Here are the details from their website. The recall affects frozen food with a “Best if Used By” date of 11/10/10.

Nature’s Variety says that no illnesses have been reported in connection with the food, but they are issuing a voluntary recall due to concerns about possible salmonella contamination.

Vernon before being reclaimed

Though “Vernon” the dog’s rescue was carried live on many tv stations, it turns out that his owner, an elderly woman, speaks only Spanish, and didn’t know her dog had become a media sensation since his rescue didn’t get as much attention on Spanish-speaking stations.

Vernon’s name is really Spikey, and he and the woman’s other dog (who was also found wandering loose) will soon be returned to their owner, who thinks the dogs got loose when one of her grandchildren left a side gate open.

Card from Dogstuff

I don’t know how US breeders feel about it, but in the UK, inbreeding is considered enough of a problem that microchipping litters is being proposed as a partial solution.

Two Premium Edge cat foods have been recalled for insufficient levels of thiamine, which can cause gastrointestinal and neurological problems.

Also (same link as above), the FDA has issued a warning about possible salmonella contamination in several types of pig ears and beef hooves sold by the Pet Carousel company.

Playful puppies chase their tails ... in adult dogs, it may be more serious

Human studies have previously linked high cholesterol to panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now, a new study says the same thing appears to be true of dogs.

The study took blood samples from 15 compulsive tail-chasers and 15 non-chasers; both groups were otherwise healthy. The tail-chasing dogs had significantly higher cholesterol, both LDL and HDL, than the control dogs.

The study also found that female dogs are more likely to be tail-chasers than male dogs, though they’re not sure why.

Some dogs doo more than others (print from Dogstuff)

Amelia Glynn gives us the scoop on San Francisco’s, and other cities’, dog-doo dilemma and potential responses, including a group in Ithaca, New York that thinks it can profitably compost its 50,000 dogs’ waste.

Card from Dogstuff

The drug is called Palladia and targets mast cell cancers. The Animal Medical Center in New York is treating canine patients now. Here’s a link to their PDF file about Palladia.

Anthony sits with Dash after they were blocked from the school

Anthony Spataro, 8 years old, didn’t get to start 4th grade with the rest of his class because his school wouldn’t let him bring his diabetic service dog with him.

Anthony’s family has been battling the school district for the last year over the issue.

The district says Dash, a 4-month-old black Labrador, is too young to be properly trained. Dash’s trainer, however, says he has passed two AKC tests and received the necessary glucose-sensitivity training.

Anthony’s family says they will sue the district to force them to allow Dash onto school grounds.