Pet-food recall: Naming names
By Gina Spadafori
April 20, 2007
- If you have a sick pet or a question on your pet’s health, call your veterinarian.
- If you want your say on food-safety reform, Sen. Durbin’s office wants to hear from you.
- 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.
Let’s recap a little.
Yesterday, Thursday, April 19, the FDA holds a teleconference with the media. They say that, yes, they’re tracking the tainted rice protein powder, and, no, they can’t tell us where it went.
Christie and I are both listening in, and I know she’s in the question queue. Kim of the Pet Food Tracker lets us know that Blue Buffalo has pulled a product. So when Christie gets the go-ahead for her question, she drops the bomb. Informs the FDA that Blue Buffalo has just posted a recall, asks if they’re one of the rice protein powder companies, and politely requests that the FDA will kindly name the others.
Silence in the room. And then cold silence, as the audio is cut to the media. Apparently Blue Buffalo’s timing was a little awkward for the FDA.
The FDA officials come back on the phone, confirm that Blue Buffalo is indeed one of the companies that got the rice protein powder, but insist they can’t name the rest while the investigation continues.
Christie presses. Shouldn’t consumers be told what the other companies are, so they can make an informed decision? The question isn’t answered, and is asked by other reporters in turn. The FDA refuses to budge on the point.
Hours later, late in the evening, Royal Canin pulls product.
Do I have to tell you that as we approach 11 a.m. ET this morning, neither of the latest recalls has made it to the FDA’s recall page? Do I have to tell you that we’re still waiting for more recalls, and that the FDA still won’t tell us what companies are involved? Anyone want to take bets that the companies will drop their releases late today, and that chances are good the FDA won’t update the recall lists until Monday?
Do I have to tell you how many people do their shopping on the weekend, and how many will do as they’ve been advised, and check the FDA recall list before getting food for their pets? How many of those will not be aware of the most recent recalls?
Over on Howl911, Nikki has made the point that what the FDA is doing would sound ridiculous if human food products were involved. Something like: “We’ve identified four bakeries that got the tainted ingredients, and it might have made it to products that are on your grocery shelves. Any recalls are vountary, and we can’t tell you which breads you might want to avoid. Have a nice day.”
Even if you accept — which we don’t, of course — that these are “just pets,” how about the potential economic hit some families will take if a pet becomes sick? Dr. Paul Pion of the independent Veterinary Information Network puts the costs to pet-owners in the range of $2 million to $20 million.
FDA, you work for us. Tell us the companies. We know you can’t force them to come clean with us, so let us know. Let us know.
Not only is it in the best interest of consumers, it’s also in the best interest of the pet-food industry. Until we know where tainted products are, who in her right mind will buy anything? Aren’t the companies that are not involved owed something, too?
In the meantime, veterinary and animal-welfare groups continue to warn against the dangers of home feeding. I got another such warning this morning. Does that strike anyone else as more than a little nuts?
The latest such warning is from the ASPCA:
“While homemade diets can certainly provide pets with an adequate diet, they do require a substantial amount of work, plus guidance by your veterinary team to ensure that the final product includes a complete nutritional balance,” [said ASPCA’s Dr. Steven Hansen, a board-certified veterinary toxicologist.]
The ASPCA goes on to warn:
- Ask your veterinarian to refer you to a specialist with an advanced degree in animal nutrition, certified by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. A certified veterinary nutritionist will be able to formulate a balanced recipe for your pet.
- Follow recipe directions exactly, without any substitution or omission of ingredients. This includes processing and cooking instructions.
- Pets on homemade diets should be evaluated by a veterinarian a few times per year.
Excuse me? A team of veterinarians? Recipes exact? Evaluated by a veterinarian a few times a year?
Geez! Makes you wonder how we all manage to feed ourselves and our children without a team of physicians and PhDs. And yet, we manage to, “adequate”ly, for the most part.
We have not jumped on the home-feeding bandwagon here on the Pet Connection, because we think most people will either stay with or return to commercial pet foods. And we want those foods to be safe. That’s the point.
But, c’mon: Home feeding a pet isn’t as expensive, time-sucking or dangerous as some folks would have you believe. With contaminated commercial food still out there, it seems to me that emphasizing the risk of preparing pet meals at home is more than a little misguided and just plain nuts.
***
Media notes: It’s a rare event when both right-wing and left-wing blogs are outraged over the same story
In the Canada Free Press, Judi McLeod writes:
Meanwhile the raw-materials-in-food-originating-from-China story–knocked from the headlines by Anna Nicole Smith, Dom Imus and the 24-7 television clips of Virginia Tech massacre gunman Cho Seung-Hui– has taken on more sinister tones.
Earth to mainstream media: The story has deadly potential for bigger game than Fido and Fluffy. We all have to eat.
In the Huffington Post, David Goldstein writes:
What we have here is a pattern, and there is absolutely no reason to assume that it is limited to the pet food and animal feed markets. Wheat gluten, corn gluten and rice protein concentrate are all used to supplement the protein content of both animal and human food, and all three have now been found to be contaminated with melamine. Three different Chinese manufactures have now apparently been implicated.
Given the facts, it is now reasonable to assume either massive, industry-wide negligence, or intentional contamination, and that all Chinese produced high-protein food additives are now suspect.
Stay tuned. Christie has herself a nifty interview this afternoon, if it comes together as planned.
Go to the latest blog post | Go to the PetConnection home page
Yes, kinda makes you want to slam your head against the wall ;)
Gina, Christie, and everyone, you are doing a wonderful, incredible job here. You all are leading the charge on this and we all appreciate it. There’s a special place in Heaven for kind and caring people such as you.
Comment by Sharon H — April 20, 2007 @ 8:31 am
I cannot believe the FDA will not release that information…..my blood is just boiling over this & I know I’m not alone.
To let these companies come clean when they damn well feel like it is wrong, criminal even. Are they dumping stocks, talking to lawyers to cover their ***** as best they can, trying to avoid a recall? Oh puuuullllleeeezzzzz. Do the right thing you guys…..please help our animals.
Something has to change radically….these people are not using common sense or they are just plain dumb. I think we need to get some new people in these organizations that actually are working for & helping us. What a joke.
God help us all, including our little fur babies.
Comment by Jan — April 20, 2007 @ 8:32 am
I still think it is comical that Blue Buffalo chose to announce their recall on their own without waiting for ‘clearance’ from the FDA.
I think that says something about them as a company. And I am sure the FDA did not appreciate learning about it from the audience.
Comment by Carole — April 20, 2007 @ 8:33 am
Well, for you the warning is silly, you have a lot of experience and knowledge about animal diets. What worries me is a lot of folks on the blogs talking about how they are now just cooking chicken for the pets (especially cats)!
The warning should be to find a good book on home feeding your animals, if you are planning to do so. (You’ve said this already.) I really don’t want the last fall out from this mess to be a bunch of blind cats. (The pet food industry has already caused that once.)
Comment by Rebecca — April 20, 2007 @ 8:35 am
I know I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again. I can’t thank Pet Connection & all the people posting info for all your help. I call my friends with info about the latest recall & none of them have heard a word about it. I would be left out in the cold with no info if it weren’t for all of you.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart & many thanks from Hannah (the Lab)……
Comment by Jan — April 20, 2007 @ 8:41 am
Faber: Wages in China are averaging about 7% of what they are in Taiwan and South Korea and probably about 3% of what they are in the U.S. and in Japan and then you don’t have all the employee benefits that accrued or that are a cost to corporations in the U.S. like health care and so forth and retirement. So, basically, you can produce anything in China probably at least with 50% lower costs than in the United States and also at much lower cost than in Taiwan or South Korea.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 8:46 am
Jan,
I second that. Without this blog, itchmo, howl911, and others, I wouldn’t have a clue what was going on.
I’m just amazed. I had thought that if it looked like the contaminated product possibly made it into the human food supply, the major networks would pick up the story.
Now we know there’s a good possibility (via the pigs) that that might have happened, and still no coverage of the story. What will it take before people care?
Comment by Lisa C — April 20, 2007 @ 8:52 am
Has the FDA EVER updated its website shortly after a product recall has been announced - EVER? I believe I’ve checked it every time, and it’s usually at least 24-48 before the newly recalled product shows up. AVMA is perhaps a little better, and it looks like the ASPCA is starting to stay on top of this now, too.
And there is no justification - NONE - for not releasing those other names.
I was “listening in” yesterday, going back and forth between the blog and comments (might as well when the bloody press conference starts 20 minutes late). I noticed the Blue Buffalo recall announcement turn up in the comments, and was pleased to see that Christie was able to ask about it. I wondered if that was info that the FDA didn’t know anyone had, and now it’s clear how perplexed and surprised they were. They must have wet their pants.
Kudos to Gina, Christie, and everyone here who is doing an outstanding job. I know people have been sleuthing, investigating and sharing their findings here. Is there anything else we can do to make your jobs easier?
Comment by cerridwen — April 20, 2007 @ 8:52 am
At this point, it’s more like: owners will require a team of veterinary specialists and many vet visits if they DON’T feed home prepared diets to their pets!
Comment by slt — April 20, 2007 @ 8:59 am
This makes me want to cry. The FDA needs to get a clue and tell us who received the rice protein powder. I have a cat with chronic renal failure who I am constantly trying to keep alive. CRF cats are notorious for having ever changing “favorite” foods. I am forever having to try new foods to make sure she eats enough. I need to know which foods are contaminated as soon as possible, so I don’t kill my cat who has fought kidney disease for almost a year and a half. Gee, guess what last weekend I bought a whole variety of what I thought were “safe foods” which may not be. To the FDA stop trying to cover butts and just give us information.
If it wasn’t for Pet Connection I would have no idea what to try to stay away from. Pet Connection has probably saved my cats’ lives over and over since this all began.
Comment by Brandi — April 20, 2007 @ 9:09 am
Well, it’s just about 11 am EDT. Why don’t we check in with a few websites - you know, the MUST-go-to-for-the-latest-recall-news sites.
ASPCA - has all three of this week’s recalls listed on their recall page - NB, Blue Buff and Royal Canin. Says the page was updated at 6:50 am ET. Well done, ASPCA! I’d offer you a treat as a reward, but I’d be afraid of poisoning you.
AVMA - lists NB and Blue Buff, but nothing about RC.
FDA - Well, I was going to report that our tax-dollar-supported agency hadn’t reported all three recalls, but at 11:05 I hit refresh, and there was the Royal Canin recall, along with NB and BB. This is probably the first time a recalled product showed up on their website with 24 hours of its announcement.
Hey, FDA, give me editing rights and I’ll update your page for you. We could work out an arrangement of some kind, I’m sure.
Comment by cerridwen — April 20, 2007 @ 9:10 am
Thank you, Gina & Christie, for all the hard work and your time keeping all of us aware of all that is going on with this incredible pet food crisis, along with the possibility now of our own human food chain. There is very little TV media reporting on any of this, and I must say I would be lost without you as would my beloved lab Calli! I’m sure there are many of us that would not have our pets at our sides this very moment if it were not for you, Itchmo, and Howl911. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!!!
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 9:15 am
I’m with Rebecca. Informed home-feeding can be a good thing, but if one’s idea of home-feeding entails nothing more than dumping a slapdash mixture of chicken or hamburger and some canned vegetables in Fido or Fluffy’s bowl, it can indeed be dangerous.. particularly for cats, who require additional taurine supplementation in order to survive.
What good is dodging the bullet on today’s recall if one’s cats wind up suffering from blindness and cardiomyopathy as a result of poor nutrition?
I’ve seen a lot of bad recipes circulating online since the start of this recall. I’ve had individuals remark to me how EASY home-feeding is.. followed by some ill-conceived personally concocted recipe that couldn’t possibly be nutritionally adequate for a cat. Because so many people are now jumping on the home-feeding bandwagon without having done their homework before taking the plunge, I worry that we may see an increase in malnutrition-related ailments in the future. I think such cautions are absolutely warranted.
That said, I do think veterinarians need to deal with the fact that there are people out there who are going to home-feed. It’s time they accepted it and informed themselves, because many of the individuals I’ve seen posting blatantly improper feeding regimes have also expressed a reluctance to discuss the fact that they’re home-feeding with their vets, as the vets disapprove of the practice.
Very unfortunate, IMO, as these vets could serve as a valuable resource as far as determining whether or not a particular recipe is appropriate for a particular pet. Additionally, if one is going to prepare their own food, I think their vet ought to be aware of this, so they have the opportunity to be vigilant for subtle signs that a pet may be receiving too much or too little of a key nutrient.
Just my two cents. :)
Comment by Gwen — April 20, 2007 @ 9:15 am
Wow, that was long.. apologies for the novel!
Comment by Gwen — April 20, 2007 @ 9:16 am
Thank you thank you thank you. I don’t know when you sleep or eat but you are my source of all information (no TV, lousy newspaper). Please post the links for allowing us to show our gratitude for the work you are all doing with a small donation.
Comment by Nancy Nielsen — April 20, 2007 @ 9:24 am
Right on. Good points. Thanks for the recap.
I’m really disappointed in the vets who talk about ‘danger’ and ‘risk’ of home feeding. It’s just plain silly and would be really good to gather all their names in one list so we all know from now on who NOT to listen to ever again. Any ‘homemade danger’ I present in a bowl to my pets is far less toxic than the commercial danger and poisonous intent some vets are suggesting I trust.
