I lost my kitty in April 2007.

He was the third kitty I lost in a 3 year period but the only one that died at the hands of Menu Foods.

I joined the mass class action last year and have just submitted my 3rd and final set of claims to the administrator of the lawsuit.

Every time I fill out a set of forms I relive the whole experience all over again.

I miss him so much.  I miss all three of them.

When I think of the words "unconditional love", I think of my kitties.

I can't stop crying and I don't know why. 

I just tried joining those two grief support forums mentioned on your website but have not received a confirmation yet.

Don't know what to do now except to try and publish my song written about Samuel.

I'm at a loss for words.

Thanks for being there.  I don't know who else to tell.

Sincerely,

Rosey

Is there a spell check feature on this site?  I thought I saw it referred to at one time in the "Help" menu but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

What do the yellow stars mean under user names?

We lost our pet sitters when in-laws moved out-of-state and decided to take our pets with us.  One problem - we couldn't find affordable places that took pets.  We were only interested in traveling locally on the weekends during 3 days holidays, etc.  The first site below helped us out a lot.  The site below that is our personal favorite to date.


Vacation Rentals by Owner: www.vrbo.com
"Paws" on the right side of the listing mean it's pet friendly

www.pinehavencabin.com

"...hope you will send this email far and wide.  Help us find Rufus a real home!  Thanks ;-)  Dr T"

See how our 911 call to Cesar Millan saved the day for Rufus!

The staff of Founders Veterinary Clinic (Brea, California) is proud to announce our appearance on an upcoming episode of The Dog Whisperer, Friday, May 23, on the National Geographic Channel (check your local listings for time and channel number).

In January of this year, Cesar Millan answered our 911 call for help!  Rufus, a pitiful looking six month old puppy found to be suffering from severe neglect at a local shelter was returned to health by the medical care donated by Founders Veterinary Clinic.  Six months later that sick puppy matured into a rambunctious 75 pound Rotweiller mix who was spinning out of control!

All our attempts to find Rufus a loving home were sabotaged by his bad behavior —we lost all hope of ever getting him adopted! After three long years of living inside the walls of a veterinary hospital, Rufus was literally at a dead end.  We knew that Cesar Millan would be Rufus’s last and only chance to live the life we saved three years earlier!  We made the call and nervously waited. Incredibly, Cesar and his devoted staff moved quickly to prevent us from having to make the agonizing decision to finally euthanize him.   

What happened next?  Tune in on Friday, May 23, and watch an amazing and transforming episode of the Dog Whisperer!

See a remarkable photo of Rufus and Cesar working together at www.foundersvet.com

And get the full story at www.30MinVetConsult.com/blog

Our staff has been following Cesar’s instructions to the letter for the past four months—the reward?  A more calm, balanced and submissive dog!  Rufus’s social skills have shown remarkable improvement and he is now ready to find the right “Pack Leader” who will continue to enforce Cesar’s three golden rules: Exercise, Discipline, and Affection

Now we need your help: Please FORWARD this email to all your dog loving friends in the hopes that someone will want to give this loveable hunk of a dog the real home he has earned and so well deserves!

 

The tips below were given to us by our new pet sitter, Dena, after picking them up for their first weekend visit with her.  She’s an expert on Dachshund’s and a long term client of our vet, “Dr. T.”:

*Feed ¼ raw carrot per meal vs. ½; it comes out in their poop which means it’s not being absorbed and giving them no nutritional value

*Be careful with cauliflower and broccoli – they both can contain a lot of iron and too much iron is toxic to their systems

*You’re safe with peas and green beans

*Never mix raw food with cooked; different enzymes are used to digest raw vs. cooked and it could severely upset their stomachs

*Suggested recipe as an alternative to (the high cost of) Steve’s frozen meat chunks: Scramble 1 dozen eggs including the shells (for added calcium); add green beans or parsley; divide in to 12 packets and put in the freezer; defrost in the microwave for 10 seconds or serve frozen; add a vitamin; feed once a day.

 
www.delgadog.com (An e-mail link to Dena is on the left side of her home page)

“Let your friends know about www.BalanceIt.com for pet lovers.  They can purchase custom recipes for dogs and cats---which factor in age and body weights.  They also sell a vitamin, mineral and amino acid supplement (called Balance It) that makes homemade recipes nutritionally complete.  The website owner is a veterinary specialist in nutrition at UC Davis.  I believe that this is the most accurate way to determine how much of what to feed.  My website recipe should be used mainly as a general guideline.

I loved reading some of the comments.  It is so good to share GOOD information!

Dr. T.”

 

 

 

 

 
 

Here's the reason I researched this product extensively, and then purchased it.

Up until we got those seats a couple of years ago, my pups sat up front in the car with me and my husband.  My little boy pup likes to sit curled up against the driver's neck, my little girl pup likes to sit in the passenger's lap.

One day, my husband was traveling and I had to transport the pups to the vet myself.  On my way home, they were both all over me, of course.  I was going very slow driving up my street and about 1/2 block from home.  A little girl ran out in front of me from her driveway to her parents who were standing across the street.  There was big airport van in their driveway blocking my view.  I slammed on my breaks and just missed her.  Thank God I wasn't talking on the cell phone.  That was a near fatal experience.

Later, in talking with a staffer from my vets office, I was told that if you're driving on the freeway, for example, going 60 miles an hour, and you get into an accident - everything in your car that isn't belted in is thrown around/from the vehicle at the same speed. 

