Pet-food recall: What next?
By Gina Spadafori
March 25, 2007
We will not be posting much on the recall today, breaking news excepted. To be blunt: We need a break, need to recharge our batteries for Monday morning, when we hear there will be further developments.
Today, we want to think about the “what next?”
Just as after Hurricane Katrina the laws were changed to protect pets in disasters, it’s likely there will be some interest in federal legislation to towards greater oversight and transparency in the pet-food industry. But what should this include?
Itchmo has started a petition to demand changes. (Click here to read, and, if you want, to add your name.) Are these suggestions the place to start?
At the very least, we can see legislation as a possibility in four areas:
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A national emergency system to get critical information to veterinarians and allow for the reporting of wide-spread health emergencies to a central government collection point.
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Quality control and government inspections of pet-food manufacturing.
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Labeling to require better descriptions of ingredients, including country of origin.
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Labeling that requires companies to disclose where food is made, and provide consumers with toll-free numbers to get to those companies AND the manufacturers that make the food.
That’s what comes to mind after a week of mulling these things in the back of my head. Now, I throw the comments section open. We want to know what you think should be done to change the laws.
Update: As of 11 a.m. PT, reports to our PetConnection database: 1626 deceased pets (941 cats and 685 dogs). Remember, these are self-reported numbers, and all previous caveats still apply.
Also … I haven’t mentioned this before. Our database is named Henry after a cat who was one of the first pets reported to us as a probable victim of tainted food. Henry is also the name of the “black dog” of Black Dog Studios, the Web experts and animal-lovers who gave up their weekend after the recall was announced to build the database and provide Web support.
Update 2: PetsitUSA.com has posted a list of foods NOT affected by the recall.
Go to the latest blog post | Go to the PetConnection home page
Technorati Tags: pet food recall, dogs, cats,veterinarian, veterinary
That a system of testing ALL bulk grains, meals (fish, meat etc), sugars, extracts against known standards (similar to USP) that enter the country through any port, and for ANY market (animal or human) be put into place…This should include securely quarantining of shipments until they are tested and proven free of contaminants … chemical, bacterial, and fungal.
Multiple samples(ie top of container, middle of container, bottom of container) should be required. And maybe samples required both at point of origin and entry in to the country. Not sure if it should be done at Govt level or by independent reference labs.
Cost? Yep, will cost — but I think few people with pets are going to mind paying more for safe products.
Comment by GingerTom — March 25, 2007 @ 10:02 am
If we leave the testing to the government or the FDA we are not much farther ahead than now. Most
of us know the FDA goes along with what the big business lobbiests want.
Also think the AMVA should compile the numbers of ill and deceased pets from all the vets across the country and even Canada and they should be the ones to issue a statement of the final death counts. Unbelievable that this can happen to our beloved pets.
Comment by Valarie — March 25, 2007 @ 10:16 am
The thing that truly irritates me is after being one of the top news stories in the nation for a whole week, the Mainstream news is still reporting 14 confirmed deaths, the original number given to them by Menufoods over a week ago.
Are all major news outlet reporters stupid or are they simply ethically challenged? Do they not understand reporting “The News” sometimes requires a little research?
John and Jane Public who don’t read the blogs or Petconnections.com still think this is just “blip” in the pet food supply because of the way it is reported in the major news outlets.
Comment by John Pierce — March 25, 2007 @ 10:49 am
I think that it’s especially important that some way of disseminating information and collecting it from the field is essential. I have been shocked to realize that nothing has been done to alert the vets or the emergency clinics so that they could respond quickly to incoming patients. Nor have they been asked to report anything. It’s not only a matter of spreading the word rapidly about food but having some sort of rapid response to disease. What do they do now, wait until they all get together for drinks at some conference and beging comparing notes? What a lot of false assumptions I have been laboring under.
Comment by Nancy Nielsen — March 25, 2007 @ 11:01 am
Are all major news outlet reporters stupid or are they simply ethically challenged? Do they not understand reporting “The News” sometimes requires a little research? Comment by John Pierce . . .
We have to many journalists and not enough reporters these days. The main stream media requires little reporting and digging up of facts these days but simply uses stock stories off the news or pr wires otherwise known as “story mills.”
I am seeing stories on this fiasco today that are just re-dated to today or with minor rewrites when the piece actually hit the mainstream 3 or 4 or 5 days ago.
Have to keep costs down and profits up in this economy.
Comment by Steve — March 25, 2007 @ 12:01 pm
I sent several e-mails to my local new stations here in Harrisburg, PA and told them about this website. They still are reporting the same old numbers. What a waste of time !!!
Comment by Tami Carlson — March 25, 2007 @ 12:08 pm
Ola:
This poisoning is a lot older and bigger than being reported.
Our two dogs, A Rottweiler and Bluetick became sick in Jan. Our two wolfins stopped eating the canned dog food n dry food in Dec.
Tried 4 dry foods and wolfins refused them all. Dogs quit eating dry foods in Jan. Gee, nutins wrong with dry food, right? In Jan dogs quit wet foods.
Dogs are now dead, buried in middle March. wolfins are alive due to their keen smell and refusal to eat any Factory pet food.
Ever buy any Chinese bread? Ever order any in a resturant. China has trouble with not enough farm land to
feed themselves. Do U really beleive the story of Chinese wheat ? U.S. has been sending china wheat n grain since the 1960s, that I know of.
A lab test of Menu resulted in 80% loss of pet subjects.
We knew of the poisoned food since Dec. but were swimming upstream alone.
Now that it has broke, we receive, lack of knowledge from authorities. Passing the Buck, Call to FDA proved usual Federal joke, waste of time. Have not been able to reach Menu. Vets aint gotta clue, jis parrot latest blurbs. remember the gluten ?
From our experience, we suspecter the dry foods to be contaminated from early on and then suspected the wet also.
We have two cats that ate several drys and Special Kitty. They are alive and appear OK but they have gotten very picky of the foods. Today they eat sardines and tunafish , made for people. Kats leave a lot of the sardines ???
Wolfs and dogs like chicken hind quarters but for two months, will not touch the skin. Smellin it , they turn up their noses and they turn away. They will eat the chicken after skin removed.
Wallyworlds, hamburger in plastic rolls, 20% fat, for people. Dead dogs and live wolfins, none would ever eat the H.B., cooked or raw. Now dat makes U think, dont it.?
Perhaps, there is a people food crisis goin on also. ?
ottokelly@yahoo.com
208 263 9901
OK but it aint, ok
Comment by Kelly Wakefield — March 25, 2007 @ 12:10 pm
Just a suggestion - people should write Oprah and suggest she devote a show to this topic. She is a dog-lover and when Oprah speaks -people listen.
