pet connection

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1. Thanks Gina! I’ve moved the Pet Food Tracker over to its own blog, at http://www.petfoodtracker.blogspot.com.

   I’ll move over Pet Food Tracker posts and comments from my old blog and post an updated version as soon as I can, sometime later today.

   And fyi, I do have a few other versions of the Pet Food Tracker planned and/or in process. My original intent when I thought of this over a year ago was a way for people to learn what premium foods were available, and to keep track of what their pets would and wouldn’t eat, as they switched to premium brands.

   Comment by Kim — April 2, 2007 @ 3:11 pm

2. OOPS - Sorry - wrong URL. Should be http://www.petfoodtracker.com

   Comment by Kim — April 2, 2007 @ 3:15 pm

3. Great job Gina. Everyone is on pins and needles regarding food. I am going to make some comments on our situation later, a non recall variety but do not think for a minute we feel 100% totally safe. So far so good which is very encouraging under these circumstances but their is NO ESCAPE from the anxiety. We are ultimately responsible for our decisions and choices. I am just here as a poster who’s “been through it” since day one and I am in no way involved with Pet Connection other then having found this excellent resource. If your new it is extremely important you read the advise given by the Pet Connection Staff on this site. This is crisis all across the country and there is no substitute for getting your pet companion to your Vet at the first sign something isn’t quite right.

   Comment by Steve — April 2, 2007 @ 3:20 pm

4. The Safe Pet Food Blog also contains up-to-date lists of recalled foods. It recommends “safe” foods (foods which do not contain any wheat products at all). While it does not endorse making your own pet food dinners, it recognizes that people will want to do that in a pinch so it tells what foods are toxic to dogs and cats and recommends only pet food recipes which come from reputable, holistic, veterinary websites.

   Comment by Teresa Holladay — April 2, 2007 @ 3:25 pm

5. The Safe Pet Food Blog is located at:
   http://safepetfood.wordpress.com

   Comment by Teresa Holladay — April 2, 2007 @ 3:26 pm

6. I feed a prey-model raw diet to my dog. It’s very easy, and my dog thrives on it. I’ll give some links to great resources on this diet:

   My Raw Feeding FAQ
   Myths About Raw Feeding
   Raw “Recipes”
   General Raw Feeding Information

   And for a great resource of almost 8000 raw feeders, join the Yahoo! rawfeeding list.

   Comment by Janine — April 2, 2007 @ 3:27 pm

7. I recommend ABADY dry food. Made in America. I specifically recommend the granular formulas like Classic, Basic, or Maintenance & Stress for dogs. They do make cat food too, but I don’t have cats so you’ll have to call them for a recommendation for your cat. Their website sucks (they don’t waste money on websites or advertising, they put it into the food). So you’ll have to call them to get the name/number of a distributor near you. You can have the food shipped to your doorstep by UPS.

   Phone: 1-845-473-1900

   Website: http://therobertabadydogfoodcoltd.com/index.html

   Just don’t overfeed this food. That’s the only problem I’ve ever heard people have, when they feed too much. You only need 1/2 - 2/3 as much as you would feed of your kibbled food.

   Comment by Sarah — April 2, 2007 @ 3:32 pm

8. PS: Abady also makes canned foods.

   I mentioned the dry because people have been asking what dry foods might be safe.

   Comment by Sarah — April 2, 2007 @ 3:43 pm

9. We really do have a need to ask the question concerning the pet food recall. I have a MS in Environmental Engineering and my wife a MS in Biology. How come no one has asked the question “Could this be the result of genetic engineering of Wheat and Corn”. We have already seen toxic results of non pest insects eating Corn. There is a whole lot of Corporate investment dollars within the genetic recombent food crops along with very little research as to the side effects of such food products. No X file but must admit there exists the posibility.

   Comment by Paul Perkins — April 2, 2007 @ 3:46 pm

10. Great idea, Gina! Thanks for all your hard work, and your coworkers’, too - it’s much appreciated, as you can tell from your page hits. :)

    I feed Science Diet light hairball, but didn’t love it before the recall. NO wheat, just corn, but I’m frankly feeling a little paranoid about any wheat OR corn, since I keep hearing stories about pets who ate foods without wheat gluten, yet are still dying with similar symptoms. So I’m looking for something without either.

    Question - what does anyone know about By Nature Organics? It’s made by Blue Seal, which according to the petfoodlist.com, had one food made by Menu which was not involved in the recall. (I can get it at the PetSmart near my house in NC, which to me is a bonus - all the “good” food stores around here are a very long way across town.)

    Anyone use it? Tried it? Any thoughts would be helpful, thanks. I hate switching food even when some of it isn’t toxic, so I want to stay with it if I make the change. Thanks!!

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 3:50 pm

11. URL updated. Thanks, Kim.

    Comment by Gina Spadafori — April 2, 2007 @ 3:54 pm

12. Has anyone else had this problem: my Papillon,
    after he got home from the hospital, had become very food-aversive. The notes from the clinic mention that every time they tried to feed him he attempted to bury the food and they removed it. (He was on an IV.) I have fed him poached chicken and poached liver and some fish, which he eats sporadically and in small quantities. I have noted that he likes a little seasoning and not the bland unseasoned stuff, so I’m catering to that. He always loved rice but will not eat that or - basically - any carbohydrate. He also seems to have trouble locating the food in the bowl and keeping it in his mouth when he starts to eat. This is all new. I don’t mind cooking for him for the rest of his life! I just want him to regain some strength. A better diet seems essential to that end. He did have some of the Mighty Dog and was mainly eating Purina One lamb and rice but that is off the table. Any ideas will help.

    Comment by Nancy Nielsen — April 2, 2007 @ 4:14 pm

13. My “perfect pet food” criteria: company not associated with Menu Foods in any way, preferably company that makes and packages their food in their own facility, no by-products, no “meal”, no additives or preservatives, no wheat, soy or corn, and finally no testing on animals.

    So far, I don’t think anybody fits the bill.

    I recently switched to Artemis and Fromm. Cat seems to like the food. My only beef is that Artemis doesn’t make their food and won’t disclose who does ( they will only say it’s made in North California and Illinois) although they claim it’s not Menu; and Fromm’s is manufactured in China.

    Comment by Julia — April 2, 2007 @ 4:19 pm

14. Nancy,

    You need to see the vet again. This doesn’t sound good. I would be very worried. Is he having trouble with his eyes? please see your vet or even another vet if you aren’t satisfied.
    He sounds confused.

    Good luck.

    Comment by Linda — April 2, 2007 @ 4:20 pm

15. I’ve posted this before too, but I feed my dogs Flint River’s dog food and I have contacted the president directly and have been told they do not “price shop” their ingredients but go with human-grade quality ingredients from vendors they have known. No one can vouch for the vendors since we don’t know who the U.S. supplier is, but I can report that my dogs are 100% healthy and eat and drink absolutely normal amounts every day and love their food. It smells fresh, if that means anything.

    I just use the original kibble - there is wheat, but no wheat gluten.

    protein source is high-quality Chicken Meal and Lamb Meal, neither of which contains by-products. The grains used in this formula include Wheat and Rice, but no corn, which is difficult for dogs to digest. This all-natural food stands on its own - no additives or coatings

    Lamb and Rice for sensitive allergy dogs:
    Lamb Meal, Ground Whole Millet, Ground Whole Rice, Rice Bran, Menhaden Fish Meal, Grape seed Oil, Flaxseed Meal, Lecithin, Garlic, Rosemary and Sage Extract, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Supplement, Mixed Natural Tocopherols (antioxidant), Niacin, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Iron Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganous Oxide, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid Supplement, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, D-Biotin

    Fish and Chips formula has all-natural Trout and Sweet Potatoes, this nugget-shaped dog food is sure to please. Contains no Chicken, Wheat or Corn. BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin-free!

    I like that they deliver, that’s what I miss most about Pets.com going under - the porch delivery! http://www.frrco.com and I believe you can order sample sizes if it’s your first time.

    Comment by Becky — April 2, 2007 @ 4:23 pm

16. Nancy, I know it sounds crazy but they can actually forget how to eat when they’ve been on IVs or tube feeding for a long time. They forget how to chew or keep the food in their mouth. Although it is a natural function, something kind of short circuits and it can take a while for it to come back. Spoon feed, finger feed, hand feed, syringe feed (without a needle, of course), whatever you have to do to get it in that little mouth and down into the tum tum. He will relearn how to do it.

    Comment by Lois Kimball — April 2, 2007 @ 4:24 pm

17. I feed my cat purina’s friskies canned cat food. i’m looking the brand up on the internet but all they are giving me is that it’s safe in canada. do you think you can tell me if it is on the list for new york recalls?

    Comment by dawn — April 2, 2007 @ 4:25 pm

18. Nancy, Giant caveat. That is my experience. I am not a veterinarian. If in doubt, see your vet, as suggested above.

    Comment by Lois Kimball — April 2, 2007 @ 4:27 pm

19. mighty dog is on the RECALL LIST

    Comment by MARY ANN — April 2, 2007 @ 4:29 pm

20. Oh, Nancy, I’m so sorry, but if he were my dog, I’d take him back to the vet immediately.

    And - it isn’t clear from your post, but if your vet had him in for several days, and just wrote up that he wasn’t eating but didn’t treat for it, and then sent him home anyway, I might consider taking him to a different vet.

    Heresy, maybe. I love my vet - I’m very lucky to have a very good one. But as in every profession, some are better than others.

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 4:30 pm

21. I never knew they forgot how to eat. What a wonderful suggestion. I worry so much. I’m always at the vets - one never knows.

    Comment by Linda — April 2, 2007 @ 4:31 pm

22. Treats - there is nothing better for your dogs than Bully Sticks…it’s not rawhide, it’s actually entirely digestible bull product and Costco sells them in a nice bulk package - I cut them in half and then they last even longer although they will last our pit bull about half an hour of vigorous chewing. For those that feed soft food, it’s a safe teeth cleaning method as well as Greenie’s do contain Wheat Gluten.

    Comment by Becky — April 2, 2007 @ 4:32 pm

23. I really need help with canned dog food. My dog’s just don’t want kibble. Trying to encourage them to eat their kibble was the reason we used the recalled pouches in the first place :(
    I spent 2 hours today in Petco looking at the canned natural food. I left with one can to try. I “need” to go back tomorrow and buy for a week at least and I’m stumped. I’ve called one company several times to find out the phosphorus in their canned food and I still haven’t received an answer. I realize that they are probably swamped but I really want to settle on some food. My poor dogs don’t know what’s happening with feeding time.
    Peto was no help on the phosphorus, I was told if its not listed on the can I needed to call the 800 number that I’ve called.

    Comment by Maureen — April 2, 2007 @ 4:33 pm

24. RE, NANCY N. MIGHTY Dog is on the recall list.www.fda.gov

    Comment by MARY ANN — April 2, 2007 @ 4:36 pm

25. Nancy, please take your sweet dog back to the vets right away and ask them about it - something is really wrong and you can ask them too if the dog has forgotten how to eat.

    And if you aren’t happy, see another vet. I always do. I keep at it until a solution is found.

    Comment by Linda — April 2, 2007 @ 4:37 pm

26. You might try soaking the kibble in warm water and draining it — your dogs might be more receptive to it that way. Or, mix it with wet food to start with. Then wean them off the wet food.

    Comment by Elizabeth — April 2, 2007 @ 4:39 pm

27. Maureen - at risk of sounding like a stockholder in Flint River (I’m not, but my dogs sure could be) our elderly cattle dog who passed away at 17.5 barely had any teeth…we had been feeding her canned food mixed with baby food until we tried the Flint River wet/dry dog food. It’s pretty neat…dehydrated veggies and all that good stuff, add warm water and it made a perfect dog stew. She loved it and we still feed a little bit on top of our other dogs food even though she’s no longer with us.

    Here’s the ingredients, it does have wheat but no wheat gluten…maybe it would help?

    Chicken Meal, Whole Wheat Flour, Fresh Whole Chicken (No By-products), Ground Rice, Rice Flour, Ground Whole Wheat, Rice Bran, Grape Seed Oil, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid), Flax Seed, Toasted Oats, Rice, Folded Pasta, Fresh Potato, Dehydrated Peas and Freeze Dried Vegetables (Tomato Flakes, Carrot Flakes, Celery, Garlic Granules, Spinach, Parsley Flakes), Dehydrated Alfalfa, Dried Kelp, Wheat Germ Meal, Dried Whey, Fish Meal, Avocado Oil, Brewer’s Dried Yeast, Salt, Lecithin, Cheese Meal, Vegetable Gum, Natural Flavor, Natural Caramel Color, Natural Greens Mixture (Barley Grass Juice Powder, Brown Rice Powder, Blue Green Algae (Spiraling), Spinach Powder, Green Tea Extract, Chlorelia Powder, Echinacea Extract, Broccoli Powder, Tricalcium Phosphate), Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Monosodium Phosphaic, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, DL-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Source of Vitamin E), Zinc Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B Complex), Copper Sulfate, Zinc Methionine, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, D-Biotin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Calcium Iodate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Bromalin, Papain, Aspergillus Niger, Bacillus Subtillus. Lactobacillus Acidophilus (20 Billion CFU/g)

    Comment by Becky — April 2, 2007 @ 4:40 pm

28. Maureen, have you tried boiling chicken and adding chicken bits and broth to their kibble? I also mix in fat free yogurt and cottage cheese. It doesn’t take much to entice them to eat the kibble, at least in this house.

    Comment by Jackie — April 2, 2007 @ 4:40 pm

29. Comment by Maureen — April 2, 2007 @ 4:33 pm

    Hey, Maureen.
    I’m the biggest table-scrap nazi out there (I give my mom heck about that all the time :) - but there’s a time and a place for everything. This would qualify.

    Try soaking the kibble in a little low sodium chicken or beef broth. Mix it with a little white or brown rice, or throw a little plain pasta in there. As long as you’re not on a renal diet, you can also try a *little* bit of scrambled egg, or just the cooked whites (healthier - plain ol’ protein.)

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 4:43 pm

30. Linda, At the risk of being burned at the stake, I will say we also were shocked that such a thing could happen. He couldn’t chew. His tongue flailed around like he had had a stroke. Food would fall out of his mouth. But he had not eaten on his own for several weeks or months and he was a skeleton with fur. It took days or weeks, depending on how long he had not been eating by himself for that particular “flair up”, for him to regain the coordination necessary, but it always came back.

    But as others are cautioning, always better safe than sorry. So to the vet if even a nanodoubt is there.

    Comment by Lois Kimball — April 2, 2007 @ 4:43 pm

31. Oh, Lois. I liked your idea. I had never heard of it before and it is such a great idea too. But I always err on the side of caution - I’m the biggest worry wart around - I not only worry for my dogs I worry about stuff I hear too. All this stuff with the pets is so terrible and we all feel it too.

    Comment by Linda — April 2, 2007 @ 4:48 pm

32. I hope the little guy starts eating and anyway he can too!

    Comment by Linda — April 2, 2007 @ 4:49 pm

33. For dogs I recommend Merrick - for some reason dozens of dogs around these parts (downtown Manhattan) are on it, and I havent heard any complaints or reports of illnesses. My dog has been eating the canned varieties since well before the recall and he is doing great - though I did cook for him for almost two weeks until I became convinced Merrick was totally unaffected by this recall/does not do biz with Menu Foods etc.

    Comment by Empress 60 — April 2, 2007 @ 4:50 pm

34. I personally am very encouraged by today’s FDA announcement that the source of melamine in pet food has been definitively identified. Now that the problem has been quantified, i hope pet owners will stop panicking.

    based on the information currently available, I am telling my patients that it’s okay to purchase any pet food product on store shelves. I truly believe this pet food recall was an incredibly unfortunate aberration in an industry that generally has very high standards.

    Comment by California Vet — April 2, 2007 @ 5:26 pm

35. Oh Pleeease!! I don’t know where you’re getting your news, CA Vet, but have a look around here.

    Comment by Jackie — April 2, 2007 @ 5:35 pm

36. Dear California Vet,
    Please identify yourself and your practice so that I may make an informed choice on the vet I take my cats and dog to also!

    Comment by PM Hill — April 2, 2007 @ 5:38 pm

37. CA Vet - I just saw some pounce chicken treats on sale at my grocery store up the street. Shall I fed ex them to you so you can feed them to your pets since they were on the shelf?

    Comment by Doug — April 2, 2007 @ 5:40 pm

38. Does anyone know if Purina Pro Plan is on the recall list? I have been feeding my dog the wet chicken and rice and the dry chicken and rice and he seems to be thriving. I lost my cat last month to this unspeakable tradegy and now I am totally paranoid about my dog.

    Comment by Sue N. — April 2, 2007 @ 5:51 pm

39. I truly believe this pet food recall was an incredibly unfortunate aberration in an industry that generally has very high standards. Comment by California Vet — April 2, 2007 @ 5:26 pm

    Your joking right?

    Comment by Steve — April 2, 2007 @ 5:52 pm

40. ca. vet ,after this ,i will never stop worrying,this should of never happen.esp. when i throught i was feeding my pets the best food out there and now there are 2,900 pets dead and lots more sick.

    Comment by MARY ANN — April 2, 2007 @ 5:54 pm

41. right on steve !!!!!!

    Comment by MARY ANN — April 2, 2007 @ 5:55 pm

42. What I’ve been doing is not worrying about the brand of food, but about the ingredients.

    If it has wheat gluten in it, even if it’s not the recall list, don’t feed it. If it doesn’t, it’s most likely fine.

    I know that’s not a sure thing but that’s what I’ve been saying to panicked friends and coworkers: at this point, wheat gluten seems to be the culprit. Rather than worrying about an exact list and trying to remember to take a printout to the store and etc. etc. panic panic, just read the label and only buy stuff with no wheat gluten.

    I admit it’s a bit easy for me to be saying that, when I don’t feed my pets food with wheat gluten in it in the first place, so I’ve had very little cause to worry for my animals this whole time. (I know how lucky I am, believe me!)

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 5:55 pm

43. CA Vet - I found Alpo on the shelf yesterday at Walgreens. Manager was not even aware there was a “food recall” going on. Comforting. You are really protecting your clients. Too bad you’re too far from us for us to use you as our vet.

    I read the clinical nutrition textbook that is used at most vet schools to teach nutrition. Two of the authors are employees of Hills Science Diet. They tout their food and Iams as “specialty foods”, which are a step up from the grocery foods. Hmmm. Is that why most vets act as if they are in bed with these companies? I’d love for you to spend more time researching better products for these pets. Of course, that would mean that they would be in to see you less…. Oh yeah, that’s my answer.

    Comment by Deb — April 2, 2007 @ 5:56 pm

44. Do you mean California Veteran?

    Comment by Gary — April 2, 2007 @ 5:58 pm

45. Not all DVMs or MDs for that matter graduate at the top of their class. Someone has to be last.

    Comment by Lois Kimball — April 2, 2007 @ 6:03 pm

46. Hi - I was in Target today buying cat litter and they had some Sheba in the pet food aisle. Since it was not on the list of recalled foods, I thought I’d pick some up. Turns out that it is made in (or imported) from Thailand. I didn’t buy it because I am no longer buying any pet food NOT MADE in the USA. It does NOT contain Wheat Gluten, but I’m still not buying any.

    Comment by Lisa — April 2, 2007 @ 6:07 pm

47. I also have a cat who went into unexplained acute renal failure in February, on a diet of dry Hill’s C/D (she was healthy and ate the C/D only because it was prescribed for her brother and two vets assured me that it was fine for her also.) Fortunately she survived, although barely, and the male has not shown any symptoms. Still, I also am troubled by the attitude of Hill’s, mentioned in numerous posts on this site. A week ago Hill’s assured us that all of their prescription foods were absolutely safe, so I don’t give much weight to their present assurrances.

    Although I rarely cook for myself, I spent the weekend cooking for my cats. I’ve done enough research to realize that it’s difficult to meet a cat’s full nutrional requirements with a homemade diet. But until we know much more about all possible causes of the present crisis, I feel that they are safer eating food that I’ve prepared. My “recipe” source is here:

    http://www.api4animals.org/articles?p=360

    Comment by Ticocats — April 2, 2007 @ 6:09 pm

48. Sorry, I had to stop posting, I was about to resort to 4 letter words! But a brief break with a glass of Chardonay and my Maine Coon have calmed me down a little. I CANNOT believe any vet would be saying this - it’s insane. I’m a native Californian and I’ve had great vets for cats, dogs, cattle and horses over the years. Whoever this so-called vet is had better have a ticket to China before sunup tomorrow! Please, if you have gotten this advice, see another vet quickly. I hate to think that besides recommending safe foods, we are going to need to list “safe” vets.

    Comment by PM Hill — April 2, 2007 @ 6:10 pm

49. To Calif. Vet:
    Do you carry/stock Hill’s foods in your clinic?
    Shannon

    Comment by Shannon — April 2, 2007 @ 6:12 pm

50. Comment by Sue N. — April 2, 2007 @ 5:51 pm

    Hi, Sue. I’ve been feeding one of my dogs Purina Pro Plan lamb and rice for a couple of months. No problems to report, and he likes it way better than the science diet I had him on before, which he occasionally just refused to eat. In fairness, though, I have another dog on SD who likes it just fine. No problems there either.

    I’d still hesitate to recommend either, just because both have a lot of grain in them, which makes me nervous right now. But so far, so good.

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 6:13 pm

51. Hi, I live in the Las Vegas area and there was a man on the radio this morning who said he believes his dog died from eating IAMS dry dog food Large Breed. I just wanted to pass that on in case he is correct (that that is the reason for the dog’s death), at this point , we should all be cooking for our pets. The man said he has a small dog as well and that dog will eat as good as him until this is all cleared up. Good idea.

    Comment by lynn — April 2, 2007 @ 6:13 pm

52. California Vet I feel bad for your customers.

    Comment by Monkeykitty — April 2, 2007 @ 6:18 pm

53. Purina Pro Plan Salmon & Rice (for cats) has WHEAT GLUTEN listed as the 4th ingredient.

    Comment by catlover — April 2, 2007 @ 6:19 pm

54. Whoa, easy, folks.
    Two things to remember:

    1. Vets aren’t getting any more info than the rest of the populace. If they’re good, they’re looking for more, as California Vet might have been. But their own regulatory groups (AVMA in particular) are sending them info that we know is outdated. Better to teach than target.

    2. Vets didn’t make any money off of cheap-a**ed grain from China. But they’re more accessible than the folks who did. So please, choose your targets carefully.

