Tainted pet food killed 200 dogs and cats: study
Yahoo! News – A major recall was begun last March after ingredients imported from China were found to have contaminated some pet food. Canadian manufacturer Menu Foods Income Fund was hardest hit, recalling 60 million packages of pet food. A survey posted on the Internet, and widely publicized by the American Veterinary Medical Association, attracted just 500 responses and of those, only 348 cases of pet sickness met the criteria for kidney failure caused by the contamination. Read the full article…

While it appears that the Tom was set to get a couple of bear claws and a cup of joe, there’s no word yet on whether the turkey had a chance to get his order in before being called away for dinner. Get it? For dinner?

Last Meal? Turkey Spotted in Dunkin’ Donuts Drive-Thru Via NBC10

How to help wildlife affected by oil spill in SF Bay
San Jose Mercury News – The sight of oil-coated birds has sparked a passionate response from the public: How can I help? But wildlife experts are urging people to stay away from oil-covered birds along the San Francisco Bay coast…

“We rely on professional staff early on, then will call for volunteers in the middle and later in cleanup,” said Yvonne Addassi, an environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Game.

Here’s what you need to know if you want to help with the cleanup, report oil-soaked wildlife, or to donate.

VOLUNTEER WORKSHOPS: The Department of Fish and Game encourages future volunteers to attend a class about wildlife care at one of three locations today.

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium - 9:30-11:30 a.m., 99 Grove St. in San Francisco.

Harbor Master, Richmond Marina - 1:30-3:30 p.m., 1340 Marina Way South in Richmond.

Headlands Institute - 5-7 p.m., Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Building 1033, in Sausalito.

Clean-up expands for San Francisco Bay oil spill
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Clean-up efforts for a 58,000-gallon (220,000-liter) oil spill in San Francisco Bay expanded on Sunday as federal officials assessed damage that has closed beaches, threatened the crabbing season and killed scores of birds.

Human Error Blamed for SF Bay Oil Spill (yotube video)
Ship’s crew questioned in criminal probe of SF Bay oil spill (AP via KESQ)

Federal Criminal Investigation Opens Into 58000 Oil Spill In San Francisco Bay
Democracy Now, NY - A federal criminal investigation has been opened into a 58,000-gallon spill of heavy bunker fuel into the San Francisco Bay. The spill took place when a container ship slammed into the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Wednesday.

The oil spill has shut down over a dozen beaches and killed at least 60 birds. Ecologists warn that it could take months to clean up and that it threatens the Bay’s diverse ecosystem, including several endangered species. We speak to Sejal Choksi, Program Director at San Francisco Baykeeper.

Impact of SF Bay Oil Spill Widens (youtube video)
This video from a few days ago gives a pretty good overview of how the accident happened and what is known about the impact on local wildlife so far.

Cats more prey-full than playful
Toronto Star – Ontario, Canada
My grey-and-white cat has a nasty habit of leaving the remains of the day’s catch lying around. It’s become quite the sport, this game of cat-and-mouse, …

Pet Tales: Indoor or out? Cat debate continues
San Luis Obispo Tribune – San Luis Obispo,CA,USA
Another myth is that well-fed cats will not hunt. Predation is instinctive in cats, and a well-fed cat is a healthy hunter. Cats will hunt and kill, …

Cat DNA secrets may help against human and feline diseases
New York Daily News – New York,NY,USA
One feline is proving that cats are the spice of life. Scientists have decoded the DNA of a cat named Cinnamon, saying the exciting discovery may help forge new ground in treatments for both feline and human diseases.

The oil spill in San Francisco bay this week has spread from the Bay Bridge to Angel Island and has now reached all the way out to the Farallon Islands.

Dozens of dead and injured birds already have been found around the region, and hundreds more are likely to be spotted before the oil slick is mopped up, officials said.

By late afternoon Thursday, the oil had hit the Farallon Islands, and researchers spotted 20 oiled common murres. At nesting time, in late winter, the Farallones are home to 200,000 common murres, the largest colony south of Alaska, and the seabirds already are starting to arrive.

“This is going to be a mess. We’ll see how big a mess,” said Cheryl Strong, a biologist at the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The islands are part of the refuge.

Oil washing up on the beaches in San Francisco, Berkeley, Albany, Novato and along the Pacific coast is covering prime feeding grounds for the dozens of species of shorebirds that forage on the edges of the bay. The disaster will remain a deadly threat for months and perhaps years to come, biologists said.

Fish will die if they eat the oil in the water or it gets in their gills, said biologists with state Fish and Game Department.

You can read more about the spill on the San Francisco Chronicle’s website here.

Update: Forum ran a radio show discussing the San Francisco Bay Oil Spill — Economic Indicators which contains some good information on the impact on birds and other wildlife as well as the bay area as whole. You can find a link to the podcast here.

You can find out how to help with the cleanup and rescue effort here:

Volunteers: The environmental group Baykeeper is soliciting volunteers at www.baykeeper.org.

