Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall

While I was out of town last week, and Mumble was being boarded, I had a bit of a scare about his dry food because I heard the news of a recall of Blue Buffalo brand dog food. Mumble eats the Blue Buffalo Adult Chicken dry food mixed in with his wet food every day. This was one of the "flavors" on the recall list, and since I had left his food with the boarding facility in small baggies, pre-portioned for each meal, rather than the entire bag of food, there was no way for anyone to check to see if the food was one of the specific "batches" recalled! I had to have the boarding people just stop giving him the dry food altogether, just in case. Thankfully, they were able to make up the difference in his meals by supplementing his wet food with a little bit of cooked chicken and rice (which I'm sure he thought was much better anyway).

When I got back home I was able to check the bag, and thankfully it wasn't on the recall list anyway! So I don't have to worry about Mumble getting sick from the amount that he ate out of that bag before I heard about the recall.

Blue Buffalo was able to pinpoint exactly which batches of food had been affected, and even ascertained exactly how it happened. You can read the press release on their website here. If you feed your dog one of the "flavors" on the list, the way you determine if your dog food is affected is by looking at the expiration date. Here is the list from the Blue Buffalo website:

Product	Bag Size	Best Used By Dates
BLUE Wilderness Chicken (Dog)	4.5 lb., 11 lb., 24lb.	JUL1211B, JUL1311B, JUL2611Z, JUL2711Z, JUL2811Z
BLUE Basics Salmon (Dog)	11 lb., 24 lb.	AUG2111B, AUG2211B
BLUE Large Breed Adult Chicken	30 lb.	SEP 22 11 P, SEP 23 11 P, OCT 26 11 P

The recall is due to the discovery by the company of the presence of vitamin D in the product at levels "higher than specifications." According to the Blue Buffalo website, and other information available on the web related to this recall, excessive amounts of vitamin D can be harmful to pets. The FDA indicates that 36 cases have been reported nationwide of illness related to the excessive amounts of vitamin D in the recalled food (read here for more from the FDA on this recall). Blue Buffalo's website states that it will reimburse veterinary bills associated with illness as a result of the recalled food.

I was personally very curious about this vitamin D issue. Mumble eats a pretty healthy diet - his wet food is organic, and he has various supplements added to each meal. I've been reading a lot about supplements and "natural health" for pets lately, due to the high levels of supplements Mumble has to be on. So I was really curious about how a vitamin that you would believe to be beneficial, or at least not harmful, could cause so much concern. What I read was really interesting. According to many articles, etc, including the "Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats" by Shawn Messioner (I love this book!), the most common cause of vitamin D toxicity is from a dog ingesting rat poison! Of course, we all know that rat poison is one of the most common causes of poisoning to pets, but I never thought about it being linked to something as benign sounding as vitamin D.

There is an interesting article I found online on this subject, written by a veterinarian. You can read it at this link. According to Dr. Huston, vitamin D toxicity causes hypercalcemia, a condition that causes a whole gambit of problems and affects the dog's internal organs. The list of possible symptoms of vitamin D toxicity in her website is much more extensive, but with some consistency, than the list on the recall information websites. (*You can also read about vitamin toxicities at the PetPlace website).

The most alarming information I found, at least as it directly relates to Mumble, is the link between fish oil supplements and vitamin D toxicity. Apparently, fish oil supplements are known to be a good source of vitamin D, but it is possible for a pet parent to "overdose" their pet by providing too much of the supplement and causing vitamin D toxicity to occur. Mumble is on a fish oil with probiotics supplement, which, after much trial and error with various other probiotics, etc, was the best thing for him in terms of helping with all of his digestive issues. The fish oil also has a positive impact on his skin allergies. So the information about fish oil and vitamin D was definitely a reminder to me about how important it is to be extra careful with giving him the right amounts. It also made me very grateful for our vet, Dr. Shane, who is excellent at natural remedies and holistic approaches to health, and carefully helps me to monitor all of Mumble's supplements and dietary needs.