    Even if you believe vets are part of some vast pet-food conspiracy, we need their support right now, both in treating sick pets and in the battle to bring the folks who caused this problem to justice. Who do you think the FDA will be talking to to get definitive info on why pets died?

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 6:21 pm

55. My Pom and Pom/chi are the kibble nazi’s lol. They manage to pick every goodie out and eat it and then look at me like I’m trying to punish them by having those nasty (dry or moist) kibble in their bowls. The Pom/chi mix puts her ears back and has huge eyes and reminds me of the Meerkats when she looks at me like that.
    I found a pet bakery that sells Canidae only 45 minutes from here so we’re off sometime tomorrow to pick up a 12 can case and hope for the best.
    At this point I’ve promised my dogs that they’ll never have to eat too much kibble again :)
    The Canidae web site lists everything including the phosphorus so I hope I’m in business :)

    Comment by Maureen — April 2, 2007 @ 6:25 pm

56. Comment by catlover — April 2, 2007 @ 6:19 pm

    Yeah, well, we’re talking about the dog food. And as I said, it has a lot of grain, which is enough to make anyone nervous these days.

    All I’m saying is that I’ve been using the dry dog food with no problems, but that doesn’t mean someone else may not.

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 6:26 pm

57. I quit feeding my 3 dogs (miniature schnauzer, peek-a-poo & mutt) Science Diet Adult Small Bites last week after all 3 had diarrhea and other problems after eating from a newly opened bag. I’ve been preparing their food myself since then (primarily cooked ground beef or chicken mixed with scrambled egg, brown rice, green peas, and cottage cheese). I spent all weekend researching various alternatives that would fit the lifestyle of someone who works 60 hours a week, and today ordered some Nature’s Logic dry food from onlynaturalpet.com (there is no distributor in my state). I really appreciate all of the information on this website and also found very helpful the postings and links provided by “Arizona Carolyn” on the website linked: ttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1809221/posts

    Comment by Pam — April 2, 2007 @ 6:28 pm

58. Sue and Laura - just pointing out to make sure you read the label. I have several Purina products that I was feeding (with no problems) including several varieties of dry & canned, but I’m scared to feed now because of the wheat gluten. Some varieties do not contain wheat gluten, though.

    Comment by catlover — April 2, 2007 @ 6:30 pm

59. Hills and Iams start targeting in Vet School. They give the Vet students free pet food. Most nutrition taught at Vet school, is done by these companies, and it is very limited learning. Vet’s also make money from the SD and Iams they carry and sell. That’s not to say there are not lots of Vet’s who have done their homework, exclusive of what was crammed down their throat at school.

    On one dog forum, there was a sweet Vet student that came looking for help. She switched her dogs to SD cause it was free, and was having all kinds of problems. She listened to what others were telling her, and we hoped she would become one of the truly informed Vet’s that didn’t push inferior food.

    Comment by Jackie — April 2, 2007 @ 6:31 pm

60. Still waiting for anyone’s thoughts on “by Nature organic” dry cat. Anyone? Please? :) hungry kittens want to know.

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 6:31 pm

61. I was at Petsmart and it pained me to pass by the Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys (my kitties’ favorite!!) which is on sale for .39/can, about half the regular price. I was tempted to buy 2 cases and put it aside, hoping to hear later their wheat gluten is safe, but could not bring myself to do it. My poor babies are not happy about their new canned food, but at least they’re eating some of it.

    Comment by catlover — April 2, 2007 @ 6:33 pm

62. Since the recall, several brands I’ve tried are Felidae (canned & dry), Merrick canned, did try Wellness until I discovered they use Menu Foods to manufacture their canned. I’ve been using Innova for dry food. I know their canned is made at Menu but I liked the ingredient list for the dry and it’s made in their own plant (I contacted them by phone to check). Zoe, Abby, Grady and Nomore are eating like little pigs these days! It has been several weeks of good, nutritious food for my cats and for the past few days I’ve been noticing such a change in the quality of their fur…it is absolutely silky! My husband even commented on this before I said anything. So I guess, something good has come out of all this scary craziness. Hope this food info is helpful to someone.

    Comment by Phyllis — April 2, 2007 @ 6:38 pm

63. Jackie - you’re right. My partner is fresh out of vet school (returning student, no less.) Hills offers not free, but close-to-free, food. So does Purina, and Eukanuba. And Fort Dodge and other vet pharma companies are always around, pushing free swag. It’s a lot like human medicine, but with a lot less regulation.

    But - do keep in mind - it’s harder to get into vet school than med school. Most of these folks are no slouches, and they know when they’re being sold. The main reason so many push Hills is because their pets and their clients have consistently done well on it in the past. They make the same amount per bag (not much) as for other foods, but Hill’s has been the most reliable.

    That may be why so many are having such a hard time grasping the idea that Hills’ Rx diet (m/d) is now part of the problem. It’s like telling your grandma that Morton’s Salt or Nestle’s chocolate chips are toxic. (Which they could be, next, I guess - please, God, not the chocolate, though. :) ) It’s been a reliable food brand for a long time.

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 6:40 pm

64. I forgot to mention that just a week prior to the recall my vet wanted to put one of my cats on Science Diet w/d. Like a dummy, I even bought a bag, brought it home, opened it up and…threw it out!!!!

    Comment by Phyllis — April 2, 2007 @ 6:48 pm

65. Hi All

    I had been feeding my cat Hills Science Diet for seniors but she had been drinking excessivly and urinating more over the past 2 months, she had seen the vet and they recommended we keep her on it, but she hasnt improved. After reading lots of posts on here and doing a bit of research we just bought her Wellness dry for seniors and a couple of cans of the wet food. Anyone heard anything bad about wellness? It looks really great, and unlike Hills the main ingredients are real meat and fruit and vegetables (none of this corn-gluten or chicken by-product! ) thoughts?

    Comment by mariet — April 2, 2007 @ 6:57 pm

66. mariet,
    please see my post a few up from yours. Wellness canned is manufactured at Menu Foods. They claim to use their own ingredients, watch over the production, etc., etc., It probably is a good food, my cats liked the can I tried (stopped when I found the Menu connection) but I refuse to support any company that connects itself with Menu Foods…just my humble opinion.

    Comment by Phyllis — April 2, 2007 @ 7:18 pm

67. Like Pam’s dogs, my dog has had some problems with diarrhea since starting a new bag of Science Diet. In our case, it’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and the dog is a Great Dane. Sensitive Stomach has no wheat gluten, and my dog has eaten that food for years with no obvious problems. We started a new bag on Friday evening, and on Saturday she had some diarrhea, which is unusual for her. I don’t know how she was on Sunday (it stupidly didn’t occur to me to follow her outside when it was time). Today she had diarrhea again. Today’s problem could have been a reaction to the new food (Canidae) I included in her Science Diet lunch, but who knows? My plan was to mix Canidae with the Science Diet for a couple of days to make the change gradually, but now I’m thinking of switching over faster.

    Comment by Cathy — April 2, 2007 @ 7:29 pm

68. Dear Laura, vets aren’t created equal. I know a vet w/a very lucritive practice in the greater Bay Area. Wasn’t making it in engineering, so switched his major to verterinary medicine. He hires good vets and makes a fortune - has a great clinic. I’m by no way putting down all small animal vets - just the ones who don’t care enough and are parrots.

    Comment by PM Hill — April 2, 2007 @ 7:32 pm

69. Mariet—My very elderly cat has been eating Wellness for about a year and does much better on it than on any other food. At one point last month my vet told me to put her on a Royal Canin duck-based food, which gave her severe diarrhea that just got worse the longer she ate the stuff. Now she’s back on Wellness and much better. (I no longer obey my vet without thinking.)

    I considered taking her off the Wellness due to the Menu Foods connection, but there’s so little she can eat now and she’s doing so well again that I dread switching her to something else and seeing her get sick again. The canned food doesn’t include wheat gluten, which is some comfort.

    Comment by Cathy — April 2, 2007 @ 7:33 pm

70. For us, I think it is time for raw. I am the most nervous person on this earth about this and I am taking the plunge. If I can do it anyone can trust me I am a freak when it comes to my dog. But it is time. Wouldn’t it be a great big ouch in the pocket to the pet food industry if everyone said see ya later we are feeding a raw diet. But of course you absolutely have to do your research and I have and in doing so I have learned that it really isn’t so hard at all. We just need to get over the brainwashing of the kibble makers about raw. Just like they brain wash the vets that SD, Iams and Eukanuba are actually good. They are really good at doing that.

    Comment by Nicole — April 2, 2007 @ 7:38 pm

71. Nicole—I fed my dog a mostly raw diet for about a year. It was a recipe from the Pitcairn(?) book—basically brown rice and lots of raw ground turkey. The main hassle was having to make so much food so often and having to store so much turkey in the freezer (I have a 120-pound Great Dane). But it was easy to get used to handling the raw meat, and I was even a vegetarian at the time.

    Comment by Cathy — April 2, 2007 @ 7:43 pm

72. I had an eye-opening experience today… went to a pet food shop that only sells holistic/natural/organic foods. WOW! First of all the personal assistance I received was wonderful. And even though I have been researching the net like crazy for the last 2 wks. and was prepared with a list of products I wanted to look at, it’s a real refreshing feeling to know that here wasn’t one thing in the place that could harm my pets - the tough part was figuring what they would like! Anyway, for all of you who are struggling with what to buy, what to feed, I highly recommend finding the closest one of these shops to you and go have a look. The prices are a bit more expensive, the drive might be a bit inconvenient, but…

    THE PIECE OF MIND IS PRICELESS!!!

    Comment by laura S — April 2, 2007 @ 8:48 pm

73. I totally agree Laura. . .we have some very bright minds in the Vet community. Just like anything else, we have some not so great. It took me a few years, and a few different Vets to find a guy I absolutely LOVE. He’s the type that loves intelligent questions, and will sit and chat for 20 minutes. He has proven to me many times that he is far more concerned with the health of my pets, than he is about making money. He’s also got the AI and collection thing down pat, so he’s a handy (excuse that pun!) guy to have around.

    I just am not a fan of SD, and never will be. I don’t find Eukanuba much of a step up, altho the breeder of my first show dog, and a Vet swears by it.

    Bottom line, we all have to find what is best for our pets. A particular food that has one pet thriving may not be great for another. I have different varieties of food for different dogs. I know some people here are wanting suggestions, or feedback from others about a particular food, but every pet is different. You won’t know how your pet does with a different food until you try it.

    Comment by Jackie — April 2, 2007 @ 8:49 pm

74. Hello, if anyone is looking for a new dog food I can help you try and find the best dog food in your budget. I’ve been researching dog food nutrition for well over a year I’d say two years or more and I have a very good idea on dog food. If you want some advice on pet food nutrition or anything I’d be more than happy to help. You can email me at abratnamednoel@aol.com

    Comment by Eskie Lover — April 2, 2007 @ 8:52 pm

75. Oh I also forgot, I won’t suggest just one brand, I’ll suggest many that fit what you are looking for and I know every dog is different so I’ll do my best to give you choices to choose what is best for your dog.

    Comment by Eskie Lover — April 2, 2007 @ 8:59 pm

76. Hi Ladies,

    It’s nice and peaceful over here so I thought I’d drop in for a moment. Laura, I can’t really find any useful info on Nature Organic except it comes from Petfood Direct (according to Amazon) but then it’s not on the Petfood Direct site. So that’s a little peculiar. Wonder if they quit making it.

    A thought for you launching into the world of raw, if you are in it for the long haul, you can get a dehydrator (we use the Excalibur but there’s a number of good ones out there) and start dehydrating your own meat. You can then break it up into crunchies/kibble (for treats only as it is so dense) or leave it in strips like jerky. There’s lots of info out there. It’s not a fast process but you know what is in there. Practice good food handling precautions and you are good to go.

    NEVER use pork of any kind or bear. Use the best grade meat you can find.

    Comment by Lois Kimball — April 2, 2007 @ 9:06 pm

77. Just fyi - the Recalled Pet Food Tracker Major Brands has been updated to include
    * Gravy Train (3-31)
    * Jerky Treats (3-31)
    * Pounce cat treats (3-31)

    Information Added/Changed:
    * Parent Company information has been added in each section, along with all brands owned by that company (not all brands listed have had food recalled)
    * Four of the brands (Alpo, Gravy Train, Jerky Treats, Pounce) have recalled certain dates only, I have listed each date/code affected.

    http://www.petfoodtracker.com Hope it helps!

    Comment by Kim — April 2, 2007 @ 9:10 pm

78. Comment by Jackie — April 2, 2007 @ 8:49 pm

    Hey, Jackie. Yeah, I’m personally not a big fan of SD either. I’ve just never met a pet that was excited about eating the stuff, except for my Black Lab, who would probably be excited about eating rocks. :)

    To be fair, though, as I pointed out in a different string last night, most humans wouldn’t get excited over a diet of plain tofu, either. Which is kind of like what SD is - relatively healthy (most of the time), but very boring….no fun artificial sprayed-on flavorings to get the nose going.

    I sure hope, though, that SD isn’t tainted. Not just because many pets in my house eat it, but because there are a lot of good vets who honestly do believe in the stuff - not because it makes them a dollar (other foods would, too), but because its formulations help manage a lot of fairly common conditions that would otherwise need more intensive medical intervention. Like k/d - I had a diabetic cat in chronic renal failure who survived on that stuff, insulin, and subQ fluids for many years.

    But - I’m switching my remaining cats off SD light hairball now because one has lost more weight more quickly than I think she should have. I was thinking that before the recall, but now, even more.

    BTW -I picked up some “by Nature organic” chicken dry cat food today (no wheat, corn, or soy) and just tried a few kibbles out on the resident felines. BIG hit. :) I’ll be sure to switch them slowly - it’s more protein than they’re used to - but it’s reassuring, at least.

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 9:13 pm

79. Nancy Nielsen

    Will you please update me on your little sweetheart, say at some point tomorrow or Wednesday? My prayers will be with you both. Pick any blog, I’ll find your message. Thanks.

    Comment by Lois Kimball — April 2, 2007 @ 9:14 pm

80. Thanks for looking, Lois. The stuff I bought is made by Blue Seal, and it’s safe enough, according to the petsitusa list. I’m just hoping it’s not a standing invitation to a kitty puke-fest, like a lot of high-fiber organics can be.

    Still and all, no one rushed to say “Don’t do it,” and I couldn’t find any class action suits, either. So into the breech, with the rags and disinfectant on standby. :)

    Comment by Laura — April 2, 2007 @ 9:21 pm

81. A couple of yrs ago, I was picking up Filiadae for a cat rescue, decided to try on my cats. Result - diarrea. Still don’t know exactly why, but they cannot tolerate Innova canned either. May just be too good for their digestive systems or was it because it’s made by a menu plant? Turns out rescue was having some problems at the time too.

    Comment by PM Hill — April 2, 2007 @ 9:27 pm

82. Yeah, SD & Eukanuba must be about as palatable as a cardboard box! I’ve purchased a couple different puppies from this Eukie feeding Vet, and both pups just picked at the kibble. Switched em to the food with all that sprayed on, oh so yummy stuff, and neither have missed a meal since.

    SD has some awesome scrip diets, totally concur.

    Congrats on the By Nature Organic find. Finding good AND tasty food is definitely challenging.

    Comment by Jackie — April 2, 2007 @ 9:27 pm

83. Lois: Pork is actually fine to feed. Trichinosis is pretty much eradicated from USDA inspected pork sold for human-consumption. From the CDC:

    “Infection was once very common and usually caused by ingestion of undercooked pork. However, infection is now relatively rare. During 1997-2001, an average of 12 cases per year were reported. The number of cases has decreased because of legislation prohibiting the feeding of raw-meat garbage to hogs, commercial and home freezing of pork, and the public awareness of the danger of eating raw or undercooked pork products. Cases are less commonly associated with pork products and more often associated with eating raw or undercooked wild game meats.”

    If one was still worried, freezing it for a couple of weeks would get rid of any parasites that may be there.

    I just wanted to point that out because pork is a great source of cheap red meat! It makes up most of Fudge’s diet.

    Comment by Janine — April 2, 2007 @ 10:08 pm

84. Janine,

    Thanks for your thoughts. I was referring to pork or wild boar in its raw form. I have been chastised by some who I fear would say your data is old, if it refers to raw pork. A lot has changed drastically in the last few years. Some INSIST all raw meat be soaked in a food grade Hydrogen Peroxide solution; freezing is not enough. And all venison from North America has the risk of a BSE-like (Mad Cow) prion. There are no easy answers to any of this which is adding to the volatility of this situation.

    We each have to do what we can live with and whatever that is, it is most likely infinitely better than what is sitting on the shelves in the Super Stores. And it is making us all think seriously about what we haul home in bags every week to put in our mouths and the mouths of our loved ones. Keep up the good fight.

    Comment by Lois Kimball — April 2, 2007 @ 11:24 pm

85. Does anyone know of a “safe” dry food that can be used on cats with chronic renal insufficiency? All the natural foods I’ve looked at contain moderate-high phosphorus levels.

    Comment by Brooke — April 2, 2007 @ 11:49 pm

86. I switched my two kitties onto Felidae— no by-products, corn, wheat or soy. It is not made by Menu Foods. They’ve enjoyed both the wet and dry varieties very much. (Admittedly, neither of them are picky eaters AT ALL.) I was trying to switch them onto the Felidae gradually by mixing it with their Science Diet dry, but then after the second Science Diet recall I was just too concerned about safety and put them totally on the Felidae. I was expected them to maybe have some stomach upset from the quick switch, but both have been just fine.

    Comment by Marie — April 3, 2007 @ 12:02 am

87. A hopefully helpful tip for Nancy Nielsen’s fur child. I was a vet tech at an emergency/specialty hospital and we would encourage animals that wouldn’t eat with warm baby food. Be sure to stir it and test it as it can have spots that are very hot. Nutrical is also good as a supplement (high energy-molasses based), most dogs like it. Some liked to be fed with a plastic spoon. We had this happen, but when in doubt ask your vet. That is why they are there. Best of luck to you and your little one.

    Comment by Nanci — April 3, 2007 @ 12:23 am

88. Hi Lois,

    I am referring to raw pork as well. All current data says that USDA-inspected raw pork has very little chance of having trichinosis—and if it does, it can be killed by freezing. What exactly are you referring to when you’re saying it’s dangerous to feed?

    Soaking the meat in hydrogen peroxide will not kill internal parasites. It may kill some bacteria on the surface of the meat, though honestly there’s no reason to do this for dogs and cats. Their digestive systems are built to handle raw meat, along with the bacteria (short tract, long time spent in the acidic stomach, etc.). Heck, they lick their own butts. :)

    As for BSE/CWD, there’s actually some data out there that canines aren’t affected by prion diseases (at least, not CWD). It’s actually thought that wolves keep the level of CWD in deer and elk populations low by killing those that are affected (since they’re weaker). I do believe cats can be affected though.

    Comment by Janine — April 3, 2007 @ 1:12 am

89. I am confused - why are people still confidently feeding Merrick when they have had past recalls that killed pets too? As I recall they had an aflatoxin based recall in 2003. This is a relatively avoidable recall - there is a test for aflatoxins that EVERYONE should be doing. (same deal with Diamond). Way different situation - and much more scary than the Menu recall - which is due to a toxin that ABSOLUTELY NOONE IN THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY is testing for.

    (I am reminded of the book 1984 - has history been eradicated, and I am the only one who remembers?)

    Poor California Vet - frankly I do agree with him/her - a vet participating in the discussion would have been nice, we could have all benefitted - but now you have probably scared him away.

    I don’t think there is any way this toxin could have been found either. It took the FDA a week - another laby in NY got the answer wrong - but people are expecting a pet food company to find an obscure toxin, never before found in pet food during routine testing when receiving a batch of ingredients?

    I have been involved with this sort of job in the FOOD industry, and we would have never found it either. What about blaming it on China - so you are saying that North Americans never cut corners for a buck or do unethical things? (ever heard of Enron?) You are really no safer buying domestic only.

    The main thing this recall has taught me is the level of denial the general population is in with respect to the safety of our food supply.

    (I guess it is the “CSI” mentality - people think scientists can spritz things with magic solutions then shine purple lights on them and all the evil toxins light up and say “yoo hoo! here we are!”)

    As far as choosing foods - I agree with the strategy of avoiding gluten, and avoiding Menu for now, until the dust is fully settled.

    Comment by food scientist — April 3, 2007 @ 5:44 am

90. Laura S,
    I agree, the small, independent pet food stores are a breath of fresh air. There are three in my area that have been so helpful during the process of switching my kitties from the old stuff to something new. I went to a large pet food chain store over the week-end to buy litter…what a contrast!

    Comment by Phyllis — April 3, 2007 @ 6:40 am

91. Well, I don’t know about you, but after losing four pets, I am too scared to feed them store bought pet food again. I just prepare healthy, tasty meals at home. I don’t think I will ever be able to trust store bought dog or cat food ever again. I am just trying to protect my other pets from becoming ill, or worse, dieing.

    Comment by Jacky — April 3, 2007 @ 9:59 am

92. I want to share some information that I received when all of this began. My two min pins were not sick, but as I stated earlier they both eat Hill’s Perscription Diet ID. One is diabetic, but they had decided to leave her on this formula, because of pancreatitis.

    I called Hill’s early on, and I waited for an hour before I was able to speak to a supervisor. I spoke with:

    Deann Jurgensmier, Senior Dietary Management Consultant, Consumer Affairs Dept.
    Phone Number: 1-800-538-9673 Ext.5159

    Hills is owned by Colgate Palmolive Corporation. I called Colgate, but they sent me back to Hills. However, I did get them to tell me whether they owned any other pet food companies. I was told Hills was the only pet food company they owned.

    Deann Jurgensmier sent me a letter after our phone call. The only part I feel any of you might be interested in is the following:

    “We maintain the highest standards of quality control for our manufacturing facilities, our ingredients, and our finished products. We source meat and poultry ingredients from plants that process foods for human consumption. As part of a vigorous vendor certification program, vendors must test raw ingredients before shipment to our manufacturing facilities.
    Also, Hill’s works voluntarily with the American Institute of Baking, an organization that monitors human food manufacturing processes, in order to ensure safety and sanitation levels are maintained.”

    I spoke with Jurgensmeir before the Hill’s recall, and I received the letter before this event.

    Again, my thanks to all of you here. We are in a situation that is unbelievably inhumane and beyond what decent human beings and precious creatures of the world should ever find themselves in. God bless all of you.

