Pet-food recall: Durbin calls for hearings, Wal-Mart offers recipes … and more
By Gina Spadafori
April 5, 2007
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- If you want to know what you can do, please read our call to action
- If you want to read all our recall-related blog posts, click here.
First and foremost. A big thank-you to Sen. Durbin for taking up this issue and calling for an investigation of the FDA and its response. Now, write and call your elected representatives to get on board.
Write. Call. Write. Call.
This is a bi-partisan issue, transcending political differences. The majority of American have pets. And all Americans eat. We need to fix what’s broken, or next time, it’ll be worse.
Here’s a video of this afternoon’s press conference. And more, from the Chicago Tribune (need a log-in?):
As officials announced an expanded pet food recall today, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said that the Senate will hold an oversight hearing on the investigation and regulatory mechanisms that govern the pet food industry.
During a press conference today in Wicker Park, Durbin (D-Ill.) said the role of the Food and Drug Administration needs to be expanded to prevent future threats to humans and animals, and to penalize companies that delay reporting health issues.
“The FDA is like a fire department that is only called after the house is burned down,” Durbin said. “We have to change that system.”
Durbin added that the FDA needs to establish a standardized set of regulations and inspection requirements to replace the patchwork of state inspection systems currently in place.
Durbin also said a centralized Web site needs to be created to allow better communication between consumers, veterinarians and the federal government.
“To wait for this information to make it back to Washington and back to consumers is unacceptable,” he said. He said the Senate hearing will be held shortly after the body returns from recess next week.
The “I had to rub my eyes and look at the screen again” moment for the day was this paragraph near the bottom of a media release from Wal-Mart:
For pet owners searching for homemade recipes designed for their specific pet, visit Dr. [Sean] Delaney’s website at http://www.balanceit.com. A free recipe is available by typing in “Wal-Mart” in the promo code box.
Did I just read that Wal-Mart is going to help you make home-made food for your pet, or have I lost it?
Hill’s Pet Nutrition sent an e-mail to veterinarians (and a lot of them are reading this blog, based on dozens who sent it to us!) offering to help them with costs associated with the recall of Prescription Diet® m/d® Feline dry pet food:
As you know, Hill’s makes all its products with an overriding commitment to the health and well being of pets. With that in mind, on March 30, we notified you of our decision in conjunction with the FDA to issue a precautionary voluntary recall of a single product, Prescription Diet® m/d® Feline dry pet food, our only product containing the wheat gluten at issue other than the earlier recalled Science Diet® Savory Cuts® pet food. A list of recalled products is available on our website, www.HillsPet.com. This recall was done in an abundance of caution, as the FDA has not yet been able to determine a cause for any pet illness.
However, to further reinforce our commitment to both pets and the veterinary profession, Hill’s is announcing a plan to offset medical screening costs you have incurred to support your clients who have purchased Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry pet food from January 2007 to the present.
Hill’s has decided to take this action to help support so many in the profession who have already extended themselves to assist their clients during this difficult time.
The program will provide a one time payment of $100 per patient tested. This is being made available to help offset the costs of standard tests that would otherwise be borne by your client or yourself. In the case of tests previously conducted, it is up to you to reimburse your clients for out of pockets costs up to $100. This payment shall be available for all requests thru May 30, 2007.
No link to this notice on any Web site I have access to, and no way to know how this relates to any financial assistance for people who have purchased recalled Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans.
Finally, San Francisco public radio station KQED spent an hour of their excellent program Forum today looking at the pet-food recall and the issues involved. Link to the audio is here.
Update: Dan from CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 just let us know they’ll be interviewing someone from the FDA on the show tonight (10 PM ET), and doing some additional coverage of the recall.
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Wal-Mart is right up to speed - Helping us with all our needs.
Do corporations really have a soul? Did Wal-Mart offer condolences to the pet owners who have lost their beloved friends. Maybe they did and I missed it.
I don’t blame Wal-Mart, they only bought the stuff, tell me I’m right about this.
Just when I think I’ve heard it all, something new pops up. Lions and Tigers and Wal-Mart, oh my!
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
Thank you Sen. Durbin. We look forward to this being brought to the floor. And support 100% a complete and thorough investigation into the FDA and Pet Food Industry.
Comment by Steve — April 5, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
Is there any info on when the next major news conference (FDA or anyone else) will be held regarding the recall? Or do we just assume they have nothing new to report and they’ll “let us know”?
Comment by slt — April 5, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
Balanceit.com keeps spamming my blog. I went to the site and put in walmart, and tried to get a free recipe and they keep trying to sell me supplements.
not free!