Comment by L. Kuz — March 25, 2007 @ 12:14 pm
At first I thought the problem was a fungal toxin called Ochratoxin A. Turns out there’s no testing for this toxin in this country, though since EU standards are higher perhaps outgoing grain gets tested. Even if you double the number of probes on a load there’s no way to insure it’s 100% mycotoxin free. Probably goes for chemical contaminants also as there can still be a pocket you missed.
Since there is no testing for some mycotoxins and the presence of other fungal toxins results in mixing clean and dirty loads to dilute it for the large animal market, testing for smaller species is up to the pet food companies. They do test for aflatoxin, but what else?
Mycotoxins: The Cost of Achieving Food Security and Food Quality
http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/mycotoxin/
http://www.geaps.com/proceedings/2004/Hawk.cfm
National emergency system - what has Homeland Security been doing? We all know from those voluminous political taped calls an automated dialing system with a message is easy. While not every vet might be in the AVMA, every vet is licensed in every state and reachable. This should be part of our national security. A case like this would have been perfect to test it - if it had existed.
Labeling - oh yes absoflockinglutely.
Every company that sells food should list the tests done on the food plus manufacturer at the very least on their website and/or be willing to mail it to you upon request.
Oh and you can thank Ronnie Reagan for gutting APHIS/PPQ.
Cathy
Comment by Cathy — March 25, 2007 @ 12:15 pm
I wonder if some of the investors of MenuFoods are trying to subdue or influence this story to the media and their friends in high places.
Yes Cathy, I’ve been wondering today what Homeland Stupidity are doing or even knows about it.
Gary
Comment by Gary — March 25, 2007 @ 12:30 pm
Does someone out there have a direct link to Associated Press? They need to get their act together and get the REAL counts and stop making pet owners angry with the “16 dead” they undoubtedly got from Menu Foods. Most news stations pick up the AP feed and are generally inclined to treat their [AP’s] reports as credible. AP needs to stop this. It’s a long stretch between 16 and 1459 [and still counting].
The impact of their erroneous information [i.e., 16 deaths] leads the general public to deduce that it’s an insignificant problem. Obviously many news stations have come to that conclusion, which is why the story is fading away. It’s only when there’s a huge public outcry that change is effected. So it’s important to keep this story in the forefront.
Comment by Steve — March 25, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
Cathy - I get the email notifications from the National Emergency System — Weather Alerts, Changes in terrorism alert status, and Peanut Butter recalls, and Spinach recalls….but now that I’m thinking of it, I did not see an alert for the Pet Food recall. Won’t say with one hundred percent certainty that it wasn’t issued tho — email sometimes goes missing.
Comment by GingerTom — March 25, 2007 @ 12:38 pm
I want to thank you for keeping us informed of the growing numbers of sick and deceased pets. How else are we truly going to get the “real numbers?”
Menu Foods is quite mysterious, if you ask me.
First of all, they announced at their press conference that the two suspect plants are STILL PROCESSING! WHAT DO THEY PLAN TO DO WITH THE PROCESSED FOOD?
Second of all, they did not offer to the public information on the actual suspect toxin. If
not for a reporter’s question, it seems they did not intend to let us know the actual suspect is “wheat from China tainted with rat poison.”
I have spoken with a representative from Hills Science Diet and a representative from IAMS. Both satisfied my questions, and both commented that they had broken contact with Menu Foods.
I believe that the American people will see this to the end. We have suffered with our own tainted spinach and peanut butter, but we will not allow our pets to suffer and die because of a food tainted with rat poison.
Our pets are 100% dependant upon us and our choices made for them. We pay what it takes to keep them safe and healthy. We do what our vets ask, and we know that our vets are doing what is right for them. We are not about be fooled by a company that we trust to nourish our pets! We do the best we can for our beloved pets, and we must do the best we can NOW to put an end to this type of inhumane treatment of our most precious and vunerable family members.
Comment by Pam Williams — March 25, 2007 @ 12:46 pm
GingerTom,
Isn’t also curious that the ASPCA (who runs a pet poison control program) likewise has NOT issued an alert on this pet food recall? In February, they sent out an email alert to their mail list on the peanut butter recall and the “Wild Kitty” raw food recall (email headline: PET POISON ALERT: FDA RECALLS OF CAT FOOD & PEANUT BUTTER), even though there had been no pet deaths reported for either of those foods. The ASPCA (nor the HSUS) has, to date, not sent out any email alerts pertaining to this recall, in spite of the reported deaths.
Yup. Silence is golden, or rather, worth its weight in gold. Makes one wonder how much Menu Foods (or P&G or Hills or whomever) is paying the ASPCA and the HSUS to keep this quiet. So, okay, perhaps they’re not being paid to keep quiet, but rather threatened with loss of future donations and/or sponsorship by some of their biggest money sources. By the way, Petsmart, its been reported, has also issued a corporate policy of “keeping quiet”, according to what one PetSmart employee told one of their customers.
Just makes me sick how the orgs and businesses whose mission is to protect and serve our pets are the very ones who are, through their complicit silence, putting are pets in danger, all in the interest of corporate whoring and the almighty dollar.
Comment by Nikki — March 25, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
Does anybody know if deaths have been reported here or elsewhere related to items on the recall list, but from date lots not included in the recall? Somehow I doubt I’m alone in this.
If they aren’t sure of the source of the poison, then how do they know which lots are tainted? The labs are only testing samples from lots in the recall. Why not test any lots that might have been on the shelves in at least the last few months? I bought my pet food in January. Before the end of the month both of my dogs were sick. One came through okay, but the other died. I want answers.
Comment by Dee — March 25, 2007 @ 1:02 pm
Reporting blackout is easy to understand. Open any Sunday paper and you’ll see ads from all the 95 brands that menu foods made.
Makes no sense for the media to hold such a big advertising buy customer to account.
I am wondering about the description of the toxin. First heard was a rat poison, but latest stories say
“The substance in the food was identified as aminopterin, a cancer drug that once was used to induce abortions in the United States and is still used to kill rats in some other countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.”
Ok, so what is it? Hate to bring up black helicopters and tin hats, but was someone using this abortion drug to reduce unwanted feline litters but dumped too much in? And is it used to kill rats by aborting their young before birth or is it to kill them outright like the cats?
Horrible to think someone at the food plant would play god and tamper with the food to reduce the cat population. Given PETA’s track record on dumping cats in dumpsters, maybe check Menu Foods employee list for a good intentioned member.
Hope someone puts my wild thoughts to rest with better answers than those manufactured thus far.
Blame the Chinese. Gimme a break.
We fed our cats dry Science Diet food, but will be switching to homemade after this fiasco. Plenty of websites explaining how to do that. No more store bought for our cats until some better answers come out.
