Pet-food recall: And then, there was one … plus: more hogs, and chickens, too
By Gina Spadafori
April 24, 2007
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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.
The FDA at its news briefing a short while ago released the name of one of the last two companies said to have received the contaminated rice protein concentrate. That company, SmartPac, has now recalled a single production run of its LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice product. According to the company’s Web site, this voluntary recall was initiated last Friday. News to us, but the FDA says they are now putting the latest recall on their Web site.
One company remains unnamed, and they are exercising what the FDA official called “their right” to test their own foods for the presence of contaminants. The FDA’s own tests may return tomorrow. In any case, figure on another announcement.
So what happens to all the recalled product and ingredients? The FDA says they will ensure they do not re-enter the food stream and are disposed of in accordance with state and federal law, whether in a landfill or by incineration.
The FDA also announced a “pro-active” program of investigation of wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein, rice bran and rice protein concentrate, in both the human and pet-food systems. The goal is to raise industry awareness of the potential problems with suppliers. These products are widely used in human food production, in breads, pastas, “meat”-substitute products, pizza, baby formula (!) and more. Officials stressed they have no reason to believe the contaminants made it into these products, but said that the program will likely grow in the weeks to come.
They confirmed the contaminated material has gone to hog farms in California, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Utah and possibly Ohio, and to a poultry farm in Missouri. It’s unknown if any of the melamine has made it as far as human consumption.
The number of affected hogs alone could be in the thousands.
We’ll pick up more on the human food chain ramifications of this story as the day progresses.
Update: Here’s Reuters on the same FDA news briefing:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it would look for melamine contamination in imported wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein, rice bran and rice protein, used in manufactured food for humans and livestock.
The FDA said thousands of U.S. hogs might be affected by its investigation of livestock feed contaminated with the chemical melamine, which used in plastics and fertilizer.
Melamine has been found in wheat gluten and rice protein imported from China that was used in some U.S. pet foods and feed.
“We’re going to target firms that we know are receiving imported products,” said David Acheson, chief medical officer of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “The goal is obviously to sample as much as we can.”
[...]
“The initial focus is on imports, not domestically-produced (proteins),” Acheson told reporters. “In terms of countries of origin, we’re really interested in protein concentrates that were manufactured in China.”
The agency said on a call with reporters late on Tuesday that it had no intention of banning imports of wheat gluten, rice protein or similar proteins from China.
“We believe the safety net is in place to make sure that no additional products are going to get into the commerce of the United States,” said David Elder, director of FDA’s enforcement office
Here’s the AP on the same briefing.
From ConsumerAffairs.com on this morning’s Congressional hearing:
The most-noted flaw in the FDA’s authority is its complete inability to order a food recall. By law, the manufacturer or distributor must voluntarily recall the tainted products.
This shortcoming was dramatically illustrated over the weekend, when ConsumerAffairs.Com’s Lisa Wade McCormick reported that the FDA admitted knowing of five companies that received contaminated Chinese rice protein concentrate.
Three firms have identified themselves by announcing recalls; the other two [PetConnection.com note: Now there's just one] are not publicly known because the FDA will not name them until the companies come forth voluntarily.
Currently, recalls are dependant upon the media to disseminate information and for consumers to be conscientious and well-read buyers.
[Rep. Diana} DeGette has proposed legislation that will give the FDA and USDA the power to order recalls and also to increase recalls' effectiveness by forcing stores to remove dangerous products from shelves.
You can send an e-mail to the FDA about all this through a form on Sen. Durbin’s site.
And David Goldstein’s latest is best read after dinner … or before, if you’re trying to lose your appetite.
Update: Spocko has Menu Foods CEO Paul Henderson’s opening remarks at today’s congressional committee hearing up here. He promises more to come… thanks, Spocko!
More as we get it … let us know if we missed anything.
Go to the latest blog post | Go to the PetConnection home page
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Gina, where can we find the FDA briefing? Is it online anywhere you know of? Was a teleconference or TV?
Comment by Laura — April 24, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
It would seem that SmartPak has a list of their buyers, which is why their recall never made it to the public eye…
On Friday, April 20, SmartPak initiated a voluntary recall of a single production run of the LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food.
The particular lot of food recalled included rice protein concentrate that was supplied by Wilbur-Ellis, the same company that supplied rice protein concentrate contaminated with Melamine to Natural Balance. This was the first time that our supplier purchased and used rice protein concentrate from Wilbur-Ellis. No previous lots were affected, nor do we use rice protein concentrate in any other formulas of LiveSmart dog or cat foods.
Thankfully, the product was just produced, and only a very limited amount of product had left our facility prior to the recall (less than 1200 pounds). We have notified every affected pet owner via both phone and email.
We have not had any reports of injury to any dogs. Dogs who have consumed the LiveSmart Weight Management food and show signs of kidney failure (such as loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting) should be seen by a veterinarian.
We have temporarily suspended further distribution of the LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food. We will notify you when we have the product back in stock and will continue to update our website as more information becomes available.
Comment by Carole — April 24, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
A poultry farm in Missouri?
Um… can anyone think of *any* food you feel safe eating today after listening to the congressional hearing this morning?
Comment by Kim — April 24, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
Comment by Kim — April 24, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
Absolutely NOT.
Comment by Steve — April 24, 2007 @ 3:11 pm
Well one manufacturer who bought tainted rice protein from Wilbur Ellis left to be revealed. And who knows how many (human or pet food manufacturers) who bought from the second shipment that Sen. Durbin has asked the FDA to look into…
Comment by slt — April 24, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
“Proactive”? Really? What the heck does that mean? “No reason to believe these products were affected”? Are ya crazy! Of course we believe these products have been affected. Wake up!
