Pet-food recall: Why we haven’t told you what to buy
By Gina Spadafori
March 28, 2007
- If you’re new to the site, please check out our general information page.
- If you have lost a pet, we encourage you to learn about pet-loss resources.
As we’ve mentioned before, we’re a fairly diverse group of pet-lovers here at the Pet Connection. Although all of us are united by our love of pets and our desire to share solid information with the people who love them, you’d have to look pretty hard to find a group more divided on feeding practices. We have families here who feed house-brand kibble, national brand-name canned (although obviously not from the recall list), organic, human-grade food from small companies and even one person who has been feeding completely home-prepared meals for both dogs and cats for more than 20 years.
We all believe what we’re doing is right, and not one of us has any intention of changing.
But there are a couple of other reasons why even before the recall, we at Pet Connection didn’t recommend foods, and in hindsight, one of those looks pretty sensible: We have absolutely no way of checking out any company’s claim regarding any food.
That’s one reason, and here’s the other: We don’t know you, and we don’t know your pet.
A food has to be right for both to be right for either. Generic store brands, premium, organic, human-grade, home-made cooked, prey-model raw — each of those choices is the right choice for some people and some pets. And none of those choices is the right one for every pet.
At this time, we do know what you should NOT feed: Any product on the recall list. One of our most frequent visitors in most recent days has been reader Kim, and she has put together a printable PDF file of the brands recalled by the national companies. Also, check the official recall list. Combined, these should help you find what to avoid.
So … what to feed instead? As we’ve said, this is a far trickier issue. Over on PetSitUSA they’ve confirmed with each of the companies and brands on their list that they are not recalled, along with any comment the companies have made about the recall. Check out this list.
Which of those should you buy? Or maybe you should prepare food at home, at least for now? If you’re thinking of the latter, I recommend you start by reading Pet Connection Contributing Editor Christie Keith’s piece. “Real Food for Dogs Is Easier Than you Think,” posted last month on the San Francisco Chronicle’s Web site, where Christie’s column, Your Whole Pet, runs twice a month. You can also find books on home-prepared diets of all kinds on Web site of the specialty book-seller DogWise. While preparing food at home isn’t the horribly dangerous and incredibly time-consuming task it’s often made out to be, it does require research and planning. Best bet: Find a veterinarian supportive of a home-prepared diet and work with him or her to get it right.
In the meantime, to the horror of those who are passionate advocates of home-prepared diets, most veterinarians (and most Pet Connection staffers) honestly believe commercial pet foods are and will remain the choice for many if not most pet-owners.
Back to square one: Which one? That’s up to you, your pet and your vet to decide.
P.S. Just because we don’t feel comfortable making recommendations doesn’t mean we’re going to stop you from doing so. So comment away! The only comments we haven’t allowed since this started are those from spammers and people who can’t write without using the F-word.
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
We’re also getting similar requests from parents who want to know what they *should* be feeding to their pets. We have posted one article for cats and another for dogs:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/wha.....g_20070328
Comment by itchmo — March 28, 2007 @ 3:47 pm
This is a duplicate post but I really think it might work so Im posting it here also…Hi all, I came up with an idea/suggestion. While I know we arent happy with new organizations right now, I have e:mailed Anderson Cooper 360 at CNN under his “Keeping Them Honest” section to beg him to check into this pet food recall and the potential coverup and lack of reporting on true death and illness numbers. I think we all should and it might make our point! His site says they “promise” to read every e:mail we send and this is the kind of thing they like to check into. Lets give Anderson Cooper a chance and see if he can help us! Please everyone, send him your stories now! I have also asked him to please come to this website and see for himself the sad and anguishing stories by pet owners affected by this tragedy. Thank you!
Comment by Sandi — March 28, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
I do not blame you one bit. I can’t recommend either we have our own problem with the high quality human grade food we just purchased. I’ve already told my story on previous threads.
The bottom line remains no one is coming clean.
Not Menu, Not the Government, and many of the major brands are still offering no guarantees.