Nancy
Comment by nancy — April 5, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
Time Article
http://www.time.com/time/natio.....83,00.html
Comment by Steve — April 5, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
Not to sound like a corporate stooge of WalMart - I’m not a big fan, you could say - but what has PetSmart contributed to this debate? Or PetCo? Nothing. They’re knee-deep in this, and yet they’re in no hurry to bite the hands that feed them, even though they’ve probably lost more on this recall than any other retailers.
I spent some time in my local PetSmart this week, watching customers reading recall notices and checking labels. One young guy caught my attention. He was toting a cat carrier holding his eight month old cat, who used to eat Iams dry, but was now in kidney failure and hadn’t eaten in a week. The sales people were helping him look for milk replacers recommended by the vets at the resident Banfield, who probably didn’t know what else to tell the poor guy. I hope his kitten lived - he was a beautiful boy.
To be fair, pet food retailers may be pissed off for other reasons, too. One PetSmart manager who asked not be named told me Monday, “We’re the nation’s biggest pet food retailer, so you’d think they’d keep us in the loop.” Wonder how he feels tonight.
Comment by Laura — April 5, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
I had read Wal-Mart was slow to pull the tainted food off their shelves because they had not been notified by corporate. IF Wal-Mart is doing anything it is just PR. Wal-Mart has completely forgot the ideas Sam Walton founded the company on…..customer service & treat the employees good.
Comment by Terry — April 5, 2007 @ 7:37 pm
Comment by Terry — April 5, 2007 @ 7:37 pm
I think we’ve established they’ve forgotten the second part, anyway. :)
On one hand, I’m mad at everyone involved in selling this crap. On the other hand, I keep going back to the question of who’s really responsible for our food safety. It’s the FDA. Maybe it shouldn’t be, and maybe we should talk about that. But for now, it’s them.
As tempting as it might be to blame Bush, as many here have, that’s not really accurate. The gutting of the FDA preceded Bush. It’s a long standing problem that’s suddenly starting to catch up with us. That’s why Gina’s right when she says this will require a bipartisan solution. After all, it’s a bipartisan problem.
Comment by Laura — April 5, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
I sent Petmart an email asking who was going to pay for the $90 blood test I gave my dog (he was on recalled nutro canned - purchased from Petsmart). Petsmart Corporate called two days ago and said they are going to reimburse me for the test.. We faxed them the vet bill and receipt of food purchase yesterday. I was surprised to hear from them. Nutro has completely ignored my emails….
Comment by Jeanine — April 5, 2007 @ 7:47 pm
Comment by Laura — April 5, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
The Pet Food Industry has also succeeded in damaging business and families as well. Think about how the people who own small pet shops, stores, and pet boutiques all across America who don’t have a Pet Marts deep pockets must feel.
Comment by Steve — April 5, 2007 @ 7:47 pm
Thank you, Senator Durbin, for having the courage to ask the questions we need answered!
Here’s the interview my husband and I did here in Dallas about our dog, Freedom. The title of the piece is incorrect. We were one of the lucky ones as Freedom is still with us. I don’t think she’ll ever be the same though.:( My heart goes out to the pets who are still suffering or who have died and their people.
http://tinyurl.com/2gmfef
Comment by Ann Jackson — April 5, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
Ooooops. Tech Guys! Text Wrap!
Be sure to use this for an extra long link people.
Or it throws the page out of whack.
http://tinyurl.com/create.php
Comment by Steve — April 5, 2007 @ 7:50 pm
I hope we all can pull together to make needed changes, not only in our pet food but also the quality of our human food - I am losing all confidence.
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 7:53 pm
I am losing all confidence.
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 7:53 pm
EJECT that thought from your consciousness immediately. Things that are truly worthwhile in life never come easy.
Comment by Steve — April 5, 2007 @ 7:58 pm
Right, gee maybe I forgot that or something strange….
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
The minute you begin to think that thought, toss it away!
Comment by Steve — April 5, 2007 @ 8:09 pm
Comment by Laura — April 5, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
At a local PetSmart, a cashier was attacked by an enraged pet owner who’s pet had died. The police had to be called in. My neighbor saw it with his own eyes. People are very angry.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 5, 2007 @ 8:13 pm
I did get a recipe from the site. Just delete the suppliment from the total page and put in Wal-Mart in the promo code and you finally get your recipe.
I guess Wal Mart is like everywhere else, some better than others. The local Wal Mart here pulled everything quickly but didn’t post any thing about why the food was gone so if someone didn’t know they would have just thought it was out of stock. They did pull everything reguardless of codes and dates at least and didn’t return any of it to the shelves as of today.
