Pet food recall: Friday night round-up
By Christie Keith
April 13, 2007
- If you have a sick pet or a question on your pet’s health, call your veterinarian.
- If you’re new to the site, please check out our general information page (includes links to recalled foods).
- If you’d like suggestions on what to feed, click here.
- If you want to report a sick or deceased pet, click here.
- 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.
Updated: Dated today, a survey published in MediaPosts’s Marketing Daily. I was going to comment, but this may be as classic a case of res ipsa loquitur as I’ve ever seen:
An exclusive research report created for Marketing Daily by Synovate E-Nation shows that awareness of the pet-food recall is extremely high, but owners are making few changes in their pets’ diets.
The on-line survey, conducted April 9-11, found that 95% of Americans are aware that pets have died recently because of tainted pet food. Among owners of dogs and cats, awareness reached 100%. Most of them are following the story: 80.4% of cat owners and 74.8% of dog owners say they know which brands are associated with this issue. And of the pet owners, 13.1% said the brand they usually buy has been recalled.
But the pet-food scare has not influenced people to change their behavior. Most are still buying the same brand and type of food (i.e.: wet versus dry) they usually buy, and they’re getting it at the same retailer they always go to.
Since March 16, Menu Foods of Streetsville, Ontario has recalled more than 100 brands of pet food and treats. The reason: 16 pets died and thousands of others were sickened from tainted food. The culprit: the U.S. Food & Drug Administration says pet food and wheat gluten used by Menu Foods included melamine, an industrial substance used to make plastic cutlery and sometimes used as a fertilizer.
The Synovate research found that since the recall, 10.7% of pet owners switched from wet to dry food; 11.9% switched to a different brand; and 2.9% changed where they buy pet food. Cat owners were no more likely than dog owners to switch from wet to dry food.
In a pet-crazed country that spends $16 billion a year on pet food, that’s not dramatic behavior modification. “It’s been a big scare, but maybe overblown. After all, fewer than 20 pets have died,” says Tom Mularz, senior vice president at Synovate E-Nation. “For the most part, people feel their pets were unaffected by the recall.”
And updated again, this time with Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins’ rebuttal to Pet Food Industry response to the hearings, via Ben at itchmo:
The industry representative insisted that the industry is cooperating fully in this investigation, yet when asked how long it had taken Menu Foods to report to the FDA about the toxins in their food, he admitted that he did not know. The time to report, which is well documented at 3 weeks, would have been something he would have known had the industry been fully involved and cooperating with this investigation. The industry wants this to go away, not be fully investigated so that better quality control measures can be implemented.
He’s got the whole thing at itchmo.com, or you can read it at yourdiabeticcat.com, where Dr. Hodgkins posted it earlier this evening.
Some animal shelters have been hit hard by the effects of the pet food recall, including one in Austin, TX:
“We’ve had several kitties that we’ve had to have tested,” said Debbie Klesel of the Lago Vista PAWS Animal Center. “We’ve had a couple that have died. We’ve had several kitties that were hospitalized for treatment. And then right now, we’re also weighing probably 40 to 50 kitties a day, just to try and keep track of their weight.”
More here on the Austin shelter. Shelters in Washington, Illinois, and Florida are feeling the pinch, too.
Over at the Glittering Eye, Dave Schuler wonders about this statement from yesterday’s Senate hearing:
“It was a foreign substance,” Duane Ekedahl, executive director of the Pet Food Institute, an organization of pet food manufacturers, told the panel Thursday. “All the regulation in the world would not really have captured that foreign substance.”
He points out:
Determining the mass of the wheat gluten which seems to have been the source of the problem would have identified the contamination. That’s a very basic test.
As he has been all along, Ben at itchmo.com is all over the timeline, and has a few interesting points about the ChemNutra timeline in particular:
Interesting items from the ChemNutra timeline:
1- Aminopterin (rat poison) identified in Menu Foods products was never found in the wheat gluten.
2- Menu Foods told them they were changing wheat gluten suppliers because of “water absorption factor”, not because of contamination.
3- Menu Foods suspected 4 toxins for more than a week before issuing the recall.
Banfield says most pets are recovering:
(A)s a result of very high vigilance and concern, Banfield doctors are treating fewer and fewer cases every day. Currently, most of the patients receiving treatment are getting well because their owners have stopped feeding them the recalled diets and Pets have received prompt veterinary care.
“It is important to us, as we know it is for the FDA, to provide Pet owners and the veterinary community as well as the general public with the most accurate information from this data,”says Scott Campbell, DVM, Banfield CEO. “It is our goal to help the FDA better understand the extent of this problem so it can promptly address this issue and put in place processes and a surveillance system to help prevent a similar situation in the future.”
Banfield and the FDA are continuing to perform thorough analyses of all the medical data as it is collected on affected Pets regarding the Pet food recall.
And I’m not sure how long it will be up, but C-Span has a great video of the entire 2 hour-plus Senate hearing yesterday. The Washington Post’s Patricia Sullivan had a pretty good wrap-up of the hearing, too.
A personal take? The fact that there is still contaminated pet food out there on store shelves, and that the FDA seemed to imply at the hearing yesterday that there could be more recalls, are the two things worrying pet owners the most. From Joy at Dogster:
This just adds to that wonderful trust we all have for these guys, doesn’t it? And notice the pet food industry lackey says that the main problem is communication. No, the problem is that some in the pet food industry import food supplies from countries with no or little control over their safety or quality.
No sign of a late Friday press release drop — yet. Post or e-mail if you hear about anything we should know.
Go to the latest blog post | Go to the PetConnection home page
|Technorati Tags: pet food recall, dogs, cats,veterinarian, veterinary
#DeeAnn
Comment by DeeAnn — April 13, 2007 @ 11:22 am
These are the foods that I have questions
about:
3/16/06 - Science Diet I/D wet, (black
flecks)1/4 can added to dinner for several days
3/30/06 - Hill’s Prescription Diet, Canine T/D
6/24/06 - Hill’s Prescription Diet, Canine W/D
6/30/06 - Eukanuba Vet. Diet, Low-Residue Adult
Comment by Nadine Long — April 13, 2007 @ 7:52 pm
“An exclusive research report created for Marketing Daily by Synovate E-Nation shows that awareness of the pet-food recall is extremely high, but owners are making few changes in their pets’ diets.
The on-line survey, conducted April 9-11, found that 95% of Americans”
ZERO CREDIBILITY. Another BIG LIE
Comment by Steve — April 13, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
Steve, please open up and tell us what you REALLY think.
Comment by Christie Keith — April 13, 2007 @ 8:24 pm
Comment by Christie Keith — April 13, 2007 @ 8:24 pm
Marketing Daily didn’t even back up their bullsh*t with the poll. They can’t back this story up it’s a total 100% fabrication.
Comment by Steve — April 13, 2007 @ 8:28 pm
1,000 respondents is 95% of America?
Thats funny, real funny.
Comment by Steve — April 13, 2007 @ 8:30 pm
Steve
I didn’t get a survey. No one else reported taking a survey that I know of. So where was survey located and how did they get people to take it. I’m on a list for several survey takers and that question on pet food was never asked. I meant to say I get polled with online surveys.
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 8:34 pm
E-Polls have zero credibility. Take my word for it.
Comment by Steve — April 13, 2007 @ 8:36 pm
Yeah, I know.
I’m curious who took the survey if you get my drift. Maybe some of our favorite characters, no!!!
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
Steve’s right. E-polls have zero credibility. That’s why you never see them cited in reputable media.
Minimize, minimize, minimize. With the wolves (lawyers) at your door, what else do you do?
We need someone with credentials to come out with serious #s to fight this crap. If we can’t, not only will the media disregard this, judges in the resulting civil cases won’t take it seriously either.
Who can we approach? Pion? Banfield? Any ideas?
Comment by Laura — April 13, 2007 @ 8:44 pm
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
Well many people don’t understand that people go to extraordinary lengths to skew these online polls and surveys. It’s very common.
Comment by Steve — April 13, 2007 @ 8:44 pm
Steve
Yeah I know. I figured that out with political surveys. They still send emails but I haven’t taken one in quite awhile. But the topics didn’t address this issue.
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 8:50 pm
As for food we’re wondering about…
I have two cats on SD light hairball. One has lost a WHOLE lot more weight than she should’ve, given how much I’ve been feeding. So I tried a slow switch to SD hairball (regular). It shouldn’t have been a big upset - I took it VERY slowly, and the protein contents are very similar (29% min reg., 30% min light), though the fat in the reg. formula is double.
Slow switch or not, the smaller of our two cats started throwing up violently immediately after eating some pieces of the regular SD hairball (batch 7156). This was just before the recall. The second day it happened, I pulled the new food entirely.
Was it the diet change? I don’t know. I’ve done it many times, and I’m very careful about it. Furthermore, I’ve recently started a slow switchover to by Nature organic chicken (no wheat, corn, or soy.) Result? After more than a week, and now at a 25% ratio, no vomiting at all, though their coats are already better.
