Comments on: Rainy days and Mondays always get me down http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/ Blogging by a team of pet-care experts led by Dr. Marty Becker. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 04:12:08 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Laura http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-2/#comment-37672 Laura Tue, 24 Apr 2007 04:22:40 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37672 Comment by Nadine Long — April 23, 2007 @ 8:36 pm Oh, Nadine, thank you. I forgot how much I love that story, and how perfect it is when it comes to the pets we love. Comment by Nadine Long — April 23, 2007 @ 8:36 pm

Oh, Nadine, thank you. I forgot how much I love that story, and how perfect it is when it comes to the pets we love.

]]> By: Nadine Long http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-2/#comment-37619 Nadine Long Tue, 24 Apr 2007 03:36:43 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37619 Gina, for you and Annie--- THE VELVETEEN RABBIT by Margerie Williams Real isn’t how you are made said the Skin Horse. It is a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become real. Does it hurt? I asked the Rabbit. Sometimes, said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt. Does it happen all at once, like being wound up, he asked, or bit by bit? It doesn’t happen all at once said the Skin Horse. You become. It takes a long time. That ís why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand. Gina, for you and Annie—-

THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
by Margerie Williams

Real isn’t how you are made said the Skin Horse. It is a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become real.
Does it hurt? I asked the Rabbit.
Sometimes, said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.
Does it happen all at once, like being wound up, he asked, or bit by bit?
It doesn’t happen all at once said the Skin Horse. You become. It takes a long time. That ís why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.

]]> By: Katie http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-2/#comment-37581 Katie Tue, 24 Apr 2007 03:06:30 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37581 Gina, I'm so sorry to hear about Annie. Bunnies are special companions too. She will be waiting at the "bridge" eyeing those supersized carrots and tall grass to nibble on - someday you and Velocity will meet up with her again and share all those memories you hold dear in your heart. Katie Gina,

I’m so sorry to hear about Annie. Bunnies are special companions too. She will be waiting at the “bridge” eyeing those supersized carrots and tall grass to nibble on - someday you and Velocity will meet up with her again and share all those memories you hold dear in your heart.

Katie

]]> By: Steve http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-2/#comment-37372 Steve Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:36:59 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37372 Any peep-whimper from the Pet Food Brands? Any peep-whimper from the Pet Food Brands?

]]> By: Steve http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-2/#comment-37364 Steve Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:29:41 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37364 PFI Members Affiliate Members - suppliers of ingredients, equipment, and services to the pet food industry. ADM Animal Health & Nutrition PFI Members

Affiliate Members - suppliers of ingredients, equipment, and services to the pet food industry.

ADM Animal Health & Nutrition

]]> By: Mike http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-2/#comment-37360 Mike Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:26:18 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37360 Pacific Chemistry Professor and Student Discover Breakthrough Testing Method for Pet Food http://www.spectroscopynow.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?id=16166&type=News&chId=4&page=1 [April 23, 2007 University of the Pacific / Rhashad Pittman] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stockton, CA. April 23, 2007. A professor and graduate student in University of the Pacific's chemistry department have developed a new method for determining how to identify foreign substances in pet food. The breakthrough discovery allows scientists to determine whether pet food has been contaminated in a matter of minutes. Professor O. David Sparkman, who has made recent appearances on spectroscopyNOW's podcasts, and graduate student Teresa Vail used a mass spectrometer with the D.A.R.T. (Direct Analysis in Real Time) interface device to determine that a can of dog food that was recently recalled contained melamine, a chemical used in plastic furniture, cookware, and fertilizers. The chemical is at the heart of the nationwide recall of contaminated pet food that has caused numerous animal deaths. "The significance of the D.A.R.T. mass spectral technique is that results are available in minutes or seconds," Sparkman said. "Because of enhancements we have made to the D.A.R.T. technology, our answers are definitely unambiguous." Mass spectrometry is used to determine the mass of and to identify molecules in substances. By using mass spectrometry, Sparkman said, they were able to determine that a sample of ALPO dog food that had been listed in the recent recall contained melamine. The sample produced an accurate mass signal that is specific to the chemical. The D.A.R.T. device, when connected to the mass spectrometer machine, allows food substances to be analyzed without the need for any sample preparation, he said. The process takes only a few minutes. The traditional process of determining whether a food substance has been contaminated using conventional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry techniques can take an hour or more. The new method could save federal regulators time and money when testing food imports, Sparkman said. The idea to use the method came after Ms. Vail received word that some of the cans of ALPO she recently purchased for her own dogs were recalled due to the possibility that they contained melamine. Under Sparkman's direction, she tested the dog food and found that only one of a dozen cans tested positive for the chemical. Vail said they were using the same testing method in other research projects in the department. They will present their breakthrough method at an American Society of Mass Spectrometry conference in Indianapolis, Ind., in June. Sparkman is a mass spectrometry consultant to the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and manager of the chemistry department's mass spectrometry facility. For more information, contact Professor O. David Sparkman at +1 209 483 5740 or osparkman@pacific.edu. Pacific Chemistry Professor and Student Discover Breakthrough Testing Method for Pet Food

http://www.spectroscopynow.com.....amp;page=1

[April 23, 2007 University of the Pacific / Rhashad Pittman]
————————————————————————————————————————

Stockton, CA. April 23, 2007.