Comment by Don — March 25, 2007 @ 1:33 pm
My cat was killed by menu foods, and I didn’t know that after the rounds of ivs I was continuing to poison her! Why was the bottle of Iams gravy on CLEARANCE at in late Feb? I fed her pet pride in pouches, and Special Kitty too.
My baby died a horrible death and I need a lawyer to represent me personally in Arizona, since it is so “class-action unfriendly” from what I hear. I saved her vomit and need it tested promptly! Her body was cremated. This is horrible, I have receipts, vet bills, testimonies and the recalled food. I need a lawyer!
I am a mess! I dream about my cat and cat food packets. I am having trouble concentrating on anything else.
http://groups.myspace.com/petfoodrecall this is a Myspace support group please share your info there too. You can put up pictures of your pets.
I am devastated!
Comment by julie k — March 25, 2007 @ 1:35 pm
John - again I totally agree with your comments. This is infuriating.
I found another retailer today with recalled products out on the shelf, clueless about the recall. So now I’m keeping track.
Have you found recalled products on the shelf at a retailer in your area? Go here http://playingbig.blogspot.com.....et-me.html and leave a comment or email me at tips@playingbig.com
Include the Retailer name, city, and if possible the products found.
Comment by Kim — March 25, 2007 @ 1:36 pm
Ottokelly has a point. My cat has had a couple of issues with kidney slowdown and urinary tract infections. I was feeding her wet food with gravy as a treat and about a year ago she stopped eating the food - just took a few licks of gravy and left it. This “wheat gluten” is pervasive in pet foods. If not wheat gluten, then corn or rice gluten. And how pervasive is it in human food? You hear about a lot of people with wheat allergies. Is it really the wheat, or is it the chemicals they use to process it, or the rat poison that is getting into it? Who is really controlling the quality of our food? You can tell by the FDA response, that they are a bunch of bureaucratic incompetents. And as John Pierce says, the reporting is atrocious. We can’t count on an investigative enlightenment of this unless 60 Minutes decides to do a spot. We need reporters and investigators because we can’t count on our government to protect us.
Comment by Melinda — March 25, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
The AP website is easy to get to with a google search. I sent an email asking them to cover this story - to help millions of pet lovers learn what happened, some reasonable estimate of the number of deaths and sick animals, the timeline and response of FDA, Menu Foods, Proctor and Gamble - the whole story. My cat was treated for kidney failure and is struggling. I’ve emailed CNN, ABC news, and the New York Times asking for coverage of the story. As long as people think it’s isolated and only effects a handful of pets, the lies will continue. Let’s flood the news outlets with emails - maybe they’ll realize this is a serious story that effects millions of people.
Comment by Eileen — March 25, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
BEWARE OUTTHERE IF YOU TOOK NOTICE MENU FOODS ONLY VOLUNTERED TO RECALL CERTAIN FOOD PRODUCTS. THE CULPRIT COULD BE STILL OUT THERE.
I REALLY FEEL FOR ALL YOU PET OWNERS THAT HAD TO PUT YOUR PET DOWN DUE TO THIS KIND OF NEGLIGENCE. IF YOU ASK ME THERE ONLY INTERESTED IN THE DOLLAR AMOUNT. THERE LOSS NOT OURS AND IM TALKING STOCK MARKET VALUE AND PROFIT AND LOSSES FOR THE MONTH IF YOU NOTICED ON THE NEWS?
Comment by Georgeann Heckman — March 25, 2007 @ 2:36 pm
We bought 3 cases of Wellness 5.5 ounce chicken for our cat last Friday. This the food we’ve always fed her.
Old Mother Hubbard (verified via website petsitusa.com 3/24/07)
* Wet foods made by Menu Foods but not involved in the recall.
* Products do not contain wheat, corn or soy, artificial preservatives, flavors or colors.
I am now PARANOID as hell knowing this information. So much so that I am tempted to have a can from these three cases tested.
Am I over reacting? Has anyone heard anything further regarding Wellness other then it is not on the recall list?
Comment by Steve — March 25, 2007 @ 2:46 pm
O’Dwyer PR reports that Menu has hired a PR firm. “Sam Bornstein, a veteran public affairs exec for National (PR) in Toronto and sister firm Cohn & Wolfe/Canada, is handling the Menu Foods account. He has not yet returned a call.”
The issue is going to turn out to be the lack of quality control in the pet food industry. Royal Cainin, another huge supplier of branded pet foods, issued a statement yesterday saying that, after having their own recall. Menu has yet to say anything about how they plan to prevent similar problems in the future. They claim they don’t even know what went wrong.
Comment by Steve — March 25, 2007 @ 2:55 pm
welness also used menu foods, i think all the pet food co’s did. so maney pets have died.
Comment by gigi — March 25, 2007 @ 3:05 pm
MY 6 YR OLD AIRDALE RASCAL DIED BECAUSE OF THIS AND NO ONE WANTED TO HELP ME GET HIS FOOD TESTED? ONLY BECAUSE MENU FOODS AND IAMS TOLD ME AT FIRST HIS DOG FOOD WHICH WAS IAMS MINICHUNKS DRY FOOD AND IAMS BOTTLED WET SAVORY BEEF SAUCE WAS NOT ON THE LIST. OH I SAID? WHY DID MY DOG DIE? OH THEY SAID TAKE IT BACK TO THE STORE THE FOOD THAT IS?
OH JUST WONDERFUL, I SAID IS THAT ALL? I TOLD THEM THEY MIGHT HAVE ANOTHER CULPRIT OUTTHERE BECAUSE OF MY DOGS DEATH. THEY NEVER GOT BACK TO ME? I HAD TO KEEP PURSUING THIS EVERY DAY TRYING TO CALL, TRYING TO GET A LABORATORY TO TEST MY FOOD. I GOT SO DISGUSTED I CALLED THE FDA. THEY TOLD ME THEY HAVE TO DETERMINE IF THEY SHOULD TEST IT OR NOT. IF THEY WON’T WHO THE HELL WILL? NO LABORATORY WILL BECAUSE THEY TOLD ME THEIR TEST RESULTS WOULDN’T BE ACCEPTED BY IAMS? WHO THE HELL CARES? I WANT MY FOOD TESTED AND THATS THAT. IF THEIR LABORATORY RESULTS ARE NO GOOD WHY ARE THEY HERE FOR WHAT REASON? I,M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE TRYING TO COVER EACH OTHERS ASSES AND ARE ONLY LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT ANYMORE.