How much does it cost for these brands to test
their foods, grab a few cases from the warehouse and get it tested that are not on recall that shipped before this scandal got legs? Are they that freaking cheap?
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 3:57 pm
Glad to help Gina!
I’m also working on a quick-reference-type Pet Food Tracker for Premium Natural and/or Organic Brands that have nothing to do with Menu Foods.
(This is actually a long-planned project to make it easier to switch to better quality foods, and to be able to keep track of what brand and flavors pets will and won’t eat.)
Comment by Kim — March 28, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
Here is probably the next stage. They let it fade off the national radar screen and then start trying to paint people continuing to demand answers and accountability as being raving lunatics, cranky misfits, and that peoples concerns about this are utterly preposterous.
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
Oh, we’re not planning to stop asking questions. We just know when to say we don’t have the answers.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 28, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 28, 2007
Lots of work to be done. Looks like it is going to have to be somewhat of a grass roots effort.
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 4:19 pm
Gina,
I’d like to add my sincere appreciation for your blog threads and the wonderful insight and information you give us. My news station mentioned your site and it is a true gem and the bloggers here also are top of the line.
Comment by Linda — March 28, 2007 @ 4:21 pm
Here is what it comes down to. People are going to have to start asking these Pet Food Brands “where and how is your-our pet food made and what is going into it?” (emphasis added)
That is the question they can not escape. If they have something to hide they don’t deserve to be in business.
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
Interesting. Haven’t heard of this till now. This must be the lobby group. (PFI represents the manufacturers of 97 percent of all dog and cat food produced in the United States.)
What is PFI?
Since 1958, the Pet Food Institute has been the voice of U.S. pet food manufacturers. PFI is the industry’s public education and media relations resource, representative before the U.S. Congress and state and federal agencies, organizer of seminars and educational programs, and liaison with other organizations. PFI represents the manufacturers of 97 percent of all dog and cat food produced in the United States.
PFI is dedicated to:
* Promoting the overall care and well-being of pets.
* Supporting initiatives to advance the quality of dog and cat food.
* Supporting research in pet nutrition and the important role of pets in our society.
* Informing and educating the public on pet proper feeding and pet care.
* Representing the pet food industry before Federal and State governments.
http://www.petfoodinstitute.org/
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
Member of PFI
Menu Foods, Ltd.
8 Falconer Drive
Streetsville, ON L5M 2C1
CANADA
Phone: (905)826-3870
Things that make you go Hmmmmmmmm
http://www.petfoodinstitute.or.....rch=Active
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 4:32 pm
hello and again my sympathies to everyone who lost a beloved pet or have an ill pet.
My two young dogs have tested with high kidney enzymes and one also with high liver enzymes.
I had evey intention of buying a natural pet food for them BUT after the vets visit concerning their blood work I was told I had to feed a very very low protein food because that is what is best for the kidneys. Right now I’m fighting with the two to eat the Purina NF Kidney function. I called the vet’s office today and was told I could add some cooked vegetables as long as they were not protein vegetables.
I just wanted to alert anyone that might have a dog or cat that ate some of the recalled food and like mine were showing no real symptoms that their kidney/liver values may be off and feeding them a premium high protein food or homemade food with lots of meat might do them more harm that good. I’m still worried and sad about all of this; my dogs are 8 months old and almost 2 years and had perfectly normal blood tests in late January. They are going to be retested in 30 days and I hope that things will be back to normal.
Comment by Maureen — March 28, 2007 @ 4:33 pm
Why we haven’t told you? That’s exactly right.
And people are going to understand this more now. When one has begun to understand what’s really in commercial petfoods, and that poor quality nutrition offered up as good stuff by the petfood industry has been killing or sickening our pets for years and years - some of it promoted by vets (and this cannot be dodged)- one begins to connect the dots. There’s loads of information out there. And many other questions to be asked when we get past the food crisis. For instance, why have no duration of immunity studies been done for animal vaccines? It’s much harder to study and take responsibility for what you’re feeding your pet, but once you learn what’s in the crap being sold and what it does to animals you can never go back to the lazy state of denial of most pet owners who buy off the shelf or just take food recommended by vets the petfood industry panders to for profit.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — March 28, 2007 @ 4:38 pm
Maureen,
something is going on here with the dog food more than we know. My Mercy had very high liver enzyme blood results and she was on a dry Science Diet Lamb and Rice and as yet no real reason for it. $1,000 later in tests and still no answers. I put her on a low protein homemade diet for several months, her blood work is gradually improving. I also gave her SAM-E.