    Pam Williams

    Comment by Pam Williams — April 3, 2007 @ 10:41 am

93. I had been feeding my cat Henry Iams dry (not recalled) until she went into acute renal failure last week. She’s been in renal failure for years - she only has one kidney and is now 10 - but I can’t help but find the timing suspect.

    Henry spent 5 days at the vet on an IV, and I’ve been having a very hard time getting her to eat since. She’s refused to eat the k/d food the vet put her on (but since that’s Hill’s brand, it’s all going in the trash…Hill didn’t recall THAT type, but I’m not risking it), she wouldn’t eat her regular purina pro care, and she’d just pick at tunafish.

    finally, last night, I bought a couple of those little Fancy Feast cans - purely on a whim - she’d never eaten it in the past, but I figured it was worth a shot.

    She ate HALF the can. :) I was absolutely thrilled, but still nervous that it’ll be recalled…I ordered the free sample of Instinctive Choice and will see if she eats that. If so, I’m buying cases worth, I’ve had it with this recall.

    Comment by Stephanie — April 3, 2007 @ 10:41 am

94. Janine,

    I am referring to cats and cats in a weakened state. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of references to hydrogen peroxide and avoiding raw pork. Google them. It wasn’t that way 10 years ago when we first started using raw food and even then we were advised by hardcore BARF folks not to use raw pork or wild boar. So that’s what we’ve been doing.

    Same thinking on getting New Zealand venison instead of U.S. I think we’re all just trying do what we feel is the best for our beloved animals based on our own research.

    Comment by Lois Kimball — April 3, 2007 @ 11:50 am

95. All, I just went to my little neighborhood pet store for a food check. And I am so disappointed in Old Mother Hubbard, aka Wellness to most of us. Because while reading canned cat food labels at this little store I stumbled across the fact that Old Mother Hubbard sells a line of foods way way below Wellness that I could not find on their website. And the food is heavy on by-products from what I saw. Judge for yourself, only the first one listed below, Turkey and giblets doesn’t have a by-product as a first ingredient. The product is in the familar healthy treat purple logo packaging so identified with OMH’s healthy Treat recipes and are labelled Old Mother Hubbard either Natural or Savory Selections. At least they don’t contain wheat gluten, but they do contain wheat flour, by products (lots) and yummy stuff like bone meal. When I told my cat about it she said, You have got to be kidding, keep on cooking!!! Here is the cut and paste of the ingredients from the PetCo Website (If someone can explain to me why I should feed this stuff to my cat, please just blog on back) (Here is the URLhttp://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?sku=46493&R=551):

    Old Mother Hubbard Turkey & Giblets Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 123951
    Turkey broth, turkey, giblets, chicken, meat by-products, chicken by-products, wheat flour, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, calcium carbonate, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate (B1), ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, man

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Old Mother Hubbard Liver Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 46477
    Beef by-products, liver broth, liver, poultry by-products, wheat flour, dried egg product, liver digest, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, caramel, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate, ferrous s

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Old Mother Hubbard Beef & Chicken Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 46485
    Beef by-products, beef broth, beef, chicken by-products, liver, chicken, wheat flour, cheese powder, dried egg product, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate (B1), ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper oxide, niacin supplement, vitamin E supplement, calcium pantothenate, d-activated animal sterol (source of vitamin D3), riboflavin supplement (B2), vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), vitamin B12 supplement, ethylenediamine dihydriodide (source of iodine), biotin, folic acid, sodium selenite.

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Old Mother Hubbard Beef & Liver Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 46493
    Beef by-products, beef broth, beef, chicken by-products, liver, chicken, dried egg product, cheese powder, wheat flour, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate (B1)

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Old Mother Hubbard Beef Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 46507
    Beef by-products, beef broth, beef, chicken by-products, liver, chicken, wheat flour, cheese powder, dried egg product, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate (B1)

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Old Mother Hubbard Chicken, Whitefish & Egg Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 68624
    Beef by-products, beef broth, chicken by-products, beef, chicken, liver, ocean whitefish, dried egg product, salmon, wheat flour, tuna, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Old Mother Hubbard Liver & Egg Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 68667
    Beef by-products, beef broth, liver, poultry by-products, dried egg product, wheat flour, liver digest, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, caramel, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate (B1), ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper oxide, niacin supplement, vitamin E supplement, calcium pantothenate, d-activated animal sterol (source of vitamin D3), riboflavin supplement (B2), vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), vitamin B12 supplement, ethylenediamine dihydriodide (source of iodine), biotin, folic acid, sodium selenite.

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Old Mother Hubbard Beef, Cheese & Egg Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 68675
    Beef by-products, beef broth, beef, chicken by-products, liver, chicken, cheese powder, dried egg product, wheat flour, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine mononitrate (B1)

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Old Mother Hubbard Beef & Salmon Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 68683
    Beef by-products, beef broth, chicken by-products, beef, chicken, liver, ocean fish, salmon, tuna, wheat flour, dried egg product, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine monon

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Old Mother Hubbard Beef & Tuna Natural Dinner Canned Cat Food
    5.5 oz. - Case Of 24
    SKU: 68691
    Beef by-products, beef broth, chicken by-products, beef, chicken, liver, ocean fish, tuna, salmon, wheat flour, dried egg product, bone meal, guar gum, carrageenan gum, calcium carbonate, salt, taurine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, thiamine monon

    ————————————————————————————————————————

    Comment by Shawn — April 3, 2007 @ 3:25 pm

96. Wheat GLuten is in sauces, almost everything - read all labels - ask questions - call - especially human food.

    Comment by Linda — April 3, 2007 @ 3:27 pm

97. The Petco URL for the OMH food is wrong; it is
    http://www.petco.com/Shop/petc....._7842.aspx

    Comment by Shawn — April 3, 2007 @ 3:29 pm

98. I, too, have a cat who was diagnosed with ARF in November. She has since recovered, but I cannot find a really good food with the lower levels of phosphorus that she needs. She continues to eat Eukanuba, but I need to get her ~ and my other 4 ~ on a healthier diet. Cooking is not an option for me with 5 cats. Please, if anyone has any thoughts, I would really like to hear them. My eyes are rolling around in my head from all of the research I’ve been doing.
    Thanks!

    Comment by dottie — April 3, 2007 @ 5:28 pm

99. Re: Sheba / foods made in Thailand
    The new Sheba “domes” are complimentary foods, e.g. NOT complete and balanced for vitamins and minerals and other elements. Perfectly okay if the Sheba doesn’t make up the bulk of the cat’s diet. Not okay if you’re using as the primary food source.

    Some Thailand and Japanese pet food plants also produce human foods with seafoods/fishes being the primary product. Some of these places so incredibly clean it would make your head spin.

    Someone said it already - read the labels, eliminate those with wheat gluten, eliminate wheat to be even more cautious.

    Wheat gluten has been used in human and pet foods for years - something REALLY wrong happened with this manufacturer in China. Typical toxicological testing procedures would not have picked this up because it wasn’t something known. It’s an aberation - a very scary one though.

    Comment by Ann — April 3, 2007 @ 6:01 pm

100. I E-mailed Iams last week asking them their procedure for reimbursing me for the blood tests I had done on my cats.I did not get a response.

     Today I called and talked to Eugene. Eugene took a lot of information from me then asked me, which cat was sick. I am still waiting on the results of two of my cats - so I could not answer his question, but I let him know that Iams should hope that NONE of my cats are sick.

     My point being that if they are sick or worse I would be going down a different road with Iams. Reimbursing us for something they can reimburse us for is the least they can do for selling us POISON food. I wanted to mention that there may be a means for people to recoup some of their monetary loses.

     They can NEVER repay people who have lost their loved ones. That horror has no price tag. Although, I do feel people have a right to sue in order to teach the pet industry a lesson.

     A question: I have been reading EVERYTHING like most of you have. A few of you have mentioned Fancy Feast. I have visited their site and from what I read they say only the products on the recall list are the ones to worry about. Fancy Feast is suppose to be OK - am I being too trusting. Should we worry about ALL products with wheat gluten? I mean it’s in everything - human food too…

     Thank you for this site and all the information everyone has shared on this site…..

     Comment by Michele V — April 3, 2007 @ 8:15 pm

101. hi everyone,

     what about halo? thier food sounds as wholesome as it could be. has anyone tried it? my only prob is the ingredient list seems to only list taurine with regard to vitamins. is this so?

     is halo foods considered a “complimentary food”? would i also need to give my cat vitamin supplements if feeding halo?

     my cat has been on wellness now for over a year and really loves all the flavors, but now i am concerned that they use menu for some cans? which ones? i wish i knew.

     i love my tender furball.

     Comment by Gill — April 3, 2007 @ 8:20 pm

102. We have been feeding our Boxers Innova EVO- no grains at all, a kibble-ized form of a raw diet- since finding our little girl is epileptic.

     Before that we were feeding California Nautral Lamb & Rice- still no wheat of any kind.

     We’ve been really happy with both.

     We tried a raw diet and the dogs certainly loved it. The others suggesting it are right- it’s really not hard. But you need a big freezer and it’s a _lot_ of work. It also made it difficult when we went out of town or took them on the road. When we found the Innova EVO we were not sad to give it up. The dogs still love the dry food, and now we just supplement with the raw rather than force ourselves to rely on it.

     Comment by Cara — April 3, 2007 @ 9:57 pm

103. Is anyone else surprised to see how many of these “natural” high priced (ie Newman’s Own, Drs Foster & Smith) pet foods are manufactured by Menu Foods? For some stupid reason I assumed these companies contolled the entire process of their foods production, not just ingredient list/recipe. Are they worth the money?

     Comment by Christi — April 4, 2007 @ 10:21 am

104. PETITIONS!!!! Anyone on this blog who wants to finally have their voice heard, go to http://www.howl911.com. You can add your name to a couple of petitions, one of which is directed at a Senator who finally decided to step up to the plate and has gotten the ball rolling on a Senate committee which will be looking into this travesty in depth. ADD YOUR NAMES… WE CANNOT COMPLAIN IF WE’RE NOT WILLING TO DO OUR PART TO MAKE IT RIGHT!!!

     Also, on the same site, if you want a real eye-opener, on Home page click on the story “FOOD NOT FIT FOR A PET”. It was written several years ago by a well-known vet. He obviously was ahead of his time…..

     Comment by laura S — April 4, 2007 @ 10:24 am

105. How about switching to a species-appropriate diet, a raw diet, not consisting of things our pets don’t need, like wheat gluten? Wheat gluten is a source of protein when our pets should be getting their protein from meat - raw, fresh meat. Check out the Yahoo! group “rawfeeding” to learn how to feed your pet safely and appropriately.

     Comment by Katherine Elliott — April 4, 2007 @ 10:50 am

106. After my min pin became very ill, i scoured the dog food offerings for a product that had natural ingredients i felt i could trust. I found “spot’s stew” made by Halo Pets.

     http://www.halopets.com

     my dog loves it. i “hide” his medications in it and he licks the bowl clean. no wheat or corn in it. this is the list of whats in it:

     Water (sufficient for processing), Chicken, Carrots, Celery, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Chicken Liver, Green Beans, Green Peas, Pasta, Turkey, Rolled Oats, Barley, Soy Sauce, Dried Kelp, Garlic Powder, Calcium Lactate, Ascorbic Acid, Zinc Gluconate, Di-Calcium Phosphate

     Comment by Michael Greer — April 4, 2007 @ 11:00 am

107. In response to the CA Vet, how crass and uncaring to dismiss concerned patients as “just” panicking! If this recall involved baby food would the responses we are hearing be as lame?
     As a long time pet parent and advocate for making informed decisions, I am surprised at the lack of information available to everyone who is concerned for the pet’s safety! For information that includes how easy it is to call something pet food, to what the word by-products really means, to a safe pet food alternative that I personally use and trust, please visit my website http://www.PetSourceDirect.com and begin to make informed decisions for your beloved companions!

     Comment by Kim Petro — April 4, 2007 @ 3:49 pm

108. “please visit my website http://www.PetSourceDirect.com and begin to make informed decisions for your beloved companions!”
     It’s tough to get really objective information from someone trying to sell their own stuff.

     Comment by Christi — April 4, 2007 @ 4:53 pm

109. I was feeding my cat Iam’s Hairball formula but stopped when I saw the PETA press conference last week with a woman who said she had been feeding her cat Iam’s and it died from renal failure. Since then I’ve been shopping at my local “green” pet store - Pet Essentials on 14th St in NW DC for those of you in the area - and found some blended tuna (my cat LOVES tuna!) by a company called Solid Gold. All good ingredients and it says it’s formulated to meet AAFCO cat food nutrient profiles for all stages…. but it’s manufactured in Thailand…… does anyone have any thoughts? My cat loves it - so much so that she’s waking me up at 5:30AM for breakfast! - but I just want to be sure I’m giving her something that is good for her. I was also wondering if anyone had any suggestions on dry food for cats. I want to make sure her teeth stay good and strong, too.. Thanks for any help and thanks to Pet Connection for this forum

     Comment by Dawn — April 4, 2007 @ 5:54 pm

110. Ann, (who posted 4/3, 6:01 pm) Thanks for the info. Was in Safeway today looking for a substitute for the fur kids treat food (was Fancy Feast - of course 3rd ingredient wheat gluten; but not on recall). Picked up some Sheba domes to try. Hope they like it.
     To everyone, I have always fed our cats and dogs a variety of foods; figured if one was missing a nutrient, the other one would probably have it. 7-8 years ago, at the CFA cat shows, there was always a sample of AvoDerm by our cages; my cats, allowed to choose their food, didn’t rate it tops in taste tests. I have noticed AvoDerm has an active web site currently and none of their foods are implicated so far. If you are currently feeding AvoDerm, I’d be interested in hearing your comments. Received my order of KumpiCat, both cats are eating it along with Innova and Innova EVO. Maltese is eating Innova warmed with Swansons organic chicken broth (You’ve got to bribe a Maltese since they’re one of the oldest breeds on earth and are positive they are humans with a great head of hair. Epecially when they are going on 16!) Also 1/2 Ceasar twice a day. (No WG and not on recall). Both Kumpi (Evy’s clients include ATF) and Flint River Ranch (clients include the Dog Whisperer) are slow shipping due to this mess, but I believe may be long term solutions for those of us who cannot afford a nutritionist and personal chef for our fur kids. PS Would also like to hear comments from breeders - are you out there?

     Comment by PM Hill — April 4, 2007 @ 7:21 pm

111. Ann, There are some Fancy Feast recipes in the in FF gourmet line that don’t contain wheat gluten or wheat. It should say somewhere on the label that it’s “gourmet” but you really have to read the label (take your magnifying glass with you when you shop ). You can go on Petfooddirect.com, click on their canned cat food link, then go to Fancy Feast. It lists the ingredients for every one of the FF recipes & you can locate the wheat-free ones —there are about 6-8 different wheat-free recipes — I think petfooddirect has about 4 pages of FF on their website and I think the wheat free ones are shown on pages 2 & 3.

     As for the canned Innova, it has milk listed as an ingredients, which many cats might not be able to tolerate and which might cause diarrhea.

     A very good & healthy treat for cats & dogs is Halo’s Liv-a-Littles. My cats absolutely love the chicken Liv-a-Littles. Some people call these treats “kitty krack.” There are other, similar freeze-dried 100% meat protein treats. Drs. Foster & Smith also makes them. As for Halo’s Spots Stew, I think it’s a 100% balanced diet but my cats hate it and won’t eat it.

     Before the recall, my cats ate a rotation of canned, grain-free foods: Nature’s Variety, Wellness, Natural Balance & a little Merrick & wheat-free Fancy Feast occasionally. They did absolutely fantastic on these foods. Now I’m down to Natural Balance and Fancy Feast only —I’m nervous about the FF even though the ones I feed don’t have wheat — and my cats are starting to “rebel” at the monotony. Their coats aren’t as soft & silky either. Even though I’m boycotting Menu Foods and will be transitioning my cats to a raw diet this weekened, I do have leftover cans of Nature’s Variety & Wellness, both made by Menu Foods. They have no wheat and there are no reports of cats becoming ill from those foods, and my cats certainly have not been ill. Do you think that it’s probably safe & ok to feed these two leftover brands to my cats?

     Comment by Teresa — April 4, 2007 @ 9:17 pm

112. Even though the wet food I fed my cats was not on the recall list, I stopped feeding it immediately, fearing it would eventually show on the list. It hasn’t, but I switched anyway. I don’t trust these companies anymore. Their dry food has been Wellness, but they don’t like the wet. I have been using this list, sent by a friend and reading labels.
     http://www.iamscruelty.com/notTested.asp

     Comment by Tara Becker — April 4, 2007 @ 9:23 pm

113. For Laura, who asked about By Nature Organics on April 2nd: I have been feeding the canned food to my three cats for several months now. They devour it. I switched them from Wellness because I wanted a grain-free, organic food. I buy it by the case at my local health food store; they give me a 20% case discount which makes it less expensive than buying it at Blue Seal. One of my two males had some problems with runny eyes. This has cleared up since we switched. The other male had occasional urinary tract problems. He’s had no flareups since we switched. My oldest cat, a female, has a fatty lump on her chin. It has shrunk in size since we switched. Here are the ingredients in their favorite flavor (there are three).

     By Nature Organics Organic Turkey & Chicken
     Ingredients: Organic Turkey, Natural Well Water, Organic Chicken, Organic Chicken Liver, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Organic Guar Gum, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Vitamin Supplements (E, A, Riboflavin, D3, B12), Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.

     Compare this to Hills Feline c/d, which another writer mentioned earlier:

     Feline c/d®
     Ingredients
     Beef By-Products, Water, Pork Liver, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Pork By-Products, Corn Gluten Meal, Calcium Sulfate, Powdered Cellulose, Choline Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Iodized Salt, Potassium Chloride, Iron Oxide, Taurine, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dicalcium Phosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid (source of vitamin C), Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite.

     Note that there are two meat byproducts, corn and corn gluten, and “powdered cellulose” (sawdust?). No, thanks.

     Comment by Mimi Alberu — April 4, 2007 @ 9:41 pm

114. Just fyi - I’ve created a new (2nd) Pet Food Tracker that lists all brands that have had at least one food recalled - including store brands.

     It also shows whether the food is:
     * Dog food and/or Cat food
     * National Brand or Store Brand (and what store it’s sold at, though a few are missing)
     * Cans or Pouches or Dry Food or Snacks & Treats

     Individual foods/flavors are not included, some are already listed on the original Recalled PFT National Brands (identified by an *), the rest you can access via the links included.

     It includes recalls by:
     * Menu Foods (3-16)
     * Hill’s Prescription Dry Food (3-30)
     * Del Monte (3-31)
     * 8 in 1 Pet Products (3-31)

     You can get it at http://www.petfoodtracker.com
     Hope it’s helpful…

     Comment by Kim — April 4, 2007 @ 10:24 pm

115. Anyone heard of the kidney-liver tonic called NUTRAVIN? Heard that some pets were saved by this. Makes sense, as detox flushes can help if caught early enough. I reviewed it as carefully as I can, and am giving it to my kitty, even if he didn’t have as close a call as he might have…

     Comment by Anna for Mackie — April 4, 2007 @ 11:34 pm

116. I have fed my dogs Science Diet for almost 20 years. Although I can appreciate the voluntary recall, their continued association with Menu Foods in any capacity will discontinue my use of any of their products immediately. I cannot beleive that only a small portion of their products MAY be affected if they use Menu products at all then the whole line is suspect.I have researched another product line with all their ingreadients being US grown and produced, Canidae, check out their web site, I think you will be impressed.

     Comment by dave — April 5, 2007 @ 1:21 am

117. I just found out that the wheat-free, premium organic pet food HealthyPetNet has a non-profit (for rescuers and shelters) and kennel/breeder discount program. This is HUGE! I don’t know if anybody even knew you could get a program like this with premium foods. Information is posted on the Safe Pet Food Blog at: http://safepetfood.wordpress.com

     Comment by Teresa Holladay — April 5, 2007 @ 7:02 am

118. Everyone is suddenly afraid of wheat. Tomorrow
     it could be something else. A few years ago salmonella was found in some Merrick treats. And they found metal tags in some of their “premium” dog food. And all of these “natural” and “holistic” foods. These are rather vague terms aren’t they? There is really no guarantee with any of them. I’ve had a few dogs over the years and have fed them everything from cheap store brands when I was poor to more expensive stuff. They were all healthy and lived long lives. I say if you’re happy with your pet’s health stick with what you’re doing. We all love our pets so just do use your common sense and do the best you can.
     Ps I don’t think all these pet food manufacturers are out to kill our pets. For the most part we’ve trusted them up to now right?

     Comment by Christi — April 5, 2007 @ 9:10 am

119. I am still in shock and mourning for my little Bischon, Pepper Gene. He was so healthy, until about January. He started vomiting, wouldn’t eat, drank lots of water, seemed disoriented, lethargic, and just laid around or walked in circles. It didn’t occur to me that the FOOD I was feeding him could be doing this to him. Took him to the vet,and they prescribed Hill’s Science Diet. He had been on Nutro Max. Nothing helped. He died in my arms February 19th, 2007. He was such a member of our family, but we always knew he was “my” dog! There are no words to describe how horrible I feel, knowing I am the one who fed him the poison. I didn’t know. His NEEDLESS passing, came on the heels of my Dad’s death, a year to the day. Can someone spell “D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N?” Thanks for reading my post. Seems I have a need to “talk” about it.

     Comment by Trish — April 5, 2007 @ 10:02 am

120. FYI: HealthyPetNet, the company that makes Life Abundance dry pet foods also makes Instinctive Choice canned cat food, which is made by Menu Foods at their SD plant. I had inquired and been told that all of their pet foods were made by a company in Ohio and based on that information, I bought a case of the Instinctive Choice canned cat food. Then I received this email. If you are boycotting Menu Foods’ products and thinking about buying Instinctive Choice canned food for your cats, you may want to know this.

     From: support@trilogyonline.com
     Subject: Re: TrilogyOnline Contact Form TRI-HQ-IT-WEB02 [TRI: 569324]
     Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 3:15 PM Attachments

     Dear Teresa,

     First off, we’d like thank you for your patience in waiting for a response. In the wake of the pet food recall, we have been inundated with calls and emails seeking more information about our products.

     This email is in response to your question about whether or not we use Menu Foods. We want to make sure that you understand the facts fully. Our dog and cat dry foods are made by a third-generation pet food maker in
     Ohio with an outstanding reputation. Our baked treats are made in a bakery that also makes baked goods for people. Of all our pet products, only one – our canned cat food – is made in a Menu facility.

