Pet-food recall: The spin you’re in
By Gina Spadafori
March 28, 2007
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I have a long-time friend who’s one of the nation’s top experts on crisis PR, the kind of fellow CEOs call in desperation when something like the pet-food recall breaks. I’ve been holding my breath that no one involved in this mess would call him. And then I read that the manufacturer hired another PR firm, one I don’t know anything about, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
From my friend, I learned long ago that the lawyers always want to say, “No comment. Next question.” But the top public-relations crisis managers say the flow of information — carefully considered to at least seem responsive — is absolutely essential for companies in crisis communication mode. If this blog post is any indication I’d guess the lawyers are winning the argument.
But their lawyers will soon be busy elsewhere, it seems.
If you have a pet with a recall-related illness, let us remind you to:
- Call the FDA to report your information
- Call your veterinarian and ask him or her to report to your state veterinarian, also for the FDA
- Enter your pet in our database
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Technorati Tags: pet food recall, dogs, cats,veterinarian, veterinary
Where the hell is Ralph Nader when he’s really needed?
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
* Call the FDA to report your information
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* Call your veterinarian and ask him or her to report to your state veterinarian, also for the FDA.
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* Enter your pet in our database
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Comment by Ron — March 28, 2007 @ 6:09 pm
* Call the FDA to report your information
I called the FDA several times to report the death and they expressed sympathy. That’s it. No action. They were not going to count the death in their official numbers. The FDA rep said she was “dumbfounded” by the reported numbers given the overwhelming number of calls. Good luck with the FDA.
* Call your veterinarian and ask him or her to report to your state veterinarian, also for the FDA.
I talked to the vet and the staff. Both indicated they don’t get involved in reporting and leave that up to the pet owners. You can’t trust the vets unfortunately.
* Enter your pet in our database
Did that. This appears the only place where these animals are going to be counted. We have receipts, vet bills, unopened recalled food, etc.
Comment by Ron — March 28, 2007 @ 6:10 pm
We need Congressional Hearings.
I don’t think there’s any doubt the pet food industry needs more oversight than its been getting.
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 6:28 pm
This is a letter I sent to the attorney, Mr. Talley of Sacramento, CA who is handling one lawsuit against Menu Foods: I saw on CNN that you are the attorney of record handling the lawsuit again Menu Foods for the recent pet food poisoning tragedy. I have been actively participating informing people worldwide of the specifics regarding this deadly situation. Many people do not know of the threat to their animals. I find the coverup and denial by this company’s management to be unconscionable. Their ‘gross indifference’ to knowingly selling a pet food product, when they knew it was poison to any animal eating it, the worst form of animal abuse. I also have question regarding the Chinese company that knowingly sold this tainted grain product to Menu Foods after they had sprayed it with this particular rat poison. Are they being included in this suit? Gross indifference goes way beyond general negligence. This company had done tests in a lab on cats (Jan./Feb 2007) and they all died! Menu Foods did nothing! They did not put an emergency recall order out immediately which could have saved many lives! I hope that you are able to do a thorough investigation and discover all parties responsible. I hope that you can bring justice to the hundreds of pet owners whose pets have become severely ill from this poisoned pet food. Menu Foods has mislead the public with false totals of how many pets have been affected and the death toll. The real totals have not come in yet. Many more are going to die and suffer from the extrememly painful kidney failure this poison causes. If this Chinese company sold this poisoned grain product to Menu Foods then exactly how many other unaware companies did they sell i! t to? What other food products have been made and sold from t! his pois oned grain product? This is a major wake-up call to everyone as it shows us how easily it is to create a deadly situation that has the potential to be catastrphic! CARPE DIEM Mr. Talley!
Comment by Wendy Powers — March 28, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
I called the Menu Foods hotline last week - it took me 4 days to get through. As the owner of two cats who each had 5 packets of recalled pet food, I was of course concerned about what costs Menu Foods would be reimbursing to pet owners to ensure their pets were either healthy or sick, and to get treatment as necessary.
They asked me for basic contact information, as well as how many pets, what type of pet, if they ate the food, etc. I was then told that I would get a call back from someone, with no indication of when. I called today, as it has been a week, to get a progress check. I was told by the phone rep that they have no idea when they are going to even begin making call backs, much less how long it may take to get to mine. It seems that this process has not yet begun and in speaking with the rep, I did not get the sense that it was going to happen anytime soon.
