Pet-food recall: Hogs, dogs and cats, oh my!

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Pet-food recall: Hogs, dogs and cats, oh my!

By Gina Spadafori

April 21, 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.

People think of Iowa or other Midwestern states as farming powerhouses — America’s breadbasket, they’re called, but in light of recent events regarding imported farm products, maybe a new motto is in order (suggestions?).

When it comes to protecting agricultural interests, though, there’s nothing like California.

The state takes its rank as the top ag state (since 1948) with $24.8 billion in cash receipts (according to a 2000 study) so seriously that California officials won’t let the state’s residents have ferrets or Quaker parakeets, because of the fear they may harm agribusiness. (Not saying I agree, mind you: Just saying.)

So, when some “salvage” pet food tainted with melamine ends up in hogs meant for human consumption … well, you can bet the California state Department of Food and Agriculture is going to be busy this weekend.

And so, too, are a lot of reporters:

From the Boston Globe:

An industrial chemical linked to kidney failure in dogs and cats has found its way into the human food supply chain. California officials quarantined 1,500 animals at the American Hog Farm and are tracking who purchased nearly 100 hogs from the farm this month, when the animals’ feed included pet food that had been tainted with melamine.

In addition, 26 hogs were sold and slaughtered at an unnamed processing plant in northern California . Federal authorities quarantined those unprocessed carcasses at that plant, but state officials expect to identify more California processing plants that purchased the hogs.

American Hog Farm, a specialty slaughterhouse in Ceres, Calif., sells whole hogs suitable for backyard barbecues to celebrate weddings, retirements, graduations, and other festive events.

From The Sacramento Bee:

Scientists at a state laboratory in Davis are studying the pork to determine whether melamine is present and poses a risk for people who might have eaten it. Officials said they view the risk to people as “minimal” at this point.

[...]

The state Department of Food and Agriculture and the FDA also are tracking down live animals from American Hog Farm that were sold to slaughtering plants between April 3 and 18, Breitmeyer said. Investigators determined this week that about two dozen animals that ate the contaminated pet food had gone to a federally inspected slaughtering plant in Northern California, which Breitmeyer declined to name. All the animals or products from them are being held and did not get into the commercial food supply, he said.

Investigators also are tracking other hogs that may have consumed some of the salvaged pet food and gone to slaughter houses, Breitmeyer said.

Rice protein is an insoluble, talcum powderlike substance that is refined from a rice byproduct. California Natural Products, in Lathrop, is the only U.S. producer, according to John Ashby, the company’s general manager for ingredients.

Rice protein is not just a pet food additive. It is used in many grocery food items marketed as “wheat-free” or “gluten-free,” Ashby said, and demand from U.S. companies exceeds his firm’s ability to produce it. As a result, Ashby said many firms “without question” import rice protein from China. His company once considered importing rice protein but felt it could not count on the China-sourced product to be reliably pure.

This recent twist in the case points out what we’ve said all along: That our pets are the “canary in the coal mine” for human health concerns. That’s why we’ve been pushing for:

A true, national system for getting information to veterinarians and collecting information from veterinarians. This is important not only for our animals, but for ourselves. It’s quite possible a problem in animals can signify a developing threat for humans. Veterinarians are an essential link in our national security and public-health systems, and we’ve now seen how little respect they get in this role.
New labeling requirements for pet food:

Product labels should be required to list not only the company that’s marketing the food, but also the company that made it. With full addresses and 800 numbers.
Product labels should be required to list the country of origin of the ingredients. It’s clear now that this information is every bit as important to a consumer trying to make an intelligent decision as the ingredients and nutritional analysis on those labels now.
Product labels should be required to list all ingredients of the product as it is now manufactured, not as it was manufactured months ago. (This is a new one, based on recent events.)

Want to help? Write, call and e-mail your elected officials, at all levels. Here’s where to find them. And don’t forget to give Sen. Durbin’s office your suggestions.

Update: Links sent in by readers:

YouTube video about the April 28 march and other ways to help.
Florida’s CSI: Veterinarian, on investigating pet deaths.
South Africa’s pet food industry has closed the door to Chinese gluten after pet deaths there.

Update No. 2: I took down the post about in which it seemed I was endorsing a food. I wasn’t, and I’m not, but people took it that way anyway. So, it’s gone.

Note: Barring developments, your Pet Connection bloggers won’t be posting much this weekend. So please consider this an open thread.

Again, we’re all crushed by pending deadlines. Dr. Becker and I have book manuscripts due May 1 (yikes!!!) and June 1 (yikes!!), plus we all have to pull together our weekly Pet Connection syndicated pet-care page (yikes!). And Christie writes for so many publications on so many subjects I can’t keep track.

Oh, and our pets would like some attention, too.

We’ll continue to monitor comments and blog as needed. If you see anything, let us know.

Go to the latest blog post | Go to the PetConnection home page

|Technorati Tags: pet food recall, dogs, cats,veterinarian, veterinary

Filed under: 2007 food recall,animals: pets,medical,news — Gina Spadafori @ 9:25 am

Comments (266)

266 Comments »

Not sure where to post this but just found it on one of the celebrity gossip sites…

Posted Apr 21st 2007 3:07AM by TMZ Staff
Filed under: Celebrity Justice

The bodaciously-bosomed Barbi twins claim their beloved kitty was killed in the contaminated pet food mess — and now they’re busting out in front of a class action lawsuit against some of the world’s biggest pet food manufacturers. Meow!

http://www.tmz.com/

Comment by Adrienne — April 21, 2007 @ 9:32 am
Gina, our pets certainly ARE considered a cash crop. Sad but true. Our love for our pets is used as a way to “milk” us of money. And the very last thing the pet food industry wants is a bunch of informed pet owners screwing up their cozy system.

After all, the people who won’t spay or neuter their pets and feed whatever is on sale and really do not “get” why this has upset us, those people have us outnumbered and are happily providing yet another spring bumper crop of unwanted kittens and puppies.
Then we, as, caring people, are supposed to come along and put our fingers and our money in the dike.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
You gotta hand it to them, it is sure a sweet system for keeping us busy, broke and blind to what they are REALLY doing.

Comment by E. Hamilton — April 21, 2007 @ 9:38 am
That’s why I said, “… once they’re in our homes.” There’s no doubt a lot of money is made selling pets. Heck, we even have an entire blog category on my puppy-mill rants. Click if you can stand it.

And yes, it’s now kitten season. What’s another litter to dump off to die? Don’t get me started on spay and neuter!

Comment by Gina Spadafori — April 21, 2007 @ 9:47 am
The info on limited rice protein concentrate production in the US (leading to probable importation) is extremely interesting. When looking up RPC on the internet, I immediately found a link to IICAG (International Ingredients Corporation) which, when clicked, could not be accessed—though clicking “cached” will bring it up.

On the cached page, it is touted as “an excellent source of protein for high quality specialty pet foods…” I then looked at their website and RPC is no longer on offer. Any chance they either imported RPC on their own or bought from Wilbur-Ellis and then sold to another group of pet food manufacturers?

[If someone else is already on this, I apologize.]

Comment by Eva — April 21, 2007 @ 10:02 am
Here is the letter I have been sending (thanks to the suggestions from Pet Connection’s call to action). I started with my senators and congressional delegation, then the members of the homeland security, agriculture & commerce committees. Now I’m working on the rest of the 535. I’m using typewritten letters, mailed from the USPS, not e-mail.

“Re: Protection of America’s Food Supply

Dear ___:

I am writing to ask you to join with your colleagues in taking action to protect the food supply for American humans and pets. Although the FDA will only “confirm” 16 pet deaths from melamine-contaminated pet food imported from China, there is substantial evidence that the numbers are in the thousands.

The melamine that has killed or sickened so many beloved pets has been found in wheat gluten, rice protein, and corn gluten, all from Chinese sources. Those ingredients, and others, such as whey, soy protein isolate, soybean meal, soy lecithin, and soy grits, are not only found in pet foods, but in many human foods as well.

If one wants to avoid purchasing products that contain these ingredients sourced from China, reading labels isn’t much help, because there is no way to know whether, for example, the “wheat gluten” listed as an ingredient on a can of Campbell’s Soup came from China or somewhere else. Reading labels is even more futile in the case of pet foods, because lax regulations allow manufacturers to change their ingredients and wait up to six months before they are required to update their labels. This is dangerous and I implore you to enact legislation to end this practice. I believe that it is a matter of national security.

I urge you to act expeditiously with your colleagues to, at a minimum:

1. Conduct a thorough investigation into how the pet food contamination scandal has been handled by the pet food industry and the FDA, followed by a full, public report of your investigation. Since mid-March, recall information has trickled out slowly, often in midnight press releases on Friday night. The FDA is aware of possible sources of contamination but either cannot or will not release that information to consumers. Pet owners are fearful of buying any commercial pet food, knowing that the food that is touted as “safe” today may be recalled tomorrow, or next week.

2. New labeling requirements that include: (a) the name, address, and phone number of the company that markets and/or distributes the food; (b) the name, address, and phone number of the company that manufactured the food; (c) the country of origin of all of the ingredients in the food. This information is especially important to consumers who are trying to make an intelligent decision about the ingredients and nutritional analysis of them. (d) A complete, current listing of the actual ingredients of the package, can, or bag.

3. A comprehensive national system for getting information to veterinarians and collecting information from veterinarians. They are an essential component of our national security and public health systems, inasmuch as it is quite possible that a problem in animals can signify a developing threat for humans.

This is not a partisan issue. Liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, all have to eat, and many have pets that they love dearly, as members of their families. Therefore, I respectfully request that you work in a bipartisan way to accomplish these important goals as soon as possible.”

Comment by Pam — April 21, 2007 @ 10:07 am
I know Gina, my point was that even AFTER they are in our homes, we are being milked and bilked and used. The emotional index of words used by the pet industry to advertise is beyond belief.

An unwanted kitten or puppy who ends up in the home of someone who actually cares can produce thousands of dollars for the pet industry and the other 99 or 200 who suffer and die are “just collateral damage” if they think of them at all.

And I really do not think that WE, as humans, matter a whole lot more either, to the ones making the money and pulling the strings.
What they SAY matters is not the truth, what they DO is a way to see what matters to them.

Humans are the BIG ” cash crop” and the pets are just another way to make money and pull our strings.

Comment by E. Hamilton — April 21, 2007 @ 10:09 am
Anyone have even an inkling of who the other 2 pet food companies are?
I am still waiting to hear that Del Monte’s 9 Lives canned food was tainted. My cat and a cat of another friend both died after eating it. My friend’s cat died of exactly the same symptoms as mine did and they had both eaten 9 lives food all their short lives. My cat was only 7 and her’s was 4.
You can’t have two cats die of exactly the same symptoms eat the exact same food without there being a correlation between the two.
Her vet had the good impluse to send a sample of the food to a lab for testing. I have not heard back on the results of it yet.

This whole thing angers me still after it being 4 weeks since my cat died. I cried myself to sleep last night over Lil Bear and his unnecessary suffering and all those other precious furkids who are or were in similar straits.

Thank you Gina and Christy for your devotion to this horrific scandal.

Comment by Lil Bear's Moma — April 21, 2007 @ 10:22 am
Pam,

BTW, that is one whiz-bang, humdinger of a letter. Wish I’d written it. I would encourage the many others who will agree with my assessment of her letter NOT to copy the letter in its entirety to send out. (The recepients will start to “read” it as a form letter and ignore it.) If you’d like, take her general points, put them into your own words and add whatever is important to you. Personalize it.

Comment by Eva — April 21, 2007 @ 10:25 am
Beware of Modern Marketing.

I attended a meeting one time ago where a new fresh hire marketing department director said, “people buy products because their lives lack meaning and love. They think they are buying love. Thats what you want to emphasize when your envagelizing the product. Buying our product gives them Love.” He actually said this and this was his first staff meeting and he couldn’t even answer a straight question about most of our products.

I was steaming on the inside. This kid was pretty much fresh off of the University Assembly Line and obviously knew NOTHING about life and I wanted to say. “You know something. Your ignorant. I can’t believe we hired a fool like you.”

I could go on and on about what they are learning in Marketing Classes now days. But take my word for it it has nothing to do with real underlying substance in 95% of the cases.

How bout just a great product? Wow. What a revolutionary idea!

Anyway what good is charismatic evangelizing and imagery going to do for the Pet Food Industry now?

The whole cover is blown off. Nothing.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 10:28 am
Steve, the commercial that came to mind in reading your post was that stupid Beneful commercial where he’s grabbing his dog’s cheeks and scrunching them up into a grin and making baby-talk at him.

Yup. “Selling love”.

Comment by Pat — April 21, 2007 @ 10:31 am
Thanks, Eva. As you will see, I took large sections of the language from what was recommended by the owners of this website. I surely don’t mind if anyone copies any of it, and I’m sure everyone can think of better ways to say it than I did. The main thing is to inundate them with mail about this. They really tend to read letters more so than e-mail. Also, if your congressman or senator has a local office nearby, and it is convenient for you, hand-deliver it. I was able to do that for Sen. Lott, who has a local office less than a block from mine. I was able to talk to one of the assistants about the issue when I delivered the letter.

Comment by Pam — April 21, 2007 @ 10:31 am
I know I’ve lost all faith in the pet food industry now. I consider myself a reasonably intelligent and rational person, but my emotional response to this situation remains “hang ‘em all!”. I’m that mad.

Comment by mountainkimmie — April 21, 2007 @ 10:38 am
Pam,

Not a matter of saying it “better” (really, really, well-written letter) but rather saying it differently. I know how these things go and anything repetitious will be ignored.

There are so many grieving parents out there who can take your points and “punctuate” them with their own experience…put words to what good they’d like to see come of their pain.

I guess I’m saying that your letter can serve as an excellent guide to staying on point, while allowing others to express themselves individually.

Again…beautifully done.

Comment by Eva — April 21, 2007 @ 10:39 am
Comment by Pat — April 21, 2007 @ 10:31 am

Exactly. I wasn’t selling imagery, love, happiness, fulfillment, enlightenment. I represented great products. There is no way our products could have lived up to filling a void people have to fill themselves through hard won effort. What they got for their investment was a product that exceeded their expectations, lasted a long time, was trouble free, dependable, ethical, and a pleasure to own and enjoy, and even increased in value if you take good care of it.

Say that at the next marketing meeting and the marketing staff will sit there dumb struck, scratching their heads with a blank look on their faces, and if they are lucky they might manage to utter “whatever”.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 10:45 am
Steve,
Any marketing that uses kids ,and now any that uses pets, I just tune it out.

Works for me.

Comment by E. Hamilton — April 21, 2007 @ 10:46 am
I don’t find John Ashby’s statement comforting.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 10:48 am
http://www.wwpia.org/i4a/pages.....pageID=742

“WWPIA SURVEY: PET PRODUCT RETAILERS REPORT STRONG SALES DESPITE FOOD RECALL - 75 Percent of Survey Respondents Not Worried About Long-Term Effects on Their Business

Nearly half (45 percent) of the pet product retailers surveyed, said they carried one or more of the recalled food brands.”

“WWPIA’s mission is plain and simple: to promote responsible pet care worldwide.” *Gag*

Comment by Stefania — April 21, 2007 @ 10:49 am
Oh, WWIPA was surprised

“Interestingly, an overwhelming majority (84 percent) said they felt that the pet food industry should be regulated much like the human food industry.”

Comment by Stefania — April 21, 2007 @ 10:51 am
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 21, 2007 @ 10:46 am

And the marketing techniques and manner in which it is done these days in general that is targeted towards kids, especially young ones should be outlawed and made illegal in my opinion.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 10:54 am
On the topic of overpopulation of cats -

where I live there are thousands of feral and abandoned cats living in the shadows in the city and probably elsewhere too.

People can’t take a pet to a new apartment or whatever and they just leave it outside the old. I have rescued, feed, and loved many of those cats.

I don’t have a cat now but over the years they have been a big part of my home. I don’t know what the solution is if any.

I would like to see it illegal to advertise pets for sale, litters of kittens and puppies, in the Sacramento Bee and Penny Saver and like papers throughout the State of California.

People need to stop making money off the pain and suffering of our animals. I’d like people to have a license to breed a pet and only then once in a lifetime.

Any person buying a puppy or kitten etc. from out of state and having it flown in should pay a fee of $250 for the future cost to the county or city state etc.

These are just a few of my ideas on it. As to internet sales of puppies and kittens - make it illegal -

We treat so many of these animals like trash and it breaks my heart and also the hearts of my friends and family.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 10:57 am
P.S.