     It’s important to keep in mind, that all of the products that were included in the recall were “cuts and gravy” type products, and as you
     know, we don’t make any products like that. The FDA suspects that the wheat gluten in these products was contaminated, and we don’t use any wheat gluten.

     You know, a lot of folks don’t realize this, but Menu Foods makes over 90% of all privately labeled canned pet foods sold in the U.S. and Canada. They have over 35 years of experience in the business. They operate four plants in the U.S. The problem ingredient was used in Kansas and New Jersey. Our canned cat food is made in an entirely separate facility in
     South Dakota. There is absolutely no chance that our canned cat food was contaminated, because it never came into contact with the two plants in question.

     Like we mentioned before, the authorities are almost certain that the contamination is linked to an ingredient that we do not use in any of our products.

     We have been monitoring this situation very closely. We have received notification in writing that our food is safe. Many of HealthyPetNet’s company principles took part in a conference call with Menu, and we have
     their complete assurances that there are no problems with our canned cat food.

     We maintain very strict quality control measures in the manufacture of all
     of our foods, treats, care products and supplements. We have devoted a great deal of energy into using only the best vendors in the market, so that only the highest quality ingredients are included in our products.

     We just want to reiterate – all of our products are completely safe.

     We will continue to monitor this situation, and we will continue to do everything that we can to provide the safest, healthiest options for our consumers and their companion animals.

     Customer Service
     Trilogy International, HealthyPetNet

     Comment by Teresa — April 5, 2007 @ 11:11 am

121. Re: Healthypetnet. When checking their website I did not see any info on who actually MAKES their pet food. I decided to contact the company and a Lois Watkins returned my e-mail. Here it is in it’s entirety — and by the way I believe the “distributor” number after her name indicates she is a salesman for them :

     HealthyPetNet products are formulated by Dr. Jane Bicks and produced by Trilogy from Palm City, FL. All HealthyPetNet pet foods are pet-safe and ARE NOT ON THE RECALLED FOODS LIST ! All ingredients are human-grade quality and do not contain fillers or wheat gluten. Hope this answers your question. You can feel confident when feeding your pets Life’s Abundance or Instinctive Choice Cat Food from HealthyPetNet. Thanks for your inquiry.

     Lois Watkins
     Distributor #40006773
     bnlwatkins@yahoo.com
     http://www.HealthyPetNet.com/PetSafe

     Comment by Christi — April 5, 2007 @ 12:04 pm

122. SHANGHAI: China said Thursday that it had no record of exporting any agricultural products that could have tainted the pet food that has been linked to the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs (?????) in the United States -

     What? That’s because you don’t keep the records or someone burned them.

     This too was on howl911.

     Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 12:07 pm

123. Christi - good luck with that.

     Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 12:08 pm

124. PET PILL POCKETS CONTAIN WHEAT GLUTEN

     As I was tossing out any dog treats that contain wheat gluten, I found pill pockets..those little treats that you stuff pills in for your sick animals.. had wheat gluten in it. What a tragedy if your poor sick animal was given a pill in something that might be making him sick…just a note of cuation

     Comment by Maddi — April 5, 2007 @ 12:30 pm

125. Sunshine mills another PET FOOD RECALL

     Comment by kelly — April 5, 2007 @ 12:39 pm

126. In response to the comment by Christi – April 4, 2007 @ 4:53 pm: Although I thoroughly back our product, my intent was not to sell my “own stuff.” There are product ingredient comparisons of several brands and pertinent information about the processing standards of mass marketed pet food. This information has always been included in my site; however the recent tragedy that has affected so many, has brought the need to be informed to the forefront. I am sorry you didn’t feel that you could make an objective opinion based on the facts presented. I do however want people to be aware that there are choices and that information is the best way to make those choices, no matter which brand they ultimately decide to use!
     Furthermore, the company that I represent is HealthyPetNet, as you can see from all of these other blogs, our company has one concern, HEALTHY PETS! http://www.PetSourceDirect.com

     Comment by Kim Petro — April 5, 2007 @ 12:45 pm

127. In response to Kim please read Teresa’s FYI entry above

     Comment by Christi — April 5, 2007 @ 12:54 pm

128. I switched my elderly cat to raw last fall, having decided at a minimum never again to feed either dry food or anything containing grains. Dry and grains are really anathema to cats, who can’t digest grain well and who don’t self-regulate water well enough to handle dry. Healthier for them, and more convenient for you, if you learn to offer raw instead of cooked food, although it does require a freezer.

     My main incentive to go raw instead of cooked was for the dental benefits. She was needing a dental cleaning at least once a year. She is thriving.

     As an emergency backup that doesn’t require refrigeration, I have several cases of byNature Organic canned foods for her. (Again, I would never consider their dry foods.)

     Comment by Brooks — April 5, 2007 @ 1:06 pm

129. Have ordered Life’s abundance natural food for my cats. I am feeding them Sheba and Fancy Feast containing no wheat gluten until it arrives. Cannot believe the lack of information from FDA and pet food manufacturers-don’t any of them have pets?

     Comment by Cathleen — April 5, 2007 @ 1:22 pm

130. Just lost my best friend, she normally ate Purina One Lamb & Rice, however her grandpa would often feed her treats from Old Roy soft & moist. Anyone know any symptoms that can occur? I had been out of the country and came home to find she had passed that same morning. I am so heartbroken, does anyone know about any treats that may have been recalled?

     Comment by Lu — April 5, 2007 @ 2:07 pm

131. I’m so sorry for you Lu. This link to DelMonte has a list with some recalled Ol Roy products. I hope none of yours are on it.
     http://www.delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html

     Comment by Christi — April 5, 2007 @ 2:17 pm

132. I feed my cats Wellness dry and wet. Sure, the company that makes Wellness—Old Mother Hubbard—uses Menu Foods as its processing company, I am not terribly concerned about that. It’s one of those problems you face with monocultures, one big company owning practically everything. Plus, after a big mess like this one, it will only work against the company if it chooses not to be transparent in its food production.

     Anyway, Wellness carries grain-free canned food: Turkey, Turkey and Salmon, Chicken and Herring, Chicken. Wellness also recently introduced the new grain-free dry food line called Core. My cats love them.

     Comment by NYCat — April 5, 2007 @ 2:22 pm

133. Thanks Christi, I will research, however, should any be on it, I would have no way of prooving it, since I have purchased many Ol’ Roy in the past, but no longer have those boxes or receipts, furthermore, I don’t even have my dog anymore…and that is the worse part, thanks again,

     Lu

     Comment by Lu — April 5, 2007 @ 2:56 pm

134. Before Xuzhou Anying’s website was modified last night, they noted that they had exported 10,000 tons of wheat gluten last year. 792 tons of it ended up in pet food. Where’s the rest of it? In us?

     ChemNutra’s website claims in a PR release that this material was delivered to them in 25 kilogram bags, so the problem may have originated with the manufacturer, not in the hold of some bulk container ship.

     I reported the problem to Purina, manufacturers of Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy, in the middle of the night, a week before the food was recalled. A person answering the telephone there admitted to receiving hundreds of telephone calls from people just like me. My dog, after a week at the vet clinic, has come home to die.

     Everyone has stonewalled, every step of the way. Screw the FDA and screw the pet food companies. My friends are going to eat what I eat, along with a vitamin supplement. I’m not going to willingly subject them to any more chemistry experiments.

     Comment by M Paulding — April 5, 2007 @ 3:17 pm

135. I think most know that Senator Durbin announced today that he will be holding a Senate committee hearing on the pet food emergency. Don’t you think we should recommend questions to be asked and suggest people to be on the panel?

     My wish list would include someone like Gina to give an overview of what information has been hidden from pet owners since this became public, and to state how big this is with the best numbers we have, because the FDA is not collecting this information. Then the FDA head, of course, but balanced with a scientist, perhaps from NY State, Cornell, or even Dr. Michael Fox (?)who could state unequivocally how our resources should be marshalled for a crisis like this. How should the research be done? Certainly not just to investigate the one chemical that the FDA found (melamine). What labs are equipped to do this research? And most important, if this isn’t solved by next week, even though it’s a little late in the game, how could an URGENT ad hoc research effort be put together to investigate the real causes. We need someone to give the overview that it isn’t acceptable NOT to find the answers. Remember the FDA spokesperson who was quoted in an article as saying “we may never know?” Unacceptable to pet owners. Unacceptable to humans as we don’t know what’s gotten into the rest of the food chain. How can the FDA know what manufacturers received tainted wheat gluten and NOT give a heads up to pet owners? Other suggestions?

     Comment by Maureen — April 5, 2007 @ 3:43 pm

136. Sorry, forgot to mention that Senator Durbin said he would hold the hearing next week.

     Comment by Maureen — April 5, 2007 @ 3:43 pm

137. This site, along with a few others like Itchmo and Howl911, has been a godsend. I consider myself extremely lucky that my three spoiled and much loved furrrrrkids are still healthly [and we used to feed our dogs Authority wet food but no more], and my heart just aches for those who have lost so much.
     So from my two Lab mixes, and my cat, tail wags and kisses for all the information that you post, all the links that are given, and all of the replies on this thread. I try to read each one of them when posted.

     And Cathleen - the FDA and pet food manufacturers may or may not have any pets, but they certainly seem heartless or have little regard for the depth of love we pet owners have for our furrkids. Shame on them all.

     Comment by Nancy Hamilton — April 5, 2007 @ 3:56 pm

138. I was wondering is there not glutin with other grains such as barley, and rye etc.
     would there ever be a chance as such a thing happening with them. Is this another thing we should be worried about. I have always made my own doggie cookies, what grains can you use or should you use. Should you always avoid wheat.

     I feed right now Flint River and way before this thing happened had thought about changing dog food being that wheat flour is their second ingredient. I did not think that sounded that nutritious. Then this horrible thing happened and has set up a panic that is totally indescribable

     Comment by annie — April 5, 2007 @ 4:15 pm

139. Just as we suspected, our dog was violently ill after her Ol Roy treats, now they’re on “the list”.

     Comment by MAC — April 5, 2007 @ 5:29 pm

140. all grains have glutens in them, the thing is wheat gluten is a left over of wheat. it’s just a cheap way of making the gravy thicker. i don’t like grain fractions or glutens. I prefer whole grains

     Comment by Eskie Lover — April 5, 2007 @ 11:51 pm

141. As a longtime groomer I became alarmed and suspicious a couple of months ago suspecting something was wrong with some commercial dog foods . So many of my client’s dogs have suffered too long with skin problems alerrgy symptoms, mysterious ailments,digestive problems.When I started researching what is in our pets foods Iwas shocked and dismayed at how much we’ve been mislead by these big profit oriented companies who try to buy our trust, then kill our pets!After much info overload decided to try innova evo for my own 2 toy poodles and my sister,s show poodle who had developed a mysterious bald spot on her leg ,i believe this to be a safe food and sold as represented. my 13 year ol girl is in better health my 9 year old stopped snacking on her feces after 1 day off Iam,s mini chunks,and my sister’s little girl’s hair is coming back. I am very angry and feel so much empathy for people and their furkids who have suffered and grieved in the name of the almighty buck!Now pounce is on the horror list ! My daughter treats her beloved kitty with this stuff, and I will stay up all night to reach her by phone and warn her! Can anyone please give suggestions for natural organic,grain free hypo-allergenic kibble I can recommend to my client’s? I don’t think the poor vets are up to speed with this problem yet,as they must be nuts routinely prescribing Hill’s with what we know now! Thanks, and God Bless to all true animal lovers and our furkids!!

     Comment by Cathy Tyerman — April 6, 2007 @ 3:46 am

142. In response to Kim and Christi, first Kim thank you for bringing HealthyPetNet and Life’s Abundance products to the forefront. I switched to LA about 6 months ago and my pet’s alergies and skin problems cleared up right away. That’s because their products contain no wheat corn or soy. Cudos to you Kim I hope more people discover this wonderful product. and to Christi, why so hard on someone who is only trying to offer some valuable information in a confusing industry. I don’t hear you beating up on Pet’s Mart and the other pet food companies that have stepped up their advertising campaigns in lieu of this tragety. How knowledgeable are their employees? As a pet owner I strongly recommend http://www.petsourcedirect.com check out their video before you make your decision.

     Comment by Victoria — April 6, 2007 @ 5:15 am

143. Sorry— I didn’t know that by asking a question I was being “hard on” someone. I just know that anyone who sells a product is going to say it’s terrific or else what kind of salesperson would they be?

     Comment by Christi — April 6, 2007 @ 8:59 am

144. I used to feed my cats Fancy Feast- - and they loved it. I’ve thrown it all away. I just don’t trust these commercial products. I now am feeding them Avoderm, Flint Ranch, and Nature’s Balance. I am starting research to move to a raw diet, but my vet is discouraging me.

     Someone asked about Avoderm. My cats seem to like it quite a bit.

     Oh, and I just received my order from Kumpi — they like this product too. I am going to research Halo’s and Life’s Abundance. I will NEVER go back to the “big box” store products again.

     Comment by Elizabeth — April 6, 2007 @ 9:20 am

145. A great resource for information about dog food quality is Whole Dog Journal (www.whole-dog-journal.com).

     I don’t have any affiliation with WDJ, but I’ve been a subscriber for about five years now and I’m really grateful right now for how much I’ve learned from it. I used to buy several of the brands that have been recalled, but I stopped buying them a few years back because of information that I learned from WDJ.

     Whole Dog Journal conducts a review of dog foods every year. They don’t take advertising, so those potential conflicts of interest are eliminated. Along with the list of recommended foods, they provide clear, helpful information on how to read a label, what different ingredients are (or might be), how those ingredients relate to dogs’ nutritional needs, what the testing certifications mean, and so on. They also clearly explain what criteria they use for their own recommendations, and why.

     This year, they also started visiting pet food production plants to see what the process was like and where there might be points of concern. They are very emphatic about enabling consumers to make their own choices. The articles and information are more important than the list. They know that, and they say so and follow through on it with loads of useful information.

     The top foods list is actually two lists: one list of 50+ recommended varieties of dry food and one list of 50+ recommended varieties of wet food. With rare exceptions, they will list only their favorite variety in a line. They note that quality is usually pretty consistent within a line, so readers looking for a different variety might want to check out the rest of each line and assess it for themselves. They don’t rank the foods within the lists. Their view is that the comparative ranking will be very specific to each individual dog, and WDJ’s role is to help the owners out by providing a starting list of top-quality foods that meet their strict criteria.

     I’ve found it to be a fantastically helpful resource. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s pretty good: of the more than 100 lines on this year’s lists, only one was affected by the Menu recall. I’m grateful because the information I learned from these WDJ articles led me to stop buying brands that claim to be high-quality but are full of low-quality fillers, and thanks to that, my dog eats a food that doesn’t have wheat gluten and wasn’t made by Menu. My heart goes out to those who have not been so lucky, and whose animals have been killed or sickened.

     Comment by Amanda — April 6, 2007 @ 12:51 pm

146. I see all the discussion re: Of course a pet food company or a rep would say their stuff is good, they wouldn’t be good reps if they didn’t.

     What this says to me is that people are rather dependent upon “testimonials” and the core problem is that they don’t know how to choose a safe, nutritious pet food. I’m not speaking of any individual, it’s a human problem.

     I’ve covered this topic on the Safe Pet Food Blog. Basically, it’s this:

     ==> Follow guidelines outlined by holistic vets (no wheat, by-products, chemicals, etc.).
     ==> Look at who is making the food, i.e., can you find out about the veterinarians and advisory boards?
     ==> Find out what other respected veterinarians have to say about it.

     I don’t think it hurts a thing to have an individual say that this or that works for them, whether they are a customer or a distributor. We can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

     But take just five minutes to learn foundation principles of good pet nutrition and you will never have to wonder again if you’ve chosen the best food for your pet.

     Teresa Holladay
     http://safepetfood.wordpress.com

     Comment by Teresa Holladay — April 6, 2007 @ 8:16 pm

147. Not to be cranky, but I really wish folks would stop posting ads for foods they either make or sell. Look, maybe you’re all motivated by the best of intentions. But this was supposed to be a string where folks could talk about their experiences feeding their own pets - not some kind of holistic foods e-bay. And a lot of people reading this are worried, vulnerable, etc.

     You want to promote your business? Post a link. But please don’t squabble or cajole - repeatedly, even - to make a buck. Even if it’s well intended, it’s getting to be a bit much.

     Comment by Laura — April 6, 2007 @ 8:30 pm

148. True, there are many excellent foods for dogs and cats, but there isn’t going to be just one food that fits well with dogs, that’s why I offer advice and recommendations on dog food. I don’t charge for my help. I enjoy talking to others about dog food. If anyone wants to discuss dog food or treats with me I’d be happy to talk about it. I get kinda bored at work so I like to talk about stuff. lol. Anyone can swear by their dogs food because their dog is thriving on it and I will swear by my dogs food as being the best for her, but I don’t think it will work for everyone.
     abratnamednoel@aol.com

     Comment by Eskie Lover — April 6, 2007 @ 9:44 pm

149. I agree with Laura. I just hate for anyone to be taken advatage of. It’s a very tense time for all pet owners

     Comment by Christi — April 6, 2007 @ 10:37 pm

150. Ok, I am totally confused! My little Rat Terrier who is 5 years old and Chinese Shar Pei of over 16 years have been on Pro Plan Chicken their entire lives and have been fine. But, I would like to switch to something more natural. What is the BEST natural kibble that everyone here can recommend?

     Comment by lori — April 7, 2007 @ 9:06 am

151. Does anyone with a cat with early CRF know of a good quality food that is low in phosphorus? I was giving her the Hills KD, but don’t feel good about it anymore. Another pet food is low in phosphorus, but associates with Menu (not interested in padding their pockets anymore). I’ve heard that

     Comment by Need a low phosphorus food — April 7, 2007 @ 11:44 am

152. My wife and I have an AKC registered poodle that we have been feeding Ol’ Roy (cans) as long as I can remember. He had been having unusual urinary symptoms and, after hearing the news, I checked with Menu Foods and was told that the cans I had been feeding him were recalled. I discarded those cans and stopped feeding him Ol’ Roy on March 23rd. Later, I went to Wal-Mart to buy more food where they assured me that none of the cans of Ol’ Roy that they were currently selling were on the recall list.

     The poodle continued to have difficulties but we were informed that the veterinary fees would be $800-1700 if he was having kidney failure from the recalled food, that it would take several hundred dollars in blood tests to find out, and that we had to have the money in advance. My wife and I are both disabled and are struggling financially and have no credit; we use our poodle’s stud fees to keep his shots up-to-date. There was no way we could pay any veterinary bills up front.

     March 31st, I called the number on the cans and got the following recording: “…No Del Monte pet products are involved in this recall. Additionally, none of the products that Del Monte produces for Wal-Mart Special Kitty or Ol’ Roy dog food are involved in the recall. These products can be identified by the toll free number listed on the can. If the toll free number listed on your can of Special Kitty or Ol’ Roy dog food is 1-800-342-2114, the product was produced by Del Monte and is not included in the recall…”.

     Now Del Monte is saying that the brands of Ol’ Roy we feed our dog were recalled and are offering to refund these products, but the cans in question have already been eaten and if our dog is dying, there’s no way for us to find out.

     Comment by Wayne — April 7, 2007 @ 2:04 pm

153. Since the recall and the death of two of my cats I switched my animals to the following…

     My remaining cat now is eating Natural Balance Ultra Premium adult cat food (Dick Van Patten’s Brand). Her appetitite and energy has improved since the diet change.

     My dog is now eating a varied diet of what I feel is better food for her. (she is a finnicky diva gal). Again her appetite also has increased since the switch.

     My big active dogs new diet is twice a day feedings. Each feeding is 1 can of Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance (varied flavors including beef, duck, chicken, fish, venison, and occasionally liver); and then I mix the can food with some dry food (again varied types: Chicken Soup For The Soul Dry Adult, Natural Balance “Duck & Potato” and Natural Balance “Venison & Rice”.) She will never be bored with her supper!

     I didn’t originally intend to feed her three different kinds of dry, but at first she didn’t show interest in the chicken soup food. So I ran out to Petco and bought two smaller bags of the Natural Balance Dry (duck & potato, and venison & brown rice). She didn’t want to eat either of those two dry foods either to my dismay. So I deduced that her lack of appetite for anything was to blame for the initial reluctance to eat the new foods. So I waited til her next meal time to give her the food from my first purchase “CSFTSD”, and she then ate the “chicken soup” for the soul dry . HA! And she also likes the DVP’s Nat. Balance Dry.

     She seems to enjoy the new foods much better than her old foods. Now she eats all three dry types and all the canned foods I selected.

     I never used the chicken soup food before the recall. I have used DVP’s Natural Balance when I used to show dogs, I have never seen problems with it except for the higher cost. But the price is worth it if my animals stay healthier because of the better food. JMO

     Comment by Grace — April 7, 2007 @ 2:44 pm

154. I really hope I did this right with the tiny url thing. If not, I apologize for messing this up.

     http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/03/homemade.pet
     food.ap/index.html

     The link takes you to an article from CNN about home made pet food and a vet, Dr. Donald Strombeck, who supports cooking for our pets. Here is an excerpt:

     On Amazon.com, the cookbook “Real Food for Dogs” moved into the list of top 200 best-sellers this week. Other authors were finding instant success, too.

     Dr. Donald Strombeck said the Amazon.com sales rank for his book “Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative” jumped from below 60,000 to about 1,000 after the recalls.

     The retired professor of veterinary nutrition at the University of California, Davis, challenged the common assertion that owners should not feed their pets table food.

     When he began practicing veterinary medicine in the 1950s, he said, most pet owners fed their pets scraps from the table, keeping the risk of contamination low.

     “The pet food industry doesn’t want people competing with them,” Strombeck said. “An animal can basically eat the same things we eat. They’re not going to develop a deficiency.”

     Comment by Mary — April 7, 2007 @ 3:25 pm

155. Low Phosphorus Diet

     google chronic renal failure and you will see several sites that address this. You will have to join the groups, but the members are very experienced and reply very quickly to your inquiry. Dr. Pitcairn’s book is also helpful. Nadia has recipes for low protein diets on her website.

     Good luck.

     Comment by Janice — April 7, 2007 @ 4:11 pm

156. Try Tanya’s CRF site for info on diet. I think that is where I got the Nadia recipe.

     Comment by Janice — April 7, 2007 @ 5:25 pm

157. For years I fed a variety of my pets IAMS foods and began to suspect the food was not good for them when 2 dogs died much too young of cancer.