HEARTBROKEN AND FURIOUS
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Comment by Georgeann Heckman — March 25, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
Article today in the Boston Globe:
http://www.boston.com/news/loc.....connected/
Comment by Dee — March 25, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
Steve and everyone else affected by the recall,
I agree with you all completely. We must not let this story be brushed under the rug. Obviously, the media is being misled and it is up to the public to inform them of that. This website is an incredible tool and means of communication. I was contacted by CNN yesterday, after a representative saw my story about my dog Jack on this website. A Senior Producer was looking for someone to interview in the local area (New York); unfortunately I live in KY and was unable to get there. However, after CNN’s interest, I decided to reach out to my local news stations and newspaper and tell them my story and about this website’s tracking system and the high number of animals affected by this recall.
The wet Iams food that my dog ate was just below the recall numbers and I believe others are having this problem as well; we need to let the public know that. Plus, it is ridiculous that we are still finding the recalled food on shelves for sale. If we want to be heard, we must go to the media. I suggest that everyone affected by the recall contact their local news stations and news papers and tell them about your story, show them the recalled food, pictures of your lost friend, vet bills, etc. Give them a visual story; if we come out in mass numbers they will listen. We can save lives, for goodness sake there is still contaminated food for sale out there and innocent people who have not received the word may still be unknowingly feeding their loved ones poison!!! We must not let this story fade!!
Producers of Petconnection.com will you please contact me and let me know if I can quote your website’s “self-reported” numbers of animal illnesses in interviews with my local news stations. I want to tell them about your idea of suggesting changes to the laws on your website, in hopes that we will be heard and taken seriously. I am also wondering if you can share with me the data collected regarding pet deaths/illnesses, so I have proof before I go to the media… Please email me at daisycrazy13@gmail.com immediately. Thanks, Lindsay
Comment by Lindsay A. Glass — March 25, 2007 @ 3:25 pm
Early Friday morning I lost my beautiful, loving little doggie named Mysha. She was the light of my life and did not deserve to die. I have yet to be contacted my any reps from Menu foods and I have left several messages. The people on the phones are rude and treated me horribly. I just wish I could talk to someone else who is going through this I feel so alone. We need a support group. I need to stop crying my eyes are so swollen and red. Our dogs deserved better than to die a painful death from poison. By teh way at the time I purchased the food, Menu already knew there was a problem and did not notify stores yet!!
Comment by Jeanine Cadden — March 25, 2007 @ 3:28 pm
Help I have a question. I hope someone can help me cause I am not sure where to really post here. Last year I had bought my cat a bag of Nutro Natural Choice for my tabby cat. After we had feed it to her she was vomitting all the time we couldnt figure out why she was vomitting like she was. We then took her to the vet and the bag of cat food with us to the vet. The vet believed it was the cat food making her sick. The vet told us to take her off the food so we did. She now eats Purina cat chow. She still vomitts every now and then but not like before when she was eating that natural choice. I still have the bag too half empty. But my question is could this cat food be the cause of her vomitting??? My thoughts and prayers are with you all in this tragic time.
Comment by Melanie — March 25, 2007 @ 3:32 pm
What the hell is Menu doing besides hiring a PR Firm?
Comment by Steve — March 25, 2007 @ 3:45 pm
Let’s hope that instead of a PR Firm, what they’ll need is a good criminal defense attorney! These big companies may think paying a few vet bills costs less than making sure their cheapest ingredients don’t contain rat poison. As we’ve seen with other corporate bigwigs, jail has meaning to them. It’s great if they lose money, but I’d also like to see that whoever is responsible for animal cruelty on so large a scale spend time behind bars. There should be consequences for their reckless disregard of the value of life of pets.
Comment by Eileen — March 25, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
Lindsay - The food my now deceased dog ate was also from a lot number just under the recall range. I bought the food in January, by the end of the month she was suffering from acute renal failure. She was suffering so much, and my vet was not optomistic so I decided to have her euthanized. I still have a few cans of her food that I would like to have tested.
Comment by Dee — March 25, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
This isn’t good. There is little information at all being released to the public at this point we already don’t know.
You would think that Pet Food manufacturers would be scrambling to reassure the public they are not only free of recall worries. But have tested their own foods coming off the line just to be safe and will continue to do so until we get to the bottom of this crisis.
Is that to much ask?
Comment by Steve — March 25, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
Hi Jeanine, I’m so sorry for your loss. There are two Yahoo Groups you might want to join, it’s fast and free. You’ll be able to talk to lots of others going through the same thing.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com.....assAction/
People are talking about everything, not just legal action.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/.....=259055095
This group is to help one another during this hard time for many families all over.
Comment by Kim — March 25, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
We badly need a list of natural food companies to be made into a topic or a main area on this site.
http://www.bluebuff.com/produc.....ts.shtml#a
I’ve been using this until I can make my own food for them. Note the “Things we don’t like” - and there’s no wheat, corn, or soy. Human-grade food, which means they buy food from the same places we would(though in larger amounts).
It boils down to this question:
“Would you eat it every day?”
I think this should be at least the bare minimum standard for all pet food companies. If the owners are unwilling to eat it themselves, it can’t be good for our pets.
Cats aren’t throwing up, no more alergies, and are generally much healthier. This in just a few days since switching them off of Nutro Dry(don’t feed them wet). Toxins and such aside, the stuff in the Nutro/Science Diet/etc must be utter junk because it’s such a drastic change.
Homemade food, btw - I’d eat it myself quite readily. Typical homemade dog food is only a couple of steps different than Sloppy Joe filling or meatloaf. What we get in a can of Dog Food… yeah… not even close. Like Cheeze-Wiz when we’re expecting a nice slice of Cheddar. Some processed, extruded meat substance that has warnings not to eat it if you are human.
Comment by Joseph — March 25, 2007 @ 5:03 pm
Meline,
from my experence with my cat ,who died 3yrs
back it’s a real possibilty your cat is experenceing a kidney faliure. the stage of the failure depends on the extent of damage? they can live on 1.. but once they lose the 1st. the
2nd can go quickly? it can be slowed , or if it’s not to far along even stoped.. but it’l be an issue for your pal all their life. you need
a BLOOD test for kidney function. it is a must?
you can get a home urine test from pet food direct.com the only way to know the extent is by blood work? see the vet..
Comment by johnypaycut — March 25, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
To get a good account of acute renal failure, as is occurring with exposure to the recalled food, its diagnosis and treatment, link to here:
http://courses.vetmed.wsu.edu/.....al/arf.htm
My heart goes out to all who are affected, mourning, or in a relentless state of worry…
Comment by Charlottesville, VA — March 25, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
Melanie,
to continue.. they’r things that you as caregiver can do to help, it’s really the caregiver’s duty anyway? readup on the web on kidney/and vomiting problems. it’s not always
kidneys that are responsible, but it sounds like
a strong possibilty in your cats case? from the heartbreaking experence i went thru with my own
cat i’ve learned ? the chemistry of foods matter, the biological process of liver and kidneys in cats is something you can work with.