Comment by Petra Lemhoefer — April 24, 2007 @ 3:14 pm
Hearing Awards:
Most uncooperative manufacturing firm—ConAgra;
Most full of themselves—Menu;
Most pitifull please don’t pick on me firm—Salad Packer (do you think he took the demo home and washed it for a fourth time???);
Most likely to be voted “no, I am the victim”—ChemNutra (where is Sally Q?).
Silliest question ever—Since Sally is a Chinese citizen won’t she have better recourse in China?????
Comment by Shawn — April 24, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
Stealth recalls?
If it were not for all the death and sickness and stress and the incredible amount of money we paid for poisoned pet food, possibly poisoned pet food and vet bills , this would be a gripping drama.
To watch, not to live.
Grocery shopping is the new russian roulette.
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 24, 2007 @ 3:31 pm
That ticks me off. The recall notice from Smart Pak says they initiated their recall last Friday.
So here we have a Friday surprise recall that is so undercover, because notice only went to direct purchasers, that it was totally off our “Friday after 5” surprise list.
I have bought supplements for my horse, by the jar, not in paks, from this company. So of course, I had them on my short list for cat food. Up until today, I would have been buying unaware of this, since I hadn’t bought any of the contaminated dog food.
Comment by TC — April 24, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
P.S. I am starting to not like or trust anyone. And yeah, I am seeing references to the 6 state hog recall…and not liking that one bit either.
Yes, made for tv drama indeed.
Comment by TC — April 24, 2007 @ 3:38 pm
“One company remains unnamed, and they are exercising what the FDA official called “their right” to test their own foods for the presence of contaminants. The FDA’s own tests may return tomorrow. In any case, figure on another announcement.”
And this is what is known as a ‘reasonable length of time’, as noted in recall guidelines.
Regardless, Blue Buffalo turned their tests around in one day. That only furthers the mystery of why this is taking so long.
Comment by Carole — April 24, 2007 @ 3:48 pm
I wonder where else in the world China sent this toxic junk. Everywhere, probably.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 24, 2007 @ 3:55 pm
Excellent point Carole. Executives are probably selling their stock shares first.
Comment by Kim — April 24, 2007 @ 4:01 pm
Comment by Nadine Long — April 24, 2007 @ 3:55 pm
Chinese logic, then, goes like this: if we protect each other by lying (through giving each other Face when the facts say otherwise), then we can trust each other and maintain our special relationship.
Comment by Steve — April 24, 2007 @ 4:02 pm
EXCELLENT ARTICLE..very informative and to the point:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....46736.html
It is time for the Food and Drug Administration and the media covering it to stop pretending that our nation’s massive pet food recall only concerns our pets, for the more we learn about common food industry practices, the breadth and scope of melamine contamination, and the lack of adequate regulatory safeguards, the more it becomes apparent that our entire food supply isn’t nearly as safe as the average consumer assumes it to be.
Comment by mal — April 24, 2007 @ 4:05 pm
And as I listened to CNN and Lou Dobbs reporting on the hearing and the 16 dead animals, I almost felt sick to my stomach. I sent him an email, but who knows what difference that will make. I want to know who else is knowingly using these ingredients!
Comment by dottie — April 24, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
Consumer Affairs.com has a great article at http://tinyurl.com/2uv643 . They not only talk about the hearing, but about how angry people are, and about a kennel that has been destroyed by contaminated pet food made by Natural Balance. Two of their dogs died, others are ill. The vet confirmed the food as the cause.
Comment by Marilyn — April 24, 2007 @ 4:10 pm
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it would look for melamine contamination in imported wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein, rice bran and rice protein, used in manufactured food for humans and livestock.”
Does this mean they won’t test the corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein in pet foods?
If they didn’t have enough staff/funds to do the pet food before, what impact will this have on getting the pet food issue addressed?
Are they assuming that the contamination is only in the human grade?
Have priorities just moved away from companion pets?
Ann
Comment by Ann — April 24, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
Up next on CNN they are going to do the PET FOOD RECALL, + CBS NEWS did a story
Comment by MARRY ANN — April 24, 2007 @ 4:19 pm
Oh my gosh…and everyone was wondering what was going to happen to the recalled pet food:
http://tinyurl.com/34dz6x
“FDA officials said the hogs were fed salvaged pet food made with tainted rice protein concentrate. The food was given to the animals prior to the products’ recalls, Rogers said. Adulterated food cannot be legally fed to either humans or animals, Sundlof said.”
Comment by Valerie — April 24, 2007 @ 4:20 pm
Comment by Steve — April 24, 2007 @ 4:02 pm
Worlds apart.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 24, 2007 @ 4:21 pm
Here Reuters says:
“Still, the FDA has no intention of banning imports of wheat gluten, rice protein or similar products from China.”
http://tinyurl.com/29a7lr
We wanted to know — now we do. Gotta be careful whatcha wish for….
!!! MY BLOOD IS BOILING !!!
!!! STOP -ALL- IMPORTS FROM CHINA UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE — FOR THE LOVE OF GOD !!!
Comment by Kat — April 24, 2007 @ 4:22 pm
“We’re going to target firms that we know are receiving imported products,” said David Acheson, chief medical officer of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.”
Piece of cake…there must be hundreds of these firms. In FDA speak, that’s less than 20.
Comment by Carole — April 24, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
It seems “they” did know the rice protein was tainted some time ago since it’s been trucked and fed, and even slaughtered. Wonder what THAT timeline really works out to be.
My blog statements of a month ago are coming back to haunt me. I remember saying that I felt like we were lambs being led to the slaughter. My, how appropriate. Who will they feed us to?