     In addition 2 of our elderly pets began having strokes. Our most recent loss, a Maine Coon cat who passed away in November had renal failure, diabetes and high blood pressure which contributed to his fatal stroke. I don’t remember what I fed him after he began showing signs of illness, so his death could be related to this whole pet food recall.

     I just want to put my grave misgivings about IAMS food out here to see if anyone else experienced problems. I know it’s not part of the recall and I’m not a vet, but I do have common sense and it’s telling me something has been wrong for awhile.

     We’ve switched to Felidae and Canidae because there is no corn (which the vet said could contribute to diabetes) and no wheat. The animals we have now all seem healthier and more energetic.

     Thanks for all the great information out here!

     Comment by Kathy — April 7, 2007 @ 7:38 pm

158. First off, as a Canadian I was insulted to read at least one comment about this being a Canadian company (Menu Foods). I hope you are aware that the wheat gluten was bought from an American company that bought it from China.

     I have a 1 year, 3 month old German Shorthaired Pointer. By the age of 8 months he had every allergic symptom under the sun and he was being fed Wysong kibble. I switched to California Natural kibble and he had some relief, but not all allergic symptoms were gone.

     My dog has been fed a raw diet since October and he is doing wonderfully. From some of the comments I read above, if you are considering raw, please don’t shy away. There are companies out there eg. Mountain Dog Food, Paws & Claws, and Pawsitively that make fresh frozen (from grinder) to freezer foods that you thaw in your fridge and feed.

     Yes, this is a bit more expensive than kibble, but isn’t your animal’s wellbeing worth it?

     My advice is do your research. Dr. Ian Billinghurst of Australia started the raw diet (BARF - bones and raw food). Feeding raw doesn’t have to be labour intensive.

     Also, I am not just a raw finatic… I believe that animals can benefit from the better, premium kibbles. It just didn’t work well for my dog.

     Comment by Lynda — April 7, 2007 @ 7:53 pm

159. Lynda,

     I am a U.S. Citizen and I am sure I can speak for most of us on this site that we don’t blame Canadians or Canada in anyway.

     I do have a question concerning if Canada has recalled any of the “tainted” pet food.

     I did see the site for your governments version of the FDA and didn’t see any recalls for Menu Foods. Is that handled by another agency?

     http://www.inspection.gc.ca/en.....toce.shtml

     Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 7, 2007 @ 8:22 pm

160. Well, our kidney patient is holding at 6#9, down from about 11# before this whole fiasco. She is supposed to be on a K/D diet, but the vet mainly wants her eating at all.

     We missed a meal a few days ago, but it was an educational experience… Our vet is not really excited about raw food, mainly citing higher opportunity for bacterial problems. We got a sample of Raw Advantage anyway, and decided to see if our little feline carnivores would like getting the real thing…

     If I were to describe the expression as they looked up from the bowl with the bright, fresh, raw meat petfood, it would have to be: “You have made a terrible mistake.”

     Well, either that or “This is not a good April Fools Joke.” They simply would not touch it, and we won’t push the point, eating is too critical right now to press such an issue.

     The Natural Balance we got, however, is sucked up like they were little shop-vacs.

     Just to be clear, this message is posted with a great smile, I cannot help but laugh at the “you have made a terrible mistake” expression we got the other day. Still, polishing the food bowl is gratifying.

     Well, it’s time to “fill the kitty” - time for the twice a week sub-cu saline. I only have one scar, you see, the cat wants to explain that the treatments are getting old, now, and it’s not has fun as it used to be… which it never was in the first place…

     Still, she gets quite perky for several hours after the saline is injected. This keeps us hopeful, but knowing her system could crash any time with such high test levels.

     Comment by steve a — April 7, 2007 @ 8:47 pm

161. Steve a,
     I can SO sympathize…went through the subQ routine with increasing frequency for three years (my guy was chronic, not acute).

     It’s so tough to work through that, but it can be done if you don’t mind the occasional bloodletting (yours, not the cat’s). But just remember, as long as she’s fighting you over the subQ, things are relatively okay. :)

     That’s a great story about the food. You’re totally right - eating at all is more important than what, at least till her weight stabilizes. But after that, try the k/d. Despite the worry about Hill’s (mine included, believe me!), I have to say I still swear by k/d for CRF cats. I *know* it helped my guy live longer - and I have the blood work records to prove it. It just isn’t very tasty, which is why it pays to get creative.

     A little low sodium chicken broth, or low fat yogurt, or grated cheese can work wonders without adding a lot of protein and taxing the kidneys. One thing my vet (whom I adore) told me is that, when cats have renal failure, anything that’s too protein rich may put them off. As she told me, it’s as if their problems change their appetite - like they sense at some level they can’t eat this.

     Best of luck to you all. Your kitties sound attitudinally fabulous. :)

     Comment by Laura — April 7, 2007 @ 9:44 pm

162. Re Comment by Wayne — April 7, 2007 @ 2:04 pm

     Wayne, what an awful situation. Maybe you should get into contact with delmonte and explain your situation to them, and ask them to help pay the bill for your testing.

     The worst they can do is say no, but that would be pretty bad PR. If so, tell them you’ll post it online. Maybe they’ll reconsider.

     You can find their recall contact info here -
     http://www.delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html

     If you can get your vet to back you up, or even call them and advocate for you, it might help. Good luck!!

     Comment by Laura — April 7, 2007 @ 9:58 pm

163. ——— CRF GROUPS ———

     I saw a post asking about CRF groups but couldn’t find it again. Here are two great Yahoo groups. The first has been around since 1998. They prolonged my kitty 17 year old kitty 2 years.

     Absolutely sign up, it’s the best thing you can do for your CRF kitty.

     http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/g.....F-Support/
     ——————————
     This is a newer Yahoo group but just as knowledgeble, just has a smaller membership but growing. It’s run by Helen of Tanya’s site.

     http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/g.....-crf-info/

     Comment by Gary — April 7, 2007 @ 10:13 pm

164. I read through a lot of the blogs posted here and felt compelled to jump in. I came here to see what others were experiencing because of this terrible situation. I could post my sad story of the loss of a treasured family pet, but I have 4 other pets to be concerned with right now. I, like so many others, am scared every time I put food in their bowls. I have found the information posted here by the well intended folks looking to make a buck VERY USEFUL. Because of one in particular I have finally found a pet food I can trust. You see most of these before mentioned people are actually on our side! They are probably representing a company or selling their own hommade versions because of their need for something healthy to feed their animals. I find such an individual much more trust worthy than some store clerk that doesn’t even know there is a recall. (I’d rather line the pockets of these well meaning folks, than the pockets of the ones responsible for killing Tripper)
     I can finally find comfort when feeding my babies so Kim, if you’re still out there, Thank You… Sincerely Will

     Comment by Will — April 8, 2007 @ 7:04 am

165. I have been feeding my cats Wysong, Azmira, Natures Vareity, for the past 8 years. Everyone should read “Food Pets Die For” by Ann Martin. She did 7 years of research on the commercial pet food industry, after her two dogs became ill eating it. Another excellent book is “The Nature Of Animal Healing” by Dr. Martin Goldstein. He devotes an entire chapter in his book aobut commercial food. I pay a little extra for the food, but it is all human grade food. You won’t find it at Wal-Mart, or Petsmart. Check out their websites.

     Comment by Karen Murphy — April 8, 2007 @ 8:52 am

166. I have been feeding canidae chicken & rice to my german shepherds for the past 9 years. I highly think the pet food we’re feeding our dogs has been giving them cancer. Both my older dogs lived to be ONLY 9 years before I had to put them down, one past December and teh other last week. Dogs of any breed should be living a lot longer than friggin 9 years. I have two sheps left and have changed to canidae lamb & rice..(very little) and then adding the rest of their dinner which includes pot roast, salmon, brown rice, peas, carrots, chicken breasts and whatever we eat. INstaed of cooking for my husband and myself…I cook for 5 now. I am looking for another kibble..natural. Can anyone recommend one? I don’t care how much I have to pay…just need a different brand other than canidae.

     Thanks.

     Barb, Phx, Arizona

     Comment by Barb Fannon — April 8, 2007 @ 10:07 am

167. Hello all, I just found this site here and would like to share my thoughts. Phantom, my cat was eating Hills Science Oral Care. After the recall of the Hills Presciption f/d, I surfed the net for a subsitute food. I bought Newman’s Own Organic cat food but, the cat didn’t eat it. I then found Performatrin Ultra at http://www.performatrinultra.com/ and the pet store gave me a free chicken sample. I gave it to the cat and he ate it. This product is holistic and there’s NO by-products.

     I am glad to have found a group of concerned pet owners. Yes, Phantom, my cat is my son and I will pay $30 or $40 per bag for his food. Yes, I even have pet insurance and a trust fund for him as indicated in my will.

     What have we learned from this incident? Don’t trust the big brand names. We need to learn, educate ourselves about the ingredients in the pet food. Also, there’s no quality control for pet food. What about the human food?

     Comment by Mae — April 8, 2007 @ 1:52 pm

168. Just an FYI 2 cans into a new case of Fancy Feast gravy elegant medley chicken florentine my cat became very ill (3/23/07)foaming at mouth projectile vomiting very skittish and distance, within 24 hours my other cat had less server symptoms but similar lot of lip licking not wanting eat gagging. Stop the food both seem to be doing better youngest cat had blood work and scope w/ biopsy all came back normal baffled vet, convinced it was food vet feels the same and now they both need blood work done again in 2 weeks to makes sure no permanent damage was done to their kidneys. Last July both became ill youngest bloody stool and liquid feces and crystals in urine other violent yellow foam vomiting, they were eating IAMs wt control and hairball form mixed and fancy feast fish with ASPIC and tuna with gravy( the oldest could keep down the savory salmon FF which does not have gravy) if you notice ASPIC disappeared off shelves vet told me the older one had developed sensitive stomach and the young one just needed SC C/D. Could not give any really answers of symptoms now I know it was the foods they were eating. YIKES. Will let you know how their blood work comes back . Please stay clear of anything even if not on list that has wheat gluten that FF is still not recalled and my have ruined my cats kidneys forever all because they say it is safe. Using Merrick wet food only ones with no gravy, even though it does not list wheat gluten have heard organic doesn’t have to list stuff used in small quantities, trying to find a dry not associated with Menu foods, Diamond or Purina, the only thing I can come up with is Felidae…anyone have any comments on its saftey

     Comment by Lorie — April 9, 2007 @ 10:08 am

169. Another food to consider would be Wellness, which does not use wheat gluten. I use 1/2 Wellness dry and 1/2 Newman’s Own Organics dry kibble in the a.m. here and home cooked at night. You can get a big rice cooker and steam it and then divide the rice into many individual portions, and freeze it (and serve up the rice for yourself too!) I like basmati because it doesn’t make a big mess and has more complex carbs and a lower glycemic index. A quick way to cook chicken meat is to cut it up into small strips so it cooks quickly (and freeze some of it). You can add cheese to frozen mixed veggies for the calcium (I use supplements, too, to ensure it’s all balanced).

     Comment by Sue Dunn — April 9, 2007 @ 10:36 am

170. My cats are all on Science Diet C/D for UTI problems. What does anyone suggest I can feed to a cat that is prone to UTI”S and needs a appropriate diet?

     Comment by Brandy — April 9, 2007 @ 1:43 pm

171. Is not Canidae suppose to be a good quality food, what does everyone else think about Canidae

     Comment by linda — April 9, 2007 @ 6:43 pm

172. I have thought about changing to the organic Natural Balance but have read things such as their food is manufactured at the Diamond plant where there was trouble last year, also I read that their company was sold to someone else. Does anyone know if there is any truth to these things and if the food is a good food. I do not feel comfortable with the food being made at the Diamond plant. Right now I am worrying more about what our beloved dog is eating than what my family is eating

     Comment by jamie — April 9, 2007 @ 6:54 pm

173. Comment by Lorie re: Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys

     I just saw your post and cringed. My cats also this food, but they are not sick. Before this fiasco, for canned I was feeding my young cats mostly Nutro (loaf style)kitten food, but also quite a bit of FF Elegant Medleys (which they go absolutely berserk over, they loved it), and occasionally Wellness, Eukanuba & other brands. I stopped the Nutro immediately (even the dry food) although supposedly not made my Menu, I no longer trust it. I also stopped the Wellness since it is made by Menu. Then when we learned about the wheat gluten, I stopped the Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys. I also stopped feeding all dry food with wheat products.

     I have a closet full of cat food I will not feed to them. I will be happy to share expiration dates of the FF if you think it might help. My cats are young (2 are 17 mos and the youngest 12 mos) and ate a variety of foods both canned and dry, and that may be why they are ok, or just dumb luck.

     I hope your cats bloodwork comes back ok!

     Comment by catlover — April 9, 2007 @ 7:40 pm

174. to Lorie re: FF Elegant Medleys

     White Meat Chicken Florentine w/garden greens Nov2008
     Wild Salmon Florentine w/garden greens Sep2008 & Nov2008

     Once again, my cats are NOT currently sick.

     Please post back again sometime & keep us all posted on your cats.

     Comment by catlover — April 9, 2007 @ 7:53 pm

175. I was feeding my dog Royal Canine which was a quality brand food but it has wheat gluten in it , even though their site says they do not have a facility in China..I still switched to a gluten free food

     Comment by Karen M — April 9, 2007 @ 8:46 pm

176. Hi Kim, I went to your website to check it out and I found it to be very helpful. I ordered the free sample of cat food and my Siamese (Ying and Yang) both loved it. I’ll definitely be back!

     Comment by Jason Parker — April 9, 2007 @ 9:17 pm

177. While a friend of mine feeds raw to two cats and a dog with great success, I do not feel comfortable with it. However, I if anything good comes of this tragedy, it will be that people are *thinking* about what they’re feeding their pets on more than an economic “39 cents a can, woo-hoo!” basis.

     Something I can’t believe, is how many people have been feeding foods that are made of so much garbage, and that vets continue to recommend it. While I can’t speak to dogs, I can say corn and wheat do not belong in a cat’s diet and yet most cat food is full of them, along with many ingredients unidentifiable to a non-chemist. So, why do companies continue to produce such food? Because IT’S CHEAP. Why do they buy the ingredients from China? Same deal.

     People in turn continue to buy it because it’s cheap for them in the short term. But, just as with people, pets are what they eat, and CRF and feline diabetes are just two of the diseases that could be largely prevented by feeding cats a better diet. A good clue is that if you can buy it at Safeway or Wal-Mart, it’s probably crap.

     On another note, Merrick food is not affected by the recall - they produce their own, I believe. Another excellent brand that manufactures their own is Evanger in their own plant in the Chicago area. I’ve also heard that Artemis is made by them, though I can’t guarantee it - just what the nice lady at the local pet store told me.

     And, one more comment: home freezers are not cold enough to destroy all harmful pathogens. In fact, my partner is a biologist, and says that this is how they *preserve* pathogens for later study in biology labs - consider that.

     Comment by Charles-Chicago — April 9, 2007 @ 11:10 pm

178. How cold should a freezer be to safely store raw meat for pets?
     And some advice for all - Any brand on the list do not use their other products either since Nutro MaxCat was just now proven to contain melamine and those cans were never on the list just the pouches.

     Comment by Kathi — April 9, 2007 @ 11:49 pm

179. Hello all, I too have been “freaking” out or so the vets like to call it. I have a dog who just got over bladder stones and she has been on Hills prescription diet since January. I just recently switched all of my dogs to the dry hills C/D thinking it was ok because my vet pushed it sooo hard and two of them got diarrhea, and one of them is still vomiting from five days ago, and the vet had nothing to tell me today when I brought him in.Where are the honest, caring, involved vets??I can’t seeem tfind one. I am wondering..will the affects of kidney failure appear immediately on blood tests or does it take a while??Since my vet is 500% behind Hills diet I am having trouble with it. I also want something natural for my dogs to eat, i have four, and they are the loves of my life:)I am afraid it may already be too late for one or two, but I can’t cope with that yet. Someone please help this dog lover!

     Comment by Jerrica Estis — April 10, 2007 @ 12:58 am

180. I have 5 cats and 2 dogs. Since I got my youngest cat I switched their dry to Eagle Pack Holistic Select. Their fur is much shinier and healthier and they love it. I think the chicken in the dry comes from Mennonite farmers in the midwest. They’ve been on it for 3 years now with great success. I have to order it from a local pet food store, which special orders it for me (check out the eaglepack.com website for local stores that can special order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves). My cat’s breeder, who was a bit of a cat food nut, recommended it. I supplement with Fancy Feast wet food (but am avoiding all cans containing wheat gluten). I was feeding the dogs Gravy Train but will probably switch to Eagle Pack for dogs, too. I haven’t used it so can’t recommend it for dogs. But I HIGHLY recommend it for cats. It is only a couple of dollars more than Science Diet dry and I’ve trusted it a lot more since Day 1.
     I have seen a few comments here about Wellness. Just wanted to warn you that my vet said that Wellness has been implicated in urinary crystal problems for cats (I knew a cat who died of urinary blockage so I’ve always been leery of any crystal problems).
     For any sick cat or dog, I also highly recommend a little fingerful of Gerbers 2nd stage chicken baby food, every few hours, to get your pet interested in food. Baby food eventually gets most sick cats to regain their appetite for other food. (Otherwise, you can boil/poach chicken yourself and feed it. It’s good for cats with food sensitivities/allergies and well worth it if you’re worried about your little guy.) After the recall situation is stabilized (I hope) I still think it’s better not to cook for your pets because there are a lot of ingredients specially inclued for their health that we’d have a hard time replicating ourselves. None of my pets have gotten sick, but I have a lump in my throat for any of you who have lost your pets or are dealing with serious health issues. Good luck to you, and I am pulling for you.
     (i’m in publishing and not in the pet industry, so I don’t profit from Eagle Pack. I’ve had serious doubts about pet food gotten from vets, as I’m sure there’s a profit motive. If you can, it’s a lot better to do the research on your own rather than just relying on what someone else says, especially if they stand to profit from that advice.) Thank you for all your advice. I’ve really appreciated going through this site.

     Comment by chris — April 10, 2007 @ 1:05 am

181. “If you can, it’s a lot better to do the research on your own rather than just relying on what someone else says, especially if they stand to profit from that advice.” I agree wholeheartedly with Chris on this one. It takes work but you’ll feel better in the end.

     Comment by Christi — April 10, 2007 @ 10:50 am

182. For those searching for pet food, here is a searchable database.

     http://data.tennessean.com/DB/.....od2007.php

     They are just going by what they knew YESTERDAY — not what they’ll know TOMORROW!

     So, use caution….

     Comment by Kat — April 10, 2007 @ 1:55 pm

183. Piano Cat

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ860P4iTaM

     Comment by Gary — April 10, 2007 @ 1:58 pm

184. WHO is the PERSON gave the ok and WHY.Was it for MONEY $$$$$ or to POISON PET FOOD,or BOTH ?

     Comment by John — April 10, 2007 @ 5:02 pm

185. Of interest for those feeding Nutro dry food.
     http://hubpages.com/hub/PET_FO.....Y_DOG_FOOD

     Comment by Ashlee — April 10, 2007 @ 6:49 pm

186. i say we all get together and boycott all brands who use menufoods as their maufacturer… even if some of their food is not on the recall list. so that would mean almost all brands except for some such as merrick, halo, etc.

     at this point, it will be the only way to make a difference and force government regulation on pet foods. i believe pet foods should be under the same strict rules as humans!

     i love my cat and dont want to be worried sick anymore.

     Comment by Gill — April 11, 2007 @ 11:59 am

187. If home freezers aren’t cold enough to store pet food in,then they aren’t cold enough for human food either,which to my mind should be one and the same anyway.
     I’ve never heard this one before,which doesn’t make it wrong,of course.
     But for about 10 years I have been freezing raw food for my dogs and cats.They are very healthy,and humans in the house are healthy.
     I’m not sure of the pathogens you are referring to but people who are thinking of preparing their own pet food and freezing it need to do their own research before they get scared off from the idea.Home freeers are just fine in my experience.

     Comment by Lorna — April 11, 2007 @ 12:28 pm

188. Found this article that might be of interest to food selection.

     http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_5609501

     Comment by Cynthia — April 11, 2007 @ 1:18 pm

189. I have been trying to make sense of this recall since it started because my best friend and companion Jinx was one of the victims. I have visited several blogs, read countless newspaper articles from all over the country and listened to my local TV news broadcasts in my quest to find answers. It seems to me that no matter what forum I go to, there is never any finger pointing at the actual pet food brands. My understanding of the production process is that these major companies bid for the cheapest ingredients possible without any concern about quality control just profit. They have made billions from consumers like you and me but WHERE are they NOW? All I see and hear about is Menu Foods. What about IAMS, EUKANUBA and NUTRO etc.? Shouldn’t THEY be held accountable? Have they PAID Menu Foods to be their “FALL GUY?”

     Comment by Disheartened — April 11, 2007 @ 4:11 pm

190. disheartened, that is exactly why i say we boycott brands such as iams, eukanuba, nutro, etc. we should boycott all of them right down to wellness even who isnt on the recall list, but does use menufoods.

     until pet food brands can take responsibility for their own manufacturing without this private labeling BS, let us boycott them.

     they are all hypocrites about how much they care about our pets by making the “best” food. but in reality, these big corporations go on swindling every pet lover and their pets by supplying us with straight up garbage food.

     i personally dont understand how someone can feed their pet garbage in the grocery aisles like friskies, and iams and the list goes on and on.

     and i will go out on a limb here, but if you cannot afford good quality food for your pet, well then why subject an innocent animal to your care if you cannot feed him properly.

     i do however believe good quaity food should NOT be as expensive as it is. but let us deal with one battle at a time. getthem to produce it correctly first and then prices will become lower.

     in fact, even on human standards, why oh why is organic food considered strange and out of the ordinary when that is what nature intended! mother nature didnt create pesticides too. every farmer should deal with the bugs and organic would not be so high. unfortunately, organic farmers are forced to charge higher prices only because they compete against the garbage farmers. it is unfair to the organic farmers and consumers alike.

     Comment by gp — April 12, 2007 @ 8:54 am

191. “and i will go out on a limb here, but if you cannot afford good quality food for your pet, well then why subject an innocent animal to your care if you cannot feed him properly.”

     Comment by gp — April 12, 2007 @ 8:54 am

     So only the wealthy should own pets?