More info: More information on how to volunteer eventually will be posted online by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at www.owcn.org.

Oil slicks: Help track the spill by reporting oil slicks. Call (985) 781-0804.

Wildlife: Report oiled wildlife at (877) 823-6926. (Do not call this number to volunteer.)

Are you obsessed with your dog or know someone who is (I’m looking at you, mom)? Tell us about it in the comments.

A pet pig whose weight tripled while it was in the care of a sitter has been placed on a diet and an animal cruelty charge has been filed against the caretaker.

Apparently the pig gained so much weight that its collar had to be surgically removed after she ballooned to a portly 150lbs — 100lbs over her ideal weight of 50lbs. Crazy!

Via ABC News

The Hartz Mountain Corporation is voluntarily recalling one specific lot of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats due to concerns that one or more bottles within the lot may have been potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Hartz is fully cooperating with the US Food and Drug Administration in this voluntary recall.

The product involved is 3600 bottles of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats, lot code SZ- 1637 1, UPC number 32700-97701, which was manufactured by a third party manufacturer, UFAC (USA), Inc., in Baconton, Georgia.

Read the entire press release after the jump.

The Hartz Mountain Corporation Recalls Vitamin Care for Cats Because of Possible Health Risk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Baconton, GA — November 2, ,2007 —The Hartz Mountain Corporation is voluntarily recalling one specific lot of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats due to concerns that one or more bottles within the lot may have been potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Hartz is fully cooperating with the US Food and Drug Administration in this voluntary recall.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, all of whom are at particular risk from exposure and should avoid handling these products.

Salmonella symptoms may include fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea in both cats and humans. Anyone experiencing the symptoms of Salmonella infection should seek immediate medical attention. Owners of cats exhibiting these symptoms should also seek veterinary assistance.

The product involved is 3600 bottles of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats, lot code SZ- 1637 1, UPC number 32700-97701, which was manufactured by a third party manufacturer, UFAC (USA), Inc., in Baconton, Georgia. While normal testing conducted by Hartz and UFAC has not revealed the presence of Salmonella in any Hartz products, sampling conducted by the FDA did detect the presence of Salmonella. Hartz is aggressively investigating the source of the problem.

Although the company has not received any reports of animals or humans becoming ill as a result of coming into contact with this product, Hartz is taking immediate steps to remove the product from all retail stores and distribution centers. Cat owners should> check the lot code on their bottles, and, if the code is not visible, or if the bottle has lot code SZ- 16371 imprinted thereon, they should immediately discontinue use of the product and discard it in a proper manner.

Consumers can contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414 with any questions they may have and to obtain reimbursement for purchased product.

Via the FDA

Come to think of it, maybe I could make Guinness too if I come up with the right combination of completely random elements. But I think I’ll start small like maybe I could just put 1 foot in a bucket with 5 turtles. Think anyone holds that record already?

Another day, another bizarre world record for Jackie Bibby, the “Texas Snake Man.” Bibby spent about 45 minutes in a see-through bathtub with 87 rattlesnakes Monday, fully clothed, shattering his own record by 12 snakes just in time for Guinness World Records Day, which is Thursday.

Read the full article via SFGate.com

The dog is currently being held for questioning at the Grinnell County jail and we have not received word yet on weather the shooting was accidental or intentional.

Harris was hunting with a group about three miles north of Grinnell. The group shot a bird, and when Harris went to get it, he put his gun on the ground and crossed a fence. As he crossed the fence, his hunting dog stepped on the gun, Foster said.

Usually getting shot is actually not that funny and I wouldn’t normally poke fun at such a potentially serious subject, but when there’s a dog at the trigger, well… I just had to chuckle. A little. On the inside.

Read the full article from the San Jose Mercury News after the jump…

DES MOINES, Iowa—A hunter is recovering after he was shot in the leg at close range by his dog, who stepped on his shotgun and tripped the trigger, an official said Tuesday.James Harris, 37, of Tama, was hit in the calf Saturday, the opening day of pheasant season, said Alan Foster, a spokesman with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

“He had surgery and is doing pretty well,” he said. “He took between 100-120 pellets in about a 4-inch circle to his calf.”

Harris was listed in good condition Tuesday, officials at University Hospitals in Iowa City said.

Harris was hunting with a group about three miles north of Grinnell. The group shot a bird, and when Harris went to get it, he put his gun on the ground and crossed a fence. As he crossed the fence, his hunting dog stepped on the gun, Foster said.

The gun was about 3 feet away from his leg.

“The muzzle velocity is so great that the pellets don’t have a chance to spread out,” he said.

No one else was hurt, and the dog was not injured.

Foster said no citations have been issued.

Via San Jose Mercury News

Be sure to give it a click to see what’s happening with the guys over there and if you’re ever in the Cotati California area, be sure to stop by the store and pick up a fish or two.

Northbay Aquatics