The FDA clearly doesn’t work for citizens and consumers. I’ve been wondering what the big delay is in updating these lists??? Is illiteracy to blame here? or just blatently ugly insensitivity? This entire pet food screw-up makes me wonder just how long it takes the FDA to post other food safety issues? drug safety or device issues? Is the delay just as long? Why wouldn’t it be?
And now with the hog issue… now that we have confirmation that the melamine and/or derivatives have entered the human food supply… we might be able to identify how long it takes to be warned about our food safety too. I have a strong feeling that this is only the beginning.
Comment by Cynthia — April 20, 2007 @ 9:35 am
I am so disappointed in our government and the FDA and the news media’s lack of real concern over this.
Thank you Gina and Christie so very very much for allowing us our say, for keeping us sane, and for pressing onward for the TRUTH!
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 9:40 am
Gwen said: many individuals reluctant to discuss home-feeding with their vets, as the vets disapprove of the practice.
Completely useless- They have zippo trng in nutrition and nothing to offer. Remember those bags of Hills, Eukanuba and Royal Canin sold by vets? If you want the same crap nutrition sold by the petfood industry that gives vets a cut / that has caused illness in animals for years - ask your vet! be my guest.
If you want something better - buy one of the excellent books that are available and read several thorougly before making a choice. ALSO: join an online group of proactive petowners who have been doing this for years and have experience to share. For cats, holisticat and yahoo are 2. These folks know more than any 7 vets you’ll waste your time and money scaring yourself with - with no resulting benefit to your animal.
SAID: Very unfortunate, IMO, as these vets could serve as a valuable resource as far as determining whether or not a particular recipe is appropriate for a particular pet. Additionally, if one is going to prepare their own food, I think their vet ought to be aware of this, so they have the opportunity to be vigilant for subtle signs that a pet may be receiving too much or too little of a key nutrient.
There ARE things to watch but rather than allow yourself to be intimidated by vets with a vested interest, Get the books, read the books (plural) read read read and learn and get in the groups. Vets will turn to their petindustry connections (ie the vets that devise the diets for the petfood industry) for recipes. Its a rare one that won’t .
ready to take on all comers on this subject. go for it if you dare.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 20, 2007 @ 9:43 am
Gina, you keep saying the FDA works for us - but I beg politely to differ here. The FDA works for the Government and is going along with the government’s most pressing agenda - to protect big business.
Yes, I know the FDA is accountable to Congress but not entirely and there are loopholes - and we have sunk down into one big dark hole here.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 9:44 am
Can anybody honestly say that (temporarily)cooking human food for our pets over the past month can possibly have been a greater danger to them than taking our chances on the “crap shoot” that is the pet food aisle of the store? As horrible as the initial recall was, I can’t even bear to think of all the fur friends who have died and become sickened since then because we were assured by the pet food lobby that everything else on the shelves was fine. Not only was it not fine but we have sadly come to understand that trusted brands and ingredient formulas that we’ve fed our pets successfully for years can be changed at will and without notice. Through this ongoing horror we have come to know that package labels and ingredient information on company websites may not be accurate or up to date and therefore are not reliable indicators of what is actually in the food. Since the middle of March I have been mainly home cooking. My pets are alive so far. I have been urging everyone I know with pets to do the same for the time being.
Some folks who post here have said they plan to home cook for their pets for the rest of their lives, and I applaud them. I, for one though, want to see development of safe and healthy pet foods that are available for purchase. Many people in this country because of age, circumstance, location, finances or job situations simply must have access to healthy, safe and affordable commercial pet foods. The overnight business traveler needs to be able to set out safe kibble for her cat. Likewise, the person working or commuting long hours. People who travel with their animals whether on vacations, long haul truckers or on search and rescue missions can’t always cook; they need to have safe commercial pet food. An elderly man whose only companion and joy is a cat or dog must have access to safe pet food, without which he may not be able to maintain his companion at all. A busy mom struggling to feed six kids on a limited income should still be able to enjoy the benefits of pet ownership and companionship which requires access to commercial pet food. We must all stand together to demand immediate action and changes from the companies who make pet food. Homecooking for pets should be a choice, not a necessity.
Yes, we very obviously need more regulation of ingredients and manufacturing plants and waaay more regulation and inspection of imported goods that may end up in food products. But it is the pet food makers and suppliers who have let us down and who made the deadly economic choices to put their bottom line ahead of the safety of the customers they serve. They have made the choice to be evasive and less than forthcoming for the past month. They and they alone are most accountable for what has happened and they, the pet food makers are most responsible for fixing it. We are watching and waiting.
Comment by elizabeth R — April 20, 2007 @ 9:47 am
My SUV in loaded with four large bags of the NB dry for dogs Potato and Duck and if for some reason my pet store will not give me a refund - I am taking the bags to the dump and in they go.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 9:55 am
I don’t think it’s fair to assert that the majority of vets have some sort of vested interest in the pet food manufacturers.. or that they would place said interest above the health of those in their care. This is a pretty sweeping generalization- and one that runs contrary to the majority of vets I have known and used.
Researching books and websites is great, but the fact of the matter is, no matter how much research we may do, or how informed we might be/think we are, we’re not doctors.. nor are the majority of those posting in online groups.
IMO, doing personal research is a wonderful thing, and supplemental advice can be quite helpful- but it should never be a substitution for veterinary care. I don’t think it is wise to abandon one’s vet in favor of the information obtained in an online newsgroup.
Comment by Gwen — April 20, 2007 @ 9:58 am
Linda, you’re kidding, right? What was their reason???
Comment by Sharon H — April 20, 2007 @ 9:59 am
FDA: Pet food might have been spiked
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18210224/
Comment by Bob Vernon — April 20, 2007 @ 10:00 am
No, I haven’t been to the pet food store yet that’s for Saturday when I’m off work - but my potato and duck hasn’t been recalled - so they might not take it back - and I don’t want a store credit as I am not buying anything this very nice pet store carries.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 10:03 am
Agreed wholeheartedly, Elizabeth!
And, as far as the home-feeding, temporarily feeding an unbalanced diet (unless it contains something harmful- toxic substances/foods, excessive supplementation, etc.) is probably harmless.. that’s not what concerns me. My concern is with those who plan on doing it long-term and aren’t taking the time to make sure they’re feeding something that’s nutritionally appropriate.
Apart from that, I have no problem with home-feeding. To each his/her own.
Comment by Gwen — April 20, 2007 @ 10:06 am
I can’t believe my eyes.
The story is the HEADLINE on msnbc.com
Steve
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 10:06 am
I think a bit of caution regarding homemade diets is a good thing…and the ASPCA’s advice sounds pretty good to me, and not really over the top. Shortly before the recall, my vet and I initiated a consult with a nutritionist to make some recipes for my special-needs kitty, because she has some competing issues and neither of us felt comfortable formulating a precise diet that would address all her needs…there just doesn’t seem to be a commercial food that meets her needs *and* my standards. If she was a healthy cat, it would be a different story, but I still wouldn’t just go about it haphazardly. I’ve seen a LOT of recipes on the internet that are clearly NOT well-balanced or properly supplemented for long-term use, and none of them seems to make note of that fact.
I think that a little caution is good. My cat gets *several* check-ups a year anyhow, but I think that extra checks are warranted…at least for a while, just to make sure that the pet is healthy and that the owners are keeping up with the feeding regimen.
My vet was always against homemade in the past (the usual party line), but in recent years, she’s been changing her stance, and she was eager about working with me to get the nutritional consult. She’s even printed out some basic, generic balanced diets intended for healthy pets that she is giving to clients who are adamant about not using commercial pet food because of the recall…and she also recommends quarterly check-ins to make sure both pet and owner are doing okay.
In other news, I had to go buy some supplements in preparation for getting the homemade recipes, and there were exactly two bottles of Taurine left in the whole city…so at least some people are doing their homework out there.
Comment by Gudewife — April 20, 2007 @ 10:07 am
Linda.. is this potato & duck a NB product? I’d give them a call. Seems to me that many retailers have loosened their return protocols in light of the recall.
Unlike your local Wal-Mart or grocery store employees, odds are the pet store’s employees are all going to be pet owners like yourself. As such, chances are, they’ve been wrestling with the very same food safety issues themselves.
Perhaps they’ll be a little more understanding of the fact that you’re concerned about feeding any NB products, given the rice protein incident- and the fact that their foods were not labeled to reflect the addition of the tainted ingredient.
On the positive: the channel 6 news (in my neck of the woods) is running a report about the likelihood that the contamination was intentional as I type this.. it’s about time!
Comment by Gwen — April 20, 2007 @ 10:16 am
I think caution is a good thing as well. I have heard people say they plan to feed their cats baby food or canned chicken for the long haul - what a dangerous idea. If you want to home cook, read. If you want to do raw, read. Discuss with your vet if you have one that can discuss. My vet for one is one that seems to push her product. I asked for recommended calories to feed my cats and provided info on a couple of foods I was thinking about during a recent trip there. She emailed me and instead of confirming calories, told me how much dry and how much canned (i.e. 1 cup, 1/4 can) of each food to give each dat - of course assuming I’m still going to use their Royal Canin!! I think she completely missed the point - so I will continue doing my own research. I have to bring a cat back in a couple of months and can discuss more with her then.
Comment by Jenny — April 20, 2007 @ 10:20 am
Hills Z/D -Has anyone else lost a cat to Hills Z/D? And is on any of the lists? I can’t find it, but know of some people who lost cats while eating this. Please let Me know, thanks, trudy
Comment by Trudy Jackson — April 20, 2007 @ 10:28 am
We just checked the ingredient label of our Choc. Lab’s vitamins. It says…way down in the middle of the list….. “rice and other protein chelates (mineral chelates)…..” He’s been getting 4 vitamins a day (based on his weight of 88 lbs). So there’s been rice protein in his multivitamins!!! **Aaaaaargh*** Needless to say, these multivitamins are history!!! The brand is Drs. Foster and Smith Lifestage Select® Senior Dog Formula Multivitamins.
Comment by Eva B. — April 20, 2007 @ 10:29 am
Gwen, yes it is a NB product. I called them at the first sign of problem with the venison and they told me they had no problems or calls or any kind and they don’t use the rice protein in this product.
But do I trust them? Well, sorry but I don’t. Okay maybe not sorry at all. I just have to be so careful as we all do.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 10:29 am
I’ve been giving children’s chewable to my dogs - I just don’t trust the pet ones at all.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 10:30 am
We need to raise our standards. Look at the junk on a tray we get fed in Hospitals these days. It’s basically no different then what people get fed in prison, only they don’t get parsley and a nurse waiter in the slammer. My Grandma wouldn’t feed her family garbage like that. When I went to the East Coast last fall I got sick from the “road food”. I was down for two weeks just from dining on junk. I guess we just get one decent meal a year. Thanksgiving. Everyones to busy racing around after the buck to take reasonable care of themselves. And Big Corporations are eager and willing to exploit that to their full advantage.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 10:33 am
So do we know any more than we did last night?
Comment by Carole — April 20, 2007 @ 10:34 am
linda ms and everyone with pet food you want to bring back,if u don’t have the reciept the store should give u a cash card, or call the co and tell them u want your money back. oh it’s all over the news now that this is no accident .now i think it’s time for d.h.s. to get involed and it really sucks that more pets will suffer because the fda won’t release the names of the other pet food co’s .
Comment by MARRY ANN — April 20, 2007 @ 10:35 am
When I was growing up, we had a dog who ate table food all the time. With 8 kids, there were always scraps. He was trim and healthy and always on the go. Home feeding an animal long-term without any nutritional education might not be a great idea, but it’s certainly not going to hurt for the short-term until this mess is over.
It must be nice to work for the FDA right now. I’m sure their pets are not eating any contaminated food.
Comment by Cathy — April 20, 2007 @ 10:36 am
Yeah, we know it’s getting worse and to hold on to our hats!
Linda MS
(Oh, sorry maybe that isn’t new after all - we knew that last night.)
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 10:36 am
Linda said: “No, I haven’t been to the pet food store yet that’s for Saturday when I’m off work - but my potato and duck hasn’t been recalled - so they might not take it back - and I don’t want a store credit as I am not buying anything this very nice pet store carries.”
I returned all my Natural Balance cans yesterday and there were no questions asked. In fact, they were planning on giving me a refund before I told them that I was buying Hi-Tor and California Natural.
I sure hope they don’t give you a problem.
Comment by Sharon H — April 20, 2007 @ 10:37 am
cats, who require additional taurine supplementation in order to survive.
Gwen, not necessarily. If you feed a largely meat based diet, (particularly heart) you don’t need to add taurine. Taurine is made unavailable by heat. If what you’re making at home is equivalent to kibble, then yes, you need to add taurine.
Getting a book is a good idea, joining a reputatble group is another. But I don’t think home prepared food requires quarterly checkups. And I haven’t found a vet who knows anything about food other than pointing to a can or a bag.
Comment by CathyA — April 20, 2007 @ 10:39 am
Thanks Sharon. I hope not either. I was even thinking about reconsidering the Potato and Duck NB since there has been no additional recalls - but then I read that there is a protein potato concentrate that Solid Gold uses, and that got me to thinking that maybe this is used in the NB too and not listed and no one will tell me.
