Comments on: Pet-food recall: What to do, what to feed http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/ Blogging by a team of pet-care experts led by Dr. Marty Becker. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:54:59 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Kim http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-14423 Kim Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:49:18 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-14423 Debbie and Teresa - you'll want to read this over at itchmo - http://www.itchmo.com/read/voluntary-dry-food-reports_20070328 He's been collecting reports of dry food illness/death, and has posted the results today. While it may not be scientific proof, it's certainly enough for me to be convinced. Debbie and Teresa - you’ll want to read this over at itchmo - http://www.itchmo.com/read/vol.....s_20070328

He’s been collecting reports of dry food illness/death, and has posted the results today.

While it may not be scientific proof, it’s certainly enough for me to be convinced.

]]> By: D Jackson http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-14419 D Jackson Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:44:08 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-14419 Teresa, I have posted this before but I will say again my cat died in Febuary after being told she had Acute Kidney Failure. She had all the systems that has been described and this began only a few days (maybe a week) before having to have her but to sleep. She had been eating the Sciene Diet dry food about a week and before that the Iams Dry since December. We had been trying to get her to loose some weight. The thing is they are still not certain what has caused this and are still doing testing. If they can't say for certain what has caused it how can they say for certain it has not affected the dry???? Debbie J Teresa,
I have posted this before but I will say again my cat died in Febuary after being told she had Acute Kidney Failure. She had all the systems that has been described and this began only a few days (maybe a week) before having to have her but to sleep. She had been eating the Sciene Diet dry food about a week and before that the Iams Dry since December. We had been trying to get her to loose some weight.
The thing is they are still not certain what has caused this and are still doing testing. If they can’t say for certain what has caused it how can they say for certain it has not affected the dry????

Debbie J

]]> By: Teresa http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-14352 Teresa Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:05:25 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-14352 I have a 5 year old Golden Lab. She has had a very healthly life. I have always fed her Science Diet Dry. About 3 months ago, she began throwing up. Alot! Her vet said she has renal failure. A coincidence??? I have now been making her dog food via a low protein recipe. She is still throwing up, but not as often. Her vet said the damage has been done. She has gone from 80lbs t0 62lbs. Unfortunately, it is just a matter of time for her. I have a 5 year old Golden Lab. She has had a very healthly life. I have always fed her Science Diet Dry. About 3 months ago, she began throwing up. Alot! Her vet said she has renal failure. A coincidence??? I have now been making her dog food via a low protein recipe. She is still throwing up, but not as often. Her vet said the damage has been done. She has gone from 80lbs t0 62lbs. Unfortunately, it is just a matter of time for her.

]]> By: Peg http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-14348 Peg Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:53:13 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-14348 Just want to add my comments and concerns to this recall horror. I bought Organix canned food for cats. When I opened the can, not one of my 6 cats would eat it!! I put the food in a paper bowl for the outdoor abandoned cats and they would not eat it!! I left it out overnight and not even the racoons would touch it. I fear that this tainted food issue will become enormous and I am worried for all the cats and dogs nationwide. Just want to add my comments and concerns to this recall horror. I bought Organix canned food for cats. When I opened the can, not one of my 6 cats would eat it!!

I put the food in a paper bowl for the outdoor abandoned cats and they would not eat it!!

I left it out overnight and not even the racoons would touch it.

I fear that this tainted food issue will become enormous and I am worried for all the cats and dogs nationwide.

]]> By: daniel http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-14208 daniel Wed, 28 Mar 2007 04:33:43 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-14208 my 15 year old cat last summer and fall had renal issues. What's interesting is the vet asked specifically if my cat could of come in contact with any toxic substances. I'm wondering if it's possible this problem may of actually started much earlier. Now it turns out he is having the symptoms again. It's possible he may of eaten some of the recalled foods. I just gave him 300ml fluids (had some left over) and a dose of marboflox. Here's hoping he gets better.... I don't have the ability to get him to a vet.. very upset my 15 year old cat last summer and fall had renal issues. What’s interesting is the vet asked specifically if my cat could of come in contact with any toxic substances. I’m wondering if it’s possible this problem may of actually started much earlier. Now it turns out he is having the symptoms again. It’s possible he may of eaten some of the recalled foods. I just gave him 300ml fluids (had some left over) and a dose of marboflox. Here’s hoping he gets better….
I don’t have the ability to get him to a vet..
very upset

