Hello Pups and Kittens and welcome back fro the one hundred and eighith time to The Groomer Next Door. This week we have the amazing Susan Thixton (adovcate, writter, and all around intellegent lady). Two weeks ago Susan Thixton and Dr, Becker went to Washington DC to speak abbout transparency on the labels of pet food. I'm attaching an article below from her website http://truthaboutpetfood.com/

And if you're interested in helping her pursuit to uncover the truth for all of us pet parents you can visit http://associationfortruthinpetfood.com/join-us/

We had Significant Success in Washington DC

With a great deal of work to go, I am thrilled to report to consumers that our trip to Washington DC was not in vain. We achieved a significant agreement from FDA to work with consumer advocates for transparency in pet food. Is it feed or is it food? Hopefully soon the pet food label will tell you.

Our team was…Dr. Karen Becker, a pet owning lawyer, and myself. None of us had gone to Senator’s offices before, the three of us had never before worked together. We had a monumental task in front of us. The three of us were ‘all in’. We were focused, we each brought different things to the table. Though it is sort of bragging…I have to say – we were an awesome team.

Day 1 – June 21, 2017 – was meetings with Senator Richard Durbin’s (Illinois) office at 11 AM, meetings with Senator Pat Roberts (Kansas) and Senator Debbie Stabenow (Michigan) office – both members of the Senate Agriculture Committee – at 2 PM.

We weren’t nervous, but we felt the pressure of what was at stake. Walking down the hallways of the Hart Senate Office Building to Senator Durbin’s office was exciting. We arrive in Senator Durbin’s office and wait for our meeting. Soon we were escorted to a conference room where we met with Kevin Lefeber, Senator Durbin’s legislative advisor. We shared consumers concerns of pet food – starting with laws written (in part) by Senator Durbin back in 2007 (after the 2007 recall) requiring FDA to update pet food ingredients and labels. We told him FDA is almost 8 years past deadline. We explained that most pet foods are ‘feed’ and contain feed quality ingredients but marketed to consumers as food. We explained that laws within the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act are openly ignored by FDA and each State Department of Agriculture. And we explained how consumers are left in the dark – not knowing exactly what they are buying because pet food ingredient definitions are corporately owned, not public information as in human food.

We all added to the conversation and we were flawless (sorry to brag again, but I’m just that proud of us). But…there was no solution offered. Sincere concern, but no solution.

Next meeting went about the same. We met with Dr. Chelsey Shivley DVM – an AVMA fellow for Senator Debbie Stabenow and Chelsie Keys on Senator Pat Roberts staff. Again we were escorted into a conference room and again your team did an awesome job addressing the serious issues pet food consumers face. Awesome minus one moment when my frustration for a resolve caused me to go off focus for a bit…but…the rest of the team got me back on track quickly. Dr. Chelsey Shivley and Chelsie Keys took pages and pages of notes – they listened attentively. During this meeting we specifically asked for a resolve – we asked for pet foods that do not meet the requirements of food law to be labeled as feed. Their suggestion was to start this discussion with FDA and to have more consumers write their Representatives in Congress about these same issues.

We left feeling a bit deflated but we quickly realized this is how the ‘system’ works. One step at a time. Our first step was to make these three significant members of Congress aware of the problems pet food consumers face – that was a success. We made them very aware of the problems.

The next day – June 22 – was our meeting with FDA. We arrived at the offices of FDA, but it was not the FDA headquarters as you see in pictures. It was in an office park, 3rd floor. Again we were taken to a conference room and were promptly joined by Dr. Dan McChesney, Charlotte Conway, LeeAnne Palmer, and a couple more FDA representatives. Arrangements had been made in advance for Nikki – the owner of the pug Talula that died from eating pentobarbital contaminated Evanger’s Pet Food – to be on a conference call for the meeting. Nikki was the foundation for our request that things must change – no more pets should die.

Nikki spoke to FDA from the heart, a recently broken heart due to her loss of Talula. FDA was a bit uncomfortable. FDA asked us ‘What are you here for?’ We told them we are tired, consumers are tired. We told them we are tired and completely worn out worrying about the safety of pet food. We told them we cannot fathom how FDA can enable industry to profit from selling adulterated, illegal pet foods – misleading consumers. We told them we want transparency in pet food, we want law enforced.

And then FDA said…Ok, what do you suggest? Our suggestion was label all pet foods that do not meet food law as “feed” – “dog feed” and “cat feed”. Lots of details have to be worked out, but…FDA found this suggestion acceptable. Dr. Karen Becker spoke up and asked if it would be possible for a grading system for pet food – similar to the grading system USDA uses for meat. (Meat suppliers have the option to pay an additional fee to USDA to ‘grade’ meat as Prime, or Choice, or Grade A. The higher grade meats are in turn sold as a more expensive, higher quality product.) Again, lots of details have to be worked out but…FDA was very open to this suggestion as well.

