~Welcome To the Best Site on The PLANET~ - All Forums

LTC owners

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:59:28 -0500

Question

here in MA we have very strict laws regarding LTC. my son has already done/taken the required saftey course and now needs to wite a letter stating why he wishes to carry. I'm not sure what other states require as far as this subject goes, but, anyone in this section have any advice on what would be the best, most appropriate and actually 'convincing' things to include in his letter?

Tx for any advice.

Help "Dudly Nose"

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:12:04 -0500

My question to the show folks on the board is "How big of a fault is a Dudly nose" when showing adba.It dosent effect working ability so I would think it is a minor flaw. Do judges tend to overlok this fault like say ear set? Or is the trait truely undesireable in the show world?
Thanx in advance

DIY E Mill

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:19:39 -0500

This is a project im working on... the frame is done, needs height adjustment depending on the hieght of the dog on it, Its set at 36" right now. I need to put some sides on it too. Im thinking some smoked plexi glass, so i can observe the dogs movement but it still matches lol. Also needs a chain to harness the dog too to keep it stationary. The middle cross member is adjustable and the height is adjustable too, thats where the chain will be hung from. I also moved the cloumn from the front to the side so the dog feels their is no barriers in his way and can unlaod from the front if they feel so inclined.... Its a work in progress... I will have "finished" pics later this week most likely next weekend.

BEFORE PIC.

AFTER PIC.

RIP Joey B

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:40:57 -0500

Youll be missed little bro.

RIP Venus

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:23:56 -0500

My girl runs free now.....

forever in my heart you will have a place.
i love you girl. TY for SOOOO many happy and wonderful years.
RIP baby girl. to me, you will always be more than "just a dog".....
<3

June MoTM - Winner!

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:08:48 -0500

Congrats to this months winner!

Mike C with Hobbes!

Thank you to everyone for your submissions and votes!

June FoTM - Winner!

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:06:47 -0500

Congrats to this months winner!

Southsidestaffords with Florie!

Amazing looking dog. Thank you to everyone for your entries!

Bug Bites & Fur Loss

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:57:58 -0500

My 2 females have small reddish marks/bites on the skin,but on the fur they look wet like rain drops. Some itching & fur loss. I tried apple cidar vinegar,it helped some. Can anyone identify the problem or recomend a solution? PICS WON'T POST.

Natural Balance Recall

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:18:38 -0500

Natural Balance Recall
Natural Balance has a product called ‘Sweet Potato and Chicken Dry dog food’, and it’s being recalled for Salmonella issues. It’s the 5lb and 28lb bags marked with a best by date of June 17, 2011. We hope that none of you have purchased this, but if you have please know that Salmonella is dangerous for humans as well, so if you have had any contact with it make sure to wash your hands.

letter:
June 18, 2010

Dear Natural Balance Family,

My name is Joey Herrick, and I'm the President of Natural Balance Pet Foods. My wife and I started the company 22 years ago and began by delivering to stores and rescues out of our family car. Over the years, we have been fortunate enough to have Natural Balance become a highly respected company, known for great products and working with the best pet food distributors and stores in the business. That's why it pains me to have to talk about a recall.

Our 5 lb. and 28 lb. Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food, manufactured on December 17, 2009 with a "Best By" date of June 17, 2011 is being voluntarily recalled. A random sampling of this product tested positive for Salmonella by the FDA. In my mind, I asked, "How can this happen? I spent over $900,000 putting in our laboratory to test our products before we release them." We tested samples from the production run when it was manufactured six months ago, and the results came back negative.

Upon hearing from the FDA, I immediately went to our Director of Customer Service, a licensed Registered Veterinary Technician, to check call logs for any complaints with this product. Our Customer Service department closely tracks and monitors complaints for any potential issues, and I heard no reports in our weekly meetings, so I was not surprised when I found we did not have a single complaint about this product. Next, I immediately pulled the retention samples for this product to be sent to an independent third party laboratory. The samples were sent to Zoologix, a laboratory that does real-time PCR testing, the most sensitive type of testing for Salmonella. Those test results also came back negative (click here to see results). I reported our test results and call logs to the FDA, but due to the positive result they had found, they recommended a recall.