Does that mean the SD’s bad? Probably not. But just in case, you can bet your a$$ I’m holding onto that bag (and every other bag from what they’re fed)! But I think it’s interesting how different the changeover experience has been between SD hairball and by Nature chicken.
Comment by Laura — April 13, 2007 @ 8:56 pm
Laura
You did the right thing.
I haven’t paid much attention to the m/d, s/d info.
I noticed since I’ve been giving my kids more home cook and meat canned by Natural Balance they don’t seem to want any kibble (Natural Balance)
Maybe they just want real food too instead of dry cereal - just like us.
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
YIKES!!!!
I read Synovate E-Nation. Tom Mularz, senior vice president. “It’s been a big scare, but maybe overblown. After all, fewer than 20 pets have died.”
What a freaking idiot.
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
On a little bit of a different note, I was just reading my local paper online and noticed this headline. (This man was charged in the vehicle death of two Somali women.)
“Prosecutors fear man charged in double fatal crash has fled to China.”
Just seems humorous given the whole situation with China. And then I thought that perhaps karma will kick in and he’ll eat the cereal…
Comment by Carole — April 13, 2007 @ 9:28 pm
I’ve actually been switching from kibble to canned. But only after carefully researching the company and the food. This Menu Foods recall has really opened my eyes to the world of cat nutrition. And with two of my three cats being overweight, I’m hoping the good quality canned will help me to help them loose weight.
Nadine, you mention Low Residue. We have that in our house due to one of our cats having pancreatis and IBD. Also, one of our other cats had some food problems as a complication from dental work so we fed him this for a couple of weeks. We don’t use it very often but both of them ate it fairly recently and we didn’t have any issues. My kitty with the digestive issues doesn’t usually flare up during the warm weather months for some reason - so it is kind of on the back burner for me to find a replacement for this one.
Comment by Jenny — April 13, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
Carole
I’ve got a can of Nuro MaxCat I can mail to him for lunch.
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
Am I understanding this correctly? The wheat gluten does NOT contain aminopterin? Then there’s another ingredient out there which DOES.
Two labs found aminopterin in some samples of the FOOD (finished product)…others, apparently, did not. Were all labs given the same foods to test? Same brands, same formulations, same batches/dates? If not, then finding out which foods (specifically) DID test positive would help narrow down the possible sources of aminopterin.
Thank god some of you guys have saved the recalled cans/pouches.
Comment by Eva — April 13, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
So what’s with all this contamination?
FDA Urgently Warns Consumers about Health Risks of Potentially Contaminated Olives
April 13, 2007
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting consumers to possible serious health risks from eating olives that may be contaminated with a deadly bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. C. botulinum can cause botulism, a potentially fatal illness. The olives are made by Charlie Brown di Rutigliano & Figli S.r.l, of Bari, Italy and are being recalled by the manufacturer. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this recall.
The olives should not be eaten alone or in other foods, even if they do not appear to be spoiled. Consumers should discard these products or return them to the point of purchase. If in doubt, consumers should contact the retailer and inquire whether its olives are part of the recall.
The olives are sold under the following brands: Borrelli, Bonta di Puglia, Cento, Corrado’s, Dal Raccolto, Flora, Roland and Vantia, and have codes that start with the letter “G” and are followed by 3 or 4 digits. All sizes of cans, glass jars and pouches of Cerignola, Nocerella and Castelvetrano type olives are affected.
Symptoms of botulism include general weakness, dizziness, double vision, trouble with speaking or swallowing, difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation. People experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate medical attention. Consumers may also report illnesses associated with consumption of these olives to the nearest FDA district offices.
Charlie Brown di Rutigliano & Figli S.r.l, initiated a recall of these olives on March 27, 2007. The recalled olives had been distributed to wholesalers, who have marketed them nationally to restaurants and retail stores. FDA concluded that additional warnings are needed because, to date, the company has not contacted importers with specific instructions on the recall.
In addition to re-emphasizing its warning to consumers, FDA is making the following requests:
Importers of these olives should discontinue distribution, isolate held stocks and notify customers to take similar actions to prevent the products from reaching consumers. Importers should contact their local FDA office for assistance in implementing the recall.
Food manufacturers who have repacked the olives for sale under different names or who have used them in the production of other food should contact their local FDA office.
Restaurants, delicatessens, and other food service providers should discontinue using the olives, dispose of their opened containers and contact their suppliers for instructions on what to do with unopened containers.
Comment by Carole — April 13, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
http://www.itchmo.com/read/dr-.....n_20070413
Comment by Steve — April 13, 2007 @ 9:39 pm
Comment by Jenny — April 13, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
I’m trying to find out if there were any others who fed their dogs this food last summer…it seems there are reported cases of renal failure back then, when my dog got sick.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 13, 2007 @ 9:42 pm
Nadine, I have your info and have been looking into it today.
Comment by DeeAnn — April 13, 2007 @ 9:52 pm
Comment by DeeAnn — April 13, 2007 @ 9:52 pm
Awesome! You are a gem.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 13, 2007 @ 10:03 pm
I made a difference this week, maybe you can too —
http://www.petconnection.com/b.....ment-30584
Comment by michelle — April 13, 2007 @ 10:04 pm
Comment by Steve — April 13, 2007 @ 9:39 pm
Dr. Hodgkins, thank you for the truth!!! This should be published full page in all major newspapers, but I’m sure the media will have a field day with this anyway.
Dateline needs to interview Dr. Hodgkins.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 13, 2007 @ 10:11 pm
PET FOOD SALES: SURVEY
To STEVE:
Around noon today I read the link regarding the survey. I threw a couple numbers up on the computer and posted this response to CathyA thisafternoon at 12:44PM. [Don’t ask me which blog topic - it took me half an hour to find my response. My brain and the way the topics are laid out don’t mesh.] Anyway, here’s what I posted:
Re Comment by CathyA — April 13, 2007 @ 5:50 am
The article state that in 4 weeks of March, dog and cat food sales were:
Data in M$
Cats: 77.5 + 70.8
Dogs: 236.9
Total for 4 weeks: 385.2
I don’t know if this covers treats, but even if it does NOT, the data extrapolates over 52 weeks to $5 billion annually, which is a far cry from $16 billion. Even if I’m missing pet treats, that’s a huge difference.
Is it possible that those people that DID pay attention to the news and did NOT buy pet food of any kind since the first recall announcement on March 16th made that huge an impact?
Source: http://publications.mediapost......_aid=58672
Comment by Lynn — April 13, 2007 @ 12:44 pm
Stated more succinctly, even if people spent an equal amount each week on treats [as what they spend on dog/cat food] then four-week sales would have been* $780M. If you extrapolate this over 52 weeks then this works out to $10B, which is $5B shy of the $16B annual sales.
What this this tells me is that:
1. The $77.5, $70.8, and $236.9 reported in the “survey” are either bogus numbers, or if they ARE valid,
2. Then consumers did NOT spend near as much as they normally would have in the preceding weeks [due to the recall].
I really despise “surveys” that don’t cite credible sources. Ask professional statisticians their opinion of vague internet surveys.
Comment by Lynn — April 13, 2007 @ 10:11 pm
Nadine and DeeAnn
One of my shepherd’s kids was adopted by a vet.
The dog was only 8 yrs old. I had called the vet (she lives in the Great Lakes area - I live in NC) because my 12 yr shepherd was so ill with DM. That’s when she told me about hers having a mysterious renal failure. This was back last summer. I asked her about antifreeze. She said absolutely not. I know she used to sell the Science Diet and Eukanuba stuff because when I lived up there she tried to sell it to me but my dog didn’t like the stuff. I don’t have her home number, but I might be able to reach her on Monday at the office.
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 10:12 pm
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 10:12 pm
I am so convinced that it was the food back then. Mysterious it was, for my big guy, too. I’m still sick over it. A horrible death.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 13, 2007 @ 10:26 pm
Michelle: Good for you talking to the store!
Remember http://www.petfoodtracker.com has easy to read lists that you can print out and take to stores. If the store isn’t as smart and nice as Michelle well the FDA numbers are on the list too.
Comment by spocko — April 13, 2007 @ 10:34 pm
Nadine
Although my own girl, Chelsea, didn’t die from renal failure, I still question her disease and the allergy complications. She had a perfect health exam in Oct 2005. By Jan 2006, she started knuckling her paws. By Jun, she could no longer walk. By Sep she was so emaciated and litterally bedridden with signs of bedsores with her hip bones sticking out. I finally had to put her to sleep.
DM usually progresses at a slower rate. Hers was extremely rapid. So much so, her Dr wasn’t certain if it actually was DM. Her allergies consisted of chronic yeast infections of the ears and belly, hair loss, paw licking, scaley skin and horrible odor. We battled with it for seven years. We used different dog recipes and meds but nothing cleared her up for very long. It was heart-breaking.
Even though she smelled and flaked, I still let her sleep with me. And I still miss her every single day. In my heart I still feel it was the food, even before this recall.
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 10:43 pm
I’m still wondering about the food too:
My dog had symptoms of: respiratory difficulty,upset stomach,hot nose and drank 128-256oz of water/day. She was eating dry dog food and dog biscuits. Eukanuba. My vet thought anxiety attacks. When the recall occured he suggested she be pulled off all wheat and wheat gluten product as a precaution.