     Comment by Christi — April 12, 2007 @ 9:26 am

192. no, no. that is not what i am saying. my point is force the all corporations to manufacture healthy pet food and this will in turn reduce costs since good food will be the standard.

     as it stands, there is crap sold in grocery stores. have you seen some of the food? it is not fair to the animal that they are basically fed mashed hot dogs. essentially, would you feed your pet stop and shop? come on.

     i am not wealthy by any means, but when i sa down and decided i would like a pet cat, I also sat down and thought about if I can afford it. I found out how much decent food costed and litter and looked at my money and said, ok, i can afford one. i woudl like two, but i cannot afford it.

     have you watched shwos like animal precinct where they take pets away because of neglect due to people not being able to afford the care costs? is that wrong, i dont think so. there is no reason a huge dog should be kept in a teeny apartment and feed spam because that is all that the masters could afford. why should he look like skin and bones with his ribs protruding? why should he suffer? unfair to fido.

     all i am saying taking onthe responsibility of another life, it is serious decision and the costs have to be considered before jumping into a final decision.

     i am not trying to sound like a jerk here, but there is no medicare for poor family’s pets or foodstamps for pet food. if a less fortunate family has children, the government gives them financial aide to help with those costs. they do not do this for animals.

     so all i am saying, as thinking bipedal humans, we need to think about these things before we choose to be responsible for another living animal who cannot make decisions like we do.

     HOWEVER, let’s not forget who is at fault in this discussion. it is the PET FOOD COMPANIES (ALL OF THEM) and MENUFOODS. they dont care and we think we are doing our best. there NEEDS to be regualtion on pet food quality.

     Comment by gp — April 12, 2007 @ 9:46 am

193. Bottom line— we need to be able to trust the pet food makers. If we get to the point where animal shelters say ” I’m sorry , you can only afford Little Friskies? We can’t let you adopt a cat unless you buy Merrick” wow what a mess we’ll have. Feeding an inexpensive food that is supposedly nutritionally balanced and SAFE is not neglect in my book

     Comment by Christi — April 12, 2007 @ 10:19 am

194. Christi,

     Pet food companys will continue to foul up. it’s the nature of things I suppose. Wish it were different.

     We can help make changes. I hope this hearing today is a start. We’ll see….

     Linda MS

     Comment by Linda — April 12, 2007 @ 10:24 am

195. If human food companies screw up then I guess the pet food companies will as well.

     Comment by Christi — April 12, 2007 @ 10:31 am

196. I suppose ” foul up” in terms of salmonella, e coli etc. are one thing but intentional tampering and poisoning are quite another!

     Comment by Christi — April 12, 2007 @ 10:59 am

197. I hope that before the database closes down that we can get some good recommendations to explore among the smaller US pet food manufacturers (or local companies in your country), for example ones that use fresh or fresh frozen ingredients, with and without grains (preferably certified organic whole grains that require inspection) to explore. We the consumer are empowered - we control the $$$. MARY ANN suggested checking out http://www.freshpetfood.com and there are many more out there, too, I’m sure. Our beloved pets are worth it. Please recommend something if you become aware of a good company. The commercial pet food manufacturers have continually reassured us only to hear later that in fact, the food wasn’t safe. There is great oppotunity here for smaller companies with quality ingredients that are not connected to multinational corporations. Let them find new ways to dispose of their garbage. I’m tired of hearing the word merchants!

     Comment by Sue Dunn — April 12, 2007 @ 11:10 am

198. Christi,

     that’s even harder to control. like suicide bombers or pipe bombs - intentional supidity is difficult to control.

     Linda MS

     Comment by Linda — April 12, 2007 @ 11:15 am

199. Then I guess there’s no solution. We and are pets are doomed

     Comment by Christi — April 12, 2007 @ 11:18 am

200. Corporations are just too big. It seems a Parent company exists with ownership of many Brands gobbled up through the years. The power is concentrated to a few players. Those players greatly influence laws to their favor (greed).

     Those companies are making big money, just look at their profit statements. Yet American workers are losing even basic healthcare coverage and wages are stagnate in the face of large profits for many people. Gotta mention the American jobs sent elsewhere also.

     How does one even begin to make a change? Buy less of everything I suppose, to shrink their power, and support small independent businesses.

     My bathroom vanity is not cluttered up with multiple products anymore. I use peroxide for disinfecting/cleaning. I cut dryer sheets in half—but not for economy—to use less and it works. I no longer replace working items with a newer version or color. I buy beef jerky sometimes from a local company. I will replace a towel only when it becomes necessary not because of impulse buying. I use a pea size amount of natural toothpaste not a chemical concoction. Many things that I own I have had for years that were Made in U.S.A. Many things I have owned made elsewhere do not last as long.

     Small changes are easy to do one by one as our knowledge grows of what has/is happening.

     I will not buy canned or bagged pet crap anymore from the major players, and I will continue to reduce or phase out other products they are affiliated. The trust is forever broken.

     gp—you do have a good point. Not every one is fit to be a pet owner.

     Comment by DeeAnn — April 12, 2007 @ 11:41 am

201. Christi,

     We aren’t doomed. We just need to be as careful as we can and then learn to cope when “Junk” happens, if you know what I mean.

     Linda MS

     Comment by Linda — April 12, 2007 @ 11:46 am

202. The reason I am going to submit myself to all of the negative criticism yet again, is that I truly believe that I represent one of the best pet foods out there. I have personally met Dr. Jane Bicks (formulator) and I know that her utmost concern is the welfare of everyone’s pets. She actually conducts a live conference call every Thursday night that is open to anyone who wants to call in (number can be found on the website). Again without sounding like I am trying to make a profit from this horrible tragedy, I know people are looking for alternative pet foods. I am a long-time pet parent myself and I feed my own pets Life’s Abundance. It does not contain wheat gluten and never has. Ingredients like wheat, corn and soy are pet allergens and should not be included in any food that you choose to use. For more information on our products, visit http://www.petsourcedirect.com

     Comment by Kim Petro — April 12, 2007 @ 12:39 pm

203. I recently visited my local pet “health food” store. They have never sold Science Diet, Iams, etc. and proudly display a sign out front inviting people to ask them why they do not sell it. I went inside and talked with one of the owners about the recall and she very fairly - and rightly - pointed out that “this could happen to anyone’s food”. She stated that many of the brands they sell contain fruits & veggies that could have e-coli etc. I think if we only look to grains ( except for the current trouble with wheat gluten) as a potential problem source we are deceiving ourselves. Plus I have looked at Dr Pitcairn’s book (2005 updated version) and find this statement “Whole grains are a very cost-effective and environmentally sensitive way to provide the mainstay of your pet’s diet.” Has anyone tried Dr Pitcairn’s plan and how is it working for you? Just curious.

     Comment by Christi — April 12, 2007 @ 1:58 pm

204. Maybe this will be an eyeopener to us all to not be so trusting.
     The FDA should be involved in the inspection and safety of our Pet food.
     This is a heart breaking situation for many pet owner’s.

     Comment by Barb — April 12, 2007 @ 3:49 pm

205. What is your opinion of Innova EVO? The pet store says it is the best natural high protein food for cats. Then I read somewhere on the internet that the high protein (52%) can cause renal failure. The lady at the pet store says her cats are doing great on it. Also, anybody know anything about the cat dry Chicken Soup brand? My cats like the Chicken Soup & Felidae pretty good. I just took then off of Science Diet. I will gladly PAY for the Best.

     Comment by Jeannie — April 12, 2007 @ 4:48 pm

206. Well Chicken Soup brand is made my Diamond and they had their own recall some months ago…

     Comment by gp — April 12, 2007 @ 6:04 pm

207. does anyone know how safe and caring halo is? I know they state they are holistic and menu does not make any of their foods, but their label says “manufactured FOR and distributed by Halo.”

     point is if the food is manufactured FOR halo, who actually manufactures it?

     Comment by gp — April 12, 2007 @ 6:08 pm

208. enlightening article… maybe hopeful
     http://www.avma.org/onlnews/ja.....70415b.asp

     Comment by gp — April 12, 2007 @ 7:41 pm

209. Does anybody use Innova EVO?

     Comment by Jeannie — April 12, 2007 @ 9:33 pm

210. I switched to cat Innova EVO 5 days after the recall. My cats had been eating Iams dry, no symptoms but blood test should elevated kidney levels. One of them had to have a IV fluid treatment. They are doing fine & I have noticed a change in their fur. I also have read about high protein levels and would like to know if this is something I need to keep an eye on?

     Comment by Rose — April 12, 2007 @ 9:49 pm

211. Kim thanks for the recommendation. I took your advice watche the video on your site and orderd some of your food. Life’s Abundance is great. My cat loves it. I also looked into the company HealthyPetNet and am thinking about becoming a rep myself.I think the opportunity they offer non profit and rescue organizations is a great way for me to cntinue doing what I love to do. Help Pets. If you all haven’t been to this great site yet, I strongly urge you to do so. Kim has been so helpful and she is very knowledgeable about her product. It’s nice to deal with someone who actually does know what they are talking about instead of some clerk at a big box store who has no idea about pet nutrition or pet food. Kim it’s obivious to me you are not in this for the money. Keep up the good work. You are a true giver. Thanks Again!
     Will and Wilson

     Comment by Will — April 13, 2007 @ 7:24 am

212. I am thinking about feeding my 6 cats with Holistic Blend: http://www.holisticblend.com/

     Is it a good food…. somebody here knows this food?

     Comment by Caro — April 13, 2007 @ 9:16 am

213. On the subject of high protein diets and kidney problems, we have yet one more myth created by science which may have seemed like a good idea at a time but when the idea was actually tested the converse was found to be true. I believe that IAMS was instrumental in undertaking the tests. This has come to light because in England PETA undertook a disruptive demonstration at a dog show to protest the cruelty of this laboratory study. You can Google this if you are interested. A number of animals were intentionally subjected to renal disfunction then divided into two groups. One was fed a low protein diet as would traditionally be recommended by your Vet, the other group was fed a moderate protein diet. Guess which group of animals lived the longest; it was not the ones on the low protein diet. Being a scientist with a particular interest in myths created by science, I suspect the original guess that became a science fact through re-telling, resulted from tests or anecdotal evidence showing that using low protein pet food reduced the rate of progress of kidney disease. The ignored variable would have been that a quantity of the protein listed as an ingredient in the pet food would have been from vegetable instead of animal sources. These two may seem the same to the AAFCO but to the metabolism they most definitely are not.
     Nutrition science seems to be continually confounded by a lack of understanding of evolution. If dogs and cats indeed have a problem with high protein diets then somehow the rules of evolution or intelligent design have been broken. Animals are equipped to to fit closely with the environment they come from. There is good data to show that moving away from the traditional diet brings with it an increase in health problems. If you think grain is natural then think again. Its a GM product but GM by the different method of intensive breeding and random mutation and gene transfer. It did not exist throught most of evolution.

     We still have canines in the wild, particularly in Canada where I have lived, and I’ve never heard of a single complaint by a farmer regarding devestation of wheat or corn crops by wolves. The situation with respect to livestock farmers is quite the contrary. The current hard faught battle caused buy the re-introduction of wolves in the West is with livestock owners and not with grain farmers.
     There are many competent scientists however, but they tend to think more and talk less, and they always win out, eventually. You’ll have noticed some of the most recent pet food introductions have high protein, no grain and have names like EVO(lutionary) and OriJen. Like the brewing and wine industries, the next round of Petfoodgate will no doubt see the multinationals taking over some of small upstart companies trying to catch up with consumers who’ve left them.

     Comment by Dave — April 13, 2007 @ 9:25 am

214. Rose:
     By all means join this CRF group, they are one of the best and they can tell you everything there is about kidney problems.

     http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/g.....-crf-info/

     Also:
     A great CRF information site run by the person who runs the above Yahoo site:

     http://felinecrf.org

     Comment by Gary — April 13, 2007 @ 9:28 am

215. I lifted this from another blog site (New Cat City via poopcity) Has anyone ever heard this before: ” Few things to watch out for (and I have NO idea why they use this stuff) is garlic, yucca, alfalfa, gar gum, carrageen, rosemary (which I can’t find ANY food that doesn’t use this as a preservative), kelp (which has high amounts of arsenic), flaxseed, fish (which should NOT be feed on a regular basis) are ALL toxic (not fish) to cats over time. Garlic specifically had my cats drooling,…”

     Comment by Christi — April 13, 2007 @ 11:37 am

216. Hey Will, thanks for your comment. Wilson is lucky to have you as his pet dad!

     Comment by Kim Petro — April 13, 2007 @ 7:34 pm

217. My 10 year old cat Smokey has renal failure from eating Iams wet food (pouches). I started feeding him Wellness wet canned food on 3/26.
     After a week someone said garlic is poisonous to cats, so I called Wellness and was assured it was present in a small amount and would not be harmful,but they are removing it from their food on the next run. Smokey’s labwork on 4/12 revealed anemia. An internet search revealed garlic has been linked with hemolytic anemia in cats. No safe amount has been determined. An enzyme deficiency (G-6-PD)in cats may be responsible for inability to protect red blood cells from disulfides found in garlic.Hemoglobin from lysed red blood cells could cause further renal damage.
     Stopped feeding him Wellness. Now trying Fancy Feast Gourmet chicken feast and turkey and giblets (no grains or garlic).
     Suggest immediate recall of Wellness because garlic causes hemolytic anemia in cats and could worsen renal failure. Left this message today on FDA’s Veterinary Adverse Drug reaction hotline.

     Comment by Jean — April 14, 2007 @ 6:53 pm

218. Re: turkey in dogs’ diets

     I inherited a Westie who was being fed cooked ground organic turkey on top of her kibble (prior to all this mess). She had serious gastrointestinal symptoms, and her stomach growled loudly, all of which was undiagnosed by two vets. Shortly after getting her (as an adult retired show dog), her owner died suddenly and she came to live with me. I spoke to a Westie breeder who told me that turkey can be difficult for (some) dogs to digest. She’s fine now and tolerates a small amt. of chicken or beef and vegetables with her kibble, but I did find the following warning online about feeding dogs turkey:

     Watch out for the following: rich and fatty foods such as giblets, dark meat turkey and turkey skin. Too much fat can result in pancreatitis, which is a potentially life threatening condition.

     Pancreatitis occurs when the dog is trying to digest a very fatty meal. During digestion, the pancreas produces enzymes to assist in the digestive process, but with pancreatitis, too many enzymes are produced; as a result the pancreas becomes inflamed and can even begin digesting itself.

     Comment by Maureen — April 15, 2007 @ 1:36 pm

219. hello everyone,
     is sunday and watching the hearings, I lost my 17 year old cat feb 13th, to the kidney failure tainted food has come in since nov 2006. fed him iams wet iams thought i’d spoil him why i had the chance he was in perfect health, gave him vitamins and bottled water most of his life. I want to thank everyone who shares here and pet connection. I went an adopted a 3 year old cat a few weeks ago. I do wish there could be some accounatbilty. I think all we can do is hope to heal and as kurt vonnegut used to say and so it goes.

     Comment by Lee Orback — April 15, 2007 @ 3:00 pm

220. Prior to the recall, I had been feeding my four neutered boy cats Hills Science Diet c/d (dry) and Fancy Feast. They all seemed to be okay with that, but I just don’t trust much of anybody anymore, not knowing what may be recalled tomorrow. I stopped feeding both of those foods March 17, and just home fed them a bit until I could order in some better food to try (I live in a rural area and my choices in-store are pretty limited).

     Here’s what I AM feeding now: I still haven’t found a canned that I feel comfortable with, don’t know that I ever will again—I may continue to cook — but I have been having really good results with KumpiKat. We are starting our second week — and second bag! Everybody really loves it, they are eating it right up No tummy troubles from anybody, and my cats range in age from 10 mos to 15 yrs. They really enjoy the small kibble size, too, especially the oldest one. He is eating more than I have seen him eat in a long time!

     KumpiKat is from a small company, not a part of the big “pet food industry,” and the owner, Evy Serpa has been extremely helpful to me. She is open about where her ingredients come from, who manufacturers it, and more. She answers her own phone and will talk directly with you.

     The delivery service is great, and my cats attack the bag when it comes. They tear at it to get to the KumpiKat; and even though it’s only been a week, I can already see their eyes are brighter and they are a lot more playful.

     Comment by Hattie — April 15, 2007 @ 3:15 pm

221. NANCY N. - We bought ONLY Purina products for our pets, whether it was Purina One with Lamb, Beef, Chicken or Purina Beneful. Unfortunately, we recently lost one of our dogs, our beautiful 11 year old, Shepherd, to an unexplainable diagnosis of cancer, followed by renal shutdown, and she exhibited the same behavior towards Purina’s food. Unfortunately, I did not connect the two, until after we put her to rest on March 7.

     Our seven year old dog, who I thought was depressed over the loss of his companion, was leaving the Purina One Beef dry dog food in his bowl for days. Oh, he would sniff the kibble, but not eat it, and I wondered if he could be sick, but not showing any symptoms yet. So, just for giggles, I made some food: boiled hamburger, leftover chopped, plain pasta, a little garlic and very, very, finely chopped up broccoli heads (only). Well, he woofed it - pun intended! Needless to say, Nancy, I KNOW what you mean about your Papillion NOT WANTING TO EAT PURINA’S PRODUCT.

     May I suggest you put a bag of that kibble, if you still have some, in your freezer, as I have? As well, write down the outside information on the bag i.e., expiration date, lot number, ingredients, manufacturing plant, etc., if the entire bag is too large to save.

     I don’t know if anything will come of Purina’s dry kibbles with corn gluten, but we did not know any wheat gluten products would be recalled, and we certainly did not know about the Wal-Mart/Beneful nightmare. My whole point with the identification of the food is this:
     It is better for you to be prepared should anything happen to your pet(s) if it has eaten, or still eats Purina products, or any pet product in which corn gluten has been added to the ingredients. Afterall, do we really know where the corn gluten was obtained, or better still what route it took before it ended up only to be added into the batch vats in the processing plants in the US?

     Becky - even if you do sound like a stockholder, I think I like the sound of FlintRiver dog food!

     I liked the sounnd of Eagle Pack Foods for cats and dogs. They have both a holistic and superior line of dry and wet foods. However, they do have ONE wet food, which is involved with Menu foods, but has NOT been recalled, it is called, Meatloaf.

     Comment by Donna — April 16, 2007 @ 8:59 am

222. If any Oregonians are considering a class action, let me know. My cat, Snuggles, was one of the first to die. I have veterinarian test results that show very unusual numbers and sudden kidney failure.
     Karen Combs in Philomath

     Comment by Karen Combs — April 16, 2007 @ 11:27 am

223. I don’t know, I see my favorite pet food being discussed here. I feed my cats Life’s Abundance (HealthyPetNet). No worries at all, no bad ingredients.

     The canned cat food came out last year and I’ve used it ever since. I learned about the Menu Foods thing but just about everything that is available to me is also made by Menu Foods, including Newman’s Own, Innova, and Wellness (I think). The ingredient listing looks fine so I just have to stay with it. Trust me, I would never risk my kitty’s lives. I just don’t see any issues with staying with any food that Menu makes as long as it doesn’t contain wheat or wheat gluten.

     Comment by Valerie — April 17, 2007 @ 7:42 pm

224. Is there ANY safe petfood now? I thought Natural Balance was safe but.. nope not anymore… perhaps I’ll try Orijen until they are recalled too

     What is with all these north american pet food companies sourcing ingredients from chinese sources??? First Menu Foods puts chinese chemical crap wheat gluten in their products, now Natural Balance is puting contaminated chinese crap Rice Protein Concentrate in their products as well

     I say Ban all chinese imports… all they sell is contaminated crap, or harmful ripoff electronic products (check recall lists on electronic products which catch fire or are crap in general)

     Comment by Guido Sarducci — April 18, 2007 @ 12:25 am

225. I hope this is okay to post here. In light of the many individuals who are now seeking help transitioning their dogs to a home made diet, myself and several of my moderators (all of whom are studying canine nutrition formally as am I) have been holding online tutorials that will walk people through the basics of home feeding (whether raw or cooked diet. We have started a workshop series that deals with topics like finding your dog’s caloric needs, how to balance protein fat and carb/fiber according to yur dog’s individual needs, vitamin and mineral requirements, and so on. This is a FREE service, and we’re inviting people to come by for the information only. I am a professioanl consultant but so swamped with work I needed to find a way to offer information for the myriad people who can’t get a consultation at this time. So this is our effort to help. If you’d like to be part of the tutorial, it’s at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePossibleCanine - hope we can help.

     My own gluten-sensitive senior dog has been eating Natural Balance Venison occasionally and is now ill, as of last weekend. We are taking her to be examined today.

     I’m praying there is no connection, I feed mainly home made cooked diet but buy both NB and Canidae for busy times. Won’t be doing that again.
     Cat Lane

     Comment by Catherine Lane — April 18, 2007 @ 5:11 am

226. I am concerned also about the attitude of Hills as well. Both my Siamese cats ate dry Science Diet Mature Adult 7+ with corn gluten. Of course this happened before all the recalls and hoopla so the food wasn’t tested not thought a problem.

     In Nov, one Siamese cat died in 3 days after eating it and the other was saved in late Jan by then knowing the symtoms of acute renal failure and getting him to the vet right away. He didn’t always eat the same food until I ran out of a bag, then he ate the science diet, not knowing at that time there was a possible problem. Too coincidental that both got very ill on the same food and their lab work was way out of whack. The surviving brother now is on IV fluids and eats not as much and have to add finely flaked chicken or tuna juice to get him to eat. His personality has changed to being very timid and afraid. Besides vet bills, enough for a cruise, it has been an emotional roller coaster. Hills has never responsed to my letter.

     Just beware that dry food can be a problem too. I hope that the FDA takes a very good look at all the foods. We certainly need regulations for our animals like they scrutinize our food and drugs. On the upside, pet drug providers, vets and other animal firms associated with acute real failure and testing are benefiting from all this mess!

     Comment by Beth Somes — April 18, 2007 @ 10:56 am

227. Who are the person or persons that gave the OK to this,was for money $$$$ or to poison pet food or both.?

     Comment by John — April 18, 2007 @ 5:40 pm

228. It is interesting that rice gluten has just been found as a contaminent in pet food, and it was just this morning that I questioned corn gluten as a contaminent upon another forum. Like you, John, I, too, questioned a “conspiracy theory”, but reasoned that would not be economically feasible for the pet food manufacturers, and, surely, the lobbyists would have a conniption! So, that leaves a conspiracy out of the question.

     As to the outsourcing, that should be eliminated altogether, in my opinion. This whole mess could have been avoided but for outsourcing and greed and this, perhaps, could possibly be the crux of the matter, greed, the money aspect.