]]> By: Becky http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-14155 Becky Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:48:38 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-14155 Tammy K. is right, those haven't been premium foods for a long time but unless consumers do the research, you are going to be swayed by brand recognition, it happens all the time. There are however, safe and reputable foods out there and most have been mentioned. Nature's Variety is grain free kibble and their President posted on here (somewhere) in answer to whether their food was affected - it wasn't in any way. Merrick's is a great choice, you can buy at specialty food stores, but not your typical Petsmart. In Sacramento, Wagger Spa sells the good foods as does River Valley Feed. Flint River Ranch is another excellent product. I've been in almost daily contact with their owner as I was pestering him to death with all my questions and he has been upfront all the way. Nothing is imported, no one else manufactures for them, AND they buy their foods and grains from human grade suppliers, which means, at least, the FDA has inspected their suppliers and supplies. My dogs thrive on their food and they have an excellent dry food that is designed to be served with warm water to make a wet food. Great for older pets with teeth problems. www.frrco.com - I have no hesitations recommending this food, at all. Diamond Foods makes the food available at Costco and I have an email from their veterinarian confirming they do not use wheat or corn products in the food, nor do they use Menu Foods. The Kirkland Signature food is a reasonable quality food at a reasonable price. So there are options out there, if you're not inclined to cook the food yourself (as my pets are probably begging me not to do!). Be safe, check out some of the not-so-well-known companies. Tammy K. is right, those haven’t been premium foods for a long time but unless consumers do the research, you are going to be swayed by brand recognition, it happens all the time.

There are however, safe and reputable foods out there and most have been mentioned. Nature’s Variety is grain free kibble and their President posted on here (somewhere) in answer to whether their food was affected - it wasn’t in any way.

Merrick’s is a great choice, you can buy at specialty food stores, but not your typical Petsmart. In Sacramento, Wagger Spa sells the good foods as does River Valley Feed.

Flint River Ranch is another excellent product. I’ve been in almost daily contact with their owner as I was pestering him to death with all my questions and he has been upfront all the way. Nothing is imported, no one else manufactures for them, AND they buy their foods and grains from human grade suppliers, which means, at least, the FDA has inspected their suppliers and supplies. My dogs thrive on their food and they have an excellent dry food that is designed to be served with warm water to make a wet food. Great for older pets with teeth problems. http://www.frrco.com - I have no hesitations recommending this food, at all.

Diamond Foods makes the food available at Costco and I have an email from their veterinarian confirming they do not use wheat or corn products in the food, nor do they use Menu Foods. The Kirkland Signature food is a reasonable quality food at a reasonable price.

So there are options out there, if you’re not
inclined to cook the food yourself (as my pets are probably begging me not to do!). Be safe, check out some of the not-so-well-known companies.

]]> By: Serijna http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-14038 Serijna Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:25:19 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-14038 For those who feed many cats daily like I do, about 50 including 21 house cats on a limited budget, I feel much better since I found out that Wal-Mart's Special Kitty 5.5 oz cans is 100% produced by Del Monte Foods( per phone call). Besides dry food( Purina One type) I use 18 cans daily. I have no sick cats. Last month, I asked my husband to pick up 30 Special Kitty pouches and he brought home 30 pouches but the cat treats(also made by Del Monte). Gave him hell but feel so lucky now. I feel terrible for all pet owners with sick or dead pets.One more remark on Ol'Roy canned dogfood. The 13 and 22 oz size is made by Del Monte. The pouches and 5.5 sized cans by Menu. For those who feed many cats daily like I do, about 50 including 21 house cats on a limited budget, I feel much better since I found out that Wal-Mart’s Special Kitty 5.5 oz cans is 100% produced by Del Monte Foods( per phone call). Besides dry food( Purina One type) I use 18 cans daily. I have no sick cats. Last month, I asked my husband to pick up 30 Special Kitty pouches and he brought home 30 pouches but the cat treats(also made by Del Monte). Gave him hell but feel so lucky now. I feel terrible for all pet owners with sick or dead pets.One more remark on Ol’Roy canned dogfood. The 13 and 22 oz size is made by Del Monte. The pouches and 5.5 sized cans by Menu.

