It doesn’t appear to be on their website yet — and I’ll post the link when I have it — but we’ve just heard from Iams that they’re expanding their recall.  With half our team on the road we’re just getting to this, but of course over at PetSitUSA.com, Therese never sleeps. (I like Austin, I really do, but I swear if I ever moved there it would be so she could take care of my pets when I’m gone.)

Therese has the list here.The products include more foods sold for specific health problems through veterinarians, but also expands into a couple of their main product lines.

But she also reports:

Bev VanZant, from P&G, just emailed this info. In emails we exchanged regarding last week’s recalls, she told me that the FDA pretty much dictated the timing of the release. The fact that it’s happening again on a Friday is of concern. It looks like the folks at P&G are doing their best to get the info out as soon as possible, but it sure would be nice if the FDA could get things together so these don’t always happen on Friday (or Sunday!) evenings. FDA, what’s up? Can you give us some insight on why these recalls seem to be happening on Friday evenings?

Again, P&G will have people available to answer questions 9:00am to 4:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. I’ve just confirmed this with Bev VanZant, of P&G. The number is 877-340-8823.

We’ll be calling the FDA Monday to try to get the answers. If the FDA is behind the dump-and-run recalls, I’d sure like to know why.

In the meantime, check the list over at PetSitUSA. When we get the links from Iams/FDA, we’ll add them.

Update: Bev VanZant just sent the link to the information on the Iams site. She said she got the information out faster than their programmers could get it posted.

A veterinarian on a rock talk radio show?

That’s right, our own Dr. Marty Becker makes an appearance on “Rock Talk” with Allan Handelman today, fielding your pet related questions.

Dr. Becker is a frequent guest on the show, and it’s a chance for listeners to call in and ask questions about pets, with or without a rock connection.

The show is live today, Friday, July 30, between 2pm and 4pm Pacific Time.

There are some things a dog’s just gotta have — and treats off the grill at a summer barbecue is pretty  high on the list for the pooches of Almost Heaven Ranch.

My wife, Teresa, is an excellent cook any time of year, indoors or out. The other night she made marinated beef shish kabobs (sirloin steak). The tantalizing aroma coming off of the barbecue was so thick you could take a bite out of it.

But our son, Lex, and I weren’t the only ones wafting in on the fumes like Whimpy from Popeye. Quixote and Quora’s nostrils were pulsating like bellows as they raised their heads, eyes partially closed, dreams of bits of steak dancing in their heads.

If dogs could pray, they were on their knees pleading, “Dear God, please open the lid of that red smoking machine and drop some of those tasty morsels into my salivating pie hole.”

Unexpectedly, God answered their prayers. Well, okay, I answered them, but I’m pretty sure at that moment there wasn’t too much difference between the two for Quora and Quixote.

I took some steak off of the BBQ, let it cool, held it in my outstretched hands and got them amped up like a high school football coach at a pre-game talk on a Friday night in Texas. “You want some of this? YOU WANT SOME OF THIS? Then you’d better talk to me!”

And talk they did. They were barking, scrathching my legs, then spinning like whirling dervishes. Seems like when you want to create a category five “furricane,” you have to have the right fuel, and here, at least, that fuel comes off the grill.

Is barbecue the answer to your dogs’ prayers? Or some other special occasion food?

Photo: The Qs doing their “furricane” dance, taken by Lex Becker.

It’s not very often that Christie and I are on the road  and Dr. Becker is not, but stranger things have happened, I suppose.

Dr. Becker is a traveler. He has been to more than 100 countries, and the only thing he likes as much as seeing the stars on his isolated Almost Heaven Ranch in north Idaho is seeing the lights of NYC, London or Tokyo.

My idea of ideal travel is to live somewhere different for six months or so, something I’ve only managed once, when I lived in a beach house on the Florida panhandle in 2000.  I have traveled a great deal, mostly for business, and I’m not bad at it. I have a great house-sitter who moves in so the pets are well cared for.

But really, I’d rather stay home.

I know Christie’s the same way. She spent part of her youth in Milan hanging with the fashionistas, but now she’d just rather stay home. Of course, that’s a tad more exciting when you live in San Francisco, as she does, not Sacramento, as I do.

Kim is more like Dr. B. For Kim and Jerry, work is something you do to earn money for the next trip, and the sooner you’re booking those flights, the better.

Isn’t it funny that we’re all working together and like each other so much? The only thing we all have in common in our traveling ways  in great house-sitters, but you know if we couldn’t be sure our pets were in good hands, none of us would go.

In any case: Christie and Kim are at the No-Kill Conference in DC, and I’m on my way to Atlanta for American Veterinary Medical Assocation.

We’ll be posting as we can from both all weekend. I’m very excited about meeting Dr. Patty Khuly in person at last. Some long-time friends are coming up from South Georgia for dinner, and I have a long list of seminars to sit in on and people to meet.

Still, I can’t wait to get home … and I haven’t left yet.

Dogs age faster than we do unfortunately, and as dog lovers we may outlive several of “man’s best friends.” As your dog ages there are several things you can do to make there lives more pleasant, just as you change your life as you age.

One of the things that need to be taken care of when you try to teach your dog some new tricks is that you offer him a reward or snack every time he is successful. Also, while you are training him, look for a quite place to teach him. The training sessions should not extend beyond 10-15 minutes, since the dog would loose interest beyond that time.

It’s great to feed your pet pooch lots of different foods, after all their diet of kibble or meat must seem pretty boring. However some foods that are commonly given to dogs can cause untold damage to their health. Here are what foods you should avoid and what foods you can give instead. If you suspect your dog has eaten any of these foods in large quantities you should promptly seek the advice of a vet.

Toys for dogs can be very entertaining and useful. A set of toys that help to look after the health, intelligence and interest of your dog can prove top be the best gift.

The classic dog trick that keeps the audience amazed every time it is performed is none other than “On trust and Paid for”. This dog trick can be a bit tricky to teach. However, there are many different styles for performing this dog trick.

Once you decide to train your dog yourself you will have to decide which training method that you will use. There are many different methods to choose from. There is clicker training, rewards based training, paper training, crate training, and many others. Here are two of the most popular methods to train your dog.