We then asked about a time frame – when could the feed/food system be implemented, when could a pet food grading system be implemented? At this we received some push back. FDA would not commit to a time frame, and this we could not accept. We pushed again asking FDA how these changes in pet food could be moved along quickly. They suggested it go through the AAFCO process and agreed to introduce the idea to AAFCO at the next meeting in August (less than 2 months from now).

This is significant – we have law to back us up – we have law to push through these changes. We have the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act behind us to facilitate this change in pet food. Current law states “In prescribing a definition and standard of identity for any food or class of food in which optional ingredients are permitted, the Secretary shall, for the purpose of promoting honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers, designate the optional ingredients which shall be named on the label.” 

Feed grade pet food ingredients ARE “optional ingredients” permitted by each State and FDA. Most certainly, “for the purpose of promoting honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers” these optional ‘feed’ ingredients should be named on the pet food label. Law is on our side.

FDA asked us to put our requests in writing and submit them to the agency as an addendum to the Citizen Petition that we filed with FDA in October 2016. Needless to say, we have much work to do in a short time frame. Your team will complete the write ups and submit to FDA within the next couple of weeks.

There is much work ahead of us, including assistance from consumers in the near future to get this pushed through. I suspect some in pet food will be in support of these transparency changes, but I suspect the most powerful, most influential pet food manufacturers will be adamantly opposed. If we receive any push back from industry – consumers will know exactly which pet food companies are not willing to be transparent with consumers, which pet food companies have secrets to hide.

Again – law is on our side, we are ready for whatever opposition they put in front of us. And also remember, FDA felt these were good changes – we will continue to work with FDA to keep this on track.

We – all pet food consumers and all pet food advocates – succeeded in Washington DC. Your voices were heard. More news on the progress of this will be shared soon. Get ready to write emails, sign a petition, and/or make a few phone calls. Together we will achieve improved transparency in pet food – we’ve finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel!

A big thank you to Senator’s Durbin, Roberts and Stabenow for your time and your attention to the plight of pet food consumers. A big thank you to FDA for your willingness to meet with us and your willingness to work on true transparency for pet food consumers.

And a big, big, big thank you to Dr. Karen Becker and our ‘lawyer friend’. You were both awesome! I’m so proud of us all.

Go ahead…imagine it. Imagine walking into a pet food store and seeing clearly on the label pet feed or pet food. It IS going to happen. Consumers deserve to know what they are buying. Using Federal law we are going to make that happen. Soon.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients?  Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 4,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com

Hello Pups and Kittens and welcome back to The Groomer Next Door. This week we have so much going on it's a crime we don't charge for this. We have a "NEW" foster kitty, we have more coming next week, we have dog food recalls, and we have an amazing guest on the podcast. Let's meet our guest.

PAWS FOR A CAUSE MISSION STATEMENT

Paws With A Cause^® enhances the independence and quality of life for people with disabilities nationally through custom-trained Assistance Dogs. PAWS^® increases awareness of the rights and roles of Assistance Dog Teams through education and advocacy.

VISION STATEMENT

Embracing innovation to address the aging population and to strengthen families living with disabilities.

CORE VALUES

As we strive to fulfill our mission, these Core Values guide us:

TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

A transformational change engages the heart and the mind. It unleashes the power of teamwork to achieve our deepest goals. It is life-altering in profound, positive ways. It is the essence of “making a difference.”

We believe we can be a catalyst of such change in the lives of our stakeholders and our community. We believe it is the natural outcome of our mission work.

LEADERSHIP

We believe in doing what’s right. We believe in leading by example.

We take an active role in the broader Assistance Dog industry, and seek opportunities to share our expertise for the benefit of all its members.

EXCELLENCE

We believe that “good enough” is just a starting point. We strive to exceed our industry’s standards and our stakeholders’ expectations. We believe our stakeholders deserve nothing less than our best work.

We invest in talent. We believe in challenging each other to greater achievements. We encourage the sharing of ideas, and believe creativity can overcome obstacles.

TEAMWORK

We believe that we are stronger together than we are alone. We believe the most successful Assistance Dog teams are built through collaborative effort.

We recognize that teams are comprised of individuals working together toward a common goal. We believe all our stakeholders are our teammates, and we seek opportunities to engage them. As teammates, we treat each other with care and hold each other accountable.

We believe EVERYONE has the ability to make a positive contribution.

STEWARDSHIP

We believe we have a duty and strive to use our resources wisely. We use our history and experience to plan with care for our sustainable future.