Comment by johnypaycut — March 25, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
Asking what should new laws include, here are my family’s thoughts:
The name of the manufacturer must be on the label, not just the distributor. Distributors know very little about what actually transpires during production.
US laws to mandate that we as a country no longer import any consumable goods from other geographic regions without the safety regulations we have in place. Meaning not buying from countries that use any chemicals the US has banned, where quality tests are not done during planting, growing, harvesting, packaging, rendering, shipping,etc.
The goods that we do import must be FDA(hmmm… questionable anyway) inspected before leaving said country and upon enetering the US. Tests should be included for all potential toxins, bio-agents, funguses, etc.
Pet food should be safe for human consumption, not that 90% of the population would eat it; due to the fact that elderly persons and young children often ingest these products regardless.
Penalties when safeguards are compromised and shortcuts are taken; including reimbursement for ill or injured pets/people, fines and/or mandatory closings of companies who do not comply, and penalties for quality control issues brought to light during random inspections.
Inspections of manufacturing facilities bi- anually at the minimum, such inspections should be random not scheduled.
If reports are voiced of concern to food companies, the public MUST be informed of such concerns/complaints immediately. It will then be up to the consumer whether to continue using a questionable product prior to a recall being announced.
Comment by Amy Boda — March 25, 2007 @ 5:38 pm
According to FoxNews on Rat Poison Friday, there’s been a bill mandating “Nation of Origin” on food packaging stuck in Congress. I haven’t been able to find any bill with language “nation of origin” at thomas.loc.gov, but I *did* find the un-passed/shunted to committee Safe Food Act of 2007: intro’d in Senate by Durbin on 2/15/07 as S.654.IS (original co-sponsor Schumer, Casey has also joined in… on 3/21, interestingly enough), and intro’d in House on 2/16/07 as H.R.1148.IH.
I’m no expert, but I believe pet food plants really are in there, as CATEGORY 2 FOOD ESTABLISHMENT. And, also under definitions, it explicitly states:
(20) SAFE- The term `safe’ refers to human and animal health.
The main page for this bill is: thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.00654:
Questions? Words of encouragement or outrage?
The directory of Congressional email addresses (mostly via webforms) is at: http://www.webslingerz.com/jho.....email.html
Durbin, IL. Schumer, NY. Casey, PA. But don’t forget your OWN Congresspeople — and the ones who chose NOT to attach their names to this bill. And don’t be shy about mentioning that CNN states there are over 140 million American pet owners.
Also worth noting, it *appears to me*, non-expert, after a lot of digging through various public .gov sites, that the FDA lacks the authority to pass a “mandatory” recall of items under their jurisdiction (unlike the CPSC and others), and lacks the authority to shut down plants prior to repeated violations over a period of time.
IF the above bill, which seems to address those issues, fails to pass, this is maybe another item for the ‘what now’ list — to expand the authority of the FDA to kick fanny when they DO find something suspect.
I have zero faith that they did all they could, but, after looking into exactly how little ‘all they could’ really is… maybe I’m wrong.
As I’m so sadly sure we’re about to see, litigation on behalf of a lost non-human life is probably not going to be punitive enough to teach these… “people” (I use the term loosely) a lesson about fudging around with the details of a “voluntary” recall. And fear of hard-core private litigation — not the FDA — appears to really be the only thing that gets retailers and manufacturers to comply for spinach, beef, etc.
Comment by Becca — March 25, 2007 @ 5:54 pm
It’s amazing what the food has done to cats. My first cat has already died, the second is struggling (BUN level of 219!) to survive. And, I heard on the news — once again — the official death toll is 16. There are at least four dead animals from the (very) small vet hospital that my cat was euthanized at two weeks ago.
Comment by Ron — March 25, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
God I hope we find out more information tomorrow. I finally bought some food that I (thought I) trusted, gave some to my cats, but then I just snatched it away from them in a panic.
This is insane. I hate Menu Foods with a passion formerly reserved for an ex-boss.
And I’m now going to the store to buy some chicken to (again) make their food myself.
Comment by Kim — March 25, 2007 @ 6:39 pm
I called petsmart and requested a report of all my purchases from dec. 1 to present I received the report and started checking it against petsmart recall list.
To Date I have purchased 119 pouches of contaminated food. And I have a dead cat and a sick dog consumer loyality.
IAMS will now be receiveing my invoice for food, vet bills and creamation costs along with my lawyers information.
I have been making my dog and remaining 2 cats food at home and will continue to do so for the rest of their lives, seems they like my cooking.
Where is PITA and ASPCA in all of this.
Weaar a fur coat and those people will be all over you, poison a few thousand pets without TV coverage and their nowhere to be found.
John
Comment by John — March 25, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
Thanks to everyone at pet connection for all the information and support of pet lovers like me.
John
I miss my little buddy.
Comment by John — March 25, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
I am concerned that we are not getting the whole story, my cat is now in kidney failure and I was feeding him Friskes brand canned food made by Purina which is supplied by Menu Foods. The timing is too close for me to not think that food is tainted also, but since it is not on the recall list I have no recourse. I am sickened thinking that more of the pet food out there is tainted and is still being fed to our pets.
Comment by Brenda — March 25, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
I’m SO sorry for your loss John. {{{HUGS}}} to you and everyone else grieving tonight.
Good information for everyone to know that Petsmart can provide that information. People should probably request that asap, in case their attorneys advise them to stop providing it. (Don’t know if they can, that’s pure paranoia on my part)
Comment by Kim — March 25, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
On Sat 3-25-07 I went into 2 local stores - a Walmart and a Cub Foods - I found ZERO information posted telling customers which products were on ‘recall’. I was just amazed that this information is so hard to find apart from the internet. I know lots of older folks who have pets and do not even own a computer. They rely on the newspaper and TV/Radio for their source of news. But the papers and the major networks have ALL chosen to put this story on the ‘back-burner’. I am sooo angry that this story is not being told!
NBC’s Dateline tonight featured a story - again - about the e-coli on spinich, but not a word - not one word! - about the pet food/rat poison recall!!
[b]Small children and babies are at risk if the parents are still feeding the family pet some of this recalled food![/b] All it takes is for the pet dish to be left ungarded - and who normally does this?! - and baby crawls over to the dish and tries some of it!
People, the major TV news networks - ABC, NBC and CBS - need to STOP putting this story on the back-burner and get the word out! Let’s flood them with questions as to why news of this recall is not being heard loud and clear over their airways!
They sure carried the ‘spinich recall’ to death every night!
Comment by Mary Smith — March 25, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
John, I too am sorry for your loss. My dog died in January from renal failure after eating Eukanuba Chunks in Gravy. I have some of the cans, but not the ones she ate from. Did you call your local PetSmart to get the records?
