Breaking: FDA issues first statement on diet-associated canine heart disease since June 2019
The F.D.A.’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has just issued its first official statement on diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (or DCM) in […]
Emily Brill
Posts by Emily Brill:
FDA 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.
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.
FDA 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.
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….
Amazon was selling fake pet meds, manufacturer says
Much more reporting to follow–Pet King Brands, which makes ZYMOX, a popular over-the-counter hydrocortisone ear solution for pets, announced late last week that it had discovered counterfeit “Zymox” products on Amazon. Pet King Brands says it was “able to detect the counterfeit products through its quality and safety enforcement program.”
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
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…..
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.