U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced this week the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act (S. 950). This bipartisan legislation will allow veterinarians to legally carry and dispense controlled substances to protect the health and welfare of the nation’s animals, ensure public safety, and safeguard the nation’s food supply.

Last month, veterinarians and U.S. Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) introduced companion legislation, H.R. 1528 and we asked you to contact your Representatives to voice your support for this issue. More than 10,000 of you took action.

We need your support again.  Tell your U.S. Senators TODAY that veterinarians must be able to legally carry and use controlled substances for the health and welfare of the nation’s animals, to safeguard public safety and to protect the nation’s food supply.

We encourage you to contact your Senators and urge them to co-sponsor the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act.  This legislation amends the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) which currently prohibits veterinarians from transporting controlled substances to treat animal patients outside of their registered locations.

Veterinarians treat multiple species of animals in a variety of settings. Unfortunately, the CSA makes it illegal for veterinarians to take and use controlled substances outside of the locations where they are registered, often their clinics or homes.

This means that it is illegal for veterinarians to carry and use vital medications for pain management, anesthesia and euthanasia on farms, in house calls, in veterinary mobile clinics, or ambulatory response situations.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which enforces the law, has informed organized veterinary medicine that without a statutory change, veterinarians are in violation of the CSA and cannot legally provide complete veterinary care. The DEA has already notified veterinarians in some states that they are in violation of the law.

Tell your Senators that veterinarians need to legally be able to transport controlled substances to the locations of the animal patients, not only for the health and welfare of the nation’s animals, but for public safety. Support S. 950, the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act, NOW.

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.

Sampling conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Salmonella in additional dry pet food and a cat pet treat. In an abundance of caution, Natura is also recalling product made in the surrounding timeframe. This action affects dry pet foods and treats only; no canned wet food or biscuits are affected by this announcement.

The affected products are sold through veterinary clinics and select pet specialty retailers nationwide and in Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Costa Rica, as well as online.

Consumers who have purchased these pet foods should discard them. For additional information, consumers may visit the Natura Pet Products web site. For a product replacement or refund call Natura toll-free at 800-224-6123. (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST).

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.

Animals with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some animals will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your animals have consumed the recalled product and have these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian. “Vitae bird food was distributed through Southern California retail pet stores.

The bags in question are packaged in a factory sealed plastic bag or a white bulk bag for the 20# size.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

This recall was the result of a routine testing performed by Specialty Commodities, which revealed that the finished products, which include parsley that is on recall from Specialty Commodities, contain Salmonella. The company has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA and the company continue their investigation as to what caused the problem.

If you still have any bags on hand, please return them immediately to the place of purchase or Merit Bird Company for a full refund.

More info from the FDA web site.

This means that it is illegal for veterinarians to carry and use vital medications for pain management, anesthesia and euthanasia on farms, in house calls, in veterinary mobile clinics, or ambulatory response situations.

Veterinarians must be able to legally carry and use controlled substances for the health and welfare of the nation’s animals, to safeguard public safety and to protect the nation’s food supply.

Read more on the AVMA web site.

In a one-in-a-million happenstance, Brittany Wallace found her childhood companion, Scribbles, hours before the mare was to be shipped to Mexico or Canada to be killed and eaten.

Read more on the Cape Cod Times.

As of today, the Cat Team is ahead of the Dog Team…but that may not last for long.  If you are not able to walk yourself, consider sponsoring one of our animal teams!

Karate Kideo and the Kool Kats

I am Karate Kideo, as my shelter friends call me because I love to play.  I am so excited to have been selected by my fellow cats to be captain of this year’s Makin’ Strides for Strays Walkathon cat team, representing the 70-80 current feline residents here at A.D.O.P.T… with plenty more arriving once kitten season hits.  Please sponsor our team and help us put those pups in their place!

Click here to support the Cat Team

Benny and the Jets

We are just giving those cats a false sense of security…I am Benny, Team Captain of Benny & The Jets, a team of canine residents representing the shelter in the Makin’ Strides for Strays Walkathon!  We want to raise funds to help dogs who find themselves here at A.D.O.P.T. — Many of us have medical issues that can be very costly to treat; many of us are seniors. If it weren’t for A.D.O.P.T. we might not have the chance to find forever homes.

Click here to support the Dog Team

This year is the 20th Anniversary of the Makin’ Strides for Strays Walkathon!  Please join us on Sunday, May 5 at Fifth Avenue Station for family games and refreshments as we celebrate!  For more information, visit the A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter web site.

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There is someplace chocolate should never be, and that’s in your dog. Chocolate is toxic to dogs and can kill them. And since a lot of the chocolate treats might be the kids’, make sure to pass along the message to them to never give chocolate to Rover.

Read more on the FDA web site.

To help these cats find homes, the Dumb Friends League is hoping to bridge the gap between online and your lap through its “We’re Everywhere… Except Your Lap” campaign by highlighting the many positive attributes that make cats such lovable online celebrities.

As part of the multimedia campaign promoted through television, radio, print and online content, as well as the creation if its very own Internet cat memes (a form of viral online content), the Dumb Friends League will be offering a variety of adoption specials to help get more cats into forever homes throughout the spring and summer. The specials will take place at all adoption locations—the Quebec Street shelter in Denver, the Buddy Center in Castle Rock and the adoption center at The Shops at Northfield Stapleton—as well as on its mobile adoption unit, the Pet Care-avan, and six participating Petco locations.

All feline adoptions include a spay/neuter surgery, initial vaccinations, a microchip ID implant and a free office visit with a participating veterinarian.

More info.

Please join the ASPCA for this month-long celebration of its victories in the fight against animal cruelty.

Ways to go orange.

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.

Sampling conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Salmonella in additional dry cat food and a cat pet treat. In an abundance of caution, Natura is also recalling product made in the surrounding time frame. This affects dry foods only; no canned wet food is affected by this announcement.

The affected products are sold through veterinary clinics and select pet specialty retailers nationwide and in Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Costa Rica, as well as online. The dry cat food expiration dates for this expanded recall range from 1/1/2014 to 3/24/2014. The dry cat treats have expiration dates from 7/1/13 to 9/27/13.

Consumers who have purchased these pet foods should discard them. For additional information, consumers may visit the Natura Pet Products web site. For further information or a product replacement or refund, please call Natura toll-free at 800-224-6123. (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM CST).

More info.