CELEBRATION

We are mindful of life’s preciousness. We believe in cheering each other’s accomplishments and honoring milestones. We believe in the power of laughter and of puppy breath.

Hello Pupds and Kittens and Welcome back for the hundred and sevinty sixth time to The Groomer Next Door podcast. This week is all centered around Rolla, Missouri. John Redshaw from the Rolla Animal Shelter will be stopping by. We also have a major announcement to make.

Hello Pups and Kittens and welcome back for the hundred and seventy fifth episode of The Groomer Next Door Podcast. This week we have the great Dr. Stacey Bone DVM on the podcast answering YOUR questions. I would like to thank all of you for sending in your questions.

Doctor Stacey Bone DVM is the co founder of Pawfriction. You can hear more about that on ep.155

Hello Pups and Kittens, welcome back for the hundred and sevinty fourth time to The Groomer Next Door Podcast. This week we have Gary Tashjian (the founder) of Darwin's Natural Pet Products on the podcast. This episode is very important to us because we feel our Akita is going to benefit from a raw diet. But what about for your dogs or cats, will it benefit them too?

Our mission is to help you see a healthier and happier pet in 30 days.

The Story of Darwin’s

When my dog Max was ten years old, he started suffering from a crippling case of arthritis. I tried the traditional approaches of anti-inflammatory medicines and steroids, but nothing seemed to help. In desperate need for an answer, I turned to a holistic veterinarian, who suggested Max’s diet was worsening the problem.

He then recommended raw dog food, explaining how changing to a raw food diet would strengthen Max’s immune system and help his own body combat the arthritis. He gave me some articles describing how dogs’ digestive systems are designed for raw foods, and provided some recipes so I could make Max’s meals.

I carefully ground the raw meat and vegetables to make Max’s meals and was astounded by how much he improved on his new diet. In just 30 days he was acting more like a puppy than an old dog and he had regained his joyful attitude.

I then started my other dog, Casey, on the diet and saw that the chronic skin problems that have bothered him since puppyhood started clearing up. They eventually disappeared and never returned. I came to realize that the expression “you are what you eat” applies to our pets as well as ourselves.

I told everyone I knew with dogs how raw food transformed my dogs’ lives. But whenever I did, they almost always said the same thing “I get why it helps but I don’t have the time to cook for myself much less my dog.” It was then I decided to start Darwin’s in order to make it easy for pet owners to feed a nutritious high quality raw diet.

Max thrived on the food and lived another five years before finally succumbing to old age at fifteen. I attribute the last five healthy years of his life, and the companionship that we enjoyed together, to the raw food diet.

– Gary Tashjian, Darwin’s Founder

Our Name & Logo

We named our company after Charles Darwin, whose work to understand what created the diversity of life on earth embodied this approach of being “Inspired by Nature, Informed by Science.” We founded the company with a desire to understand our pets’ natural and instinctive diet, and combine the latest scientific knowledge about pet nutrition and all natural ingredients to provide the best meal options for your pets.

What Matters the Most

Darwin’s we believe that all pet owners should have the opportunity to feed their pets a healthy meal made from high quality ingredients. Our goal is to make feeding your pet fresh, healthy, quality raw meals convenient and affordable.

Our Natural Selections meals use only free-range, grass-fed beef, cage–free poultry and organic vegetables. All our meats are hormone free, steroid free and antibiotic free. We visit every farm that raises the animals we use in our meals to make sure they employ good farming practices and treat both their animals and employees with respect.

Unique Formulas for Dogs

Our all-raw dog food meals are complete and balanced. They are made of 75% real meat and 25% fresh vegetables with a small amount of nutrient mix containing important trace minerals from natural sources. There are no grains in any of our meals, since grains are difficult for dogs to digest and not necessary for balanced nutrition. Our moderate fat and low carbohydrate formula has a careful balance of Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids, and essential minerals from natural or organic compounds to exceed the guidelines of both AAFCO and the National Research Council for canine nutrition.

Unique Formulas for Cats

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they have nutritional requirements that can only be met with a diet based almost entirely on animal tissue. Their bodies don’t produce the enzymes required to digest carbohydrates. That’s why our formula for cats contains 100% fresh meat with a small amount of nutrient mix containing important trace minerals from natural sources.

Our all-raw cat food meals are complete and balanced. The moderate fat formula has a balance of important Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids with added essential minerals from natural or organic compounds to exceed the guidelines of both AAFCO and the National Research Council for feline nutrition.

Our Products are Convenient and Affordable

Our home delivery service works on a flexible automatic order basis. You can tailor your order size to your pet’s individual needs and set a convenient delivery schedule. There is no contract or commitment. You can change or cancel your order at any time.