Comment by Nadine Long — April 24, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
So the FDA confirmed contaminated material has gone to hog farms in California, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, New York, Utah and possibly Ohio…
My neighbor’s cat is on Hills Prescription Diet C/D. The first three ingredients listed on the label are, Pork by product, water, Pork liver…
Comment by Phyllis — April 24, 2007 @ 4:27 pm
Comment by Carole — April 24, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
Great snark. I’d love to laugh but I’m too sick to my stomach.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 24, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
I was impressed with the CBS coverage - they reported that hogs in 3 states have now tested positive for melamine, and that in 6 states they’re quarantined.
Anyone know which is the 3rd state they tested positive in? (California was first, North Carolina second, and coming in third…???)
Comment by Kim — April 24, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
We have heard that it’s probably minimal risk *if* any humans ate the pigs who were fed the melamine tainted pet food. I suppose this is because melamine is not supposed to be highly toxic. What about the cyanuric acid? Did they test the pigs for that?
Comment by slt — April 24, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
I’m so sad and upset that this country does not care about it’s people and pets. Why do they constantly lie about what the fda is doing to help us?? for over two months, we have been dealing with this terrible situation!! where are all the bigmouths?? the politicians that want our votes?? the big companys looking for our bucks. doesen’t anyone care??
Comment by ann gates — April 24, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
Yo FDA…..
1). Stop importing food/supplements from China & other countries where you have no idea about their *real* food safetly policies
2). Read Itchmo’s Right to Good Pet Food here:
http://tinyurl.com/yrwuyh
3). Use food sources from the U.S. ONLY until you can get this situation (both for humans & pets) under control
4). Revise & for crikey’s sake fix your current standards for quality control
5). Do whatever you have to do (beg Bush, congress, whomever) for enough money to fund said changes and allow you to hire enough man/woman power to make it happen
6). Take this a step at a time - intelligently & thoroughly - but in a timely fashion to ensure the deaths & illnesses are contained asap
7.) Get a solid system in palce for vets to report related deaths/illnesses to
8.) Pray to the PTB, Allah and the Scary-Thing-Under-Your-Bed you can make what is bought and sold in this country safe again.
9.) Restore U.S. citizen’s belief you can make all of the above happen? Prolly not going to happen so focus on above….
In all seriousness - keep it simple:
Cut off imports.
It will simplify the already colossal task ahead of you in getting this under control.
Support using our own home grown goods under stringent quality controls.
And please, PLEASE update your “official” number of only 16 pet recall deaths. Enough is enough. Do you really think the American public is that stupid?
Comment by Ally — April 24, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
I do understand the crys for stopping any imports from China.
But: All-American isn’t so squeaky clean, unfortunately :(
Toxic waste from the heavy industy used as filler in fertilizer (http://www.pirg.org/toxics/rep.....ease.html), gen-manipulated grains (that are not allowed to be imported to Europe), a somatic cell count in pasteurized milk that would outlaw this milk in Canada and Europe … just to name a few things ….
Perhaps this is the time where the American Consumer has to send a strong signal to Government and Industry that ‘cheap, cheap’ is not what we want, we rather want food that does not make us (and our pets) sick in the name of the almighty dollar… We want clear labeling that actually tells *us*, the consumer, what is in there without the euphemisms that industry, marketing and FDA invent to keep us ignorant … and perhaps one soap opera or ‘reality’ show less and some consumer reports instead…
Comment by MaKo — April 24, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
This afternoon, I bought some Chicken Soup cat food.. ingredients looked good, so thought I’d give it a try for my cat.
Just now, I checked their website, realized it was a Diamond Pet Food product and also found this message, in part… “Regarding the American Hog Farm Melamine Contamination Issue..The salvage product provided to American Hog Farm in Ceres, Calif by Diamond Pet Foods was sold prior to Diamond Pet Foods being notified of the contamination in rice protein concentrate..etc”
Along side of this announcement it says that “Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Corn Gluten Meal or Rice Protein Concentrate is not used in ANY of our dry, canned or treat products.”
MY question…. If they don’t use these products, then why did they have it to sell to someone else??? Again, something doesn’t quite add up!
Comment by Pat — April 24, 2007 @ 4:49 pm
Sorry, I meant to include the link for that page on Diamond… http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
Comment by Pat — April 24, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
Comment by Carole — April 24, 2007 @ 3:48 pm
re: “And this is what is known as a ‘reasonable length of time’, as noted in recall guidelines.
Regardless, Blue Buffalo turned their tests around in one day. That only furthers the mystery of why this is taking so long.”
I am going to think that they are very large, use wheat & rice & whatever in lots of foods & have the funds to set up testing in-house and are very scared.
Ann
Comment by Ann — April 24, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
The World Trade Organization has sought to level the playing field for producers in developing countries.
We grow far more than we need for domestic purposes. So we depend on exports to market the rest. It can be 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent of production or much more, depending on the crop and the year. And these export markets for U.S. exports aren’t even that dependable.
So spare us the we don’t have enough to supply our own needs. And have to accept sub standard toxic imports to please the WTO “folks”.
Comment by Steve — April 24, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
Comment by Carole — April 24, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
Pretty soon their statement will be ‘its only 1% of the human food supply’…..
Comment by Sandi K — April 24, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
I don’t know if this has been posted here yet, but this is ont he front page of Yahoo:
U.S. examines if pet food contaminant in human food
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials are now looking at whether humans may have consumed food containing a chemical linked to a recall of pet foods and livestock feed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday.
FDA officials said they would inspect imports of six grain products used in foods ranging from bread to baby formula for traces of melamine, a chemical thought to have killed and sickened cats and dogs.
