Articulate Animals Blog, Kelly Krueger, Animal Communicator

Animal Communicator Kelly Krueger puts voice to your pet's thoughts, needs, and emotions.

Archive for category Pet Nutrition

Assisting our Pets with Disabilities

May 2

Posted by Kelly Krueger in Health & Well Being for Pets, Pet Nutrition, Products & Animal Resources | No Comments

When our beloved pets are still full of life even in the midst of a diagnosis or physical disablity, there are many resources and alternatives to keep them healthy and active for a while longer. It is amazing to me the resources available for our pets. Diabetes, degenerative myelopathy or similar, and cancer are all scary words to hear and difficult diagnoses to wrap our heads around.

These diagnoses don’t necessarily mean the end is near. Certainly, we don’t want our beloved pets to suffer if we can possibly help it.  In some cases the most loving, compassionate, and selfless act is to let (or assist) our companion pass. In many of these cases, however, there are ways we can help our pets to continue to live happy, fulfilling lives for as long as they wish to remain on earth with us.

Diet and nutritional supplements is a great place to start in supporting our pets living with a medical diagnosis. Talk with your holistic veterinarian about foods and supplements which support, and in some cases, help to counter-act elements of the disease.

I have known animals in my animal communication practice who lived many happy years with diabetes - receiving daily injections to keep their insulin levels in check. I also have several kitty-clients in various stages of renal failure, and they are living active lives with IV fluids administered by their loving humans a few times a week in the privacy of their own home.

Physical therapy, acupuncture therapy, chiropractic treatments, and energy work like Reiki can all help our pets with neuromuscular conditions to remain active on their own, and wheelchairs, slings, or leg braces can be appropriate for those whose spirit for living remains high as their condition progresses.

The resources available nowadays are many, and it is important that we consider all aspects of the diagnosis carefully. It is not a “one size fits all” proposition. The animal’s condition, demeanor, and spirit are paramount in our decision making process. Ask your pet how they are feeling and include them in the treatment strategy. If you and your pet agree that there are more weeks, months, or years of living left, know that there are resources out there that may work for you.
 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Worthwhile Animal Articles

Apr 9

Posted by Kelly Krueger in Health & Well Being for Pets, Pet Nutrition, Products & Animal Resources, Recommended Reading about Animals | No Comments

I’ve mentioned articles I enjoyed reading in the Animal Wellness Magazine previously and this issue, April/May 2010, follows suit with good information for both cats and dogs.

April/May 2010 issue

“Toxic Talk” by Sara Jackson discusses plants and foods which can be toxic to house pets, and then goes one step further with lists of household cleaning products and medications which are dangerous to animals. These latter two categories of toxic danger are not always in the forefront of our minds, so I appreciate the reminder and ways to keep pets safe within their home environment.

It is not uncommon for animals to have skin allergies, and the “Forget the Steroids” article by Jean Scherwenka is very helpful in understanding allergies and possible treatments.

My favorite article in this issue is “Turning Over a New Leaf” by Juniper Russo Tarascio. We don’t often think of offering our animal companions leafy greens as part of their diet, but this article lists a number of green vegetables along with the significant dietary benefits provided by each. There are also tips on how we might get our beloved companions to eat their greens. I mentioned to a friend who’s cat has ongoing digestive issues that certain greens have properties which help digestion. “Great” she replied, “but how do you suggest I get her to *eat* rather than just *play* with the leafy greens?” Those of you who have had an animal communication consultation with me know that I believe strongly in the innate ability for animals to intuitively know what they need. Sure enough, when offered a few chopped up greens in her food bowl, my friend’s kitty gobbled them up. She knew immediately the usefulness of the greens in helping her tummy feel better.

If these articles seem like they are speaking to you, I encourage you to pick up the current issue next time you are at the pet store or supermarket.

Tags: , , , , ,

Nutro Puppy Food – voluntary recall

Oct 2

Posted by Kelly Krueger in Pet Nutrition | No Comments

This voluntary recall by Nutro for certain brands of dry puppy food seems to be contained, but if you are currently using a variety of Nutro puppy food, please read on:

Portions of article from ConsumerAffairs.com

NUTRO Updates Information on Puppy Food Recall Workers hard hat was sucked into machinery, company rep says

