breaking news
F.D.A. to issue new announcement on links between certain diets and heart disease in dogs after expressing concern for pet food industry “bottom line” and vowing to tamp down on public statements
There’s another story, which may be more significant — which is the fact that the important new data was not announced or reported on F.D.A.’s website until after TCR started making inquiries about the conference materials discovered by Holly. Among those materials were “Opening Remarks” delivered by F.D.A. CVM chief, Dr. Steven Solomon, in which he seems to express concern for how his agency’s research might affect the “bottom line” of some pet food companies.
F.D.A. buries major 2020 update on diet-associated DCM
*More reporting coming soon* The Canine Review has learned that the FDA has released its first major update on diet-associated DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy, a progressive heart disease) in dogs and cats since its June 2019 bombshell announcement in which the regulator took the unprecedented step of singling out the 16 brands of dog food most frequently linked to DCM cases. The FDA’s 2020 update was first reported by third year veterinary student Caitlin Holly, who broke the story Sunday evening on her blog, Doc Of All Trades.
Trupanion to release third quarter earnings Thursday amid strong, increasingly competitive pandemic puppy economy
It’s been a busy and successful year for the U.S. pet insurance market at large, which has seen eight newcomers since 2017 alone: Wagmo (2020), Spot (started in 2019 with personality Cesar Milan as its figure head), Lemonade (July 2020), Prudent Pet (2018), TrustedPals (2019), Bivvy (2018), Companion Protect (2017), and Pumpkin (2019). The newcomers offer some of the most budget friendly options in the pet insurance market, but there are a staggering number of pitfalls neatly tucked away inside the fine print of the policies.
Amazon informs customers by email that they’ve been getting fake pet meds
Fake meds disable at least one dog, TCR has learned–and Amazon declines to say how many more….On September 25, Amazon emailed Janay Rittgers of El Paso, Texas with alarming news. The over-the-counter ear solution she had been buying from the e-commerce giant for at least the past six months to help treat her ten-year-old bull terrier Zoe’s now acutely infected ears was counterfeit.
The show will go on! Preeminent Westminster Dog Show changes 2021 venue and date from NYC’s Madison Sq. Garden in February to Tarrytown estate in June
Massive news for the dog fancy announced this past hour: The 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will go on, despite the pandemic.
From Westminster Kennel Club spokeswoman Gail Miller Bisher:
The 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will be held at Lyndhurst, a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in Tarrytown, New York on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13, 2021….
Dodo parent company Group Nine Media, Inc. takes minority stake in pet insurance company Petplan
Digital media company Group Nine Media Inc., which is backed by Discovery Inc. and owns The Dodo (“emotionally and visually compelling, highly sharable” animal content), has taken a minority stake in pet insurance company Petplan, the companies announced in a joint press release yesterday.
Beloved Best in Show and ‘Born Winner’ CJ Dies at 7
7-year-old male German Shorthaired Pointer CJ, the 2016 Best in Show Westminster Kennel Club superstar, died last month. His untimely passing sent shockwaves through the dog world and beyond. The Canine Review spoke with the people closest to him, the judges in awe of him, and veterinarians who – with owner Valerie at the helm – made a herculean effort to save him.
Business
Dodo parent company Group Nine Media, Inc. takes minority stake in pet insurance company Petplan
Digital media company Group Nine Media Inc., which is backed by Discovery Inc. and owns The Dodo (“emotionally and visually compelling, highly sharable” animal content), has taken a minority stake in pet insurance company Petplan, the companies announced in a joint press release yesterday.
NBC News Publishes High Traffic Pet Food Puffery
On Friday morning, NBC News posted an article to its website about premium dog food upstarts that soon became one of the most viewed articles about dogs on the Internet that day and through the weekend. The story, which discloses at the outset that NBC receives a fee each time any person clicks on any of the products mentioned in the story, offers no evaluations from veterinarians, except for the first paragraph, in which one vet is quoted saying that dog foods should be “complete and balanced.” There is no direct link from the quote to any of the companies discussed in the story; in fact, the quote itself is from a prior report. Next, a veterinarian is quoted as saying that it’s important for foods to meet AAFCO standards, which is more or less the same statement the companies, themselves, subsequently make.
