ohmidog!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that Kasel Associates Industries Inc. is recalling all pet treats manufactured at its Denver plant from April 20 through Sept. 19, 2012 due to potential contamination with Salmonella.

Products manufactured by the company are sold under various brand names by retailers that include Target, Petco, Sam’s Club and Costco.

The company had issued three previous recall notices for specific products manufactured during this time period. Now the list of recalled products has expanded to more than 50.

In September, Kasel recalled Boots & Barkley beef bully sticks. Weeks later it recalled Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treat. Two weeks after that it recalled Boots & Barkley Roasted American Pig Ears and Boots & Barkley American Variety Pack Dog Treats

The recalls began after the Colorado Department of Agriculture tested a retail sample of a Kasel pet treat product and found it to be positive for Salmonella. Follow-up inspections by the FDA found that at all of the finished pet treat product samples and 48 out of 87 environmental samples collected tested positive for Salmonella.

More than ten different species of Salmonella were found in the firm’s products and manufacturing facility, indicating multiple sources of contamination, according to an FDA press release.

The FDA says it has received a small number of complaints of illness in dogs who were exposed to the treats.

Because of the multiple positive tests for Salmonella, and the production practices and conditions observed at the facility during the inspection, the FDA believes that there is a reasonable probability that all pet treat products manufactured in the facility from April 20, 2012 through September 19, 2012 are contaminated with Salmonella.

Both people and animals can contract Salmonellosis from handling or eating contaminated products. People handling dry pet treats should thoroughly wash their hands after having contact with the treats as well as any surfaces exposed to these products.

Salmonella is a public health risk and is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness. Its symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.

Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may experience only a decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed any of the affected product or is experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.

You can find the full list of recalled Kasel products here.

Kasel Associated Industries of Denver has expanded its recall of dog treats due to the possibility they may be contaminated by salmonella.

Two weeks after announcing a recall for Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treat, the company announced it is voluntarily recalling Boots & Barkley Roasted American Pig Ears and Boots & Barkley American Variety Pack Dog Treats.

In September, the company recalled Boots & Barkley beef bully sticks.

The two latest products were distributed at Target stores nationwide in August.

The Roasted Pig Ears come in a clear, 12-count plastic bag marked with UPC bar code 647263899158. The Variety Pack is a clear, 32-ounce plastic bag marked with UPC bar code 490830400086. Both products have a best-by code of Sept, 14, 2014.

The lots tested positive for salmonella bacteria during an analysis by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

The new recalls follow one issued Oct. 2 for Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats, which were sold at Sam’s Club stores in 12 states and have the bar code 647263800208 and best-by code  of Sept. 19, 2013. The September recall involved 6-count, 5-inch Boots & Barkley American Beef Bully Sticks distributed at Target stores from April through September, with a bar code of 647263899189.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with any of the Kasel products.

Consumers who purchased any of the recalled products are urged to return them for a refund. Anyone with questions may contact Kasel at 800-218-4417.

Tim Tebow has slightly altered the name of his dog, as a result of being traded from Denver to the New York Jets.

His Rhodesian ridgeback, formerly known as Bronco, is now named Bronx, which he hopes the dog won’t find too confusing.

The quarterback adopted the dog in 2010, the year he signed with the Broncos.

Tebow was traded to New York two months ago after the Broncos signed Peyton Manning.

All of which makes us wonder if there are other canine name changes underway among those fans who name dogs after their hometown quarterbacks.

What’s happening with all the dogs named Peyton in Indianapolis, all the dogs dubbed Tebow in Denver? If you live in Baltimore, should you name your dog Flacco? Or should you opt for something more stable and long term, based on institutional memory as opposed to the flavor of the day?

Here, Unitas.

(Photo: Twitter)

Onion, the mastiff-mix who attacked and killed a 1-year-old boy in Nevada has been spared from death, at least until Friday.

District Judge Rob Bare issued a restraining order to halt temporarily the scheduled Monday euthanization of the the 6-year-old mastiff-Rhodesian ridgeback mix.

“We’re thrilled,” said Richard Rosenthal, a New York-based lawyer who heads The Lexus Project, a national group that fights to spare dogs from destruction. Lawyers for the organization filed the motion for the temporary restraining order.

Bare scheduled a hearing for Friday morning on whether Onion should die, or get to live out his life at a sanctuary outside Denver that specializes in caring for large aggressive dogs, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported

Rosenthal said he hopes to negotiate with city animal control officials before then to settle the case and spare Onion’s life.

Rosenthal said the Colorado sanctuary has offered to take Onion. “The dog can stay there as long as need be, including the rest of his life, if it turns out there is an aggression issue.”

“Killing the dog will not bring back the baby,” he added.

Fox News in Las Vegas said the injunction came just hours before the dog was scheduled to be put down Tuesday.

Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan was killed late last month when his grandparent’s dog bit him on the head.

The judge’s order allows both sides to negotiate a settlement by Friday morning. Otherwise, the issue will be heard in district court where Judge Joanna Kirshner will make a ruling.

Kyle Dyer, the Denver anchorwoman bitten on the air, said she probably did stick her face too close to the 85-pound Argentine mastiff, and that’s she glad he’s back home with his family.