The California Agriculture Department said separately it was trying to contact 50 people who bought pork that may have come from pigs fed food containing melamine. The state’s health department recommended humans not consume the meat, but said any health risk was minimal.
Melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizer, has already been found in wheat gluten and rice protein imported from China for use in some pet foods, triggering a recall of more than 100 brands.
The FDA named the six grain products to be inspected as wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein, rice bran and rice protein.
“We’re going to target firms that we know are receiving imported products,” said David Acheson, chief medical officer of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in a conference call with reporters. “The goal is obviously to sample as much as we can.”
There is little research on melamine’s effect on humans, according to World Health Organization, but the chemical has been studied in animals for its risk of kidney problems and cancer. The WHO does not classify the chemical as a carcinogen for people.
Some tainted material was used for hog feed before the contamination was found, and officials said on Tuesday thousands of pigs might be affected on farms in North and South Carolina, California, New York, Utah and possibly Ohio.
The FDA is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and several states to investigate the now-quarantined farms and whether hogs on those farms were slaughtered for human food.
“Some of the hog operations were fairly sizable,” said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. But USDA spokesman Steve Cohen said the feed was sold to smaller and independent hog farms.
A poultry farm in Missouri also may have received tainted feed, officials added.
Still, the FDA has no intention of banning imports of wheat gluten, rice protein or similar products from China.
“We believe the safety net is in place to make sure that no additional products are going to get into the commerce of the United States,” said David Elder, director of FDA’s enforcement office.
Melamine was first found in March in wheat gluten used for some pet foods. Menu Foods, Procter & Gamble Co., Colgate-Palmolive Co., Nestle SA and Del Monte Foods Co. have recalled pet products made with the gluten.
More recently, rice protein tainted with melamine was also shipped to at least five pet food manufacturers by a supplier that imported it from China, the FDA has said.
On Monday, two U.S. lawmakers said a second company likely imported rice protein from China that was contaminated with Melamine. FDA officials on Tuesday would not say whether there was a second importer.
(Additional reporting by Charles Abbott)
Comment by Jamie — April 24, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
they’re going to dispose of recalled food in landfills!
thus killing our wildlife too!!
outrageous
Comment by lorinda — April 24, 2007 @ 5:19 pm
The California Agriculture Department said separately it was trying to contact 50 people who bought pork that may have come from pigs fed food containing melamine. The state’s health department recommended humans not consume the meat, but said any health risk was minimal.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200.....testing_dc
Comment by Jamie — April 24, 2007 @ 5:20 pm
Comment by dottie — April 24, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
When did you hear Lou Dobbs mention only 16 pets?
Did he also talk about hundreds or thousands of others? Or was that it. Did he use any other metrics. (eg. calls to the FDA, estimated unofficial dead)
Comment by spocko — April 24, 2007 @ 5:27 pm
Ally, ALLY
Got something for ya Ally, it was your idea and this is what is being posted !
My Pet Counts! Postcard Blitz
We are calling on all pet owners, parents, guardians who have lost a pet due to contaminated pet food
to join us in a post card blitz to demonstrate the full scope of this pet food recall disaster.
The FDA continues to publicize only “16 confirmed deaths.”
This number has often been repeated by the media.
Reliable sources report that the number of pet deaths are and will be much higher
- most likely in the thousands.
If you want your pet’s death to count for something good, please join the My Pet Counts!
Post Card Blitz.
Who: Anyone who has lost a pet due to contaminated pet food.
What: Post cards may have a picture of your pet, or can be blank.
Purchase cards or design your own. Each set of postcards represents one pet.
If you have lost multiple pets, send multiple cards to each address.
Only one set of postcards per dead pet , please.
Postcards ONLY, this is to ensure the mail is delivered with no security delay.
Where: No need to leave home. You can mail your postcards from your own mailbox.
When: All postcards should be mailed on Saturday, April 28th.
This coincides with the national march organized by KOPS (Keep Our Pets Safe).
If all postcards are mailed on the same day, the impact will be all the greater when
received at the other end.
Why: By sticking to the “only 16 confirmed deaths” wording this disaster is being grossly minimized.
The word must get out!
How: Mail a postcard to each of the addresses provided.
The message should be very short, easy to read, no anger, profanity, or rudeness of any kind.
Let them see your grief. Tug at their heartstrings. Use your pet’s name.
Use the words “My Pet Counts!”
Post card Mailing List:
Marcia K. Larkins, D.V.M
FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine
Ombudsman
7519 Standish Place HFV-7
Rockville, MD 20855
Senator Richard Durbin
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Your own senator: addresses at http://tinyurl.com/b1lm
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Anderson Cooper
c/o CNN
One CNN Center
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-2762
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 24, 2007 @ 5:27 pm
I am a first time poster and i have been on this web site daily for weeks. Thanks to all of you for all of the good ..REAL ..information.
I have also searched and read a lot of other info sites some that i wish i hadn’t.
Has anyone seen this?
“The National Animal Control Association estimated that each year about 5 million pets were shipped to rendering plants and recycled into pet food during the 1990s. They are generally listed as meat or bone meal in the ingredient lists.”
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Pet-Food.html
Comment by Keryat — April 24, 2007 @ 5:29 pm
Although I’ve been home cooking for my dog, he still gets treats and some Purina Dog chow. Now, I’m hearing about the Benaful dry food. Too close for comfort… Is Purina lying about their food too? I don’t know how I’ll manage to create my own dry food, but I’m going to try. Any news or updates on Purina out there?