Since that time,she is only eating home cooked. Water consumption the past two weeks is 42oz/day. And,none of the above symptoms since the start of home cooking.It’s probably not the food - probably a fluke. But, I still wonder….
Eukanuba told me their products are safe and their dry dog food and bones contain no wheat gluten.
I have heard from another golden owner that her dog was also drinking way more water on the dry food.
If anyone comes across any information - please post.
Thanks
Katie
Comment by Katie — April 13, 2007 @ 10:44 pm
I said in a previous to look for mis perceptions as well as people who can’t be bothered with the real story in their rush to be snarky (jerky?). This is from Ken Wheaton of Adage.
http://adage.com/outofsite/
Your Tax Dollars at Work
Senate Delcares [sic] It’s Love for Dogs
Apparently, Congress has decided to look into the recent pet-food scare. Despite the fact that pet-food is probably more heavily regulated than people food, there’s never been a problem that couldn’t be solved with more legislation.
During the course of the discussion, members of Congress stood up to take the brave stance that they are pro-dog, that pets are like people and so forth and so on.
I’m a big fan of dogs and cats, myself, but I think Dana Milbank’s lead gets it exactly right: “A bomb had struck the Iraqi parliament earlier in the day, but it would take more than that to bring the United States Senate to heel.”
This sort of foolishness is Exhibit A in why members of Congress should a) be paid $100 a year and b) be allowed to meet for one week out of the year.
Posted by Ken Wheaton on 04.13.07 @ 11:13 AM | 0 comments
——-
Now we all have found out just how loose the term “regulation” is to the Pet Food Industry.
If any of you wish to explain to Ken exactly what the hearing was really about and maybe ask him what he has against safe food for your pets please be my guest.
This is how the industry subtly pushes you back into your place. This is how it’s done folks. This is the story that they want their customers to take away from the hearings. He gets the facts wrong, ridicules, makes an unsupportable statement that is designed to sound like he cares about the “real issues”. Of coure is is HIS story that is focusing on the fluff and NOT the real issues.
Think about who the AdAge clients are. Who is his audience? Who does he want to make feel better? If any of you are in the ad business, maybe you want to talk to him ad person to ad person about your sick or dead pet.
These are the kind of posts I’d like you to engage with if you are interested.
Comment by spocko — April 13, 2007 @ 10:52 pm
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 10:43 pm
With every story like yours I get so sick and angry with the pet food industry lies. I slept on the living room floor right next to my big guy every night for the last week he was alive.
Did you read the link that Steve posted above with Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins’ rebuttal to the statements made by the pet food industry? Itchmo posted it, along with a link to her blog. She is the angel we’ve needed. We’ve got to get her on Oprah or Dateline, or somewhere big.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 13, 2007 @ 10:55 pm
Nadine
Yeah I read it.
I agree with her statements regarding whether pets are healthier today or years ago.
None of my recent pets livrd any longer than the ones I had over 55 years ago!!! They mostly ate table scraps with a supplement of canned Vets brand on nights we had no scraps to feed. And they never had to see a vet back then.
I spent well over $12,000 on vet bills for Chelsea’s allergies and DM. Does not include special orthopedic beds, special bed pads because she could no longer go outside to potty. Dozens of new sheets because some I felt had too much ooze to just launder and were thrown away for her safety and mine. A $115 ramp when she was still able to walk. A large plastic sandbox that I used to bathe her because she couldn’t lift herself into the tub.
I don’t care about the money. She was worth a million to me. But it makes me sick that I didn’t know then what I do now.
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 11:17 pm
YIKES!!!!
I read Synovate E-Nation. Tom Mularz, senior vice president. “It’s been a big scare, but maybe overblown. After all, fewer than 20 pets have died.”
What a freaking idiot.
Comment by Kathi — April 13, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
Kathi and everyone, I have an idea! Can anyone come up with Tom Mularz’s e:mail address so all of us here who have had pets either die or get ill from eating tainted food, e:mail him? That way he can learn first hand more than 20pets are affected. Come on guys, lets do this! We need to start firing back at these people.
Comment by Sandi K — April 13, 2007 @ 11:38 pm
SandiK - re your 11:38 message.
You might read my message of 10:11 PM.
I think his numbers are off re the pet food sales. Might be good to know exactly where he got them from.
Comment by Lynn — April 13, 2007 @ 11:43 pm
“It’s been a big scare, but maybe overblown. After all, fewer than 20 pets have died,” says Tom Mularz, senior vice president at Synovate E-Nation.
Oh my freggin’ Gawd.
Some quotes from their website about their company:
“The work we do at Synovate is continuously stretching the definitions of conventional research.” (I wonder if that includes making inane statements founded on ZERO factual information?)
“You simply won’t find the Synovate drive, enthusiasm and expertise in any other major research firm.” (I’m thinking you won’t find this level of incompetence in any other major research firm either.)
“Synovate is reinventing research to help our clients meet the commercial challenges of the information age.”
“We’re constantly creating innovative ways of gathering facts, and turning that data into strategic business insights.” (FACTS? Exactly what facts were you quoting, Mr. Mularz, when you said “fewer than 20 pets have died”??)
“If there’s no existing method of finding out what you need to know, we’ll invent one.” (You invented something alright. It’s called a LIE.)
Time for Mr. Mularz to be bombarded with letters, phone calls, and emails. Contact info below. Let him know how professionally inept and uninformed he is. How DARE he spout off as an authority when he is utterly IGNORANT to the FACTS.
Mail a letter:
Thomas Mularz
222 South Riverside Plaza
Chicago, IL 60606 USA
Fax a letter: 312-526-4099
Phone: 312-526-4000
Email: http://tinyurl.com/33zxdf
Go to it blog-readers. And please cross-post this info so everyone who loves their pets can bombard this farce with a little appropriate feedback about his ignorance.
Comment by Sarah — April 13, 2007 @ 11:52 pm
Don’t forget Oregon’s numbers and I think Michigan is also tracking in a more *official* manner.
I didn’t save the link, but maybe someone else has the archived link of the *original* Banfield story before it was watered down twice.
Comment by straybaby — April 14, 2007 @ 12:00 am
If only 20 pets died then they must all have died in Wilmington, NC
Comment by Kathi — April 14, 2007 @ 12:18 am
I just sent the following email to Mr. Mularz:
Mr. Mularz:
You are grossly uninformed about the effects of the contaminated pet food related to the recall. Oregon ALONE has recorded at least 45 deaths related to the pet food recall. Oregon has only 1.2 percent of the US population. (http://www.oregonvma.org/news/......asp#cases) Do a quick extrapolation with those numbers…
You and your company claim one of your values is to demonstrate excellence in everything you do. You fell far short of the mark here Mr. Mularz. Frankly, you should be ashamed of yourself for your extremely ignorant statement: “It’s been a big scare, but maybe overblown. After all, fewer than 20 pets have died.”
If you value professionalism, as your company professes to, then you would do well to issue an immediate and conciliatory retraction and correction of that statement, to include the fact that SEVERAL THOUSAND pets have died, and over 10,000 pets have been affected (either sick or dead) by this contaminated pet food.
As you must know in your business, you will gain far more credibility and respect by honestly admitting and taking responsibility for your error, than you will by hoping no one will notice. Please do the right thing, starting with getting your facts straight, and following up with issuing a press release prominently retracting your previous statement, and correcting the statement to reflect the true amount of suffering that has occurred here, both by pets and by the people who love(d) them dearly.
Thank you.
Comment by Sarah — April 14, 2007 @ 12:22 am
OK my e:mail has been sent to Mr. Mularz. Thanks for providing the contact info Sarah! I’ll be darned if my pet not only has to die at the hands of Menu Foods and Nutro but then doesnt even get counted in a crappy survey. My girl deserves better than that! I wonder if he is at all related to Mr Ekedahl, exec dir of PFI? Either that or they have both been smoking from the same pipe.
Comment by Sandi K — April 14, 2007 @ 12:32 am
Gosh Sarah, your message to Mularz was great!
Comment by Sandi K — April 14, 2007 @ 12:34 am
Shucks, thanks Sandi. ;-) LOL
Comment by Sarah — April 14, 2007 @ 1:09 am
Sarah
Thanks, I just sent my long-winded message to Mr. Mularz, too.
I even included my reference:
(Your statement of fewer than 20 animals have died would imply to me that they must have all died here in Wilmington, NC.)
I wouldn’t mind looking at his resume. Curious if he used to work for a rag-mag. Or worse yet the pet food industry or ChemNutra.
By the way where is the lawyer and Ms Q these days?
Comment by Kathi — April 14, 2007 @ 1:15 am
Sarah
Maybe Gina or Christie can blog his address and we can flood his mailbox.