Dyer, of KUSA-TV, was bitten on the mouth earlier this month while doing a segment with the dog’s owner and a firefighter who had rescued the pet from an icy pond.

“Everyone says ‘you were too close to the dog.’ I guess I was because this happened. I guess we’ve all learned a lot in the past two weeks,” she said in an interview with the Denver Post

“For me it has been in its odd way a positive experience. In this business, yes, what you look like is a lot. What this whole experience has taught me is it’s more than that. It may seem like a superficial busines, but the people out there in Colorado are not superficial, the way they’ve reached out to me, and letting me know ‘you’re beautiful inside and out’ and all that.”

“I just keep reading those letters and know that I’m healing. I don’t know how quickly, but I will.”

The station said Dyer had a second surgery on Monday. She was given 20 new stitches and had the 70 stitches that were initially put in on Feb. 8 removed.

As for Max, the dog that bit her, Dyer said, “I’m glad the dog’s back home with his family. I never wanted anything but.”

Max, the Argentine mastiff who was impounded last week after biting a Denver television news anchor on the face, is headed home and won’t face any serious consequences.

Denver environmental health spokeswoman Meghan Hughes said Thursday the dog will go home this weekend after completing a 10-day mandatory quarantine, the Associated Press reported.

Kyle Dyer of KUSA-TV received 70 stitches after she was bitten in the face by the 85-pound dog while doing a live in-studio interview with the dog’s owner and a firefighter who had rescued the dog from an icy pond the day before.

Hughes says the dog’s owner, Michael Robinson, was cited with failure to have his dog on a leash. He’s due in court Feb. 29.

The Colorado news anchor bitten on the air last week received 70 stitches and is unable to speak because her mouth is sewn shut.

That’s according to her Facebook page.

Kyle Dyer, morning news anchor for NBC’’s Denver affiliate, KUSA, was doing an in-studio interview with a firefighter and the owner of a dog who had been rescued from a frozen reservoir. When Dyer bent down to kiss the dog, an 85-pound Argentine mastiff, named Max, turned and bit her.

On her Facebook page, she says she spent four hours in surgery, receiving 70 stitches in her upper lip, lower lip and nose.

“I am unable to talk because my mouth is stitched shut to allow for the skin graft to take and get the blood circulating in my lips again.”

Dyer was released from the hospital Thursday.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

All in all, it has been a rough few days for Gladiator Max, an 85-pound Argentine Mastiff in Colorado — but maybe rougher yet for Denver TV news anchor Kyle Dyer, who Max bit during a Wednesday interview about the dog’s icy rescue.

Dyer was interviewing the dog, his owner, and the firefighter who rescued him from an icy pond Tuesday — all of whom had been invited to the offices of 9 News in Denver. Max had shown no aggression — not during the rescue and not during the studio interview.

But when Dyer got too close, Max bit her in the face. She was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where she was listed in fair condition, according to 9NEWS.

The incident aired live, but the station is not reshowing video of the bite.

Doug Kelley, the director of Denver Animal Care and Control, said Max’s owner will be cited — for the bite, for the leash law violation, and for not having Max vaccinated against rabies.

The dog is being held at the Denver Animal Shelter and will be quarantined for 10 days, according to Kelley.

The studio interview was for a follow up story on Max’s rescue Tuesday evening. Max chased a coyote onto the ice of Smith Reservoir and fell through, according to 9 News in its initial report.

The dog spent 20 minutes in the freezing water before firefighters arrived. Firefighter Tyler Sugaski fell through the ice on his way to Max, swimming the rest of the way to grab him.

“The dog recognized right off that I was there to help, so he came towards me,” Sugaski recalled.

Other than some scrapes from the ice, the dog appeared fine and was taken into an ambulance to be warmed up.

“He’s just a rock solid dog,” said his owner, Michael Robinson.

Uggie, the dog star of the movie “The Artist,” is the top nominee for the first ever Golden Collar Awards, being presented by the website Dog News Daily.

Shown above doing tricks with Ellen Degeneres, Uggie was also nominated for his role as Queenie in “Water for Elephants.”

The awards honor canine performances in film and television.

Other contenders for best performance in a movie are Cosmo (“Beginners”), Denver (“50 / 50″) and Hummer (“Young Adult”).

Uggie helped with the nominations announcement, appearing with his human co-star in “The Artist,” Penelope Ann Miller.

The Golden Collar Awards will take place on Monday, Feb. 13 at the dog-friendly Hotel Palomar in Los Angeles.

Proceeds will benefit L.A.-area dog rescue shelters and organizations.

Keep reading for the full list of nominees. Read more »

Poisoned meatballs have been found in the yards of at least three Denver homes and have made at least two dogs seriously ill.

Two neighbors reported their dogs had become violently sick. One neighbor, after searching his yard, found meatballs scattered around it. Others, upon searching their yards, did as well.

One woman said her dog began acting strangely, then experiencing symptoms that included vomiting and diarrhea.

All the homes were near the University of Denver campus.

“It’s really sad when someone targets animals,” one of the neighbors said.

Similar incidents have been recently reported in Firestone and Gunnison, 9 News in Denver reported.