House Arrest Continued, another appointment with the Vet, and a difficult week overall

Mumble has now been on his "limited activity" restrictions for healing of his shoulder & elbow sprain for two weeks (today is Day 15 to be exact), and we've now gone back for our check up with Dr. Shane.

First, I have to start by acknowledging the emotional difficulty of this particular week. It was two years ago this week that I lost Padfoot, and while that is emotionally heart-wrenching for me in general, the stress of thinking about Mumble having any health problems that could be serious on this particular week was not easy for me to deal with. Not a day goes by that I don't miss Padfoot, as much as I love Mumble and am grateful to have him in my life. The thought that I could ever prematurely lose him as well is terrifying, even if that fear is not totally based in rational thought. So I didn't love the fact that we had a vet appointment scheduled for this particular week, and sat in the vet's office today petrified of what she could possibly come back and tell me.

In general, this week was a little easier than last week, however, in terms of Mumble's healing process. The positive impact of having the walk at the beach with Chopper and Mandy over the weekend appeared to have some lasting affects, so while I still had concerns about his loss of appetite and he still had times where he resisted going for a walk, in general I saw an improvement in his overall demeanor. The instances of visible "limping" were extremely rare, so he seemed to also be improving greatly in terms of his physical injury.

I was hopeful going into the appointment with Dr. Shane that Mumble would be given the "all clear" to return back to normal, but such was not the case. Although with the medications, he is improving and his pain is managed, the orthopedic exam still showed signs of tension in the shoulder and elbow, evidencing the sprain/injured joints.

Dr. Shane therefore continued to advise limited activity levels, although modified to start to allow for some increases in a careful, planned manner. Walks are still OK. Additionally, he is permitted to go back to doing some agility activities, although without the A-Frame, the weave poles, or any "sharp turns." Which leaves (I guess) low level jumps, the dog walk, and the table? It's not much but at least he'll have something! We can do this no more than one time per week. As to daycare, a full day would still be too much for him, as would multiple daycare visits per week. Thus, she said he was allowed to do "half-days" a couple of times per week. I don't exactly know how that will work out with my work schedule, but I guess we'll figure something out.

As to medications, Dr. Shane believes Mumble will need to be on the Glucosamine supplements for the rest of his life. I've actually done a lot of research / reading on these supplements, and I believe that this will have a positive impact on his health and well-being going forward, so I am OK with this being a permanent addition to his health supplements. He will no longer take the Traumeel (the homeopathic anti-inflammatory) on a regular basis. Instead, he will only take it "as needed" if he shows any limping or signs of pain without it.

The prognosis? The vet still believes Mumble will ultimately heal and be back to normal, but she wants to reevaluate him in one month. This type of injury, she explained, could lead to the onset of arthritis in those joints if not treated. Thus, if he is still not healed after another 4 weeks, she will do X-Rays and we will decide whether or not surgery is the appropriate treatment option. She stressed that for a very active dog like Mumble, surgery could be the most appropriate thing if he is not healing so that he is not limited by arthritis and joint issues on a long term basis.

Overall, it was overwhelming, but I still feel like we are on the right path and doing the right things, and that ultimately Mumble will get better, hopefully without surgery. I'm thankful that this issue is something we can treat and deal with, and not something potentially life-threatening. I am also thankful for everyone's well-wishes, support, etc during the past few weeks about this!

House Arrest Days 7-9

Today is Day 9 of Mumble's limited activity restrictions, to promote healing of his leg sprain. Only one week to go until we go back to the vet to check on how things are going!

On Day 7 (Wednesday), Mumble came to work with me during the day, and seemed to enjoy that. He loves seeing all of the people in my office and playing with his toys here. He was not too active during the day, but he was a little bit demanding (for attention). When he was bored, he'd sit by my chair and very softly bark at me. He got to rotate between my office and Mandy's office though so that kept him entertained. He seemed to be at his most "normal" on that day, so far.