Comment by Falcon — April 24, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
For Spocko~
Lou Dobbs used that figure ~ 16 AAARRRGH!!! ~ on his broadcast tonight when he was talking about the hearing. The focus was on the human food situation . . . not much about the pet food recall.
Comment by dottie — April 24, 2007 @ 6:02 pm
E. Hamilton (and Marilyn) - you so rock!!!
Thanks for providing us a letter to use/re-use/make our own AND for the sources to mail the post cards to. So glad to see you seemed to have survived today’s hit on tornado alley too!
THANK YOU both so much for all your effort.
It is noted and HUGELY appreciated.
Hopefully people reading this will not only join in but help spread the word. They need to see LOTS of postcards for it to work!
NOTE to Gina, et al:
I’m not trying to usurp your blog - just wanted to say my thanks in response to E.Hamilton’s post. Hopefully this wasn’t too much of a fox pass….*tugs at collar & peers around nervously*
Comment by Ally — April 24, 2007 @ 6:03 pm
I’m one of the lucky ones, I have a cat who is recovering from ARF, but wish there was a way to send a postcard in memory of the MF lab animals who died in their feeding trials. Great idea to get some true information out there. TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT HEARING US!
Comment by dottie — April 24, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
Comment by Keryat — April 24, 2007 @ 5:29 pm
I’ve been wondering where all these euthanized animals went.
Thats ugly. Real ugly.
Comment by Steve — April 24, 2007 @ 6:15 pm
We believe the safety net is in place to make sure that no additional products are going to get into the commerce of the United States,” said David Elder, director of FDA’s enforcement office.
And EXACTLY what safety net is that? I think FDA’s idea of a safety net is better labeled a finger in the dike…..
Comment by Sandi K — April 24, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
To Falcon,above:Purina Lies!First Mighty Dog.Then Alpo prime cuts.Go to Purina.com,fda.gov,menufoods.com,and of course go to Nestle.com for the 2006 management report.Nestle owns Purina,Gerber Baby Foods,Poland Springs water,Pure Life Water,Power Bar Energy bars,etc,..Forbes Mag. lists Nestle as the # 1 Food Production Company in the Global World,..A Swiss Owned Company,….
Comment by joe Romano — April 24, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
Now, I’m hearing about the Benaful dry food.
Comment by Falcon — April 24, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
Hi, what have you heard as that is what i have been feeding my dogs. Tx
Comment by Keryat — April 24, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
I have been reading the blog and the posts here for a week now and have come to some rather upsetting conclusions.
1: The FDA will not announce or indicate or point a finger at or leak information about anyone until they and the company involved have tested products for toxicity. Apparently this can take a week or more???????
2: The FDA does not have the ability to enforce the law, does not have the manpower to enforce the law, does not have the funding to enforce the law, does not have the laws available to enforce the law.
3: The FDA keeps saying that melamine isn’t toxic. They still aren’t sure why all these animals died. They have found numerous chemicals in the food additives but continue to state that they aren’t toxic. After months of testing they still don’t know what is happening, why these chemicals in these proportions are toxic and how the toxicity occurs.
4: The FDA doesn’t have sufficient evidence to indict the Chinese but is opening a criminal case (fraud) to look into it. Sort of like saying that we know you got caught putting poison in our food supply but we don’t want to offend you so we will just ding you for boosting protein levels. We apparently don’t have the capacity to produce enough food additives on our own because American business can’t compete with foreign business. Well of course we can’t, where is their EPA, FDA, OSHA, etc. they don’t have any do they?
5: The FDA REFUSES to stop all imports from China, until we are all dead or dying? This is absolutely ridiculous, they know that the imports from China since July 2006 have been tainted and yet they refuse to stop imports. They no know that at LEAST 6 Hog farms and 1 poultry farm have been sent tainted feed and yet they refuse to stop imports, that hundreds of brands of dog food are tainted and they still refuse to stop all imports. What will it take for them to stop all Chinese imports?? How many of us animals/humans will have to die??
They are going to monitor them (Chinese imports) more closely, however if they had the resources to do it in the first place then this wouldn’t have happened. Where are these resources magically going to appear?? Are FDA inspectors going to pop up out of the ground? Are labs going to magically appear at the shipping docks to perform lab tests? Is funding going to just appear?
6: The FDA doesn’t want to panic the population by telling us the truth, that the food supply is NOT SAFE. The FDA fears that the panic that would ensue by telling us the truth is worse than the loss of life, human or animal, from the tainted food additives or maybe the resulting loss of sales would be bad for business? Wouldn’t want to upset big business now would we??
7: The FDA has screwed up really badly and the finger pointing will begin soon, wait a minute it started already, we don’t have enough resources to do the job, we need more money, we need more inspectors, we need more of everything, it’s not our fault, we did our job, someone else should have done it, etc…..
8: When all is said and done the FDA is, was and always will be responsible for everything that has happened.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL
9: THE FDA IS A GOVERNMENT AGENCY AND CAN NOT BE SUED, EVER. They like all government agencies are appointed not elected and are above the law.
And Finally
10: We are all pretty much on our own.
Comment by Sam — April 24, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
Feed Grade Biuret?
Compounds found in poisoned pets: Melamine/Urea, cyanuric acid, amilorine and amiloride:
I was looking for products that might contain two or more of these compounds and found this:.
Feed Grade Biuret is a non-protein nitrogen “protein booster” for use in cattle feed.
Feed Grade Biuret is produced by the partial hydrolysis of urea and consists of a mixture of:
Biuret
Urea
Cyanuric acid
Triuret
and other homologs.
Like Wheat Gluten and Rice Protein Concentrate, Feed Grade Biuret is a white powder.
Feed Grade Biuret is implicated in this April, 2005 http://www.hetai-industry.com/news.html Chinese Gluten Importer website as being sold as a “Pseudo Rice Protein”.
