Our Purposeful Pet Project

15/03/2026

F.D.A. issued an advisory for multiple Steve's Real Food Quest formulas after finding they contained little to no thiamine. The F.D.A issues advisories if they determine there is a significant health risk, recommend a recall, and the company hasn't recalled.

Thiamine deficiency can lead to clinical signs quickly and be deadly. I find it troubling when companies don't recall when a significant problem is found. What are your thoughts?

01/03/2026

20/02/2026

Update: After FDA found more lots affected Steve's Real Food has withdrawn the entire line of Quest Cat food pending reformulation.

A veterinarian, after diagnosing thiamine deficiency in a cat, had the food tested which resulted in this recall. Kudos to that astute veterinarian!! 👍Thiamine deficiency can be fatal in just a few weeks!

In 2014 ~20% of canned cat food made by small companies was deficient in this critical vitamin. In 2025 ~18 % of dog diets from small companies did not meet AAFCO. In both studies all diets made by major companies (e.g. Purina, Mars, Hill's) met all requirements 👍

Pro Tip! Regularly discuss your pet's diet with your veterinarian!

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/go-raw-llc-expands-voluntary-recall-quest-diet-cat-food-products-due-low-thiamine-levels-and-enacts

08/02/2026

Dental Myths and Facts for Dental Month
1. DRY FOOD CLEANS TEETH - FACT BUT WITH A VERY LARGE* *Studies comparing types of food to plaque & tarter score hand the win to dry diets BUT the type of food fed may only play a small role in overall dental health

01/02/2026

Are your pets getting a little stir crazy from all the indoor time? Head to your recycle bin for supplies to DIY some enrichment toys.

1. Sprinkle food into a paper egg carton, add some tubes from toilet paper rolls in different heights.

2. Grab a plastic bottle and dump in some goodies for them to retrieve. Pop some crumpled paper in it to increase the challenge or crunch the bottle if it is pliable.

3. Repurpose boxes into forage bins. Bury favorite toys or food items in crumpled paper. To level up close the box by tucking in the flaps and for a real challenge close the box into a larger box.

4 Cut some holes into the sides of toilet or paper towel tubes and crimp the ends to trap some food nuggets inside.

PSA Supervise you pet during play. If your pet becomes aggressive around food or toys use barricades as needed for separation and safety.

25/01/2026

Ben is bundled up! Being a hairless toy, he is very susceptible to this frigid cold, so he's carried to and from his favorite "watering hole". Limit your pet's time outside to necessary outings. Brrr!

17/01/2026

I saw this and it made my heart sad. Labeled "Low Fat", a term vets use for diets with~< 20% calories from fat, this may have a whopping nearly 60%! A single meal could bring harm to a dog needing a low fat food.

P.S.A. If your pet is on a diet to manage a medical condition, ALWAYS check with your veterinarian before feeding anything new- no matter how it is labeled.

15/01/2026

WOO HOO! THANKS TO YOU
OUR PURPOSEFUL PET PROJECT & DR.MARTIN DONATED >$5,500 TO FUND PROJECTS TO ADVANCE PET HEALTH!

08/11/2025

Stop in and shop for your holiday gifts! 9 to 3 Today Saturday Nov 8th! Want to find us in the field house....look for the green star balloons...we are near by!

30/09/2025

Raw foods are in the news again. Sadly, raw food companies are seemingly refusing to recall despite illness or death traced to their products, possibly to avoid having their name appear on well circulated recall lists, thus avoiding public scrutiny.

Dr. Scott Weese's Worms and Germs blog is a good source to help stay up to date with these "hidden" problems. https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/

FDA recently issued notices for RawR (cat death from Avian Influenza), and Darwin's Pet foods (Salmonella and Listeria)- the 2nd advisory in as many months. Additionally, it appears another cluster of cat's deaths from avian influenza were due to a yet unnamed raw diet.

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-notifies-pet-owners-tests-show-h5n1-contamination-certain-lots-rawr-raw-cat-food-chicken-eats

FDA is notifying pet owners about test results that show H5N1 (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus) in samples from certain lots of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats. Testing suggests a link between the cat food and the death of a cat.