Comment by Linda — March 28, 2007 @ 4:38 pm
Connect the dots. It works like this: Vet suggests crap commercial petfood and LOTS of vaccinations. Animal eats food. Gets lots of vaccinations. [Here’s where you go out and do your reading - I’ve done mine.] Animal eventually begins to have various diseases. Vet suggests “special diet” even more nutritionally incomplete and perhaps other treatments, oh, say, steroid injections for “allergies” [to the cheap ingredients]. = petfood industry and vet businesses profit and pets sicken and die. SAD BUT TRUE. Do your reading. The truth has been a long time coming out but it’s coming out in spades now.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — March 28, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
I believe that all pet owners who are concerned about the health of their believed furry companions go to the Wysong website and read the articles associated with pet nutrition and packaged and processed foods. This is the only sane information I have come across in my search for a better alternative to cans and packages.
It is in your own best interests to be vigilant and careful. There are powerful self interests at work…huge multi-national corporations..agro-business…The bottom line is $$$$$$$$$ and not the halth of you or your animals.
Comment by TJ Pop — March 28, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
I don’t over vaccinate my pets. The give the puppy ones and then the rabies as the law requires. I also do the bare min. at one-year.
At least I am doing the best I can to see that my dogs are well. I am using a better grade dog food now, and it costs, and will consider either going all organic, if there is any truth to its quality, or homemade. I have several dogs so homemade is a chore, but one I will undertake if needed. I do believe there is a relationship to so many of these dog problems - cancer too.
Comment by Linda — March 28, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
Sometimes it’s time to say NO. No to crap commercial petfood. NO to medical practices that may be harming our animals. These go hand in hand.
Sometimes the little person armed with common sense and real information knows best.
Don’t sacrifice your pet on the altar of the petfood industry or the profits of the veterinary community. They’re not GOD.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — March 28, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
Kudos to Linda. well done. spread the word.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — March 28, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
From Blogger Irene Done
We need a congressional hearing on the Menu Foods recall so elected representatives can go on record with their very brave opposition to the poisoning of family pets. That won’t waste anyone’s time. Also, I think a bipartisan committee is in order, so that an anxious nation can get answers — in three to five years.
I totally agree
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
Actually I think we need immediate answers.
Not three to five years.
Comment by Steve — March 28, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
My cat of 14 years died almost suddenly last october(2006). Sophie,my cat, started losing weight rapidly when i changed her diet to wet Iams cat food. I really do believe it was the food because she was a very healthy indoor cat. She’s buried in our backyard with a pink headstone. Could the contaminated go back further than December?
Comment by Charlotte — March 28, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
I sent an email to Anderson Cooper a few days ago, and also one to Lou Dobbs who is another man on a mission. I also sent an email to Ellen Degeneres and Oprah. Hopefully someone will take up the cause and help us out. If celebrities become involved the word will get out there!
Comment by Meaghan — March 28, 2007 @ 5:24 pm
I switched from Eukanuba to Innova and then found out that Innova has connections to Menu so now they are starting on Solid Gold. My 11 year old cat was diagnosed with ACUTE renal failure the end of November. She was not eating well and I gave her a variety of canned and pouches to get her to eat. She spent nearly 3 weeks hospitalized at a top-notch teaching hospital (lucky enough to be in my town) and lots of money (still paying that off) but her kidney levels are now normal. I have to wonder how long this has REALLY been going on . . . I find myself incredibly paranoid about what to believe and what to question. I have decided I will never use a food from any company associated with Menu Foods, nor will I use a food from a company that does invasive testing ~ or has another lab do invasive testing.
Comment by dottie — March 28, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
I also emailed Anderson Cooper. He has a segment, Keeping Them Honest . . . seemed like a good place for some investigative reporting.