Wednesday night, we had our last Therapy Dog class for this session at the Zoom Room. Mumble had an overflow of energy and excitement going in, and then there were some "extras" that night, including an additional dog doing a makeup class, and the trainer's two kids. Mumble was pretty obsessive with wanting to play with or bark at the new dog, and wanting to run around with the new kids, so he did not do as well on some of the "items" as he normally does. During the loose leash walking item, where they are supposed to be able to pass other dogs and distractions, Mumble was pulling on the leash and just generally acting hyped up. After a while though, he did seem to settle down and get into the routine of class. We'll definitely be taking another session of Therapy Dog to continue to hone and perfect his skills!

Thursday was a difficult day. I did not want to write about this when it was happening until I got home and was able to see Mumble for myself and check on him. The day started with Mumble having some sneezy / scratchy allergies in the morning, and just generally being a little more tired than usual. He did have plenty of energy to be "naughty" on our walk though! We walked to Coffee Bean on our morning walk, and after I got my coffee and came back outside, Mumble got away from me when I was untying his leash and just ran around all of the table trying to get people to pet him or give him food. The rest of the walk was pretty uneventful.

Thursday afternoon, I got a call from Mumble's dog walker, which sent me into a slight panic. Even though she said Mumble didn't appear to be in distress, when the words "he doesn't seem to want to get up and walk" came out of her mouth, all of the memories about losing Padfoot came rushing to me, and I had to force myself to remain calm. This is Mumble, not Padfoot. He has an injury, and is not feeling well, but he is not dying. OK, so then I asked her a bunch of questions, and ascertained that Mumble was not wanting to go for a walk, and when she finally got him to go out, just spent the whole time trying to turn around and go back home. When she brought him back in, he went straight back to bed and refused to do anything else. For a dog that is usually extremely hyper and active, this was definitely not normal, and caused her concern. However, his breathing was normal, he didn't seem to be in distress or even in pain.

I contacted Mumble's vet's office and talked to one of the vets there a little while later. After listening to my description of the details from the dog walker, she did not think that being lethargic as a reaction to the medications was the issue. Her opinion? Mumble is "sad" or "depressed" because of the drastic change in his lifestyle over the past week. She said it wasn't uncommon for "working dogs" to become depressed after they were injured or something because when their normal activities were taken away they became frustrated and sad. Poor Mumble, but at least she doesn't think it is something to cause serious concern. Because I google everything, I found this article about dog depression online, and it really does seem to make sense that this could be what is happening to Mumble.

I cheered Mumble up that evening with a visit to Mandy and Chopper, his favorite human and favorite dog pal. On his walk with Chopper, Mumble showed absolutely no signs of not wanting to walk, being tired, or wanting to turn back, which I guess would seem to support the depression theory rather than that something else is physically wrong.

This morning (Day 9), Mumble's lethargy and resistance to his walk continued with me. He was at first just appearing to be tired and not wanting to get up. When we went out for our walk, he was doing fine for the first block. Then out of nowhere, he turned around and tried to head back towards home. I guess this is what he was doing to the dog walker? His tail was between his leg, and he had a slightly panicked look. It is the way he acts when he is scared of something (usually nothing, or something irrational). From that point forward, he did not want to be walking, he just wanted to go back home. I tried giving him commands to walk nicely, to look at me, etc. I tried giving him treats (he clamped his stubborn jaws shut at that), and encouraging him to keep going. It didn't matter. Nothing changed the fact that he just wanted to go back home. When we made it back, he went straight to his favorite spot in the living room (the cushy armchair) and laid down. But back in the house, he was willing to take treats and come on command, etc, and did seem much more relaxed.

The other thing worrying is the loss of appetite. For the past few days, he eats hardly any breakfast and usually has to be coaxed to eat all of his dinner. He has several medications and supplements, some of which he takes with his food, and I don't know if he doesn't like the taste of all of that or what. The vet does think that one of the supplements could cause a loss of appetite, so maybe that's it. Although I guess if he is really depressed, he wouldn't want to eat, right?

