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Discovered this week that Stormy has a taste for: canteloupe, watermelon, cherries (pits removed, but I don't know why we bother since I am pretty sure he'd eat those, too) bell peppers and sugar snap peas.

The other two dogs do not seem to share his enthusiasm for these healthy treats, which suits him just fine because there's more for him that way.

They all like shrimp tails, however.

Apropos of nothing, please follow this link for a brilliant illustration on the mind and body of a dog.

Nutro Products of Franklin, Tenn., 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.

In a statment on the FDA Web site, the company said the cat food is being voluntarily recalled due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium caused by a production error by a US-based supplier.

Some of the food contained excessive levels of zinc and not enough potassium. Another was under-supplemented in potassium.  Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to this brand of dry cat food, the company said.

According to the statement, this recall does not affect any Nutro dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats. 

The dry cat food was sold to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel.  The company said it is working with all of its distributors and retail customers to ensure that the recalled products are removed from store shelves. 

Consumers who have purchased this cat food should stop feeding it to their cats and switch to another product.  While the company said that it has not received consumer complaints, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. 

If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, the company advises that you contact your veterinarian. You may also want to call your vet if your kitty was eating this particular type of food specifically for a deficiency in either zinc or potassium.

You should return the food to the retailer for a full refund or exchange.  Cat owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST, or visit www.nutroproducts.com.

Click here for the list of UPC codes that are affected by the recall.

Blog reader Sandy recently introduced a new kitten to her household, which has been a happy experience for everyone except Sandy's elderly cat, Baby.

Seems that Baby is not very fond of the new baby, pictured below. I know. Go ahead and say "Awww."

I got to read e-mails being traded back and forth between Sandy and her two daughters, blog reader Kim and my colleague, Lindsey Nair of Fridge Magnet fame. Sandy was looking for advice on how to make the transition easier for Baby, who was showing signs of physical distress since the arrival of Abby, a kitten from a litter that Kim rescued in her neighborhood.

Sandy said she gave Baby an eighth of a tablet of anti-anxiety medication she got from her vet for when Baby has to travel, and that seemed to help. No more physical symptoms. She said she also planned to invest in At Ease Calming Spray for Cats, an herbal concoction that was recommended to help ease Baby's stress.

Has anyone else used this product successfully?

One of the Wag's followers on Twitter, EmmyTheCat, suggested that the kitties be kept in separate rooms and to introduce them slowly by swapping bedding, steps that Sandy is already following.  Emmy also recommended keeping separate food and litter areas and lavishing lots of attention on the older cat.  She said it could take several weeks for Baby to accept Abby as part of the household.

What other tips do you have for introducing a new kitten to a home that includes an older cat?

The cup runneth over at the Roanoke Valley SPCA with too many puppies and kittens.

I get periodic e-mails when the no-kill shelter is looking for foster homes, usually for babies that need to gain weight and get old enough to have their sterilization surgery before they can find a forever home.

The one I got today was filled with cute faces that need a little help in life. Included was a litter of fluffy pups, one pictured here, from Lee County that would not have any chance to grow up if the RVSPCA did not open the door to them.

Another puppy in need of fostering was turned in by a young boy because his mother could not overcome her fear of dogs. The boy knew the pup deserved a home where the dog could be inside the house and loved by an entire family.

And there are always kittens, some with moms, some alone, that need a place to grow and fatten up until they are big enough and old enough to find their own families.

If you can take in a wee one for a short time, usually just a week or two, please reach out to Anne Marie Sweeney at the RVSPCA. There are so many adoptable babies that just need someone to love, feed and socialize them so they can have a chance at a good life.

My little Stormy is a former foster pup, and I will be forever grateful that a kind-hearted person gave him the headstart he needed to be a great dog.

I got an e-mail from a co-worker who said her veterinarian suggested she take her dachshund swimming as relief for arthritis. She wanted to know if either dog park had a pool.

Alas, they do not, I had to answer. And other than in Montgomery County, on the day before they drain it for the season, I am fairly certain dogs are not permitted in the public pools.

I confessed that I did not know enough about public swimming at the lake to offer any advice there, either. My husband's cousin has a rescued dachshund, a former puppy mill breeder, that enjoys a good swim in the lakes in her home state of Minnesota and at the family's summer house in Indiana, but I don't know if dogs are allowed on the lakefront here.