     All of us have known how American manufacturers have worked for many years now - cheap labor and cheap manufacturing standards. So it is rational to believe quality control abroad is cheap, as well.

     However, because of cheap labor and America’s lack of control abroad, the American people and their families have suffered, and will continue to suffer not only monetarily, but emotionally. Unfortunately, this time it affected the American people not where most believe it hurts “in the pocket”, but where it really hurts the most, in their hearts. Why? Because those they love dearly, their pets, some of whom are their children, are sick and dying and the pet food manufacturers, the FDA and Congress, I am sure, would beg to differ on that aspect.

     This, I believe, is why almost a month later nothing is really happening except …

     1. Our pets are still being poisoned and dying and we do not know HOW this happened, never mind why.

     2. We are placated when we telephone the pet food manufacturers.

     3. Letters of Notice to pet food manufacturers go unnoticed and receive no return responses.

     4. The FDA is certainly not heeding the call to action fast enough and not returning phone calls (at least I did not get a return call when I reported Purina’s Beneful as causing the death of our Shepherd).

     and

     5. Consumers are finding pet foods that are contaminated and notifying the FDA versus the FDA finding contaminated pet foods.

     But, I have to ask this … Why isn’t the FDA examining EVERY pet food manufacturer in the US? Or, why hasn’t the FDA taken a sample of EACH and EVERY suspect dog and cat food and tested it? This would make perfect sense.

     In the alternative, the FDA could recall all products with wheat gluten for safety sake, not just Menu’s products. I say this because as you will see from the rest of my comment, it may not only be products from Menu that contain suspect wheat gluten.

     When our 11 year old, Shepherd had to be put to rest she was eating Purina’s DRY Beneful, which contained corn gluten, bought at the end of January 07 at Wal-Mart. She refused to drink water, went lame on 2/14/07, was at the hospital on 2/17/07, began to urinate blood on 2/18/07 and was unbelievably diagnosed with cancer on 2/20/07.

     Towards her last days, renal shutdown and congestive heart failure began to set in, and we put her to rest on 3/7/07. We were in absolute shock, as prior to that our dog was full of spunk and had never been sick a day in her life.

     Our 6 year old cat, Buster, ate some WET Beneful Beef stew in the plastic container, which contained wheat gluten, and days later began to urinate blood and refused to drink any water, exhibiting the same signs as Makenzie. I got him to the Vet quickly, as I knew about the food situation, though I did not suspect the wet Beneful as I do now, and I am monitoring his liquid intake closely. His personality has changed considerably, though, as he use to be quite the outside cat, but now he goes out and is right back in.

     Needless to say, my pets lives have changed, as has mine. I have spent countless hours searching the net for “good” pet food, as our remaining dog, Dee, cannot handle the transition from dry food to boiled “human” food.

     From the list, I narrowed down three foods:

     Canidae, Eagle Pack and TimberWolf

     so off to the local pet store I went! Since it is a smaller store, they didn’t carry Eagle Pack, so Canidae and TimberWolf were left as choices. Yes, you’re right, on to ingredients reading, the next change of life …

     What’s that you’re wondering? My choice, oh, it was a no contest decision all the way!

     TimberWolf Ocean Blue

     It may cost a little more, but it does NOT contain any beef, chicken or lamb by products, so I do not have to worry about any chemicals, enhancers or drugs and it does NOT contain any wheat, corn, rice or soy glutens, so no toxin worries.

     Buster likes it - yes, he prefers dog food! And Dee likes it, so I am happy. And the pet store, well, they can’t keep enough of it in stock, so they are happy, too!

     Comment by Donna — April 19, 2007 @ 1:29 pm

229. Was this link to a terrorist,? and ? to poison PET FOOD.

     Comment by J — April 19, 2007 @ 4:18 pm

230. Hey everyone! I stumbled across this forum when I was trying to get some more information on the food recall. I have been feeding my three cats (1

     Comment by Sarah J and 3 Snoogles — April 19, 2007 @ 4:56 pm

231. new pet food recall on top of it all… rice protein from china now. there are just some things you cannot import.

     http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/1.....2007041919

     Comment by gp — April 19, 2007 @ 6:18 pm

232. here is the pain in the butt in following the chain of ingredient to finished product and trusting each step.

     1. the company that supplies the ingredients to the manufacturer… where do they get their items from. ie. ChemNutra may supply a manufacturer rice protein or wheat gluten. then there are suppliers of meat, vegatables, etc.

     2. the manufacturer who makes the food supplies to them for the brand… how clean are their facilities? do they clean the kitchen(s), belts and ovens before starting a batch for the next brand?

     3. canning facilities. i think some manufactuers do this as well.

     there are so many steps for food to get contaminated. i understand some brands are still small companies so they canot afford to OWN their own kitchen and hence need a manufacturer. some of these brands are more strict than others in terms of demanding certain ingredients, where the ingredients are supplied from and using their recipes, but others well heck do give a rat’s toockus.

     i think we really need to look to the small companies for food or if someone has the time, money and know-how, cook it yourself.

     Comment by gp — April 19, 2007 @ 6:34 pm

233. Because of the continuing recalls that are affecting more and more ingredients and companies, I feel the need to offer these questions to consider:

     Does the company buy its ingredients through the open commodities market in order to get the lowest price possible with disregard to its quality?

     Does the company make the food in small batches to insure quality control or does the food sit in a warehouse for up to 2 years before being sold?

     Does the food have an expiration date?

     Is the food made in an APHIS certified USDA Plant?

     Are the ingredients and food tested throughout the production process to insure that potential problems can be detected and immediately addressed?

     These are extremely important points to consider when choosing your pet’s food. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact me kim@petsourcedirect.com

     Comment by Kim Petro — April 20, 2007 @ 12:17 pm

234. A couple of pet food recipes on site and new book on feeding your pet also, The Whole Pet Diet. Worth checking out.

     Comment by ashlee — April 20, 2007 @ 12:43 pm

235. Kim,

     I have emailed your questions to Halo… Let’s see how they respond. I am very confident in their food and my cat seems to just adore it. Anyone else feeding their dog or cat Halo?

     Comment by gp — April 20, 2007 @ 5:55 pm

236. Kim,

     I put some of your questions to the test with the brand I was using and couldn’t get any answers. I am tired of the run-around, I’m switching to life’s abundance. Thanks for your help.

     Comment by Robert — April 21, 2007 @ 6:25 am

237. Hi from British Columbia Canada.

     I’m not sure if you want to hear from folks in Canada but I just found out from a friend of mine Royal Canin canned food has been recalled as well. Below is a cut and paste from a News Release Issued by Royal Canin.

     My cat is on that food. I called the 800 number on the can for Canada this morning as my cat is vomiting and has diarrhea. I asked if the cat food I have in my hand has been recalled and they took my name and phone number and said someone would call me within 24 hours. I am somewhat upset that they were unable to tell me if the cat food I have is safe. This canned food seemed to have been under the radar, if it wasn’t for my friend in Ohio that ran across the News Release I never would have known. My vet did not know about this recall. I am wondering what they are going to say when they call me bck.

     ————————————————————————————————————————
     Royal Canin Sensitive Diet Recalled
     ————————————————————————————————————————

     February 2006

     Royal Canin issued a statement on February 2, 2006 that they were withdrawing four of their veterinary diets due to elevated levels of Vitamin D3, which can lead to high blood calcium levels, and some adverse effects.

     The only cat product affected is ROYAL CANIN Veterinary Diet Feline SENSITIVITY VR canned (best before 05/2007).

     DO NOT FEED THIS FOOD TO YOUR CAT. For more information please contact Royal Canin at 1-800-592-6687.

     The statement from Royal Canin appears below:

     We regretfully inform you of a recently uncovered problem with our ROYAL Canine Veterinary DietTU canned diets.

     Since November, we have had 8 reported cases from across the USA of hypercalceroia dogs. Clinical work-ups suggested high levels of vitamin D3. All of the dogs affected were on ROYAL
     CANIN Veterinary Diet(tm) Canine URINARY SO(tm) in gel canned diet. Consequently we started an exhaustive nutrient analysis of our canned products.

     This week, we received the independent laboratory results of these nutrient analyses. It is now clear that there are production lots of ROYAL CANIN Veterinary Diet1” Canine URINARY SO(tm) in get canned product in the market with excessive levels of Vitamin D3.

     The following production Lots are affected (the “best before” date codes are noted on the cardboard tray pack mURINARY SO”1** m gel canned (best before 03/2007,05/2007 and 06/2007). These production code lots should not be fed to pets. Please contact, your clients currently feeding these products to determine if they are feeding an affected code lot. Our veterinarians and representatives are also available to support you at all times.

     You may contact your distributor for product replacement or refund. Please do not hesitate to contact your ROYAL CANIN Veterinary Diet(tm) representative, or our technical veterinary support team at 800 592-6687 with any questions or concerns that you may have.

     The excess levels of Vitamin D3 in the affected production lots are due to a vitamin premix error. We have taken appropriate actions to ensure that this type of error does not recur. subsequent code lots have been tested and, other than the production lots noted above, can be used with confidence. We genuinely regret that this has occurred as we place the highest priority on the health of pets.

     Comment by Shelley — April 21, 2007 @ 4:39 pm

238. It’s a shame what’s going on with all this dog food recalls. I have been evaluating a lot of dog food ingredients harder than ever and I’ve become even more strict about what’s in a dogs food then ever. There’s a handful of dog food companies that I feel use quality ingredients, but every dog is different and won’t take to certain foods. I’ve been on dogster helping people understand what’s in their dog food. I’ve basically learned to read the ingredients and figure out if they are just trying to make people assume that it uses quality ingredients or are the ingredients quality. I enjoy talking with other people about pet ingredients and am willing to help in anyway I can with anyone. It’s been fun and a true learning experience. While I’m not part of any dog food company I have a dog that has a weak stomach so i’ve had to research a lot. I am also glad that I convinced my friend to switch from Royal Canin to Canidae last year.Thankfully her dog is doing great.
     While I believe rice protein concentrate is an excellent source of protein, it all depends on how much is used and where it comes from. The same goes for rice bran. Generally I’m not a fan of grain fractions and I prefer whole grains but these are the only two I consider that actually have some source of nutrition unlike other grain fractions. abratnamednoel@aol.com

     Comment by Eskie Lover — April 22, 2007 @ 12:44 pm

239. Just wanted to add my 2 cents… Since the pet food recall scare, I am now feeding my animals Solid Gold Holistic dry pet food. Here is a link to their website: http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
     I used to feed Solid Gold (to my just recently turned 14 year old dachshund) years ago and she did pretty good on it but then I switched back to Iams and had fed Iams up until the pet food recall. I now have all of my pets eating Solid Gold, including my 3 cats, and they all seem to be doing well and like the food. My 1 yr old mini-dachshund always seemed to be a picky eater and never seemed to want to eat the Iams mini-chunks. She never ate much and her ribs were visible. Her coat was also very thin. She has only been eating Solid Gold for a couple of weeks and her coat looks better and she is filling out. Her ribs are no longer visible and she gobbles up her food! My 14 yr old seems to have more energy and is actually playing with the 1 yr old, which hardly ever happened before the food switch. The food does not have any wheat, corn or soy products and is considered to be hypoallergenic food for pets. Please check out their website if you are looking for a good food alternative. They are a small American company and are not associated with Menu Foods. Here is an example of their ingredient list for one of their dry dog foods:
     Lamb | Lamb Meal | Brown Rice | Cracked Pearled Barley | Millet | Rice Bran | Oatmeal | Ocean Fish Meal | Canola Oil | Tomato Pomace | Flaxseed | Natural Flavor | Salmon Oil (source of DHA) | Choline Chloride | Taurine | Dried Chicory Root | Parsley Flakes | Pumpkin Meal | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Thyme | Blueberries | Cranberries | Carrots | Broccoli | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Zinc Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Riboflavin Supplement | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |
     I personally refuse to ever use an Iams product again. Not just because of the recall, but because I learned about their cruel testing on animals, taken from PETA’s website: http://www.peta-online.org/
     Also check out this site: http://www.iamscruelty.com/
     This really opened my eyes. I am both saddened and sickened that any “quality pet food company” (or so I thought) would subject poor innocent animals to these inhumane tests and lab experiments as well as horrible living quarters. Go check this out for yourselves and you’ll see what I am talking about. I will NEVER EVER use an IAMS or Eukanuba product again. I plan to continue to feed my pets Solid Gold pet food because it seems like a good alternative. I do plan on checking into some of the other companies some of you have mentioned on here as well because I believe in having options. I also want to say that I am sorry for those of you that have lost your beloved pets due to this horrible tainted pet food incident.

     Comment by Tammy W. — April 22, 2007 @ 5:16 pm

240. Has anybody tried the KUMPIKAT? I did a lot of research and found that Felidae & KumpiKat seem to be the best. If “MEAL meat” foods are listed first that is a lot better. I did not no this until I started doing some research.

     Comment by Jeannie — April 22, 2007 @ 6:25 pm

241. Jeannie, my finicky cat was eating Science Diet hairball controll and oral care, and I just got Kumpikat for her, and she loves it! She previously turned her nose up at Wellness, Back to Basics, Felidae, by Nature (organic and regular), and Innova Evo, and I was starting to freak out that she wouldn’t like ANYTHING, but thankfully she approved of Kumpikat.
     We’ve also tried Life’s Abundance food too, she sort of likes the food but she ADORES their hairball control treats.

     Comment by Sheriden — April 22, 2007 @ 6:35 pm

242. I started giving my cats Blue Buffalo dry as a treat about a week ago - they love it.

     Not concerned about the recall cuz it was a totally different food and mine doesn’t have any corn, wheat or rice or soy anything.

     Comment by Carole — April 22, 2007 @ 6:46 pm

243. Thanks Sheriden - My cats were also on Science Diet. They will not eat Felidae very good. They like the regular Innova pretty good but I have read some things about it too. I also tried the Wellness & Chicken Soup. They really liked the Chicken Soup but my little female got diarrhea terrible. I took her to the vet and the blood test came out Ok. It really had me worried. My vet said that Innova EVO was way to high in protein. I am going to get some KumpiKat.

     Comment by Jeannie — April 22, 2007 @ 8:43 pm

244. Jeannie
     Have been feeding Kumpicat, Flint River Ranch & EVO dry for the last month. I believe in mixing foods; always have. As of this week blood/urine tests on both cats OK. Given their choice, they seem to like FRR & EVO the best. Evy’s Kumpi is smaller size - may appeal to some cats. All seem to be free of currently known toxins. Moist food a little more difficult. They loved Fancy Feast. Unfortunately, the varities they liked had gluten as 3rd ingredient. They do not like Felidae, so gave them new Sheba domes (no additives, just mussels, squid, etc.) which they like. No gastro-intestinal problems switching to these foods. Favorite treat food is still deli turkey from Safeway or Raleys. So far so good.

     Comment by Patricia Hill — April 22, 2007 @ 9:54 pm

245. My cat’s canned food is not on the recall list; however, about a month ago he started crying right after eating - I just give him a half of a small can as a treat in the evening. I gave him some water or petted him and he calmed down. But his cries kept getting louder and more mournful until one night he was yowling like a cat I had once that died of cancer before I could put her down - it is a terrible cry, as any cat owner knows. I immediately stopped giving the food and he’s been fine ever since - no more crying. I’m only giving him roasted chicken at night now - the cat food I was feeding him is Fancy Feast by Purina - It could be that he just developed a sensitivity to it that has nothing to do with the recall scare - I don’t know. I would be interested to have that brand tested again, though.

     Comment by Caroline — April 23, 2007 @ 5:10 pm

246. Caroline
     There have been a few people here in N.C. who have complained about Fancy Feast and Fancy Feast Elegant Medley’s. Both in cans.

     Comment by Kathi — April 23, 2007 @ 5:34 pm

247. I was wondering where Halo was canned. The manufacturer doesn’t say and it would be nice to know for my peace of mind.

     It seems like it might be the best choice for a natural and safe food - but I want to make sure the same facility isn’t making food for Wal-Mart and the like, first.(never know these days - sigh)

     Even pulling a few strings and such, the best price I could manage was $2.70 a can, or roughly $45 a month, per cat. Quite pricey. OTOH, $100 a month is about what a small child will run you these days, so I guess it’s fair enough.(work more I guess… heh)

     Comment by Joseph — April 23, 2007 @ 6:44 pm

248. I have not had any problems with Fancy Feast. I give it to my cats as a treat. I use the ocean whitefish & tuna feast and the turkey & giblets feast. I checked the lable and they do not contain any of the recalled stuff. Those two flavors do not have any gravy. But after reading these post - Now I am just not sure. Has anybody had any problem with these two flavors of Fancy Feast?

     Comment by Jeannie — April 23, 2007 @ 7:36 pm

249. joseph,

     i have been emailing back & forth with one woman at halo and when asking her about where and who manufactures their food, she said she cannot disclose who because it is confidential. BUT, she did say because they are still very much a small company who cannot OWN their own kitchen, they have a USDA HUMAN manufacturing facility receive, cook and can all their products.

     to me, i can full well understand a small company not being able to afford their own kitchen. i respect their decision too not to go and use some crappy private label too. instead HALO has relied on a human approved kitchen. i think that stands out above the rest, even wellness, at this point.

     my cat loves his wellness and likes the Halo too, but he really gobles his wellness cans. but, with every can i open lately i am nervous that it will be bad for him. i keep checking recall lists neurotically even though the wellness cans do not have any of the recalled ingredients.

     my only concern with halo is garlic in their food… holistically speaking a little garlic may not be bad for a cat/dog as it has healing properties just as in humans. everything in moderation, i suppose?

     i truly wish halo had more variety than the two flavors they have. the good part about wellness is that there are many canned flavors, one for each day of the week and no repeats!

     ::sigh:: i have asked numerous times in this blog too if anyone has tried halo to find out what they experienced. it sounds like a winner…

     Comment by gp — April 23, 2007 @ 8:12 pm

250. I have a question… I just recently read on another website that Diamond makes Solid Gold food at their facility. Does anyone know if this is true or not? I was wanting to stay away from Diamond brand food because they have been involved in this recall and other recalls in the past. I am very dissapointed because I thought I had finally found a good and safe food for my pets. Now I am back to being worried again. Does anyone have any insight on this or any info on these 2 brands? I have 2 (just opened) brand new 15 lb. bags of Solid Gold dog and cat food, plus treats, and these foods are not cheap. Yesterday I came home and one of my animals, I think it was my 14 yr old doxie, had thrown up all over her crate (she was not locked in her crate) and in front of the crate on the floor. My dogs have a bad habit of eating feces out of the cat litter box (gross I know but I can’t seem to stop them from doing it). I had just switched my cats to the Solid Gold the day before but I am still mixing it in with their old food (Special Kitty dry). Do you think something is wrong with this food that made my dog throw up? I am at a loss at what to do because I thought I had finally found a safe and good pet food for them. Please advise if you can. Thanks, Tammy

     Comment by Tammy W. — April 24, 2007 @ 6:45 am

251. Josheph, Have you thought about Kumpi, Flint River Ranch or Innova? Check out their web sites. I don’t know anything about Halo. $2.70 per can is way more than I can pay. I have 6 cats. I did read in an earlier post that garlic is not good for cats but I don’t know if it is true or not. Ask your vet.

     Comment by Jeannie — April 24, 2007 @ 7:17 am

252. My two 12 year old feline brothers were eating Iams Kitty pouches and Sophisticate kitty pouches for two years before the recall. After March 16 immediately took them off this food. They also have been eating Purina DM Diabetic Dry (with corn gluten) for two years. One brother is diabetic, but vet said they both could eat the same thing. I immediately took both to vet for blood and lab work. Renal function okay for their age. Boy were they lucky. However, I am now still feeding the diabetic dry and giving them “treats” of Gerber veal/or chicken/or turkey baby food so I can get the insulin into one of them. I alternate with a little bit of cooked chicken. My question is-and I am really concerned with all this recall, as is everyone else.-is the corn gluten bad for them too? My vet doesn’t want me to take them off it, but it really concerns me. I need to find a food that I can feed both cats, especially one that is on insulin. Can anyone help me find a good diabetic cat food or suggest what I can make for them myself. They are my children and I need to give them all the protection and care a human can give. But I need your help. Thanks for letting me know some answers.

     Comment by dee — April 24, 2007 @ 8:52 am

253. This is in response to gp. I also feed Wellness canned to my cat. For all their variety he only seems to like the turkey and chicken flavors. I have had no problem however I do stick to the grain free ones. I recently had his blood tested as he had previously eaten some Science Diet Savory Cuts (recalled!) and he is just fine. I also like Wellness because I can buy it at Whole Foods for a reasonable price. Just fyi!

     Ps. Wellness canned also has garlic but I think it’s pretty far down the ingredient list? Also I think I heard somewhere they plan on removing it.

     Comment by Christi — April 24, 2007 @ 10:16 am

254. Thanks Patricia,
     I will try the Flint River Ranch. Did you buy it on-line? Do you feed your cats any can food?

     Comment by Jeannie — April 24, 2007 @ 1:33 pm

255. Thanks Patricia,
     I will try the Flint River Ranch. Do you buy it on-line? Do you feed your cats any can food?

     Comment by Jeannie — April 24, 2007 @ 1:35 pm

256. thanks christi. luckily my cat only turns his nose up at the trout and salmon flavor. all the rest he eats happily. and, they have a new flavor beef & salmon. sometimes though, i think it is funny that a cat eat cow… as an artist, a funny picture is a tiny cat going cow tipping. it really isnt an animal that could be their prey, big diff in size. he likes it though.

     it stil worries me though that they do use menu for some of their wet, but i think it may be for their cheaper line old mother hubbard (sells at petco). and even if the cans do not contain the suspected ingredients.

     funny, i just went to their website and they dont show the cheaper brand, maybe they do not carry it anymore. whenever i am at petco, i see an old mother hubbard brand there, but it is not wellness. ::shrug::

     Comment by gp — April 24, 2007 @ 4:00 pm

257. I feed my girl wellness and sheba now.She doensn’t seem to like the wellness but I have no choice, like all of us. Wellness Core is grain free and so is their canned except for their seafood variety. She really likes only one of the Sheba’s, it’s the seafood coctail. Although, Sheba is not intended as a main food.Since it doesn’t have all the correct nutrients a cat needs.You need to suppliment with a high quality dry food that’s safe. God bless our furry kids.

