Welcome to DogAware.com!

DogAware.com exists to pass along what I've learned in more than a decade spent investigating canine nutrition and health. See below for Updates, News, and Seminars.

Information is divided among the following sections:

Diet offers information ranging from how to select the best commercial foods to homemade diets, both raw and cooked. Included are sections on supplements, adding fresh foods to a commercial diet, and raw food resources.
Health offers information on a variety of different health problems, focusing primarily on the use of diet and supplements, but providing additional tips such as new therapies. The sections on kidney disease and arthritis are especially detailed, as these are problems I've faced with my own dogs and to which I've devoted a great deal of time and effort learning as much as I possibly can about them.
Articles are ones I've written for the Whole Dog Journal on the topics of both diet and health. I also wrote the Cook's Corner column for Dog World magazine from January to December 2010. The column focuses on issues related to homemade diets. Copies of my articles and columns are posted on my web sit six months after publication.
Shopping provides links to places where I've found good products, service and prices for dog food, supplements, medications and supplies.
More Info includes Contact information, my About page, the K9Nutrition FAQ, and Useful Links.

I welcome feedback and am also willing to answer questions as best I can about your dogs. If you have any problems, questions, suggestions or comments, please

Updates

CJ Puotininen and I have collaborated on two articles about Canine Diabetes for the Whole Dog Journal's May and June 2012 issues. They will be posted on my website in November and December 2012 (six months after publication). Let me know if you need information before that.

Addison's Disease: The Great Pretender, the article I wrote with CJ Puotinen, is now available. Look for our article on Cushing's disease next month (May 2012). Let me know if you need details before that.

Noses and Toes Gone Wrong, an article on conditions that affect the nasal planum (nose leather) and footpads of dogs, is now available.

News items posted recently:

Merial Runs Out of Immiticide for Heartworm Treatment, my update on the immiticide shortage and interpretation of the AHS guidelines for what to do instead, has been posted.

Time to Step It Up, my update on heartworm resistance for the Whole Dog Journal, July 2011, has been posted. See what you can do to protect your dog now.

Book reviews now available! All of my homemade diet book reviews written for the Whole Dog Journal are now available,

I updated my article on Anxiety Medications after attending Dr. Dodman's seminar on "The Well Adjusted Dog: Secrets to Understanding Canine Behavior." It was especially interesting to learn that Dr. Dodman now prefers clonidine to alprazolam (Xanax) for storm phobias and other times when quick, short-term relief is needed.

I've created a Facebook page for my web site. "Like" this page to find out when new articles or seminars are posted or any major changes to the web site are made.

News

Diamond Pet Food Recalls (April-May 2012)
I don't usually post about recalls due to salmonella, as it doesn't generally cause problems for dogs, but the ever-expanding recalls from Diamond Pet Foods for different brands produced at their Gaston, South Carolina plant have been associated with illnesses in dogs anecdotally and in people by the CDC. As of 5/4/12, some lots of each of the following brands have been recalled:

4Health
Apex
Canidae
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
Country Value
Diamond
Diamond Naturals
Kirkland Signature
Natural Balance
Premium Edge
Professional
Solid Gold
Taste of the Wild
Wellness

For more information and updates, see the following sites (you can sign up to get updates at the first two sites):

News on Pet Food Recalls (Truth About Pet Food)
Pet Food Recall (PetSitUSA Blog)
Your complete guide to the Diamond Pet Food recalls (Poisoned Pets)
Diamond Pet Foods Recall Information

Omega-3 Fats May Help with Weight Loss in Pets
Recent studies in both humans and dogs have shown that the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, found in fish oil, promote weight loss and help dieters feel more satisfied. I recommend giving an amount of fish oil that provides about 300 mg EPA and DHA combined per 20 to 30 pounds of body weight daily.

ALERT Vets warn of new treats from China poisoning dogs
It's not just chicken jerky -- now dried sweet potato treats imported from China may be making dogs ill as well. There is even speculation that the problems may extend to pig ears and cat treats from China as well.
Also, Susan Thixton at Truth About Pet Food has uncovered some interesting information about melamine and a possible link to jerky treats that have been making dogs very ill: Is it Melamine Again? Also see my Recall page for background information.

Voluntary Recall of Iverhart Max Chewable Tablets (3/26/12)
Only one lot (#110482 Large, 50 - 100 lbs) has been recalled. Testing showed that this lot may not have enough ivermectin to fully protect dogs from heartworms due to loss of potency after manufacture.

Several dog foods were recalled in December due to finding aflatoxin in corn:

Two more dry dog foods recalled over aflatoxin levels (12/30/11)
More Aflatoxin-Related Dog Food Recalls Revealed (12/29/11)
Advanced Animal Nutrition Recalls Dog Power Dry Dog Food (12/12/11)
Cargill Animal Nutrition Recalls River Run and Marksman Dry Dog Food (12/7/11)
Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy dry dog food with Use By or Expiration Dates of February 5 or February 6, 2013 (12/6/11)

I'd avoid any food that uses corn at this point. Aflatoxin is more serious than the more typical salmonella recalls. No illnesses have been reported, but see this old notice for signs to watch for if you've fed these foods: Dogs keep dying: Too many owners remain unaware of toxic dog food.

Immiticide, the drug used for treating heartworm disease in dogs, became completely unavailable as of August 2011, but the FDA announced in September that they will allow Merial to import a limited supply from their European supplier until problems with manufacture in the U.S. are addressed. See Shortage of Immiticide for Heartworm Treatment and Important New Information Regarding Heartworm Treatment and Doxycycline for treatment guidelines without the use of Immiticide. In related news, veterinarians at the University of Florida announced in October 2011 that they are now offering a minimally invasive method of extracting heartworms through the jugular vein using specialized instruments. See UF veterinarians offer alternative treatment for severe heartworm cases or call the UF Small Animal Hospital at (352) 392-2235 for more information.

Good news! The Dalmatian Club of America has voted 305 to 253 against to accept the low-uric acid (LUA) Dalmatians, paving the way for AKC registration. See We are Dal-lighted! for details. See British Kennel Club Registers First LUA Dalmatian and Update on Low Uric Acid Dalmatians for background.

California Spay and Neuter Specialty License Plate Program to provide funding for free and low-cost spay and neuter surgery programs across California are available for preorder. Cost is $50, with $40 going to the fund, all of which will be used for spay/neuter services (not overhead). 7,500 pre-orders are needed before plates will be created. See The California Pet Lover's License Plate for more information.

See News Archive for additional news items.

Seminars and Talks

See Dog Seminars Directory and Puppyworks for listings of dog seminars on various topics around the world. I will list seminars on nutrition and health here.

Acknowledgements

Eternal gratitude to web site designer extraordinaire , who got me started with Dreamweaver and helped spice up my web site design with color and graphics.

Thanks to Terry Journey, Wind Dancer Design, for my logo and banners.

Thanks to Nancy Kerns, editor of the Whole Dog Journal, for allowing me to use some of her wonderful photographs on my site.

Thanks to award-winning professional pet photographer Pam Biasotti, You Had Me at Woof Photography, for allowing me to use her wonderful images of my dog, Ella.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me. My name is Mary Straus and you can email me at either or