In terms of the physical injury, he does seem to be healing well. But I don't know how we are going to make it through the next few weeks if we keep having to "rest" and not go to daycare and agility. I just keep thinking of all of those "depression is real" commercials on TV where someone talks about not wanting to get out of bed or eat, and I think - oh geez, now that's my dog!

House Arrest Day 6

Today is Day 6 of Mumble's "limited physical activity" sentence for the healing of his sprained leg/shoulder. Things are reasonably going well so far, but I definitely notice a difference already in his behavior.

First off, and on a positive note, in regards to his injury itself, I am really amazed at this medication the vet has put him on, because it seemed to help with the pain right away. And presumably it is helping with the inflammation too, so he is definitely showing signs of limping and stiffness less often. The medication is called Traumeel, and it is a natural, herbal anti-inflammatory and analgesic that is actually made for humans but can be used on dogs. Natural / herbal pain relief is probably better for Mumble, who has previously had an adverse reaction to either pain medication or sedatives. Given that Mumble now takes so many pills and supplements I had to create a chart to make sure I gave him everything at the right time, I decided I should become more educated about what I am putting into his body and did some online research. Traumeel is something that is apparently frequently prescribed to people for their sport related injuries, sprains, and recovery from surgery. It is a homeopathic blend with a lot of different active ingredients that stimulate the "healing of wounds, fractures and dislocation," act as an analgesic, and prevent inflammation and infection. What's great about it is that it can be given to dogs without the extensive bloodwork that may be required for ongoing use of more traditional pain medications. What I know is that Mumble seemed to react positively right away. Remarkably, as soon as his next walk after his first dose, he was already showing signs of improvement. So he'll continue taking his two pills twice a day, hidden in whatever I can convince him to eat at that moment, until the vet tells us otherwise.

In terms of Mumble's reaction to the limitation on his physical activities, I think overall he is doing well, but there is definitely a difference. This will be the first week since Mumble was 5 months old that he didn't go to daycare for at least a couple of days. Well, that's not totally true, he didn't go to daycare when we were in Georgia for Christmas, but that week he had my sister's dogs, Penny and Dexter, who are just as hyper as him, to play with every day all day, so that doesn't really count. Usually, he gets to spend at least a few days at The Loved Dog running around with 30-40 other dogs all day, herding them, and acting like he is the king of the place. So it's a big difference to go from that to being at home with no dogs to play with, only Rascal to herd around, and no one to be the king of (there is no way Rascal is letting Mumble be in charge of anything!).

So while I have not seen any "bad behaviors" (I don't want to dare to say "yet"), he is showing signs that he's a little bored. Last night (Day 5) when I came home from work, he greeted me as usual, and we went on a normal walk. His normal evening activity level is pretty mellow when we are just at home. He may play a little, we may practice some of his tricks or other stuff, and he might even chase around a treat toy, but he's pretty content to lounge around on the couch for a majority of the evening and have his belly rubbed. Last night, he was much more active. He started pulling apart stuffed toys, strewing stuffing around the room, chased Rascal back and forth to the bedroom and living room (until Rascal was tired of that game and with one scathing look, stopped Mumble in his tracks, and then retired to the back of the couch), etc. The worst though was that he was generally trying to demand constant attention. He attempted to destroy a treat toy because it was empty, and kept sitting right next to wherever I was and barking at me ever so quietly to get me to play with him. Maybe this is normal? I don't know; I've always been a believer in "a tired dog is a good dog," so Mumble stays pretty active and entertained so that he doesn't have to engage in inappropriate behaviors to gain my attention for an activity.

The sad thing was that as much attention as I could give him, I couldn't give him what he wanted, which was a lot of physical activity. He was whining at me because he wanted me to play rough with him on the floor, or throw a ball for him to run after, or take him outside to play with the dog from upstairs when it went by. My "attention" of petting him, and trying to get him to do low-impact things like trick or behavior skills would only placate him for a little bit, and then he'd be begging all over again.