As to accidents of unplanned kittens and puppies, then they can be sold under a conditional license with $75.00 of the money going to the county.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 10:59 am
SOUTH AFRICAN PET FOOD INDUSTRY BANS CHINESE GLUTEN 04/21/07
The South African pet food industry has closed the door on any future importation of Chinese corn gluten. This is a bold move — one which bodes well with restoring consumer confidence. One wonders why they didn’t likewise close the door on importation of Chinese wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate, since these two protein additives were also found to be adulterated in American, Canadian and Puerto Rican pet foods. Maybe, just maybe, the American and Canadian pet food industries will read this and make their own bold moves. Lord knows, the pet food indutstries on this side of the Atlantic need to do something — anything — to begin restoring even just a smidgen of consumer confidence. (Our thanks to Mike for the news tip.) Howl

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 11:00 am
Sorry, I meant 75% of the money going to the county.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 11:01 am
Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 10:57 am

Unfortunately there are people breeding animals to makes “ends meet”. “Making Ends Meet” is one of those phrases that should be eliminated from the National Vocabulary. It’s used more now to make people think drudgery is the only option they have in life while executives jet around on their Gulfstream Jets off the sweat of their labor.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 11:08 am
First I wondered where the recalled pet food was going to go.

Now I’m wondering where the “recalled” hogs are going to go.

Pet food, anyone?

Comment by Shari Mann — April 21, 2007 @ 11:18 am
“Pig-gate” continues:

InteState issues pork warning
PET TOXIN FOUND IN PIGS FROM STANISLAUS COUNTY FARM
By Linda Goldston
Mercury News
Article Launched: 04/21/2007 01:34:26 AM PDT

State and federal officials warned the public Friday not to eat any pork processed at the American Hog Farm in Stanislaus County since April 3 and warned there may be contaminated pork products from other custom-slaughter plants.

Comment by Eva — April 21, 2007 @ 11:20 am
Sadly maybe the pigs did us all a favor and the greed and IMO stupidity at Diamond did us a favor by selling the salvage.

The agri groups surely realize that this may not have been the first in this on-going tragedy. Wilbur-Ellis was importing since July 06. Chem Nutra since Nov 06.

“Salvage” pet foods have been sold from what plants and to whom? What animals (byproducts) then get recycled back into the pet food manufacturing?

That cycle should shake up a lot of people.

Ann

Comment by Ann — April 21, 2007 @ 11:23 am
Well its clear that Proctor and Gamble are not deserting Menu and finding a different manufacturer for their Iams and Ekanuba.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/.....htm?csp=34

“A month after one of the biggest pet-food recalls in history, a leading pet-food maker says it’s taking steps to lessen the chance of it happening again.
Procter & Gamble (PG), owner of the Iams and Eukanuba brands, has set out its “promise” to consumers that it will, in effect, exert more control over Menu Foods, the Canadian company that makes the Iams and Eukanuba wet foods for P&G.”

Comment by Maureen (Lilly and Lucy's mom) — April 21, 2007 @ 11:24 am
Well, where is the ever vigilant and truthful FDA with the statement that less than 1% of the pork in this country has been found to contain poison?

And where are the press releases saying that people are “hysterical and confused”?

I have a bet going on when the FDA makes a press statement about the pork in grocery stores being safe, no more recalls!
And some fool, somewhere will really believe them! LOL.

Comment by E. Hamilton — April 21, 2007 @ 11:28 am
Sorry, here’s the rest of the story:

One of approximately 40 state licensed custom slaughter plants in the state, American Hog Farm processes the animals for individual customers to be used by them and their friends. State law requires that meat be stamped “not for resale.”

But American also sells animals to meat processing plants and other hog farms. At least one of the hogs made it to a meat processing plant that has wider distribution. Officials reached that plant - which they would not name today - before any of the meat was sold to the public.

“Just under 100 animals were custom killed at that individual plant” at the American Hog Farm in Ceres, said Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said today. “We are tracing animals that may have gone to other plants.”

Comment by Eva — April 21, 2007 @ 11:29 am
Steve, Pat, E. and everyone
Those kid commercials started in the 50’s to sell cereal: Sugar Corn Pops, Sugar Smacks, etc. Drove my parents NUTS. We had eaten oatmeal and farina and shredded wheat before the TV started blaring the sugar coated cereals with TV icons like cowboys and cartoon characters.
Now even lightbulbs give you a warm fuzzy family first feeling.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:30 am
Pig Gate Stinks.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 11:34 am
Linda MS,

Remember my prediction from yesterday, concerning the FDA establishing “acceptable levels of melamine” by the end of the year? If it is undeniably in human food…much sooner.

Comment by Eva — April 21, 2007 @ 11:39 am
Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:30 am

Exactly, but now days they have gone viral and have completely bypassed any parental supervision.
When parents ask what has gone wrong with their kids and where they are coming up with this stuff the Marketers should just say. “We’re here, your not”.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 11:39 am
Now that we know some of the food went to pigs in California and we know that no company likes to take any loses, what have they really done with the recalled food? And who can certify that it was destroyed?

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:39 am
I’m off to return my unopened bags of NB Potato and Duck or the landfill, whichever occurs last.

Linda MS

PS - keep waiting for more recalls - does not heart warm to see Menu rebounding - the CEO’s etc, sold stock high, will buy it back low, and make a nice tidy profit out of their shananigans.

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 11:43 am
Don’t misunderstand me I don’t want to be a helicopter parent but parents do need to watch out for their kids these days if they want them to have any basic idea and understanding of the difference between right and wrong.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 11:43 am
I must proof read - sorry - does my heart warm…or not????

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 11:43 am
Steve
I agree. I have some serious issues with little girls clothing. My 6 yr old grandbaby. I try to shop for more appropriate dresses. Most of the dresses look like Gollywood bimbo wear. She doesn’t need to look like Lolita!

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:44 am
A Canadian magazine (Macleans) has a somewhat poorly written article (i.e. says Whiskas is made by Purina - Whiskas is an Effem product, and many other little oopsies..small, but if they can’t even get these things right, makes me question whole article) however one really interesting thing is this:

“In 2003 Menu assumed US$85 million in new debt to purchase a P&G (i.e Iams) plant in North Sioux City, S.D. With that purchase came a five year supply agreement to be the exclusive supplier of Iams and Eukanuba wet foods, which now account for about 11% of Menu sales”.

Which would explain whey Iams is not pulling out of Menu.

Speaking of Canada - Purina Canada says they use only North American corn gluten, and no rice protein (check purina.ca, I don’t know how to do the little link things). Which adds legs to my theory that we have so much North American corn gluten, we would not bother importing from China, and so corn gluten is relatively safe vs. rice protein.

A bit of nitrogen trivia relating to why they would contaminate the ingredient and not worry about it poisoning the animals - It appears to be 100% certain this is what happened, but maybe I can help shed light on why.

If you feed nitrogen to a ruminant - like a cow or a sheep, an animal with the 4 stomachs, cud chewing thing going on - the microbes in the rumen (the rumen is just a big fermentation vat that ferments and breaks down fibres into usable nutrients for the cow - same as beer production or whatever, it is microbes that do this fermenting…)

anyways, these microbes DO use nitrogen as protein. These microbes then pass through to the small intestine of the cow eventually, and the cow then digests the microbes as a source of nutrients. The cow actually gets a big percentage of its protein requirement not from the stuff you feed it, but from digesting these microbes (it is actually very neat and sci-fi)

So if this ingredient had been fed to ruminants in low amounts, it still would be illegal because it is not approved for use, but it would at least have been nutritious. Whoever contaminated this ingredient was still breaking the law, no doubt, but was probably thought it was a harmless way to save a dime, and is totally shocked that it killed some animals, since it would have been perfectly safe for others.

(which is why someone bragging incessantly about their “multispecies” nutritionist makes me laugh. Call me crazy, but I would prefer a specialist).

Comment by Food Scientist — April 21, 2007 @ 11:45 am
This sentence in on the CA Dept of Food & Agriculture site in regard to bird flu testing:

” International health experts have complained in the past about Chinese foot-dragging in cooperating with investigations of emerging diseases like bird flu and SARS.”

So now they can add foot-dragging in cooperating with FDA investigations also….

For me I would like to see add’l things add to the list above of what we are pushing for:

U.S. & International mandatory testing of product ingredients

Stiff fines and penalties for those who choose not to cooperate in an FDA investigation or found to have covered up info and evidence and for those who do not come forward to report possible problems in a quick manner.

Enforcement of better record keeping so companies can quickly determine where their products come from.

And my most important wish: The cessation of using foreign ingredients in our pet foods, government incentives to encourage US farmers to grow and sell these ingredients.

Comment by Sandi K — April 21, 2007 @ 11:46 am
Linda MS,

About returning the NB food, which store was it that refused to take back the food yesterday? Or was that someone else who had that problem?

Comment by Eva — April 21, 2007 @ 11:48 am
My daughter and I argue all the time. She buys the kid every toy and Disney move on the market. The poor child can’t decide what to play with because her room is stuffed with toys. I blew a head gasket when she bought two dolls, $100 each, that could talk, eat and poop. I keep telling her to buy the kid “props” to play with not toys that can play with themselves. No wonder kids get into trouble. They’re deprived of “imagination.”

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:52 am
And just who would you believe as to where the pork went, the FDA? Look at the times involved, the poison pork got eaten by people. Some of us have been saying it was in the food chain for weeks, as “hysterical and confused pet owners” , the FDA patted us on our little sheeple heads and said to move along, the FDA will handle this, ta da, cue heroic music.

The FDA KNEW that the poison was in the food chain and alerted the CDC to be on the lookout for kidney failure and the fun just keeps a coming!

And why would anyone take the “word” of the FDA that the poison ONLY went to pigs in California?

That is very funny,a group of government screw ups that has not done a single thing right, or told the truth yet and now they have suddenly become trustworthy defenders of the food?
Next someone will say that FEMA has the situation under control, ha ha lol.

Comment by E. Hamilton — April 21, 2007 @ 11:55 am
E. Hamilton,

I wouldn’t expect anyone with functional synapses, a minimal level of curiousity, access to the internet and lots of time on their hands to depend upon the FDA for much of anything. However, a not insubstantial segment of our population is demonstrably deficient in the first two and/or can’t afford the last two. So…I’m happy to see any news items that will wake up the population to the current crisis.

Comment by Eva — April 21, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
Something else the FDA needs to do - set up an online reporting system for product complaints. How ridiculous that you have to call a phone number to report a problem. I’ve called several times to report my pet’s death, leave messages and still have not gotten a return call. These products could have been zeroed in on much sooner. It’s not rocket science to build a data collection system that shows alerts when a product gets too many complaints.

Comment by Cathy — April 21, 2007 @ 12:18 pm
Sooo anyway. Don’t think this article has been put up yet. Some interesting financials on Menu Foods:
http://tinyurl.com/2lfap3
They might have a hard time recovering after the last recovery which led to this poisoning. The aluminum problem.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 12:24 pm

Menu was a company with big financial problems a few years back and they turned rabid and were hell bent on doing whatever it took to monopolize the pet food market.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 12:30 pm
Petco has been great about returning any food, on the recall list or not, open or unopened, with or without a receipt. I told them I wasn’t comfortable with the brand and they said they understood and returned it.

Comment by auntie — April 21, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
Comment by Cathy — April 21, 2007 @ 12:18 pm

A while back someone on this blog suggested that the FDA upgrade to Windows 98. LOL

Comment by Nadine Long — April 21, 2007 @ 12:36 pm
I hope investigators realize everything they need to save them a lot of time, money, and hassle has already been accomplished for them since March 16.

Thanks to citizen reporters and some astounding sleuth work.

Break Time, see you later.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 12:38 pm
Blue Buffalo: “It’s when you get into some of these Asian countries, particularly China, where the regulation just isn’t there,” said Bill Bishop , the company’s president. “We can’t tolerate that as a pet food supplier. We’re clearly going to bar China.”

Good boy, now if he can only get the rest of the PFI clan on board, we might be getting somewhere. Human food producers shouldn’t even think twice.

Comment by Frank — April 21, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
Ask your pet food company about where they’re getting their fruits and vegetables as well. I was going to try Sojourner’s Farms Europa (no grains, add your own meat) and it occurred to me to call and ask them about their source of supply. They told me they get all their grains from the US (for their grain-containing formulations) but that their fruits and vegetables come from China. A sentence from the email to me reads “As far as I know, most dried fruits and vegetables in the US are imported, mostly from China. In fact, when we used to buy our fruits and veggies domestically, we found out those ingredients originally came from China.”

That left me more than a little rattled. I thanked them for their honesty in telling me the truth about where their fruits and vegetables come from, but I suggested they may wish to reconsider their supply chain.

So which other foods are using fruits and vegetables from China? I called Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul and asked that specific question, and she told me all the fruits and vegetables were from the US.

I wish I still didn’t feel so uneasy . . . . . . . . . .

Comment by Pat — April 21, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
From the WWPIA link:

“more than half of the pet store owners surveyed claim
their sales have not been adversely affected by the recall.”

of course not. people are buying new food everytime another poison brand is revealed!!

Comment by straybaby — April 21, 2007 @ 1:29 pm
Comment by Pat-
It has been sounding more and more like China owns us.

Comment by BW — April 21, 2007 @ 1:35 pm
Pat
Look at Birdseye frozen veggies: China/Thailand.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 1:38 pm
Here is the list of Veterinary Medicine from ChemNutra’s missing/altered webpage:
(this is the list I handcopied when we first heard of ChemNutra)
Roxarsone (USP24)
Salinomycin
Bacitracin
Monensin sodium
Salinomycin sodium premix
Veterinary medicine iron
Dextran
Apramycin sulphate
Carbadox 98% min.
Olaquindox 98% CP2000
Enrofloxacin BP98
Dimetridazole BP98
Nicarbazina
Flavomycin - (this is aka flavophospholipol)
Albendazol USP 23/USP 24
Iron Dextran
Maduramicin Ammonium
Zinc Bacitracin 10% & 15%
Flavomycin Premix
Tiamulin - (also known as Tiamutin)
(-) are my inserts.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 2:00 pm
Comment by Frank — April 21, 2007 @ 1:10 pm

Any wonder China refused to grant visas to our inspectors trying to get in there right now?

http://tinyurl.com/2g2ecu

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 2:25 pm
Just caught the end of a segment on FoxNews, Julie Banderas interviewing Pres./CEO of the Humane Society. If I hadn’t been running the vacuum cleaner during most of it, I’d report on what they said. But at least they are covering the recall & the scandal & mentioning the problems with Chinese imports.

Comment by Pam — April 21, 2007 @ 2:28 pm
CNN just did a nice story on Virginia Tech students holding a Dog Wash on campus…was hoping they’d segue into a story on pet food recall. NOT!

Comment by Barb — April 21, 2007 @ 2:32 pm
Ya might want to ask these companies where they get their vitamins, minerals, etc. since ChemNutra pulled the info off their website recently. I have handcopied notes if anyone is interested.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 2:37 pm
I started feeding EaglePack - I know they use menu but I asked them about their ingrediants and this is what they sent me. “We at Eagle Pack are being up front with all our customers. Our plant is in Mishawaka, Indiana and we do have an onsite lab, where all of our ingredients are tested.

We buy all our grains from the US, and they are all grown in the US. Our rice is from and farmed in Arkansas, Corn is from and farmed in our own state of Indiana, Oatmeal is from and farmed in Wisconsin, Flaxseed is from and farmed in North Dakota, and Beet is from and farmed in Michigan, and also processed into Beet Pulp in Michigan.
Our Pork & Chicken are from the US.

Are Duck is from Germany, Lamb is from Australia, and Fish is from the ocean waters or Argentina.”
Any thoughts or comments on EaglePack?

Comment by Chelsea — April 21, 2007 @ 2:40 pm
Menu Foods is high on my personal outrage list because they knew they had lethal pet food but waited 3 weeks to inform the FDA. Sick dogs and cats, struggling to recover from eating the poisoned foods, were being force fed more of the poisoned food because no one knew it was toxic - because Menu hadn’t said anything. Meanwhile the CEO of Menu Foods sold his stock before the recall was announced, the timing of which was later called a “horrible coincidence”.
I can’t see myself buying product from any company that does business with Menu Foods.

Comment by slt — April 21, 2007 @ 2:52 pm
COSTCO KIRKLAND DOG FOOD

A friend of mine just told me her daughter was feeding their “treasured” dog “Costco dog food.” That would be Kirkland. So I called Costco and was told they have a “privacy agreement” and cannot divulge info. I pressed and after three long bouts on hold, they finally came back and said they can tell me that the wet food is from American Nutrition and that beyond that I’d have to call Costco’s corporate office on Monday. 425-313-8100. She didn’t know the names of any top management….but 10 seconds of research told me it’s:

James D. Sinegal, President and CEO
Richard E. Galanti, VP and CFO

So let’s boycott Costco everywhere.

Comment by Lynn — April 21, 2007 @ 2:53 pm
“Americans Scramble To Find Safe Pet Food”

That would be an appropriate headline for this fiasco.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
While snooping around the Alibaba site, I came across news (April 18, 2007) of the April 101st Canton Trade Fair:
http://tinyurl.com/352n29
I guess that answers the question of how the Chinese view us.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 3:07 pm
I bet you if we had done this to China they would be jailing people left and right and halting all U.S. imports along with threatening all kinds of trade retaliation.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
RE: EAGLE PAK

I e-mailed this company a few weeks back. Many of the answers were very evasive. Also they say they use only US grains etc…yet in my e-mail I was told that Menu Food supplied the ingredients and made their product according to their formula.