Comment by Maureen (Lilly and Lucy's Mom) — April 5, 2007 @ 8:14 pm
Good report on CNN tonight.
The FDA’s Sundlof was on, doing his usual soothing schtick. He said the FDA has now traced all the tainted gluten, and none made it into pet food. His reason for the two week delay before today’s recalls? Sundloff conceded ChemNutra had sold gluten to another middleman, who then sold it to Sunshine, and so “It took us a while to track it down.” No word on why it took so long to issue the second recall at Menu, but I digress.
In the report, Sundloff talked openly about concerns that melamine may have been deliberately added to the gluten to raise its protein level, and hence its price. Personally, I’m not sure this isn’t meant to distract public attention from the fact his agency failed to find the problem - i.e. it’s the terrorists fault, not ours. But whatever, at least they’re talking about it.
The report also said “Vets think the worst of the recall is over.” (No word on which vets think this.) But CNN did at least openly question the FDA’s “official” numbers of deaths, which is a nice change for MSM.
Comment by Laura — April 5, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
Has anyone considered this may be another terroist act? The FDA doesnt monitor or regulate food sources brought into the US. They dont monitor employees of companies who work in the factories to produce this food. The US allows purchases of food from CHINA (thanks to Bush) and who knows where else. This junk comes from who knows where and it is processed and made into food for US consumption. This is just the beginning. First it’s our 4 legged friends, next it will be us.
Comment by Martin — April 5, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
It should be noted that Wal-Mart, despite the difficult to get to free recipe, is not just a store victimized by the manufacturers. They are one of the private label “manufacturers,” buying product from Menu or whoever and badging it with “Old Roy” or whatever it’s called. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Pet Smart and some of the others may be in the same boat, too. Same with Del Monte and the rest, too. The consumer buys products with the belief that if it’s your label, you are producing it. Menu has liabilities, of course, but these companies have a responsibility and liabilities as well. They aren’t just victims.
Comment by Brian Bell — April 5, 2007 @ 9:02 pm
I was at Senator Durbin’s conference today. To be honest, I was disappointed in the turnout. Lots of people are “outraged” and complaining on blogs and message boards but yet no one wants to do anything. If you have time to post your outrage on blogs and message boards, you have time to email or write an old fashioned snail mail letter to your congressmen and women. Ask them to stand with Senator Durbin (IL), Senator Kohl (WI), Rep. Kucinich (OH), and Rep Delauro (CT). We do a lot of complaining about politics in the US and how our congressmen and women don’t represent us. Make your voice heard. They don’t read minds.
Comment by Heather — April 5, 2007 @ 9:16 pm
EVERYONE, CHECK THIS OUT:
I stumbled across this site (I believe on howl911). It’s a march, nationwide, on April 28, protesting this debacle. Here’s the site:
http://keepourpetssafe.braveho.....march.html
(Sorry, can’t figure out how to link here)
ANYWAY, I figured by sharing this here, it’ll get more attention. SO many people are checking this site, let’s make this big news and make this protest huge! It’s in response to the recalls, so I’m sure all of us can be on board. AS they say on their website:
Why we march…
We are marching in memory of our pets that have lost their lives, we are marching in memory of those pets that are fighting for their lives, we march as pet owners, dog lovers, cat lovers and average citizens that are tired of the lowered safety standards for goods coming in to this country.
Comment by Krystal Kubichek — April 5, 2007 @ 9:23 pm
Senator Durbin has been wonderful on this issue and I am very grateful to him. Now, everyone, write to your senators and congressmen and congresswomen, Democrat and Republican. Ask them to join with Senators Durbin and Kohl and Representatives Kucinich and DeLauro. Let’s try to get some broad bipartisan sponsorship for legislation to keep this from happening again.
Comment by Pam — April 5, 2007 @ 9:27 pm
Yes, thank you Sen. Durbin for finally calling for a hearing on the handling of the pet food recall. I am sorry I was unable to attend the press conference to show my support because I totally agree that the system is broken… However, I was too busy working trying to pay off my $2,300.00 vet bill.
Why are they still reporting only a small number of deaths? Why can’t the FDA recall a product? When I made my report to the FDA I could not get a copy or the report or number the rep told me they were overwhelmed with the number of complaints! Really, how about re-staffing important agencies like the FDA!
I would like a warning label on any food product that has any additive purchased outside of the USA….plus, why are we buying food products from China, last time I checked we had plenty of farmers who knew how to grow wheat. Lets stop shipping those jobs overseas as well.
Yes, I am writing to everyone I can think of. Yes, I am telling everyone I can about what happened to my dog but it’s still amazing how many people think it’s only a few pets.
