratch. It was labor-intensive but absolutely necessary due to health issues. I'm starting to wonder if we should do it for all of our dogs.
wow, that is crazy! i would definitely follow your intuition! hope R is feeling better.....arg, looks like you'll be making a lot of dog food! :)
ReplyDeletethey look so beautiful together....
xoxo
Hi Y'all,
ReplyDeleteOh my, I hate to think that we have been reduced to making our dog's food from scratch. Many vets think that our dog's get a better balance from a good commercial dog food than from a raw or other home prepared diet. It does seem that something related to that dog food has caused R's tummy upset.
BrownDog's Human
We've been having a similar issue with Kuster, but the other dogs have been fine. We are suspecting with him that it's him hitting rapid growth spurts, which wouldn't be R's problem at this point. It just seems that our boy has a much more sensitive digestive system. Actually, he did fine on the food the girls have been on, but he was having terrible flare ups of Pano, and switching food was recommended, so we tried a different food just for him. It's been a total mystery to us about why his tummy troubles start, though. We've been monitoring his food really closely to see if little differences will affect him, and so far, no luck.
ReplyDeleteI hope R is feeling better soon! It looks like he and Shyla had a great romp today, even if his stomach was a little upset.
We've been trying to switch our boys over and let me tell you, it's not easy. Monty refuses to touch anything raw. Sam is okay with it, but you can see he isn't overjoyed with it either. Keeping paws crossed that R will be okay.
ReplyDeleteSam
Fingers crossed for R. In our case, what started out as medically necessary (Nola horrid allergies) became necessary for both my peace of mind and my dogs' health. I will not feed dog food again, if I can help it.
ReplyDeleteNola's Mom
Hi KB. I google recalls for Natural Balance and these popped up for me. not sure if what you have is on the list is part of this group or not but it may explain a lot. I'm sure you know, if you keep his food in a container other than the bag you should either thoroughly decontaminate it or get a new one. I had to buy a new one after the TOTW recalls even though our dogs were fine. Better safe than sorry I say.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/natural-balance-dog-food-recall-2/
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm303042.htm
Hope he feels better soon. I'm sure this is causing overwhelming anxiety for you.
Prayers and Paws crossed that this works out for the better soon.
Hisqueen1 with Aria and Mikey
Oh I hope R gets better. I myself am not feeling well either. I keep telling MOM it is because we have been so busy busy since Wednesday with LOTS of activity that I am just tired. But she is not buying it. Truth be told I am tired but I am really not feeling my best.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have to say that that last photo I just love. Not to long ago it was K who looked so grown up and R who looked so silly. Now R seems to be taking on the older brother roll and that sweet Shyla is the silly face. It is just beautiful.
Blessings,
Goose
Oh no...Poor R. My teenie weenie brain can't recall all the details, but I keep thinking I heard something about Natural Balance food being recalled over the last few weeks. It might have been in an FDA recall email that we receive. But since we don't use that food, I didn't pay that much attention to it. Might be worth checking with the FDA to see if there actually was a recall and if so...why.
ReplyDeleteFrom the mom - I am scared to death just knowing that some dog food - kibble and wet - can be made with an ingredient that could harm and even kill our dogs. After the tragedy of 2007 (I think) when so many pets died from a toxin that was imported from China - it wasn't considered a toxin at the time until it was found but it was a cheaper ingredient so it was used a lot in some foods - Natural Balance was NOT one. I am very careful with the Beaglebratz and the food they eat - making sure that NOTHING from China goes in their mouths - not even treats because you just never know when that next time mite happen. There are some websites that do keep track of dog food recalls and I did find one from earlier this year about Natural Balance. I have not read through it - not sure what all flavors were involved. My way of thinking - there are so many really good foods out there available - I will not hesitate to switch if I feel I need to.
ReplyDeleteOk, this comment is long enough now - oh, another good website for reports is the FDA then look for pet food. It could be that there is nothing wrong with the food but that something with R's system just doesn't agree with it. Sure hope he is doing better really fast.
Kim
Me again - so very sorry I forgot to include that link->
ReplyDeletehttp://www.animalhealthfoundation.net/blog/2012/05/distributor-states-canidae-natural-balance-and-one-wellness-product-recalled/
Kim
Ann....from....Outer Banks of NC...said.....Bless his heart...I sure hope R feels better tomorrow...Sorry his tummy is upset and it just might be the food....now if you want to talk about the pet food industry....I could say a few words......Susan Thixton is a (Pet Food Safety Advocate)....I like her website...(Truth About Pet Food)...to me its a good read...HUGS for R and Shyla...
ReplyDeleteThe timing seems spot on to being able to associate troubles to the consumption
ReplyDeleteWe hope you can get some answers AND satisfaction!
I said the same thing last weekend when buying treats, no more crap from CHINA! Bought only USA stuff and (of course) it cost me a pretty penny more. But... They are well worth it!!
ReplyDeleteWe hope that R will be feeling much better real soon. Hope that it can be narrowed down to the food and then he can heal and be the lovable, goofy guy that he is.
Love that last picture too!
Hugs,
Lily Belle & Muffin
A strang comment, but if you haven't already done so, then keep a sample of what comes out of R just in case it needs testing by your vet (or the food company, etc) to determine what is making R unwell.
ReplyDeleteWe hope R's feeling better by now, and that you all enjoy the rest of your weekend.
It really does sound like the dog food is the culprit. Making your own food is a lot of work, but it may be the only way to put your mind at ease.
ReplyDeleteScary stuff, I would go with what you feel is right.Our cats do not tolerate AT ALL one brand of cat food, and Hugh is so careful what they eat.Too much to be a not a follow on of before. Hoping that this will be the answer. and again, as always, super photos. Fond greetings from Jean.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me sick to my heart. I truly hope you are able to find a quick answer, and I hope like heck it is not in the food. Get well soon and quick, R.