Comment by dottie — March 28, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
We had to have our Shadow euthanized yesterday beause of acute renal failure caused by IAMS. I am angry. I am angry with the FDA for requiring standards for the pet foods sold in the US(not fit for human consumption). I am angry beause no real data has been provided by Menu Foods, our government or the media as to the extent of the problem.
Most of all, I am angry because it was me who opened the cans and fed it to her.
Comment by Lisa — March 28, 2007 @ 5:35 pm
Anderson Cooper 360, here we all come! Come on everyone, lets get busy on sending those e:mails to his “keeping It Honest” tipline! I know we can do it and I know we can all get someone to take notice if we all join together, lets do it for our pets who are ill and for our pets who have died at the hands of this tragedy! I think we need at least 2300 e:mails sent to them, one for every pet who is reported deceased here.
Comment by Sandi — March 28, 2007 @ 5:39 pm
I ALSO e mailed 360 ,he’ll get on the ball he was so upset about the poor pets after katrina,i’ve e mailed cnn also,my local news.this is so sad. i feel so bad for everyone who lost a pet.
Comment by SAMMIE — March 28, 2007 @ 6:10 pm
http://www.theledger.com/apps/.....80411/1004
Local veterinarians and pet owners are still dealing with the fallout after a massive pet food recall earlier this month.
[..]
Dr. Kecia Howell, of the Polk County Animal Hospital in Lakeland, said that at the height of the food scare, her office saw about 20 animals. She said she saw one 4-year-old cat that seemed to be affected.
“We don’t know yet if there’s going to be permanent damage to her kidneys,” she said. “… We hope she is going to recover.”
[..]
Howell said the food scare has left a lot of doubt in people’s minds. She said that’s hard for people who may have bought more expensive, top-shelf brands like Science Diet.
“If you feed food like that, you tend to think ‘I’m doing the best I can for my pet,’” she said. “… When you find that it’s poisoned, you lose confidence.”
She said she herself even has doubts about recommending the foods.
______________
Uh huh, yep, enough to make a vet think.
Comment by Cathy — March 28, 2007 @ 6:53 pm
You will never go wrong if you feed Kumpi to your dog or cat…. http://www.kumpi.com
I have 3 dogs and 5 cats and of all the “premium brands” out there….. Kumpi is the only one they have all taken to and done well with.
My cats were on ProPlan Adult and did okay - but their coats were just not shiny and they were lacking energy. So I tried the ProPlan Senior thinking they needed more protein…well all they did was vomit. So I decided it was time to try Kumpi cat food. I’m glad I did. The kibble is small (which is good for my adult and senior cats), it smells great, and they stopped throwing up. Their fur is soft again and they just seem happier and more active in my house.
I’ve also tried Nutro for cats…but my senior cats couldn’t handle it after a few months - the vomitting started. And Iams/Eukenuba is out of the question - with all the horrid dog and cat experiments they do for their food - well I just can’t feed that kind of horror and cruelty to my pets ( http://www.iamscruelty.com )
My adult and senior dogs do great on Kumpi - their skin is perfect and they have a ton of energy. I did use Purina OM for my oldest senior dog to lose weight - and that worked as promised…but I wanted him back on regular, high quality food. I didn’t like that the OM had so much fiber. Although he lost weight, I just felt he wasn’t absorbing enough of the nutrition and for a senior he needs the right balance.
Get some Kumpi today!!!!! If you buy cheap - you are going to get cheap and w/some brands you may overpay for cheap! But with Kumpi you buy quality! Remember - your companion animals are what they eat
Comment by Robert Davis — March 28, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
Reporting from Los Angeles suburban newspaper discusses local impact of recall and LA deaths attributed to tainted food.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/new.....63516.html
Comment by Jeff Stieglitz — March 29, 2007 @ 9:53 am
http://www.seedsofdeception.co...../index.cfm
Maybe the problem is related to genetically modifed corn and/or rice.