First, lets get the numbers right! Hopefully Sen. Durbin and his call to action will finally set the story straight. This should scare everyone into action, I don’t understand why it has not.
Greer H.
Comment by Greer H. — April 5, 2007 @ 9:39 pm
I am just sick. This whole mess is so unreal… We have 7 dogs here, all healthy so far (knock on wood) we haven’t fed any of the foods on the recall list and were feeling worried, but just watching in dread that one of our foods would turn up. I’ve been asking everyone I know what they feed, and pointing them to this web site and fda site, etc. Then tonight I find out that my Aunt lost her beagle girl last month. And here’s the kicker she decided she wouldn’t be getting another dog in the near future so she gave her leftover cans of food to her daughters for their dogs, and she threw in the cat food she had been giving to the feral cats that for some reason haven’t been coming around lately.. ARGH!! She called the kids as soon as she heard about the recalls, and they hope they have ducked a bullet but…
Anyhow, keep talking about this some folks still haven’t got the word.
Comment by Schnauzer — April 5, 2007 @ 10:32 pm
Durbin needs to launch a full scale investigation. Bringing in the FBI and any other Law Enforcement support necessary to get to the bottom of this.
Justice needs to be served for these Corporate crimes. Up to and including prison sentences.
Comment by Steve — April 6, 2007 @ 6:36 am
HILL’S PET NUTRITION: READ THEIR LETTER TO VETS ABOVE CAREFULLY (LAST 3 PARAGRAPHS)
>WORKING ON SAVING THEIR SALES OUTLETS VIA VET CLINICS - MONEY GOING TO VETS WHO MAY HAVE HAD SOME OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES AND TO CLIENTS? I’M NOT SAYING HILL’S DOESN’T CARE ABOUT ANIMALS; IT JUST LOOKS TO ME AS IF THEY’RE TRYING TO PROTECT SALES.
Belive me, I’m not saying anything wrong about veterinarians because I’ve had excellent care from my local vet as well as from various departments at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals when I took an animal there for diagnostics, treatments, surgeries, and checkups over several years. I’ve always tried to give my animals the very best medical care.
But there is some total immersion training going on in some vet schools by pet food companies apparently and some conflict of interest about pet foods. I’m not saying that Hill’s is in Cornell or not because I don’t know. I’m speaking in general.
When a pet food company is teaching IN some vet colleges and the only brands an impressionable 20+ year old prospective vet is being exposed to by pet food experts (vets from the company) are their own brands, what brands do you think the future vet will recommend? I don’t care how intelligent the vet student is; it’s the immersion and exposure factor. IMHO, there is a huge conflict of interest here, folks. Perhaps a more balanced view needs to be presented.
Before the recalls, how many people here thought that Hill’s prepared their own food and assumed that since it was from a vet’s office (formulas being medically derived), that it had to be the very best food and DIDN’T EVEN GIVE A THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD APPEAR IN A RECALL BECAUSE HILL’S MANUFACTURED IT? I’m not going to debate whether it’s the best food or not for pets that are ill.
And, I’m not calling out just Hill’s for having a couple of contaminated products. I’m blaming all companies involved in the recall who did not insure that each and every one of the single ingredients THEY BOUGHT to use in THEIR FOOD was tested for safety each step along the way. I’m just saying that as consumers, we have to question and research and not accept at face value what “truth” we are told or assume to be true about products based on clever marketing campaigns.
Hill’s appears to be trying to smooth things over with the vets who are the ONLY sales outlet for their prescription line of foods.
Read how Hill’s does nutrition training at the vet colleges and how they offer seminars to practicing vets, according to Wikipedia. Huh? Anyone wondering what pet food brands will be recommended to you by your vet clinic?