ReplyDeleteWe hope that you feel better in a hurry, R! It's so horrible when you can't even trust the dog food companies - grrrrrrr. Mom cooked for angel Maggie and it was very time consuming but she sure did love her meals!
ReplyDeleteWe love that first picture best!
Love ya lots,
Mitch and Molly
Paws crossed for R. Have a wonderful Sunday.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Molly
Wee all has raw food so dat wee does not gets anifing unknown in its. Wee LOVS it so muchly n it make Da Momster happisome cos wee does less pongy poops fur her to pick up n dem is firmer n smaller too cos wee has raw bone in our noms too
ReplyDeleteHopes R feels much bettersome soon
Lovs
Da K Krew
xxxxxxxxxx
The dog food/treat industry is so scary any more. We've taken to making just about all of our dog treats. I sure hope R will be feeling better...one of my Huskies is just getting over a stomach bug, and now her sister has it (started at 5 AM today)...not sure what is causing it, and hoping, too, it's nothing serious. Thinking of you...
ReplyDeletePlease keep us posted. The coincidence is too striking. Natural Balance is the ONLY food that I have found that Mango's sensitive tummy can manage. Arg!
ReplyDeleteThis is all so frustrating.
Mango Momma
They say there are no coincidences. That's a wretched thing to have happen - poor baby R. I switched to a new liquid flea treatment my vet recommended once, and one of my dogs had terrible diarrhea in the night (I put it on at bedtime) and the next day. The vet said the treatment would not have caused this, but what are the odds? She's always had a cast iron stomach. Of course, I switched back. Follow your instincts - we know our dogs best! I trust R is probably enjoying some home cooked chicken and rice :)
ReplyDeleteYes , why not?? That R cant eat the food. Before when dogs lived out in the woods they ate meat, berries like a wild animal. They didnt have dog food. Today we give our dogs that. The best is when you make your own food from meat,m rice, natural fat ...we have some producers in Sweden who make very natural food and whats coming out is very little compared to common dog food.
ReplyDeleteSo the dogs keep all and not much goes out the natural way.
I hope R is feeling better today, it's never fun to have a sick pup.
ReplyDeleteI get so upset when I hear this happening, KB. When the scare happened a few years back we were so thankful we decided to put Sophie on a raw food diet. (I think I may have mentioned this to you before, if so my apologies) I have a link for you to see and why we went this way Raw Food Diet
ReplyDeleteWe explained to our vet what we do and he said that we should just make certain that Sophie gets a multi-vitamin once or twice a week. He was totally on board with our decision. One thing we noticed with Sophie was that the "doggy smell" disappeared. Her coat was lush and of course she loved every meal. The meals always have a meat, fibre, oils, multi, and other "human" food that would suffice. Sophie's been on this diet 95% of her life. One thing I should mention...the people at the link above switched to this diet for their dogs because they were so tired of their dogs getting cancer. I know that's hard to hear right now but maybe it's something you should really consider!
Ron
PS...I emailed the RAW FOOD link to you!!!
ReplyDeleteRon
Natural Balance's last recall was for salmonella I think, but dogs can't get salmonella. I'm pretty sure Natural Balance is one of the foods which use products (chicken byproducts and/or vitamins) from China in its formula. You should store some of that food and see if you can find someone to test it for toxic chemicals. Maybe bring a sample to your vet.
ReplyDeleteHope R is feeling better very soon!
ReplyDeleteOh no! Poor R! I hope he is doing better by now! I haven't fed commercial dog food since about 1994, so I guess that tells you how I feel. :-) I hope there will be good news posted later today!
ReplyDeleteSusan T in AZ
Yikes very scary. We know a lot of pups onNatural Balance with no problems
ReplyDeleteBenny & Lily
I think the commercial brands trick us into thinking that we're not smart enough to give our dogs proper nourishment... and it works. I feed Flo mostly raw food but give her commercial food in the morning. Elsie is still little and I worry about her getting some sort of parasitic or bacterial infection from raw food, so she's on commercial puppy stuff with a few bones and minced meat thrown in.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of Shyla and R together - suddenly R looks like the wise older dog!
I'm so glad you seem to have found the "culprit". I jsut love R. I make all my own dog food - I just won't trust the industry now, although I'm sure there are some good ones out there. Best of luck toyou
ReplyDeleteWe have been using The Honest Kitchen which for us is a compromise. Not full out home cooked, but because we buy the one you add your choice of protein too, we feel it is a step up. The girls energy and coats are great on it.
ReplyDeleteHope you get to the bottom of the tummy issues.
I have been away from my computers.
ReplyDeleteI hope R is feeling better.
love
tweedles
I know some people get horrified but i feed my Cairn Terrier raw food - meat with some veggies whirred up in a vitamix to break down the cell walls and added just before serving. He also gets minimal vaccination. He is healthy and strong. My sister-in-law had an older dog that was really slwing down. She switched her to raw and she is going strong three years later and keep up with our three year olds (she is 15). I really feel that diet is huge. I have been reading your blog for a while and keep thonking to say something about this but know how many people react. I am from Canada and the Vancouver police feed their police dogs raw (B.C.). After all it is what canines ate through the centuries until the mid 1900s when advertising sold us a lie. You have a lovely blog. I enjoy your wild life pictures and your pictures of your dogs are fantastic. My dog isn't so photogenic or i'm not a good photographer. Also, he hates getting his picture taken and is most uncoperative when he sees the camera come out.
ReplyDeleteAfter the dogs are playing, you could feed them with dog food to keep them energized. It is something that you should do to ensure that they are nourished.
ReplyDelete