]]> By: Tammy K. http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-13885 Tammy K. Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:10:10 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-13885 For perspective - the brands in this recall are NOT premium brands, and haven't been for at least 10 years. With the advent of human-grade quality ingredients in kibble and canned, and the need for higher profits from the big conglomerates, the brands that you purchase from a grocery store or local chain discount store fell behind in keeping up with quality ingredients. The widespread use of "fractionated" ingredients listings (dividing an ingredient up into parts to make it look like there's less of the whole ingredient in the product) made it easy for companies to tell little white lies on their ingredient labels, spend less on ingredients and more on advertising to convince people that the foods were still premium. Look at the no wheat, no corn formulas such as Innova, California Natural, Fromm, Eagle Pack, plus the human-grade ingredients available in products such as Back to Basics, Canidae, Wellness, and much, much more. It's all out there - higher quality foods without fillers, without chemicals, without fractionated ingredients - but with whole foods, whole grains besides wheat and corn, more meat than carbs, and a quality you won't find in the grocery store. These types of foods are readily available, if you just look beyond the grocery store shelves. And, beyond what vets will tell you these days, it is more widely recommended now to rotate foods often - a dog or cat shouldn't have huge digestive upheavals from switching foods IF you're using high quality stuff to begin with. It may actually be BETTER for them to change foods every couple of months so that they get a wider variety of nutrients that they may be missing if they're fed the exact same food day in and day out. Yes, find something that works well for your dog or cat! But better yet, find a FEW somethings and rotate between them . Here is more information on better food choices, as well as why there is a need to rotate foods: http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html There are more choices out there today than there have ever been - including home cooked and raw as well. All are viable options for getting away from relying on these big conglomerates who obviously don't seem to give a hoot about poisoning the pets who keep them up and running! For perspective - the brands in this recall are NOT premium brands, and haven’t been for at least 10 years. With the advent of human-grade quality ingredients in kibble and canned, and the need for higher profits from the big conglomerates, the brands that you purchase from a grocery store or local chain discount store fell behind in keeping up with quality ingredients. The widespread use of “fractionated” ingredients listings (dividing an ingredient up into parts to make it look like there’s less of the whole ingredient in the product) made it easy for companies to tell little white lies on their ingredient labels, spend less on ingredients and more on advertising to convince people that the foods were still premium.

Look at the no wheat, no corn formulas such as Innova, California Natural, Fromm, Eagle Pack, plus the human-grade ingredients available in products such as Back to Basics, Canidae, Wellness, and much, much more. It’s all out there - higher quality foods without fillers, without chemicals, without fractionated ingredients - but with whole foods, whole grains besides wheat and corn, more meat than carbs, and a quality you won’t find in the grocery store.

These types of foods are readily available, if you just look beyond the grocery store shelves.

And, beyond what vets will tell you these days, it is more widely recommended now to rotate foods often - a dog or cat shouldn’t have huge digestive upheavals from switching foods IF you’re using high quality stuff to begin with. It may actually be BETTER for them to change foods every couple of months so that they get a wider variety of nutrients that they may be missing if they’re fed the exact same food day in and day out.

Yes, find something that works well for your dog or cat! But better yet, find a FEW somethings and rotate between them . Here is more information on better food choices, as well as why there is a need to rotate foods:
http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html

There are more choices out there today than there have ever been - including home cooked and raw as well. All are viable options for getting away from relying on these big conglomerates who obviously don’t seem to give a hoot about poisoning the pets who keep them up and running!

]]> By: Traci http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-13501 Traci Tue, 27 Mar 2007 05:19:20 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-13501 Something to remember, switching brands can cause vomiting and other digestive distress. Go slow, if there is no reason to suspect a brand you are switching from (as in you still have a bag of someone's kibble but you want to toss it all because they get canning done by MFs, just a possible reason of many), don't toss it out. Mix it half and half or even 3/4 to the new kibble and give your pet time to adjust to the new ingredients. Something to remember, switching brands can cause vomiting and other digestive distress. Go slow, if there is no reason to suspect a brand you are switching from (as in you still have a bag of someone’s kibble but you want to toss it all because they get canning done by MFs, just a possible reason of many), don’t toss it out. Mix it half and half or even 3/4 to the new kibble and give your pet time to adjust to the new ingredients.

]]> By: DeeAnn http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/comment-page-1/#comment-13493 DeeAnn Tue, 27 Mar 2007 05:04:09 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/03/26/pet-food-recall-what-to-do-what-to-feed/#comment-13493 Re: Food still being sold--repeating to this thread. Take your digital cameras to the store. Tell the store Manager that you are documenting the fact that recalled food is still on their shelf, and you will provide any Attorney with the proof (buy a package if need be and keep the receipt). Then ask for the phone number to their Corporate Headquarters. Call Corporate and explain what you did and why. Take action and it may pay off. Businesses have owned us for too long now, lets change that. How do you prove the date--use a current newspaper with the date in the photo. Re: Food still being sold—repeating to this thread.
Take your digital cameras to the store. Tell the store Manager that you are documenting the fact that recalled food is still on their shelf, and you will provide any Attorney with the proof (buy a package if need be and keep the receipt). Then ask for the phone number to their Corporate Headquarters. Call Corporate and explain what you did and why. Take action and it may pay off. Businesses have owned us for too long now, lets change that.

How do you prove the date—use a current newspaper with the date in the photo.

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