Thursday, May 21, 2009

Nutro Brand Foods Recalled

We received notification from Nutro Products that certain brands of their cat foods have been recalled. They have received no consumer complaints, but are recalling the food as a precautionary measure. If you have any "Natural Choice Complete Care" or "Max Cat" brand food, you should discontinue using them.

Below is the information we received from Nutro regarding the recall.

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Out of an abundance of caution, on May 21, 2009, Nutro Products
announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO
NATURAL CHOICE COMPLETE CARE Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO
MAX Cat Dry Foods with "Best If Used By Dates" between May 12,
2010 and August 22, 2010. This recall is due to incorrect levels
of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a
production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive
levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix
under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential
nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO(R)
dry cat food.

As soon as we became aware of the issue, we made the decision to hold
shipments of affected dry cat product, and took immediate action to
verify with our mineral premix supplier that no other products were
affected. We then contacted the FDA to notify them of the voluntary
recall. A full list of affected product and available alternatives
for your clients is available at
http://aci-direct.net/c.asp?770197&524b7ff8ad4090a0&1

We have completed a comprehensive audit of premixes for all NUTRO
products, and have confirmed that this issue only affects certain dry
cat food products. No other NUTRO products are affected, including
dry dog food, wet dog and cat foods and dog and cat treats.

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately
discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another
product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received
no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor
their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal
of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. We have suggested that
cat owners contact their veterinarian if their cat is experiencing
health issues or is pregnant.

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall
should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for
another NUTRO dry cat food product.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states,
as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. We are
working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both
the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are
not on store shelves.

At Nutro Products, our top priority has always been and continues to
be the health and welfare of pets and their owners. If you have any
further questions, including the need for additional information on
clinical signs, please call 1-800-833-5330 and identify yourself as a
veterinary professional or visit
http://aci-direct.net/c.asp?770197&524b7ff8ad4090a0&1

Sincerely,

Dr. Tiffany Bierer
Health and Nutrition Manager
Nutro Products Inc.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

One Kitty, Two Kitty,.... Eight Kitties Adopted!!



Since our inception, the Scottsdale Cat Clinic has always looked to serve the most desperate of the feline community. The best way to do that, of course, was to use the expertise of the clinic. The Scottsdale Cat Clinic eagerly has joined forces with local shelters and rescue organizations to help with the stray and feral cat population. One shelter, Safe Haven for Animals, has been an integral part of helping us give back to the community. They are a no-kill non-profit organization in the Phoenix area with wonderful volunteers that are dedicated to rescuing stray animals.


This past weekend the Scottsdale Cat Clinic hosted an 'exclusively feline' adoption event with Safe Haven for Animals. At 9:15 our lobby started filling up and folks were eager to be first in line to lay eyes on their new found friend. You could feel the excitement and energy in the air as we got closer to bringing the cats in. At 10:00 the cats made their grand entrance and the clinic was hopping! In an hours time three kitties had gone home with their new found families. We were also able to direct many other interested parties to Safe Haven's cat house, where they house the majority of their felines, two blocks away.

At the end of the day we had a record setting 'eight' adoptions for Safe Haven, many of which were special needs kitties too!

Scout, Toby, Mary, Ricky and Chloe were just some of the lucky few to have found their 'fur-ever' homes! Mark, pictured here is still patiently waiting to find his. If you are interested in giving Mark a home please contact Safe Haven.


Safe Haven volunteer Charla B., said, " it was a historic day for the shelter – more adoptions than any single day in the past!"


We would like to sincerely thank all of you who helped us spread the word, told friends and neighbors and who came to the event to show support and better yet, adopted a sweetheart. Together we can all help make a difference. Remember, when you bring some new snuggle into your home you are enriching lives. Yours, your family's and your animal's. And at a significantly lower cost than you would get from a breeder or pet store!

We remain dedicated to helping spay, neuter, test and heal stray cats for these noble organizations.