I remember coming home from the hospital with Carter and laying him on the floor to introduce him to Bella. It wasn't until right then that my husband said, "how do we know if he's allergic to her?" I immediately panicked! How could we not have thought about this before bringing him home and having them interact for the very first time?

Luckily I was a nurse for a pediatrician at the time so I text her and she gave me reassurance. She said that it was actually a good thing to introduce Carter to Bella right away and that he’s a lot tougher than I give him credit for at just 2 days old. She told me that early introduction is actually good for his immune system.

My husband has asthma and bad allergies. He is actually allergic to Bella and reacts to most dogs which is why we were so quick to panic. When he was a young child he actually spent some time in the hospital in a “bubble” due to a flare up from an encounter with a cat.

Below is an article from PetLady that explains why having a dog in the house can actually be a good thing for a baby. Even at 7 months old when Bella passes by Carter he gets a huge smile on his face and giggles with their interactions. He attempts to pet her, chases her around the house in his walker, and he loves to be by her at all times.

Dirty Dogs Might Be Just What The Doctor Ordered

Who would have thought that the same dog that rolls in the mud, sniffs his or her fellow dog’s behinds, attracts fleas from time to time, and then gives you a big sloppy kiss — actually could be good for your health? But according to epidemiological studies, there is evidence that children who grow up in households with dogs have a lower risk for developing autoimmune illnesses, such as asthma and allergies, than those who don't.

Hygiene Hypothesis

According to research on this issue, there are hygienists who promote the ‘hygiene hypothesis,’ which believes that indoor living can do us more harm than good. This theory states that spending over 90 percent of our time in our bacteria-poor environment indoors — as as we do (especially early in life, when our immune systems are being formed) — can cause our bodies to overreact to harmless substances later on, making us more prone to air-borne illnesses.

“Allergies and asthma are both examples of the way that the immune system is misfiring,” said Jordan Peccia, a professor of environmental engineering at Yale University. “An allergy is our immune system attacking something that it shouldn’t attack, because it hasn’t been calibrated properly.”

Dogs counters Hygiene Hypothesis

Peccia states that exposure to animal micro-organisms during the first three months of life helps to stimulate a child’s immune system so that it doesn’t become overly sensitive as they grow.

A study published last year in The New England Journal of Medicine found that Amish children in Indiana who grew up in proximity to barnyard animals had far lower rates of asthma than Hutterite children, who were raised apart from animals, on large mechanized farms in North Dakota.

When we are deprived of contact with these ancestral bacterial allies, our immune systems sometimes lose the ability to distinguish between friend and foe. The solution: “If we can’t bring our kids to the farm, maybe we can bring the farm to kids,” said Dr. Gilbert, the director of the Microbiome Center at the University of Chicago who believes that cohabitation with all kinds of animals is the solution. He believes it's the next best thing to living next door to a farm for training a growing immune system.

Research has shown that dog ownership raised the levels of 56 different classes of bacterial species in the indoor environment which in most instances are good for us. While a few microbes are less than advantageous, the potential upsides of dog ownership appears to outweigh the risks, according to these studies.

Love Hormone

Netzin Steklis is a biologist at the University of Arizona who is working on a study addressing the elderly. Her research is discovering how living with dogs changes seniors’ skin and gut microbiomes, and as a result — how dogs can lift our mood.

“It is not just an oxytocin story anymore,” she said, referring to the brain chemical often called the ‘hormone of love.’ She suspects that the physiological effect of this type of bacteria in our guts may contribute to the well-known anti-depressive benefit of dog ownership.

FDA.gov - June 14, 2017

Loving Pets of Cranbury, NJ is voluntarily recalling a limited number of dog treats because of the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

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.

The lot numbers included are:

Loving Pets Barksters™

• Item #5700 Sweet Potato and Chicken UPC 842982057005 - Lot # 021619
• Item #5705 Brown Rice and Chicken UPC 842982057050 - Lot 021419

Loving Pets Puffsters™ Snack Chips

• Item #5100 Apple and Chicken UPC 842982051003 - Lot 051219, 112118, 112918, 012719, 012519, 013019
• Item #5110 Banana and Chicken UPC 842982051102 - Lot 112218, 112818, 112918, 013119
• Item #5120 Sweet Potato and Chicken UPC 842982051201 - Lot 112818, 020119
• Item #5130 Cranberry and Chicken UPC 842982051300 - Lot 020319, 112918, 020219

Whole Hearted™

• Item #2570314 Chicken and Apple Puff Treats UPC 800443220696 - Lot 121418, 121918, 122318, 010419, 010619, 010519

No illnesses, injuries or complaints have been reported.

The possible Salmonella contamination was due to a single finished ingredient that was supplied to Loving Pets from a USA based supplier. This possible contamination was discovered by Loving Pets' internal quality assurance team and was identified through the company's standard quality control testing procedures and internal food safety program. Loving Pets produces its treats in small batches, in order to offer the highest quality and control in safety.

To ensure the safety of its products, Loving Pets decided to be extra cautious and recall a wider range of lot numbers (noted above) so that no possible contaminated product is available on the market.

Consumers may return any bag of treats with any of these aforementioned lot numbers to the retailer where the product was originally purchased.

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Tired of all these recalls? Click Here for healthy, never recalled porky puffs, or a wide variety of other safe healthy treats for your fur babies!

FDA.gov - June 10, 2017

United Pet Group, a division of Spectrum Brands, Inc. is voluntarily recalling multiple brands of packages of rawhide dog chew products that were distributed to retail outlets and sold online in the U.S. The recall involves the brands and products described below.