If Menu Foods supplies everything from start to finish how can a consumer be certain that Menu Foods has actually used exactly the ingredients requested by the individual manufacturer?[John Marsman] IN THEORY YOU CAN’T. BUT WE DO REVIEW THINGS. HOW CAN YOU AND I BE SURE WHAT IS IN OUR BREAKFAST CEREAL IS REALLY WHAT THEY SAY ON THE LABEL? YOU HAVE TO TRUST THE COMPANY.

This company is definitely being far more evasive than I am happy with.

Comment by mal — April 21, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
Kathi,

If you have any of the ChemNutra info from before they altered the site on April 5th, I would appreciate it!

I have older versions and the April 5, 15th changed sites, but i believe they changed it between when their name was revealed and April 5th. Kicking myself for not archiving the first day I checked their site (the day they were revealed). Guess I was in too much disbelief when I saw everything they imported from China. And I also didn’t think they would pull site changes!! lol!~ Boy, if I thought I was jaded before this mess . . .

Comment by straybaby — April 21, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
straybaby
I listed the veterinary medicines above at 2:00 pm
My next post on the amino acids, vitamins and minerals will follow after this post.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 3:27 pm
you ROCK!! :D

Comment by straybaby — April 21, 2007 @ 3:29 pm
Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 3:07 pm

We Just Lost The U.S. Market would be a more appropriate title for that article.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 3:29 pm
Ok, that failed again. I’ll break the list into shorter categories.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
For the 3rd time.
Amino Acids—-
Alanine
Arginine
Carnitine
Cysteine
Glycine

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
Vitamins—-
Betaine
Biotin
Choline Chloride
Folic Acid
Inositol
Niacin
I will list other vitamins next to keep these lists short.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 3:46 pm
Vitamins (continued)—-
Vit. A 500
Vit. B1 Hcl
Vit. B1 mono
Vit. B2
Vit. B5
Vit. B6
Vit. B12
Vit. C
Vit. D3
Vit. E
Vit. K3
Next will be minerals.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
Minerals——
Copper Sulfate
Cobalt Glucoheptonate
Cobalt Proteinate
Magnesium Oxide
Magnesium Sulfate
Manganese Oxide
Manganese Sulfate
Zinc Oxide
Zinc Sulfate
I also have Food Grade lists.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
FOOD GRADE
Sweeteners—-
Aspartame
Acesulfame-K
D-Xylose
Sorbitol
Stevioside
Xylitol
Next will be Preservatives.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
Preservatives and Antioxidants——
BHA BHT
TQHB
Propyl Gallate
the Amino Acid has——
L-Leucine
This is all I have from the earliest list after we found out their name.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
Here you go. Interesting study-read for tonights activity.

“In other words, in Chinese society, everyone lies. It’s acceptable and it is in many instances expected. As long as the root of the lie is a “forgivable reason,” as one Chinese friend labeled it, then the lie goes unexposed and the relationship remains intact. The say, “hao xin de cao huar”: lying for a kind reason. It is the lie that is meant to protect and even to nurture.”

ttp://tinyurl.com/2xlwf6

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
Try this if the above link doesn’t work

http://silkrc.typepad.com/chin....._chin.html

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
Steve
Isn’t that what some Americans use called “A little white lie.” I’m sure there’s another catch phrase the pet food companies use for lying.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 4:12 pm

Yes. Apparently it’s a way of life over there.

“I expect it from the Chinese government, from Chinese businessmen”

Maybe Mr Miller may want to mention this at the Senate hearing next week?

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 4:20 pm
You know. “Mr. Senator they tweaked the glutton with melamine to make the protein content appear higher but it was meant to nurture and protect. They lie all the time over there and you have to accept it just goes with the territory.”

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
Sheesh

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
Are there any photos around of the actual machinery Menu uses to process their poisons? better yet, a shot inside of their plant?

Comment by Gary — April 21, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
Steve
I think Menu and AFI, etc. have adopted the same Chinese Philosophy.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 4:33 pm
Comment by Gary — April 21, 2007 @ 4:25 pm

Nothing. Not even a single public report on the condition, the reason for the one week shutdowns, what happened, who was there, what the results were.

They are probably running 24/7 right now to get back to their goal of a quarter of a billion cans to hit the shelves.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 4:33 pm
Have you read the article circulating about the 2004 Proheart 6 recall? http://preview.tinyurl.com/36lzee

“When enough dogs die, this product will take care of itself,” a[n FDA] colleague said.

I think we’re seeing where this continued attitude is taking us.

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 4:34 pm
Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 4:33 pm

ChemNutra. (No further comment)

Maybe Mrs. Sally Qin Miller wants to speak with the Senate? About her credentials in particular?
Under oath?

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
Crud…another reason I don’t use TinyURL. The url on Proheart 6 is: http://www.11alive.com/news/health/article_he
alth.aspx?storyid=95769

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
Say, anyone computer saavy?
I have Wireless on my laptop, but I’ve never connected. Now I’m receiving pop-ups that say: Wireless networks in range of your computer, please check for wireless network connections. When I click the bubble pop-up, it lists three. Two are Security-Enabled Networks and one is Unsecured computer-to-computer network.
What is this? It’s never happened before. Anything I need to be concerned about?

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 4:40 pm
pssst….

http://web.archive.org/web/*/h.....mnutra.com

Comment by GingerTom — April 21, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
Kathi, there should be a switch somewhere on your computer (a physical click on and off button. You should just be able to turn it off to keep this this from happening. Or just click the X on the box. All of this is assuming you are using dial-up.

Comment by Sharon H — April 21, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
Oh yea, nothing’s wrong. It just means the switch is turned on. Sorry for the extra post here.

Comment by Sharon H — April 21, 2007 @ 4:45 pm
It’s telling you that all of those networks are in range for you to connect to with your laptop.

Are you the unsecured network? If so, you might want to secure it. If you can connect to your neighbors, they can connect to you - use your bandwidth or possibly browse your files.

If you’re on a secured network and your connection doesn’t seem to be slow, you can ignore it.

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
ookay..that link didn’t come out quite right….just glom the two parts together and …well *l* much reappears….including those “principals” education history etc….

Comment by GingerTom — April 21, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 4:40 pm

Well, I might be able to help.

You say your not connected, so, you’ve never used your notebook online or on the network, is that right?

And when you say bubble pop-up can you describe what you mean? Is it in the task bar; could it be the windows security icon?

And maybe we should take this to a computer forum?
I’ll look for one…

Comment by Peggy — April 21, 2007 @ 4:49 pm
Kathi, if your computer is wireless capable, then this bubble shows up. It’s really nothing to be worried about. These “pop ups” aren’t really advertiser pop ups. It’s your windows system working properly.

Comment by Sharon H — April 21, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
Oh sorry, Sharon and Kat have it right…

Comment by Peggy — April 21, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
Thanks all for help. I use cable internet service for online. Laptop is my only computer in house. I don’t share a network with anyone. I only do live-chat with the security program techs. But I am using the RSS feed here, if that has anything to do with it. And the bubble I mentioned is on the taskbar. I’m an old coot. I’m the only one in my circle of friends who has a computer. Took me five years to get this far. My friends are still cablebox and vcr challenged.
Again, thanks, young-uns.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 5:08 pm
Getting back to Steve’s comment earlier before I panicked, thump, thump. Okay, heart’s better now.
I’d like to know Ms Qing’s family ties to China!

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 5:14 pm
Frank
I agree with you 100%. Even if these exec’s didn’t study history and know about China, they would at least know via the financial pages for crying out loud. I’m sure all are heavily invested.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 5:27 pm
My pet store, which is very small and privately owned, gave me a refund on the NB pet food. The owner looked distraught and his help equally distraught and I felt terrible. I guess lots of people have been returning pet food.

He was very nice and with no problem gave me a full refund. I feel sorry for the small mom and pop stores in this entire fiasco - it is their livelihood.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 5:35 pm
RE: Comment by Pam — April 21, 2007 @ 10:07 am

Great letter Pam!

I subscribe to a few newsletters. Every now & then they send out a form-type letter, which is editable. Then, you select your Senator — and, off it goes. Pretty cool. Julie with SaveOurPlanet.org sends the most. I’ve been thinking about contacting her to see which program she uses & how she gets the email addresses. Will let you know what I find out.

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
Linda MS
Did you suggest some of these blogs for them to find better quality foods to stock their store with and perhaps drop their current recalled brands. We have a small store around here, too. I try to keep them updated, especially with the Fri. nite shoe-droppers.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
I think we need to “hound” Purina about their recalled products page. They have the Mighty Dog & Prime Cuts on different pages. Both are buried within Press Releases.

They need ONE LINK to ONE PAGE for recalls —

Then, placed in an easy to read format TABLE.

A distressed/grieving person should NOT have to hunt all over to find which foods they shouldn’t buy — or, which one’s were recalled.

It is pathetic how they have that section set-up. I’ve emailed them a couple of times over the past 7+ days — to no avail.

The Senate got all over the FDA for not having an easy to use & locate recall information. They fixed that pretty fast — for them.

See how fast you can find anything:

http://www.purina.com/

Here’s the comment link:

http://tinyurl.com/2usrmv

Thanks! ;)

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 5:59 pm
RE: SaveOurPlanet.org oooops! it’s http://www.SaveOurEnvironment.org anyway, they are the one’s who send out cool letters to the government, all ready put together, which are editable. You can send, if you want, when there’s a political agenda/voting taking place in the House or Senate.

——————-

Also, this has been in the news wires for awhile: AP media error correction:

http://tinyurl.com/3bwpmf

Blue Buffalo recalled one brand of cat food: Spa Select Kitten dry food

They reported DOG FOOD erroneously.

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 6:11 pm
Official Takes Risks Warning on Pet Drug
(04-21) 13:31 PDT Bethesda, Md. (AP) —

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/arti.....125D56.DTL

The first hints of trouble came with vague warnings from the outer reaches of the bureaucracy. She was “pushing too hard.” She was “alarmist.”

But it was something else — a clumsy bid to call her off the scent of the dangerous veterinary drug she was tracking — that really galled her. Maybe that was her last possible moment to keep soundless and safe.

“When enough dogs die, this product will take care of itself,” a colleague said.

Her reply tumbled out like a boulder that, once rolling, will no longer stop. Victoria Hampshire heard herself say: “I don’t know what I’m doing here then.”

What she was doing — trying to do, at least — was her job: She kept count of side effects from animal drugs for the Food and Drug Administration. She made tallies, analyzed numbers, and alerted supervisors when something seemed amiss.

And something seemed amiss that spring of 2004.

A big drug maker had crafted what seemed a star performer in Proheart 6, a three-year-old injected drug to prevent heartworm, the common parasite in dogs. Hampshire’s numbers showed, though, that dogs were dying at alarming rates.

What happened next — and the price she paid for speaking up — have spurred a U.S. Senate inquiry and shined a spotlight on the complex topography of drug safety, where interests collide like tectonic plates and squeeze decisions from all sides.

On this landscape, the government’s watchdogs come in disparate breeds too. Some whimper at approaching trouble; others bark gamely.

And some, like Hampshire, won’t give an inch.

…

Comment by Barb — April 21, 2007 @ 6:15 pm
Official Takes Risks Warning on Pet Drug
By JEFF DONN, Associated Press Writer
Saturday, April 21, 2007

“The first hints of trouble came with vague warnings from the outer reaches of the bureaucracy. She was “pushing too hard.” She was “alarmist.”

But it was something else — a clumsy bid to call her off the scent of the dangerous veterinary drug she was tracking — that really galled her. Maybe that was her last possible moment to keep soundless and safe.

“When enough dogs die, this product will take care of itself,” a colleague said.

Her reply tumbled out like a boulder that, once rolling, will no longer stop. Victoria Hampshire heard herself say: “I don’t know what I’m doing here then.”

What she was doing — trying to do, at least — was her job: She kept count of side effects from animal drugs for the Food and Drug Administration. She made tallies, analyzed numbers, and alerted supervisors when something seemed amiss.

And something seemed amiss that spring of 2004.

A big drug maker had crafted what seemed a star performer in Proheart 6, a three-year-old injected drug to prevent heartworm, the common parasite in dogs. Hampshire’s numbers showed, though, that dogs were dying at alarming rates.

What happened next — and the price she paid for speaking up — have spurred a U.S. Senate inquiry and shined a spotlight on the complex topography of drug safety, where interests collide like tectonic plates and squeeze decisions from all sides.

On this landscape, the government’s watchdogs come in disparate breeds too. Some whimper at approaching trouble; others bark gamely.

And some, like Hampshire, won’t give an inch.

Red full story here: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/arti.....125D56.DTL

Comment by Barb — April 21, 2007 @ 6:19 pm
Puppy Prozac! What!!!

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/stor.....8;GMA=true

Comment by Barb — April 21, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
I read this comment earlier on the Researchers Identify Three……blog by Bob April 21, 2007 @ 12:27 PM - Petition for Save our Pets:
http://www.rallycongress.com/protectourpets/772/
The email letter is free and the hard copy letter hand delivered to Congress is $4 per your home state Rep. and Sen. You can choose either one.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
Summary
=======

I made these inquiries of Nutro Products:

1) What is the country of origin for all ingredients in Nutro Natural Choice Lamb Meal and Rice Dry Dog Food ?

2) Why was the line “Nutro’s dry pet foods do NOT contain imported grains” removed from the existing March 30, 2007 Press Release? This was done after the press release had been published on the NutroProducts.com web site.

I have not received any response to question #1.

The only response to question #2 was:

You have asked why we changed from one message to another. It was because we felt the first message was confusing our consumers and what they wanted to be told was that our products were safe and that is what we changed our message to.

Opinions
========

Nutro Products has ignored my request for the country of origin of the pet food ingredients. In these times of increasing pet food recalls I feel it is important to understand the supply chain for all ingredients. In this way I can make an informed decision regarding the food I feed my pet.

Nutro Products has made only a feeble response to my question regarding the modified press release. This leaves me wondering what to believe when I read their press releases. Each and every time I feed my pet I must have confidence in the product and what the company presents as consumer information.

Nutro Products contact information
==================================

Web address: http://www.nutroproducts.com All press releases and other information are contained the Recall information section.
Customer service: (800)833-5330
Customer Service supervisor: Ms. Vicki Akau, VAkau@NutroProducts.com
Customer service supervisor: Ms. Tamara Cerven, TCerven@NutroProducts.com

===================================
The following is a listing of conversations and communications with Nutro Products regarding their pet foods. The emails have been edited for clarity and to remove the duplicate information inherent in forwarded or reply-to emails.
===================================

March 29, 2007
==============
I called Nutro Products customer service to inquire about the country of origin of the ingredients in Nutro Natural Choice Lamb Meal and Rice. I spoke with Vickie Akau (VAkau@NutroProducts.com), a customer service supervisor, who indicated I would receive a response via email in a few days.

March 31, 2007
==============

I received the following response from Ms. Akau:

Dear Nutro Consumer,

Thank you for contacting Nutro Products. We appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with us.

Below is the information you have requested. This information and more is available on our website at http://www.nutroproducts.com which we will continue to update as further information becomes available to us.

If we can be of further assistance, please email this address or call us at (800)833-5330,

Best regards,
Vickie Akau
Nutro Products, inc.

Nutro Dry Pet Foods Do Not Contain
The Ingredient Wheat Gluten The FDA and Menu Foods Tie Wheat Gluten to the Menu Foods Recall City of Industry, Calif. (March 30, 2007)– As the Food and Drug Administration today reiterated that it has no intention at this time of expanding the Menu Foods recall to include dry food, Nutro Products wants consumers to know:

Nutro’s dry pet foods do NOT contain wheat gluten.
Nutro’s dry pet foods do NOT contain imported grains.
Nutro’s dry pet foods are NOT produced by Menu Foods.
NONE of Nutro’s dry pet foods are subject to the Menu Foods recall.
Pet owners should feel safe and confident feeding Nutro dry pet foods to their pets.
“Even prior to this extremely disturbing incident at Menu Foods, our dry dog and cat foods were not produced using wheat gluten,” said Dave Kravis President and CEO of Nutro Products. “We know that there is confusion among consumers about what foods are safe to feed their pets right now. We can categorically say that Nutro’s dry pet foods do not contain the ingredient wheat gluten or any imported grains, they are unaffected by the Menu Foods recall, and it is absolutely safe to continue feeding these products to your pets.”

According to Kim Noetzel, vice president of marketing and community relations for the Arizona Humane Society: “We are reassuring pet owners that based on the information we have, dry food products, including those from Nutro, are safe to continue feeding. We are in contact with Nutro and have complete confidence in their products and in the information and resources they have been providing us. We will absolutely continue working with them throughout this situation.”

Nutro’s products are 100% guaranteed and all returned product will be refunded.

Nutro customers may check Nutro’s website (www.nutroproducts.com ) or contact Nutro’s Consumer Hotline (800) 833-5330 for further information about its products. Nutro’s website will be updated as more information becomes available. Additionally, general information about Menu Foods’ recall is available at http://www.menufoods.com/recall/

April 3, 2007
=============

I called Ms. Akau to again inquire about the country of origin of the pet food ingredients and to inquire why the line
“Nutro’s dry pet foods do NOT contain imported grains” had been removed from the March 30, 2007 press release. I also sent the following email as a follow-up:

Dear Ms. Akau,

Thank you for listening this morning to my concerns regarding Nutro Natural Choice Lamb Meal & Rice ingredients. My questions are:

1) What is the country of origin for all ingredients in Nutro Natural Choice Lamb Meal and Rice Dry Dog Food ?