Okay, I now that’s extreme - but saving my dogs lives right now is very important. They look up with such sweet loving eyes - I just must not take any chances.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 10:39 am
I am totally confused at this point. I don’t know what to feed my dogs now. They are on Nutro dry food ( lamb and rice ) and get 1 half a can of Kirkland canned wet food mixed in it because they will not eat just dry food. Are these foods safe? I don’t see them on the recall list but I honestly don’t understand all of the updates that have come out about the rice proteins and all. This all has gotten so complicated. Then should I cook human food for them or not. I see that there are differing opinions about that. My dogs are healthy so far and I don’t want them to get sick. Can someone who understands all this tell me if I should keep feeding them Nutro dry and Kirkland canned. Also I am feeding stray cats at my mother in laws house ( she is in the hospital ) so is Purina dry cat food safe? Thank you to anyone that can help me.
Comment by Peggy — April 20, 2007 @ 10:40 am
Oh Peggy. I don’t know what to tell you about cats. You can call companies and stay away from all glutens or protein concentrates.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 10:41 am
I sent an email to Hills asking it if it imports corn gluten from China as I wonder if corn gluten may be next…we had the wheat and now the rice.. I feed my dogs Science Diet.
Guess what? Hills never asnwered me. I wonder if it is because they don’t know or don’t want to say?
I think we all should be allowed to make informed decisions and we are unable to do that if the companies pretend they no longer speak English and the FDA treats as a nuisance. I for one, given the credibility gap that exists and the news of the intentional additive for a protein boost, WANT TO KNOW WHAT IN THE HECK I AM FEEDING MY DOGS! Is that asking too much???
Comment by Patricia — April 20, 2007 @ 10:41 am
Completely forgot to include HSUS in my earlier check-in. Their “Pet Food Safety Center” was last updated TWO days ago. So they reported the contaminated rice protein concentrate and its appearance in the NB products. Nothing about Blue Buff or RC.
But as Gina said in her blog entry about HSUS, you can bet we’ll hear about their pre-eminent role in the informing people about the recall crisis - when they’re asking us for money.
I just went back to check the comments from that HSUS entry, and someone from that org posted this:
to clarify: The Humane Society of the United States has been providing information and updates to pet owners since the first recall announcement.
Visit http://www.hsus.org/petfoodsafety for more information and updates.
Comment by on behalf of The HSUS — April 18, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
First of all, I wasn’t taking screenshots or anything, but there has not been alot of coverage of this issue at HSUS, especially at the beginning. And look at the date of the comment - April 18 - the last day they updated their site.
HSUS, it’s really stupid to protest about what a grand job you’re doing, and then do nothing for two days.
Comment by cerridwen — April 20, 2007 @ 10:43 am
We may as well be living in China or some Banana Republic at this rate. Where human rights are at the bottom of the list before profits. Thats the bottom line.
Now I’m just waiting for the Friday night surprise.
Attention Comrades! Trumpets!!!!! We bring you good news that our glorious FDA has determined that four more Pet Foods are not safe for consumption. It is our pleasure to work for you ensuring that you are safe! Have a good weekend, and don’t worry, be happy!
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 10:43 am
you won’t believe this:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/20/121722/375
melamine found in HOGS
Comment by pitbullEmily — April 20, 2007 @ 10:44 am
Peggy, read the labels.
Avoid:
1. corn gluten
2. wheat gluten
3. rice gluetn
4. rice protein
5 anthing that is a concentrate of a vegtable - even potato protein
6. soy anything
7. nothing that sounds like a soy product
Call the company and verify they their products do not contain any of the above.
Check the recall list at the FDA regularly.
Best of Luck,
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 10:45 am
I would avoid any product for my pets made in China, nothing made in China is safe for our pets right now.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 10:48 am
I’ve been on this since March 16. And let me tell you, I am beyond DISGUSTED.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 10:49 am
I woke up this morning and maybe the sleep got some braincells working because the first thought I had was that the FDA, the people who have failed us so miserably, the place our taxes go, is going to use BANFIELD for numbers???
Which set of numbers from Banfield, the first numbers, the cover your butt spinfest numbers, numbers that make Petsmart more money or look better?
I just have no faith in the FDA, none.
Do they work for the pet food companies?
Banfield has numbers that apparently change at will and the FDA is not too hot at the math to begin with, this is not a good situation.
I am almost scared to go look at the transcript and see who else the FDA will use.
Paging Senator Durbin!
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 20, 2007 @ 10:49 am
I woke up into the seventh ring of hades and there’s three more to go.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 10:52 am
I bet the President of the U.S. knows what pet foods not to buy and I bet that all of Congress does too - and so the FDA’s head people are telling their family and friends on the QT what to avoid,
it’s just us, the taxpayers, that aren’t allowed to know the truth. Wilbur Ellis Company you are morally corrupt for not telling us - to save our pets. Shame on you and you have the nerve to tell me that you have pets and love animals.
You evidently love your pocket book just a little more than you do our pets.
Shame!!! Shame!!!!!
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 11:02 am
Any word on the 5 foods mentioned by Paul Pion as mentioned in the Sac Bee article of April 18, 2007 by Carrie Peyton Dahlberg. . .?
The Veterinary Information Network, used by about 16,000 of the estimated 35,000 U.S. veterinarians, noticed the five foods kept recurring in vet-described disease reports, said Paul Pion, the Davis vet who co-founded the service. Pion said it would be premature to name the foods.
Comment by ashlee — April 20, 2007 @ 11:06 am
I do not know if this is the correct place to post this or not but I wanted to share a bit of information - well, more like a lack of information I suppose. One of my dogs is on Deramaxx chewables - I called the company who I thought made the drug (Novartis) to inquire about possible gluten content. The woman I spoke with was very nice (said they are receiving many inquiries) but informed me that they are currently checking into whether or not there are glutens in the tablets. According to her, the exact composition is “proprietary” and they have to check with all the facilities which actually produce the tablets. She took my phone number and says they will call back when they have an answer. I found this situation very confusing - how could they not know the ingredients in their product? I attempted to get clarification but it just made no sense to me. She said that if the exact ingredients were known, someone else could make the exact same tablet. This does not give me a warm fuzzy. Guess while I am cooking food for my dogs I can worry about whether or not it is safe to give my arthritic dog his medication. Assuming I get a return call, I will post another message with the answer I get in case anyone else has a dog on Deramaxx and is worried.
Comment by Debbie — April 20, 2007 @ 11:07 am
GWEN said: I don’t think it’s fair to assert that the majority of vets have some sort of vested interest in the pet food manufacturers.. or that they would place said interest above the health of those in their care. This is a pretty sweeping generalization- and one that runs contrary to the majority of vets I have known and used.
Vets have minimal to no trng in nutrition. The trng they do have is usually sponsored by a major petfood producer. vested? i think so.
how many out of 10 sell petfood? Do they want you to think it’s great stuff? yes. vested?
just watch how fast they cya on the ingredients and you’ll have your answer.
SAID: Researching books and websites is great, but the fact of the matter is, no matter how much research we may do, or how informed we might be/think we are, we’re not doctors.. nor are the majority of those posting in online groups.
That’s PURE T BULL. There’s info and facts easily available that vets would prefer you didnt read or ask about. Just do it. Ask a few questions and see how defensive the vet becomes. you’ll have your answer. and btw, Darling, you’re underestimating yourself. Short of a year, w elbow grease and a dictionary, even you will know more about (lets say) feline nutrition than any 3 out of 5 vets! You can start right here madam dr. and I guarantee you’ll have a few good questions to ask your vet about diet: PHYSIOLOGICAL REASONS CATS NEED A MEAT/PROTEIN DIET, NOT GRAINS/CARBS : from: Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association:
“THE CARNIVORE CONNECTION TO NUTRITION IN CATS” by Debra L. Zoran, DVM, PhD, DACVIM. Article on feline nutrition that appeared in JAVMA December 1, 2002 (Volume 221, No. 11)
See http://home.earthlink.net/~jacm2/id1.html.
Point is, no matter how much you pay your vet they still don’t have any training in nutrition. OR: you can let your animal pay the consequences.
SAID: IMO, doing personal research is a wonderful thing, and supplemental advice can be quite helpful- but it should never be a substitution for veterinary care. I don’t think it is wise to abandon one’s vet in favor of the information obtained in an online newsgroup.
No one says it’s a substitute for vet care. We all use vets. Vets have zippo trng in nutrition. They have no background in BUILDING HEALTH in animals through good nutrition. They sell pharmaceuticals (vaccines, drugs) and operate. And of course, sell crap food made by the petfood industry, as if it were made of gold. and it is, to them.
Sorry to burst your bubbble dear, but it’s the truth. Go do your homework for a year, two, three, five……….buy a dictionary roll up your sleeves and determine to give your pet a better chance at health.
btw, GOOD online groups will provide a great deal of good info - and the experience and references to back it up. Ask there, and you’ll have your answer about that.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 20, 2007 @ 11:09 am
4lgdfriend wrote: “They have zippo trng in nutrition and nothing to offer. Remember those bags of Hills, Eukanuba and Royal Canin sold by vets? If you want the same crap nutrition sold by the petfood industry that gives vets a cut / that has caused illness in animals for years - ask your vet! be my guest.”
I, sadly, have to agree. Vets get next to no training in nutrition (neither do most doctors for that matter) and what training they do get is done by the pet food industry. Why do you think Hills and Purina subsidize vet schools?
I have been raw feeding for over 4 years now and have not looked back. This situation has made me extremely grateful that I rawfeed. It doesn’t take as much time and effort as vets would have people believe. Shoot, to listen to them, if we can’t feed our pets without their help, how in the world do we manage to feed ourselves?
What rawfeeding DOES take is research and reading. I agree that the best way to learn about this is to read the available books and get hooked into groups with people who have been doing it for years. I know people who have been rawfeeding dogs and cats for 20 years or more without problems. And their pets are living a heck of a lot longer than kibble fed ones, and they are healthier until the end of their lives. I think that says a lot. But they didn’t get there just by slapping some cooked chicken into a bowl and calling it good.
As far as this pig thing? It was only a matter of time, especially given the FDA’s slow speed of handling these things (not to mention general incompetence of the whole industry), before something popped up into the human food side of things. THIS is what I watch for - for both myself and my pets.
Comment by Dawn Turner — April 20, 2007 @ 11:12 am
Thank you Linda, the canned food has Rice flour and also Beet Pulp. Are these two ingrediants OK? The Nutro dry food has Ground Rice, Rice flour, rice bran, Whole brown rice and dried plain beet pulp. Do you think I should continue or discontinue this food? Thank you for helping me.
Comment by Peggy — April 20, 2007 @ 11:14 am
I should note, there are SOME vets out there who have taken the initiative to educate THEMSELVES about proper nutrition. If you feel the need to have a vet guide you in nutrition, find one of them. My vet is actually the one who convinced me to feed a raw diet, and she also taught me a great deal about picking apart commercial foods that I added to the knowledge I already had at that time. So I know knowledgeable vets are out there. They are in short supply, it seems, but they ARE out there. ;-)
Comment by Dawn Turner — April 20, 2007 @ 11:16 am
The most frightening thing is that the very foods that are supposed to help our animals with a variety of health conditions are those veterinary diets prescribed by our vets and they are full of this stuff. From what I can tell, all three of the major feline renal diets (Hills k/d, Purina NF, Eukanuba Multi-Stage) have corn gluten as a major component on their ingredient decks!! How on earth do we know if the veterinary prescription diet foods we are feeding to slow the progression of renal disease are not in fact contaminated with this junk as well?? I am really in awe of the malaise of the FDA. Now that it’s known to have made its way into the human food supply as well via hog feed, maybe, just maybe we should embargo all animal and human food imports from China??
Comment by Sammn — April 20, 2007 @ 11:16 am
I have returned foods whose brand is on the recall, but my specific food is not on the recall list, with NO problem at all (to Petco). I just told them I was no longer comfortable with the brand and wanted a refund. All of the products offer a “100% guarantee” so I don’t think returning them is a problem (it’s the poisoning that apparently they can’t guarantee!). I returned my Natural Balance Ultra Premium Dry Cat food, and also the canned NB and told them I wanted nothing more to do with NB and they gave me a full refund.
Comment by auntie — April 20, 2007 @ 11:19 am
That’s wonderful to hear, Auntie. I’m glad they understand your concern and refunded your money even if the product wasn’t recalled. :-)
Comment by Dawn Turner — April 20, 2007 @ 11:20 am
March!
I would like to add a plug for the national KOPS- Keep Our Pets Safe March taking place next weekend.
http://pnv2.com/page2.html
This FDA latest bull is an incredible reason to join the march. I got a permit to march here in Portland Maine in only 2 phone calls and a quick online questionnaire. It was not very difficult at all and it may not be too late for your cities to join us. Here in Maine if you have under 25 people you do not need even need a permit. Nancy
Comment by nancy — April 20, 2007 @ 11:24 am
I’ve been reading comments that suggest home feeding my dog is a bad thing. He’s eating lean roast beef with rice and sweet potatos. He gets a little salmon and veggies like carrots and green beans well hidden under the rice (lolol) He is NOT going to die from that! I’m not going to ever feed him out of a can again. What’s wrong with my menu?? Tell me
please. Ps. He also gets chicken breast and livers…. How can that bad for him?