Comment by Kathi — April 14, 2007 @ 1:20 am
Since day one of recall, I started feeding my babies Natural Balance Dry dog and cat and can cat and NB Eatables. At first they really chowed down on all food. Then I started giving more of the can stuff and some home cooked and increased their meals to three times a day with smaller portions. They’re not eating much of the kibble. But they sure as heck race me to the kitchen for the good stuff. Sometimes Anna May my Peke/Chi sits on my lap and eats off my plate with me. Did I say sometimes??? He- he, right, all the time. Sometimes we fight over the same piece of food. I’m thinking of adding some raw from a Green Bay, WI company. My old vet up there uses it and his Chihuahua had a litter with 5 pups. I don’t recall ever hearing of that many before. And there all alive and well. My friends dogs only had one or two survive. It might be worth trying anyway.
Comment by Kathi — April 14, 2007 @ 1:34 am
My dog past away on Feb 19, 2007 prior to this whole mess. He had accute chronic kidney failure. He went down hill fast. Lost weight, drank more water, and finally didn’t want to eat anymore dog food. He ate a little people food. Then nothing. His diet was IAMS MIMI CHUNKS DRY DOG FOOD. AND IAMS BOTTLE SAVORY GRAVY BEEF SAUCE ON TOP OF THE DRY. If anyone else has given their dog this food and their dog got sick please contact me. IAMS CALLED ME AND ASKED FOR MY VET’S PHONE NUMBER TO GET MY PET BILLS WITHOUT HESITATION? Yet they told me prior to this whole mess it wasn’t their food? But they will contact me after they call my vet? My Airdale was a healthy 6yr old male. It would have taken poisioning of any kind to take him this way. I always suspected the food but thought NO I CAN’T BE RIGHT, THEY MAKE GOOD DOG FOOD AND IT COULDN’T BE? SO I CONTINUED TO FEED HIM THEIR FOOD NOT KNOWING THIS. IF ANYONE GAVE DRY IAMS AROUND THIS TIME OR SAVORY GRAVY SAUCE PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
GEORGEANN
E MAIL ADDRESS (popeyebird94@yahoo.com
Comment by Georgeann Heckman — April 14, 2007 @ 5:35 am
We had a much loved cat die because of the contaminated pet food and we have adopted two (4 week old) kittens who were orphaned after their Mother died from eating the poisoned food. I can’t imagine ever feeding my cats wet commercial cat food again.
Comment by Alasandra — April 14, 2007 @ 5:45 am
Regarding Synovate:
Synovate is a reputable survey company. It’s been around for a long time. Prior to the internet, the company had a different name and conducted their surveys via snail mail. I was a snail mail member first and then an online member for several years but dropped out due to lack of time.
Some surveys done by Synovate can be very helpful to manufacturers, especailly when the survey is about new product packaging, marketing ideas, or ideas for new products to find out if there is an interest before companies spend big bucks on the product.
For something like a pet food recall, there is no way Synovate numbers can be anywhere near accurate, unless they broadened the survey far beyond their membership and made it available via mass media country-wide, which I don’t believe they did, since it seems to have been limited to an “online survey”, which more than likely was simply a survey amongst their membership.
In order to participate in Synovate surveys, you have to register to be a member, and then they notify you when a new survey is available. Then you answer some questions to see if you qualify and if you do, you are asked more specific questions about the product or issue. More than likely participants in this survey had to have a pet, so the responses were probably limited to pet owners who are Synovate members. If this is the case, percentages quoted are not even close to being an accurate indication of the “general public”.
Problem is that the media sees these numbers from a reputable survey company, and twists the story showing survey responses to be an indication of the general public. Since participation in Synovate surveys is limited to such a small percentage of the population, there is no way survey results can be considered “95% of Americans”.
It is irresponsible journalism to use Synovate surveys (or any other surveys where only their membership participates), and claim the results indicate “95% of Americans”. More accurate reporing would have said something like “95% of Synovate members participating in this survey…” Unless, of course, Synovate went way beyond their usual survey methods, which I highly doubt.
Comment by Sandy — April 14, 2007 @ 6:00 am
I am not the least bit surprised to see that idiotic Marketing Daily (Synovate E-Nation) piece.
Desperate people will do and say desperate things. This is the state of spin, lies, and deceit in Corporate America. State of the Art Bullshi*t. The art of deception raised to an art form.
And yes, they really do think people are stupid enough to buy ANYTHING.
Lets move to the next stage. Now, they (some marketing hack) will attempt to try to convince people this thing never happened. “Don’t worry. Be Happy! Trust us!”
Comment by Steve — April 14, 2007 @ 6:01 am
Good morning Pet Food Industry.
So anyway, when are you going to stop lying?
Comment by Steve — April 14, 2007 @ 6:07 am
The Pet Food Industry should just admit what they are and have become, Capitalists without conscience. The wall street journal editorial page is watching you show them you’re tough.
Look at this whole debacle, whenever they are removed from their carefully crafted realities, they stumble, stammer and take ridiculous actions. Note their constant need to reframe and redefine their statements to keep up with even the minor amount of information that is finding its way to the general public.
It’s too bad they don’t at least have the courage to admit what they are and what they want so the American people could make a clear decision about the direction they really want the country to follow.
Comment by Steve — April 14, 2007 @ 6:41 am
Good morning Pet Food Industry.
So anyway, when are you going to stop lying?
Comment by Steve — April 14, 2007 @ 6:07 am
Yes, when?
Comment by MFEMFEM — April 14, 2007 @ 6:42 am
My email to Mularz:
Dear Mr. Mularz,
Your perpetuation of the grossly underestimated figures regarding American pet illnesses and deaths due to tainted food seriously undermines your company’s credibility, and throws a highly questionable light on your own integrity and motives.
As a research specialist, you should know better than to parrot specious statistics whose sponsors themselves admit are likely to be substantially lower than reality. Are you a shill for the pet food industry? Have you made a Faustian bargain with the purveyors of poison?
Worst of all, your words are likely to be accepted as fact by portions of the American pet-owning public, who should be compelled to be more—not less—vigilant in their assessment and selection of food products for their loved ones. How does it feel to know that you have more than likely contributed to additional pain and suffering by beloved pets and their owners?
Get your facts straight, Mr. Mularz. That’s your job, isn’t it?
Comment by Russell — April 14, 2007 @ 6:56 am
I just have to say - I appreciate all you regular posters so much. Your comments are always amazing… and informative.
And while today for many of us marks 4 weeks of a nightmare that looks like it may never end - take a moment to pat yourself on the back.
You are making a difference and helping other people and pets. Your furry loved ones waiting on the other side for you are so proud. =^..^=
Comment by Kim — April 14, 2007 @ 6:59 am
Nadine,
You asked about a couple of Hill’s products: (3/16/06 - Science Diet I/D, and (I’m trying to find out if there were any others who fed their dogs this food last summer…it seems there are reported cases of renal failure back then, when my dog got sick.) It isn’t much info, but I wanted to tell you what my experience was —
Two female Lhasa Apsos, spayed, around 7-8 years old at the time in Spring-Summer 2006, had been on Hill’s Science Diet (Turkey or Chicken) most of their lives (+various treats - Pup-peroni, Beggin Strips, etc). One of the two, around Spring-Summer ‘06, began having issues of some kind that we figured were related to suddenly-developing food sensitivity: bloody diarrhea, inability to hold stool (pooping in the house, repeatedly, when she never did so before), a lot of scooting/anal-sac impaction/infection issues as well.
We switched her over to Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D temporarily and she seemed to do better. Thinking it was a temporary issue (infection, for which she was given metronidazole) we put her back on the Science Diet and regular treats and through at least three cycles of this she resumed having GI issues - same bloody stools, etc.
Unfortunately I don’t still have cans/lot numbers or anything, nor did I notice black specks in the food, but I wanted to give you this info as an additional data point. The very odd thing is that the other dog (her sister from the same litter) did not display any symptoms at all on the same food. Now, about a year later, the one dog is still on prescription I/D and the other still on Science Diet but we’re switching her to Canidae and hoping to do so with the sensitive dog at some point in the near future.
What gives? I wish I knew. I’m almost leaning towards genetically-modified wheat with an unacceptable gluten causing Celiac-like disorders, but I don’t know. This dog never had any history of food sensitivity, in fact it was the other one that had allergies and a sensitive stomach.
Hope this helps, somehow.
Comment by Brian P. — April 14, 2007 @ 7:04 am
Yes, when?
Comment by MFEMFEM — April 14, 2007 @ 6:42 am
They can’t. They screwed up so bad it’s next to impossible to atone without coming out and completely admitting to fault.
Americans are a forgiving people, but rather then come clean they chose to stay hidden from public view probably uttering their disdain for the dumb and easily manipulated American public who is causing them so many problems.
“How are we ever going to make our personal fortunes without being able to buy cheap substandard garbage for pennies on the dollar from China and continue bullsh*tting the American public?”
Thats what they are worried about not ethics.