I think it is important to get the word out that while Menu Foods has claimed to take responsibility, that they continue to remain inoperative and unresponsive. I’m lucky - both of my cats will be fine. However, I strongly believe that Menu Foods should cover the costs of the tests that were done to verify this fact. I also feel for the hundreds, if not thousands, of pet owners whose pets are in much more dire circumstances and are not receiving any information or communication from Menu Foods, much less a check to cover escalating costs in the near future.
Comment by Nikki — March 28, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
In a March 21, 2007 Newsweek article by journalist Matthew Philips entitled ‘Is pet food properly regulated?’ the report states: ” …..authorities still cannot explain exactly what went wrong. Some critics and animal lovers are honing in on what they see as lax regulation of the fifteen billion dollar pet-food industry in the United States.” It should be noted that this recall has not only impacted the U.S. Canada and mexico as well. “There is almost a void there,” states Bob Vetere, president of the APPMA, or the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association. “There is no real pet-food department of any federal agency.”
We need Congressional Hearings.
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
I posted this on another thread as well. For those of you who used IAMS, they are paying all vet bills regardless of if your cat got sick.
You need to contact their 1.800.882.1591 number and speak with a specialist. Do not request this of the person who answers the phone - they will not help you with this. Their specialists will take your information and get back to you with an SR#. They realize that they must take responsibility for peace of mind for folks who have no way of knowing if their cat consumed any of the specifically recalled food.
I urge folks to contact them - this is a PR nightmare for them and they are doing what they can to retain a customer base. They have lost my business but I intend to claim all of my vet bills.
Comment by Carole — March 28, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
Yesterday, just out of curiosity, I picked apart some of the “meat cuts” from a can of non-recalled cuts and gravy type cat food. They weren’t meat. As a vegetarian, I have eaten a good deal of seitan, which is wheat gluten, and have even made it in my own kitchen. Those “cuts” from that can of cat food were nothing more than wheat gluten, with perhaps a tiny amount of meat added so the cats will eat it. First clue——I ate meat for the first 45 years of my life, and never have I ever seen meat with air bubbles in it. And I can’t imagine how wheat gluten could be used as a thickener for gravy, it is a non-dissolvable, gluey mass! I think there is a lot more here than is meeting the eye!
Comment by Kathy Thompson — March 29, 2007 @ 9:12 am
I had a black lab Stella who became violently ill and died at the vet specialist in Kansas City two weeks ago. I was notified that she was ill on Sat. AM although the person that she was with noticed she was ill Fri. PM and stayed up with her all night hoping she would be better in the morning. Obviously she was not. The vet suspected poisoning with antifreeze, and that was what I thought was the case until all of the recent news became evident. I went to Wal Mart to see if the Ol Roy premium dry food was avaliable and there was none. I spoke with the store manager and he thought that they were just out. I am suspicious. Also I live in a secluded neighborhood in the country and my four big dogs live outside and one of the neighbors only comes on the weekend and Stella and Inca my Husky are waiting at his porch because he lets them come in the house and feeds them. I have not talked to him to see what other type of food he gave them, but Stella was so liked in the neighborhood and she loved to eat so much how is one to know just what she did eat. Also, what person keeps the empty cans or pouches of pet food or the receipts from store purchases for that matter for groceries and the like. I spent $2,000 on Stella and would have spent more. The money is not the issue. She was one of the best dogs that have ever been a part of my life and now she is gone because of stupidity and greed. I will not be giving any store bought food to my dogs for some time. I purchased a large package of hamburger, a sack of rice and some mixed vegetables. I cooked the hamburger and mixed it all together and placed it in individual zip lock bags. I figured that a full sandwich bag would meet their daily requirements. They ate most of it but left a few of the vegetables but I have been told vegetables in their diet is good for them. Well that is about it. I doubt if I will be reimbursed for the vet bills but that is a minor consequence. If you have any questions you may email me at jduffydo@yahoo.com.
J D Ure
Comment by John Ure — March 29, 2007 @ 9:21 am
I just got off the phone with the FDA shortly after I placed my 2nd call to their MN office. The man I spoke to said he was calling from the La Crosse Wi office.
He took my dog’s information (Brandy’s) and was very interested in the fact that the cans were from a non-recalled lot (Oct 25 09).
He also confirmed that the current FDA position is that it is not clear that the wheat glutin is the source.
You can probably find my other posts here and at benedictionblog.org
Will keep you posted… Keep up the good work!