Archer Daniels Midland gets FDA approval for Biuret used in milk cows:
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/Jul_Aug03.htm#2097
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) info on Feed Grade Biuret
http://www.admani.com/canada/Beef/Biuret.htm
Rumen/feed research re: Amiloride:
Sodium and chloride transport across the rumen epithelium of cattle in vitro: effect of short-chain fatty acids and amiloride.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/en.....t=Abstract
Net sodium and net chloride absorption was significantly decreased by 1.0 mM-amiloride
http://ep.physoc.org/cgi/conte.....103?ck=nck
Amiloride has been reported to promote magnesium conservation.
http://ajprenal.physiology.org.....249?ck=nck
in vitro: effect of feeding level and strategy for the cows, and of mucosal Amiloride added in the Ussing. chamber. Amiloride. I. SC. R. Feeding strategy …
taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/index/5Y3XUY9BABMHAVGQ.pdf
Comment by Joy — April 24, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
Dottie: I think that’s a lovely idea, to remember the animals in the feeding trial. Why not include them? After all, they gave their lives so others could live. Or, maybe I should say, their lives were given for them…
Comment by Marilyn — April 24, 2007 @ 7:12 pm
How we can help…..I got permission to crosspost this from a member of a forum I belong to. Grin….it’s a great idea!
She raises Malamutes and shows them and also
does Malamute Rescues.
She also gives everyone else permission to pass this along. Time to get our point across!
PERMISSION TO CROSS POST
I was grocery shopping today and looked carefully at the country of origin on each product. Each can I found which came from China, I put in the cart…..separated from what I was buying.
When I got to the check out, I asked to speak to the store manager and when she came up I unloaded the Imports and told her these were items I was going to buy but WILL NOT because they are from China and since they will not let FDA inspectors in the country to check on even food for animals…….Can the manager guarantee that these foods are NOT contaminated like the pet food which is killing animals? She sort of stuttered and hemmed and hawed.
At that point I told her they can put these items on the shelf or do what ever with them but I am not purchasing ANY Foods from China.
I saw several people in line start looking at the food in their baskets.
This may be the only way an individual can do anything to ensure the safety (well, as sure as you can get with the agribusiness in the US esentially running the FDA) but the store managers must see what is NOT being purchased.
If you do this, take it to the check out counter and show them what you are not buying. Just walking by it and leaving it on the shelf does not make it real to the store, nor does it let them know why a particular item is NOT selling.
Time for all of us who grew up in the 60’s to remember how to do a peaceful protest. Change can happen from the grass roots up but it takes consistency.
DM
Comment by Lil Bear's Momma — April 24, 2007 @ 7:15 pm
Postscript to Sam’s posting at 6:52 pm.
Announced this last February. They call it “restructuring.”
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to close 7 of 13 field labs that test food and drugs for compliance with FDA safety standards. FDA employees were notified yesterday (February 27) of the closures, which are part of an effort to restructure the agency’s Office of Regulatory Affairs.”
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/52917/
Comment by Maureen — April 24, 2007 @ 7:15 pm
Comment by Lil Bear’s Momma — April 24, 2007 @ 7:15 pm
Thanks for sharing that! I LOVE IT! I have been coming up with various ways to boycott China imports. That is EXCELLENT!
Another thing I am planning on doing is either calling or emailing the companies of the products I buy & asking them what the country of origin is on every item. If they cannot tell me — don’t buy. I will let them know that THEY are being boycotted & I will spread the word. No more of this “proprietary” information for me.
I’ve been known to call directly from the stores to ask about products, usually hardware or computer related issues prior to purchasing. Now, I’m going to move that over to grocery products.
Rice is another scary food. I’ve been buying long grain brown rice, made in the USA ONLY, for my homemade pet food. And, organic from the from the health food strore, when I can.
Let China go to the poor house!
Comment by Kat — April 24, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
It’s going to take too long for the Senate or House to do anything at all. WAY too much red tape!
If something is to get done immediately — it calls for an EXECUTIVE ORDER!
I say: “Let’s send our message to the Prez!”
President George Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Dick Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov
Action needs to be NOW!
Comment by Kat — April 24, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
RE: Comment by Sam — April 24, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
Sounds like you’ve been gunny-sacking! Well said!! Good points! Thanks!
RE: Comment by Joy — April 24, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
Good research! Quite interesting!
Comment by Maureen — April 24, 2007 @ 7:15 pm
That is pathetic news & quite disturbing! Bet they are happy it doesn’t take place until Oct 2007. Safe on jet fuel!
Comment by Kat — April 24, 2007 @ 8:13 pm
Comment by Lil Bear’s Momma — April 24, 2007 @ 7:15 pm
You rock. :)
That’s how the world changes - not at the global level, but the local, where one person’s actions matter to those around them.
We all like to wring our hands about how globalism has made us little folks dispensable. But never forget that in between us and the global conglomerates are a whole lot of folks who have to pay the rent, too.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all this, but that’s the easy way out. If little people don’t fight for change, the “big people” will never yield to it.
So to all you folks reading this tonight who feel like there’s nothing you can do, it ain’t so. The Almighty Dollar works both ways - but only if you explain to someone who has a stake in this (like a store manager, etc) exactly WHY you’re changing your behavior. Once it hits the bottom line, I promise someone will pay attention.
Comment by Laura — April 24, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
DM
Your going after the wrong people. Store managers do NOT have control over what the store sells. The merchandise is sent to them and they have to stock the shelves or get fired. All your doing is harassing the peons.