2) Why was the line “Nutro’s dry pet foods do NOT contain imported grains” removed from the existing March 30, 2007 Press Release? This was done after the press release had been published on the NutroProducts.com web site. Your email of March 31, 2007 is proof of the original content of this press release.

I will include the current text of the changed March 30, 2007 press release for your reference after this message.

I understand these are very difficult times for both concerned pet owners and companies alike.The content, country of origin, and the quality control of the food ingredients are very important to me. I appreciate your time and effort in answering my questions.

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

This is the March 30, 2007 Press Release copied from the NutroProducts.com Web site on April 2, 2007 17:25 MST

Nutro Dry Pet Foods Do Not Contain
The Ingredient Wheat Gluten
The FDA and Menu Foods Tie Wheat Gluten to the Menu Foods Recall

City of Industry, Calif. (March 30, 2007)– As the Food and Drug Administration today reiterated that it has no intention at this time of expanding the Menu Foods recall to include dry food, Nutro Products wants consumers to know:
Nutro’s dry pet foods do NOT contain wheat gluten.
Nutro’s dry pet foods are NOT produced by Menu Foods.
NONE of Nutro’s dry pet foods are subject to the Menu Foods recall.
Pet owners should feel safe and confident feeding Nutro dry pet foods to their pets.

“Even prior to this extremely disturbing incident at Menu Foods, our dry dog and cat foods were not produced using wheat gluten,” said Dave Kravis President and CEO of Nutro Products. “We know that there is confusion among consumers about what foods are safe to feed their pets right now. We can categorically say that Nutro’s dry pet foods do not contain the ingredient wheat gluten, they are unaffected by the Menu Foods recall, and it is absolutely safe to continue feeding these products to your pets.”

According to Kim Noetzel, vice president of marketing and community relations for the Arizona Humane Society: “We are reassuring pet owners that based on the information we have, dry food products, including those from Nutro, are safe to continue feeding. We are in contact with Nutro and have complete confidence in their products and in the information and resources they have been providing us. We will absolutely continue working with them throughout this situation.”

Nutro’s products are 100% guaranteed and all returned product will be refunded.

Nutro customers may check Nutro’s website (www.nutroproducts.com) or contact Nutro’s Consumer Hotline (800) 833-5330 for further information about its products. Nutro’s website will be updated as more information becomes available. Additionally, general information about Menu Foods’ recall is available at http://www.menufoods.com/recall/

April 11, 2007
==============b
I spoke with Vickie Akau and was informed that her supervisor, Tamara Cerven (TCerven@nutroproducts.com) would now be handling my inquiries. This is the email that I sent to Ms. Cerven on April 11, 2007 as a follow-up:

Dear Ms. Cerven,

I have just spoken with Vickie Akau and was informed that you are now responsible for this case. I remain very concerned about the two issues presented below in the first email I sent Ms. Akau.

The ingredient list for Nutro Natural Choice Lamb Meal and Rice dry food is listed on the product and the web site. However this does not detail the country of origin for the ingredients. This origin information must exist at some level within your corporate structure. Would you please forward this information as soon as possible?

The second issue is the modification of a Nutro Products official press release after it had already been posted. In my opinion this represents a blatant manipulation of consumer information and could be unethical as well. A public statement regarding the removal of the line “Nutro’s dry pet foods do NOT contain imported grains” would provide all pet owners buying Nutro products with the accurate information required to make responsible decisions for their pets. Nutro Products has always exhibited the nutritional content and quality in your foods that promote confidence that caring pet owners require.

A new press release regarding the March 30, 2007 release, and it’s current modified content, would demonstrate the corporate stature required to admit the facts, explain the reasons, and then move forward.

Thank you for your time and effort is resolving these issues. I would appreciate a response to both issues as soon as possible.

April 13, 2007
==============

I received the following response from Ms. Akau regarding the modified press release:

You have asked why we changed from one message to another. It was because we felt the first message was confusing our consumers and what they wanted to be told was that our products were safe and that is what we changed our message to.

Best regards,
Vickie Akau
Consumer Services Supervisor
Nutro Products, inc.

April 21, 2007
==============

There have been no further response from Nutro Products to my inquiries and the Press Relreases section contains the modified March 30, 2007 release.

Comment by Pet lover — April 21, 2007 @ 6:54 pm
I just feel for everyone out there who’s pet has died or are sick from these crooks. My Saturday was spent checking the blog, doing some housework and talking to my deceased kitty in the cremation container she is in on the shelf in the living room. In between cry sessions I would force my self outside for some fresh air and some perspective. Perspective that I cant seem to locate quite yet. For me weekends are the hardest as that is the time that I looked forward to spending quality time with her. Im gonna have to get a grip here at some point but so far it has failed me. And I have yet to see any type of statement, apology, explanation out of any of these pet food companies that would help explain what happened and anything that would even closely resemble that they truly feel bad over any of this. Instead its the same old corporate mumbo jumbo about we have pets too, blah, blah, blah. There is always a hint of the true reason they feel bad behind their statements, the almighty bottom line, the dollar. I cant believe that these companies are still trying to act like everything is status quo and move on. They are all going to have do way more in PR to show they really care as far as Im concerned. How bout spending some of your precious buck on a sizeable donation to an animal shelter or something? Show you really care more about things than just your profit margins. Whew, sorry about this, guys! I just had to get it off my shoulders, at the very least it was a good unload for me.

Comment by Sandi K — April 21, 2007 @ 7:09 pm
I stopped by Trader Joes this afternoon and noticed that they are carrying their wet cans of dog and cat food - that were made by Menu and assume still are.

I picked up one can and noticed the label - no mention of any gluten or protein concentrates at all. I wonder if it is being produced without those “killer” ingrediants.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 7:12 pm
Also Provo for South Africa banning the glutens from China - we need to do something similar.

Linad MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
I guess it was just corn gluten - it needs to be all of the toxic junk waste garbage - all the protein concentrates of which the glutens are one.

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 7:16 pm
I wrote a few days ago about how my co-worker fed the donated dog foods that we didn’t use in the kennel (the cheap foods that caused loose stools, and wern’t as nutritious) to the hogs/swine/pigs. And now there is some sort of recall about hog food????

Now, this is scarier yet because now we have animals that will be consumed by meat eating humans and their pet carnivores.

How much longer will we have until we have humans getting sick from consuming food tainted with melamine?

Once again the goverment and the big food companies have dropped the ball and let us consumers down.

Changes have got to be made to make our food supply safer than it seems now.

Comment by Grace — April 21, 2007 @ 7:39 pm
Sandi K - I agree. There has been too little, too late, coming from these pet food manufacturers. The bottom line is…they don’t care. It’s all about them and their profits.

I feel sorry for the consumers out there that really don’t have a clue as to what is going on. They are walking around in their little protective “bubbles”…oblivious.

We all should truly be thankful that we know…even as hard as it is to know…and to realize what is happening in our world. But at least we can make wiser decisions in our future purchases, and hopefully avoid this happening to us again.

Thank you Pet Connection for telling the truth in this tragedy.

Comment by Marcy — April 21, 2007 @ 7:41 pm
Just a suggestion, when writing letters to companies or to Congress etc. I have found that using three points works best in the form>

An introduction - no longer than three sentences.
These are my concerns:

1. one sentence
2. “
3. “

I am hoping that you will:

1. one sentence etc.
2.
3.

For the following reasons:

1.one sentence
2. “
3. “

Using short simple sentences and no more than a three sentence closing statement and a thank you at the end works best. These people are very busy and helping them find the “meat” of your points - mean they will actually read it.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
there is something wrong w/nutro dry. too many pets are sick from it. the dog treats and cans have gluten in them. i also notice each new bag i got had this horrible smell. has anyone else notice that???

Comment by MARY ANN — April 21, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
Also, in the letters, use the numerical butten points.

1.
2.
3.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 7:45 pm
Bullet points - my goodness I keep getting interrupted.

Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 7:46 pm
Has anyone tried the InstinctsTC from Felinefuture.com? Seems might be an easier way to go to raw feeding.

Comment by BW — April 21, 2007 @ 7:50 pm
I guess I should have read the Boston Globe article; the article states the melamine has already made it into the human food chain by farmers feeding hogs dog food that was tainted.

It is sad that many commercial feed lots feed foods to cattle that are full of real garbage that should be tossed away. Time to buy totally organic certified meat.

I am angry again about this ever-growing problem… the list of recalled foods is too damn long and appalling. Shame. Shame. Shame again on whoever decided to trick the consumers into thinking they were buying “premium” quality dog food.

Comment by Grace — April 21, 2007 @ 7:51 pm
Someone on Itchmo wrote in and said they wished we could all donate a dollar or something and get a full page ad taken out in several big newspapers about what really has happened and what ISNT being dont about it. I think it s a great idea, I would donate most definately. Or I wish we could pay for Steve’s and Christie’s and other’s airfare to China so they could go as consumers to these plants (with a camera crew in tow). Or if we cant afford China, how bout sending them to Menu Foods Kansas plant…I just wish we all could do something thats more visible to the public or at least more visible to these pet food companies that think we are gradually going away….

Comment by Sandi K — April 21, 2007 @ 7:55 pm
On PBS’s Nova:
Charles Darwin dubbed the flower, of which there exist between 220,000 and 400,000 different types, “an abominable mystery” because of the difficulties in determining its origins. Here, the search for the flower’s roots leads to a remote area in China.

IS THERE NO ESCAPING CHINA?

Comment by BW — April 21, 2007 @ 8:04 pm
Marketing
http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/.....l_hero.jpg

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 8:09 pm
I respect your tenacity Pet lover. I would of given up at the first response. I’m going to interpret Nutro’s ambiguous response as a sure sign that they import rice protein from China through a another supplier.

Comment by G — April 21, 2007 @ 8:11 pm
RE: Comment by Linda — April 21, 2007 @ 7:16 pm

Ya I agree why do they even need to put any of this crap in there. Most of it is just used as a thickener. The cuts and gravy style is more for the humans than cats and dogs. My cats would only eat the gravy and leave the cuts. Thank goodness I stopped using it in october.

As a wet food treat I am going with chicken livers, they take a whole 15 minutes to cook in low sodium organic chicken broth and chop and cool.

Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 21, 2007 @ 8:17 pm
Comment by Sandi K

“”Someone on Itchmo wrote in and said they wished we could all donate a dollar or something and get a full page ad taken out in several big newspapers”“

I wrote about the great numbers of those without computers and don’t look at TV much that own pets. They know nothing about the recall. So, yes in the daily papers and it doesn’t even have to be full page, a 4x4 block would probably work. I’d contribute to a fund for this.

Comment by Gary — April 21, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
Comment by Sandi K

I would throw in my share as well. It doesn’t seem like anyone wants to collect money. I wanted to do our own testing a few weeks ago

I guess I could see why….Money can be evil:)

Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 21, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
Comment by Sandi K

Rather then focusing on hunting seals why doesn’t the Humane Society do something like this…

Last time I donate money to them,

Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 21, 2007 @ 8:27 pm
The recall has exposed the fact that, although sold under many different brand names, most pet foods are created only a few manufacturers, such as Menu Foods.

Another key element not to FORGET.

Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 8:28 pm
I might be a troll. So I am asking permission to post here. Here is my story:

2-3 months before the initial recall my healthy and active 15 yr old cat (looks 2 years old) came down with acute symptoms (vomiting, unquenchabe thirst and urination, behavioral, and the worst—crying out in her sleep). Diagnosis—acute renal failure. Within 2 weeks she was much improved—happy healthy active, but still drinking and peeing excessively. Not what the vet said would happen. (They said it was her time—this happens). Since then nothing has changed. Except this- The recall happened and I can document that she ate 2-3 cans of the recalled food just prior to onset of symptoms (not her normal diet, but she likes variety). Is she a victim of this—I think so. Can I prove it—no. Do I want to prove it—no. Do I want my buddy to be happy and healthy—yes.

So I found your site and others like it.

Got hooked for the information it provided, and got hooked based on Bernie’s posts (I was convinced from the first, I am a biochemist—-can’t claim any knowledge of the biochemistry of melamine, but….I know how to research and use the internet.) Hi Bernie

I am as stressed out as anyone. I have learned alot about pet food, how to read a label, what the issues are with NPN, what the biochemistry of melamine is, who the internet hotties are in global grain derivitives (say what?). But honestly, I have had momments where I have behaved badly (the rude e-mail I sent to NB as I was making the decision to eliminate all processed grain products from my pet food purchases and family food consumption is the best example). My apologies to Natural Balance. My apologies to my local mom and pop pet food store as well.

But I got to say I have a different perspective from many of the posters on this site. I am so grateful for this site, and I respect each and every opinion. But I have a different viewpoint in many respects. May I post it even if it doesn’t agree with you?

Comment by Sue — April 21, 2007 @ 8:31 pm
Comment by Steve — April 21, 2007 @ 8:28 pm

Not only that they mix the ingredients which is a HUGE no no in the food manufacturing industry.

Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 21, 2007 @ 8:33 pm
The pet food industry doesn’t care one bit about our pets. They see pet owners as “little people” to be exploited. The pet food industry views us as powerless, ignorant, complacent sources of profit. They have no conscience and no ethics. Just look at the testimony by the PFI at the Senate hearings. The joke known as AAFCO with it’s one employee, and the FDA still peddling 16 dead animals. This disgraceful exploitation will only stop when we vote with our wallets. We must not stop pushing until meaningful regulation with criminal penalties is passed. Pet owners should be able to sue for pain and suffering; pet foods should be required to be inspected by independent third parties and all inspection results must be made public. Truth in labeling must be adopted.

Rendering should be made illegal for pet food and all imported food stuffs must be required to pass strict inspections.

I will NEVER purchase any commercial pet food until the industry is strictly regulated.

The pet food industry’s greatest fear is TRUTH.

My beautiful, gentle friend and companion is dead, as are the companions of thousands. Greed killed our friends, greed took their lives, often in a painful and horrific way - we must stop rewarding greed.

Comment by MFEMFEM — April 21, 2007 @ 8:34 pm
It still astounds me how all these companies could place their livlihood in one company. And, the tremendous responsibility Menu was taking and didn’t even test a new shipment. It’s really a dance of fools.

Comment by Gary — April 21, 2007 @ 8:35 pm
MonkeyKitty

…mentioned testing. How much does it cost to have a sample tested? I have no idea whatsoever.

Comment by Gary — April 21, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
MonkeyKitty

“…mentioned testing. How much does it cost to have a sample tested? I have no idea whatsoever.”

The cost of giving a pet food CEO a plastic spoon.

Comment by MFEMFEM — April 21, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
Hi Sue, glad you kitty is doing ok now. I don’t know what is a troll.

Comment by Bonni — April 21, 2007 @ 9:00 pm
Cost of Testing
I am sure it isn’t cheap;)

At least some of our better universities are doing a lot of it (at least the samples they are given).

I have already helped a neighbor out with vet cost for one of their cats due to the melamine.

Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 21, 2007 @ 9:03 pm
Comment by Gary — April 21, 2007 @ 8:40 pm

Gary, the California Berkely lab is charging $100 for in-state and $200 for out of state. While that isnt much in comparison, in our case our cat was eating from 5 different “use-by” dates so to get all of them tested would be $1000.00 for us which we dont have. We are still recovering from $6000.00 in vet bills after our kitty died.

Comment by Sandi K — April 21, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
shouldn’t it be free testing if the vet/pet owner suspect recall poisoning? or if a sample goes in and Melamine/Toxins are found, no charge for the vet/pet owner?

they need an emergency fund in place to cover this. the corps need to pony it up NOW.

Comment by straybaby — April 21, 2007 @ 9:13 pm
Of course South Africa would start a ban, heck they’ve had nearly twice as many deaths as we have.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 9:13 pm
I might have a plastic spoon somewhere.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 9:14 pm
Comment by straybaby — April 21, 2007 @ 9:13 pm

My trust is completely gone. I wanted to do independant testing, figured we could get answers quicker.

Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 21, 2007 @ 9:17 pm
RE: Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 4:40 pm

Wireless security problems. I have an air card & live in a rural area. So I don’t have the problem that you MAY be having…

One thing that immediately came to mind is that someone has piggy-backed your connection.

I have a blue-tooth phone & every now & then it comes in contact with another blue tooth user.

You may need to check your Firewall settings.

I typed this before I read all the other posts afterwards. Plus, it sounds like you are not even using the wireless. Maybe your computer is reading someone elses? Do you live in close proximity to other people? Apt? Dorm? etc?