Comment by Dee — March 25, 2007 @ 7:37 pm
Oppps? i am corrected .. After reading up on
kidney function vs. food choices i realise
that Innova Evo is NOT a Good choice for animals
with renal issues? it seems the carbohydrates
are present in Larger quanities than what a cat
or dog should have.. the way i dealt with my sick cat, was to administer water, water ..
with a vitamin suppliment (felovite). disloved
in the water i orally gave 3cc’s twice durring
a hour period. she was probably in early stages
of kindey faliure. this worked over a 4day period? i had to repeat this each morning ,
wait to see if the cat drank , and ate a wet food. i hope this helps someone? please check
http://www.catinfo.org it’s loaded with info?
Comment by johnypaycut — March 25, 2007 @ 7:41 pm
There will be a newsletter out tomorrow (Monday) on the Worldnetdaily website about the MenuFoods poisoning, written by Barbara Simpson.
Comment by Gary — March 25, 2007 @ 7:49 pm
PLEASE IMPORTANT !!!! before you go to dry food diet? please read http://www.catinfo.org
the amazing information on dietary needs will
change your minds? the water intake in a dry food diet is LOW.. presence of grains
that may well be causing renal/liver fatalitys
these protein suppliments are toxic in LARGE
quanitys..
this is /or may be what is causing the deaths?
that web site is http://www.catinfo.org
Comment by johnypaycut — March 25, 2007 @ 7:49 pm
My heart goes out to all of youwho lave lost family members in this tragedy. Our dogs had some of the symptoms, but seem to be alright at this point
How do we find out who makes what brands of pet food? Many of us want nothing to do with Menu, so how do we keep away from them (forever)? This includes dry foods from them as well s the obvious wet stuff.
Howard
Comment by Howard Teas — March 25, 2007 @ 7:55 pm
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form11b.html?1
This is a link to report a news story to CNN - EVERYONE SHOULD CLICK ON THIS AND REPORT THEIR STORY!! IT WILL ONLY TAKE A FEW MINUTES - OUR BELOVED ANIMALS MUST BE HEARD!!!!!
- Lindsay
Comment by Lindsay A. Glass — March 25, 2007 @ 7:56 pm
Here is the phone number for FOX NEWS. When you call, a recording will tell you about ad sells, etc.. just be patient and listen for about 10 seconds, then it will prompt you to choose from options, choose #5 to report your story. We must work through the media, this is our chance to speak out for those who cannot.
1-888-369-4762, option #5
Comment by Lindsay A. Glass — March 25, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
I am mad and just can’t keep silent any longer! It is time that all brands of pet food be checked, even the dry.
We had to have my 4 year old male dog put down on the 15th of March due to some type of poison and we are doing everything in our power to keep my 9 year old Black Lab alive.
The only suspect is our dry food made by Doane Pet Care and to tell you the truth, there website has a bunch to be desired. They are very ‘general’ in information about themselves and their products. However, I did find that they are owned now by a Canadian Company and have a presence in several foreign countries. Where did they get their wheat products from? Just because they are headquartered in TN doesn’t mean that the products are not effected in a negative way due to imported products.
If the wheat gluten contained poison, then I would think that the rest of the wheat product that remained would also be affected (unless this introduction of poison was intended).
What can we do to stop the pain, not only for our animals, but for us as well.
Thank-you Pet Connection for all of your efforts and honesty relating to heart-wrenching situation.
Comment by Sunshine — March 25, 2007 @ 8:04 pm
I posted this the numbers blog, but I felt it should be repeated here…
I have also reported the death of my 4 year old, perfectly healthy cat, Bailey. On Feb 25th, he stopped eating, and by Wed the 28th at 7:30am I rushed him in for an emergency vet appt. Over $500 in blood work confirmed his kidneys had failed. According to the medical chart, one ‘kidney could not be found’. Unusual for a 4 year old, in great health, indoor tabby cat. I chose NOT to cremate, but rather bury in my parents woods area.
Last weekend, when the recall was announced, I contacted my vet and told them I still had the food and the numbers matched the recalled food?!?! By Monday morning, she called me and was quite concerned and very interesting in finding out more information about the recall. On Tuesday, the FDA called me. I continued contact with my vet and on Friday the FDA came to my office to pick up samples of the food and the medical records. I explained that Bailey was buried and the FDA has discussed the idea of exhuming the body. Friday afternoon, I watched the new conference when Menu Foods apologized to the world and claimed all responsibility. Yesterday (Saturday) I finally got through the 866# and pleaded my case, with tearing running from my eyes to Menu Foods and was promised that someone would get back to me ASAP. I have heard nothing yet.
I have contacted an attorney and have received all paperwork for representation and have NOT mailed it quite yet. I sorta wanted to see what the new conference would say and IF Menu Foods would actually return my call.
I will probably NEVER trust manufactured pet food again. I have resorted to homemade food for my 2 dogs, which I have found to be fun, easy, and actually relatively inexpensive compared to the highest priced specialty foods. If you really think about it…we have had pets in our lives for thousands of years…and only since the 1950’s has pet food become a business!! Entire isles in the grocery stores is dedicated to it. AND if you read the ingredients…it’s NOT made for human consumption!! Most of the animal byproducts are pretty disgusting and yet, we are suppose to feed this #$#@$@ to our beloved animals.
I have lost Bailey, and this is horribly sad. BUT I have been educating myself and I will make the commitment to my 2 precious dogs, Hunter and Romeo, that THEY will have better quality food than I can get in the pet food isle!! Best of luck to anyone else who is grieving over their lost family members!!
Comment by jennifer — March 25, 2007 @ 8:09 pm
Our family lost our 6 month old pup, Bullet, to Menu Foods. It really is amazing to see how greed has changed our country. It really does effect everyone and everything in so many ways.
I’d like to say thank you to all of you kind folks who understand our loss. Your words are comforting.
Our pup became lethargic, had a glazed look in one of his eyes, threw up continually and couldn’t seem to drink enough water for a day and a half. This began Friday night, March 16th, and came to a heartbreaking end on March 18th, Sunday Morning. Unfortunately, we thought these symptoms were results of a harmless stomach virus or something along those lines…he seemed SO healthy until his last 2 days with us. He even seemed to be a little better on Saturday night. We’ve always been able to nurse our pets through problems they’ve had (for the last 25 years, successfully), but this was so subtle and quick—it totally blind-sided us.
We are thankful, however, that our other two animals did not eat the food our pup did—they WOULD NOT eat it. I think if we had known what was going on with this food SOONER, we would have at least taken a clue from the older animals and not allowed our pup to eat it, either. We learned about the recall on Sunday night, after we had buried our pup, Bullet.