You need to get the attention of those overpaid CEO’s we keep hearing about. Stores like Kroger, Walmart, Meiers, Petsmart, etc. all have corporate offices who make those decisions. The CEO’s, CFO’s, buyers, etc. do not care if store managers complain. I quit working retail because of this.
HOW ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE TO WRITE THE CORPORATE OFFICES TELLING THEM THAT WE REFUSE TO BUY THESE FOODS FROM CHINA?
Comment by Jeanette/Ohio — April 24, 2007 @ 9:22 pm
Do you think it’s time we ask for proof of where all the recalled food went?
A little label switching, maybe? I know they said this happened before the recall, but remember how long they waited to actually go public. I smell a criminal act here.
A few of us mentioned on Fiday about the pork sales and I added not only pork, but chicken was half off, too. I bought both.
On Saturday, I was going to jokingly add a comment if you don’t hear from me in 24 hrs call 911. Yikes!!
Comment by Kathi — April 24, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
I agree Jeanette/Ohio.
I spent a lot of time last night writing letters to my senator and representative to stop buying food with China. I also mentioned to let our own farmers provide food for us instead of Mexico and China.
I’m willing to wait for food to be in season. Our American ancestors survived just fine with our own home grown food.
Maybe we can get the Prez to listen up by getting the word out to mass mail him that we don’t want China food or drugs.
We could also use this approach with the companies too like in the Imus case. Plan for each mass mailing like our postcards.
Comment by Kathi — April 24, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
Just found this on China Daily. They want to go “green” & promote organic. hahahahahahhaha!
I might just laugh myself silly!!
They’ve got a LONG way to go before they qualify for that.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/c.....859753.htm
Comment by Kat — April 24, 2007 @ 10:47 pm
So my question is this: If the pigs and chickens born and raised in the USA have eaten contaminated imported food from China, does the finished chicken or pork product say “This animal was fed gains imported from China”…NO! I’m sure it says nothing at all about China. So, we are led to believe this food is OK to consume. HMMM…how many more foods are there out there like this? So, all of that meat we buy that says “grain fed only” is possibly contaminated! I don’t feel comfortable eating poultry or pork right now.
Also, all that pet food, whether it be canned, raw, kibble, etc. can also have contaminated meat in it…how do we know which animals eat what food?…most of them probably do eat imported grains. Why? Its cheaper! So, this is now just a vicious cycle! Rule out one bad ingredient, but then there is another to cause concern.
I am feeding my pets Natures Variety Organic Raw food at the moment. Does organic mean anything right now? Or, do we get imported organic wheat/rice/corn/etc. imported from China too? And are these “Organic Chickens” eating the “Organic Grains” from China that has possibly been contaminated by the soil? GRRRR….what a headache!
What can we buy is the question?!
Comment by Jeanna — April 24, 2007 @ 10:50 pm
I just found an update dated the 23rd on the Purina site. As well as saying they do not use any rice protein in any of their foods they also say that “Corn gluten meal used in Purina brand products comes from North American corn, with the vast majority being U.S. grown.” I really hope this is correct information since until recently I’ve been feeding my cats Purina One Urinary Health with the first ingrediend listed as Corn gluten meal.
Comment by Maureen (Lilly and Lucy's mom) — April 24, 2007 @ 10:54 pm
Kathi,
Good idea. We need to keep reminding our government representatives that we elected them.
I will be writing letters too. Someone mentioned sending emails, I will be doing that to.
Don’t forget the media.
Good night
Comment by Jeanette/Ohio — April 24, 2007 @ 11:11 pm
As regards the silent media:)
Remember all those warm cuddly commercials for pet food???
Those company commercials pay the bills.
I’ve mentioned (as have others) we need to remind the companies that WE PAY THEIR BILLS.
The food chain works like the money chain.
Comment by Kathi — April 24, 2007 @ 11:49 pm
Comment by Lil Bear’s Momma — April 24, 2007 @ 7:15 pm
Lil Bear’s Momma - You are awesome!
There’s a lot of passive protest going on [by leaving the food on the shelves] but to be proactive and to run it up to the manager and tell her why you’re not buying it - and even better, letting other customers hear you - Lady, that’s simply the most effective action.
Comment by Lynn — April 25, 2007 @ 12:20 am
Reminder - we’ve got to get a date for Durbin’s next hearing so that we can let CSpan know we want tv coverage.
Comment by Lynn — April 25, 2007 @ 12:21 am
Has anyone googled on rice protein distributors and contacted them for comment? Here is an example of what you find.
Premium Ingredients Int’l partners with Axiom Foods, Inc. as a distributor for their Rice Protein Concentrates.
Carol Stream, IL (June 27, 2006)—Axiom is an international leader in manufacturing whole grain brown rice based ingredients for use in the food, feed, beverage, nutraceutical and specialty foods industries
We all have computers and the internet so we should be able to figure this out ourselves. Our government sure is not protecting us, so we have to find a way to do it ourselves.
Comment by Sharon — April 25, 2007 @ 4:33 am
Comment by Lil Bear’s Momma: “Time for all of us who grew up in the 60’s to remember how to do a peaceful protest. Change can happen from the grass roots up but it takes consistency.”
I remember the 60’s as a more optimistic time - a time when we truly believed that we could change the world if we really tried. Over the years that optimism has faded in this country and, oh, how I have missed that feeling. Maybe now is the time to get it back! We can do it!
Comment by Susan Mckee — April 25, 2007 @ 4:39 am
Has anyone googled on rice protein distributors in the US? If the government and media remain incompetent we must take it upon ourselves to figure out what is going on.
Comment by Sharon — April 25, 2007 @ 5:07 am
spoke to wellness about where their rice protien comes from they said they do not know
Comment by linda k — April 25, 2007 @ 6:15 am
Thanks Linda K!