The recall was initiated after  United Pet Group identified that certain of its rawhide chew manufacturing facilities located in Mexico and Colombia, as well as one of its suppliers in Brazil, were using a quaternary ammonium compound mixture as a processing aid in the manufacturing of rawhide chews. The compound is an anti-microbial chemical that is approved for cleaning food processing equipment, but it has not been approved in the U.S. as a processing aid in the production of rawhide chews for dogs.

United Pet Group received very limited reports of pet illness based on the volume of possibly affected rawhide chew products manufactured and distributed. The primary complaint received from consumers was that the affected product had an unpleasant odor. Diarrhea and vomiting were also reported.

Exposure to quaternary ammonium compounds through direct ingestion may cause the following symptoms in dogs: reduced appetite, and gastric irritation including diarrhea and vomiting. These symptoms may require treatment by a veterinarian depending on severity.

The affected product was distributed nationwide from United Pet Group’s Edwardsville, Illinois distribution facility and was delivered to consumers through various retail establishments including online outlets. All of the dog chew products included in the voluntary recall identify an expiration date ranging from 06/01/2019 through 05/31/2020 located on the back of the package.

The products subject to the recall are described below.

This recall is limited to dog chew products that contain rawhide. Only products with lot codes listed on the back of the package that start with AH, AV, A, AI, AO, or AB and which list expiration dates from 06/01/2019 through 05/31/2020 are affected by this recall. This includes all package sizes and/or weights. The following contact information appears on the back of the package of the affected products:

United Pet Group, a Division of Spectrum Brands, Inc. 3001 Commerce St. Blacksburg, VA 24060 1-800-645-5154 Consumers who have purchased the products described above are urged to dispose of the product or return it directly to United Pet Group or to the retail establishment where they initially purchased the product for full refund. Please see brand logos below which will assist in identifying affected products.

We take our responsibility to pets and their owners seriously and we are continuing to investigate the cause of this problem. We are implementing changes across  the  affected manufacturing facilities in order to prevent this problem from reoccurring in the future. United Pet Group is also working with retailers to ensure that the affected products are no longer sold and removed from inventory.

If you have these products, please contact the United Pet Group consumer affairs team at 1-855-215-4962 between the hours of 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM Eastern Standard Time for a refund.

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Tired of dog and cat food recalls? Click Here for healthy, never recalled and holistically formulated dog and cat foods, treats, supplements and pet care products or email me for a sample.

Here is a great article by Dr. V with important tips and reminders about keeping our pets safe and comfortable as warmer weather is upon us.

Help Pets Stay Chill This Summer

As summer approaches, we’re going through our closets pulling out our t-shirts and shorts in preparation for fun in the sun. But what about our four-legged friends stuck in a permanent fur coat? Are they as affected by the midday heat as we are? (Spoiler alert: yes.) And is there anything we can do about it? (Also, yes.) Here’s the good news: beating the heat is as easy as ABC!

A. Always Plan Ahead

Remember, our companion animals are at our mercy when it comes to being out in the sun. While we can choose whether or not to take a midday hike or sit out in the backyard for hours, they have to go along with the decisions we make, even if it is uncomfortable or potentially dangerous for them. Heat stroke illnesses and deaths spike in the summer, stemming from three main categories:

Prolonged exercise in full heat is dangerous. People who take their pet out to walk or run during the hottest time of the day and don’t realize their pet is overheating. Limit your exercise times to morning and evening during hot months.

Leaving pets in cars. It’s a myth that cracking the windows makes the car cooler ... it doesn’t! Another common misconception is that the outside temperature needs to be high for pets to suffer. On a sunny 70 degree day, the interior can reach 90 degrees in 30 minutes. In 85 degree weather, the temperature can reach 120 in the same period of time! If you can’t bring your dog or cat inside with you on your errands, let them stay home. It simply isn’t worth the risk.

Too much activity and not enough water. I’ve seen pets get heat stroke just from playing in the yard on a warm afternoon. If you’re planning on staying outside with your dog, make sure he or she has plenty of water to drink, a shady place to retreat to, and maybe even a sprinkler or wading pool to cool down in.

B. Beware the Signs of Heat Stroke

Heat stroke symptoms can begin once the body temperature exceeds 103 degrees F. While most of us don’t carry a pet thermometer around, watch for these specific warning signs:

• heavy panting
• excessive drooling leading to very dry mouth
• extra-red tongue or gums
• weakness or collapse

Brachycephalic breeds like bulldogs and pugs are especially prone to overheating, as are dark-haired breeds. Dogs and cats can and do die every summer from heat exposure, so if you suspect your companion animal is suffering heat exhaustion or heat stroke, go to the veterinary ER as soon as possible! 

C. Clipping: What About a Summer ‘Do?

Many people like to give their dog or cat a summer clip to help stay cool. If this is something you are considering, talk to your groomer to ensure it’s appropriate for your pet’s breed. Dogs whose fur grows continuously - such as poodles and Lhasas - do well with clips, while double-coated breeds such as Akitas and Chows do not. In some cases, a pet’s coat may actually help keep him or her cool, rendering a clip counterproductive. If you do opt for a trim, make sure there is at least one inch of fur remaining so your beloved pup or kitty doesn’t get a sunburn.

Although heat-related illnesses are scary and serious, the great news is that they are also entirely preventable. With just a little foresight and planning, our furry friends can enjoy the summer just as much as we do! Now get out there and soak up the rays!