I am sure your dogs are like my dogs - they sleep on our beds, they watch TV with us and if they are lucky enough, they come to work with us. This is why we are following the FDA's recommendation and issuing a voluntary recall. Since we have not had any complaints on this product and it was manufactured six months ago, I expect that most of it has already been consumed. If there are any bags in your cupboards, please take them back to the store you shop at for a full refund.

Not all states are affected. The following is a list of those states that are included in the voluntary recall: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

I believe that we are the only pet food company that has built an in-house lab as an added check and gives you the test results in real time on our website. We hold the finished product in our warehouses for two to three days, until that testing is completed. We only release product to be shipped when the testing is negative.

No testing protocol is perfect, but the alternative is not testing at all. That wouldn't work for me. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing we aren't testing every product before it goes out, to help make sure our products are the best in the business. Any testing is much safer for you and your pets than the alternative, which is not testing at all.

Our goal is to have the best and safest pet food on the market. I don't believe there is a better or safer product than Natural Balance Pet Food. Yes, we had an isolated incident, but we are continually testing our products and making the results available to you. I am proud of our laboratory and will be adding more layers of testing as a result of this recall. We have added over a half dozen significant improvements over the last three years, and remain committed to the safety of our products, and the pets that enjoy them. Our commitment is the same today as it was 22 years ago, to make the best pet food in the business.

Click here for details on product potentially affected. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (800) 829-4493, or info@naturalbalanceinc.com.

Yours Truly,
Joey Herrick
President
Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc.

IOWA-ADBA

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:15:19 -0500

Anyone going...... ???

Goodbye my Friends

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:24:33 -0500

We lost two Ch dogs Saturday evening to lightning. Bud Boy and Joker were two fine fellas. They lived with my Dad, Jack-but Linda and I both claimed them as well. I think we are all still in shock. RIP boys, we love you! Play hard at the Bridge!

Portable WP Track

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:04:45 -0500

This is the track our ADBA club will be using, its very portable and the cart we got made glides like a cadi! Im very excited after finally getting it put together. It should make for an awesome pull at our fun show!

The track....

Fit neatly into the back of a chevy 2500!

with room for other club essentials!

thanks for looking! Just suepr excited about the show our club is putting together!

coldwater MI AADR show

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:00:54 -0500

anyone going?

VOTE: June Male of the Month

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:17:12 -0500

Xibalba's Diablo

Genevieve's Pax

Mike C's Hobbes

Old KY Home's Hillbilly

Gringo's Red

B&Bs Bodacious Tater

Jensen's Lucifer

TheCorner's Shugaray

Maniac's Zebeaux

Impact's Neiko

StopBSL's CH Mush Mouth

VOTE: June Female of the Month

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:53:02 -0500

Xibalba's Cheexi

Southsidestaffords' Florrie

Genevieve's Polly

Jensen's Xena

TheCorner's Chinabear

Cutt's Rosie

Gringo's Mika

Phenomenal's Starr

CoolHandJean's Locus

farmer's maniac diamond brick

Impact's Lola

Renar's Atreyu

James Crenshaw RIP

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:54:01 -0500

RIP

Waka Waka - Afrika

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 07:41:50 -0500

Anyone following the world cup?

Hey, B~

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:37:25 -0500

Here's hoping our Celts ~SMOKE your Lakers~just gutta krush Kobe! ;)
[attachment=1558]

Natural Dental Care for Dogs

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:29:41 -0500

Blog Excerpt:

With all the uproar from one of our readers about oral hygine and dogs I wanted to share with you the natural way to keep your dog’s and cats’s teeth clean. NO commercial dental “TREATS” needed!