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
I am talking independent testing. there should be a fund that any lab in the country can bill vs billing the pet owner. you send you sample to Berkely, they find poison, they bill the fund created by the food companies. they should be paying for blood/urine/food/pet testing. NOBODY should have to be out of pocket or not test due to $$$

Comment by straybaby — April 21, 2007 @ 9:21 pm
Kat
Yes, I live in a condo in the heart of town. One of my neighbors uses his laptop with the wireless.
My taskbar icon says wieless not connected. I just thought it odd that I get these icon bubble messages now and never before.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 9:30 pm
OK, when you take in a sample for testing, does the one test show every possible thing in the sample? from melamine to rat poison and more?

Comment by Gary — April 21, 2007 @ 9:33 pm
Gary,
I think they would need to use a few kits on the sample. One of which is for melamine.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
I don’t know if they charge for the extra kits used on the one sample.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 9:38 pm
Comment by Gary — April 21, 2007 @ 9:33 pm

Gary, that I do not know. I know for sure they were going to test for melamine but more than that, I dont know…..I dont know if its considered a separate test for the 3 new additional toxins that have been found?

Comment by Sandi K — April 21, 2007 @ 9:39 pm
When I go to the vet with a stool sample, they usually charge a small fee per test kit. For me, it’s usually $10 - $20 depending on the test kit used and what it’s for in addition to the doctor’s fee for doing it.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 9:41 pm
SANDI K,i’m so very sorry for your lost. what food was your cat on, was it special kitty?

Comment by MARY ANN — April 21, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
When testing for allergies, there is a separate kit for each type of allergen, that why those test’s are soooo expensive. My doc just happened to have a few left from a previous doc who moved on, so I only had to pay the doc for doing it. Otherwise I’d have to pay for the kits as well.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 9:45 pm
Gary
You might try calling your state’s university veterinary school and see if they are involved with testing for these substances and if not they may know other school labs that are. I read where some other states are testing, but I don’t recall off hand who they were.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Kat and petlover’s comments earlier about website confusion.
I can just hear the CEO’s giggling “If they weren’t confused before, they will be now.”
Jacka$$e$, “Eee-haww, eee-haww!”

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 10:01 pm
straybaby,

Ya thats the scientist in me I guess, I know enough about the federal government that there is a hell of alot of red-tape in doing such things.

As far as I know they were told to only look for XYandZ and it could be something else.

It is not condusive to free thinking, let me phrase it that way.

I would like to see it all on the element level and have spikes from a toxicology level interpreted by an expert.

I am sure the attorneys are going there on the class action suits. That is why this sort of case costs so much.

Just my two cents,

Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 21, 2007 @ 10:09 pm
Even some “geek” in a lab that has access to equipment could help us out here.

Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 21, 2007 @ 10:10 pm
i don’t think the government should be involved in the fund so much as the companies need to create one central account that pays out for any testing related to the recall for the pet owners and vets. they said they would cover the bills, so damnit step up to the plate so we can get on with it here.

have they concluded what is deadly about this with the new findings? and has anyone checked the findings against the patents that these folks hold? ;)

Comment by straybaby — April 21, 2007 @ 10:25 pm
There are actually 2 Kat’s on here now… meow!:) :)

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 10:34 pm
The pet deaths in South Africa will be rising within the next few weeks because of renal failure:

http://tinyurl.com/32q6jk

An independent veterinary pathologist has warned that thousands of dogs across the country that ate melamine-contaminated pet food could still die of renal failure in the next few weeks.

Thirty dogs have already died but Professor Fred Reyers says that could be just the tip of the iceberg. “We know that when you get to a certain level of kidney damage there is no going back,” he said.

Reyers said it was possible for the toxic melamine to have entered the human food chain but this had not been explored.

Gluten is found in a range of foods including tinned foods, breads, pastas and cereals……

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 10:38 pm
Comment by MARY ANN — April 21, 2007 @ 9:45 pm

Mary Ann, she was on Nutro

Comment by Sandi K — April 21, 2007 @ 10:42 pm
South Africa says: DON’T DUMP PET FOOD — which is what OUR GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SAYING!!

Someone said they were going to go dump their pet food — bad idea! It is toxic! Another animal or bird will scavenge, find & consume it, or it will leach into the water table:

http://tinyurl.com/3df5au

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
Natural Balance website states to check back Monday…

Update - 4/20/07: We are currently waiting on test results for our Canned Venison & Brown Rice Formula Canned Dog Food and our Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dog Treats. We have voluntarily recalled these products as a precautionary measure, as they contain Rice Protein Concentrate. When we receive the test results on these products, we will update you further.

We continue to work closely with the FDA. We will update the website again on Monday, April 23rd.

NOTICE: There are NO Corn Gluten or Corn ingredients
in ANY Natural Balance products.

NO OTHER NATURAL BALANCE PRODUCTS ARE AFFECTED.

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 10:51 pm
Kat - DON’T DUMP PET FOOD
Didn’t the Navy already do that?

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 10:53 pm
“NOTICE: There are NO Corn Gluten or Corn ingredients
in ANY Natural Balance products.”

Well…isn’t *that* an interesting statement? If corn gluten is so innocuous that the FDA sees no need to test it (fools), then why make this statement?

Shades of things to come, I think.

Comment by Mikken — April 21, 2007 @ 10:55 pm
So why didn’t Natural Balance update their website when they chose to add the RCP in the first place. Oh yeah, I forgot. That code of silence!!!

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 10:58 pm
Silly me, what was I thinking?

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 10:59 pm
So, have all five companies checked in yet?

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:01 pm
Comment from Sue: “But I got to say I have a different perspective from many of the posters on this site. I am so grateful for this site, and I respect each and every opinion. But I have a different viewpoint in many respects. May I post it even if it doesn’t agree with you?”

I would like to hear your opinion. I don’t think we all have to agree on everything. How boring that would be. I read these pages (an contribute from time to time) to look for or to share information and to gain perspective on this entire issue. I get something from every poster whether I end up agreeing with them or not.

Comment by Marilyn — April 21, 2007 @ 10:04 pm
The Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at the University of Iowa is also doing testing. Our vet clinic has sent in a food sample for one of our clients. The cost starts at $50.00 and may go up depending on how many chemicals they end up having to test for. You can send your sample with a note asking them to call for permission before exceeding a certain dollar amount. The tests have to be ordered by a veterinarian. The lab would like to have at least 1/2 cup of the food, if possible. Here’s the link. http://tinyurl.com/3642ef

Comment by Marilyn — April 21, 2007 @ 10:20 pm
Mikken, I saw that on another brand site also re: corn gluten.

it’s either they have heard from enough people concerned about it and are adding it proactively (lol!~) or because of SA they may have already checked their gluten sources . . . unless of course they know something we don’t and they aren’t allowed to reveal since that seems to be the standar way we do things here in the US.

Comment by straybaby — April 21, 2007 @ 10:30 pm
Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:01 pm

Nope, still two to go on the rice. My dogs are waiting impatiently. After the wheat problems, I switched their treats to a “safe” kind with rice gluten. :( So the new treats are now sitting next to the old ones on the well-stocked “do not feed” shelf in my pantry. Thank God there’s always cheese, right?

I suspect the “corn gluten” warning may have been a response to the findings coming out of South Africa. But I was reading on Itchmo that one of the companies (NB or Royal Canin, I think, can’t remember) has started testing its US corn gluten as of yesterday. From all I’ve been reading about pets dying on foods that used only corn gluten, no wheat (i.e. Iams dry), I’m afraid we could be in for some bad news on the corn, too. I sure hope I’m wrong.

Comment by Laura — April 21, 2007 @ 10:30 pm
I am now officially frantic. I feed my cats (well, fed) Nutro canned (i.e. hunters stew, beed ragout etc.) as well as Natural Balance Venison and Pea. I thought I was doing the ‘right thing’. Other than one of the two cats sleeping a lot (I cannot tell if it’s more than usual because at 20 lbs, she is quite lazy) and occasionally throwing up ( she does throw up from time to time before all this started anyway like any other cat), I don’t know if I should ‘test them’. What can they do at the vet’s office to see if they have a problems because of contaminated food?

Comment by Claudia — April 21, 2007 @ 11:08 pm
Company number 4?……….waiting……….still waiting……….ho hum, still waiting……….HEY, WAKE UP, WE’RE STILL WAITING!!!……….big yawn.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:09 pm
My kitty has been eating the NB canned Venison and Grn Pea cat food. I am a little leary feeding the NB canned because ALL of the other NB venison products were pulled. So I went to Carter’s Pet Mart earlier today (they do not carry NB for cats) in search of Merrick. The store owner’s son (who is a delight by the way) really stepped up to help me out. He actually advised me to quit feeding the NB altogether, even the regular cat dry, just to be on the safe side. He gave me small sample bags of 7 different dry foods from various manufacturers, Chicken Soup, ProPak, Diamond and others, so that I could try them out with Nick (he is notoriously finicky) without spending a bunch of money. He also advised (and signs in his store tell everyone else) to not feed ANY foods related to Menu. Merrick is not locally made in my area (Central Calif…and yes about 10 minutes from the Hog Farm), however Chicken Soup and a couple others are. LOCALLY MADE, what a concept. I just thought everyone needed an encouraging story. And this man has made a customer for life today with his honesty and true care for my personal situation and kitty.

Comment by Amy Boda — April 21, 2007 @ 11:09 pm
No more Sunkist for me!

http://www.cooperatives.ucdavis.edu/china10.pdf

Must have been an interesting workshop…

Wlbur-Ellis first started buying rice gluten from China, July 2006.

This is already known: Wilbur-Ellis began importing rice protein concentrate from Binzhou Futian Biology Technology in July 2006. A total of 14 containers holding 336 metric tons of rice protein concentrate were sent from Futian to Wilbur-Ellis. Wilbur-Ellis has distributed 155 metric tons to date.

Comment by Kat — April 21, 2007 @ 11:12 pm
Just curious, is anyone using Innova EVO and feel it’s ok. My cats were on this pre NB and didnt like it much but they might not have a choice.

Comment by Claudia — April 21, 2007 @ 11:12 pm
Uh-huh, and the rest of it is where?

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:17 pm
So who isn’t doing business with China?

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:24 pm
If you Google “products made in America” you get quite a few websites.

Comment by Kathi — April 21, 2007 @ 11:30 pm
Can someone advise how a vet can check kidney function? is this a simple blood test and is anyone using Innova EVO?

Comment by Claudia — April 21, 2007 @ 11:31 pm
made in america can mean all ingredients were shipped in and it was *made* here.

i’m trying to figure out if product of usa mans the same . . .

Comment by straybaby — April 21, 2007 @ 11:49 pm
Can someone advise how a vet can check kidney function? is this a simple blood test

They do a simple blood test and also a urinalysis. Both are fairly inexpensive. The only problem is that it can be hard to get urine from cats and some dogs, in which case the vet will have to collect the urine by a process known as cystocentisis, which costs a little more. But it’s worth it.

Comment by Christie Keith — April 21, 2007 @ 11:54 pm
Christie
Thank you so much for responding. The last time I fed them NB Venison was last week and they ‘seem’ to be ok. One is a tad lethargic but they both are hungry. Would I really know at this point if there was an issue? I stopped feeding them Nutro Max wet food (3 ox cans) when the whole recall started on the advice of a vet (thank goodness). Last question, what dry food is recommended at this point? Someone mentioned Serengheti and I know Innova EVO is raw. The ingredients for Innova EVO do not list rice, corn, wheat etc.

Comment by Claudia — April 22, 2007 @ 12:12 am
I would absolutely get them tested, if they were my pets. I don’t think we really know what is a good time frame, but if everything was normal, I might re-test in two weeks.

I can’t make any food recommendations, I’m sorry! At this point, I don’t think anyone really feels comfortable doing that.

Comment by Christie Keith — April 22, 2007 @ 12:14 am
Re Merrick Foods—
I was doing some research on Merrick Foods and found this Contra Costa Times Article (in cache only) April 6, 2007—not about the current recall but thought-provoking:
http://tinyurl.com/2ztgqh
Pet Food Express sues firm over kibble scare in 2003
# Chain seeks money for discounts and vet bills it paid after animal deaths
By Paul T. Rosynsky

MEDIANEWS STAFF
Article Launched: 04/06/2007 03:16:21 AM PDT

OAKLAND — As the nationwide pet food scare continues, the details of a similar Bay Area scare in fall 2003 will be revealed in court next week.

Pet Food Express, an independent chain with 31 stores in the Bay Area, is suing the manufacturer of the Go Natural brand of pet food, which the retailer says caused the deaths of at least 20 dogs more than three years ago.

Similar to the fears now being felt by consumers who fed their pets Menu Foods-produced pet food, the case in 2003 scared owners who had fed their animals dry kibble under the Go Natural brand.

Considered a healthful alternative to mainstream pet food, Go Natural was sold exclusively in the Bay Area by Pet Food Express because of its supposed healthful attributes.

Store representatives pushed the brand to customers, and, as a result, the chain sold 80 percent of all Go Natural food purchased in the United States.

“Pet Food Express tries to differentiate itself from its competition with a much higher level of customer service. As part of that, they like to find high-quality products to recommend,” said John Moore, an attorney representing the chain. “If they had a high-quality product that they felt good about, it helps to have an exclusive arrangement to sell it.”

But soon after the food’s manufacturer, Petcurean, contracted out production of the Go Natural brand to another firm, Merrick Petfoods, dogs and cats eating the kibble began falling ill with liver problems.

As the complaints started piling in, Petcurean agreed to a voluntary recall of the Go Natural brand that was sold in 4-, 8-, 12- and 30-pound bags.

At the same time, Pet Food Express began offering rebates without proof of purchase and paid for veterinary bills for many of its customers whose pets had fallen ill.

The only problem, however, is a lack of unquestionable proof that the food caused the deaths and illnesses.

A federal Food and Drug Administration study conducted soon after the scare was reported found that “a definitive cause of the ill effects of the dogs and cats has not been determined.”

Studies by the government did not find anything in the food that was above regulations or abnormal.

However, it did find the presence of BHA, a preservative that is allowed in pet food but one that Petcurean had not listed as an ingredient.

Although the FDA found higher than acceptable levels of BHA in some samples, scientists could not say that it was the cause of deaths.

Nevertheless, pet owners filed a class-action lawsuit against Petcurean and Pet Food Express. The lawsuit was thrown out of court.

Both companies later settled individual claims.

Now Pet Food Express wants retribution.

The company is seeking $700,000 to cover the costs associated with the refunds it gave to customers and the veterinarian bills it paid.

Pet Food Express also is seeking millions of dollars in lost profits that it says occurred when customers associated the company with selling questionable products.

“Pet Food Express really set a high standard on how to help customers when its food goes bad,” Moore said. “Petcurean left us holding the bag and didn’t offer any help to us.”

Petcurean didn’t offer any help because its food is not the cause of the deaths, the company’s attorney, Duane Musfelt, said.

“After many years of testing the food and review by some of the country’s top toxicologists and the Food and Drug Administration, nothing has been found wrong with the pet food,” he said. “The case that goes to trial next week does not involve any claims of any pet owners but involves a business dispute that involves a pet food that was sold many years ago.”

Comment by Lola — April 22, 2007 @ 1:22 am
Also, heard from “someone who knows someone” (who works in the pet food industry) that Menu Foods knew about the contamination in November, and notified the FDA and pet food manufacturers that the food was contaminated and to pull it. But no action was taken.

Has anyone else heard this? It’s different from the version of events that I have heard so far.

Comment by Lola — April 22, 2007 @ 1:25 am
“Food shoppers shaken
. . .
Nelson said the milk situation was an example of how contamination problems should be handled; quickly, professionally and without a lot of fuss. Another recent recall hasn’t been so easy to get a handle on, though.

Last month, pet owners frantically consulted veterinarians after Menu Foods announced a 60 million product recall of its canned and pouched food, which came in the wake of several reports of pet deaths due to kidney-related illness. The fallout from the recall is still being felt, said Alton Blodgett, a control official for the state Department of Agriculture.

“In my 29 years with the department, this is the biggest recall I’ve seen,” Blodgett said. “This is a rarity.”

http://shakenshoppers.notlong.com

” Menu Foods’ future clouded by recall

The value of Menu Foods Income Trust Fund units recovered slightly this week as short sellers reduced their positions in the belief the worst of the pet food recall might be coming to a close.

But problems at the underlying operating company, Menu Foods Inc., are far from over.”
http://company-setback.notlong.com

Comment by Stefania — April 22, 2007 @ 3:33 am
Interesting article with a familiar cast of characters:
http://tinyurl.com/2ltwea

Here’s an excerpt, worth a full read:

Hampshire, now age 47, learned compassion for animals growing up on a Virginia horse farm. Her mother raised basset hounds.

The daughter - everyone called her Tory - became a champion of humane treatment of animals at the FDA, where her father had been a press officer.

Two days after his death, Hampshire set aside her grief to go toe-to-toe with Wyeth over the deaths of almost 500 dogs that took Proheart 6.

Hampshire and Dr. Linda Tollefson, then deputy head of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, clearly remember the confrontation at headquarters. As adverse events coordinator, Hampshire was anxious about thousands of reported autoimmune, allergic, liver and other reactions. The deaths surpassed the total for all competitors combined.

But Wyeth’s veterinary subsidiary, Fort Dodge Animal Health, had sold 18 million doses of Proheart 6, worth tens of millions of dollars. It surely wouldn’t give up without a fight.