What is not provided to readers is the fact that there are three possible AAFCO statements a pet food label can make, including a statement that is considered by many veterinarians to be a key indicator and gold standard for pet food, which is that the food has been through AAFCO feeding trials. None of this is explained, including, most important, the fact that none of the foods in NBC’s article have undergone the high standard of AAFCO feeding trials, as TCR has independently confirmed.
Major U.S. Pet Food Seller Expands Recall Due To Excessive Levels of Mold
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine announced today that Alabama-based Sunshine Mills, Inc. — whose products are sold nationwide by big box retailers such as Walmart, Target, Petco; online retailers such as Chewy.com and Amazon — has expanded its September dog food recalls due to excessive levels of alfatoxin (toxic mold). Ingestion of alfatoxin-contaminated foods at excessive quantities by dogs can cause severe liver damage.
North Shore Animal League America
The North Shore Animal League America (NSALA) in Port Washington on Long Island is “the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization,” according to its website. About one hour by car from midtown Manhattan, NSALA has an annual revenue of $40.2m, according to its 2018 990 tax filing, and a list of donors that […]
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The show will go on! Preeminent Westminster Dog Show changes 2021 venue and date from NYC’s Madison Sq. Garden in February to Tarrytown estate in June
Massive news for the dog fancy announced this past hour: The 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will go on, despite the pandemic.
From Westminster Kennel Club spokeswoman Gail Miller Bisher:
The 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will be held at Lyndhurst, a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in Tarrytown, New York on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13, 2021….
My Corgi Pup’s First Halloween: Dogs and Costumes 101
I have been excited for Halloween since January, when my corgi puppy, Charlotte, entered my life, and I decided that she would make the perfect Baby Yoda from the Star Wars series, “The Mandalorian.” Something about those big ears and innocent puppy eyes…
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Veterinary Care
Controversy swirls around journal’s non-disclosure of conflicts in DCM article. Journal CEO says inquiry is underway.
Controversy is swirling around a prominent science journal’s article that defends the pet food industry against charges that one of its products endangers canines. Last week, the Journal of Animal Science — which describes itself on its website as “one of the most frequently cited peer-reviewed, agriculturally oriented research journals in the world” — and whose publisher is Oxford University Press — published an article that seeks to debunk the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s reports about its investigations into cases of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) – a progressive heart disease that can eventually lead to congestive heart failure – and possible links to certain types of diets.
A Dog Changed Her Life. Now She Rescues Them By The Dozen.
A Dog Changed Her Life. Now She Rescues Them By The Dozen. The most striking and ironic thing about Elizabeth (“Elli”) Frank, the founder and executive director of highly regarded animal welfare and dog rescue organization Mr. Bones & Co. (MBC), is that she was, she says, “Petrified!” of dogs for most of her life, […]
Shelter Profiles
Cressida Golden Retrievers
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Policy
Your Dog’s Health Insurance Is Better Than Yours, If You Picked The Right Insurance
Where Nationwide, ASPCA, and Trupanion succeed–and fail.
Denver’s Mayor Doubles Down On City Pit Bull Ban
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced he will veto an ordinance passed last week by the city council that would have repealed a 30-year-old ban on pit bulls…. This page is available to subscribers only. Click here to log in or sign up for a free trial.
Animal Welfare Advocates Bludgeon Each Other, and the Bill They’d Hoped To Pass
If there is any state in America where a retail pet-sale ban would be expected to sail through with minimal opposition, it’s Colorado. The state epitomizes what happens when the “adopt, don’t shop” message wins hearts and minds. According to state officials, Colorado pet stores import only about 4,000 pups from other states to fill […]
Exclusive – Delta Airlines Would Consider Repeal of Pit Bull Ban
In July of 2018, Delta Airlines took the unprecedented and bold step of announcing in a press release that it was “no longer accepting pit bull type dogs as service or support animals.” Delta’s pit bull ban generated what seemed to be an instinctively negative reaction from the public, including animal rights activists. But last month, the U.S. […]
TCR Blog The Pandemic Puppy Chronicles
The road to a pandemic puppy is paved with failed foster application quizzes
Put simply, I failed the Muddy Paws “foster quiz” repeatedly. Four times, to be precise. When you foster, you are assigned a “foster buddy” to answer questions and advise you. The quiz asked when one should contact one’s “foster buddy.”
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