*************************************
The info segregated by **** is from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill‘s_Pet_Nutrition
…Today, Hill’s is the largest employer of veterinarians outside of academia. They sponsor many pet nutrition related veterinary school programs and hold seminars and training sessions on the subject of pet nutrition for practicing veterinarians. Their Prescription Diet line of foods is available from veterinarians throughout much of the world, and the Science Diet line of cat and dog foods are available in pet specialty stores and veterinary clinics. [END OF WIKIPEDIA QUOTE]
*****************************
I think my local vet is great. When my cat showed higher than normal kidney values, BUN and creatine, I was prescribed Hill’s Prescription Diet g/d canned and dry. (My cat was eating 9 Lives canned made by DelMonte, not on recall to date, although DelMonte recalled other products the same weekend of Mar. 30, but I switched to be safe.) I gladly bought the recommended Hill’s foods for my cat, assuming they were made/manufactured by Hill’s and would help my cat. The cat didn’t care for the food, and when more recalls broke and a type of Hill’s Science Diet canned was recalled, I told my vet that I was not going to feed my cat the Hill’s Prescription Diet g/d canned nor the Hill’s Prescription Diet g/d dry bagged food because I did not trust ANY product in Hill’s two lines of food. The Hill’s Prescription foods I bought were NOT on the recall list, thank goodness. But, based on my pressing and pressing the DelMonte Foods customer service rep and receiving scripted, evasive answers about their ingredients (see my other posts under the DelMonte thread), I told her that I knew that more recalls were going to break soon, not just on wet food, but dry as well. This was on Friday, March 30, mid-afternoon. My vet said, “It’s only the Hill’s Science Diet Savory Cuts canned that was recalled, not anything in the Prescription Diet line. All of the other canned and all of the dry food is safe. Why don’t you hang on the bag for a while?”
I no more than arrived home from the vet’s and got settled and an hour or so later heard the announcement that Hill’s Prescription Diet m/d dry bagged food was recalled. On my next visit, which was earlier this week, I returned the bagged Prescription Diet food. No thanks. I’ve lost faith in a company that is selling foods through vet offices that is not even manufactured by them.
I’m not saying anything about my vet’s skills. I’m just saying how blindly vets can be over what they’ve heard/learned, even though they know otherwise. My own vet told me that there were foods on the market lower in protein than Hill’s. I’m wondering why other brands were not mentioned if there were other brands lower in protein, and therefore, better for my cat by putting less stress on his kidneys… And in case she is reading this blog and can figure out who I am from my situation, I want her to know that I highly respect her skills in treating my animals, but I no longer accept things just because someone tells me.
In the future manufacturing of foods, I would like to see more extensive labeling on the packages or at least access to more information via a brochure or the web: countries of origin of individual ingredients, place of manufacture, and name of manufacturer, among other safeguards. All of this co-pack/private label protection/keep-the sources-hidden fiasco that we’ve seen has made this entire situation more difficult to track and has delayed revelations. I hope the entire pet food industry is turned upside down and must become accountable for insuring the safety and standards of its respective products from the procurement of the first individual ingredient all the way to the end of the manufacturing process, now that at least some degree of transparency has been gained.
BTW, does anyone know who the manufacturer (Brand) is of ALDI’s Shep dog biscuits? (The name of the grocery store is ALDI. It sells private label foods.) A relative is feeding her dog this brand.
Comment by petlover — April 6, 2007 @ 9:48 am
I went to the site where Wal-Mart is offering the promotional coupon. It’s a really great site. It’s http://www.balanceit.com
They have lots of recipes that you make up with human food. Very easy. You purchace the recipes but if you use the Wal-Mart promotional coupon, it’s FREE.
You’ll need to add supplements. YOu can use human vitamins (they tell you what to get) or you can buy their powered supplements; one for dogs, another for cats.
I bought the one for cats. I wouldn’t buy the one for dogs because the very last ingredient is Menadione. I’m not convinced it’s safe to be in dog supplements. I’ve read tons of literature on it and I won’t use it for dogs. Cats are another matter.
That said, I phoned the company asking that they remove it from the dog supplement. She was very pleasant and took all the info I gave her and said she’d bring it up at today’s meeting. She also said if they heard from more people requesting that it be removed, well, that would help. So, if you would like to use their dog supplement but don’t want the Menadione please let them know. Consumers are listened to.
Comment by Shannon — April 6, 2007 @ 12:21 pm
my dog was healthy and alive ..now he:s dieing i gave him ol roy food all this time but the bacon flavor treat may be the one that done him in ? all i know is monday he was fine now hes dieing as i write this!!! the vetenarian has done all he can they suspected kidney damage thru contamenation our pets trust us! someone should be held accountable its all about money and it will be the fall of our nation …no more po..lieing te…cians we need decent americans controlling our country and its policies!!!!!
Comment by terry — April 6, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
I can tell you that no matter what HILLS SCIENCE SAYS - THERE SENIOR CANINE DOG FOOD KILLED MY PET. I know what he was eating and I know he last ate a can of their senior canine savory cicken. He never ate another thing and completely quit drinking water with in 2 days of eating this food. He had been living great, with no health problems and now he is dead.
Comment by Brenda — April 6, 2007 @ 9:44 pm
Did anyone find out info on Shep Dog Biscuits from the Aldi store? My Cavaliers have been sick recently and I think it might be the Dog Biscuits from Aldi’s.
Comment by mike — December 18, 2008 @ 3:26 pm