The company said Hampshire was inflating her side-effect numbers. Hampshire said Fort Dodge had previously expressed its own concerns over tumors. Fort Dodge said it hadn’t. “Either you’re lying, or I’m imagining it,” Hampshire erupted.

Dr. Stephen Sundlof, FDA’s veterinary chief, grabbed her hand under the table, silencing her, Hampshire says. He didn’t answer messages seeking comment for this story.

“Tory did not have experience dealing with animal pharmaceutical community people, who are not different than the human pharmaceutical people. They make a lot of money on this stuff. They will never ever admit there’s something wrong,” says Tollefson, who is now FDA’s assistant commissioner for science.

Comment by Lorraine T — April 22, 2007 @ 4:01 am
Bush has appointed over 100 Lobbyists as Regulators.

http://www.commondreams.org/he.....523-02.htm

Comment by Sharon — April 22, 2007 @ 4:46 am
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, ANYONE whose pet ate/may have eaten any of the affected food, whether they are themselves or not…GET THEM TESTED FOR THE LOVE OF G-D!!!!!

Quit wondering if you should do it, quit asking us…”s/he seems fine but is quieter than usual, vomits occasionally, etc., etc.” GET THAT ANIMAL TESTED!!!!

That food killed my Pom, and my Papillon had a little bit of it. I had her tested and then retested a month later, because some of her values were a bit off. I paid $103 and change for the blood and urine tests. Your vet may be willing to work with you in this situation if $ is tight, so ASK!

DON’T TAKE ANY CHANCES, PLEASE!!!!!

Comment by Pamela J. Betz-Baron — April 22, 2007 @ 5:35 am
Straybaby and others -

There are several organizations that take snapshots of major websites and archive them. This is done partly as a way of preserving the history of the web - think what a valuable resorce this will be for reporters, researchers, etc, and how valuable this will be to future historians.

My favorite is the Wayback Machine (those of you old enough will remember Mr. Peabody and Sherman). Here is their archive of the ChemNutra website - there are numerous snapshots of the site from 2004 and 2005:

“ChenNutra archive

This would be a way to look at some of the pet food companies’ sites in the past, also.

http://www.archive.org/web/web.php

These archives tend to lag a few months behind the present, but go back to the mid-1990s. They don’t necessarily have every website archived.

Take care,

- Paul

Comment by Paul — April 22, 2007 @ 5:37 am
Comment on: Comment by Lola — April 22, 2007 @ 1:22 am

Lola found this article, which should be a cautionary tale: “Pet Food Express sues firm over kibble scare in 2003:Chain seeks money for discounts and vet bills it paid after animal deaths”

Suggest reading this article closely at her posting. It’s about one pet store chain in the SF area that sold one brand’s kibble, from which at least 20 dogs died in 2003. The brand was never held publicly liable, the causes for the deaths never publicly known, and here we are again today, this time on a bigger scale.

We’ll all take different things away from this current crisis. Some of us who are reading everything closely will change the way we feed our dogs and cats, and cross our fingers that we are feeding them properly. But, to me, at the end of the day, this cries out for political/regulatory change. While both parties take contributions from the same corporations, whether you are a Dem or a Repub at heart, I think each of us has to elect representatives and keep them publicly accountable. To me it’s indisputable that the present administration has eroded the quality of those who serve in those government departments and agencies that we rely on for safety and basic services. Some examples: Katrina/FEMA; spinach/E coli, pet food/FDA and related agencies; erosion of armed services preparedness, treatment of veterans/DOD, and more. We aren’t aware yet of how the billions spent on the war in Iraq are going to strap our country going forward so we can rebuild these agencies. And note in the article above in Lola’s post that the 2003 pet food contamination in which 20 dogs died in one region that the class action was dismissed. Many of these judges are appointed and from what little I’ve seen as an organizer of seniors in certain big fraud situations, these judges are establishing precedent that is not in ordinary people’s interests. Think what we like about lawyers in general, it’s a situation like this when our beloved pets are dying that we encounter how little support we will have in the courts. Know that this administration has forced “tort reform” which makes it more difficult to bring class action suits. Unless you are fortunate to have a great deal of money that you are willing to spend personally to hire a top law firm to fight for you against the pet food companies that you hold responsible, you’d better find a good class action law firm that will put the considerable resources into investigation on behalf of you and others just like you.

So, regarding politics, the decline in competency in government does not represent the Republican Party that many honorable people I know used to believe in. And voting for change alone won’t make these agencies and regulators change overnight, but we must make these things campaign issues for 2008. We can either get sidetracked on the cost of John Edwards’ haircut or some other stupid thing that will be tossed out to sideline our real issues, or we can keep focused on what we need from those we elect to protect us in governing going forward.

Comment by Maureen — April 22, 2007 @ 5:40 am
I ran into a woman with a Cairn Terrier yesterday who has not heard of the recall…I sent her here.

We need to be shouting this story from the rooftops, because it’s obviously not getting enough coverage!

It doesn’t help that 16 is still the official #. SCREW the official #!

Comment by Pamela J. Betz-Baron — April 22, 2007 @ 5:41 am
Let’s go Up and At Em!

Can’t let these PFI people rest!

Comment by Steve — April 22, 2007 @ 6:34 am
From what I’m reading above regarding the FDA only confirms what a lying bunch of greedy egomaniacs and satantic monsters they are.

Thank you so much Lorraine and Sharon and everyone else for exposing them for what they are.

And as to the Bush statement - do I need comment - my position is well known how I feel about this administration and their political crap politics.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 6:38 am
I’ve been searching for breaking news and for more pet food recalls and for these remaining companies to set up and do the right thing:

Nothing, nada, zip, ………..the world sleeps and Kattie Couric has a young stud and she’s happy, well I’m glad someone is happy out there because I’m fuming ……

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 6:53 am
Does anyone know if pets still getting sick, as of right now?

Does anyone know if the poisoning is immediate or if the toxins have to build up over time?

And whether immediate or not, does anyone know what the toxic dose is?

Comment by Peggy — April 22, 2007 @ 6:57 am
I haven’t heard Peggy. Which in itself, seems odd doesn’t it. No details. No one posting about it.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 7:00 am
People were asking about the test for melamine, and whether one test could detect all contaminants. As an FYI, here’s the FDA’s description of their test method (using a gas chromatogram - GC) to test for melamine:

http://www.fda.gov/cvm/MelaminePresence.htm

These kinds of tests are fairly specific. Look at the images towards the bottoms of the page - the testers examine the results of the tests and look for spikes that occur with specific values known to be associated with the compound in question.

The description of the test method also makes reference to mass spectrophotometry - MS, and high pressure liquid chromatography - HPLC.

Comment by Pat — April 22, 2007 @ 7:02 am
Lori, if, as you’ve heard from “insiders”, that Menu foods knew in Nov. that there was something wrong with their products then Menu and Menu alone had the responsibility to immediately issue the recall and shout it from the highest rooftops. They made the foods. They screwed up. They used the poison. For them to say now, “well, we told the brands and the FDA” is pure and utter BS which is what we’ve come to expect from them.

Comment by elizabeth R — April 22, 2007 @ 7:02 am
Comment by Peggy — April 22, 2007 @ 6:57 am

No one knows ANYTHING.

Comment by Steve — April 22, 2007 @ 7:04 am
They are passing the buck and smiling and making money - meanwhile our pets are ill and dying, we are confused and angry over, I suppose, what we feared all along - big business has our country ball its - well???? You know what I mean.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 7:05 am
Sorry, I said Lori, meant to refer to Lola’s comment in my recent diatribe post against Menu Foods!

Comment by elizabeth R — April 22, 2007 @ 7:06 am
Steve, Linda, Everyone, I was afraid of that.

OK, so if there is no data, can we say:

Melamine Poisoning in Humans Causes People to Gain Weight and Become Fat!!!

???

Comment by Peggy — April 22, 2007 @ 7:10 am
Anything on CANIDAE FOOD as my dogs countnue to have problems
ANy Info is appreciated.
I wrote them an email and they said all there stuff is made in the USA and no problems
But for some reason I just have doubts
Any wya to get he food tested?
thanks

Comment by Mary — April 22, 2007 @ 7:22 am
Mary,

I think stopping feeding the food is the first step, regardless of the recalls, and then I’d take your dogs to the vets for a check up and make sure they do a blood panal on them and urine analysis.

I don’t know what the “Problems” are you mention, but now is the time if we err, to err on the side of caution.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 7:33 am
Before I was feeding them the Canidae with the Olroy wet food and all of them were sick, vomiting, blood in urine all of them were tested and one was so bad he was in the hospital for two days with IV’s now he is still on antibotics we almost lost him thank GOD he is doing better.

So I no longer give them the wet food and I have only been feeding the CANIDAE food Dry that is but they are still vomiting not as muh and have loose stoolss Mucus in the stools and not acting themselves (laying around etc) I checked the labels an have done everything.
When they were aking to the vet all of them had signs of kidney problems so we have been dealing with this issue for a few months.
Canidae is still on the list of good food and they claim it is all Natural no imports from anyone and have even sent me an email to all of my questions.

Comment by Mary — April 22, 2007 @ 7:40 am
RE: Comment by Pamela J. Betz-Baron ? April 22, 2007 @ 5:41 am

I, too, have been sending people here to read about the recall. Thanks everyone
for your input!

It amazes me just how many *regular* folks there are out there that just don’t
see the full scope of things! This site does make a difference.

Camp out for a few minutes in any large grocercy store, Target, Wal-mart, or K-mart
in the pet food isle and just causully strike up a conversation with shoppers
And give them the petconnection.com address. To help avoid being noticed, I’d write out
the URL on a scrap of paper from the purse - do not come prepared with it already written out.
Also do not do this too often in the same store. But if you talked to only 2 people a day
that may be 2 pets lives saved each day!

Comment by Mary Smith — April 22, 2007 @ 7:40 am
Time to STOP the CANIDAE.
these little Bichons have been through so much in the past few months

Comment by Mary — April 22, 2007 @ 7:41 am
I finally received a call-back from Menu’s claim company on friday after getting untold hangups and disconnects. They are sending me a claims package. The guy was nice but had to be neutral seeing as who he works for.

I also am in the process of filling out an incident report with Safeway. It’s been almost 4 weeks since I talked to Menu with no returned call so I figured I’d go after the company that sold me the tainted product. I am going to file the report despite the call from Menu because I really think they need to look extremely closely at their recall actions within the store chains.

For those of you who bought tainted food from a grocery, please contact the manager and ask for an incident report. The fact that there is still tainted product on the shelves is alarming and points to the grocery stores having a communication problem. Maybe filing a formal report will help instigate getting the companies to look at their recall policies.

And for people with recovering pets, I have 3 cats here. My two girls (one of which was very sick and on an IV with RF) are doing well. My boy cat just out of the blue loses all his breakfast. This happens once or twice a week. I think their systems are still recovering and will be for a long time (although I do know the damage is permanent).

Also, I highly recommend calling the companies of the foods you are feeding your pets. If they aren’t upfront about what is contained in the food, where it is manufactured, etc., switch NOW. If they are showing ANY symptoms, stop feeding them any suspect food. By Suspect food I mean ANYTHING produced by a company IN ANY WAY connected with this recall.

Comment by Sharon H — April 22, 2007 @ 7:57 am
Mary:

I just posted a response to you in itchmo. I just bought Canidae for the first time…..it has little white specks in it (sort of looks like salt sprinkled all over it) & feels gritty. I only fed my dog a few pieces last night & this morn but I think something is wrong with it….just a gut feeling. I have a big dog (Lab) & like I said, just gave her a few pieces…..I gave a friend a small bag for her to try on her little dog. Her dog threw up last night with little white specks in it. It’s going back this morning.

Have heard nothing but good stuff but this dry food looks odd to me….& the little dog throwing up is enough for me.

All foods are suspect right now.

As to MF, I also heard that they got reports as early as Nov/Dec. If they did report to the pet food companies & not to us (why does that not surprise me?), that could account for the reports I heard that people were pulling dry food off the shelves after hours in pet stores & replacing with new bags. Something stinks here…..

Comment by Jan — April 22, 2007 @ 7:57 am
Jan
This is to weird.
Now I am more confused. I am taking this bag back, and need to come up with something else.
I have to do what is best for my pets wether Canidae ays it is safe or not, I really do not know that. IfI do not feel good about something then I have to go with my gut.
I have 1 New bag and a half of bag of the Canidae. I have a receipe for the new bag but not the older bag andthe place where I got it from here in Vermont said I had to have a receie for the other bag.
Now doesnt that tell you something. MONEY HUNGRY
I am just so worried about feeding my dogs different foods because there little systems cannot handle that
Let me know how things work out

Comment by Mary — April 22, 2007 @ 8:15 am
The wide deep roots of political fanny wiping and fatty cheek smooching are killing our pets and our country and we wrestle in the grip of corruption clothed in the wool of innocent lambs -

Our beloved pets are slowly dropping - they are the real lambs soon to be slaughtered by the greedy sons of bee-twitches if you get my drift.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 8:22 am
Here we go - tip of the iceberg we said?

FDA Update on Pet Food Recall

This listserv covers mainly Class I (life-threatening) recalls. A complete listing of recalls can be found in the FDA Enforcement Report at: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/Enforce.html

April 22, 2007

Media Inquiries:
301-827-6242
Consumer Inquiries:
888-INFO-FDA

FDA’s Update on Tainted Pet Food

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating an imported shipment of rice protein concentrate which has been found to contain melamine. The rice protein concentrate may have been used as an ingredient in some pet foods. FDA’s investigation of the rice protein is being carried out by specialists in FDA headquarters and in eight FDA district offices. Thus far, the following has been established:

* The suspect shipment of rice protein concentrate was imported and offloaded during the week of April 2, 2007 by Wilbur-Ellis, an importer and distributor of agricultural products, including rice protein concentrate, with headquarters in San Francisco, CA. The source of the product is identified as Binzhou Futian Biological Technology in China.
* The shipment consisted primarily of rice protein concentrate in white bags, but also included one pink bag that was labeled, in part, with the word “melamine.”
* On April 15, Wilbur-Ellis notified FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine about the suspect shipment. On April 16, FDA launched a nationwide investigation tracing eight import entries identified as being shipped from the Chinese firm since July 2006. FDA testing revealed melamine in both the white and pink bags.
* Wilbur-Ellis has initiated a recall of all suspect rice protein concentrate it had imported and distributed; see http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmr.....04_07.html.

FDA investigators have obtained records showing distribution to five pet food manufacturers in seven locations. Investigators are currently inspecting all five manufacturers and collecting additional samples, as appropriate.

* FDA initiated inspections at Royal Canin USA and C.J. Foods and, as a result, both companies have voluntarily recalled certain products; see http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmr.....04_07.html and http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmr.....04_07.html.
* FDA also has confirmed the presence of melamine in finished pet food products containing rice protein concentrate. Those products, and others within the same product line, are currently under recall by Natural Balance Pet Foods and are labeled as: Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods; Venison and Brown Rice dog treats; and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food; see http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmr.....04_07.html.

If FDA’s investigation determines that additional pet food products have been manufactured from the suspect rice protein concentrate, FDA will expect manufacturers to initiate voluntary actions to remove these products from the marketplace. FDA will continue to communicate its findings promptly.

In a related development, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) issued a press release on April 19, 2007, stating that CDFA laboratory testing had detected melamine in urine from hogs at the American Hog Farm in Ceres, CA. For further information, see: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/exec/pa.....CDFA07-038.
Due to the involvement of animal feed, FDA is working with CDFA on this development.

FDA continues to work comprehensively to protect the nation’s pet food as well as to conduct a full investigation to determine any impact on the human food supply. The agency is now sampling all rice protein concentrate from China and continues to sample all wheat gluten imported from China, and it is ready to increase its surveillance of other products, if necessary.

To search for the latest list of recalled products, which will be updated when new information is received, please see: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/.....oodrecall/.

####

Comment by Nadine Long — April 22, 2007 @ 8:30 am
I was wondering if the reason the general public do not realize how big
this recall is, is due to the fact that it IS so BIG. Most recalls get *solved*
in a day or two. They only involve one or two products with a specified before and after date period.
I don’t EVER remember a time of hearing a recall that involved over 200 pages to list the
recalled products of ANYTHING before this in the *history of time*. This is truely an historic event.
When I first heard about the recall I could not understand why no one listed the products by name.
They always just said to go to menufoods.com for the information. My thoughts at the time were -
what about those who don’t have internet access, how are they to know which products to avoid?

The general public also *trusts* the stores to remove all harmful products. They feel that if it
is on the shelf it is safe to buy. They have NO IDEA that this recall is an on-going, ever-changing event
that has lasted for over one month and a half! They also do not realize that the *contamination* is STILL
going on. They think of this as a *one-time contamination event* and all is ok now. They have NO IDEA
that it involves ingredients that are STILL being imported from China and put into new brands of food
each day! They do not realize that at least THREE (so far) different companies located in China
have now been cited for shipping POISIONED raw material to the USA and South Africa!