We'll see how he is behaving tonight (Day 6) after yet another day at home. We had a great walk this morning - long, but not at a fast pace, and with plenty of "training" along the way. He is mastering the automatic stop and sit at the curb before we cross the street, so if he takes a new skill out of all of this, I guess that's a good thing too. Tomorrow, he'll most likely be coming to the office with me during the day, and then we'll still be going to our "Therapy Dog" class tomorrow night (it's the last class, and the vet approved his participation in this - but not in agility). 10 days to go until we go back to the vet for a check up to see if he is healed, or if the sentence continues!

Mumble on Bed Rest?!

So Mumble has been limping a little bit over the past week, and I took him to the vet on Friday for a check up and to have her look at the limp. It's not really a pronounced limp, more like a slight hobble in his gait, and I couldn't for sure isolate which leg it was, since he continued to bear weight on all of them. The vet did a thorough orthopedic exam, carefully examining all of his joints, etc. She found that one leg (his front left one) was not extending as well and was the location of his pain, and called it an "overuse injury."

Her prescription:
Pain medications and supplements to support healing in the joint and muscle
Rest for two to four weeks; no agility, no doggie daycare, no play dates with dogs, no rigorous walks!

Mumble's "rest" and restricted activity began on Thursday, when I called the vet the day before our appointment and she instructed me to have him rest until we came in. So here we are in day three of the sentence and it's going reasonably well, although I already know what a challenge this is going to be for both of us.

Anyone who knows Mumble (or has ever read this blog) knows he is an extremely active, energetic dog. (I'm sure this high activity level is the biggest contributing factor to his current "overuse" injury). In times past, he has moved large furniture in my apartment, climbed things, escaped confinement, removed screens from the windows, etc in an attempt to find "work" to do when he is bored. I've implemented a combination of various activities and exercise to combat these issues, very successfully. The biggest components are doggie daycare, vigorous walks, and agility training, all of which have to be removed in his current regimen to allow for healing.

How do you tell an active border collie / bull terrier that he needs to rest?!

So far I'm trying to work a lot on his "mental stimulation" in an attempt to compensate for the lack of physical stimulation. Thank goodness for all of his training! I'm so grateful now for the timing of taking the Therapy Dog training at Zoom Room Culver City, as this gives us plenty of skills to practice that don't involve high impact physical activity! Walks consist of practicing skills like sitting next to me when I come to a stop, the "look at me" command, etc. We practice down stays in the patio area outside my apartment, and (try to) practice walking past other dogs without running towards them. Working on these things for every single walk means we can go out for just as long of a time period, but go slower / shorter distance. It's certainly mentally exhausting for me, so hopefully it is for Mumble as well!

I'm sure there will be lots to report as we go through these next two weeks, and I'll try to keep this updated. Wish us luck, and keep Mumble's healing in your thoughts and prayers!

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Dog Food Series Part 2: The Woes of a Dog with a Sensitive Stomach

Mumble has always had both allergies and food sensitivities. From the first day I got him, he's had diarrhea off-and-on on a fairly frequent basis. In addition to the laundry list of things he just can't seem to tolerate / digest, there is the list of foods that make him itchy, sneezy, have watery eyes, or have dry skin.

Food:

Mumble eats two meals per day, each containing 1/2 can of Party Animal wet food (turkey and sweet potato flavor), a scoop of Blue Buffalo dry food, and the special homemade "mix" I make myself.

Wet Food: My vet is a big believer in the benefits of all wet food versus dry kibble. Early on in the process of trying to find a food that Mumble could tolerate, she recommended that he eat only "Party Animal" brand food. Party Animal is a dog food made with organic ingredients, including organic meats, veggies and fruits. Because it is organic, it doesn't include artificial preservatives and other additives that are not good for dogs with allergies and food sensitivities.