Comment by Steve — April 14, 2007 @ 7:05 am
Rat poison strikes in Harbin, Zhejiang and US pet foods
http://www.shanghaiist.com/arc.....ns_str.php
Comment by Mike — April 14, 2007 @ 7:40 am
China’s Pet Owners and the Food Crisis
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18...../newsweek/
Comment by Mike — April 14, 2007 @ 7:42 am
Dog food debacle raises food safety questions
http://agjournalonline.com/art.....news01.txt
Comment by Mike — April 14, 2007 @ 7:45 am
Pet food mishap shows reason for COOL (Country of Origin Labeling)
http://www.farmandranchguide.c.....tter01.txt
Comment by Mike — April 14, 2007 @ 7:49 am
I’m sorry I can’t quote any sources here because I’ve been to so many websites reading as much as I possibly can…..but Royal Canin just recalled their food in South Africa due to contamination with some kind of glycol (sorry, can’t remember the exact name but it’s something found in antifreeze)…..antifreeze? HOW IN THE NAME OF GOD CAN SOMETHING LIKE THAT GET INTO A PLANT THAT MANUFACTURES PET FOOD? Could they be on to something here? Does this cause ARF? Could this be the answer to what’s going on here? The other contaminant that they can’t seem to find.
One other thing I want to mention….I do know of people who have had their pets get sick or die on dry food alone. In reading some of the posts on Pet Connection (God knows where or when this was), I found a quote that knocked me out of my chair. Not sure if anyone else noticed this….I printed it because I felt it was a real blockbuster. However, I didn’t print the source, just part of the quote. Here are just a few parts of this quote.
“….The FDA has made it clear that no company could have detected the adulteration of this ingredient by any existing good manufacturing practices. This is not a Menu issue, it has now been traced to a NUMBER OF OTHER PLANTS MAKING DRY PRODUCTS AS WELL. I am sure this is possibly being looked into as some type of bioterrorism by the FBI……The reason these large companies use Menu is because they are by far the best manufacturing facility in North America….” Man, is that ever scary.
Is this something that slipped out & nobody noticed it? We have been told all along that all the dry food is safe, which I personally believe is a bunch of BS.
Also don’t believe any of this BS about pet owners not changing their pet’s food, continuing to feed recall products. Oh please, give me a break. What are we, morons? Nope, they are the morons feeling that we will run out & buy their crap because everybody else is still using it.
I say boycott any company whose food was recalled, regardless of the form. If their wet was recalled, can somebody prove to me that the same ingredients were not used in their dry? If this isn’t the case, why is the name exactly the same? It would have to contain the same ingredients as the wet food….now that’s really scary.
Again, I want to thank all of you for the great information. My heart goes out to all of you who have lost their beloved fur babies or those of you who have a sick baby.
Don’t know about you, I want revenge….the only way I know of to do this BIG TIME is to boycott their products. They can do all the surveys they want to do but if we hit them where it hurts, they’ll sit up & take notice.
Comment by Jan — April 14, 2007 @ 7:57 am
I have to agree with Steve (mostly). ANY on line voluntary survey is not statistically valid since only people motivated to respond do so.
It is in fact the same criticism put on the petconnection’s database.
All that being said I think the database has at least a little more credibility since the data can at least be verified it anyone chooses to do so. I suspect that many of the reports would turn out to be negative and in fact I have to admit that there is a possibility that my Brandy’s case might well turn out to be one of them. The problem is that we just do not know.
Why dont we know?
And now, why do you think that people are (supposedly) not taking corrective action to protect their pets? Is it because they dont care? I think not.
Surely, one problem is the difficulty in identifying the affected products. There are a maze of products recalled and not recalled.
Second, I think it is beyond most people’s comprehension that retailers would not take steps to cull the product for them. In the case of my retailer THEY PUT THEIR REMAINING STOCK ON SALE!!!!!
Third, they are listening to the advice of their vets and industry reps and are being lulled into a false sense of security.
In the blog on getting the food off the shelves I provided links to the http://www.wpr.org audio archive site which contains a downloadable archive of several call in shows including just such an interview with a retailer and a professor from the University of Wisconsin Dr. Sandy Sawchuk who describes her reaction to hearing about the recall as thinking that it must be a SLOW NEWS DAY. This on March 22nd when things were far from resolved.
The topic of the show was “commercial pet foods are fine” and was in fact a rebuttal to a 3/21 show that included someone from PETA. (not that I am a particular supporter of that organization either).
Go find my post on this or at least google up Sandy Sawchuk at wpr.org and listen for yourself.
If this is the information put owners are getting then is it little doubt that the survey (however flawed) is not at least mostly correct?
Comment by Bernard J. (Bernie) Starzewski — April 14, 2007 @ 8:13 am
Just a note of what I’ve learned: Food sensitivites can begin at any time in a pets life. They can do just fine for years and then bingo - they lose hair, runny poops etc.
I learned this with my dogs and that is one reason they are on all homecooked meals with no grains - no rice now - no eggs - and they do just fine on potatoe, sweet potatoe and various veggies and fruits etc.
Also, no milk and no cheese works for me. A dog can eat one pet food for years and then his body just won’t take it anymore.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 8:17 am
Kathi,
did you see the comment I posted - my reply from the vet Dr. J. about what’s in the dog food - soda, sugar, etc?
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 8:21 am
Jan, read this article to obtain some clarification to the 1st part of your recent post.
South Africa: Killer Pet Food Gets Vets, Industry Talking
http://allafrica.com/stories/200704130309.html
Comment by Mike — April 14, 2007 @ 8:22 am
8:17 post - forgot to mention - meat, of course.
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 8:23 am
Thanks, Mike….I knew I read that somewhere. If I can find the source for my second quote, will post it. I believe it was from 4/10 somewhere on Pet Connection.
I sometimes find things & can never find them again. Also have trouble finding my own stuff when I post something. I must be losing it!
Comment by Jan — April 14, 2007 @ 8:35 am
great site.very informative.i have a question is the alpo classic ground on recall. it has the same production dates as the recalled prime cuts.i have fed my dog both of them. till i found out about the prime cuts now i dont give them that any more.the date code on the alpo classic is 70371159 use before feb. 2009. i hope it is safe.
Comment by paul — April 14, 2007 @ 8:47 am
RE: Comment by Jan — April 14, 2007 @ 7:57 am
“Does this cause ARF? Could this be the answer to what’s going on here?”
Jan ethylene glycol is antifreeze. It’s one of the first things they checked for as it is a common poisoning for dogs. It tastes sweet, dogs like it, cats aren’t interested as they don’t have a sweet tooth. Many vets were first convinced the US pets had gotten into antifreeze (it’s the coolant in your car). I would have to say that this has been absolutely ruled out in US case. It’s not an unknown, easy to check for.
“it has now been traced to a NUMBER OF OTHER PLANTS MAKING DRY PRODUCTS AS WELL.
Is this something that slipped out & nobody noticed it?”
No, dry stuff was recalled - Hills m/d and biscuits. I think this is old news you’re referring to.
“I say boycott any company whose food was recalled, regardless of the form.
Don’t know about you, I want revenge”
I completely understand how you feel, but what I want most of all is for the issues of quality, safety, labeling, regs to be addressed and fixed. Really, what the PFI says is irrelevant. You’re right, people aren’t stupid, and I think we need to also give general public the courtesy of believing they have a brain. Their decisions may not be the same as yours. What matters is what we can get done to fix stuff. And revenge is going to be definitely a dish served cold in this case, because it won’t happen overnight.
Comment by CathyA — April 14, 2007 @ 8:51 am
Nadine, I have not found anything directly in numerous websites to tie in the brands you used around those time frames. That’s not to say the food wasn’t a problem in same way. Thousands upon thousands of posts exist on the internet in various forums with complaints of sick pets, chronic diseases and pets that have died. Numerous stories of pets throwing up their food, urinary problems, kidney disease and failures, skin/rash issues, and so much more.
Many people are also reporting issues clearing up after switching foods to something else such as no grain type, better quality type, homemade, raw or a mixture of the above etc. Some also find relief switching commercial brands.
I am shocked by the biggest recall in the pet food industry. I am now also shocked by the shear volume of pet illnesses posted in the past that has nothing to do with this recall. I am shocked to learn about commercial pet food ingredients. Putting two and two together, how can the animals truly be healthy on such landfill waste=pet food.?
There seems to be no consistency to that kind of pet food. Whatever garbage is available that batch run is packaged up. It seems it could be so easy to have unknown substances in every separate batch. So, if a poisoned cow winds up in one batch——who is going to know? If there is rat poison in another——who is going to know?
Comment by DeeAnn — April 14, 2007 @ 8:53 am
My dogs over the years were never ever sick - never. Now it seems there is one thing after the other and not only is it very expensive but my pets suffer and so do I.
It is either the food or the vaccines, and all the other junk we put into or on our pets, or it is the environment or a combination of things. And I personally don’t believe in the heartworm medication either or the meds for fleas. My pets don’t have fleas and no one has heartworm, they are tested annually. I just don’t like all the chemicals on them no matter how safe the manufacturers and vets say they are. I don’t believe it.
I don’t over vaccinate and I am doing much better on the food - and it is working so far. That’s my scientific test - maybe commercial dog food is getting worse over the years, cheaper goods and more of whatever isn’t working.