By Lisa Wade McCormick, ConsumerAffairs.com • October 1, 2009

More about Pet Food Recalls Nutro Products has provided updated information on its decision to pull some of its puppy food off the market because of a production error. The company late Wednesday posted information about the action on its Web site, which confirmed it’s removing three types of puppy food off store shelves after discovering pieces of melted plastic in the “production line of select varieties of NUTRO dry dog and cat food products.” “We identified the source as a worker’s ‘bump cap,’ similar to a hard hat, which inadvertently made its way into our manufacturing process,” the company wrote. “We immediately retrieved the affected pet food from our distributors, and only three sku’s reached retail stores.” The company added: “Based on our extensive review, it is highly unlikely that any pieces of plastic made it into finished product. However, upon learning of the incident, we voluntarily retrieved all potentially affected products.” A Nutro customer service representative on Wednesday told ConsumerAffairs.com that a worker’s plastic hard hat was “sucked” into some of the machinery and the bags of puppy food may have plastic in them. The representative also said the puppy food involved in this “voluntary product withdrawal” was only shipped to PETCO and PetSmart stores in Arizona and California. But Nutro’s Web site now states the food was distributed to six other states. The Web site also lists different UPC codes on some of the puppy foods than the ones Nutro’s representative gave ConsumerAffairs.com on Wednesday morning.

According to NUTRO’s Web site, the company is pulling the following flavors of puppy food — shipped to PetSmart stores in California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico — off store shelves:

• NUTRO ULTRA Puppy food for dogs, 4.5 pound bag, best buy date of 9/10/10, and a UPC of 79105 51313;

• NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE Chicken Meal, Rice and Oatmeal Formula Small Bites Puppy, 5 pound bag, best buy date of 9/10/10 and a UPC 79105 23050

Nutro also said it is pulling select 30-pound bags of NUTRO ULTRA puppy food, which were distributed to PETCO stores in California, Nevada, Hawaii, and Utah. Those bags of food have a best buy date of 9/10/10 and a UPC of 79105 51315.

Although Nutro said it found pieces of melted plastic in the production line for dry dog and cat food products, the company is not pulling any feline food off the market. Customers who have any puppy food involved in this action can return the product to the store for a full refund or exchange, Nutro said. For more information, pet owners can contact Nutro 1-800-833-5330.

Tags: , , ,

Nature’s Variety freeze-dried products voluntarily withdrawn

Jun 14

Posted by Kelly Krueger in Pet Nutrition | No Comments

I have learned of a “voluntary product withdrawal” of specific flavors of Nature’s Variety freeze-dried raw formula. To date, no animals have been reported ill from ingesting these withdrawn products, however those feeding Nature’s Variety should remain aware of the withdrawal and alert others as necessary.

Freeze Dried Raw Product

Nature’s Variety News - June 12, 2009

Nature’s Variety recently identified two lots of Freeze Dried product that didn’t meet our quality standards. These products do not represent a health hazard to your pet.  We have voluntarily withdrawn distribution of these specific products: 

  • Freeze Dried Raw Chicken Formula (UPC # 69949 60151) with a “best if used by” date of 05/25/10 
  • Freeze Dried Raw Beef Formula (UPC # 69949 60251) with a “best if used by” date of 05/25/10

Our distributor and retailer partners have kept control of these products, and because we retrieved these products so quickly, it is very unlikely that you purchased this batch of food. If, however, you believe you may have purchased one of these products, you may contact Nature’s Variety at 1.888.519.PETS (7387) for a full refund or replacement.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us by clicking CONTACT US at the top of this page, or call our Customer Service Team directly at 1.888.519.PETS. We will be happy to respond to you as quickly as possible.

Tags: , , ,

Cat Food Recall and China’s New Food Safety Law

Jun 2

Posted by Kelly Krueger in Pet Nutrition | 2 Comments

It’s not been easy to stay current on the Nutro dry cat food recall because there is not a lot of information out there, and some of the information is conflicting. I’ve come across a couple of resources which I found helpful. Marion Nestle posted on her Food Politics blog some history on this and other pet food recalls. Marion references Christie Keith, a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and petconnection.com, who brings to light some additional information on FDA standards. It is important that we sort through the facts and the fiction of the current Nutro cat food recall, and these resources are a good start.

Yesterday’s news regarding China’s new law for food safety may be a step in the right direction, although many questions remain and some are skeptical that the new law will really be effective. The law encompasses human and presumably pet food ingredients, as well as medicines and other products. Ingredients such as melamine, the dairy additive recently responsible for six infant deaths as well as thousands of pet illnesses  in 2007, will be monitored under the new law. As Scott Tong discusses in the news article “Will China food law cut out bad stuff?”, implementation of the regulations will be critical, and a difficult proposition.

Tags: , ,