WHERE IS THE NEWS-MEDIA!?!?!?! WHY ARE THEY NOT INVESTIGATING THIS AND REPORTING IT
EVERY DAY *IN YOUR FACE* STYLE LIKE THEY DO BEST!?!?

My questions continue, but I think you will get the idea from reading only the above two.

Comment by Mary Smith — April 22, 2007 @ 8:44 am
hi..I have been reading these posts now for over a week…thank you all for keeping us informed. I have 4 cats ranging in age from 3 yrs to 20yrs! and I too am sickened and frustrated at the endless recalls. I used to use Nutro cans…switched to Wellness cans …but since wellness is using Menu…bought some Halo cans. For dry I used NB venison….test one of my cats even though all seem fine.(plus it was made last May) Then I switched to Blue buffalo adult…still using that even tho the kitten formula was recalled. Any one have any opinion of Halo? I emailed them and she responded pretty quickly. This is her response..

“Dear Sue,

Thanks for visiting our website and caring for the ones we love naturally! If you have not already signed up as a member on our website, feel free to reply with your snail mail address so that we may send you our free Holistic Pet Care booklet and brochure.

We do not nor will we ever enlist the services of Menu Pet Foods. We cook our Spot’s Stew in a USDA kitchen to ensure the highest quality and to avoid these situations. We do not use anything that is pet-grade or inferior, only human grade ingredients.

Our Spot’s Stew is THE ONLY PET FOOD IN THE WORLD that is APPROVED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. Our chicken is free-range. NO hormones, antibiotics, growth stimulants, steroids, herbicides, pesticides, by-products, chemicals, preservatives, coloring agents or anything artificial in ANY of our products EVER.

Feel free to call or email if there is anything else I can do for you. Wishing you and your pets GREAT health!

Warm regards,
Christina
Halo, Purely for Pets
ckeller@halopets.com
800-426-4256 ext 100”

I have started to switch them over to Halo but some are more stubborn….you know how cats are!

thanks again for all the info
sue bc in CT

Comment by sue bc — April 22, 2007 @ 8:57 am
Have been trying to post an FDA Update as of this morning, but it’s not going through. Hopefully, Gina and Christie will be posting it soon. It looks ominous to me.

Comment by Nadine Long — April 22, 2007 @ 9:00 am
Lola re when Menu knew - at the very beginning of the recall, the reports I saw all said the issue arose around the end of last year (Nov/Dec). I didn’t see who they informed or if they even informed anyone, but it was clear that the issue had been going on for quite awhile before they took action.

After a bit of time, the official version of when they “knew” changed to February. Given the timing of subsequent stock sales and other events, I came to believe the initial reports as true. I believe the FDA knows this as well at this point.

Regarding the Nutro run around: mine were sickened by something in the Nutro; thankfully they are alive and healthy at the moment. But the last time we got such a run around, we were dealing with Cingular Wireless (Nutro looks to have taken lessons from them). Nutro clearly finds uninformed customers preferable to those pesky ones with all the questions. You asked about importation, and they ducked you completely - some customers are NOT looking to be simply TOLD things are safe, who at Nutro thought that was a smart thing to say to a questioner-type of consumer (someone give them their stupid sign, please). It is clear from the nature of the questions posed that the inquirer is sensibly looking for information to allow them to determine what they consider safe, and what is not an acceptable risk (like ingredients imported from China, for example).

The implication of Nutro’s words is clear to me - they did use something of dubious origin/quality or that they know may very well be causing the issues some of us are seeing. But since the FDA isn’t on their backs directly, they have decided to see if they can outrun trouble.

Comment by TC — April 22, 2007 @ 9:06 am
If the imports from China continue to come in, it’s like rowing upstream against the flow. Stop all food imports totally and turn back the container ships already coming. Then, continue testing whats already here.

Also the FDA or another agency has to implement new powers like unannounced inspections very frequently with huge fines for each infraction, I mean tens of thousands for the simplest infraction. In case of contaminations, shut down the whole plant immediately and indefinately.

None of this ridiculous voluntary recall nonsense.

Comment by Gary — April 22, 2007 @ 9:12 am
The players: Bride, Groom, Mistress.

Bride: Sincere, virgin, loving, kind, believes in the basic goodness of her Groom.

Groom: Cleans up well, educated, speaks highly of all that is holy and good and pure, underneath is vain and puffed up with self importance.

The Mistress: Tacky, gold digging, greedy loves riches no matter how she gets it – robs the poor and wealthy alike and absconds with the bounty to foreign country.

The marriage vows: Trust, duty to protect, love, honor and abide by all that is holy and good and pure.

The Scene:
Enter Innocent Bride who discovers groom in bed with lusty mistress on their wedding night. Oh but she is distraught, she wonders what to do, she cries, she wails, she pleads for justice, throw the tart tramp away and take me your beautiful bride to bed.

But no, the groom’s fate is sealed – he is a liar and a cheat and he laughs in his bride’s face – go eat dog food he yells as he happily bounces away to never never land with his Mistress.

Oh my indeed. Add your own ending to this…….it’s still playing on Washington D.C. little shop of FDA horrors. I’m in the front seat.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 9:14 am
Comment by Lynn — April 21, 2007 @ 2:53 pm

“COSTCO KIRKLAND DOG FOOD
A friend of mine just told me her daughter was feeding their “treasured” dog “Costco dog food.” That would be Kirkland. So I called Costco and was told they have a “privacy agreement” and cannot divulge info.”

I have no firm source of who makes Kirkland dry dog food, except that of a trusted friend who’s been raising/breeding/showing dogs for 30+ years. When I asked about her about who makes Kirkland’s dry dog food, whe told me it was Diamond. If the manufacturer is indeed Diamond, one would like to think they cleaned up their act after the aflatoxin scare in ‘05. But due to all the recent recall mess, I don’t feel comfortable using it. That doesn’t mean others can’t, it’s only my personal choice.

Comment by Ally — April 22, 2007 @ 9:28 am
Re: Canidae & Felidae:

I am feeding my cat Felidae. Product looks okay; cat is not thrilled, but does eat it. Won’t eat as much of it as she was her previous Purina junk food. She appears fine, in fact has only thrown up once in the last few weeks (was regularly doing so on Purina). But it is early, jury is still out, and then there is the evasive company behavior to be sorted out still.

My problem is Canidae’s refusal to disclose any info beyond “our food is manfactured in a plant in West Texas”. I believe they also said that at this manufacturer’s facility, they have their own separate plant. I want to know a plausible reason why a company won’t say who makes their product. None have been forthcoming.

Dogster.com forums (the one for nutrition questions) contained a post where someone took this TX info, and tracked it down - said Canidae’s food plant in Texas is Pied Piper Pet Mills (now called Pied Piper Pet and Wildlife?) in Hamlin, Texas. I also saw a reference here at Pet Connection stating the same thing.

I will be interested to see if this is true, and whatever else may end up being dug up about this facility. Again, if there is nothing to hide, just answer the questions asked. This is not a state secret.

Comment by TC — April 22, 2007 @ 9:34 am
Ditto, Mary Smith! We rarely heard from the media until Sen. Durbin took it on. Now, it’s getting better coverage.

One of my big gripes (and I gripe a lot) is the lying & intentional underestimating, by the FDA, of the sick & dead animals. In doing so, the public — the world — thinks it’s not much of an event…. only 16 animals dead…what are they complaining about.

!!!! WAKE UP FDA !!!!
!!!! GET THAT WIMP DIRECTOR OUT OF THERE !!!!

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 9:55 am
They’re too busy covering up their bad mistakes and passing the buck and hedging to know what’s going on in the heart of America. Fire them all, jail them for failure to perform their duty, (this can be done by the way - a court can issue a mandate to make them do certain lawful things and if they won’t or don’t, then they are put in jail for contempt) - but that’s grasping at straws - they probably own the courts too - drinking buddies - country club buddies - went to Harvard together or where ever.

Linda MS

Comment by Linda — April 22, 2007 @ 10:02 am
Pets are still getting sick every day and there are still so many people in the dark about it. I’ve been going to this site about Nutro http://hubpages.com/hub/PET_FO.....Y_DOG_FOOD and there are people every day still wondering if their pets are ill because of the food. Note to Peggy: Not all of the illness is acute. This began last year for me. My dog first got sick in August, no appetite, diarrhea, drinking alot, and I thought maybe he ate something in the woods while we were hiking. IV fluids and antibiotics, chicken and rice for two weeks and he was okay, or so I thought. December, sick again. I thought Lyme disease. Diagnosed in January with CRF. He died two weeks ago. So tell your friends that if ANYTHING seems off with their pets, get them to the VET IMMEDIATELY.

Comment by Cathy — April 22, 2007 @ 10:15 am
I did a lot of research last night trying to figure out who the remaining two pet food manufacturers are. And, came up with more questions than answers…

Here are a few facts, based on articles & manufacturer’s websites:

Wilbur-Ellis states they started buying Rice Protein Concentrate from China, July 2006.

Wilbur-Ellis notified the FDA on 4-15-06 about the bag marked “melamine” testing positive for melamine. That shipment came from Binzhou Futian Biology Technology, China.

I’m reading conflicting reports — Wilbur-Ellis states they quarantined the entire shipment & notified the FDA; then, they say they sold it to pet food manufacturers located in UT, NY, KS & 2 in MO.

1. Diamond Pet food, Meta, MO —
manufactures for Natural Balance, Pacoima, CA

2. Royal Canin, St. Charles, MO — which I still have my doubts about them buying from a distributor. They are worldwide. Their South Africa plant purchased directly from China. South Africa melamine contamination is in the Corn Gluten there.

3. Blue Buffalo, Wilton, CT — not in the list of the 5. But, they state they received from Wilbur-Ellis. Maybe they have a facility in NY?? Wilton, CT is under 50 miles from NY.

4. American Hog Farm, Ceres, CA — purchased “salvage pet food” from Diamond Pet Food, on 4-3-07 and 4-13-07. Melamine was confirmed on 4-19-07, in pig urine. The company expects to update their site on Monday.

5. I went to the Thomas Register, to find out which pet food makers are in the states of UT, NY & KS. None are listed for UT or KS. Although I can find a few looking under a few of the online directories.

NY has Hill’s/Colgate Palmolive. They state on their website that they are not affected by the Rice Protein Concentrate — although they use it!

I’ll keep looking — off & on — we have a new room addition we are working on. I am obsessed with this.

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 10:30 am
Kat, Blue Buff dry is made by CJ Foods in KS. So you are thinking maybe Royal Canin is not one of the 5 mfgrs?

Comment by catlover — April 22, 2007 @ 10:45 am
Kat, see related posts on FDA thread.

Comment by catlover — April 22, 2007 @ 10:49 am
Well, all I can say is it’s quite nice of them to give a 4 to 7 day recap. Here is my latest online from gripe to the FDA —

———————————

I have a question and a comment — your information & publication to the American public — and worldwide — NEEDS TO BE TIMELIER!

The INFORMATION REGARDING hog farm quarantine, Wilbur-Ellis, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, et al are all anywhere from 4 to 7 days old. People are still feeding their pets the foods. The news media reports minimally on it. PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR ANSWERS!!! YOU SHOULD BE THE PRIMARY SOURCE!! BUT, YOU FAIL MISERABLY!

PLUS - why aren’t you testing the CORN GLUTEN????? South Africa has a pet food recall, that tested positive for melamine! They are definately pro-active in their country. They have even banned & advised people NOT to dump the tainted pet food in the dumps. They are going to burn it. They have made melamine a toxic substance & do not want it in their environment.

ANNOUNCE THE NAMES OF ALL THE COMPANIES THAT WERE SOLD THE TAINTED RICE PROTEIN CONCENTRATE! The public deserves to know!!!

!!!!! PLEASE STOP WITH THE VOLUNTARY RECALLS !!!!!
INITIATE MANDATORY RECALLS — SHUT THEM DOWN — UNTIL THE THIS IS ALL FIGURED OUT!

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 10:55 am
Thank you Cathy, that is bad news. I am so sorry to hear about your doggy. It sounds like this has been going on since last summer at least.

Just speculation, but maybe that means it is a build up of the toxin(s) over time?

I hate all of this.

Comment by Peggy — April 22, 2007 @ 10:56 am
Or maybe like different amounts of melamine are used in different batches. Like maybe some batches of gluten came out short on protein so more melamine was added to those then other batches came out better so little or no melamine was added to those.

Kind-of crappy way to look at Quality Control:

Did we add enough POISON to that batch to make up for the nutritional deficiencies???

Comment by Peggy — April 22, 2007 @ 11:05 am
The FDA has recently updated that previous import alert:

IA #99-26, 4/19/07, IMPORT ALERT #99-26, “DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL
EXAMINATION OF WHEAT GLUTEN DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF MELAMINE”

PRODUCT: Wheat Gluten

PRODUCT
CODES: 02F[][]08 Wheat gluten
02E[][]06 - Wheat flour gluten
71M[][]01 wheat gluten

http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/o.....a9926.html

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 11:07 am
Here’s the RICE PROTEIN CONCENTRATE ALERT:

IA #99-28, 4/19/07, IMPORT ALERT #99-28, “DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL
EXAMINATION OF RICE PROTEIN, RICE PROTEIN CONCENTRATE AND RICE GLUTEN DUE TO
THE PRESENCE OF MELAMINE”

TYPE OF ALERT: Detention Without Physical Examination

(Note: This import alert represents the Agency’s current guidance to FDA field
personnel regarding the manufacturer(s) and/or products(s) at issue. It does
not create or confer any rights for or on any person, and does not operate to
bind FDA or the public).

PRODUCT: Rice Protein
Rice Protein Concentrate
Rice Gluten

PRODUCT
CODES: 02D[][]12 Rice protein/rice protein concentrate
(human food use)
02D[][]13 Rice gluten (human food use)
71I[][]03 Rice protein/rice protein concentrate
(animal food use)

PROBLEM: Poisonous or deleterious substance

PAF: PES

PAC FOR
COLLECTION: 04R853 (human food use)
71R853 (animal food use)

COUNTRY: See Attachment

MANUFACTURER/
FEI#: See Attachment

CHARGES: “The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to
section 801(a)(3)in that it appears to bear or contain a
poisonous or deleterious substance, which may render it
injurious to health [Adulteration, section 402(a)(1)]”

and/or

“The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to
section 801(a)(3)in that it appears to bear or contain a
food additive that is unsafe within the meaning of section
409 [Adulteration, section 402(a)(2)(C)(i)]”
and/or

“The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to
section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to unfit for food
[Adulteration, 402(a)(3)]”

RECOMMENDING
OFFICE: Division of Import Operations and Policy (HFC-170)

REASON FOR
ALERT: On April 15, 2007, a Californian importer/marketer of
ingredients for pet food notified FDA of a bag labeled as
containing melamine that was included with a shipment of
rice protein concentrate. The importer reported that during
the week of April 2, they received and unloaded a shipment
of rice protein concentrate purchased from Binzhou Futian
Biology Technology Co., Ltd., Shandong, China.

During the unloading of the white tote bags of rice protein
concentrate, the firm’s employees observed a pink bag with
the word “melamine” stenciled on the side of the bag. The
firm isolated the pink bag outside of the warehouse and
segregated the remainder of the shipment within the
warehouse.

Analysis by the firm detected the presence of melamine in
the rice protein concentrate in the pink bag, although it
was apparently not detected in the accompanying white bags
of rice protein concentrate. Subsequent analysis by FDA,
however, did reveal the presence of melamine in white bags
of rice protein concentrate.

On April 16, 2007, an own-label distributor of pet food
notified FDA that the firm had recently received complaints
of vomiting and renal injury in pets. The
distributor attributed the complaints to a formulation
change three weeks earlier that included the incorporation
of rice protein concentrate received from the Californian
importer. Analysis by the firm and FDA revealed the
presence of melamine in the finished pet food product.

On April 17, 2007, the distributor initiated a voluntary
nationwide recall of Venison dog products (dog food and dog
treats) and dry Venison cat food.

GUIDANCE: Districts may detain without physical examination, products
offered for importation from manufacturers and shippers
listed in the Attachment to this import alert.
Report rice protein, rice protein concentrate and rice
gluten samples found positive for melamine for animal food
use to Cathie Marshall, CVM, Division of Compliance,
HFV-232, at (240) 276-9217 and positive samples for
melamine for human food use to Salvatore Evola, CFSAN,
Division of Enforcement, HFS-606, at (301)436-2164.

Appropriate screening criteria have been set for rice
protein, rice protein concentrate and rice gluten from
China.

Recommendations for detention without physical examination
of firms with violative product should be forwarded to DIOP,
HFC-170.

For questions or issues concerning science, science policy,
sample collection, analysis, preparation, or analytical
methodology, contact Tom Savage, Division of
Field Science, at (301) 827-1026.

To enable the agency to assess whether the firm has
identified the source of the problem, and has taken the
appropriate steps to correct and prevent future
occurrences, FDA recommends that a firm requesting removal
from detention without physical examination provide the
following information:

1. a. Results of the firm’s investigation(s) into the problem
of melamine contamination

b. Documentation showing corrective action(s)such as:

i. a description of the process(es) currently
being used
ii. verification that the process is adequate
iii. measures that have been taken to prevent
recontamination

c. Copies of three (3) production records showing the
process, quantities processed, lot numbers and
dates of processing.