It’s time to get hip to what’s going on with the teeth and gums of the animal world. Periodontal disease in particular is quite common, especially in older pets, though it is not the only dental problem animals face. Dental disease is a combination of genetics and lack of education on the part of pet owners.

Pet owners are notorious for waiting to get into the habit of dental hygiene until they are midway through their pets’ time on this earth. Dental hygiene is a hard practice to break into late in the game; not only for owners, but for the pets, (especially cats). Dental hygiene should start at the very beginning of our pet’s lives, even when their teeth look as tiny as thorns.

Due to processed commercial foods (including grain based dry dog biscuits), our dog population lately is experiencing tartar build-up and subsequent periodontal disease as one of the number one health concerns today. Carbohydrate based dry dog food actually leads to an un-natural alkaline environment in the body. The carbohydrates in the food are broken down by enzymes in the saliva and form sugars, which in turn, cause increased tartar build-up.

Read the rest here. . .

Herbal Ingredients to Enhance your Dogs Life

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:24:46 -0500

Dandelion
Dandelion is probably the most known herb in the world. It is said to have originated in Western Europe and in the Mediterranean.

Dandelion comes under the category of a bitter herb. It is believed that the bitter principles stimulate the initial phase of digestion, this involves the release of salivary and gastric juices. It is also involved in stimulating the release of bile from the liver and gallbladder.

The medicinal properties of the dandelion herb are numerous, however American herbalists use this herb primarily for its blood purifying abilities and diuretic effects. Dandelion is known to cleanse the blood and increase bile production and is often given for anemia, jaundice, arthritis, rheumatism and other toxic conditions.

More. . .

Calendula
Calendula is a bittersweet, salty herb, that stimulates the liver, gall bladder, and uterus. It soothes the digestive system, clears infections, and is said to support the heart.

Calendula is beneficial in skin care, soothing inflammation, controlling bleeding and healing damaged tissue and in cases (internally and externally) where the skin is broken.

More. . .

Hawthorne
Hawthorne is a spiny shrub that has been traditionally used as a heart tonic in European herbal medicine. The primary active ingredients, the proanthocyanidins, are responsible for the red-to-blue color of many fruits, such as blueberries, grapes, and blackberries. The proanthocyanidins, and a related group of ingredients, the anthocyanidins, are known as potent antioxidants and for their protective effects on the heart and arteries.

More. . .

Juniper Berries
Juniper berries are the first of one of the most common species in the pine family. The berries are blue-green in color and are very aromatic but, did you know they were medicinal too?

The medicinal properties of juniper berries are as a diuretic and blood purifier. This herb is especially important for any pet with a urinary or prostrate condition

The story of juniper is filled with history. In Europe 200 years ago, juniper was thought to be extremely strengthening to the body: it was administered to the sick to restore, and to the well to maintain good health.Traditionally, juniper berries have been used to treat tape worms, colic, urinary and gastrointestinal infections. Juniper
berries are also used as flavoring in meats, baked products and dairy products.

More. .

Yucca
A member of the lily family, the plant is also known by the names “soap root,” “Spanish Bayonet,” and “Spanish Dagger.” The reference to soap comes from long historical use of the plant’s roots as a foaming cleanser. Yucca contains large amounts of the steroid saponin, which accounts for its lathering ability.

The saponins in Yucca are a precursor of natural coritsone normally produced by the adrenal glands. Ths makes it a popular remedy for all kinds of inflammation, such as arthritis, rheumatism, bursitis, colitis, and other inflammatory conditions.

More. . .

Feel free to add in articles you find about the uses of herbal remedies in dogs. This is a fast growing idea and has even been proven by some canine health studies (like the one Nutro used to make their Ultra Holistic line of dog food) that using natural herbs, fruits and veggies to obtain the vitamins and minerals your dog needs instead of artificial supplementation actually made dogs healthier, happier and increased longevity.