If I told you the thousands of dollars I’ve spent over the last five years you would be shocked - all going to vets. Even though cooking homemade is expensive - in the long run I do believe my pets will be happier and I will save money.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 9:04 am
I don’t believe that ChemNutra knew about the wheat gluten until Menu told them. I don’t think they ordered poisoned or altered Wheat Gluten and I don’t think they delivered it on purpose to our pets.
Menu is at fault here and the original Chinese supplier, but I think ChemNutra was a middleman that didn’t realize the Wheat Gluten was altered or would hurt our pets.
After so many people here dug out their resumes and background, it is just inconceivable considering that these educated smart savvy importers would act so recklessly for a quick buck.
Now the Menu group are CEO’s and upper management and they protect their stock portfolios and their own little image - they are the worst in my book. Worse too than even the greedy suppliers. Menu had a duty to act quickly and they didn’t. They told ChemNutra about 4 possible poison agents in the wheat gluten and still allowed our pets to eat it.
Shame on them - they are ciminals of the worst kind.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 9:34 am
Linda said, …It is either the food or the vaccines, and all the other junk we put into or on our pets.
I flea dipped a stray cat (purebred, declawed) while I tried to find the owner. I tried combing the fleas out til after she had her kittens and they got to 4 weeks old.
The beautiful mother cat died in about 6 days. Vet bill was over $800. Within one hour she was almost lifeless. That was over 10 years ago and I carry that with me. It was the only time I have ever used a product like that.
Another point to that story is, it was reported to no one. No agency knows how many other pets that may have happened to.
Comment by DeeAnn — April 14, 2007 @ 9:53 am
I still cant help but think all of the pets who have died prior to the 3-16 “official recall”. We have approximate known numbers in the hundreds, possibly thousands of pets that died close to or after the recall. What about the numbers that died in Dec, Jan or Feb? Owners who dont know what the cause was or dont know if the food they were feeding is on the recall list as they no longer have packages or containers the food came in. Owners who had aging pets with other health issues that fed the poison food that surely set their beloved pets over the edge. To never know if they could have survived if something else wasnt playing havoc while trying to treat a different problem….I cant help but wonder if this adds at least the same amount to the existing numbers we have an idea of? This is most frightening and extremely sad.
Comment by Sandi K — April 14, 2007 @ 9:57 am
CathyA:
I know about the few dry products that were recalled but I really took this to mean that it was a lot broader than the few things that were recalled. I think a lot of the dry food was also contaminated. Too many people lost or sickened their animals feeding them dry food & it wasn’t just those products that were recalled. I think there has been a major cover-up by all the big pet food companies. I also posted several days ago that I had heard rumblings of dry food being pulled off shelves in pet stores & replaced with different bags…..sort of makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
Linda:
I’m with you on vaccinations & heartworm meds. My dog is only getting rabies because it is required by law & I just read how harmful heartworm meds can be over the long term so she’s off those also. Unfortunately, where I live, fleas & ticks are a huge problem so I have to use that on her. I walk in a large State park where there is lots of wild life & she loves to sniff under every bush which is probably where the ticks are hitching a ride on her.
I’m trying my best to research what I’m now feeding my dog (including treats & meds) to keep her with me for a while. I want only the best for my baby girl. Have learned so much from reading all these posts & going off to different websites & reading reading reading.
Comment by Jan — April 14, 2007 @ 9:58 am
Well, I really question when vets push so many of these products sometimes without even testing the animal for fleas.
I love walking my dogs by the river, it is so lovely, but I stopped because of those issues and also the mounds of dog pooh that people don’t pick up. I now walk them at the State Capitol park - it’s a lovely place with little real traffic and still so beautiful.
I understand the lure of the wilds - I also put special oil on their coats to keep the fleas and ticks off - just ran out too.
Linda MS.
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 10:06 am
PS - also people let their dogs off leash and then they go after my dogs, which are on leash, my Dobermans and coonhounds don’t take kindly to these lose dogs - it was very difficult to control them and the owners of the other dogs got nasty when I asked them to keep their dogs away from us.
It became just too much.
Linda MS.
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 10:08 am
LindaMS - re your comments on food sensitivity-who’s to say that the ingredients in the food do not change and we don’t know it, don’t read every label on every product we buy, OR what about the 6 month time frame companies have to change ingredients and not labels?
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 10:09 am
Elliot - and what about inferior ingedients and yes, they change the makings and not the label. It creates real problems for us and then our dogs become ill and the vet bills increase and we suffer too right along with our pets.
It’s an endless cycle.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 10:11 am
Yesterday I gave all 3 dogs their heartworm and fleas meds. Within several hours all 3 (including the 6 month old) were listless. I have noticed this before and now the radar is really up. Am keeping close tabs on the kittys for signs. They get Revolution while the dogs get Frontline & Heartguard.
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 10:19 am
Comment by Jan — April 14, 2007 @ 9:58 am
Jan, I understand how you feel about all the meds - but please consider keeping your dog on heartworm medication!
Heartworm is much, MUCH more common in unprotected dogs than reactions to the prevention meds are. Even if you catch it in time, treatment is *expensive,* time-consuming, and very uncomfortable for the dog.
I know there are folks online who believe the meds may be dangerous to your dog. But I know dozens of rescue people who spend their days with the very real consequences to lack of protection. I promise heartworm is a far bigger risk to your dog long-term than the meds are!
It’s all a trade-off. I wince everytime I put on that godawful flea stuff…I just hate it. But with two dogs with flea allergies, I’ve seen the open sores and hair loss they get from the bites if I don’t use the stuff. It’s a choice I hate to make, but it’s clear nonetheless.
Comment by Laura — April 14, 2007 @ 10:19 am
Good for you, your radar is up. We are all becoming more informed.
Comment by DeeAnn — April 14, 2007 @ 10:21 am
Hey, the vets get mad at me for not using the heartworm meds.
One of my Dobermans has the beginning of liver disease, I believe from the bad food - these meds are not good for her.
And I know about the open sores, and I switched foods and give baths and I don’t have carpets - fleas love carpet and you can never get the dirt and eggs out no matter how hard a person tries.
We each have to do what we feel is best for our pets - and our own situation. Taking up my carpet was an easy choice but some people love their soft plush carpets.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 10:28 am
Last night I phoned my neighbors to find what food they feed their little dog. They had been on vacation and knew a little about the recall. They feed Hills Science Diet ID and said their dog had been recently vomitting. He is also a picky eater. I read the ingredients and brought them over some Canidae I am now feeding. The dog wolfed it down. Makes you wonder how may do not know what alot of us NOW know. I want to talk to everyone I can who has pets. So many don’t know. I also refer alot to PetConnection site.
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 10:29 am
PS - none of my dogs have heartworm and all are tested.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 10:29 am
I have used Advantage for cats successfully but with an adjustment. I bought the dose size for smaller lighter weight cats, only used half that amount, and just one dose in the summer, only when their was evidence of a flea issue. That worked really well for us. I have not had to use any for about three years.
Comment by DeeAnn — April 14, 2007 @ 10:30 am
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 10:19 am
Hey, Elliott - try asking your vet for a different medication. Revolution, Frontline, heartguard, etc. have taken over the market thanks to blitzkrieg marketing….and in many cases, they’re like going after a gnat with a sledgehammer. I don’t like the combos, either. But there are older, less-“advanced” yet effective preventatives out there.
Personally, I don’t do heartworm and flea the same day. (Like I said above, I don’t like the stuff anyway, but baths, oils, and hardwood floors just don’t do the job here.) If one or the other is causing a problem, I want to know which it is.
Re listless - remember the heartworm drugs usually include an all-round wormer of some kind, so there may be upset tummies involved. Mine often lay around for a few hours, then they’re fine. Sometimes it helps if you give them on a full stomach to lessen the irritation. Like I said, if you don’t like the effects, see if you can find another solution, but don’t give up entirely.
Comment by Laura — April 14, 2007 @ 10:39 am
@elliott April 14, 2007 @ 10:29 am
I would be very interested to hear how things go for the dog moving from Hill’s I/D (Prescription Diet?) to Canidae after a couple days.
I spent some time comparing the ingredients between Hill’s Science Diet (Turkey in this case) and Hill’s Prescription I/D to attempt to figure out what was in the S/D (but not in I/D) that could be causing our dog’s problems. The only ingredients specific to S/D but not I/D are: cracked pearled barley, “liver”, soybean oil, chicken liver flavor, and dried beet pulp.
I don’t think the barley is the problem, she eats “Buddy Biscuits” with spelt barley as the primary ingredient without issues. I don’t think the soy is the issue, as I/D has “soy fiber”. I am less sure of the chicken liver flavor and particularly the dried beet pulp. I am very surprised, though, that the “highly-digestible” prescription I/D for gatrointestinal problems has such few differences from their standard fare.
I feel good about the Canidae and am looking forward to trying it with her once this nor’easter passes so we can get her into the vet if needed.
Comment by Brian P. — April 14, 2007 @ 10:48 am
Comment by Brian P. — April 14, 2007 @ 10:48 am
Second that. I keep hearing only good things from folks here about Canidae and Felidae. Did I miss something, or has everyone apparently had pretty good luck with them? They may come out of all this smelling like a rose!