A professor and graduate student in University of the Pacific’s chemistry department have developed a new method for determining how to identify foreign substances in pet food. The breakthrough discovery allows scientists to determine whether pet food has been contaminated in a matter of minutes.

Professor O. David Sparkman, who has made recent appearances on spectroscopyNOW’s podcasts, and graduate student Teresa Vail used a mass spectrometer with the D.A.R.T. (Direct Analysis in Real Time) interface device to determine that a can of dog food that was recently recalled contained melamine, a chemical used in plastic furniture, cookware, and fertilizers. The chemical is at the heart of the nationwide recall of contaminated pet food that has caused numerous animal deaths.

“The significance of the D.A.R.T. mass spectral technique is that results are available in minutes or seconds,” Sparkman said. “Because of enhancements we have made to the D.A.R.T. technology, our answers are definitely unambiguous.”

Mass spectrometry is used to determine the mass of and to identify molecules in substances. By using mass spectrometry, Sparkman said, they were able to determine that a sample of ALPO dog food that had been listed in the recent recall contained melamine. The sample produced an accurate mass signal that is specific to the chemical.

The D.A.R.T. device, when connected to the mass spectrometer machine, allows food substances to be analyzed without the need for any sample preparation, he said. The process takes only a few minutes.

The traditional process of determining whether a food substance has been contaminated using conventional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry techniques can take an hour or more. The new method could save federal regulators time and money when testing food imports, Sparkman said.

The idea to use the method came after Ms. Vail received word that some of the cans of ALPO she recently purchased for her own dogs were recalled due to the possibility that they contained melamine. Under Sparkman’s direction, she tested the dog food and found that only one of a dozen cans tested positive for the chemical. Vail said they were using the same testing method in other research projects in the department.

They will present their breakthrough method at an American Society of Mass Spectrometry conference in Indianapolis, Ind., in June.

Sparkman is a mass spectrometry consultant to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and manager of the chemistry department’s mass spectrometry facility.

For more information, contact Professor O. David Sparkman at +1 209 483 5740 or osparkman@pacific.edu.

]]> By: Steve http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-1/#comment-37345 Steve Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:16:46 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37345 PROTEIN SPIKING OF FOOD IS NOT A NEW TRICK 04/23/07 Howl 911 has received a number of emails which has shed some light on the history and practice of protein spiking various food types to mask poor quality and/or to obtain higher market pricing. In some cases--that of adding urea to bovine feed--the practice is perfectly legal, albeit risky, as this University of Arizona veterinary health alert warns: http://howl911.com/ PROTEIN SPIKING OF FOOD IS NOT A NEW TRICK 04/23/07
Howl 911 has received a number of emails which has shed some light on the history and practice of protein spiking various food types to mask poor quality and/or to obtain higher market pricing. In some cases—that of adding urea to bovine feed—the practice is perfectly legal, albeit risky, as this University of Arizona veterinary health alert warns:

http://howl911.com/

]]> By: Maureen http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-1/#comment-37342 Maureen Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:14:19 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37342 Marry Ann, I can't find the webcast info on itchmo's site. Could you please post it here? Marry Ann,

I can’t find the webcast info on itchmo’s site. Could you please post it here?

]]> By: CathyA http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-1/#comment-37334 CathyA Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:09:52 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37334 Yes, it's the House. The other one was the Senate. They can't even get together and have one hearing. Congresswoman Diane DeGette will be there. Congressman Mike Doyle will try but has another hearing at the same time. No one else I called could even tell me if they'd be there. When they found out I wasn't a constituent they listened in silence. They're all going to get letters telling them I'm a US citizen and their job is to take an interest in the subject of food safety for all of us. I assume the Chair and Vice Chair will be there. Dingell's office at least took my name and showed an interest. Whitfield took my address (but I bet his interest will wane when he finds out I'm not a Rep!), and Waxman's office was polite. Was disappointed in Schakowsky's office. No one could tell me if she'd be there and she wrote a letter to FDA on 3/28 asking about the pet food recall. Which was as far as I got with phone calls. Does anyone know who the first 3 people on the witness list are? Private citizens? Gina, I'm so sorry you lost a bunny May she have lots of carrots to eat on the other side. My condolences. Yes, it’s the House. The other one was the Senate. They can’t even get together and have one hearing. Congresswoman Diane DeGette will be there. Congressman Mike Doyle will try but has another hearing at the same time. No one else I called could even tell me if they’d be there. When they found out I wasn’t a constituent they listened in silence. They’re all going to get letters telling them I’m a US citizen and their job is to take an interest in the subject of food safety for all of us. I assume the Chair and Vice Chair will be there. Dingell’s office at least took my name and showed an interest. Whitfield took my address (but I bet his interest will wane when he finds out I’m not a Rep!), and Waxman’s office was polite. Was disappointed in Schakowsky’s office. No one could tell me if she’d be there and she wrote a letter to FDA on 3/28 asking about the pet food recall. Which was as far as I got with phone calls.

Does anyone know who the first 3 people on the witness list are? Private citizens?

Gina, I’m so sorry you lost a bunny May she have lots of carrots to eat on the other side.
My condolences.

]]> By: MARRY ANN http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/comment-page-1/#comment-37324 MARRY ANN Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:00:18 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/23/rainy-days-and-mondays-always-get-me-down-2/#comment-37324 i went on itchmo web page ,the hearing will be webcast i went on itchmo web page ,the hearing will be webcast

]]>