I can personally attest to the healing powers of water for creaky joints; I have severe arthritis in my knees so all my aerobic exercise happens in the pool.  It does wonders for strengthening muscles and you can get a vigorous workout with minimal impact.  

So where can a dog take a swim around here, folks?  Post a comment and let us know.

Congratulations to Debi and Sharon for being the lucky draws in our latest book giveaway.

Debi wins "The Cat's Pajamas" and Sharon takes home "Stop and Smell the Roses."

Thanks to everyone for playing.

This news brief from the New River Valley made me happy:

The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine's Veterinary Teaching Hospital will offer a new outpatient advanced imaging service for small animals starting in June.

The new service will provide weekly outpatient appointments for MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds. If veterinarians think their patients need the advanced testing, they can make an appointment with the teaching hospital.

When we had a dog being treated at Virginia Tech two years ago, they had to take her to the people hospital in Montgomery County to have an MRI. Good to know small critters will have their own imaging equipment now.

Sorry folks, the Happy Wag is not wagging very happily today. I'm home with a touch of illness that I must have brought home from a long weekend in my hometown, Indianapolis.

Hopefully I will be back at work tomorrow and will announce a winner in the book giveaway.

Here's a link to yesterday's Happy Wag newspaper column. If you have visited the new Roanoke Dog Park, please post a comment and let us know how it went. What I have heard from friends is that it has been a good time for both pooches and people.

The leashes come off today at the Roanoke Dog Park, a fenced-in, 1-acre playground for pooches in Highland Park in the Old Southwest neighborhood.

The official opening is 5:30 p.m., but from what I understand there are already pups frolicking in the park now.

A friend sent me an e-mail last night saying that at least one pooch was running through the park dragging his leash that was still attached to his collar.

While it's understandable that a pet parent may want to leave the lead on the dog to make it easier to catch the playful pooch when it is time to leave, this is not a good idea. The loose leash can get tangled around a bench or one of the hydrants. It can also look like a toy to another dog and cause an unwanted scuffle.

So, while you do need the leash to get in and out of the park, make sure to unclasp once you are inside the fence. The park is not that big; you will be able to round up your pup when the time comes.

OK, I am off my soapbox now. See you at the opening tonight.

Last week I was forwarded an e-mail from a reader who wrote that she has recently acquired a puppy that she thought had dandruff.  She wrote that she took the puppy to the vet two days later for a checkup and found out the puppy had something worse: He had walking dandruff.

I had never heard of it but after a little research I was feeling pretty itchy.

Walking dandruff is a skin condition known clinically as cheyletiella mange and it is caused by a parasitic mite. It is incredibly uncomfortable for the dog, cat or rabbit affected, is highly contagious among animals and can cause an itchy rash for humans.

There are different types of these mites and they are species-specific, so the types that attack dogs are not exactly the same as the ones that affect cats and they vary still from the ones that infest bunnies. All can cause humans to scratch up a storm.

I called Jennifer McFarling, the veterinarian at the Roanoke Valley SPCA, and she said these mites are rather unusual but they can be problem because they are contagious. The good news is that a course of an parasiticide like Revolution will usually take care of the problem. The bad news is that if your pet is infested, she said a pretty thorough cleaning of your house would be in order.

She said humans are not the preferred host for the bugs, but humans can carry them and that exposure could cause an itchy rash.

You can see the actual bugs. They look like the scale of dry skin, but upon close examination you can see them moving, hence the name "walking dandruff."

McFarling said that most dogs with a healthy immune system are not usually susceptible to this infestation. She said, knock on wood, she has not seen a case yet while working at the shelter, where stray mutts from all kinds of situations are seen regularly.

I called the woman who sent the original e-mail and she said the puppy is doing well but he's quarantined until his second treatment. So far she said no one in her family has developed a rash.

I called the person from whom she said she acquired the pup and she told me that no other dogs in her care were affected and all have been seen by a vet. You may want to be careful, however, when handling puppies, whose immature immune systems make them more susceptible to this condition.

I write this entry purely as a cautionary tale. If you are wandering through a pet store or looking at a litter and the puppies appear to need a shampoo with Head and Shoulders, you may want to hold back on the cuddling.