In the last two weeks, we have seen several interesting stories that revolve around the foods that we feed our pets.  First, 2 weeks ago, we saw the FDA send out an appeal to veterinarians and pet owners asking for help in solving the on-going chicken jerky issue.  Then, in an unrelated event, Bailey's Choice recalled two lots of their jerky treats due to Salmonella concerns.

This week, the FDA released the data from a two year study that showed the risk of bacterial contamination is significantly higher with raw pet foods than with dry cooked diets.  SkeptVet, a Certified Veterinary Journalist with the American Society of Veterinary Journalists added some interesting insights at his blog.

We all know that discussions about raw and homemade diets can be filled with passions on both sides.  Before entering an online discussion about this topic, be sure to review some of our VNN resources on the topic, including this video:

Raw Food Diet Controversy

The FDA seems to be very busy...they also sent out a consumer alert detailing the use and concerns of NSAIDs in our pets.  Certified Veterinary Journalist, Dr. Lori Huston set up a nice blog with her thoughts on the topic as well.

Sad news out of Colorado this past week as a house call veterinarian lost a patient while performing surgery at the client's home.  While this may seem tragic to all of us, as veterinary professionals we know that sometimes this can happen.  The news hook in this story is that the assistant who was administering the anesthesia for the doctor was the doctor's sixteen year old daughter.

In Ohio, the executive director of an animal rights organization committed suicide, taking 31 rescue dogs to death with her.  Although we will never know why she chose this route, we have seen time and time again that the challenges of trying to save as many animals as a person possibly can eventually catches up to them.  Overwhelmed, many withdraw from contact and the animals they are trying to save don't get the care they need.  This seems to be an extreme case of what happens far too often in the rescue community.

All across the nation, it seems that veterinarians are collaborating more and more with their counterparts for human health care, physicians.  In this article from NBC News, there are some very interesting comparisons made between human patients with a particular malady and an animal with a similar issue.  This, of course, is the on-going work of "Zoobiquity" conference

Here's a happy story to share!  In Tennessee, a baby llama who had broken her leg needed a blood transfusion.  Thankfully, mama llama was there to step up and help!   Both patients are doing fine!