Comment by Billie Hopper — April 20, 2007 @ 11:28 am
Possible Home Cooking for Pets Show on TV Coming in a Few Weeks?
For people interested in home cooking for pets:
I was at the vet office today and met a woman whose daughter in CA proposed a TV show on a cable channel about cooking for pets. The brass liked the idea, and the mom thinks something will happen in a few weeks. The brass, from what I was told, are looking for a host and cook.
I hope this works out!
Comment by petlover — April 20, 2007 @ 11:33 am
We found this site that gives some more info on affects of cyanuric chloride, I dont know if its the same as cyanuric acid but when we typed in cyanuric acid this is what came up. Unfortunately it talks about intestinal lymphoma, anemia ,etc……not good:
http://tinyurl.com/2wbocr
Comment by Sandi K — April 20, 2007 @ 11:35 am
Billie,
Short term for a few days you are okay, dogs and cats do great on properly balanced raw. In my area, I am able to buy prepared raw, if not there are some good books on the subject. You need to make sure that you are doing the right amounts of meats, type of meats and vegs plus the vitamins.
Comment by Robin — April 20, 2007 @ 11:43 am
My vet tried to tell me that Iams packets weren’t recalled. I will say he has been very good at treating my Sadie through all of this even when there was no recall, but I seriously think he thinks it is a coincidence that she has kidney failure at 3 yrs old and used to eat Iams packets. I don’t think he can see the connection since she got sick the week after Christmas.
AMC on the otherhand (where I brought her to a specialist) has called me twice to follow up on what I fed her and what she was and is eating.
Comment by Boopadaboo — April 20, 2007 @ 11:48 am
Sorry that link I posted is so long. Specifically the section we were looking at was page 11 of 138 (its a PDF file). Section 3.1.3 Repeated Dose Toxicity
Comment by Sandi K — April 20, 2007 @ 11:50 am
Cyanuric acid is equivalent to Cyanuric chloride. But, I read through the safety assessment document and having read many of those types of documents in the past, I didn’t find it very disturbing. The dosages administered were very high, they did not document any lymphoma (cancer in lymph nodes) - and basically, the stuff is SO irritating, that most of what they did find was due to severe irritation - if you could find a safety assessment document for bleach, or acetic acid, you’d be reading a lot of the same findings if given in those doses.
Comment by Sue Jeffrey — April 20, 2007 @ 11:52 am
Personally, this was the one that greatly disturbed me:
http://tinyurl.com/3clz6g
(warnings of amiloride)
Comment by Sue Jeffrey — April 20, 2007 @ 11:56 am
Comment by Elizabeth R. - 9:47am
Elizabeth very well stated. Bravo. Why don’t you forward your comment on to Mr. Lazarus. Sen. Durbin should read your statement.
Comment by VJ — April 20, 2007 @ 11:57 am
So, we get to buy tainted food, possibly tainted food, keep collections of tainted or recalled food that we have already paid for, return food we do not trust, pay vet bills for our suffering or dying pets, collect tainted food from store shelves because the companies that made the poison can’t be arsed to do it, pay for the ink to print off outdated and inaccurate recall lists, do hours of research before buying so much as a can of cat food, warn our friends and neighbors, spend money like a drunken sailor, learn more about poison than it probably is safe for a bunch of pissed off people to know and can someone tell me , please, why we are supposed to take any more crap from the FDA?
If Sundlof works for me, I want him fired, he aint up to the job. If he works for the PFI, let THEM pay him, if they are not already.
It sure LOOKS like he is working for the PFI.
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 20, 2007 @ 12:03 pm
Does anyone wish to comment on this site:
http://www.balanceit.com/
From the site:
“All settings and instructions for our “cookbook’s” recipes have been created and reviewed by our team of board certified veterinary nutritionists. In addition, each recipe comes with the option to make it with either a combination of human mineral and vitamin supplements or our all-in-one patent pending Balance IT® supplements “
You can get one recipe for free by entering a PROMO code at checkout. Two codes that will work are:
VIN
(sponsored by the Veterinary Information Network)
and
Wal-Mart
(sponsored by you-know-who)
I went through the “get a free recipe” exercise, but then discovered they couldn’t deal with my 6 lb. Papillon. Apparently the recipes are for a single meal. So I “invented” a dog that weighed five times as much, entered information for a 30 lb. dog, and then got my recipe.
Comment by Pat — April 20, 2007 @ 12:04 pm
I know this sounds strange, but this article references a number of studies using animals and includes some of their findings.
Chemical, Bacteriological, and Toxicological Properties of Cyanuric Acid and Chlorinated Isocyanurates as Applied to Swimming Pool Disinfection
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.g.....id=1775396
http://tinyurl.com/2ng9xq
Comment by Margaret Bridge — April 20, 2007 @ 12:09 pm
Comment by Sue Jeffrey — April 20, 2007 @ 11:52 am
Sue this section said “active germinal centers of lymphatic nodules in the small intestine were seen”….doesnt that mean possible intestinal lymphoma? And it referred to lowered red cell count which I equate to anemia? Thanks for your input!
Comment by Sandi K — April 20, 2007 @ 12:21 pm
Well said, EHamilton.
I love that petconnection.com, itchmo.com and howl911.com all exist… but man! I want to research some other things and think about other stuff! I don’t want to feel compelled to visit every 3 minutes. This isn’t ending… and I’m beginning to believe it won’t end for as long as the US is buying any ingredients from China. I am tired of pet food company and FDA weasel words. I’m sick of trying to figure out all the things that have been left unsaid.
Comment by Cynthia — April 20, 2007 @ 12:23 pm
Robin Thanks for your reply. I’ve been home feeding my dog for more than a few days. ON March 16th when I turned on my TV and heard about the recall, I dumped out his Alpo which wasn’t on the recall list YET, and went to the market and bought him chicken, rice, liver,etc.
YES, I agree, he needs the right balance of meat and veggies. It’s time to get some home
made dog meals recipes. Hope they post the best of them here. Because I’m not ever going to trust these dog food companies again. I hope all those ” profits come first” people burn in hell for what they’ve done!
Comment by Billie Hopper — April 20, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
Regarding the Balance-It site, I was very disappointed when I tried it a few weeks ago. It took awhile to get through all the necessary steps to get my recipe. When I finally got there it said to feed rice, ground beef, corn oil and lots of their Balance-It supplement which they automatically added to my shopping cart. : ( There was no alternative supplements suggested (such as something I could buy on my own and not from them).
The directions said:
Pan brown the ground beef in a pan until fully cooked and drain excess fat. Cook the brown rice per package instructions without any added salt. Once cooked measure out the beef and brown rice in the amounts above. Place the brown rice in a serving bowl and add the oil and the necessary supplement. Mix well. Place the beef onto the rice and serve.
The recipe must be followed exactly. Any alteration in amount or substitution of ingredients may cause adverse health consequences.
*********************
So my reaction was two-fold:
1. Duh. I don’t need a special “recipe” to tell me to cook rice and brown beef.
2. How tacky to make it seem as if your dog has GOT to have THEIR supplement and not offer an alternative options.
Comment by slt — April 20, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
Once again I am going to toss this out here…
Wilbur Ellis said it shipped to five manufacturers…one being Diamond. Out of the other four, they said two tested but did not find anything and they were still waiting to hear back from two.
So, is it not possible that the other two that tested but did not find anything have nothing further to say?
The two Wilbur was waiting on had to be Royal Canin and Blue Buffalo. The other two, if in fact there is nothing wrong with their supply, may never say another word.
Comment by Carole — April 20, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
Maybe this is the official government mantra: Attorney General Gonzales, April 19, 2007:
“This was an ongoing process that I did not have transparency into”.
FDA, Homeland Security, who else? Do I put it on my sweet pup’s gravestone, A good life until he died of a lack of transparency?
Comment by Nancy Nielsen — April 20, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
My cat who is seven years old had to have surgery for the second time in less than two years for stones in her bladder. This was in January and they found many small sharp crystals in her bladder. She has been eating Hills Z/D Dry for two years because Vet thought she was scratching her head excessively because of food allergy’s. They sent crystals to HIll’s to be analyized and they said they were mostly magnesium. Hills said not caused by their food. We also gave her tuna fish almost every day as she loved it so much. She does not get Tuna any more as vet said it was not good for her.Only gets Hills Perscription Z/D but she does not like it and only eats when really hungry. It makes me wonder if there is or was a problem with the Hill’s food.
Comment by DENNIS COOK — April 20, 2007 @ 12:53 pm
I am not buying the danger alerts on homecooking. There was life before commercial pet foods. I have older relatives who fed many generations of dogs without kibble and whose pets lived long and good lives.
Their children and grandchildren (of which I am one:) were fed by those same people, and no they didn’t need a staff of nutrionists on hand at all times. And surprise, we were healthy too. There are basics to learn, duh, and they are learnable by the vast majority of people.
I too agree with the poster though who said this is not practical for everyone, and that safe commercial foods should be available. My thoughts are now that I will homecook for the dogs, UNLESS someone has a safe alternative commercially, just like all my dog owning family members of years past did. The whole premise of using a commercial food was mainly for convenience, because when they came into being, you couldn’t have seriously tried to convince people to use commercial foods strictly because people were too dumb to know good nutrition. Selling that line initially to folks who’d been feeding their dogs fine for years wouldn’t have flown. It was the convenience primarily, and then secondarily, that it would be as good nutrionally as the homecooked scraps and things currently in use.
I think for people who live on doritos, pop, cakes, candies and other junk food as their only diet, yeah, they should abstain from homecooking for pets too, as they clearly don’t even know how to do it right for themselves. Or their kids for that matter.
But it isn’t likely to occur to that kind of person to homecook for dogs, now is it?
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
And let me be clear - I never homecooked until now, when it became apparent that my dogs weren’t functioning right (which coincidently turned out to be just days before this recall mess began). Up until then I had always used a variety of commercial kibbles.
But no, at this juncture, the food I feed them looks good enough that dh and I want some too. Their good health has been restored. I don’t have any plans to put melamine in to boost protein, or add products that I don’t know the origin of, and can certify that they aren’t eating the latest cynauric acid or amolirdes or ???? name yer poison.
And is steps ahead of what is available on the market right now. This recall started in March. And to this present date, contaminants are STILL being found in foods CURRRENTLY in production. This is so not good.
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 1:02 pm
Comment by Carole — April 20, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
Perhaps you are right but I would sure HOPE that any pet food companies who got rice protein concentrate from Wilbur-Ellis would *at least* let us know they had the food third party tested and certified MELAMINE FREE. And they might also advise consumers how many of their other ingredients are sourced from outside the US, what their safety standards are, etc.
Comment by slt — April 20, 2007 @ 1:03 pm
P.S. I am referring to dog food in the main. My cat is still on commercial feed, namely Felidae at this point. The feeding of the cat will require some additional research on my part, as there is more to consider and some difference of opinion regarding what is best for cats.
Doesn’t mean it is beyond my grasp.
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 1:05 pm
BalanceIT must have changed their website. You can now check either the box to get their vitamin supplement, or elect to buy your own vitamins. I checked the second box and got detailed instructions for given amounts of each of the following:
OneADay Maximum Multivitamin/mineral supplement
Posture (600 mg elemental calcium)
Generic Choline (600 mg tablet with 250 mg choline)
Morton Lite Salt Mixture
Generic Zinc Gluconate (250 mg tablet with 30 mg elemental zinc)
3 tablets of Caltrate 600
So they are now accomodating folks who do not want to buy their supplements.
I’m just wondering if any of the experienced home-cookers here have looked at the BalanceIT recipes and if they have any comments to offer on them?
Comment by Pat — April 20, 2007 @ 1:12 pm
I johny_thebigpaycut , have been gifted with
a package of frozen cat food? (my friend steve
of woofstock pet foods , woodstock ny) has given me a bag of raw food. i am going to join
the growing numbers of satified pet parrents
who make their buddys dinner!
this transistion shal be gradual, i must become a master gravy chief! as my recovering gravy addict is finicky beyond any description.
anyone having gravy recipies please share ?
thanks..
Comment by johnypaycut — April 20, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
I think the Pet Food Industry has grossly underestimated how seriously Americans take their pets.
The Pet Food Institute, D.C. Lobby group is obviously the worst culprit. Slaps together or outsources a pet owners questionnaire, some trick questions, then calls it official, then takes it and uses it for their own gain and lobbies against exactly what the Pet Owners basically are saying they want. LABELS.
Comments by the Pet Food Institute to
Food and Drug Adminstration
Animal Feed Rule Hearing
Food and Drug Adrnstrati
30 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
“Specifically, consumer surveys revealed
the following could occur if the statement “Do not feed to cattle or other ruminants”
included on retail products:
7-l % of respondents would buy something else other than petfood if they pet food; would be concerned or very concerned about the
safety of the pet food if such a label was on the package;
57% of respondents did not know if dogs and cats were considered
ruminants;
40% of respondents wou d be concerned or very concerned about the safety of humans eating beef and iamb as a consequence of this label appearing on pet foods.As these responses indicate, a large number of consumers would draw incorrect conclusions from such a label.
