Hill’s Recalls 62 Bags of Science Diet Adult Small & Toy Breed Dry Dog Food In California, Nevada, Hawaii

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 2, 2014 – Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. of Topeka, KS is voluntarily recalling 62 bags of Science Diet® Adult Small & Toy Breed™ dry dog food as they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The suspect product, part of a single production run, was distributed to 17 veterinary clinic and pet store customers in California, Hawaii and Nevada between April 24 and May 13, 2014. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these 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.

This voluntary recall is limited to 62 15.5 lb. bags of Science Diet® Adult Small & Toy Breed™ dry dog food with the Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) code, “Best before” date and production code shown below. This product was accidentally released, as revealed during a routine inventory reconciliation. All 17 affected customers have been contacted by Hill’s and there have been no reported illnesses related to this product to date.

Product Name	Bag Size	SKU	“Best Before” Date/ Production Code
Science Diet® Adult Small & Toy Breed	15.5 lbs.	9097	08 2015 M094

The SKU number is located on the bottom of the bag, both side panels and on the back lower right hand corner below the UPC code. As illustrated below, the “Best before” date and production code is stamped on the top, middle of each bag.

Consumers who may have purchased any of these specific 62 15.5 lb bags of Science Diet® Adult Small & Toy Breed™ dry dog food should discontinue use of the product and immediately call Hill’s Pet Nutrition at 1-800-445-5777 Monday-Friday during the hours of 7am-7pm (CT). Hill’s will arrange to collect the unused portion of the product at its own expense at a time convenient for the consumer and will provide a full refund.

This voluntary recall does not impact any Science Diet® Adult Small and Toy Breed™ products with different “best before” dates or any other Science Diet products.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition is dedicated to providing high-quality, safe products and regrets the need for this voluntary recall. For further information, please contact Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. at 1-800-445-5777 Monday-Friday during the hours of 7am-7pm (CT).

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www.PremiumPetFoodStore.com

Since 2007 hundreds of dog and cat foods and treats have been recalled. Many of the recalls come from repeat offenders. Be a safe consumer and buy a food that has never been recalled! Since 1999 Life's Abundance has been manufacturing small lots of food and shipping the food to customers within 4-6 weeks of being made. They have NEVER been recalled and the products are formulated by a holistic vet.  Don't worry every time you purchase food or treats ~ choose Life's Abundance!  Sold online so you receive fresh food to your door! Doesn't sit in warehouses or on store shelves.

How much does it cost to feed Life's Abundance? These prices are based on autoship and the price range is due to different size bags and general feeding amounts. As you can see, Life's Abundance pricing is very reasonable for high quality, safe nutrition. Life's Abundance is a Premium Dog and Cat Food without the premium price. It is nutrient dense, so you feed less.

Dogs....

3lb dog - 11 to 13 cents a day

10lb dog - 30 to 35 cents a day

20lb dog - 45 to 53 cents a day

30lb dog - 68 to 69 cents a day

40lb dog - 79 to 83 cents a day

60lb dog - $1.13 to $1.14 a day

80lb dog - $1.34 to $1.38 a day

100lb dog - $1.56 to $1.58 a day

Cats....

3lb cat - 15 to 16 cents a day

7lb cat - 20 to 21 cents a day

12lb cat - 31 to 32 cents a day

18lb cat - 47 to 49 cents a day

**These price breakdowns include our standard $8.85 shipping. Many times you can order multiple items for that same low shipping rate!

Remember to check the feeding guidelines on your current food. Life's Abundance is nutrient dense, so you feed less.

Purchase your Life's Abundance Dog or Cat Food Here

How to Best Handle Pet Anxiety

Scaredy Cats & Distracted Dogs . . . .  

Thunderstorm Phobia

With the storm season rolling in, veterinarians and animal behavioral specialists expect to see a surge in business as pets, especially dogs, exhibit symptoms of profound storm phobia. While some animals may display minor signs of anxiety, such as clinginess, trembling or whining, those with severe phobias may bark, cry or experience destructive or frantic behavior, according to an animal behavioral specialist. Dogs are typically referred to a specialist if a primary veterinarian is unable to help with the anxiety. A specialist would then take a look at the “big picture” and develop a cocktail of sources for treatment, which can include medication and behavior modification. Cats tend to not need treatment for anxiety, but if necessary, a specialist will typically treat them as well.  However, we find that not all pet parents want to go the route of expensive vet visits, testing and subsequent medication, therefore we recommend looking into holistic therapies first, which will save you time, money and possibly negative side-effects from further stressing out your already stressed pet.

In general, dogs tend to exhibit signs of anxiety differently and in a way that demands our attention, as compared to cats, who tend to hide when anxious.  For most dogs, the signs of anxiety happen before the first clap of thunder, since they can sense when storms or other environmental activity is approaching. Animals are much more sensitive and aware than most humans, therefore they sense the change in barometric pressure or are warned by the gray skies and will detect thunderstorms before they actually hit, so their anxiety is not solely the result of loud sounds.

Fearful Cat

Storm phobia can also be a safety risk for animals as they can seriously injure themselves or perhaps do damage to your home. Separation anxiety is often paired with storm phobias, and when the two instances collide, an animal’s behavior can become a “worst case scenario”.

