Nestlé Purina Recalls Limited Number of Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ Dry Cat Food Bags Due to a Potential Health Risk

Nestlé Purina PetCare Company (NPPC) is voluntarily recalling a limited number of 3.5- and 7-pound bags of its Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ Dry Cat Food from a single production run and shipped to customers in 12 states in December 2010. This is being done because some bags of the product have been found to be contaminated with Salmonella. Only Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ Dry Cat Food with both the “Best By” date and the production code shown are included in this voluntary recall :

*”Best By” Date and Production Code are found on the back or bottom of the bag.

No additional Purina cat or dog products are involved in this voluntary recall. No other Purina ONE brand products are involved. Only Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ brand products which match the “Best By” dates and production code above are included in this recall.

Consumers who have purchased Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ Dry Cat Food products with these specific “Best By” Date and Production Codes should discontinue feeding the product and discard it.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the product, and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated products.  People handling contaminated dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for the following symptoms:  nausea, vomiting, 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 exhibit decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting.  Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If you pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The product was distributed to customers located in California, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin, who may have further distributed the product to other states.

Nestlé Purina PetCare Company became aware of the contamination as a result of samples that had been collected in several retail stores.

For further information or to obtain a product refund, please call NPPC toll-free at 1-800-982-6559 or visit the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company web site.

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HALO Animal Rescue Kitten Season Swimsuit Issue

Here are a few of the cute fuzzy babies that are making HALO Animal Rescue (Phoenix, Arizona 85017) their temporary home this summer. Maybe they aren’t exactly wearing swimsuits, but these little guys are the eye candy of summer at the shelter.

This is a great time of year to adopt a kitten because HALO has so many little sweeties to choose from!

The kittens get lots of love at HALO, but nothing compares to home sweet home. Take a look at all the kitties HALO currently has up for adoption. These aren’t the only kittens who know how to strike a pose!

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Humane Society of Boulder Valley Needs Surgical Instruments

From the Humane Society of Boulder Valley (Boulder, Colorado 80301)

We’re wearing out our surgery instruments!

Please help us replace and purchase vital veterinary surgical supplies for our shelter animals.

Our veterinarians are performing more surgeries on shelter animals than ever before! Why? We’re saving more animals than ever before, and we spay/neuter every animal prior to making them available for adoption to help control pet overpopulation.

Already this year, our veterinarians have provided 1,781 spay/neuter surgeries for our shelter animals – an 18% increase from last year!

Last week 60 puppies arrived at our shelter via PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin’ from an overcrowded shelter in Tulsa. All of these puppies arrived intact and needed spay/neuter surgeries by our veterinarians. When a transfer of more than 50 kittens came to us last month from New Mexico to keep them from being euthanized, we sterilized all of them before finding them new homes.

Each surgical procedure requires its own sterilized pack of instruments. We need to purchase more surgery packs to perform surgeries that help save more lives.

When you give to help us fund our critical needs for things such as veterinary surgery packs, you help animals like these puppies and kittens.

As you can imagine, surgery instruments are expensive – one critical item can cost more than $100. Can you help us ensure our expert veterinarians have the tools they need to perform critical surgeries for our homeless animals?

We hope to raise $3,400 to purchase more surgery supplies. Thanks to a generous gift from 24PetWatch Microchip Identification and ShelterCare Pet Insurance Programs, we’re nearly halfway there! Help us match their gift and meet our goal!

Donate Now

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Wondering how you can help SARA Sanctuary?

From SARA Sanctuary (Seguin, Texas 78156)

We often hear from people who don’t live in the area, but want to help us in our ongoing mission to provide for almost 1,000 animals at SARA Sanctuary.

Even if you don’t live locally and can’t volunteer to help us on the grounds, host an adoption event or help organize a fundraiser, you can help us to provide critical resources for the animals!

Please help us to provide care and food for our dogs, cats and other rescued farm animals.

You can also help us with the ongoing costs of running a 117-acre sanctuary. Without electricity here, our water pumps will not work for the animals.

One of our most pressing bills that are due are for the main electricity accounts. Because the sanctuary is so large, we have to have multiple accounts for the utilities, hence the different account below. This one must be paid right away and your help is greatly needed!