Bernie
Comment by Bernard J. (Bernie) Starzewski — March 29, 2007 @ 10:11 am
Something that I have not seen mentioned is: any cat with residual kidney damage or immune issues resulting from exposure to this toxin(s), whether from wet or dry food, is going to have to watch CRF issues (chronic renal failure) and other immune-related problems/diseases in cats VERY CAREFULLY FROM NOW ON for who knows how long. This is NOT JUST AN ISSUE UNTIL YOU FIND ANOTHER FOOD!! Start getting info now so you are not left without the facts. If your vet wasn’t omniscient enough to warn you about the dangers of the petfood industry, don’t expect him/her/them to google into the future effects on your pet either!! This is up to you if you want to protect your pets health.
Feline health links: http://www.mindspring.com/~kerspin/
For pets with immune systems compromised by the effects of this toxin(s) (see VIN for info on that) please be aware that vaccinations should NOT be given to pets that are already ill.
It’s not only the petfood industry that panders to vets for profit - big pharmaceuticals also do this. For a look at what one forward looking DVM with PHD in immunology has to say about this see: http://www.drpitcairn.com/talk.....cines.html
Comment by 4lgdfriend — March 29, 2007 @ 2:24 pm
THE SCI.AM.COM ARTICLE ALSO REVEALS: “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that the lethal concentration of the chemical is three parts per million (ppm) for rats; the amount found in the contaminated food samples was 40 ppm.”
AND:
product numbers on his packages of Iams wet food fell just outside of the range of recalled products. The date codes on his packages were 6256 and 6293; the recall range extends from 6339 to 7073. Nevertheless, Valentine believes that his cat was a victim of food poisoning, raising the question of whether the recall was wide enough.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — March 29, 2007 @ 2:26 pm
I have not seen this mentioned anywhere and it concerns me: any cat with residual kidney damage or immune issues resulting from exposure to this toxin(s), whether from wet or dry food, is going to have to watch CRF issues (chronic renal failure) and other immune-related problems/diseases in cats VERY CAREFULLY FROM NOW ON for who knows how long. This is NOT JUST AN ISSUE UNTIL YOU FIND ANOTHER FOOD!! Start getting info now so you are not left without the facts. If your vet wasn’t omniscient enough to warn you about the dangers of the petfood industry, don’t expect him/her/them to google into the future effects on your pet either!! This is up to you if you want to protect your pets health.
Feline health links: http://www.mindspring.com/~kerspin/
For pets with immune systems compromised by the effects of this toxin(s) (see VIN for info on that) please be aware that vaccinations should NOT be given to pets that are already ill.
It’s not only the petfood industry that panders to vets for profit - big pharmaceuticals also do this. For a look at what one forward looking DVM with PHD in immunology has to say about this see: http://www.drpitcairn.com/talk.....cines.html
Comment by 4lgdfriend — March 29, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
I appologize for posting this all over the place, but this will get National Attention…something we need right now.
I mentioned in an earlier post that a Nationwide March (regarding pet safety and the recall) was being organized, well the date has been decided. It will be Saturday April 28,2007. Please join the following community (follow the link) and look for info on the March. Jen H. is leading the group, contacting animal rights organizations,shelters and such for support. I have included myself as a contact and to help with the organization efforts here in California. We need people from all geographic areas. Anyone in Northern/Central CA who wants to help please contact me at bodasnotaryservice@yahoo.com.
MenuFoodsClassAction@yahoogroups.com
Comment by Amy Boda — March 29, 2007 @ 2:39 pm
I started feeding my 3 pure Persians Iams chicken cuts with gravy, 1/22/07, until the recall!! How horrified was I to discover this food my have been contaminated. The 8 cans in my cupboard when they announced the first recall were the right plant number, but off the lot number(6—— something). I immediately threw them out, and started to worry about what I had fed them. When they announced the toxin aminopterin, I was extremely worried.I called Iams last weekend, and they told me to take them all for a wellness checkup and blood work and they would reimburse me for the bill. I took all three on Monday, got the results Monday night, and they were fine. The Vet faxed the bill and lab tests to the fax number with the case number I was given. Iams called the next day to say they will be sending me a check for the charges. I think they should have an announcement for ALL pet owners who purchased the foods to get all animals tested. That is the least they can do. I still worry that there may be future problems TheVet said to bring them back in a month for a recheck. So if your pet ate the food, call and get a case number for testing and get some peace of mind. You can’t know if they were sickened by standing by and watching till it may be too late!! My bill was $168/ cat, which is hardly a fraction of the price to replace a Persian, even if that were the only issue. They are my babes and irreplacable!!
Comment by Marcia — March 29, 2007 @ 4:46 pm