First, I totally agree that the final toll could be staggering. I was just over at a few petloss forums and people were talking about sudden kidney problems - but no mention of the recall. I think a lot of people are assuming this just started in the last few weeks or they’re assuming unnamed brands are safe.

Second, I do hope everyone who has lost a pet sues successfully. But the other thing that never gets mentioned (and I think it’s by far the most noticeable to these goons) is a boycott of their products. Lawsuits are paid by insurance companies - boycotts hit the bottom line.

When all this is settled I’m going to try to make a chart of companies who did this and their subsidiaries/products. If we want to say no, this is the way to do it.

I’d never say don’t write your Congressperson but I worked in the US Senate for years and I know how that place operates. The little people can write thousands of letters, but they’ll never be as important as the PAC contributions of these conglomoerates or the industry lobbyists.

We need to wield our real power and that is economic.

Extrapolate Oregon to the rest of the US, and that’s nearly 3500 dead pets.. that may be reported. How many will die with their owners being none the wiser? Hundreds more? Thousands?

We fell for the slick advertising, the celebrity endorsements, the bucolic pictures of mountains and streams, and the words “natural” and “healthy”. It has become clear that deception, if not out right lies, are the norm for the pet food industry. Tainted ingredients from China to save a few cents a can!

Those of us who have lost our beloved friends have paid the ultimate price to sustain corporate greed. These companies played on our love of our animals to sicken and kill our pets while enriching themselves.

ONLY STRICT LEGISLATION WITH STRONG ENFORCEMENT AND HARSH PENALTIES WILL PROVIDE ANY GUARANTEE THAT THIS TERRIBLE EPISODE WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN.

Stop purchasing pet food from ANY company that engages in deception and press your lawmakers for legislation with real enforcement.

I phone OMG/Wellness the week of the recall announcement and was told their canned foods are made at the Menu FOods plant in Kansas. I would sign an affidavit.

Additionally, here follow an email from Wellness when I contacted them on 12/18/06 because we noticed our 3 cats would only eat their ~ 3 ounce cans, NEVER their 5.5 ounce cans of the same flavor. I am still very anxious about what that really meant.

Obviously, we AIN’t using Wellness (wet or dry) in this house anymore.

Dear XXXX:

Thank you for taking the time to write Old Mother Hubbard regarding the Canned Cat Food. At Old Mother Hubbard we are committed to providing the highest quality pet foods and treats available. Our expert staff of engineers is continuously improving our products to ensure that they are tasty and nutritious for your pet.

Your comments will be forwarded to our Quality Assurance Department. I assure you that we are taking your complaint very seriously. You are a valuable customer, and any dissatisfaction on your part indicates an opportunity for improvement on our part.

Although the recipe is the same in both cans your cats may be picking up on subtle differences that occur naturally in our products. The cans were produced on different dates so the raw ingredients used will vary slightly because they were sourced at different times.

Since 1926, Old Mother Hubbard has been working closely with veterinarians and breeders to understand the nutritional requirements of animals. We manufacture only the highest quality pet foods, using healthy, natural ingredients. Our organization prides itself on making the best pet foods and treats available today.

Nicole Bibeau
Specialist
Consumer Affairs

000010645A

Russ

Additionally, here’s correspondence from 12/18/06 with Wellness when we noticed, repeatedly over many weeks, our cats only liked the ~3 ounce cans of Wellness, never the 5.5 ounce cans of the same flavor. It confounded us. I am still more than a little anxious about what it meant.

“Thank you for taking the time to write Old Mother Hubbard regarding the Canned Cat Food. At Old Mother Hubbard we are committed to providing the highest quality pet foods and treats available. Our expert staff of engineers is continuously improving our products to ensure that they are tasty and nutritious for your pet.

Your comments will be forwarded to our Quality Assurance Department. I assure you that we are taking your complaint very seriously. You are a valuable customer, and any dissatisfaction on your part indicates an opportunity for improvement on our part.

Although the recipe is the same in both cans your cats may be picking up on subtle differences that occur naturally in our products. The cans were produced on different dates so the raw ingredients used will vary slightly because they were sourced at different times.

Since 1926, Old Mother Hubbard has been working closely with veterinarians and breeders to understand the nutritional requirements of animals. We manufacture only the highest quality pet foods, using healthy, natural ingredients. Our organization prides itself on making the best pet foods and treats available today.

Nicole Bibeau
Specialist
Consumer Affairs

000010645A”

Can someone please point me to the evidence about Wellness using Menu Foods as a processing plant?

The retailer Pet food Express believes it to be true:

http://www.petfoodexpress.com/.....tion=About

Gina, would it be appropriate to title a separate blog post?

This is all so far. I saw this at another site.

The following is a copy of an email I received in response to one I sent to Wellness asking that if their canned foods are produced by Menu Foods how can they state, without doubt, that none of their foods are affected…

Dear Ms. xxxxx,

We are aware that Menu Foods has initiated a recall. No products made by
Wellness & Old Mother Hubbard are affected in any way.

Again, no Wellness, Old Mother Hubbard, or Neura products are part of this
recall.

We do use outside manufacturers to produce our product. We choose the industry
experts to make our formulas for us under our strict quality guidelines.

While we do have some of our products made at Menu Foods, we do not use the
specific ingredient that has caused the recall to take place. In addition, we
have strict cleaning procedures in place to prevent cross-contamination.

There are two very important factors in determining the quality of a food. The
first is the manufacturer. In this case, Menu Foods is a top notch manufacturer
that receives excellent scores for food safety and quality systems. They make a
consistent product which is exactly what the company asks for. Frankly, they
make product for so many companies because they are one of the best.

The second factor is formula. Ingredient selection can make or break product
quality. Certain ingredients can be allergens to certain pets. Other
ingredients can be sourced for either their quality or their price. Chicken for
example, can be sourced for a certain price. But low ash chicken, which is
better for a cat, can be sourced, but at a higher price. Those are the types of
ingredients we use, because they are of higher quality. So I would not assume
all companies are created equal. If you’d like to learn more, please call us.
We have much more information where that came from!

Nicole Bibeau
Specialist
Consumer Affairs

And on petusa.com

Wellness (verified by company 3/26/07)

* “Menu does make some of our canned cat and canned dog foods. They make
OUR recipes according to OUR quality standards.”
* “We have procedures in place to clean between each run of food that is produced. We also inspect the plant regularly to audit their procedures. Since we take our quality very seriously we go above and beyond what is expected in the industry. We are happy to tell you that we require our facilities to pass an audit by Cook & Thurber, a HUMAN FOOD auditing firm.”
* Other manufacturers are used besides Menu Foods.
* Products do not contain wheat, corn or soy, artificial preservatives, flavors or colors.

Old Mother Hubbard (verified by company rep 3/26/07)

* “Menu does make some of our canned cat and canned dog foods. They make
OUR recipes according to OUR quality standards.”
* “We have procedures in place to clean between each run of food that is produced. We also inspect the plant regularly to audit their procedures. Since we take our quality very seriously we go above and beyond what is expected in the industry. We are happy to tell you that we require our facilities to pass an audit by Cook & Thurber, a HUMAN FOOD auditing firm.”
* Other manufacturers are used besides Menu Foods.
* Products do not contain wheat, corn or soy, artificial preservatives, flavors or colors.

Please keep us posted on Wellness developments Chana