Then finally they get to this after spinning on,
The economic damage caused by the imposition of a cautionary labeling scheme would be enormous and unnecessary since, as all government agencies recognize, BSE is not present in the United States. Therefore, PFI would urge the agency to abandon its proposal to place such a damaging cautionary statement on retail pet food and use its resources to attain its goal of 100 percent compliance with the current rule.”
Docket No. 02N-0273
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 1:18 pm
from the ASPCA article:
Pets on homemade diets should be evaluated by a veterinarian a few times per year.
********************************************
ME:
And apparently pets on some of the current commercial diets need to be evaluated a few times a WEEK!
How irresponsible to be advising people against home prepared diets right now, particularly when no one truly knows what commercial foods are “safe”.
Comment by slt — April 20, 2007 @ 1:23 pm
TO MAKERS OF THE MELAMINE TESTING KIT:
RAMP UP THE PRODUCTION LINES. WE WANT ALL PET FOODS TESTED.
Comment by petlover — April 20, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
If the President’s dog and cat got sick or died from this contaminated pet food, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
The more I find out the more pissed I become.
Comment by Tammy — April 20, 2007 @ 1:37 pm
Comment by Sue Jeffrey — April 20, 2007 @ 11:52 am
Sue this section said “active germinal centers of lymphatic nodules in the small intestine were seen”….doesnt that mean possible intestinal lymphoma? And it referred to lowered red cell count which I equate to anemia? Thanks for your input!
——————————
Those “germinal centers” would be Peyer’s Patches - they’re normal in the intestine and are part of the immune system. They grow and recede depending on the state of the immune system.
Comment by GingerTom — April 20, 2007 @ 1:47 pm
Oh btw, remember that survey that was done on the tainted pet food? Well I forgot to mention that I actually took that survey. I belong to a few survey sites. I took that LOUSY survey and then they wanted to follow-up with a phone call but I never responded back to them because I thought the survey was stupid. I went back to check my email trash to see if I still had the email from them because it had all the questions and answers in the email. Unfortunately, it was already gone. I really can’t remember that much about the questions and wish now I would’ve saved the darn email. But I know that the only people that even took that survey are people like me who join online survey groups. So the results of that survey are pure CRAP. Some of the questions that I remember asked if we knew about the pet food contamination. If so, what did we know….they had you type in ur own words what you knew. They asked if you knew what ingredients in the food was contaminated and where it came from. If you knew what melamine was. They asked if you thought the recall was done in a timely fashion; do you feel confident in the pet food now; do you think everything is being done to make it safer. That’s about all I can remember. I probably didn’t answer the way they had wanted me to. My answers were all negative toward the pet food industry and the way they have handled the situation and that I DO NOT trust ANYTHING they are saying.
Just thought you might be interested to hear from someone who actually took that survey. It was real but I think it was a bunch of BS.
Comment by Tammy — April 20, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
This site seems to update you right away with the recalls. Too bad grocery stores won’t get any updates until Monday morning.
The National Pet Foundation will notify you within an hour each time a new brand is recalled. If you want to add a family member or a friend to our ‘Recall Update’ email list please visit:
http://nationalpetfoundation.c.....ecall.html
Comment by Becky — April 20, 2007 @ 1:50 pm
If the President’s dog and cat got sick or died from this contaminated pet food, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
I think it would actually take Jenna or Barbara to get sick from tainted margaritas first, before Bush might take any action…even then, he’d probably first consult with his chronies!
Comment by Mike — April 20, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
Good going, Gina!
Keep telling it “like it is”…
how do they have the nerve to be concerned about what people are feeding their pets???
We have left it up to the pet food companies and the government…and wound up with our pets being poisoned!
What did people and animals do before there was commercial pet food? The animals ate scraps from the table…and whatever meat they might hunt down outside.
Me thinks that this stinks of the country’s economy and consumerism. Just IMHO.
Comment by Marcy — April 20, 2007 @ 1:59 pm
You know that many people know the name of the companies - Wiblur Ellis - they are telling all their friends, their animals are safe, all the FDA’s workers pet owners are safe, probably an e-mail is going around right now, or cell phone calls. Anyone out there overhear an interesting call about what pet food companies to avoid?
This is so terrible - it is a shameful event - and we call ourselves civilized.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
The Greed Goes On. One last subtle pump to keep this stock up before the weekend.
Menu Foods. +0.02 (0.45%)
http://finance.google.com/finance?q=TSE:MEW.UN
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:07 pm
Did you read that ChemNutra has to testify before a Congressional hearing? It’s on Itchmo.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
Stocks soar on profits; Dow nears 13,000
Contaminated-toxic-poison food? Thats for us little people to worry about I guess.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
Few people think there is a problem. I mean FEW!
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 2:12 pm
Actually disposable fodder would probably be a better term for those of us who care about things other them money, rampant mindless materialism, and PROFIT without conscience.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:12 pm
This site has been a terrific source of information during this crisis. I think I now understand the power of blogs over the general media.
I feed my pets Nutro dry, but I don’t necessarily believe them when they say their food is safe. I called my vet about switching to homemade food (for my dog, anyway), and she recommended a local supplier of nutritional supplement for dogs (www.cookforyourdog.com). I am going to try it, at least temporarily.
Question: why are so many dog foods made with garlic, when it is supposed to be toxic to dogs?
Comment by Kate — April 20, 2007 @ 2:22 pm
Kate:
It is only toxic in massive amounts. Otherwise is is good for us and the dogs. Don’t think it is good for cats.
Comment by Meghan — April 20, 2007 @ 2:25 pm
Comment by Kate — April 20, 2007 @ 2:22 pm
Marketing and Folly
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:27 pm
“Contaminated-toxic-poison food? Thats for us little people to worry about I guess.”
maybe, but they are grossly underestimating how many *little people* there are. word of mouth and the internet are going to be powerful tools that the PFI won’t be able to stop.
Comment by straybaby — April 20, 2007 @ 2:28 pm
Cyanide, a poison, is used as a rodenticide. It is mixed with flour or jam to lure the animal. Dogs who eat animals killed with cyanide will die immediately.
_________________
Also, this:
FDA News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
P06-205
December 15, 2006
Media Inquiries:
Press Office, 301-827-6242
Consumer Inquiries:
888-INFO-FDA
FDA Approves Drug to Treat Cyanide Poisoning
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Cyanokit (containing the drug hydroxocobalamin, intravenous tubing and a sterile spike for reconstituting the drug product with saline) for the treatment of known or suspected cyanide poisoning. The approval, which is based on evidence of the drug’s effectiveness when tested in animals, improves the nation’s ability to respond to emergencies, including a potential attack by terrorists.
“Cyanide is a potent poison and one of the substances that could be used in a chemical attack,” said Steven Galson, M.D., MPH, Director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Today’s approval is yet another measure to counter the threat of terrorism, which is a critical component of FDA’s public health mission.”
Cyanokit received a priority review and was approved under the Animal Efficacy Rule, which allows use of animal data for evidence of a drug’s effectiveness for certain conditions when the drug cannot be ethically or feasibly tested in humans.
In a controlled study in cyanide-poisoned adult dogs, the use of Cyanokit reduced whole blood cyanide concentration by approximately 55% by the end of the infusion, and significantly improved survival of the Cyanokit-treated dogs compared with dogs receiving placebo.
The safety, metabolism and excretion of Cyanokit were evaluated in 136 healthy adult humans. At the proposed starting dose of 5 grams, the drug was found to be generally well tolerated with side effects that were mild to moderate. The drug exits the body unchanged in the urine. In the presence of cyanide, Cyanokit’s active drug takes up the cyanide and becomes a form of vitamin B12.
The most frequently reported adverse reactions in the trial were red urine, skin redness (both from the drug’s coloration itself), a temporary increase in blood pressure, headache, nausea and injection site reactions. Allergic reactions were observed in a small number of individuals but were relatively mild and responded quickly to treatment.
Cyanokit is manufactured for EMD Pharmaceuticals, Inc by Merck Sante s.a.s. in Semoy, France and packaged by Dey Laboratories of Napa, California.
More information about FDA’s efforts to counteract bioterrorism is available on FDA’s website at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/h.....orism.html.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 20, 2007 @ 2:30 pm
For those of us remaining remnants of humanity who actually care. Maybe it would just be easier on the Corporations if we just became mindless zombies who are willing to shove anything they say is good for us into our and our pets mouths.
Toxic? Hey it was made in Grandmas Kitchen with Sunny Hill Farms ingredients what you complaining about!
Sure. Uh huh.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
from the ASPCA article:
Pets on homemade diets should be evaluated by a veterinarian a few times per year.
******************************
I agree w/slt - how much more ridiculous can these people get? I could say just as seriously that the only reason I can see for such an increase in needed vet “evaluation” visits is to make up for the loss of profit they have on selling those expensive contaminated products at their clinics.
I like vets, but these people should remember that they are not doing vets any favors by saying tripe like this.
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 2:34 pm
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 2:34 pm
They must really think the American public is DUMB.
It’s more like the American people are incredibly patient to put up with this mediocrity and bull. And we pay them to be this way. Taxes anybody? We pay them to have the privilege to tell us we’re stupid and not able to handle our lives as intelligent thinking people without their advise.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:39 pm
For the most part these companies do not care, the FDA does not care. The news media needs to rise up and create a rukus but they are focusing on the actions of a crazy man and our pets are dying.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 2:41 pm
Question: why are so many dog foods made with garlic, when it is supposed to be toxic to dogs?
Please read: Garlic, the facts
http://www.azmira.com/Publicat.....eFacts.htm
Comment by Mike — April 20, 2007 @ 2:41 pm
Stop buying pet food if you can until we get the proper attention to this tragic situation.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
Pet Food Recall: FDA Suspects Wheat Gluten Intentionally Spiked
By Staff
Apr 20, 2007
The Food and Drug Administration reportedly suspects the contaminated imported Chinese wheat gluten that has caused several pet food recalls may have been intentionally spiked with the harmful industrial chemical melamine.
FOX is reporting that the FDA suspects the wheat gluten may have been spiked in order to increase protein levels.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
Make your food if you can. Be careful. Get a good diet book.
Boycout Pet Food altogether.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 2:44 pm
And worse, it breezed right through all the checks and balances this country has set up the past 100 years without a second glance and right into the bags and cans and on to our pets dinner plates.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:44 pm
For Brandi,
I haven’t traversed the length here to see if anyone else replied to you, but here’s mine. I have a CRF cat too, 2 years into it with her - she’s my third. I’ve been at this for 7 years. I’ve been frantic too. I’m mostly doing assisted feeding with baby food mixtures, just 1/3 meat plus vegies and instant cereal and nothing with onion powder. I add taurine from human grade capsules, just a pinch. To get something down for her in a dish that won’t poison her, so she won’t stop eating by herself, the only one I’ll trust is Felidae. They make their own and don’t use ingredients that have been the cause of all this, none. Two kinds of canned, and the phosphorus % of both is .94 - not optimal but not bad. If your baby has high phos already, add a little binder. Not to belittle anyone else’s tragedies and hardships, but I think this is particularly hard for us, ongoing, who already had pets in chronic renal failure.
Comment by Sharon G — April 20, 2007 @ 2:44 pm
“in order to increase protein levels”
Exactly, because they are trying to keep their costs down as low as they possibly can. Which, of course, rules out using REAL proteins that dogs and cats actually need. MEAT. :-(
BTW, has anyone seen any information at all indicating this has not gone beyond dogs, cats and pigs? I’m thinking about all the livestock, small pets and pet birds out there. Particularly milk replacers and baby foods, which might use the contaminated ingredients. I haven’t seen anything, so I’m not sure they are even looking in that direction. ???
Comment by Dawn Turner — April 20, 2007 @ 2:46 pm
Comment by Dawn Turner — April 20, 2007 @ 2:46 pm
Quite honestly I think there is a good chance the sh*t has hit the fan and all they are doing is trying to manage a potentially explosive situation if the American Population gets full wind of this.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:49 pm
Personally, I’m buying my own supplements instead of using the BalanceIT powder. You have no way of knowing the source all of those different vitamins and minerals in the mix. E.g. China is a major exporter of taurine. Same for other ingredients like the ethylenediamine dihydriodide. The first thing I’m now doing before buying supplements is contact the companies who make the supplements and ask where they are grown and/or made. I just contacted NOW about their taurine powder. You can’t do that with the Balance IT powder.
Also, can anyone tell me why sodium bicarbonate and menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity) would be in the BalanceIT supplement and why some pet food companies also add K3 to their pet foods? There might be a good reason; I just don’t know why.
Comment by Teresa — April 20, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
Petition on to hold these companies accountable and more. Please go and sign and forward an everybody. http://www.itchmo.com/petfoodpetition/
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED:
Request that the U.S. Congress enact legislation to require pet food manufacturers and the companies that market those pet food brands to be held financially liable for any medical costs related to or contributing to the illness and/or death of a pet that can be reasonably attributed to the food consumed by the pet. And that all pet foods include the name of the manufacturer, not just the brand under which it is sold. . . .