Comment by Laura — April 14, 2007 @ 10:50 am
We are feeding Canidae & Felidae, but just recently. One of the 3 dogs is reluctant to eat it. Six cats like it. Would like thoughts for Nature’ Variety dry dog & cat. NV containsMontmorillonite Clay - a detoxifier.
As of August 06, all cats ate Hills
Just started feeding Canidae & Felidae. One of three dogs is reluctant to eat it, others like it. All six cats eatting it. Wondering if any has thoughts on Nature’s Variety. OK-I know their canned is by Menu Foods. That’s a BIG strike for them. However their dry (don”t know about canned) contains Montmorillonite Clay-a detoxifier. As of 8/06, all cats were eatting Hills Science Diet m/d. As of 2/07, I began feeding Nature’s Var dry as well. Upon hearing of the m/d recall, I rushed all 6 cats to the vet for blood work. Two had high kidney levels. One is 3yrs and the other 13yrs. Our vet, whom I adore, recommeded Hills k/d. I igorantly feed the canned to the two with the kidney probs for approx 4 days. Had both cats retested 1 week later and the 3 year old is now normal on kidney levels, the 13yr old remains the same. Am retesting this week. However, I am wondering about the Clay in the Nature’s Var. Could this have been what is saving them and why the other 4 cats tested normal? I am still po’d about the Menu Food connection, but must do what is best for the kids.
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 11:11 am
>>>(sorry, can’t remember the exact name but >>it’s something found in antifreeze)>>…..antifreeze? HOW IN THE NAME OF GOD CAN >>SOMETHING LIKE THAT GET INTO A PLANT THAT >>MANUFACTURES PET FOOD?
Have you read human food labels? Recall seeing propylene glycol in the ingredients list? Take a look next time you’re buying groceries.
There’s a great little book,The Cancer Smart Consumer Guide,put out by the Labour Environmental Alliance Society,info@leas.ca/www.leas.ca,which is an easy-to-read eye opener concerning what we put into and into our own bodies.Our pets (horses,too)get what is considered too toxic for us,I reckon.
Comment by Lorna — April 14, 2007 @ 11:30 am
Hmmmm…..Are food companies now owned or tied to Pharmacutical companies in any way. Could it be…we get sick and need their drugs. What about pet food companies and pet med companies, any connections? Boy do I have a lot of research to do.
Comment by DeeAnn — April 14, 2007 @ 11:43 am
Interesting commentary by the Globe and Mail on the CFO of Menu Foods selling stock previous to the recall announcement. It would actually be quite humourous if the whole cover-up wasn’t so sad:
One for the smell test
Even Mark Wiens admitted it didn’t look good. Insider trading reports revealed this week that Menu Foods Income Fund’s chief financial officer sold $102,900 (Canadian) worth of the troubled pet food maker’s units just weeks before the company was forced to do a massive recall of tainted pet food. Had he sold those same units yesterday, post-recall, they would have fetched a little more than half that.
Mr. Wiens insists it’s an unfortunate coincidence, so we’ll take him at his word — just like we’ll have to trust him that Gourmet Chunky Beef ‘n’ Liver tastes better to the pooch than the regular stuff.
Still, I’m reminded of this little-known transcript from Sir Wallace Cutandrun, the CFO of RMS Titanic, overheard some time on the evening of April 14, 1912:
“Hey, Wally, great band tonight. Say, what’s with the life vest?”
“Oh, nothing. Just, um, trying it on.”
“Strange. Hey, my drink is getting warm — you got any ice?”
“More than you know, my friend . . .”
“What’s that?”
“I mean, it’s at the bar.”
“Great. Where are ya headed?”
“It’s such a nice night, I think I’ll go for a little row in a lifeboat. Don’t wait up.”
“OK, see ya ‘round, Wally. I think I’ll have some more champagne. I’m feeling a little listless.”
“That won’t last . . .”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com.....iness/home
Comment by mal — April 14, 2007 @ 11:44 am
I think this would be such a great opportunity for Felidae, Evangers, Nature Variety Prairie and other “safe” petfood makers to put out smaller “Try Us” sizes. Not the little three oz free samples, but enough to see whether the animal finds it palatable and that the pet is thriving on it. Maybe a two pounder size. I recently bought the smallest available size (5 lb)of Felidae to test out along with continuing to home cook. With the Felidae so far, one cat gobbles it up, one cat nibbles and is “thinking about it” and one cat refuses it outright while looking at me like I’m crazy for even suggesting it. So, that just proves once again that ya just never know what any individual feline-American is going to do. In my case the food will eventually all be eaten, but for people with only a single animal testing out various foods and brands can be very expensive, frustrating and ultimately wasteful should their pets refuse to try it. Perhaps in our “spare” time (LOL) we could go on these company’s websites and request smaller starter sizes as a customer service.
Comment by elizabeth R — April 14, 2007 @ 11:46 am
JAN wrote: “Also don’t believe any of this BS about pet owners not changing their pet’s food, continuing to feed recall products.”
Jan: I believe what the article said was an adulteration of the facts of their survey - i.e., illogical conclusions based on the data obtained. I can’t swear to that because I haven’t seen their raw data. But I suspect the way the questions were phrased were probably something like this:
1. If your pet was previously on wet food, are you continuing to feed your pet wet food? (yes)
2. Are you continuing to feed the same brand of pet food? (yes)
With “yes” answers to those questions, they can accuarately say “People are continuing to feed their pets the same type of food (wet) from the same companies (Iams, etc.) as before the recall.” Unfortunately, that is a very MISLEADING statement because it gives the impression that people are still feeding RECALLED food. That’s what I mean by adulterating the statistics.
Also, it would be a logically inaccurate statement to conclude “Therefore, the recall hasn’t affected how people are feeding their pets.” That is not only an illogical conclusion, but it is a further adulteration of the statistics, and it is even more misleading.
A more accurate and specific additional question should have been asked (maybe it was asked, I don’t know):
3. Are you continuing to feed any of the specific recalled products with the specific recalled lot numbers? (no)
If that had been asked, then the correct conclusive statements would have been something like: “Pet food owners are continuing to feed their pets the same type of food (wet) from the same brands as before the recall. However, it appears that nearly XX% of pet owners are aware of what specific product codes have been recalled, and they are no longer feeding their pets any of the recalled products.”
But Lord knows we can’t have complete truth and accuracy and disclosure and logic and scientific conclusions in the media, can we?
(When I use the word “logically”, I don’t mean intuitively or intellectually, I mean by Rules of Logic, which include things like “If A, then B. If B, then C. Therefore, If A, then C.”)
Comment by Sarah — April 14, 2007 @ 11:56 am
RE: COMMENT BY ELIZABETH R.
I think this would be such a great opportunity for Felidae, Evangers, Nature Variety Prairie and other “safe” petfood makers to put out smaller “Try Us” sizes. Not the little three oz free samples, but enough to see whether the animal finds it palatable and that the pet is thriving on it.
******************
Elizabeth R., when looking for food for my cat to switch to, I suggested that the feed store have several “premium” bags open behind the counter so customers can see them and to sell consumers a scoop or two for $1.00 so the food could be sampled. The business would make more on that “sample” bag than they would if it were sold brand new. I really pushed for this because I’m sitting on an opened bag of Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul (dry) because my cat likes the Solid Gold Katz n Flokken better. Hey, maybe we should have a swap for foods!
Comment by petlover — April 14, 2007 @ 12:06 pm
For my dogs, I had to buy a 6 lb. bag of Beowulf’s Back-to-Basics first because I didn’t want to get stuck with a bigger bag. Thank goodness, they liked it, so I later bought the 30# bag and could save a little bit of money. The dogs are wolfing it! If enough of us ask while we’re changing over trying to please our fur family’s taste buds, maybe the stores/brands will listen to us.
Comment by petlover — April 14, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
IS THIS THOMAS MULARZ: 2002 GRAD with a Bachelor of Arts (Liberal Arts & Sciences)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The names of 6,582 May graduates have been announced by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Crystal Lake Mularz Thomas Joseph 494 Richmond Ln AB LAS MAY02 (Crystal Lake is in McHenry County, IL)
Dear Mr. Mularz of E-Synovate:
We’re a large population of pet owners on the Petconnection dot com site. Would you like to repeat the survey here to see if the results can be replicated with a different population of pet owners?
I’m sure we’d be willing participants. Please let us know.
Comment by petlover — April 14, 2007 @ 12:19 pm
Allow me to throw in yet another “WHAT IF”….
What if the Chinese company exporting that yummy wheat gluten w/melamine started this a year or so ago as a way to boost production and/or protein levels (& certainly boost profit)? Many people are claiming they lost pets long before the recall but nobody ever thought about the food so none of this was ever reported. (Example: neighbor had sick cat after feeding dry food before recall….vet felt it was leukemia….cat put to sleep. Bag passed on to somebody else who lost kittens & sickened an adult cat. Still the food wasn’t suspected.)
No backlash on the “new” wheat gluten formula, let’s ramp it up a notch….more profit…..
That brings us to the present…..perhaps…..