     Comment by Mary — April 24, 2007 @ 5:07 pm

258. Talk about a CONFLICT of INTEREST if you take an affected pet to a Vet who sold you an affected food (Hill’s prescription cat food, for one, has been recalled.) Will they tell you it was the food?
     And please click for the truth regarding vets and food they sell, or do a quick search for these same facts:
     http://rawfed.com/myths/vets.html

     These are the first ingredients of Hill’s Prescription WD, which one veterinarian, aggressively, tried pushing on us: Ground Whole Grain Corn, Powdered Cellulose, Peanut Hulls, Chicken by-product Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Meal, Soybean Mill Run, Dried Egg Product, Soybean Oil, Corn Gluten Meal, Iron Oxide, Choline Chloride, L-Lysine, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin …

     PROS:
     CONS: Inadequate meat content, use of by-products, low quality grain fragments, carcinogenic chemical preservatives…

     The first ingredient in this food is Corn. Corn is a difficult to digest grain, which limits its nutritional value for dogs. We consider this to be a low quality ingredient. It is also commonly associated with allergy and skin problems. Corn appears a second time on the ingredient list as corn gluten meal. This is the “dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ …. In plain English, that which remains after all the nutritious bits have been removed. Powdered cellulose is further filler - more commonly known as sawdust. Peanut hulls are the ground outer casings of peanuts, and an utter waste product…

     This food uses by-products as the sole meat-related ingredient. Chicken by-product meal - a very low quality ingredient … http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com.....&cat=7

     Don’t have to take these sites’ word for anything, as the info is all out there — and food info is right on the bags themselves!

     The best of vets do not have the time to sell SD and other not-so-good foods, as they are too busy DIAGNOSING and TREATING, and are more than sufficiently overwhelmed with business due to their reputation & word of mouth alone — thus the much less convenient appointment availability! Please look to a Holistic vet for diet advice, and look to a “no frills” vet to just get to the bottom of health issues. Sure, “no frills” vet offices may not be so fancy, or have multiple receptionists. But their ONLY (profit) goal is to just disgnose and treat!!

     After having dogs under the care of wonderful veterinarians for over five decades, our family has now learned the hard way to RUN from places pushing substandard dog food.

     Comment by Gem — April 24, 2007 @ 5:57 pm

259. I have been feeding my dogs canidae. IT seems to be ok. Does anyone have any comments on this dog food.

     Comment by carroll sheldon — April 24, 2007 @ 11:12 pm

260. I NO LONGER WANT TO KNOW what commercial pet food is safe…I researched proper home cooked balanced meals for my 2 specific furbabies including supplements and fit for human consumption foods…Evidently most of the commercial pet food industry think pet-parents are too ignorant to learn and cook for our lil furry kids….I WILL NEVER BUY COMMERCIAL PET FOOD AGAIN —-EVER! ..and from what I hear, I’m not the only one who feels this way..

     Comment by Steve Ras — April 25, 2007 @ 12:45 am

261. Jeannie. I am feeding our 5 cats Innova. With my fingers crossed. They have liked it in the past but one of my cats has a sensitive stomach so having been told by an employee of a small pet store that a lot of people have been having luck with the Natural Balance Venision and Pea…we gave it a try and it seemed to be helping. In the meantime our vet also recommended Hills Prescription z/d which we bought(both dry and soft) The cats wouldn’t even touch the soft stuff and after they recalled the Hills other prescription food, C/D I believe. I immediatelly snatched away and returned the Hills our pet prescribed. THANK GOD! Then went back to Natural Balance Venision and pea, which I had researched thouroughly (hmmmmph!) I was diligently checking this site and Itchmos for the latest news and recalls and sure enough, there came the Natural Balance. Somehow by pure luck, karma, angels, god, or whatever you believe our five all SEEM to be ok. Well one is behaving a bit strange, or maybe I’m just paranoid. Anyway so I went back to Innova. I choose an upset, sensitive stomach and ugly poos over a poisoned family member. I know Innova has some ingredients that folks don’t believe in and that it is made by Natura whom had some of their canned food packaged at Menu. But while we get our raw food process down and also the need for a transition, Innova is the one I feel safest with, and that’s not very safe mind you. Now I’m worried about where to get the raw food ingredients, if there might be poisoned live stock now! OK HERE IT IS I HAVE THE AWNSWER! We are all going to have to build our own farms, raise our own rabbits, chickens, turkeys, and cows,etc. Grow our own grains, fruit and vegetables and THEN we can feed our pets. HA. I’m not making light on the subject. Believe me. I just think we all need a little relief, something to smile about and a light at the end of the tunnel. Me myself I feel like punching something or throwing up……somehow we’ll all get through this. Love and good thoughts go out to you all. Thanks for all the insight/input. My gratitude goes beyond words.

     Comment by Amy Jo — April 25, 2007 @ 1:54 am

262. Some cats apparently are allergic to milk but many more cats love milk and thrive on it (picture the Norman Rockwell style vintage pictures of barn cats hanging around the stalls at milking time.) A veterinarian who has posted on this site said she was taught in vet school that milk was “bad” for cats but has now started feeding her own cats milk. My house cats have always been given saucers of milk a few times a week as a treat and have had have no allergic or digestive issues. They hang around and get their milk at the same time other family members are pouring milk on morning cereal. I have recently started giving the cats goats milk that I puchase (at considerable expense) by the quart in my local grocery store. I tried it thinking that goat’s milk is ofen given to infant children because it is thought easier to digest than cow’s milk and also I felt that the small goat herds used to produce the milk were probably less likely to get hormones and other additives in their feed than cows in huge commercial dairy operations do.

     My goat milk experiment has been a huge success with my city kitties. Thought I’d pass along my experience for anyone else who may be looking to ramp up the quality of their cats’ food intake.

     Comment by elizabeth R. — April 25, 2007 @ 5:51 am

263. Amy Jo. I know jut how you feel. I have 6 cats and 1 dog. It absolutly drives me crazy to think that I might poison one of them. I was feeding my dog the Alpo Prime Cuts. I changed him the the Canned Chicken Soup brand and so far so good. I am still just watching him to see if he needs a blood test or not. My cats were on Prescription Diet which I have now found out is just “JUNK” & by-products. I have ordered some KUMPIKAT & FLINT RIVER RANCH on-line. What is your opinion of those foods? My cats seem to like the Innova but my vet did tell my that the Innova EVO was too high in protien. I also still feed two flavors of Fancy Feast(no gravy) as a treat. My cats just will not eat any “Good” canned cat food. It cost a lot more and they just walk away from it and I end up feeding it to some of the Feral cats I feed at the park. The more you read on the internet the more confusing it is. Some say dry food is better and some say can food is better. Some say Meal meat is better and some say it is not. I just wish somebody would do some research and tell us just what is the BEST and safest cat food. One site says the number one food for cats is Innova EVO but my vet feels differently. I also want to find a “GOOD” food that my picky cats will eat. They will not eat Felidae. Check out KumpiKat & Flint River Ranch.

     Comment by Jeannie — April 25, 2007 @ 8:05 am

264. I have fed my cats and dogs a raw meat diet with powder supplements from Feline Instincts for 12 years. They don’t see the vet but for once a year for their ck ups. My olderest cat is 18 this November. Thats’ 88 years old in their lifetime :)

     Warm Regards
     Felice

     Comment by Felice — April 25, 2007 @ 8:40 am

265. ” i think it is funny that a cat eat cow… as an artist, a funny picture is a tiny cat going cow tipping. it really isnt an animal that could be their prey,”
     Comment by gp — April 24, 2007 @ 4:00 pm

     This is true! If a cat food maker wants to get close to a cat’s original diet maybe flavors like ” mouse & cricket medley” or “baby rabbit w/ catnip”. Of course humans would probably not buy these. Chicken w/sweet potatoes sounds much better to us.

     Comment by Christi — April 25, 2007 @ 9:12 am

266. In light of the FDA announcing a pro-active investigation of all protein concentrates, I’m back on the Heartgard chewables again. There is soy protein in the ingredients. Have been trying to call Merial and there is constant busy signal.
     If ANYone can get through to them, please post what they say here. Looked up the information. Jerry Belle is CEO. Dr. Zack Mills exec dir vet services. Forget using 800 numbers. Will only get a call center. If the directory is correct the actual phone number is 678-417-7507. I will keep trying. Looking for an answer before pets go to vet on Saturday for heartworm test.

     Comment by VJ — April 25, 2007 @ 9:29 am

267. Cattle meats don’t go over well for many cats. I have one cat that throws it right up. But poultry meats like skinless boneless chicken thighs and breasts my cats love. Also dark ground turkey, but not as much as the chicken. I used to imagine a domestic cat trying to bring down at cow and thought that was so funny! But actually, cats in the wild are very much like our lions and tigers who do eat those kinds of meat. Their systems are not that much different from our domestic cats..being true carnovores they really do well on balanced homemade raw diets :)

     I’d love to see that art work of your kitty going out cow tipping that would be fun :)

     Warm Regards
     Felice

     Comment by Felice — April 25, 2007 @ 11:07 am

268. This website offers natural pet food (baked) and treats. They are NOT on the recall list.
     Check out the website completely, read their news and mission statement at http://www.frrc.com

     Comment by Melissa havez — April 26, 2007 @ 10:36 am

269. Does anyone about feeding a dog Beggin {sp?] strips? I have a friends dog who just died after eating the snacks. thanks, Trudy

     Comment by Trudy Jackson — April 26, 2007 @ 6:22 pm

270. I just switched my pups to Canidae. Their products don’t contain any wheat, corn, or soy. The company replied to my email with this info:
     All ingredients are grown and/or raised in the US.
     Their cannery is a small, family operated facility in Illinois.
     Their dry foods are produced at their plant in Texas.

     Comment by Debra — April 26, 2007 @ 8:37 pm

271. MY CATS didn’t like my homemade food the first day, but they just love it now, I guess it had to grow on them. I boiled 4 legs and 4 thighs of chicken with a head of broccoli and some baby carrots. The broccoli got overboiled, which is just as well because it disentegrated into the chicken stock. I added 1 cup of cooked rice to 2 cups of chicken, the carrots were smashed in the mix. I put in blender and added chicken stock from pot until it would mix in blender. This is my first recipe so far and it has worked out good. Next I am going to try beef and some beef liver and do the some thing with it. It turns out to cost the same as canned food if I buy the meat on sale. Also added a couple pinches of Iodized salt.

     Comment by lori anderson — April 26, 2007 @ 9:00 pm

272. Ziggy,

     I read somewhere that you want emails from Natral Balance. I have some correspondence with them. Lots of lies. Will be happy to email to you.

     Comment by 5CatMom — April 27, 2007 @ 5:26 am

273. According to Diamond, their Lamb and Rice formula, just put on the recall list, canned food contains no rice protein but “rice flour” is listed. I’ve been giving my 4 kitties Zukes Natural PurrZ treats (Zukes d.b.a. Performance Pet Nutrition, Durango, Co.). Third on the ingredient list is “rice flour”….I GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     Comment by Phyllis — April 27, 2007 @ 5:49 am

274. For what it’s worth, here’s my criterion for selecting food(s):

     1. The company must be privately held - It must be run by folks who are truly interested in making pet food, and NOT by a board of directors, CEO’s etc., who’s only interest is the “bottom line”.

     2. The company must manufacture it’s own food, in it’s on plant - A company that outsources it’s manufacturing can’t control the process or the quality of the finished product.

     3. If the company doesn’t own the manufacturing process (i.e., it uses a contract plant), the management team must be very proactive in dealing with the contract plant.

     Do they have a contract that prohibits the switching of ingredients? Are they on site, doing their own testing, when their food is being made?

     4. The company must be willing to answer questions with no “attitude”.

     5. The company must NEVER have been involved in recall, or received notice from FDA.

     6. All ingredients must be the highest grade possible, and grown/produced in the USA.

     There is much excellent discussion on the blogs wrt ingredients, but, for me, the company behind the food is a very BIG DEAL.

     Hope this helps.

     Comment by 5CatMom — April 27, 2007 @ 5:54 am

275. Our beagle and 2 cats are on Royal Canin ivd diets, not the recall ones, however I just ordered 2 bags from TimberWolf Organics.
     I do not trust anything anymore from the commercialpet food industry. I will have to mix the old one with the new one, even what I feed it was not on the list who tells us that will not be recalled tomorrow?
     And do not start me with FDA!!!

     Comment by OuraniaM — April 27, 2007 @ 10:24 am

276. Currently feeding Felidae, but had bought a bag of Serengeti dry made by Timberwolf Organics. Now I’ve read that Timberwolf food is made in the Chenago Valley plant that some of the latest recalls have been from. Can anyone verify if this is true? If so I just do not feel comfortable feeding them this and will stick to the Felidae. Thanks!

     Comment by Belinda — April 27, 2007 @ 11:15 am

277. I’ve fed my cats with no problem Whiskas, Sheba, Fancy Feast, and Purina Pro Plan. Unfortunately, due to info I’ve learned through recalls, such as how much of food is filler, etc., and the fact that I have extremely finicky, spoiled cats, I’ve been trying other canned foods, like Innova. Now I’m finding out many of the new products I’ve been trying, in an effort to find something safe, healthy, and well-liked by my cats are being recalled. Such as Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Canine Caviar, Natural Balance, and Spa Select. Grrr. Think I’m gonna go back to Whiskas, Fancy Feast, and Pro Plan. At least I know they’re safe and tolerable to the cats. By the way, I have yet to hear anything bad about 9 Lives or Friskies (my cats just don’t like them!).

     Comment by Krystal — April 27, 2007 @ 1:07 pm

278. Re feeding pets- I’m hoping our experiences can help someone, so here is our experience in feeding our pets. We believe in “real” food, and have always fed our cats & dogs with so-called “people food” from the supermarket (details below), the same as we eat (except they don’t get sugar, junk food or added salt) Whenever our pets would go to the vet for routine visits, they would get compliments on their perfect weight, muscle tone, coats, etc and the vet would then ask us what we feed them and then would tell us it was “wrong” to do so- right after telling us how healthy & great looking they were! Unfortunately we did supplement their diets with an unlimited supply of commercial dry food (we’ve found that after the first few days our pets didn’t overeat when allowed to eat as much as they wanted) and we now believe that contaminated dry food was causing digestive problems in our cats these past few months. Unfortunately we didn’t realize that the dry pet food was the likely problem and assumed that because our cats were getting older and had dental problems (they already had bad teeth before we got them from the shelter 9 years ago) that they weren’t properly chewing the beef & pork they shared with our Pekingese dogs and we started chasing them away from the real meat in order to make them eat the vet-recommended commercial petfood (Iams) As soon as we heard about the first recalls we took away all commercial petfood, but for our female cat it was already too late. She went from being very healthy & active to having severe kidney problems and was not able to be saved. Our other cat, who was quite a bit bigger & probably a bit younger, is recovering and has gone from eating baby food meat while recuperating to eating broiled chicken breast & fish (& back to nibbling on the dog’s beef & pork too). Our dogs are no longer getting contaminated beef jerky treats (which I never should have let them eat in the first place) or commercial dog biscuits and now get biscuits & treats from the Three Dog Bakery. We are never giving any of them commercial petfood again. Anyway, a typical menu for the dogs revolves around either London Broil beef, broiled rare and sliced into small pieces or boneless pork chops, well-done & again finely cut up. Vets have told us that a homemade diet doesn’t provide adequate calcium, but they LOVE cheese and get a snack of cheese after every walk (note-cheese is probably the one food they would eat to excess if allowed to do so, so they get regular small portions rather than unlimited). In addition, they are allowed to eat anything else we have that is not harmful for them…they’ll nibble at ham and bread from a sandwich, or occasionally have scrambled eggs (they like parmesan cheese on theirs), and they also love apples (no peel or core) and zucchini (grapes are supposedly not good for them, so we don’t give them any even though I personally feel the warnings are exaggerated, and I’ve heard (from a bio professor) not to give them asparagus. Also don’t give them anything they can choke on, like nuts) Until recently they also got Nutrastat vitamins. Anyway, on this diet- beef or pork, cheese, and biscuits made with high-quality ingredients, supplemented by whatever else they like that won’t hurt them- the dogs are in great shape. For large dogs this diet may be too expensive but for smaller dogs it’s actually quite manageable. Oh..they also drink bottled water (they also don’t get booster shots, take hearworm or flea medication, & aren’t spayed..but that’s a whole other topic) They seem to regulate their calorie intake naturally, and by having both the meat and biscuits be unlimited (biscuits are available anytime, and meat is offered every few hours, though they usually choose to eat a big meat meal from once to three times per day) they can determine their own protein/carbohydrate balance. When they’re not hungry they’ll turn down even the most enticing foods, and they don’t beg or fight over food (in fact, they enjoy sharing, bringing food over for the other pets to eat..it’s a bedtime ritual for the dogs to carry biscuits into the bed to proudly share with each other, and it took them a long time to realize the cats didn’t want any, no matter how often they dropped them in front of them) Ok, I’m rambling on way too long, but just want to add that for any vets who advise against “table scraps” that the oldest dog in the book of records got that way on a diet of kangaroo meat & “table scraps”, not commercial dog food. Commercial pet food is basically a way of making a profit from the stuff they can’t sell for people, cause it’s not good enough. Don’t let anyone scare you into thinking you can’t figure out what to feed your pet…cats & dogs were doing just fine before pet food was ever invented.

     Comment by Pat & Lori — April 27, 2007 @ 2:32 pm

279. thank you pat & lori

     Comment by gp — April 27, 2007 @ 5:35 pm

280. has anyone heard of pet promise? dr. weil uses this brand for his two dogs…

     http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA363509

     http://www.petpromiseinc.com/index.htm

     Comment by gp — April 27, 2007 @ 5:49 pm

281. anyone heard of pet promise? dr. weil feeds his two dogs this brand.

     http://www.petpromiseinc.com/index.htm

     Comment by gp — April 27, 2007 @ 6:02 pm

282. Has anyone here tried Orijen cat food? Did your cats like it?

     I’m impressed that they manufacture all their own food.

     Comment by siameezer — April 27, 2007 @ 7:08 pm

283. Patricia,
     Did you know that Flint River Ranch cat food contains corn gluten. Are you sure that is a safe food? Does anybody know anything about Life’s Abundance food for Cats. My cats do seem to like KumpiKat pretty good but I am still worried about all pet food right now.

     Comment by Jeannie — April 27, 2007 @ 8:30 pm

284. My dog has been eating the Chicken Soup Brand. I was feeding him the recalled Alpo. The type I feed him is not on the recall list but a bunch of other Chicken Soup types are. I do not trust the brand anymore. What is a good CAN dog food? My dog will not eat dry food.

     Comment by Jeannie — April 27, 2007 @ 8:32 pm

285. menu foods boycott petition

     http://www.petitiononline.com/.....ition.html

     Comment by gp — April 28, 2007 @ 12:33 pm

286. Why doesn’t the ingreidents on the Natural Balance Ultra Premium Ocean Fish include PROTIEN CONSENTRATE? They recalled this food because of this and yet it is not listed. How misleading is this??? What is it called? Is it the brown rice flour? It makes you feel like to really don’t know what to look for now.

     Comment by Jeannie — April 29, 2007 @ 9:27 am

287. Diamond makes Solid Gold and Serengetti, and Natural Balance DRY

     Sandi Ruscetta
     Massachusetts

     Comment by sandi — April 29, 2007 @ 9:45 am

288. BREAKING NEWS: Menu Foods Recall Expands Dramatically to Include New Wheat Gluten May 2nd, 2007
     This recall expansion covers dozens of new brands and foods. Menu Foods is now recalling all of their food that contains wheat gluten regardless of the importer.

     US List: Brands covered in expansion are listed after the jump

     http://www.menufoods.com/recall/PressReleaseUS0502 … of the new additional recalled brands)

     Comment by Jeannie — May 3, 2007 @ 8:29 am

289. I have been feeding my cat fancy feast turkey and giblets for several years. She has now developed a rodent ulcer on her lip. I was wondering if this is connected to arsenic and if it could be in her food.

     Comment by roni — June 21, 2007 @ 2:36 am

290. What was or is the Wal-Mart/Beneful nightmare? I ask this question because my dog ate Beneful/Purina products dry food only, and I lost her on May 18, 2007. I know is was the dry food, Purina that I bought at PetSmart. I use to buy her food only at Target and because the PetSmart had just opened up in our area, I bought the same food for her and she died within two weeks of eating it with all the same pet food recall symptoms. Vomiting, diarreah, excessive urination, lethargy, sudden loss of alot of weight and some dark bloody stool and at the end blood in urine and labored breathing. We have got to get to the real bottom of this, do something about it so that our precious companions needless deaths won’t be in vain. God Bless everyone suffering. We must never forget and not give up. Those to blame need to be held accountable for this and the laws need to be changed so that this NEVER happens again.

     Comment by Julina — June 27, 2007 @ 11:35 am

291. I just wanted to add one more thing, I have met someone else who lost a pet from the tainted food, he bought the food at Wal-Mart. I am starting to believe that there is a connection. I believe that Wal-Mart owns PetSmart and after reading several blogs regarding the tainted food and loss pets of the pet food recall, I am now wondering if it is possible that the pets that were loss, the owners bought the food from PetSmart and Wal-Mart? I wonder if anyone is starting a tally so that we can know for sure? It would be a good idea to start a blog asking the owners of pets who died or who became ill just exactly where they purchased the pet food? If I knew how to start a blog online I would.

     Comment by Julina — June 27, 2007 @ 11:43 am

292. I just wrote another comment and somehow it did not get posted?

     I wish someone would post a blog asking pet owners whose pet(s) had been loss or became ill from the suspected tainted food where they purchased the food. I think that there may be a connection. I met a man that loss his cat and he bought the food at Wal-Mart. Doesn’t Wal-Mart own PetSmart?????

     Comment by Julina — June 27, 2007 @ 11:48 am

293. I just lost over this past weekend my cat that I’ve had for many years. He was an older cat and unfortunately died of complete renal failure. Seven days ago he was diagnosed with possible renal failure due to the results from bloodwork. I have been feeding him Hills Science Diet hairball control light formula for a long time now with no ill effects…up until the time of this recall. I talked extensively with my vet yesterday who told me that NEVER in the history of his practice that he have a cat that went down so fast. He has a number of cats now that are on fluid therapy to help with their kidney damage and live good comfortable lives. I believe this product was contaminated and that unfortunately Colgate doesn’t care enough to maintain the proper controls on their manufacturing. I believe they are responsible…and should pay for their negligence. If anyone else has lost a pet to the same food, please let me know by dropping me an email at corobinj@hotmail.com

     Comment by Robin Anderson — July 24, 2007 @ 7:32 am

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