Most of the grain it pet foods is genetically modified. It is posible that a lot more is going on here than is being revealed. Our government protects GM foods and won’t allow foods to be labeled as GM.
Comment by betty — March 29, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
Wheat Gluten from China?
WHAT DISTRIBUTOR IN CHINA?
China EXPORTS a lot of wheat gluten and corn gluten to EUROPE & USA….for human foods too.
Was it the wheat gluten for sure?
What about contamination of dry foods?
Human foods?
WHO IS CHECKING…?
We need to know now……what is taking so long?
Comment by CIndy Lee — March 29, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
From what I can tell, this is likely the culprit as well as things like what ADM is doing with their corn supplies to save money.
I used to have no problem with corn in my diet. In the last 4-5 years, though, I can’t eat it at all - it just makes me feel horrible. Well, that’s not true - organic corn is fine.
Almost all corn used for pet foods and animal feed is genetically modified or is of dubious nutritional quality. They just won’t spend top-dollar prices for grains. That’s the problem with Menu Foods and the rest. They use the cheapest ingredients, and if GM corn or pesticide-laden ingredients are cheaper, well, that’s what they use. Afterall, FDA compliance is optional now and the investors want profits every quarter. And company that has “investment fund” in its name has one and only one thing they are interested in - the Almighty Dollar.
Let’s get down to the basics of that article:
They make corn that creates its own pesticide. That’s what the genetic modification was for. Not to grow it taller or larger, but to kill some of the hardest to kill pests by making the plant itself as toxic as Lilies or Oleander. And evidently, quite a bit gets into the corn itself.
It causes massive blood problems and organ damage in rats they feed it to. It’s intended to be used to fatten up poultry and beef before slaughter. It’s considered okay if they are half-dead in a few months because they are going to be killed anyways and antibiotics are cheap. And cooking the meat kills most of it.
The problem is that the parts of those animals that tend to concentrate the toxins… meat byproducts and anything rendered. Add in this same corn as a main ingredient in the kibble and you have a big problem, because cats and dogs don’t live 1-2 years but 10-20.
Corn and grains are also of very little use to a typical cat - they just don’t digest them(corn especially - humans hardly do, either). But we need something to make the kibble hard and crunchy to appease our human sense of asthetics. The cat or dog - they don’t care what it looks like, to be honest.
The only safe thing to do is to make your own until this problem is resolved. Less safe but better would be to find a grain-free food, with Corn, Wheat, Soy, and Rice being the things to get rid of, in that order, if you can’t find a meat-only food.
Comment by Joseph — March 29, 2007 @ 2:29 pm
Has anyone else wondered if this could be caused by use of a GMO Grain??
GMO corn causes liver, kidney problems in rats: http://www.sciam.com/article.c.....9A180E764B “Greenpeace said a study it had commissioned that was published in the journal Archives of Environmental Contamination and Technology showed rats fed for 90 days on Monsanto’s MON863 maize showed “signs of toxicity” in the liver and kidneys.
“….first time that independent research, published in a peer-reviewed journal, has proved that a GMO authorized for human consumption presents signs of toxicity,” Arnaud Apoteker, a spokesman for Greenpeace France said…”
Comment by 4lgdfriend — March 29, 2007 @ 2:39 pm
Yet again…
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 @ 2:40 pm
More on the idea of GMO grains possibility from DVM Phd http://www.drpitcairn.com/nutrition/gm_foods.html The FDA does not require any safety tests on genetically modified foods…There are no adequate tests on “biochemistry, immunology, tissue pathology, gut function, liver function and kidney function,”[3] and animal feeding studies are too short to adequately test for cancer, reproductive problems, or effects in the next generation. ……animals fed GM crops developed potentially precancerous cell growth, smaller brains, livers and testicles, damaged immune systems, bigger livers, partial atrophy of the liver, lesions in the livers, stomachs, and kidneys, inflammation of the kidneys, problems with their blood cells, higher blood sugar levels, and unexplained increases in the death rate. (See Spilling the Beans, August 2004.) None have been adequately followed-up or accounted for.”
Comment by 4lgdfriend — March 29, 2007 @ 2:44 pm