Our Purposeful Pet Project

30/09/2025

Raw foods are in the news again. Sadly, raw food companies are seemingly refusing to recall despite illness or death traced to their products, possibly to avoid having their name appear on well circulated recall lists, thus avoiding public scrutiny.

Dr. Scott Weese's Worms and Germs blog is a good source to help stay up to date with these "hidden" problems. https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/

FDA recently issued notices for RawR (cat death from Avian Influenza), and Darwin's Pet foods (Salmonella and Listeria)- the 2nd advisory in as many months. Additionally, it appears another cluster of cat's deaths from avian influenza were due to a yet unnamed raw diet.

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-notifies-pet-owners-tests-show-h5n1-contamination-certain-lots-rawr-raw-cat-food-chicken-eats

FDA is notifying pet owners about test results that show H5N1 (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus) in samples from certain lots of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats. Testing suggests a link between the cat food and the death of a cat.

19/09/2025

You'd expect that a food labeled "complete and balanced" would be, but sadly this isn't always true. Some companies lack nutritional expertise, and the foods they sell may have significant problems.

This company's analysis reports the Vit. D Level in their food as ~5 times the upper limit. Excessive Vit. D. can lead to kidney failure and death.

When picking pet food, it is important to evaluate the company since not all are knowledgeable. At your pet's annual physical, be sure to discuss your pet's diet with your veterinarian.

31/08/2025

HOT TOPIC IN NUTRITION:
A NEW URINARY STONE (CTT) has been linked to CHOLINE BITARTRATE, an ingredient found in some foods by THE FARMER'S DOG, JUST FOOD FOR DOGS, and NOM NOM. It may also be in other foods and some SUPPLEMENTS.

Calcium tartrate tetrahydrate (CTT) stones are uncommon but being seen more frequently. Small purebred male dogs of breeds predisposed to Ca Oxalate stones seem to be at higher risk of forming CTTs, but any dog can be affected. ~30% of the affected dogs with a known diet history eating commercial food were eating The Farmer's Dog and ~56% were eating Just Food for Dogs.
Consult your veterinarian if your dog's food contains this ingredient.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.70093

04/08/2025

Bacteria is like glitter, it gets everywhere....
A child acquired Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (E. coli 0157: H7) from raw dog food, but not from contact with the food. The infection likely occurred though contact with the dog, or its stool.

Raw foods are much more likely to cause infections vs cooked foods. Households with children, elderly or immunocompromised individuals are at a higher risk of infection.

FDA cautions pet owners not to feed certain Darwin’s Natural Selections and BioLogics Pet Food after samples tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 & Salmonella.

27/07/2025

An owner's recently acquired shelter dog was gaining a lot of weight. The culprit ... "YOGURT" kisses! The owner thought they were healthful since they were "yogurt" and sold by a small "natural health food" pet shop.

The kisses were not yogurt; they were high sugar and fat CANDY COATING WAFERS marketed as the stores "exclusive" dog treats.

Buying human foods, relabeling as "human grade" dog treats and selling at a greatly inflated price is a "trick" of the trade. Have you seen them in any of the stores you shop at?

12/07/2025

Allergies are frustrating for all involved. Can hair and saliva testing pinpoint the cause? I purchased Glacier Peak Holistics' test, recommended by a local pet store, and sent fibers from the kit as "hair" and LRS, an IV solution as "saliva". They tested "positive" to numerous foods and pollens. 🧐 A formal study reported the test "performed no better than chance and the results were not reproducible". https://news.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=210&catId=-1&id=8935305

To identify food allergies, an elimination diet trial is the test of choice. For environmental allergens, blood and skin testing can help pinpoint cause.

Glacier Peak Holistics provided readouts on stuffed-toy fur

30/06/2025

A friend asked, " What can I give my puppy to chew?"
My answer in part, "The softest item she will chew"

Chewing has mental and dental benefits, yet like anything, it isn't risk free. Finding a chew that maximizes benefit while minimizing risk can be challenging. Thin enamel, combined with teeth shaped for shearing soft tissue, leads to fractures when hard items like bones, antlers horns, and hooves are given.

For information on choosing a chew read

Veterinarians ruminate on an oft-neglected driver of canine health

27/06/2025

Where'd It Go?... It's still there! Today we tested a microfiber glove. These are marketed as a way to remove ticks before they bite. Fred the tick just buried himself a bit deeper into the fur.

Multiple trials on human skin, clothing and fur ...the ticks stuck tight. While one time a tick transferred from human skin to the glove, overall, we didn't find this method of removal very effective.

17/05/2025

Today, we were out sharing information in Lombard about Fleas and Ticks. We even had a microscope to show what a flea looks like and ticks in our tick colony! It was a lot of fun sharing information with visitors! We even had our "tick" balloon to show how to remove those pesky critters from you and your loved ones!

17/05/2025

Out this morning cheering on the racers at the annual Mutt Strut in Lombard! This year we shared information about ticks. Visitors to the booth got to take home a tick remover! Stay safe out there!

15/05/2025

A small shop owner advised that the products we tested be combined for best outcome, so we paired the essential oil collar with the ultrasonic tag on the "top floor" our "tick hotel".

Ticks climb vegetation to find hosts and will climb to the highest point in their home. Our tick guests climbed to the top and hung out by the "repellents"

We didn't see repellency when these products were used individually, nor did we see repellency when used together.

08/05/2025

The essential oil sprays we tested repelled ticks well for ~10 to 30 minutes. We saw a small bit of repellency from an essential oil collar (4.3% Cedarwood oil, 4.3 % peppermint oil,1.2% Lemongrass and Rosemary) in the first few minutes after opening but zero repellency when tested just days later.