Needless to say, our trust in the pet food manufacturers is definitely gone; we are now making our other animals’ food ourselves because we just can’t take a chance with their lives.
Thanks For Listening (go take your pet for a walk or take a few minutes out to play with him or her :O),
The Moses Family
Comment by The Moses Family — March 25, 2007 @ 8:22 pm
Bunker Mentality-Building the Wall of Silence.
“Wet foods made by Menu Foods but not involved in the recall.”
I have heard nothing from ANY of these companies regarding testing of whatever products just to be sure there is no accidental or cross contamination.
So this means they are just doing nothing to ensure consumer safety because the brand is not on the recall list? Despite the fact it came out of menu factories?
(Becoming more frustrated by the minute.)
Comment by Steve — March 25, 2007 @ 8:32 pm
I am very sorry to hear of all the terrible things that are happening to our pets…It actually enrages me that we were duped into thinking we were taking care of pets with the best products we could tafford and were offered on the market with all those cute commercials. Makes me want to gag now that I think of it (no I haven’t eaten any of the tainted products).
I would like to caution the well meaning people that are replying to the folks that are relaying their experiences by telling them, “Oh? X-brand is not on the recall list, or dry food is not mentioned on the “list”. Please refrain from those types of replies because NONE OF US know what exactly is going on. NONE OF US know anything anymore, the so called manufacturer “fund”, the media, the people who have stake in these companies more than likely don’t know to what extent this will go. So give all these pet owners a break when they are going through a bad time or have lost a buddy or two…They don’t need any know-it-alls-who’ve-memorized-the-list giving them any grief, it’s bad enough their best friends are either on rainbow bridge or heading there. For all we know the people that are denying some of the claims could be from the companies involved trying to head off a total boycott of all commercial pet foods.
Also the “well-meaning-posters” that are trying to give advice on what brands of food THEY feed THEIR pets and they haven’t been sick a day in their lives…Be careful, how do YOU really know that brand is safe? How will YOU feel if that brand of “food” comes along with a recall??? Or maybe these are just planted claims from companies who want to gain consumer confidence???
I don’t know who to trust anymore, I do trust my dogs, who have NEVER lied to me, NEVER hid anything from me, well maybe a remote, a slipper or my glasses, but still…
People beware, take care of your pets as best you can. Pets are a wonderful thing and these “suits” may they get what is coming to them. All pets go to heaven.
Comment by MMenesis — March 25, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
For those of you feeding your pets Wellness, Innova, Castor & Pollux, or other pricey, human-grade brands which deal with Menu Foods, if you wish (as I do) to boycott all companies that deal with this supplier, there are a few suitable alternatives. I just went to the Solid Gold website, which states that Menu Foods does not produce ANY of their products. Plus, they offer a grain-free variety, similar to the Innova Evo pet food I’m currently feeding my dogs. They have many different lines of cat and dog products, and all their dry pet foods contain taurine (important to my older dog, who has low cardio output.) I know a few people have posted other alternatives on here, but I’ve found it hard to find one that’s both grain-free and contains taurine, so if anyone else is in my situation, maybe this will be helpful. Here’s the link:
http://solidgoldhealth.com/news/
Comment by Ginger — March 25, 2007 @ 8:50 pm
Oh, and regarding Petsmart telling their employees to keep this quiet… It’s almost laughable, since most people who would seek to work in a pet store love animals. Whatever the company is saying, I’m sure many employees put the welfare of their customers and their pets first and let them know. I know I would in such a situation. It would be really sad if your loyalty to a company that pays you just above minimum wage came before your own code of ethics.
Comment by Ginger — March 25, 2007 @ 9:03 pm
Anyone know where where I might look locally to have food tested for aminopterin contamination?
I am seriously thinking of taking some cans to be tested. Since some these producers who are claiming they are “not on recall” although they do use Menu are not giving us ANYTHING to go on.
Any advise would be appreciated.
Comment by Steve — March 25, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
how do we really know the dry food we feed our pets is safe,after all we all figure it was safe to give can and pouches. almost every pet food co. had menu food make thier wet food. on mon. the numbers will be very high in the pets that have died over the weekend. i myshelf must have my dogs tested. i really think the F.B.I. needs to look into this .1,626 pets have died,why is the media still saying [16].so maney people lost a pet because these dog food co’s wanted to cut cost and get wheat from china.i have not heard 1 pet food ceo say they will no longer use menu foods because of this,and that really makes me very angery.God Bless eveyone who lost a dear pet. my pets are sick from nutro and i’am a mess.menu food plants needs to closed down asap !!!!!!
Comment by gigi — March 25, 2007 @ 9:16 pm
steve,take your cans to a vet. i’m sure they will send it out to a lab for test.
Comment by gigi — March 25, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
Genticly altered wheat for increashed
proteins is reason for kidney failure.
poison story is convient cover up..
after looking at web sites on danger in wheat glutens and all grains in animal products
kidney failure is no 1 outcome from feeding
protein diets based on grains? it was a coverup
a gentic experment gone wrong..
every year animals die from toxic waste buildup
in kidneys? your feeding the wrong food!!!
meats are high in protein. and contain liquids.
cats and dogs evolved on a meat diet..
see http://www.catinfo.org
Comment by johnypaycut — March 25, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
I have been reading your posts and I want to let you know that I’ll be saying some extra prayers tonight. We almost lost our 2 1/2 year old on Feb.25 and his food was to blame. We were mixing Iams and Mighty Dog pouches with his dry Eukaneuba and it almost killed him. After a week long hospital stay and a blood transfusion (not to mention the follow ups), he’s slowly getting back to normal. PetsMart
e-mailed us yesterday and said that we had indeed purchased the recalled food. They are notifying their PetPerks members that might be affected. I, too, am sick over this whole thing. I can’t believe what we (as pet parents) have been having to go through, while these corporate guys sit there and quote how much money they’re going to lose! Our animals are our family, and I personally don’t care if they take “a hit”. What about us? I’ve registered our dog on this website and also looked into the class action. I’ll be thinking of ya’ll and hope that we learn more tomorrow.
Comment by Kathy — March 25, 2007 @ 9:21 pm
steve and eveyone who wants pet food tested, the lab in albany ny,they are the ones who broke the news on fri maybe they will test the cans. my dogs vomits alot on nutro also.
Comment by gigi — March 25, 2007 @ 9:26 pm
johnypaycut…I think you may have something here. I thought the same thing (Genetically Altered Wheat) when this was announced. If this were true and someone were to call the press…we may have a “Karen Silkwood” situation. My vet thinks the “Rat Poison” press release does not make sense. As Rat Poisen causes the animal to bleed to death, not have renal failure. Best news we got, is our Toy Fox Terrier “Pedro” will be coming home on Monday.