Comment by Jan — April 14, 2007 @ 12:22 pm
I am donating any food my cats won’t eat to a no kill cat rescue group to feed to fosters and/or feral colonies. ONLY the good stuff. The “poison” is going to my garage in hopes that it takes care of my mice problem. LOL. Great idea for stores to pkg and sell their own samples.
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 12:23 pm
There are premium companies that do offer a 100% money back guarantee if your pet does not like the food.
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 12:27 pm
My personal opinion is that I trust NO commercial pet food no matter what it says on the package, or what its website says, or what its literature says. I’m sick and tired of all the claims about this or that pet food being nutritious, healthy, natural, … blah, blah, blah. There have been too many lies!
I believed those pleasant PR words and my best pet friend is dead and there is a great emptiness and much sorrow in my home.
I’m hope there are safe commercial pet foods out there, but I want solid evidence that a product is safe - not just a lot of comforting verbiage.
The pet food industry has played on our love of our pets and our desire to believe their claims for too long and now we have hundreds, if not thousands of dead pets. If a manufacturer can’t prove their claims I won’t buy their food - right now I’m not buying any of it.
Comment by MFEMFEM — April 14, 2007 @ 12:27 pm
ANOTHER NAIL IN GLUTEN AS A “SAFE” FILLER
Wheat gluten found to be toxic to dogs and cattle…
Wheat gluten has been suspected as a possible cause of the recent epidemic of kidney failure and death of dogs and cats from pet food. I will highlight just two of numerous publications dating to the early 1900’s published on wheat gluten toxicity in cattle and dogs. A 1948 American Journal of Physiology article documents experiments trying to prevent seizures in dogs fed wheat gluten. This research was prompted by a twenty-five year history of theories about the cause of a condition called “canine hysteria” or “running fits”. Death, blindness, seizures and ataxic neurological symptoms are described in dogs fed meal made with wheat gluten. The symptoms are eerily similar to what have been described recenlty in dogs and cats eating pet food containing wheat gluten. Many of the symptoms are also identical to those experienced by humans with untreated celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.
Dating back to the early 1900’s adverse health were known to occur from the nutritional deficiencies of cattle feed exclusively containing wheat but not corn. In 1924, researchers from University of Wisconsin published their experience dating back to 1907 of the adverse affects of wheat gluten fed heifer cows. Without added supplementation of cod liver oil, bone meal and common salt, heifer cows had delayed or failed onset of menstrual cycle, pregnancy difficulties, miscarriages, premature births, calves that died shortly after birth, growth failure, neuromuscular impairment including difficulty walking, blindness and death. I am amazed and shocked to see problems related to wheat gluten recognized in veterinary medicine just like I see and hear about daily as a gastroenterologist in those suffering from undiagnosed or delayed diagnosed celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.
Over fifty years ago, toxicity of wheat gluten was reported in dogs, around the same time Dr. Dicke was making the link of gluten to celiac disease in children.
FOR THE REST OF THE ARTICLE, SEE:
http://thefooddoc.blogspot.com.....-dogs.html
Comment by Jay — April 14, 2007 @ 12:33 pm
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 12:23 pm
“There are premium companies that do offer a 100% money back guarantee if your pet does not like the food.”
The pet food that killed my cat has that guarantee.
Comment by MFEMFEM — April 14, 2007 @ 12:35 pm
MFEMFEM - I’m so sorry. You’re right, for a moment I did a brain skid. I’m sure you have mentioned before, but will ask you what you feed.
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
Jay, Thank you for those articles. Since you are looking in that direction, will you please continue—the more evidence against them the less they can defend themselves. I am off in another direction of research.
Comment by DeeAnn — April 14, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
Comment by elliott — April 14, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
“will ask you what you feed”
I used to feed my cats cooked beef, turkey, or chicken and Royal Canin or Nutro dry food.
I gave them Nutro Max Cat or Nutro Natural Choice varieties in the pouches as a supplement. The friend that died ate the Nutro pouches “gravy” as a treat, he didn’t care for the solid part (pouches were dated within the recall dates - I still have a few and the receipts). He suffered a horribly before he was put to sleep. He was a beautiful, beautiful friend and his loss has been devastating to our family.
Nutro has a 100% return guarantee - it means nothing to me.
The surviving cat gets the same meat and I add feline vitamin and mineral supplements to ensure he gets everything he needs.
Comment by MFEMFEM — April 14, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
Comment by Jay — April 14, 2007 @ 12:33 pm
Jay, and it might also mean that the wheat gluten combined with the other toxin that has of yet been identified or revealed would be a one-two punch. I wonder when we are going to hear any more on the testing updates?
Comment by Sandi K — April 14, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
Mr. Mularz is out of the office for the next week. I’m sure he will regret not getting my e-mail in a timely fashion. Oh well, by the time he gets back he’ll have the hard copy version as well. I like the idea of having him repeat his survey amount respondents to the petconnection site. At least - since Maine isn’t counting - maybe my fellows can get counted there.
Comment by Nancy Nielsen — April 14, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
FOR FLEAS:
Buy a box of regular BORAX in the Laundry aisle of your local store. (under $5.00)
Buy a large plastic salt-shaker, maybe something like this (under $5.00):
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/i.....AA280_.jpg
Label shaker “CHEMICAL” or “NOT FOOD” or something so that no one accidently uses it for food.
Fill shaker with Borax.
Sprinkle all over carpet.
Wait one day.
Vacuum.
Repeat after 10 days.
Repeat after 20 days.
Fleas will be gone from your carpet.
Comment by Sarah — April 14, 2007 @ 5:20 pm
Borax is good. I use baking soda to kill eggs. I think Borax kills adult fleas.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 5:23 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200.....wGgmbmWMcF
Comment by Brenda — April 14, 2007 @ 6:08 pm
Place a pan of shallow water with a little dish soap in it on the floor, shine a light on the water and leave the light on at night for a few nights.
Any adult fleas will jump in and drown.
Works great.The only good flea is a dead flea, call me morbid but I like seeing the corpses.
Borax works, and if you then use IGR, an insect growth regulator, nothing can grow up to lay eggs.
I have a ZERO flea or tick problem and I live in Tulsa Oklahoma, AKA tick central.
I went to war on fleas the year we moved into this house.
There was just not going to be a problem.
And I was not going to use poison.
I treated the yard with nematodes, I ripped out old carpet and used Borax in cracks and baseboards, I used insect growth regulator and the dish of soapy water.
I think the nematodes turned the tide.
I throw some out every year just to make sure but I have not seen a flea in 4 years.
Ticks are easier than you think to get rid of, get white or light colored sheets at a garage sale, throw them in the dryer for a few minutes and get them warm, place under trees or bushes or just out on the lawn. The ticks will come to the heat and you will see them on the sheets then you can smash them with a hammer. Or drown them in soapy water. I like the hammer.
It has now been 3 tick free years though I do still check every few weeks during the spring and summer.
Hope this helps.
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 14, 2007 @ 7:00 pm
re Canidae and Felidae
Until this happened I had been feeding my yound dobe and two cats Wellness dry. All Wellness would tell me that their dry was made in a factory in Oklahoma. Did not reveal by whom even after two e-mails. That made me mad so I switched to Canidae and Felidae. The 2 year old dobe likes it. My older cat is eating the Felidae fine, but 3 year old cat hates it but does eat it after being little pest and pill. I had used the Canidae Sr. on my old dobe for years and he looked great on it. I think it is pretty good food.
Comment by Robin — April 14, 2007 @ 7:37 pm
re Canidae and Felidae
As far as I see they shouldn’t have anything to worry about if they don’t feel guilty.
The ideal plant would encourage tours (hint).
Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 14, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
MonkeyKitty,
That’s the way I see it and any food that I will use will be made by a company who answers all my questions. I do have to say that my dog and cats liked and looked great while on Wellness dry. I don’t like the fact that they use Menu for some of their canned products and were not more forth right about who makes their dry. Just telling me some plant in Oklahoma does not cut it for me. I have a friend who uses the dry Innova Evo and has had good results. No one in my area carries it.
Comment by Robin — April 15, 2007 @ 12:34 am
In 2005 December, Diamond pet Foods issued a recall, they’re food killed my female rott in Aug. 2005 & almost my male in 1 wk. of each other. Wheat also was the problem. Diamond was rude & arrogant & claimed my dogs illness & death wasn’t their fault.Now here we go again! This makes me so angry! Look at the billion $$$ industry of pet food Co.’s, & they abuse our trust & the lives of our beloved 4 footed family members! The FDA needs a branch to WATCH just the pet food Marketing CO.’s! These Co.’s should be held accountable to the last penny!!!
Comment by Carol Kyer — April 19, 2007 @ 5:53 am
how do you rid a child’s sandbox of fleas. She occasionally eats the sand so it cannot be toxic.
Comment by cathy — July 2, 2007 @ 10:42 am
Put baking soda in the sand as that kills flea eggs - for adult fleas maybe borax or borateen might work and then wash the sand afterwards - and keep the child away from it for a few days.
Comment by Linda — July 2, 2007 @ 11:00 am