If you can help with the electric bill, please contact GVEC 800-223-4832 and tell them you are calling for SARA.  Any amount will help.

Account Number: 10015877
Account Numbers: 100345301 – 100345318

Call Producers Coop and make a donation in food today.  Just specify that you want to make a donation for SARA Sanctuary and they will give us a credit for food that will reach our animals today.

Producers Coop
830-379-1750

In addition to feeding the animals, we can use gift cards to Wal-Mart, HEB or Home Depot so that we can purchase cleaning and maintenance items that we need to run the sanctuary.

(Problems with the donation link above? Simply visit the SARA Sanctuary web site and click on either the paypal or justgive donation button)

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Pig Pals Get New Home

by Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary National Shelter Director

If you ask the folks working at Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter who some of their favorite animals are, there’s a good chance you’ll hear the names Riley and Petunia. These two cheerful pigs spent several months sharing a cozy stall here, becoming the very best of friends. Whenever their gate opened, they would rush over to greet their visitors, sniffing them curiously and vying for affection. Much of their time was devoted to rooting through the ground in search of treats (even a rock was an exciting find) or lazing in piles of straw. Whatever they were doing, they were most happy simply being together. And thanks to one of our interns, who has offered them a home for the rest of their lives, that’s how they’re going to stay.

Because Riley would never be fit to enter our main pig herd, we were concerned about finding an appropriate living arrangement for him. The neglect Riley suffered prior to his rescue left him with blindness in his right eye and a permanent head tilt. Pigs live in complex social hierarchies, and having ailments like these would make it tough for Riley to find a spot in a herd of much larger pigs. For a while, he lived with two other young pigs, Bob Harper and Kim Gordon, but when the time came for them to join the adults, Riley couldn’t follow. Fortunately, Petunia, whom we rescued in February, had recovered from surgery for an intestinal hernia and was ready to start making friends. Petunia was just four pounds when she came to us, small enough to fit in one hand. Though she’s grown tremendously, she’s still only about half the size of Riley, and just a tiny fraction the size of some of the other pigs. Not only is she too small for the main herd right now, but she also might need more surgery for her hernia. Surgery on small pigs is always a tough choice to make – it’s dangerous, because they grow so fast (up to a pound a day!) that they could rip their sutures. Hopefully the hernia will correct itself as she grows, but if she did need surgery, it might keep her from being able to stay with the main herd. As long as she’s sharing a place with just her best bud Riley, however, she’ll never have to worry about a thing.

On July 9, Farm Sanctuary staff chauffeured Petunia and Riley to the West Virginia home of their adopter. Seemingly unruffled by their long journey and arrival in strange, new surroundings, the two immediately made themselves at home and greeted their new family warmly. During her internship with us, Riley and Petunia’s adopter developed a strong relationship with them, and under her care, they’ll never have to spend a day apart from one another. Here at the New York Shelter, we came to love these happy little pigs. We miss them terribly, but we’re elated that they’ll never again have to face the horrors of abuse and neglect into which they were born. For the rest of their days, they’ll be playing together, rooting through the rich West Virginia soil, basking in the sun, and simply enjoying the good life.

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Humane Society of Missouri 2011 Summer Fund Drive

The summer months are one of the cruelest times for cats, dogs, and other animals in Missouri.

Dogs are chained up outside, left in the sweltering heat, with no clean water for days on end.  Cruel, inhumane pet owners leave animals behind, with no thoughts as to how their pets will manage without food or water.

But there is hope for these precious animals!

Your Summer Fund Drive gift will provide the Humane Society of Missouri (St. Louis, Missouri 63110) with much-needed funds to provide food, shelter, and medical care during these critical months.

Our furry friends are especially vulnerable during the hot summer months.  Please see that they get the care and attention they need by making a gift today.

