Oklahoma not in recall region
Oklahoma isn’t one of the 15 states affected by the Mars Petcare food recall because of concerns about salmonella.
The company is recalling Special Kitty Gourmet Blend dry bagged cat food sold at Walmart. Affect states are Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia, according to a company press release.
Here is a statement from the company:
“Even though there is no link between the SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend dry cat food manufactured at the Allentown, Pennsylvania factory and any human or pet illness, we are taking precautionary action to protect pets and their owners by announcing a voluntary recall of all sizes of SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Blend produced at the facility on August 11, 2008. This action is being taken as a result of potential Salmonella contamination.”
Owners are asked to dispose of the food in a safe place such as a covered trash can and return the bag to any participating retailer for a full refund.
This image, provided by Petcare, shows how to identify the tainted food. Affected food has a best if used by date of AUG 11 09. The number underneath that, the product lot code, starts with a 50.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
High-def otter video on the way
The Oklahoma Aquarium has sent us a high-def version of the otter pup video, and we’ll be posting it here soon! Warning: the cuteness is even cuter in high-def.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Otter pup makes debut at Oklahoma Aquarium
As if you thought the world of baby animals couldn’t get any cuter, an otter pup was born at the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks. The pup was born Sept. 26, but it recently began sticking its nose outside its den. Here’s a video and a couple pictures of the pup with its mom the aquarium folks provided us:
In the interest of ethics, we can’t disguise our love of otters here at Pet Show. The video of otters holding hand is probably our all time favorite.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pet Picture Contest
Come on folks, you still have a few more days to enter pictures of your beloved adopted pets for our contest in honor of Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.
I know there must be plenty of you who are spoiling those doggies and taking their pictures in various doggy poses. Send us your best photos and you’ll be automatically entered to win great prizes — “Dogs on the Bed” and “My Father the Dog,” by Elizabeth Bluemle.
Please send along some information with your entry. We need the dog’s name, your name, your address and phone number and the shelter where you found your dog. Also, give us a description of what the dog is doing. E-mail entries to ccoppernoll@opubco.com by noon Oct. 31. We’ll draw winners after noon Oct. 31.
Let us see your best pictures of your found friends!
- Staff Writer Dawn Marks
Tigers use training to escape flames
Three Siberian tigers, using their circus training, jumped over a wall of flames to safety recently after the truck they were riding in caught on fire in Germany.
The tigers were trained to jump through hoops of fire and 
used that experience when their ringmaster ordered them to jump over the wall of flames in the truck, said circus owner Daniel Renz.
Rescuers saved three other tigers left behind in the 43-foot wagon during the fire. Circus workers coralled the tigers on the highway and police closed the road to traffic.
Renz said one of the tigers suffered some smoke inhallation, but the other five were in good condition. The circus was scheduled to go on as planned Thursday, but the six tigers involbed in the fire will get a rest while some of the show’s other tigers perform.
Renz said an overheated suspension system on the truck is suspected as the cause of the fire.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
Help! We need animal control … and a bomb squad!
I’m not a police officer, but I’m guessing animal control and bomb experts rarely show up at the same location. But apparently, it’s happened at least once.
This guy is keeping cats in a storage unit in New Hampshire, and he’s turned in to authorities. They go to save the poor kitties, but they can’t rescue them right away. They have to wait for the state bomb squad to come in and remove a large artillery shell. Yikes.
Keeping cats in a storage unit? Bad idea.
Keeping cats and a bomb in a storage unit? Worse idea.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Stillwater employees rescue dog from drain
Last week Stillwater employees found something other than water in a city drain.
They found Amy.
The chow-retriever mix had disappeared , and her owner, Sharon Ore, called city workers because she suspected Amy might be trapped in a drain, according to the city.
Turns out, Sharon was right. Amy, a delightful puff of yellow fur, was trapped. (No word yet on how the heck that happened.) City workers were able to retrieve the retriever. Check out the city Web site for more pictures of Amy’s rescue.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Puppies and guilt
My girlfriend’s Chihuahua, Queenie, had puppies last night. On my couch. They are cute as can be.
Watching the birthing process was both enlightening and gross beyond measure. Queenie is an excellent mother. She did all the work of birthing the pups, cutting the cord, cleaning them and nursing them through the night. 
She was very protective this morning. When my dog, Huey, showed curiosity and approached the mother and her puppies, Queenie growled, warning him to stay away. Normally Queenie and Huey are very friendly.
I also find myself conflicted.
I’m not in favor of breeding dogs. My girlfriend has two Chihuahuas, Queenie and a boy named Bruiser. This is the second time she has let the pair breed. I know there is a market for AKC-registered Chihuahuas, and those puppies will go to good homes.
I just have a hard time with the idea of selling or giving away puppies while so many dogs are euthanized at shelters across the metro and across the nation each day. Thousands of animals are killed each year in Oklahoma City because they committed no sin beyond being born into a bad situation with no prospect of finding a loving home.
Oklahoma City’s Animal Welfare staff and a cadre of generous advocates are working very hard to change these statistics, but they have little hope of succeeding if people don’t make the choice to have their pets spayed and neutered. There are options available for those with low incomes.
I would also encourage everyone to adopt a dog from a shelter or a reputable breed rescue, which is how I found Huey. Many pure-bred animals make their way through the shelter, and breed rescues can often match you with a pure-bred dog.
That said, I know there are people who are very specific. They want a puppy, and they want one that has a documented pedigree. This is how Queenie’s puppies will find a home.
My girlfriend has agreed to have Queenie spayed and Bruiser neutered, so this will be their last litter of puppies. Hopefully, this will help the problem, and hopefully at some point in the near future Oklahoma City will no longer have to euthanize healthy dogs and cats.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
Pets in the paper
Check out these stories in today’s Oklahoman -
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Mr Green Genes
I imagine the lolcat would go something like this:
I can has to glow in dark?
Scientists have created Mr. Green Genes, the first known glow-in-the-dark cat.
Scientists modified the New Orleans kitty’s genes to see if they could harmlessly change an animal’s DNA sequence. The research could be applied to fight a variety of diseases including cystic fibrosis.
Mr. Green Genes looks like a normal ginger tom cat under normal light. But turn on an ultraviolet light in a dark room, and his eyes, ears and mouth glow green.
The cat glows because the scientists wanted to track the gene as it spread, so they chose one that would glow.
All I know is, Mr. Green Genes would be the coolest Halloween cat ever.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