Comment by ashlee — April 20, 2007 @ 2:53 pm
Comment by Teresa — April 20, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
Money
menadione sodium bisulfite
Synonym: VitaminKinjection;VitaminK3sodiumbisulfite;
Klotogen; 2-Methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone - Sodium Bisulfite;
2-Naphthalenesulfonic acid,
1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-methyl-1,4-dioxo-, sodium salt
Chemical Name: Menadione-Sodium Bisulfit
Section 3: Hazards Identification
Potential Acute Health Effects: Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation
(lung irritant).
Potential Chronic Health Effects:
CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: 3 (Not classifiable for human.) by IARC.
MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Mutagenic for mammalian somatic cells.
TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available.
The substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes.
Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:55 pm
Question: Anyone know a good book for dog food recipes? I’m not adventurous enough to try cooking for cats (yet), but my Aunt’s been cooking for her dog since Alpo got recalled (her shelf was full of bad cans). The dog’s still getting Purina One Dry, but only because my Aunt doesn’t know enough about dog nutrition to completely do without commercial food - YET. She asked me to pick her up a book on dog food recipes and nutrition, so that she can hopefully get to the point of only homecooking foods. Any suggestions of a book? I know many of you must have some, and I’d prefer a suggestion from someone who has used that book for a long time, not just the past month, to make sure it’s sound. Thanks
Comment by Krystal — April 20, 2007 @ 2:56 pm
This is worse than Katrina in many ways and the government is inept. What does that tell us - we are on our own boys and girls.
Don’t spend another dime on pet food until we get the attention this deserves.
Headlines: Pet Food sitting on shelves - no one is buying. Pet Food boycout. Consumers refuse to feed their pets toxic waste!!!!! Pet stores are empty - no signs of life anywhere.
Linda MS.
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 2:57 pm
I can PROVE that I have killed fewer than 16 with MY cooking-can Menu Foods?
I say that quite a few of the pet food companies and their “experts” who say home cooking is dangerous are responsible for more death than a slaughterhouse mallet!
Nobody I have ever cooked for has fallen over dead, suffered renal failure, or even puked after eating a bowl of food.
Can ANY pet food company make the same claim?
Any takers?
I am willing to go head to head in a kitchen with any of the full of it “experts” and I will take long odds that I cook better food, food animals or people WANT to eat and further, I can do it without the self righteous attitude!
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 20, 2007 @ 2:58 pm
Hi Krystal,
“Give a Dog a Bone” and “Switching to Raw” are two great books to help newbies get started. I’m not sure about which books to suggest for cooked diets, but your aunt might find raw books to be very educational, too. Lots of great nutrition information in them. :-)
Comment by Dawn Turner — April 20, 2007 @ 3:01 pm
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:55 pm
MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Mutagenic for mammalian somatic cells.
Mutagen
An agent, such as a chemical, ultraviolet light, or a radioactive element, that can induce or increase the frequency of mutation in an organism.
mammalian
Any of various warm-blooded vertebrate animals of the class Mammalia, including humans, characterized by a covering of hair on the skin and, in the female, milk-producing mammary glands for nourishing the young.
Cancer?
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
e hamilton rocks!
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 20, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
A March isn’t enough. Don’t buy toys or balls or leashes or anything else. Buy nothing marked “made in China” - and if possible - make your own food.
Then just see who takes notice and apologizes and bends over backwards to fix this terrible injustice!
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:04 pm
Krystal,
Dr. Picarin’s
Complete Guide to Natural Health
for Dogs & Cats
Over 400,000 copies sold.
Excellent book to begin with.
Comment by Meghan — April 20, 2007 @ 3:06 pm
yes, the menadione sod. bisulf is in there because those recipes are designed by a vet who works for the petfood industry. http://dvmconsulting.com/contact.html
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 20, 2007 @ 3:07 pm
Poisoned food, poisoned air, poisoned water, and no ones coming clean.
What a jam.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 3:07 pm
howl911 sidebar has a large list of books
many good ones.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 20, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
Thanks Dawn, but she’s on Social Security, so I think cooked food would be better for her (I’ve gotten the impression raw diets can be pricy). Any other suggestions from anyone? Oh, and if anyone knows a good article about cat dietary needs/reading food labels, it’d be appreciated. I’m planning on shopping around for permanent, healthier alternatives for my cats and would like some more knowledge of things like good/bad levels of protein, ash, etc so I can make a more informed decision.
Comment by Krystal — April 20, 2007 @ 3:10 pm
Teresa, what response did you get from Now?
you could save me a phone call on sourcing taurine ;)
Comment by straybaby — April 20, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
Ditto Steve and Linda MS. Some in these companies and the govt. think we are dumb; some don’t care at all if we are or aren’t.
This is like something I have known, but at times got so busy that I made a choice to forget and just be an uninformed consumer. I got lazy. Willing to be duped. My fault on that part. I hope that what comes out of this is just more caution in believing everything we read, and also that we develop a better system for protecting our food safety.
But a foolproof system? Never gonna happen. There are no signs that we as a people are even remotely capable of that. At the end of the day, it is like the old saying, nobody cares about you and your business/health like you do. And I can only improve my odds, not eliminate all risk. But I can do that better for my and mine, than anyone else. And so can everyone else do the same for themselves.
The amount of resources that the internet allows me access to evaluate and question is beyond wonderful. It has been a life saver on more than one occasion.
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
TC
It is so plainly obvious that we have been abandoned - and I for one keep saying do something - but all have jumped ship and our we are holding are pets yelling for the lifeboats - come back - what about us?????
We are on our own. Make homemade leashes, make homemade sweaters, make homemade beds do not spend one cent on another pet item.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:15 pm
**************************************
Quite honestly I think there is a good chance the sh*t has hit the fan and all they are doing is trying to manage a potentially explosive situation if the American Population gets full wind of this.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 2:49 pm
*****************************************
This is my belief as well. And I have no idea what I should do about it. These ingredients go into everything we use - the scale is so vast that I don’t know where to begin to completely eliminate danger. I am no longer shutting my eyes, and hoping for the best, but still can only do so much with the limited information we are being given right now.
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 3:16 pm
And since I’m not permitted to curse on this blog, FDA go to hades in your own stinking rotten puke.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:17 pm
Linda MS - I completely agree. In my case, the last animal relying on this nonsense is my cat. Until I come up to speed on her diet needs, that is. I too won’t buy another danged thing for my pets from any of these people.
Even for ourselves - our plans to build a greenhouse out of materials we’ve been accummulating just accelerated, and will be done this year. And buying local to the extent I can determine who to trust (look at the hog farm deal, all those people thinking buy small, trust local where local knowingly feed contaminants to pigs intended for human consumption).
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 3:24 pm
WHAT VETS ARE TAUGHT ABOUT NUTRITION: http://www.optimumchoices.com/.....rition.htm
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 20, 2007 @ 3:26 pm
http://www.littlebigcat.com/in.....cannedfood Dr. Jean Hofve on why cats need canned food (i.e. why dry is bad)
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 20, 2007 @ 3:28 pm
for good personal feedback, help choosing a healthier cat food try a trial membership at holisticat. Many resources there - well worth it.
Comment by phdcat — April 20, 2007 @ 3:30 pm
Homemade cat meals:
From all the reading I have been doing on homemade cat food, most of the nutrients will be supplied by providing a high meat diet. The reason commercial pet food has so many extra vitamins added is that the processing methods destroy what little nutrients are actually present.
Give liver once a week or daily in small quantities to provide the vitamin A necessary. Light tuna or wild salmon can be used in moderation as well.Heart and cooked egg provide a decent source of taurine. If you use human taurine be very careful. It comes in capsules but the ingredients are not consistent so a little pinch may have no taurine or too much taurine. Human capsules merely contain the listed amount for the entire capsule, but they also include binders and the such so there is no overall consistency.
Any other pointers would be appreciated.
Comment by mal — April 20, 2007 @ 3:30 pm
The FDA and the poisoned pigs are going to be added to my “2007 Gagamaggot Pet Food Recall Scandal MultiMedia Talk”.
I think I will add a whole section on this, as well as prepare some handouts for the ladies on how to contact the elected official of their choice.
There are some people in office today that are not gonna be able to say the same thing after the next elections.
And some elected officials that are gonna wish we had just strung em up with the whole PFI bunch and started in with a horsewhip, because some of the fine ladies I gave the talk to last week, and quite a few I intend to talk to this week can make being horsewhipped look like a kiss on the lips when they get their dander up!
I will work them into a froth about this and turn them loose, it really is an awful thing for me to do, and I am almost ashamed of myself.
Nice older ladies, with a lot of time , a lot of money and who think the pet food companies could be poisoning THEIR lil fluffy? A smart man who is involved in this would shoot himself before facing a mob like that.
I wonder if I can talk them into doing a fact finding tour in Washington DC for the next group trip?
These ladies KNOW how to bring a dog to heel, don’t you ever think otherwise.
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 20, 2007 @ 3:31 pm
Am at my wits’ end with all those recalls. I feed many cats(including 19 house cats) and have tried to gradually switch them over to Chicken Soup dry food. The puking of half digested food has increased, they want their junky Whiskas and Friskies back. With Diamond (chicken soup producers)implicated, including pig feed , I really do not think which food to feed matters anymore. They all could be dangerous. I did order Felidae over the internet last week but it did not arrive yet.
I believe some of the smaller pet food companies are as much victims as us pet owners by not knowing the actual origin of the ingredients.
I honestly think the blame lies on the USA import rules/inspections/documentation etc. We allow charlatans/middlemen to import junk from China. I also find it quite interesting that Europe has no recalls/renal failures on identical brand/type pet foods made by American brands but made in their European plants.
Mind you, import restrictions are quite tough in the EU countries, and that China junk probably could not pass thru customs. They (EU) have even refused American products ( GM rice -a Bayer invention) last year.
As to garlic in dog food, somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought it kept fleas away. Maybe an old wife’s tale since I am old.
Comment by Serijna — April 20, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
about cats and dry catfood: http://www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html
E Hamilton: A smart man who is involved in this would shoot himself before facing a mob like that.
bet your sweet bippy! GO GIRL!
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 20, 2007 @ 3:35 pm
WELL DONE ALL. GINA ESPECIALLY WELL DONE.
BIG THANKS.
MAXXED OUT. NEED ZZZZs. saving up strength for the hearing! bye.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 20, 2007 @ 3:38 pm
This whole issue is really a political one. It is an issue of importing from countries that do not have the safety standards that our country has. We have given up too much of our manufacturing to overseas companies, outsourced too many of our jobs, and now we are beginning to see the consequences of NAFTA. I have also read recently that the new disease affecting honeybees is probably caused by corn syrup (imported from China?). Where does it stop?
Comment by Trudy Lee Estes — April 20, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
Hello, this situation just seems to get more complicated the more that I read about it. Linda helped by saying to Avoid:
1. corn gluten
2. wheat gluten
3. rice gluetn
4. rice protein
5 anthing that is a concentrate of a vegtable - even potato protein
6. soy anything
7. nothing that sounds like a soy product **** But Help, does it ACTUALLY say “rice protein” in the list of ingrediants or do you need to know what a rice protein is. My bag of dog food says Ground Rice, Rice flour, rice bran, Whole brown rice ( are these rice proteins?) and dried plain beet pulp. Are these ingrediants safe? I don’t know what a rice protein is nor do I know what a concentrate of a vegetable is. I have called food company’s since this all started back in March. It took me days to get through to Menu Foods. When I did get through a girl named Heidi told me that all dry food was safe and that the ole roy should be returned. That is when I switched to Kirkland canned food thinking that it was safe because it didn’t contain wheat. Now there is a problem with rice protein. Only now I am lost because I don’t understand what a rice protein is. I don’t know what a vegetable concentrate is either. Also, I see that the Milkbone biscuits have wheat flour, bran and germ but Not wheat gluten. Should I toss these or not? A tape at one of the numbers that I called said that No pet products sold at Costco are involved in the recall. I bought the milkbones at Costco, so does that mean they are safe? I am trying to be a responsible pet owner but some of this is just way over my head. Is there a help site for dummies? I also called my vet back in March but the girl at the desk seemed to know less about the recall then I knew. Can anyone offer me any advise other than my taking a crash course in nutrition or chemistry. Am I the only one that doesn’t understand all this?
Comment by Peggy — April 20, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
I haven’t tried this, it was on my pit bull forum but thought it worth sharing…
Promotion for free veterinary recipes with code from VIN on the http://www.balanceit.com website
Login and create account. Go through whole thing picking meat and carb source. When it asks for payment put in promo code “vin” and it will readjust to free. More than 1 recipe, you will have to re-login to your account, but you can get more than one. Some odd suggestions for getting calcium sources, but available at any pharmacy/grocery store which is the point!
Will provide with or without their supplement. Excellnt starting point, ensuring meeting all mineral, calcium and vitamin reuirements.
Hope this helps those just starting out with homecooked.
Comment by Becky — April 20, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
Call them and ask if their products contain any form at all of a rice protein, rice gluten, rice concentrate.
Also, find out if the dried plain beet pulp is a dried protein concentrate (but from beets).
Try to find something that is just the meat and veggies and carbs with no added concentrates etc except vitamins.
