For those not already aware, Nutro has voluntarily recalled a variety of dry cat food products.

Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries.  This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected.  One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium.  Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.

This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier.  An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel.  We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile.  While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea.  If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product.  Cat owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST, or visit www.nutroproducts.com.

If you feed Nutro to your cats, visit the FDA’s website for a list of recalled products.

Well, we went to the vet over the weekend, Violet on Saturday, Cajun on Sunday. Overall both trips went well.

Violet at the vet

Violet was wonderful in the car, as usual, but was a little stressed out in the waiting room. She doesn’t mind other cats but she hates dogs – really hates them, and the waiting room was just packed with dogs, including one that was parked right next to the door when we walked in. I’ve never seen the place so busy before. It was difficult to find a quiet spot to sit, so there was no exploring, but she did sit quietly in my lap while we waited. There was a bit of puffing but strong reactions otherwise.

The stress from the dog-filled waiting room carried over to the exam room and she was none to pleased to have the vet poking around her bum. We had a few hisses but other than that she was very good. Good news is that her bottom is fine – her anal glands look clear and didn’t need expressing, which is just as well. I’m sure that would not have improved Violet’s mood.It was an expensive trip to find out that she’s perfectly fine, but well worth it. I got a very informative lesson from the vet about anal glands, which I didn’t know too much about (they’re not something I’ve ever had to deal with before.)

As soon as we got back out to the car she settled right down. Nothing like familiar territory to relax a cat. We went grocery shopping on the way home (well I did – Violet napped in the car while I was in the store) and then came home.

Cajun at the vet

Cajun was also very good in the car. She rested quietly in her carrier the whole trip.

Fortunately, the waiting room was a lot quieter on Sunday. She did some investigating our corner of the room and sat on the window sill, watching the parking lot.

She’s lost a few ounces since her last visit, so I’ll be upping her food intake a bit. She’s still feeling pretty muscular around her back, which is good, but she could use a little more fat on her. She loves her food and eats as much as Violet and Clover, who are about three pounds heavier than her. Asked about the possibility of hyperthyroidism, but the vet didn’t think it was likely, as her heart beat is good and she’s very young.

Her ear is also looking great too – she had a chronic ear infection for about nine months which persisted despite repeated treatment. We finally got rid of it with an aggressive run of oral antibiotics and ear drops, and it doesn’t look like it’s coming back (knock on wood.)

She still has mild conjunctivitis in her one eye (which was the reason for the visit.) We’ve tried BNP and tetracycline, and now we’re on a week of erythromycin which will hopefully clear it up. Just in case, we’re also doing a virus panel, since the conjunctivitis has been stubborn.

I’m very fortunate that Cajun is a very cooperative cat. She’s gotten more feisty as her health has improved, but she still lets me tend to her her without any trouble. Since I’ve brought her home she’s had her teeth brushed regularly, been on daily pills for a month, been on ear drops for over a month, and eye ointment for weeks. She’s also pretty good about brushing and claw clipping (except for one paw, which I suspect was injured at some point.)

Anyway, we got our meds and directions to call in a week, then came home. Cajun hung out under the back seat on the ride home but came out easily. We’ve just started the new eye meds so it’s a little early to see results, but I’ll keep you updated.

Planning for next time

I think next time I’ll try and avoid scheduling appointments on Saturday, though weekend appointments are better for me, as I don’t have to miss work for them. I think though, it’d be better to miss a half hour of work and avoid the super crowded waiting room. Too many dogs made Violet’s visit more stressful than it needed to be. Hopefully there won’t be a need for any more vet visits for a while though – other than Cajun’s eye, everyone seems to be in good health.

The Pet Connection Blog’s Dr. Marty Becker is promoting Bayer’s “Help Your Pet, Get to the Vet” campaign. Visit the site to download a $20 voucher that can be used toward any preventative visit (vaccination, deworming, dental, wellness exam etc) to any vet.

http://www.gettothevet.com/

This offer is available to Americans from Feb 16 – 28, 2009 and there are limited vouchers available so get yours today.

I keep hearing about people getting their cats declawed or cat owners casually talking about their plans to have their cat declawed. While the idea of declawing a cat causes me great outrage, what upsets me even more is that these cat owners are almost invariably ignorant of what the procedure actually involves – they think declawing is okay because they don’t know any better.

While the general public may be excused for not knowing what declawing is (really, could anything sound more innocuous than “declaw”?) I consider it inexcusable that anyone who has had a cat declawed or is planning to have their cat declawed does not fully understand what the procedure is and the potential negative side effects.

Some questions for the vets

So, veterinarians, why are you declawing cats without having a serious discussion with your clients before hand?

Why are you performing an elective procedure, that is so painful and cruel that almost every country in Europe has forbidden it, without making sure the owners of these cats can make an educated decision?

Why are you not ensuring that cat owners have tried and exhausted all other options for modifying undesirable scratching behaviour before consenting to declaw surgery?

I’m sure some vets find declawing to be a lucrative business – perhaps money is a motivating factor?

I’m sure others are concerned about alientating people by questioning a client’s request for declaw surgery or trying to open up a discussion about it. I also think that that is absurd. I often hear of vets being very vocal in their disapproval of other choices made by pet owners and yet their practices aren’t going out of business for lack of clients.

And ultimately, as the veterinary professional it is your responsibility to make recommendations that are in the best interests of the animal and to help pet owners make informed decisions. It is your responsibility to act ethically.

Some questions for cat owners who have declawed/are considering declaw

And cat owners – why are you not educating yourself about a major surgical procedure?

Why would you consider a major elective procedure without knowing anything about it and without asking your vet a single question about what will be done or what might happen afterward?

Have you made a genuine attempt to address scratching behaviour before considering declawing, or did you jump to declawing as a “easy” solution?

As a cat owner it is your responsibility to make good, informed decisions for your cat. You are all they have and their life and wellbeing is in your hands. Requesting a procedure that is painful, cruel, irreversible and often results in other behavioural issues is not responsible pet ownership.

As a cat owner you also must be willing to accept and manage natural cat behaviours. This doesn’t mean letting your cat destroy everything in your home or injure your family – it means taking the time and effort to train your cat, to channel natural behaviour so that it is not destructive and to understand & work with your cat’s fundamental nature to create a situation where you can both live happily.

Mutilating your cat to save your couch is just bad pet ownership. Doing it out of ignorance is tragic.

Don’t let ignorance hurt cats

Ultimately, ignorance is inexcusable and the damage done to cats out of ignorance is permanent. Almost every single person I’ve talked to who has been educated about what declawing is has expressed their shock and revulsion at the realities of the procedure. Vets – take the time to educate your clients and help them make responsible choices. Cat owners – take the time to educate yourself and do what is right for you and your cat.

Watch for upcoming articles with more on declawing – what it is, why it’s harmful, why cats need their claws, declaw alternatives and fixing undesirable behaviour without harming your cat.

Declawing resources:

• http://www.declawing.com/
• http://www.de-clawing.com/