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Submit Your Entry for Atlanta Humane Society’s 2012 “All Pets Allowed” Calendar

You know your pet is a star—now it’s time the rest of the world knows it too! Submit your pet’s best photo for the Atlanta Humane Society’s 2012 “All Pets Allowed” calendar! The deadline to submit your entry is August 31, 2011. When all entries are received, fourteen animals will be selected as “Pets of the Month”: December 2011 – January 2013. One very special animal will be selected to grace the front cover of the calendar! Animals not selected for a month will still have their photo featured in a collage inside the calendar.

The entry fee is $35 and includes one free copy of the calendar. Additional calendars are sold for $15 and shipped free, with all proceeds going toward the Atlanta Humane Society’s animal welfare programs. You may submit your photo via email or through regular mail. Please carefully read the entry requirements before submitting your pet’s photo.

More info.

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Independent Animal Rescue 9th Annual Painted Chair Auction

When: July 30, 2011. Doors open at 5 pm; Auction viewing from 5 pm to 6 pm. Live auction from 6 pm to 8 pm.

Where: Motorco, 723 Rigsbee Avenue, Durham, North Carolina

Tickets: $10 in advance; $15 at the door

Doors will open to the public at 5:00 pm for music, cocktails, and auction viewing. The exciting live auction of works from local artists begins at 6:00 pm. Grab some friends and plan to enjoy a wonderful evening in downtown Durham.

100% of the Painted Chair Auction profits will aid in the rescue and care of homeless, abandoned, and abused animals at Independent Animal Rescue (Durham, North Carolina 27709).

More info and purchase tickets.

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Larimer Humane Society Back to the Shelter Supply and Fund Drive

From Larimer Humane Society (Fort Collins, Colorado 80525)

While kids (and parents) across the country are busy stocking up on the supplies they’ll need for the coming school year, here at Larimer Humane Society, we’re doing the same!

Would you help us to restock our shelves before the next wave of animals arrive? Now through July 31st, help us to replenish our supplies by making an online donation or by purchasing an item from our donation drive wish list!

Monetary donations and supplies can be dropped off at:

Larimer Humane Society shelter
6317 Kyle Avanue, Fort Collins
11am-7pm weekdays
10am-5pm Saturday and Sunday

Larimer Humane Society administrative building
5137 S. College Avenue, Fort Collins
weekdays from 9am-5:30pm.

It takes many supplies and generous people like you to help us continue providing high-level care for nearly 12,000 homeless, ill, injured, and abused animals each year. Thank you for helping us to make a difference!

For more information about the Back to School the Shelter Supply and Fund Drive, please contact Kara Pappas via email or by calling 970-530-2948.

 

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Cat Numbers Reach Critical Level Level at Cleveland APL: Adoption Special on July 23, 2011

From the Cleveland Animal Protective League (Cleveland, Ohio 44113)

On Sunday, an Animal Protective League volunteer who was walking dogs heard the cries of little kittens near the front door of the building. Upon further investigation, she realized that the kittens were inside the garbage can. She retrieved them and in the process found their mother, who had managed to escape with one kitten, but refused to leave the garbage can where her other kittens remained.

Today, a staff member found a small box duct-taped closed next to the dumpster and noticed the heads of cats trying to get out. Ten cats were pulled from this box. It was over 90 degrees outside. The cats were panting and covered in each other’s drool. They were found just in time.

These 17 cats and kittens are only a fraction of the 156 that came to the APL in the last 5 days alone. The number of cats that need us has exceeded our cage space but we will NOT euthanize animals to make space. That means we need to do a huge number of adoptions NOW and we’re asking our community for help. In order to keep taking in cats like the cats in these stories, we need to find homes for the cats that are already in our care, so for the first time ever, we’re reducing the adoption fee on ALL cats, even kittens, to $5 on Saturday, July 23rd.

Please help us save lives – adopt a cat. They’re not trash.

All animals are spayed-neutered, tested for heartworm or FELV/FIV, have received age appropriate vaccinations and treatments of worms and fleas, and come with a collar and APL ID tag, helpful species-specific animal care information, and free initial veterinary exam. Cats/Kittens come with a travel box, and dogs/puppy adoptions include a leash.

All adoptable animals can be seen at the Animal Protective League web site.

Please call the APL at 216-771-4616 with any questions about adopting.

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