I am very suspicious of the wording. If the person on the phone will not answer your questions, ask for a supervisor and if they still will not cooperate - try another brand. It is not an easy deal.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:47 pm
tc and Steve. When this all started 5 weeks ago, I started to read books by Marilyn Nestle and others about food safety, food politics and about what all the terms mean… like organic and certified organic, etc etc. because I felt very strongly that this stuff is going to be present in our food but maybe it won’t show up in us right away. Maybe renal failure will occur at a slower rate because we’re bigger than most of the cats and dogs that have already been poisoned. Maybe babies or immune compromised people are the most susceptable. I suppose we’ll probably find out the hard way, as is the usual way now. I’ve stopped eating what little prepared foods I was eating because that’s where most of these glutens, etc seem to be, and am staying away from anything that isn’t whole, Certified Organic grains. I found a website that I posted a while back about which corporations own which organic/natural food companies (www.cornucopia.org). Knowing comes in handy. This is such a tricky problem to step around and we are in so deep.
Comment by Cynthia — April 20, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
Peggy:
Ground Rice, Rice flour, rice bran, Whole brown rice ( are these rice proteins?) and dried plain beet pulp.
It doesn’t appear that the above are protein concentrates - but to be certain you must call the company and ask - do it now before the weekend.
Also, these companies have six months to list ingredients on a package so they may have added something but you are unaware of it. So ask them the tough questions. Go down the list one by one and ask about the beets and ask if their product has any new glutens or proteins concentrates of any kind.
Do not let them get away with “our package does not state them”….ask them to verify all ingredients.
Best, do it now before they stop answering the phones.
Linda
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
Re: Garlic, the facts
It is true that garlic is not the trigger for heinz body anemias that onions are. Although, I have read that high rates of consumption or long term usage could be problematic for dogs with certain medical problems. For example, a dog that has conditions which may predispose them to developing anemia - like moderate to severe problems with the kidneys (kidneys regulate/produce a substance called erythropoeitin (spelling?) that influences red blood cell production, would be advisable to at least think twice before feeding garlic. Or a dog who has developed hemolytic anemia as an adverse vaccine reaction.
JMO, but the established vet community has pushed the fear of feeding your pet to unimaginable heights. Like many people, I’ve been home-cooking for my dog for a few years. She has several medical problems (auto-immune disorders, allergies and mild kidney dysfunction) With real food and minimal supplementation (those which are supportive of specific problems), she’s surprised her vets (both the holistic & the traditional) and done much better than they expected. Why be so scared of real food? The human experts insist on less processed food and more natural food for better health, why would dogs, another mammal (with whom we share ~ 75% of the same DNA)be any different.
Comment by redmal — April 20, 2007 @ 3:55 pm
As to the milkbones, I don’t know Peggy. I would call and ask the same tough questions. I stopped giving my dogs treats and give them pieces of cheese.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:55 pm
My dog died before the recall. She ate Iams Active Maturity beef in gravy. The vet fed her Purina NF—kidney function—formula. He only sent me home with 4 cans. He did not think she would last that long. She didn’t. But, why would a kidney damaging product be in the NF formula. Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is listed as an ingredient.
Comment by Allison — April 20, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
I’m so sorry for the loss of your dog and friend Allison.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 4:13 pm
RE:Comment by Allison — April 20, 2007
So sorry about your dog passing away. The Vet was obviously not very informed in what he gave you as Menadione sodium bisulfite complex can harm the liver and kidneys.
Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is not a good supplement. It is a cheap way of having Vitamin K in pet foods.
The link below is from another forum discussing the problems with Menadione sodium bisulfite complex :
http://forum.kijiji.ca/post-6792129.html
Comment by mal — April 20, 2007 @ 4:19 pm
I lost my Golden Retreiver to kidney failure Dec. 27th. He was also placed on Purina NF by my Vet in Florida. I was in the process of moving to NC and when I got him to the Vet up here, he only lasted another 3 days. He was just 8 years old. I know that I was feeding him one of the recalled foods, but who keeps grocery receipts from November? I feel so guilty……….he depended on me, I should have been able to protect him. Fortunately my Rottie was on a prescription weight control food, I could have lost them both.
Comment by Pat — April 20, 2007 @ 4:36 pm
Cynthia - I too was pretty surprised about how many things contain wheat gluten, and I hear even more have rice protein/powders, etc. Things are being cut out here left and right, because I only have one life. And want to be here to enjoy it for awhile longer.
Peggy - I don’t know what to say either. I don’t purchase treats any longer. But mine are used to having them after they go out to do business or the like, so I hardboil a bunch of eggs weekly, and break off little pieces and they are extremely happy that way:) Cheeses work too, and you can find lots of healthy stuff that is super simple to use as a treat.
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 4:37 pm
Sorry for your loss allison.
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 4:38 pm
This is about the PET FOOD REVOLUTION:
http://tinyurl.com/2ejugr
…The pet food revolution must begin. The industry needs to stop
chortling at the fact that pet owners see their pets as members of the
family, and address the truth: Pets don’t deserve food that is unfit for
people. Pets deserve quality. Pets trust us with their lives and they
deserve wholesome, healthy, safe food that is manufactured under higher
scrutiny. Manufacturers and their suppliers need to be accountable, and
integrity must prevail.
…
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 4:54 pm
“I’ve gotten the impression raw diets can be pricy).”Krystal
You were comparing to cooked foods here.I don’t see how this would be so.Raw foods are just real food not cooked .
Feeding real food of any sort can be more expensive than a lot of kibble/canned food.But the bottom line is healthier pets and fewer visits to the vet.One vet visit where I live could buy a lot of real food.
Most research I have done(am a raw feeder of about 10 years)says that raw meat is easier for dogs and cats to digest than cooked meat.Vegetables are a bit different because dogs can’t break down the cellulose well(if you feed a raw carrot you will see it turn up again in the poop).So they should be lightly cooked ,or if fed raw should be pulped .No big deal.
Cats don’t realy need veggies.And some people feel dogs don’t either.
I haven’t seen much mention of eggs ,but they are a great favourite for my dogs and cats.I feed them raw,crushing up the shell in the meal.Eggs are said to be a perfect protein source.And my understanding there isn’t a cholesterol problem with our pets as there can be with us.
My dogs and cats get garlic in small amounts,no problem.Some cats are reputed not to like the taste though.
I think the garlic scare refers to huge amounts.
A couple of good lists are K9Nutrition , and also K9Kitchen.Another is CNRS .Googling will bring them up.
JMO
Comment by Lorna — April 20, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
I have fed homemade diets to my dogs and cats for over 21 years - including breeding dogs and raising litters. It’s not even REMOTELY as difficult as it’s made out to be. I have never had any form of nutritional deficiency or excess disease or condition in any of my animals, and they routinely live longer than their kibble-fed littermates or the expectancy of their breed or species. I have had deerhounds, a giant breed dog with the average life of 8 and a half years, make it to 12 years old, and in one case 13 and a half. I’ve had cats live to be as old as 22, and never had one die of “old age” younger than 19.
On the other hand, home feeding is not as easy - or maybe I should say, as simple - as it’s sometimes made out to be on email lists, and I constantly see wildly unbalanced recipes and feeding plans being posted on the internet.
This is ESPECIALLY crucial for growing large and giant breed puppies, and all cats. Cats are MUCH more difficult to feed properly - including with commercial foods, hello epidemic of feline diabetes and kidney disease - than dogs are.
The reason many people have had cats who were successfully given fairly casual diets including table scraps etc., is because those were cats who were allowed outdoors, who could hunt for rodents and even insects to fill the nutritional gaps.
The growing practice of keeping cats indoors has identified the shortfalls in both homemade AND commercial foods for cats.
But the bottom line is this: Most vets I know, and I know many, are unreasonably and irrationally afraid of “homefeeding” for pets, and they should get over that. Very few pet owners will really do it, and it’s best to let them give it a try with veterinary support, rather than attempt to control and manipulate them with half-truths and baseless warnings, which they will discount.
Most healthy adult dogs will adapt pretty well to whatever we feed them, within reason. A healthy diet for you might not be “perfectly balanced” for a dog, but it’s close. And get alone in a room with a veterinary nutritionist, off the record, and he or she will admit that. Adults dogs are not that hard to feed, unless they have special needs.
Puppies and cats, yes, I think it’s a good idea to use a variety of carefully, rationally formulated recipes and stay within the guidelines of what we know from nutritional research, and to be careful with portions and supplementation. But if you can bake a cake, you can feed a cat.
Comment by Christie Keith — April 20, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
I have a large breed Doberman young dog that will be 120 pounds when grown or so the vet thinks. He has allergies to everything and is a product of a byb and was very ill when I got him.
I am following a careful homemade diet to the best of my ability with the calcium and vitamins etc. but I still worry wondering if it is enough. He gets hives with most everything I feed him, even chicken and hamburger etc. On Nutro Natural Choice Slow Growth Puppy food he had a fever and very very loose BM.s.
It is a worry even though I follow a good book, own several books, it is still a worry.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
Linda MS: I’ve posted this several times, but it gets lost. This is Univ of TN’s link to recipes for cats & dogs. Sounds like your doggie needs something to boost his immune system. Here’s the link:
http://www.utskinvet.org/hando....._diets.pdf
Good luck! ;)
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
My dogs get plain popcorn for treats. It’s low in calories, high in fiber and they love it.
Comment by Pat — April 20, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
Thank you Kat.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Thank You all for the suggestions. I truely do appreciate it and I am so sorry for all those that have had a pet die or get sick this way. It is after 7pm here on Long Island NY but I will keep calling them till I get through. Now I know what questions to ask , thank you.
Comment by Peggy — April 20, 2007 @ 5:27 pm
You are so very welcome Peggy.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 5:28 pm
Here’s something I just found on boosting the dog’s immune system:
http://www.doggiesparadise.com.....stem.shtml
Allergies are usually from a foreign protein. There are usual suspects: wheat, dairy, nuts, etc. I’ve read dogs don’t metabolize soy very well. Lots of pet foods have soy, tho.
Once you boost the immune system the body will be able to handle the foreign proteins without the elevated mast cells going into high gear.
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
:) u r welcome, Linda MS! I hope those links will help some…or a lot!
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 5:36 pm
Quote:
If Sundlof works for me, I want him fired, he aint up to the job. (snipped).
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 20, 2007 @ 12:03 pm
End Quote
Sundlof, as well as the FDA and other governmental agencies and representatives, up to the president, *work for us*. We are the tax payers, remember?
I find it insulting when one of my employees does not give me specifics if I ask for them, and I am not going to tolerate that.
In essence, I would rather have no governmental involvement (one can’t call it ‘overseeing’, not after that scandal) in any food related industries - that offers only a go-to place to lull somebody and sail under false pretenses. If we trust these agencies, we end up being sold stuff we wouldn’t accept if we knew, and we don’t know because we trust those governmental agencies….
Remember: We, the people….
Remember: We, the people have it in our hands (wallets) to cull unfit businesses or whole industries.
Buy only commercial food if you have to; only from companies that seem to take ‘truth in advertising/labeling’ seriously, and do not underestimate yourself: if those bozos can cook for your cat, you can, too. At least you can learn how to, and you are not going to feed your pets some poisons to make a quick buck.
Comment by MaKo — April 20, 2007 @ 5:37 pm
This might have been posted before, but I just noticed the the Del Monte site (www.delmonte.com )added “Del Monte Pet Products do not contain Chinese Corn Gluten”
BUT, they’ve added *nothing* about RICE Protein.
Interesting… I know what website I’ll be watching.
Comment by Kim — April 20, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
~~ JUST AN IDEA ~~ STOP PAYMENT ON OUR CHECKS TO THE IRS ~~
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
I think THAT would get their attention!! And, FAST !! If 10,000+ people stopped checks on the same day… I think that would be pretty cool.
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 5:44 pm
Dr. Michael W. Fox has an interesting theory on the possible cause of the poisonous pet food. See site below:
http://www.doctormwfox.org
(Go to link, then “Largest Pet Food Recall Ever”)
Comment by Boot — April 20, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
Kat, I like that idea!! LOL, and make the checks out to a fund to pay Vet bills for the sick animals instead!!
Comment by Peggy — April 20, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
um Kim, does Del Monte know something . . .?
that’s actually a tad disturbing!
Comment by straybaby — April 20, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
Kat,
stopping the check to the IRS does not help.
Not buying commercial foods helps - because it hurts this industry where they hurt most.
If only the ‘good’ companies survive this scandal, that helps.
If the governmental agencies see that the sleeping lion (the American people) awakens, that’ll get their attention in a hurry.
“We, the people….”
Comment by MaKo — April 20, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
they do have the rice protien on there now. I still wonder why the mention of corn though. maybe they *hear* us?!
this bothers me:
“we no longer source from the Chinese company that supplied contaminated wheat gluten.”
How about NO china at ALL?!
Comment by straybaby — April 20, 2007 @ 5:53 pm
What’s wrong with using Kumpi Foods. Evy has even been posting right along all these weeks trying to help out. She’s not in the same league as the other companies. If you email her she responds immediately.