While each animal is considered an individual, anxiety occurs from a chemical reaction in the brain, and we believe that in addition to how animals are trained, there is a genetic component to an animal’s anxiety. When we became the pet parents of a senior Chihuahua who had come from a difficult past, we worked on decreasing his fear aggression and separation anxiety with gentle training, a calm, soothing and patient environment, recognizing his "triggers", slowly increasing the length of time we him alone, and adding in holistic therapies, such as Animal Reiki and calming therapeutic-grade Essential Oils. Although our vet wanted to prescribe medication, we did not wish to go that route.  Once we had Homer settled in, we enrolled him in doggy day care for little dogs, where he flourished under the careful eye of the owner, who happened to specialize in his breed, as well as socialization of fearful dogs.

As far as other products, we find that ThunderShirts or anxiety wraps ~ things that are available online or over the counter ~ are generally for mildly anxious animals. ThunderShirts are designed to give a constant gentle pressure, or hugged feeling, that relaxes animals. Pheromone sprays can also be used for mild cases.  We like ThunderShirts because it’s not medication you have to force on your pet, but a gentler physical piece of clothing that may help.

ThunderShirt

Looking at the behavior modification component of separation anxiety and storm phobias, it is much better to redirect animals rather than reward their anxious behavior, and to decrease the disparity between when owners are home with their pet and when they are away from home.  One of the common mistakes pet parents make is giving their pets constant attention to reward them for calm, independent behavior. Providing adequate daily exercise can also be a great help so your pet does not experience feeling pent-up or bored. When pet parents leave the house, it is important to decrease interaction with you pet at least 15-20 minutes before departure, and to make the departure, as well as returning, as calm and uneventful as possible.

It is uncertain what causes separation anxiety, but we believe that some anxiety occurs when animals are rehomed . . . . especially those that have been rehomed more than once. Animals experience high levels of anxiety while at shelters, according to a public relations coordinator for the Humane Society. He said it’s hard to tell if animals are more anxious during thunderstorms while at the shelter because the animals have a difficult time “coming out of their shell” to begin with, since a shelter environment may leave them alone, scared and confused.  He also stated that these are animals who deserve to be in homes, therefore it is best to try and get them into a foster home as soon as possible, so that they can feel more comfortable.

What we always suggest is giving your pets, especially those who have been adopted and / or come from difficult or unknown circumstances, a secure, quiet, comfortable area in your home that belongs to them and makes them feel safe . . . . especially during high-stress situations. Because animals may also try to flee or will run away when scared, it is imperative that pet parents purchase a breakaway collar with proper identification, as well as have your pets microchipped, since collars can fall off or become entangled in bushes, fences or other objects.  The last thing you want is your pet being choked by his own collar.  If lost animals are picked up by animal control or the Humane Society, and are not wearing proper identification, they are immediately scanned for microchips.


For more information on holistic therapies for your pets (and for you!), please contact us with specific questions or issues, and be sure to visit our blog, Healing Oils For Animals at:

www.HealingOilsForAnimals.com

and our EO website at:

www.GiftedGuidanceEssentialOils.com

Essential Oils for Cats

Cats present their own unique controversies and requirements to essential oil use.  Most cat owners would agree that cats have distinct opinions of the world in which they allow us to co-exist, and this certainly holds true for aromatherapy. Cats are likely very proud of the fact that they are indeed the most contested topic in the world of essential oil use.  Human viewpoints of this subject range from the adamant stance that essential oils cannot be used safely for cats, to those who use contraindicated essential oils on a daily basis for their felines.

Essential oils for cats (and other animals) is a highly controversial topic, however it really is an argument that boils down to the quality of the essential oils.  Rest assured that ALL of the oils we recommend for use on your animals have been tested for safety and effectiveness prior to us recommending them to you.  The one factor that we stress is to ONLY use therapeutic grade essential oils, and the only one we recommend is Young Living Essential Oils, as they are tried and true for more than 20 years.

Cats are sensitive to most synthetically made products and "natural products" as well as someessential oils . . . . even if we are not aware of it!  We bring this up as many of us have sensitivities to food, household cleaners, hair and skin products, etc., however we may not recognize it because most of us are just not that tuned into our bodies and our environment. We may only recognize a change when we cease using certain products or stop eating a particular food item.

Have you ever considered the toxicity to your pets when you bomb your home with synthetic air fresheners, household cleaners or carpet cleaners?  Our pets have extremely sensitive noses and much smaller lungs, so subjecting them to breathing in chemicals and other toxic substances can do a lot of damage.

Many health problems today for humans, as well as for pets, can be traced back to toxicity within their environment, whether it's diet, personal care, or household products. 

Thankfully, there is something we can do about it!  Make a commitment to using non-toxic, holistic cleaning supplies, as well as diffusing healthy essential oils in your home and workplace for yourself and for your pets. 

Essential oils are the perfect solution for us and for our animals. Essential oils can replace most toxic medications for cats, dogs, birds, horses and any other living creature.  There are some oils that we cannot use on certain animals, cats included, so please do be careful and please ask us for guidance if you are not sure.  It is better to be safe than sorry, and the reason Healing Oils for Animals exists is to educate folks on the proper usage of essential oils for their pets, as well as for themselves.

Some of the best essential oils for cats include Lavender, Oregano, Thieves and Peace & Calming, however there are many other oils and nutritional products that are also quite effective!  Remember to always use therapeutic grade essential oils from a trusted source, such as Young Living.  There IS a difference, as demonstrated in the graph below.  

Please contact us for more information on Essential Oils for Animals, 

as well as Essential Oils for You!

www.GiftedGuidanceEssentialOils.com