Comment by Ken — March 25, 2007 @ 9:44 pm
Ken, there are two kinds of rat poison. The one that causes bleeding is Warfaren. The one used in the recent wheat poisoning was aminopterin.
Gary
Comment by Gary — March 25, 2007 @ 10:11 pm
johnypaycut - thanks so much for that link! Best description of why to feed a raw diet I’ve seen, as well as easy instructions on how to feed a raw diet. Just what I’ve been looking for.
Comment by Kim — March 25, 2007 @ 10:44 pm
What I want to know is where is the information for vets to give leucovorin (folinic acid) to our pets to counteract the poisoning of the aminopterin. I’ve found close to zero info on it. Somebody out there has answers. We need them.
Comment by Mary — March 26, 2007 @ 7:07 am
Anyone wanting their pet’s food tested can call the FDA. They are testing our cat’s dry Hill’s Prescription c/d. He died of acute renal failure in Jan. There are also independent labs in most cities who will also test. I also think the University of Iowa is willing to test. Go to http://www.itchmo.com to get to the link for U. of Iowa.
Good luck.
Comment by Janice — March 26, 2007 @ 7:34 am
Yeah, I’ve tried calling and emailing the FDA. Mailboxes full, no response to multiple emails…Nutro has responded..Menu foods has not. Big surprise there.
Comment by Joyce — March 26, 2007 @ 12:25 pm
Two things I think are rather important:
1. How do we know that this wheat is not going to end up in the dry food???
2. Is anything being said of these companies that used dogs and cats to test the food. These companies are we are supporting with our purchases and until this happen I did not know they used animals for testing… SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO STOP THIS PRACTICE. In this day and age this is no necessary.
Comment by meg — March 27, 2007 @ 1:53 am
I read an earlier post by Brenda that says Friskies brand cat food (Purina) is supplied by Menu Foods. On the cans it says “manufactured by Purina in St. Louis, Mo.” I’ve been curious about this.
Can anyone tell me if Friskies cat food is actually made by Menu Foods and not by Purina?
Comment by Sue — March 27, 2007 @ 8:02 am
I miss my sweet Miss Cuddles go to the artcle http://www.sootoday.com sad sad news miss cuddles
March 22/2007 http://www.sault star.com fron t page.. I lost my Miss Hunny pie Miss Cuddles Feb. 17th She was my Baby!! I really Realy miss her and Love HER!!!
Comment by kelly — March 28, 2007 @ 10:28 am
This is to Sue: If the can says “Manufactured by Purina in St. Louis” then they are not part of the recall and are made by Purina. Besides Menufoods does not have a plant in St. Louis. And Purina’s website states that “Friskies products in pouches are manufactured by Purina and therefore, are not part of the recall.” as well.
Comment by Shawn — March 28, 2007 @ 3:59 pm
see http://www.purina.com/company/.....tyDog.aspx
Purina admits that Menu Foods supplies for their Mighty Dog cuts and gravy. If they supply for that how can we believe they don’t supply for the other types? I have read that Menu Foods supplies to the majority of the pet food companies.
Comment by Patricia — March 28, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
I am with Meg!When I read they did testing on the animals I was shocked! That is just disgusting.
Comment by Lovie — March 28, 2007 @ 8:31 pm
Right now my service dog is in a vet hospital undergoing tests for his renal failure while he is on an IV with meds and on a catheter, most probably due to his diet of contaminated food from Menu. Hopefully, he will recover. Meanwhile I am now dependent upon humans to help me until he does.
Those of us with service dogs depend upon them for everything from employment, some independence, safety, seeking emergency help when we can’t and not having to live in an assited living facility. Most of us have very limited incomes and lack the physical ability to fight the battle needed to protect our service dogs.
Because many of us use service animal chat lines, we are aware that the current kidney sicknesses and deaths are much more prevalent than what is being reported.
I would hope you will remember us as you decide whaether to take the time and effort to fight for your pets and the future health of animals affected by the animal food industry.
Comment by Maurine Poland — April 2, 2007 @ 5:56 am
I have always cooked for my 2 dogs. I do buy dog food which they get about a half a cup added to the food I prepared for them. I buy them Dad’s Dog food, Fit and Lean. I checked on their website and they have not been recalled. It is safe to use their product. Today, I also printed out recipes for dog treats from the web - http:www.mattlake.com/recipe.htm. I thought that you all may be interested.
Comment by Gloria — April 5, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
LOOK AT THIS SITE! THEY CLAIM TO TEST THEIR PRODUCTS BEFORE SELLING TO VENDORS..WHY HAVEN’T THEY BEEN QUESTIONED YET?
http://www.renderers.org/About_Us/index.htm
It’s the Rendering Factories site and it says they test for toxins..so how did this happen? They need to be investigated as well.
Comment by Angie — April 25, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
Dr. Foster and Smith pet food recall posted on Itchmo. See their site for information http://www.itchmo.com
Comment by Linda — April 25, 2007 @ 2:34 pm
Re: Comment by Becca — March 25, 2007 @ 5:54 pm
Answer to your query about “COOL” - country of origin labeling.
Here’s the link and some of the text: http://tinyurl.com/yt5tko
“Country of Origin Labeling passed several years ago (2002) but USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has yet to implement the law.
Now, it looks like the United States may accept this legislation. Unfortunately, that acceptance may come about because of what happened to some family pets.
Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, is an initiative of the 2002 farm bill. It requires country of origin labeling for beef, lamb, pork, fish, perishable ag products and peanuts.
President Bush signed a public law on Jan. 27, 2004, that called for a delay in implementing COOL for all commodities except wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish until Sept. 30, 2006.
Then on Nov. 10, 2005, the President signed another public law delaying the implementation until Sept. 30, 2008.”
Last time I posted this, there were a flurry of postings about why it wouldn’t work, etc. Before going off on this tack, please google and research for yourself how your concerns are addressed by the bill — that is, if it is ever implemented. I think the USDA or FDA has a FAQ sheet that answers all those kinds of questions.
etc.
Comment by Maureen — April 25, 2007 @ 2:39 pm
About the costs involved..I think the GREEDY pet industry should’ve given us the option of paying more for safety instead of just letting our pets suffer so they could make money. We spend 20 million a year and that isn’t enough to make our pet’s food safe? Just because I have to buy cheap bread doesn’t mean it’s unsafe..so why are our pets treated like this?
We’re all connected some way somehow..this recall will probably affect us all much more then we know..I hope not, but it’s our own doing.
GREED has become more valuable in this country then protecting life..it’s just pathetic.
Comment by Angie — April 25, 2007 @ 2:46 pm