AND
d. Documentation showing that a minimum of five (5)
consecutive entries have been released by FDA
based on third party laboratory analyses that show the
shipments of rice protein and rice protein
concentrate do not contain melamine.

All requests for removal from DWPE should be forwarded to DIOP,(HFC-170)
which in turn will forward the requests to CVM (HFV-230) for evaluation.

PRIORITIZATION
GUIDANCE: I

FOI: No purging required

KEYWORDS: Feed, pet food, melamine, rice, protein, concentrate

PREPARED BY: Cathie Marshall, CVM, HFV-232, 240-276-9217 and
Linda Wisniowski, DIOP, HFC-172, 301-443-6553

DATE LOADED
INTO FIARS: April 19, 2007

ATTACHMENT 4/19/07

Firms and products currently under detention without physical examination

CHINA (CN)

Firm: Date DWPE Product /Code:

Binzhou Futian Biology Technology 04/19/07 Rice Protein/gluten
Co., Ltd. 71I[][]03
No. 11 Yuanqian Street,
Jinsanjiao Development District,
Shandong, China
FEI No. 2000022765

http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/o.....a9928.html

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 11:09 am
I don’t know what happened to my post. The FDA has recently issued a RICE PROTEIN CONCENTRATE ALERT:

http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/o.....a9928.html

PRODUCT: Rice Protein
Rice Protein Concentrate
Rice Gluten

PRODUCT
CODES: 02D[][]12 Rice protein/rice protein concentrate
(human food use)
02D[][]13 Rice gluten (human food use)
71I[][]03 Rice protein/rice protein concentrate
(animal food use)

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 11:14 am
I noticed the use of VENISON — The flesh of a deer used as food. The meat used by Natural Balance is LAMB!!!!

On April 17, 2007, the distributor initiated a voluntary
nationwide recall of Venison dog products (dog food and dog
treats) and dry Venison cat food.

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 11:18 am
“Or maybe like different amounts of melamine are used in different batches. Like maybe some batches of gluten came out short on protein so more melamine was added to those then other batches came out better so little or no melamine was added to those.”
Comment by Peggy — April 22, 2007 @ 11:05 am

You know that’s what I was thinking. Seems a lot of animals that ate the batch #’s in the recall didn’t get sick at all or got mildly sick and recovered easily. Others ate the food and we all know the sad results. Was it in fact that pouches or cans within the recalled batches contained little or no contaminants and others contained lethal doses of the poisons? I personally know my two dogs that ate the recalled pouches showed no signs of illness until 2 days before the recall. At that point they didn’t want to eat as much as usual and they were drinking more than usual. The store I got their food at had just restocked the shelves with the food. I stopped feeding the food as soon as they balked at it and fed them ground turkey and veggies since I always cook that for my old dog who is on a salt restricted diet. At that point they felt fine again but when I had them tested a week+ later they had higher than normal BUN levels (that could have been from the high protein turkey diets though)
I feel that perhaps the foods they had been eating till those days around March 14 could have had none or small amounts of the contaminants and for some reason the newer shelve stock might have been the first that store received that was heavily contaminated. I’ll never trust the companies that sold this food to us and we’ll continue to make the dog food ourselves. I’m still struggling with cat food but I’m at peace with what I’m feeding them now. No animal fat (I just read the Rendering plant articles and I’m sick)
Of course after reading about rendering plants I have to wonder about the chicken we eat that are being fed the meals from those terrible places :(

Comment by Maureen (Lilly and Lucy's mom) — April 22, 2007 @ 11:28 am
WORTH REPEATING: A ***MUST*** READ!

“FDA WHISTLEBLOWER TRIED TO SAVE DOGS”

We need more heroes like Victoria Hampshire.

http://www.11alive.com/news/he.....ryid=95769
***********************

Any other whistleblowers out there?

Comment by petlover — April 22, 2007 @ 11:49 am
I’ve thought about this. Only thing I can come up with is, the poison was not fully mixed and some areas of the batch vat got little or none and heavy concentrations in other areas of the vat.

Comment by Gary — April 22, 2007 @ 11:54 am
We all need to do more search on Canidae Food and see what is up with them.
Until then I say all of us Take BACK CANIDAE FOOD have your pets tested and lets find out who they really are and where they get there Ingrediants From.
Something is not right with CANIDAE food.
Seems like they only want to send the sameemail to everyone and cannot answer other questions.

Comment by Mary — April 22, 2007 @ 12:14 pm
Paul

don’t know if you will see this, but wanted to say thatnks! I had been using web archive wayback and have a good history. what I can’t seem to pull up is ChemNutro in Oct and March of ) 06/07 Those would be interesting I would think . . .

Sure someone more savy than I (criminal investigators?!) should be able to get this info, hopefully.

Comment by straybaby — April 22, 2007 @ 12:22 pm
So Canidae Food IS
PIED PIPER PET & WILDLIFE
Out of Hamlin Texas They lied to ME

What is up with these companies Must b hiding something if they cannot even tell the truth

Comment by Mary — April 22, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
STRAYBABY:

Are you here?
I’ve been thinking…

Is it possible to design a bumper sticker or “window cling” for the pet food recall nightmare?

I was thinking of making one myself on cardstock, spraying it with UV protectant spray (art or craft store), and laminating it to wedge in my car’s back window for anyone behind me to see.

I would print mine on a color laser printer, but I think the ink would still fade quite quickly from the sun.

Something like this would be good for anyone, especially people who are too far away to attend a pet march on Apr. 28.

Are you super busy? Maybe there could be a site we could all go to to print it out?

Comment by petlover — April 22, 2007 @ 12:36 pm
petlover… car window clings - what an excellent idea!!! This would be a great way to draw attention to this issue.

Comment by catlover — April 22, 2007 @ 12:41 pm
OK, going way out on a windy limb here, but before I do, please know I am just as upset, nervous & angry as all of you. But for some reason, I have to comment on what’s sounding like a plea to boycott Canidae.

Why pick on that one company? Has everyone here called every single manufacturer on the “safe” pet food list? I know I haven’t but I’d wager a guess there are more who aren’t giving out all their information for proprietary reasons. Not a pet food manufacturer, I can’t say why some may be keeping certain info close to the vest. Maybe their legal council (and you know most have consulted with their attornies - they’d be nuts not to IMO), is advising them on what is and what is not best to divulge right now. Sounds paranoid? Sure. Does that mean they are hiding something? Perhaps some, but I don’t think all.

Like many of you, I’ve spent countless hours following this unfolding mess while reading every comment, forum post, link, online research, pet email groups, speaking with friends with pets - you name it. But I’m also striving to keep as calm and rational as possible. This situation is nuts enough as it is.

As I posted earlier, after exhaustive research as to what food to feed my 1 yr old dog who’s about to end a food trial this week, I bought a bag of Canidae Chicken & Rice. It’s sitting here, unopened and receipt taped to my fridge. It’s the closest thing I felt comfortable buying based on my research & his possible food allergies. I have enough to worry about since he’s currently on Z/D Ultra and Hill’s has now pulled Z/D low allergen for cats. Like many of you, I can’t sleep at night I’m so worried.

Until I personally have reason to, I’m not going to boycott Canidae just because they aren’t being as forthcoming as some would like. The reviews on Canidae for dogs have been very positive. My friend has fed her 11 mth female lab Canidae her entire life - one she’s training to be a guide dog and the very food the Guide Dogs of America endorse. I saw her dog yesterday & she looks beyond healthy. Will Canidae end up being another one in an all too long list of recalled foods? I don’t know. Will I continue checking several times a day (especially tomorrow after the weekend) to see if any Canidae has been recalled? You betcha & then I’ll return it. Trust me, I hope this coming week doesn’t prove me wrong.

But until then, I’m trying very hard to keep a clear, calm head. Turning this into a witch hunt isn’t going to help. Sharing info and being supportive of one another (especially to those who have lost cherished fur kids) will.

Mary, please know I mean no offense to you & your choices. I DO understand your fear & frustration. I hope you can also respect mine. This recall is frightening enough as it is. IMO, adding to the frenzy will only make it worse. Express your frustration, vent, cry, whatever you need to do to keep sane. But please also make your own choices & decisions based on research and your gut. In the long run, I do think clear, (albeit angry) voices, will stand a much better chance of being heard by the powers that be.

Comment by Ally — April 22, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
Typos-R-Us…..*rolls eyes @ self*

Above where I typed:
“Not a pet food manufacturer,”

I meant I’m not a pet food manufacturer. And Mary, I was writing my post and didn’t see your latest in case you’re wondering.

Comment by Ally — April 22, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
I check every day to see if the Felidae that I feed my cat has been recalled. I am running out of viable choices, and their worst sin (so far) may be their refusal to share information that customers request. While it may mean I use their product with caution at present, it also means that the moment I have another real and certifiably safe alternative choice that doesn’t conceal things or is willing to fully and frankly answer pertinent questions, well, that I will drop Felidae (Canidae) like a hot rock. I just won’t spend a dime with folks who behave this way any longer than I have to. We all have some deciding to do about who we trust and choose to do business with, and likely we all have different ideas of what is important. Willingness to be frank and honest is one of mine.

Mary - it is what I read on Dogster.com re the Pied Piper thing, so until you or I personally call them on it, and ask if it is true, we don’t know for sure. But I really needed to pass on what I had found. Then more importantly, I have to figure out why this was a big deal.

Comment by TC — April 22, 2007 @ 1:09 pm
Comment by TC — April 22, 2007 @ 1:09 pm
“Willingness to be frank and honest is one of mine.”

TC, I agree & hope this mess will bring about changes such as a legal responsibility to disclose (among other things) where their sources come from.

I think what I was trying to say above (and got long winded - I’m tired), is there *may* be an honest reason for them not saying more at this time. I honestly don’t know.

I just want to see all of this stop so we finally know what foods are safe to feed. My dogs look at me with such trusting eyes and tail wags. I only want to do right by them. They are both the light of my life.

Comment by Ally — April 22, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
Re: the question of who makes Kirkland (Costco brand) dog food…..
According to The Whole Dog News from 2/06 is IS Diamond:

http://quikonnex.com/channel/item/16941

(unless they’ve switched manufacturers since then)

Comment by Ally — April 22, 2007 @ 1:51 pm
Ally - I do understand where you are coming from, and like you, I just can’t stand the thought that I could unintentionally do something that might hurt my furkids. They trust me to do right, and for now, I just have to err on the side of caution.

Part of my problem is that the older I get, the less time I have for beat around the bush nonsense, and esp. with what I regard as matters of health or life and death. Just my life experience, but 9 of 10 times when someone won’t be straight with me, it turns out that I really shouldn’t have been doing business with them. And the signs were maybe subtle, but they were there, and I decided to ignore them. Gotta be smarter than that right now; otherwise I could kill my furkids by trusting the wrong people, you know?

I may have missed it too, but I haven’t seen Canidae give a reason at all for refusing to name the manufacturer. I want to trust someone, but I won’t do it unless they earn it. If there is a sensible reason for nondisclosure, you’d think they could just say it. Then it would be up to me to gauge their honestly. But they haven’t even done that, which has left me having to ponder why not give it out?

One good thing - both you and me care enough to come online and figure out what all of this means, and we spend the time and thought trying to work this out. I hope we have answers about a lot of things soon.

Comment by TC — April 22, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
RE: Comment by TC — April 22, 2007 @ 2:05 pm

What possible reason could there be for nondisclosure on the part of a pet food manufacturer, other than to conceal information?

You’re damned right the pet food companies are going to have to earn our trust. And they can start by groveling. Big Time.

Comment by Lynn — April 22, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
TC, thank you. Your thoughts were beautifully expressed. You aren’t by chance part canine are you? ;-)

You know the weird thing I wonder about sometimes? I scrimp & save to afford a premium dog food because I want my fur kids to have the best I can give them. Then I think back to my parents and their dogs, who they fed typical grocery store brands. All their dogs lived very long, healthy lives. I’ll still buy premium (or maybe try home cooked), but thinking on this sometimes makes me go “hmmm”. Why have things changed so much between then and now?

Comment by Ally — April 22, 2007 @ 2:21 pm
Hi everyone, I just wanted to give anyone a heads up who feeds Kirkland Signature canned dog food to their pet. My husband works for Costco and is part of their merchandising department. They were instructed to pull all cans from the shelves this morning—pending further FDA investigation for question of quality. This does NOT mean that it has been recalled nor is offically part of the national recalls. But with everything going on right now who knows if it will be recalled after the investigation. If you purchased any since this whole mess has happened you might want to switch temporarily to another product.

Comment by felicia trebing — April 22, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
I am not trying to boycott any pet food. I only want what is best for my dogs and cat.

Like I said in earlier post, I have feed my dogs Canidae Chicken & Rice for over a year mainly because I wanted the best top notch for my Bichons, and the cost I did not care about because I could do without a few things. They are my life, they are my kids, they got me through when my son was in Afganastan. I not only owe it to them but to any one else that has had problems with Canidae. I have read several postsonseveral sites, I worry day in and day out, and I still want the Best for my Dogs and Cat. All I was saying was that my dogs have been Still having problems for over 2 months and I will continue to research. I have wrote several emails to Canidae another today. I just want them to be honest with me and the public. Until I know for sure about Canidae and they earn my trust again I have to go with my gut. I do not mean to cause any problems and I will not cause any problems. For a year I told everyone how great Canidae was and gave them Praise but right now I do not know who to trust or what to do anymore all I can do is what I said before and that is to go with my Gut and do the best for my animals.
I am sorry if I offended anyone in anyway.

Comment by Mary — April 22, 2007 @ 3:10 pm
Mary, you definitely didn’t offend me and I apologize if I made you feel as such. I didn’t realize your personal history with Canidae and your dogs. I understand better now after reading your above reply.
I only want this nightmare to end and for all of us to feel good about what we are feeding our pets. Please hang in there.

Why did it ever have to come to this? Just to save a buck? That is so beyond sick, especially at the cost of selfless pet’s lives who never harmed anyone wanting only to offer companionship & love. It’s truly a travesty.

Comment by Ally — April 22, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
RE: Comment by Ally — April 22, 2007 @ 1:51 pm

Here is last years article on aflotoxin & Kirkland.

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/whatsNew/aflatoxin.asp

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 4:06 pm

And another article on the Diamond & aflotoxin recall here:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmr.....12_05.html

Comment by Ally — April 22, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Hi Ally, I think that could be the same incident. Dec 2005 - Jan 2006 time frame. One article says 18 products contaminated, the other article lists 19. Both articles state Gaston, SC.

Ok. Those 2 articles are referring to the same recall date: 12-21-05 for Washington State Univ.; and, the FDA letter dated 12-20-05

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 5:26 pm
RE: Comment by Deanna — April 22, 2007 @ 9:45 am

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200....._hogs_dc_2

Sundlof said the FDA believes it has accounted for all of the imported wheat gluten that may contain melamine. Some of it went to a rendering plant. “We have inspectors at the rendering plant,” he said, to see what happened to the gluten.

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200....._hogs_dc_2

…”Sundlof said the FDA believes it has accounted for all of the imported wheat gluten that may contain melamine. Some of it went to a rendering plant. “We have inspectors at the rendering plant,” he said, to see what happened to the gluten.”…
—

MORE info about the pathetic rendering process — of what goes into our pet foods! And, they say it’s good for them! Boy! We have been brain-washed to the hilt!!! And, these articles are pretty mind comparatively…

This is Time.com’s report: http://tinyurl.com/2mzt23

This is TylerPaper.com, Texas Nutrition Institute:
http://tinyurl.com/342bpv

Here’s one of the largest rendering plants website:
http://www.valleyproteins.com/index.asp

Here’s the National Renderer’s Association:
http://www.renderers.org/

-> !! Here is a link to the pig feed testing IN CHINA -> http://www.renderers.org/Research/index.htm

Sign a petition here - Stop Rendering Our Pets Into Pet Foods:
http://www.petitiononline.com/oreo1/petition.html

:(

Comment by Kat — April 22, 2007 @ 9:03 pm
hi ally -

I too remember my parents feeding dry kibble to our dogs, who lived long lives. And my grandparents anre further back did table scraps and those dogs lived long lives. Yes, something is going on that is different, but I can’t understand yet the entire picture. Could be money. Could be just that we are importing products from countries who don’t have the same priorities, so they don’t even see this as all that bad.

I just came back online to start reading, and bam, I see there is a second company that imported tainted rice protein. And that Wilbur Ellis first started using the Chinese company in question July 2006. At this point all I can conclude is that this stuff has a high likelihood of having been included in many products, both for pets and humans.

Going to go catch up on reading those other threads here. I am still puzzling over why the announcement of the 2nd company importing contaminated chinese goods is being made by “US lawmakers”… has the FDA been sidelined? Sigh…

Comment by TC — April 23, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Can anyone tell me if ChemNutra supplied and vitamins/minerals or other ingredients to Nutro?

Comment by Valerie — September 18, 2007 @ 7:33 pm

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