We believe your pet’s food should arrive to you as fresh as it arrived to us, so our meals will arrive at your door just a few weeks after we make them.

We know affordability can be equally as important as convenience and nutrition when it comes to choosing your pet’s meals. Our ‘direct from the manufacturer to your door’ approach is designed to make our high quality food available to almost every pet owner.

Special
Introductory
Offer!

Try 10 lbs.
delivered to your door
for only $14.95

Hello Pups and Kittens welcome back for the hundred and seventy third time to The Groomer Next Door. This week we have an elite Veteranarian, accomplished author, actress, and all around great lady. I am so happy to announce that Dr.Barbara Royal DVM is joining us this week on the podcast.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

GUEST BIO

Barbara Royal, DVM, CVA, founder and owner of The Royal Treatment Veterinary Center, is an internationally-renowned pioneer in complementary medicine and physical rehabilitation. A passionate advocate of commonsense and cutting-edge approaches to optimal animal health, Dr. Royal provides a bridge between Western and Eastern medicine.

Dr. Royal has extensive experience in veterinary care, including zoo, marine, and wildlife animals, emergency medicine, pathology, conventional practices, nutrition, herbal remedies, physical rehabilitation techniques, and alternative treatments.  She is also an acupuncture expert for pets and exotic zoo creatures.  She is the go-to veterinarian for Oprah Winfrey.

Hello Pups and Kittens, welcome back to The Groomer Next Door podcast. This week we have an amazing guest on this week. We love to bring responsible, reliable, and reputable people onto the podcast. This week is no different. Let me introduce you all to JOSHUA BARNES Vice President of www.K9Cuisine.com your one stop shop for ALL your pet product needs.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Little About Us

We are proud to say that K9Cuisine has been around for almost a decade now! We were one of the first online pet supply stores that focused specifically on providing the highest quality Natural, Holistic, and Organic pet food and treats for all of our four legged pals!

As pet owners ourselves, we understand fully that our pet’s health is just as important as our own. Simple buying the cheapest kibble on the market doesn’t cut it for our furry family members. As such we have partnered with the best manufactures of pet food and supplies to offer you a wide selection of healthy and high quality pet food and treats.

Do you have a picky eater? Not a problem, our selection of dog and cat food includes a wide variety of flavors and formulations designed to accommodate all different tastes and diet restrictions. We are sure that you will find what you are looking for, but if for some reason you can’t, just let us know! We welcome feedback and ideas for brands and products to add to the website and will try our best to source them for you at the lowest prices possible!

We welcome you to our website and hope you are able to find all of the products and information that you need for your four-legged friends!

----------------------------------------------------------------

DOG FOOD RECALL ALERT!!
Party Animal Dog Food Recall of April 2017

April 17, 2017 — Party Animal, Inc. has announced it is recalling specific lots of two varieties of its Cocolicious canned dog foods because they have each tested positive for the euthanasia drug, pentobarbital.
What’s Being Recalled?

The following products are affected by the recall:

Cocolicious Beef and Turkey
Size: 12 ounce cans
Lot Number: 0136E15204 04
Best By Date: July 2019

Cocolicious Chicken and Beef
Size: 12 ounce cans
Lot Number: 0134E15 237 13
Best By Date: August 2019

What Caused the Recall?

According to a statement posted on the company’s website and its Facebook page:

The safety of pets is and always will be our first priority. We sincerely regret the reports of the discomfort experienced by the pet who consumed this food.

As pet parents ourselves, we take this matter seriously.

On April 13, a retailer in Texas notified us that their customer had presented samples of our Cocolicious Beef and Turkey Lot #0136E15204 04 and Cocolicious Chicken and Beef Lot #0134E15 237 13 to a testing lab, and that the results had tested positive for pentobarbital.

We have requested those results.

When we were notified, we immediately tracked the lot numbers of the food in question and determined that the food had been manufactured and distributed in 2015.

We then contacted the two probable retailers that had sold the customer the food and asked them to isolate all remaining cans from these lots.

We also requested that the retailers send all of the cans from those lots to us so that we can forward them on to an accredited independent laboratory for independent testing.

We expect to receive the receive the results in 7 to 10 days.

We first saw the formal report from the lab at Texas A&M regarding the customer’s samples, today, April 17.

Out of an abundance of caution, we are retrieving the remainder of these two lots nationwide.

We are working with our distributors and retailers to determine if any additional beef-flavored products manufactured during this 2015 production period remain on shelves and, if so, to retrieve them from shelves, immediately, as well.

What to Do?

Consumers with questions may contact the company by phone at 855-727-8926 or by email at info@partyanimalpetfood.com.

U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.

Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.