Mumble eats only the one called "Turn up da' Turkey" recipe. Initially, I rotated the turkey flavor, chicken flavor and sometimes the fish flavor, but I have found that Mumble doesn't do as well with digesting more than one protein source. I use this particular Turkey option because it has sweet potatoes, rather than carrots, as the main vegetable ingredient. Aside from the fact that Mumble doesn't digest carrots very well, sweet potatoes are known to be a "super food." Super foods are those that have substantially higher nutritional value than other foods, and I read somewhere that dogs with digestion issues (and who thereby may be "losing nutrients" through frequent bouts of diarrhea) actually absorb more nutrients if their diet includes super foods. (note: the Party Animal recipes also include another super food - blueberries).

Dry Food: For a while, Mumble was on a strict diet of only this wet food. However, over time, he still had some occasional digestive issues, and I started doing some research about commercial foods with high levels of fiber and probiotics and other digestive enzymes. I was also concerned about the cost of his wet-food-only diet, and hoping to reduce that by supplementing with a high quality dry kibble. I tried out various dry foods, only adding a little to his wet food. Nothing seemed to be OK. Many dry foods seemed to increase his itchy allergic reactions. Others made him have increased digestive problems.

Then we went to home to Georgia for Christmas, and Mumble and I were staying with my sister and brother-in-law and their two dogs. I was very stressed about the dog food situation for this trip, because Party Animal was not available in Georgia (at least anywhere near where they live). I planned on bringing some cans of wet food with me in my luggage, but knew that ultimately I'd need to supplement it with something available there.

Enter Blue Buffalo dry food. My sister has a Husky, and she had been feeding him this brand at the recommendation of a rescue group. In advance of my coming to GA, she switched her dogs to a "flavor" of this dry food that included a protein Mumble could digest, and I added that to his food while he was there. It was miraculous how well he digested it! He had the most consistently good digestion during the time we were in Georgia that he has ever had before! I was sold.

Back in CA, I started buying the same Blue Buffalo food (it was at that time the Fish flavor). Ultimately, Mumble did start to have some issues again, and it was during this time that I realized the difficulty with digesting two very different protein sources simultaneously (turkey and chicken seem ok, but turkey or chicken with fish is not, and he simply can't digest beef, venison or duck; lamb makes him itchy). So I switched him to Blue Buffalo's Chicken and Brown Rice recipe, which is in their line of "Life Protection" foods. (note: now that they have added some limited ingredient products, called "Blue Basics," I'm considering switching to Turkey and Potato).

Overall, this combo has been good, but ultimately, Mumble still has digestive woes. Recently, we went through a period where it was so bad that I had to make his food myself for a while. Since that, I have been supplementing his food with the homemade "mix" that I make every week. The mix is cooked sweet potato, canned pumpkin, cottage cheese, and a tiny bit of yogurt. (Mumble LOVES cottage cheese, that's definitely his favorite part). This may sound ridiculous, but it works!

A note about canned pumpkin: Above, I talked about sweet potato as a "super food;" my other favorite addition for dog food is canned pumpkin. Early on, I read an article that talked about using canned pumpkin for dogs that have frequent diarrhea. I was skeptical, because the traditional approach of plain rice didn't have any impact whatsoever on Mumble's digestive problems. But the pumpkin really works! I know other dog owners who add it only when their dog has an upset tummy, and they swear by it as something that will stop the diarrhea pretty much right away!

Medications:

In addition to the homemade mix, Mumble has probiotics added to his food at least once per day. He is also on a supplement prescribed by his vet called Antonex, which helps him maintain appropriate histamine levels (and thereby prevents allergy attacks), which he takes with every meal.

I hope this is helpful to any of you out there suffering through the ups and downs of dealing with doggie digestive issues. It's definitely a challenge (don't even get me started about treats), but ultimately, you can find something that will keep your dog healthy and eating well.

p.s. Always consult your vet if your dog is having chronic diarrhea or other health issues, and if you are considering adding a supplement or medication to his diet.