Issue #30

Did you know… 2018 is the Year of the Dog, according to Chinese Zodiac. But not just any dog. In Chinese element theory, each zodiac sign is associated with one of the five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, so there are actually 5 types of dogs! It is theorized that a person's characteristics are decided by their birth year's zodiac animal sign and element. Here are their characteristics:

Which one are you?

FDA to investigate after ABC7 exposes euthanasia drug in dog food. In total, 60% of wet food tested positive for pentobarbital. One brand repeatedly came back positive for pentobarbital - Gravy Train - made by Big Heart Pet Foods and owned by Smucker’s. And while the levels detected were not lethal, under federal law they are also not permitted at any concentration. So how is pentobarbital, a drug not allowed to be used on animals intended for food, getting into the food?

Meet Ruby, Co-Founder of Real Pet Food. This week, we were featured in San Diego Voyager’s Inspiring Stories. In case you missed it, check it out.

Are raw chicken necks linked to paralysis in dogs? Earlier this week, an Australian study came out linking a bacteria in raw chicken called Campylobacter to Acute Polyradiculoneuritis (APN), a form of paralysis. It was a bit shocking to see as the sample size was relatively small (27 pups) and after reviewing the results, it’s quite important to understand the difference between correlation and causation. The bottom line is, Campylobacter bacteria can be found in both healthy and sick dogs and the symptoms of APN have been linked to many other causes including vaccinations, not just raw poultry. DNM did a thorough analysis of the study[, here’s what you should know.

](https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/news-chicken-necks-linked-paralysis-dogs/)

Second veterinary business allies with Petco to run in-store clinics. A Texas vet who wants to promote independent practice ownership plans to open multiple clinics in Petco stores this year. The Pet Vet is the second veterinary business to team with Petco. The first in-store clinic opened in October and VitusVet, a digital communication solution for vet practices just announced its partnership with The Pet Vet Hospital. Petco’s other 8 clinics are run by Thrive Affordable Pet Care. Petco is not the first national retailer to ally with a veterinary practice. Banfield, which began as a single, independent hospital in 1955, opened a clinic in a PetSmart store in 1994. That partnership fueled Banfield's growth into the largest practice chain, with more than 1,000 locations to date, 85% of them inside PetSmart stores. Today, Banfield, VCA and several other practice chains are owned by the same company — Mars Inc., the candy-making conglomerate.

Just 1 week until Valentine’s Day ♥ Give the gift of good health. Available until February 25th, here’s the current lineup: Turkey Breast, Beef Liver, Smelt, Chicken Feet, Lamb Gullet & Beef Trachea plus Lamb Femur for the Super Chew.

Next month, here’s what we got in mind (subject to change): Chicken Hearts, Pork Kidney, Mussels, Duck Feet, Lamb Trachea, Beef Backstrap plus Pig Foot for the Super Chew.

Want to add on a super chew? Shoot us a message on Facebook or via email. We’ll get you taken care of.

Did someone refer you? Let us know and we’ll send BOTH of you a FREE bag of treats or chews!

Delta changes their rules for bringing service animals on flights. Following an increase of incidents involving animals, including a dog attack last year, the idea behind the new regulations is to keep trained service animals and emotional-support animals safe from aggressive ones. Service animals receive specific training to help blind or disabled passengers, but “emotional-support animals” require no training at all. Owners of emotional-support animals that wish to fly on Delta will need to sign a statement confirming their animal can behave properly and show proof of health or vaccinations 48 hours in advance. Both service animals and emotional-support animals fly for free on Delta. Overall, the airline says it carries 700 service or support animals every day. But people have tried to fly with everything from turkeys, to snakes, spiders and even gliding possums, which are also known as sugar gliders.

Wag raises a $300M round from SoftBank. Japanese investors, SoftBank Vision Fund, announced a $300M investment in the Los Angeles-based dog care service, Wag! Founded in 2015, Wag had previously raised $68M. The massive cash infusion from SoftBank, the sole investor in this round, will help Wag take on Seattle-based Rover, another growing tech company in the dog sitting industry. Meanwhile, [Rover just announced its partnership with Healthy Paws Pet Insurance.

](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/healthy-paws-pet-insurance-joins-forces-with-rovercom-300591646.html)

Nestle enters Indian pet care market with dog food. After selling food products in packets to millions of Indians for more than a century, Nestle SA now wants to sell packaged food for canines in the country. The Swiss packaged food maker announced it will start “premium packaged food for dogs” under the Supercoat brand. This is the first time Nestle has entered an entirely new business segment in India on its own since entering the market in 1912.

San Diego Short Leash Social & Pack Walk. Join us every two weeks for a 2-3 mile walk with our dogs. 🐶 A pack walk establishes calm behavior and teaches our dogs to coexist in peace. Enjoy the outdoors, build a better dog with your dog. Are you in So Cal? Join us next weekend, Feb. 17th, for the Coast to Crest Challenge! We’d love to meet you.