That's when I realized that for the safety of everyone, including my pups, they needed to be belted in when traveling.

Before anyone jumps the gun...

Don't take my word for it.  I'm smart, intuitive, sure I got the message right - but that same person I spoke to on the phone would tell me certain things (almost reluctantly) and when I questioned him again, he would say, "I really couldn't say." 

I'm going to give you the name and the # of that person and let's see if you get the same answers I did.  (Moderator, if this is inappropriate, please delete this information):

Audet & Partners, LLP
San Francisco, CA
www.audetlaw.com
1-415-568-2555
Ted Chase is name of the person I spoke to.  I don't know if he's an attorney or a paralegal
tchase@audetlaw.com
Note: I got no response to my e-mails; had to keep calling until he answered the phone and shockingly reached him after hours, at apx. 5:15 pst.  When I called I was given a list of options, I plugged in Ted's last name, heard the words "Menu Foods", chose that option, Ted answered).

My guess is that they won't respond to e-mails because they don't want anything they say to be put in writing.  Ya think?

 

Finally got through to office of one of the attorney's representing the class in NJ law suit against Menu Foods.  (Questions asked/answered at a very fast pace; took notes as best I could).  If I understood correctly, this is what I know:

*They are expecting the case to settle in the next couple of months
*They are not taking any new clients until "after" the case settles (and if, of course, they win).  At that time they will review all applications from those individuals who returned their signed contracts and will decide who they will represent (and will receive part of the settlement). Doesn't make sense to me, but oh well! The fees charged by the defendent if they lose should be minimal, if anything, and split amongst thousands of class members; they couldn't tell me how much.
*They have already selected their class representative; you don't have to live in or travel to SF or NJ to be a part of the class.
*Menu Foods is not allowed to talk to pet owners represented by attorney's but, unlike their website states, they are allowed to settle with individual pet owners.  (Attorney's guess is that they don't want to communicate with individual pet owners with a mass class action pending).   

I'm really quite tired of this; not doing it for the money.  Just want to take a stand and finish something I started a year ago. Have detailed documentation, letter from my vet, poisened pet food packets, receipts for $5,000.00 in medical bills, etc.  I want to get my name in there.  Tell his story.  Stand up for Samuel.  And perhaps one day, publish the song I wrote in memory of him.

Sound unrealistic?  Probably so.  But I'm going for it anyway.  I could pursue other options if I had the time, energy and money but I don't.  I'm going to sign the contract, send it in and be done with it.  Will keep you posted. 

 

One of my kitties died of cancer several years ago.  During his long battle, he had one of his back egs amputated.  Makes me cry to think about it so I'll keep this short.  His cancer was linked to the "routine" yearly vaccines he had been given over time just above his tail. 

I'm grateful that the vet we have now is extremely conservative when it comes to shots. 

Please be careful.

www.shop.dachshunddelights.com/products/Hug_A_Dog_Harness_in_mesh-1-1.html

We love this product, and they're not just for Doxies anymore!  Light weight, black or white mesh with various color trim choices, velcro closures and an (optional) added D-ring on the top middle section for pet tags.  As a matter of fact, when we hook them in to their Lookout Car Seats (also reviewed in this section), we use the ring attached to their (loop style) leashes vs. the harness that the manufacturer provided with the seats.

The size medium, which we bought at a fundraising event, fit perfectly for one of our pups (mini breed).  Our other pup was between a medium and a large, and the large that we purchased was way too big.  (I kept it snug with a clothespin).  I called the manufacturer, gave them her measurements and we now have a harness that fits her perfectly.

Almost always get compliments on and questions about them wherever we go.  

Whole carrots - they love them and have for the last 11 years!   

We have gone back and forth between large whole carrots, thinner smaller organic ones, and the little minnies.  The large whole is our #1 pick! The other two go down too fast & defeat the purpose of trying to make a snack last longer than 5 seconds.  We watched them very carefully in the beginning to make sure they didn't choke.

Recently got a tip from my vet tech about adding cooked frozen mixed vegetables to the meal (no corn).  I am planning to try that as well but will get fresh instead of frozen.

Any experience with raw vegetables from other readers?

I took my pups last week for dentals.  They had each gained 5 pounds since their last visit 3 months ago.  So much for switching from Steve's to dry food, however well intentioned I was.

The tech told me that frozen Steve's would be no harder on their teeth than the dry food; we're back on Steve's and "all" (me included) on a diet! 

P.S. to my last post:  I took my pups to the vet yesterday for "dentals".  They had gained 5 pounds each in the last three months since switching from frozen (meat chunks) to dry.

Flint River is still a great product, in my opinion, but I just returned to the frozen chunks.

Took my pups to the vet yesterday for "dentals".  They gained 5 pounds each in the last three months since switching from frozen (meat chunks) to dry. 

I don't home cook, but I though I would pass on what the tech does to keep her 3 big dogs nice and slim:

She browns a roll of ground chicken (I believe) in a pan - adds 1 great big bag of frozen mixed vegetables (with no corn), and gives them 1 cup each two times a day.  I can't remember all the details, sorry; but that mixed vegetable idea is something I'm definitely going to implement.

I will ask both the tech and my vet to become contributors to this site if they are willing.

When I saw Dr. T (vet) at the end of the day in passing (while picking up pups), she told me that "home cooking is really her thing".  She has a store, I believe, in the Palm Springs area and sells her home made doggie dishes in frozen one portion packs at her office in Brea.