Comment by VJ — April 20, 2007 @ 6:18 pm
Here’s a Reuter’s report on the US LIVESTOCK FEED contamination — possibly being distributed to other farms. They are checking into the RENDERING PLANTS !! I’ve been waiting for that!
http://tinyurl.com/29gxb6
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 6:26 pm
Thank you for the articles on boosting the immune system - I really appreciate it so much. And my Solomon thanks you too.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 6:34 pm
Well, unfortunately you cannot get a 15 year old pedigreed over-civilized kitty in chronic renal failure to eat raw beef heart. I tried that with my oldest CRF girl 6 years ago, and she had been an outdoor hunter in her youth. Beef is not a natural “prey” for a cat; cats don’t hunt cows. My second CRF girl did eat treats of minced raw steak until she was 18 and the risk of contamination (from today’s filthy human-meat processing practices) was too great in her weakened condition. Barely sauteed chicken livers was another fav of hers that had to be stopped; same reason. TOO much meat protein, even high quality, causes faster kidney deterioration; they can’t process it without spikes in BUN so we walk a careful line. A high percentage of raw eggs are contaminated with salmonella. I gave my cats raw scrambled eggs 25 years ago when I raised my own chickens, but not now.
Taurine is destroyed by cooking meat; I have always read that. Not just some meats or just by canning, but by cooking. Possibly what I’ve always read is wrong. But rather than have my cat go blind or develop cardiomyopathy, I’ll add taurine in the only form we can get it to cooked food. It’s a simple matter to open the capsule, empty it all into a tiny jar and shake; then take a pinch of that as I do. The capsules are 500mg and a cat can have up to half of that a day. If this is now some kind of risk, I’ll take it as the lesser one. But I don’t think people should be warned against adding taurine to cooked food for their cats. It’s necessary, and they have enough to worry about.
Comment by Sharon G — April 20, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
Well, not surprising re livestock feed contamination:( I mean, here is Diamond Foods, right in the middle of a recall of food that is killing animals, and what bright move do they make?
Let’s see - they insist that their foods are “safe”, because they took all the bad old contaminated stuff that was killing pets, and sold it as HOG FOOD, knowing the next stop is straight INTO THE HUMAN FOOD CHAIN.
Isn’t there a law against re-selling something that has been subject to a recall because it contains toxic contaminents - and esp. selling it to be fed to animals that we humans eat? See, stupid me would have thought that was the case.
I am waiting now for any Friday night surprises, but as I read more, I am way more disheartened about the whole thing and how it is likely expanding.
Comment by TC — April 20, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
Unfortunately, if you want the news you get a better picture if you go outside the US for it.
Great Canadian article!
http://www.canadafreepress.com.....041807.htm
Comment by ~ Martha ~ — April 20, 2007 @ 6:58 pm
A couple comments & a question: It does look like the Menu stock is about half what it was before this all came to light over a month ago — good! On homecooking…I know it works, even the leftover food from the human table works (the healthiest dogs I’ve ever known were reall WORKING sheep dogs in Ireland, who subsist their entire long lives on table scraps and spend their days running mountains). BUT, I can’t seem to get it to work for my dog. Bought some recipes from BalanceIt, and though I introduced it gradually, my 9-year-old Akita got sick for seveal days. She can’t seem to tolerate rice, and certainly can’t take the corn oil they recommend; she can’t tolerate oil for sure. Several years ago I homecooked for her when she was much younger;she loved the food & could tolerate it, but even giving her adequate calories, she got way too thin, so I went back to kibble. Any of you experienced homecookers have any advice? And, yes, I have read up, including Strombeck’s “Home Prepared Dog & Cat Diets” which I was using at the time. Is it possible that my dog has been eating commercial “junk food” so long that she just cannot adjust at her age? I’m open to any advice, as I, too, have had it with these lousy pet food companies and agree that the only solution is to not use their poison products. I’m on the horns of a dilemma here. Even tried switching her to a different (presumably better) manufacturer’s food, and she didn’t tolerate that either. Please advise.
Comment by Dee — April 20, 2007 @ 8:14 pm
Straybaby — Here’s the response from NOW to my question about taurine capsules. The reference to rice in their answer refers to the ingredients used to make the capsule itself, not the taurine.
——-Original Message——-
From: productinfo@nowfoods.com
To: [deleted]
Sent: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 2:20 PM
Subject: A RE: Taurine info
Hello Teresa,
Taurine raw material is from Japan. Produced via microbial fermentation
like most amino acids.
Japanese are very secretive on the processes beyond the above statement.
Extraordinary purity.
We encapsulate it here.
Rice flour from USA & processed in USA.
Thank you for your inquiry,
NOW Quality, Science, & Nutrition Group
Interestingly, someone else on another forum sent an inquiry to NOW about their loose taurine powder and got a reply that said that NOW’s taurine is made in the U.S.A and made from a fermentation process from vegetable nutrients.
So which is it? She asked about the loose taurine powder and I asked about the taurine in capsules.
Comment by Teresa — April 20, 2007 @ 10:02 pm
Hi. I just stumbled on your article and found it very interesting. I wanted to let you know that I found a website that is giving away free samples of a pet food that is made by Life’s Abundance. It’s derived from organically fed animals and has no wheat or wheat by-products. The site is http://www.precious-pets-paradise.com and you can get it from there. I just went ahead and bought the small size bag because the sample was only a bit full and was glad I did, my dog loves it and I feel much safer giving my pet something that is so natural and is not on the recall list! I’ve already got more and will continue to use this product. Thought you might want to know! - Bob Knuck
Comment by Bob Knuck — April 21, 2007 @ 4:09 am
Gee, Bob Knuck, your boilerplate posting sure is plastered all over Google.
Comment by Lynn — April 21, 2007 @ 4:50 am
RE: Any word on the 5 foods mentioned by Paul Pion?
He was going to try to take the samples to the UC David lab on Wednesday. Don’t know if he did or not. At any rate this UC Davis lab is the same one that is now handling hundreds of those pork samples. So even if they got there, we won’t hear any time soon, as people concerns will be bumped to the head of the line.
Comment by CathyA — April 21, 2007 @ 4:58 am
Teresa - thanks for the info on NOW taurine. Was thinking about doing an inquiry myself. NOW is somewhat cheaper than some other brands, and every once in a while I’d just wonder……
Anyway, the Japanese are into supplements fairly big time - they’ve just about cornered the market on CoQ10. I sort of trust them to make a quality product.
And Bob Knuck — April 21, 2007 @ 4:09 am, buzz off, get lost, quit spamming. BTW, this isn’t an article. Too busy punching the send button to customize your spam?
Dee go to K9Nutrition for some help. Archives are open to the public. Personally I’d try digestive enzymes with transition meals. Or go read this site http://www.dogaware.com Lots of links and information.
About BalanceIt. I’ve never added zinc, potassium or choline to food in my life. If they had more meat in the recipe, varied the kinds of meat, added eggs, it wouldn’t be an issue. These are spreadsheet recipes. They’re blancing it on a piece of paper. People wanting to prepare meals need to start somewhere. I don’t approach it the way they do, but if it makes you more comfortable go for it. You can at least be assured you’re feeding stuff that comes from the grocery store and know exactly what’s in it. As you go along you’ll gain more confidence and more knowledge. For those not using any recipe, please try to get some calcium in there - boil the chicken bones, crack them open, add a bit of vinegar to dissolve calcium and add this broth to food, or add eggshell powder (please go to K9Nutrition for amount or Pitcairn’s book), or feed canned mackrel or salmon a few times a week.
There are some vet elimination diets that are totally unbalanced. You’re not supposed to feed them more than 90 days. So don’t freak, you’ve got time to figure it out, just don’t feed one thing day after day. There are low potency pet vitamins you might give if it makes you feel more comfortable to cover all the bases. If your dog tends to pancreatitis, or has other special dietary needs, you might want to seek out professional help in the beginning.
There’s more than one way to feed a dog or cat. A lot of them are very successful, as varied as they are. Nutrition is an infant science even in the human realm. No one, NO ONE knows everything about it.
Comment by CathyA — April 21, 2007 @ 5:48 am
Dee - I have dogs so cats maybe quite a bit different. This is what I do for my dogs:
One of my dogs doesn’t do so well on rice - I’ve been using sweet potatos.
I also use an organic imported (not from China) Safflower Oil, and I fry (low heat) the eggs in it. It takes awhile to get used to the oil, so cut it in half or even in thirds for awhile.
I also add some Molasses for the calcium and potassium.
Usually meat can cause a few problems, and if I question if the meat is the one ingredient that is problematic, then I use low-fat cottage cheese and take the meat out and use a few more eggs. Hamburger is good to stop runny stools and chicken is better than turkey for the same reason but hamburger is the best. And I boil all my meats in water and drain the water and fat off. If I use hamburger I use ground chuck, but any hamburger will do but the higher fat content needs to certainly be drained.
Then I run my veggies through the food processor, after I wash them, and finely chop them, along with some fruit, but avoid seeds of apples. There’s a few good books on this. But in the beginning go easy on the fruit and the veggies - I increase these gradually.
And also you can add enzymes for the dogs intestines until your pet gets used to the home cooking. I go to the health food store and buy them and add. Usually they are in a capsule that you can pull apart and put directly in the dog’s food.
When I’m in a bind for ingredients, need to go to the store, I crumble up some good whole grain bread (that was when we could trust the bread - but now with the wheat gluten scare - I haven’t been using or buying my bread.)
These are just a few things that I’ve tried.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 6:10 am
CathyA — The NOW brand is supposed to be a good brand. And I’m also comfortable using supplements made in Japan.
Comment by Teresa — April 21, 2007 @ 6:48 am
Sorry if I have offended you Lynn and Cathy. I’m just trying to spread the word of something I found that is safe and a great product. Maybe the person that might have lost their pet will thank me later. I’m not spamming, just excited about a great food and wanted to share it with as many people as possible. So chill out. I thought we were all trying to help each other and here for the same reason; and that is the safety of our pets! Bob Knuck
Comment by Bob Knuck — April 21, 2007 @ 7:49 am
I don’t know if “Bob Knuck” is spamming or not but I must say that Life’s Abundance is a great food that I to discovered from a newsletter from a pet place online. I have been giving it to my dog for weeks. One thing he forgot to mention was that all the ingredients are from the USA nothing is imported for the production of the food. I thought that was a great plus! LINDA thanks for the recipes…I would love to try that on the weekends when I have more time to cook.
Comment by Pam — April 21, 2007 @ 8:03 am
Thanks again for all your work and continued coverage on this issue.
Just wanted to mention that commercial diets are a BIG revenue source for various sectors of the pet industry. So, I believe there is a vested interest in the comments coming out in the media supporting commercial diets.
In the early 1990’s I was a clinic associate at an innovative clinic—not only did we have a natural canine and feline nutritionist but also services that included pet psychics, alternative animal training and behavior, a holistic veterinarian, and cryobank expert…were were considered heretics (yes, even here in California). Now all of us are more accepted but people still follow the pop culture standards despite options.
My point is that change is not accepted easily and that there is inherant risk in food handling of any kind but at this point I have to agree that the statements regarding commercial diets versus make those at home (or other options) are ridiculous.
I am old enough to remember a time when pets got lots of table scraps, bones, and when prepared diets were not the rage. Is it my memory or did they were they not overweight to such a high degree nor did they have dental issues to such a degree either. (Yes, specialty services have changed but “give a dog a bone” really seems to have an impact on dental health.)
The pet food recall issue brings up another point…why are we importing items from countries that use toxic substances (pesticides sprays) on food, use slave labor, and that are not regulated to the alleged standards of the USA?
Yikes! If that isn’t a motivator to go organic…
As some conspiracy theorists have expressed—the wide range of distribution and casualties of pets could illustrate where the weak links are in this country.
Unfortuanately, the animal tragedies are being dismissed and illustrating the potential impact on humans will probably be the only thing that motivates regulatory agencies into further investigation and action.
Comment by Diana Guerrero — April 21, 2007 @ 8:46 am
I’m still waiting for the truth about how long we have been poisoning our dogs. I have proof that I wrote a letter to Eukanuba complaining that my dogs would not eat the food last July - whenever the gravy was thick!! To Eukanuba’s credit — they called me right away and asked if I saved a can. Unfortunately I had thrown the latest one in the dumpster already. After that day, I started rinsing off the gravy before I fed them. (Mainly because I had noticed gravy in their stools!) Noticing this months ago probably saved their lives — although my oldest dog is near liver failure…her enzymes are 1000 times normal. Hopefully she is going to recover…but I want these dog food companies to admit the truth about how long our dogs have been poisoned!!
Comment by Brenda Moore — April 21, 2007 @ 7:59 pm
The Bush administration is probably happy for the VA shooting incident. The President can go on tv and pretend to care and the whole thing takes the spotlight off all the other terrible things going on in the world, this included. Just keep the media moving from one distraction to another then maybe people won’t notice that their pets are dying.
Comment by Sharon — April 22, 2007 @ 8:18 am
God love ya Sharon - you speak the truth and the truth shall set us free! That and a good election.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 8:24 am
I’m so sorry Brenda for you pet’s illness. This does not sound good. The poor babies.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 8:26 am
When you have any more information will you mail it to me because I have 8 animals who eat the most of the pet food that was on the list and I love my animals.
Thanks!
Bridgett Clark
Comment by bridgett clark — April 22, 2007 @ 1:33 pm