Just another one to add to the list to BOYCOTT! And, another one to expect a recall.
I’m assuming that was “customer no-service” that you spoke to…
Comment by Kat — April 25, 2007 @ 7:32 am
Just read this on CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH.....eref=yahoo
Comment by Tammy — April 25, 2007 @ 8:17 am
Just read this on CNN:
FDA to test imported food ingredients for contamination:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH.....eref=yahoo
Comment by Tammy — April 25, 2007 @ 8:21 am
I’m not seeing my posts.
Comment by Tammy — April 25, 2007 @ 8:21 am
re: Comment by Tammy — April 25, 2007 @ 8:21 am
“The FDA wants to take a proactive stance right now and ask, ‘Could this be in other concentrates that may be getting into other pet food or human food?’ ” asked Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer for the FDA’s Center of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
“Right now, there’s no indication that that is happening, but we know there are other types of protein concentrates that come into the United States, and we think in the interest of public health, that we should get out there and look for it,” Acheson said Wednesday.
GOOD IDEA! IT’S ABOUT TIME!
Comment by Kat — April 25, 2007 @ 8:29 am
I have been avoiding Wellness and all companies that do business with Menu…guess I’m glad now.
The only problem with the taking products to the manager of the grocery store, and announcing that you’re not buying them, is that the poor minimum wage employees (usually our kids) are the ones who have to reshelf them, which is what will happen.
What if we start emailing executives of food store chains, letting them know that we are taking our business to organic food stores, or places that supply US grown products.
We grow a lot of rice her in CA
Comment by Joyce — April 25, 2007 @ 8:41 am
kat i just spoke to custumor service at wellness again they told me that the wellness company is not letting them tellthe custumors the source of their rice protien then he hesitated and said all i can tell you is that it comesfrom somewhere in asia
Comment by linda k — April 25, 2007 @ 8:56 am
kat i spoke to custumor service at wellness again they told me their company is not letting them tell the custumors the source of their rice protien then he hesitated and said all i can tell you is that it is from somewhere in asia
Comment by linda k — April 25, 2007 @ 9:02 am
Days ago, someone posted contact information for UC Davis, stating that they would test independent samples if you felt you had food that was tainted. Does anyone remember this post, know where I can find it, or know the contact info? I have someone looking for a place to have some food tested.
Thanks.
Comment by Tammy K. — April 25, 2007 @ 9:11 am
I took my cat to the vet today and when I told her that I was trying to switch her to raw she said she is not a fan and then guess what brand of food she tried to push on me….I know you can guess.
Keep in mind that this is overseas on a military base. She told me that it is made in this country and does not come from the U.S. I asked her, “Well where do they get their glutens from?” She said she didn’t know. But she did recommend that I go to the pet store and ask the people there to help us because they do have organic foods that have no fillers, preservatives and they use actual meat and not the other crap U.S. companies put in pet food. We are going to the pet store Friday in hopes we can find something locally. Our cat has now refused to eat ANYTHING raw we give her. The only thing she will eat is Friskies and the vet said that is the worst canned food on the market…..lowest quality.
Comment by Tammy — April 25, 2007 @ 9:12 am
Here’s an article from today in the Washington Post if you haven’t seen it already.
And it too mentions the possibility that the chemicals might have been added in the U.S. since China denies all wrongdoing.
http://tinyurl.com/2z8yrk
Comment by Linda — April 25, 2007 @ 9:13 am
kat i just spoke to custumor service again they said their company is not letting them tell the custumors the source of their rice protien he hesitated and said the only thing i can tell is that it comes from somewhere in asia
Comment by linda k — April 25, 2007 @ 9:25 am
kat i spoke to custumor service at wellness again they said their company is not letting them tell their custumors the source of their rice protien he hesitated and said the only thing i can tell is it comes from somewhere in asia
Comment by linda k — April 25, 2007 @ 9:38 am
my info is not coming up on the screen i spoke to custumor service at wellness they said their company is not letting them tell their custumors the source of their rice protien he hesitated and said the only thing i can tell you is it comes from somewhere in asia
Comment by linda k — April 25, 2007 @ 9:56 am
Sorry if this is a repeat. I see my initials but can’t find my comment anywhere. Because the FDA is now taking a proactive investigation on protein ingredients, I am trying to again contact Merial on the Heartgard chewables. When I called on Monday found out one ingredient was *soy protein.
I’m trying to call directly to the company. 1-678-417-7507 but keep getting a busy signal. The 800 numbers are only call centers. No help there.
Jerry Belle exec chairman, Dr. Zack Mills, exec dir vet services. If anyone can get through and get an answer, please post here on “then there was one…hogs & chickens too”. I will keep trying also. Thanks
Comment by VJ — April 25, 2007 @ 10:07 am
Sorry, sorry, sorry. Have been away from the Blog and trying to catch up. Crazy morning. Finally got through to Merial and have left a message for a Vanessa Turner, Dr. Zack’s asst. He’s currently out of office returning 4-26. I’m waiting for a return call.
Comment by VJ — April 25, 2007 @ 10:19 am
Comment by Tammy K. — April 25, 2007 @ 9:11 am
“Someone posted contact information for UC Davis, stating that they would test independent samples if you felt you had food that was tainted. Does anyone…..know the contact info?”
Tammy - try this link:
http://cahfs.ucdavis.edu/pet_food.htm
It lists the following information:
Pet Food Recall Information
The Toxicology Laboratory of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory has assisted the FDA with the analysis of pet food samples related to the recall. We are concerned about the situation and recommend the following:
1. If you are a pet owner whose pet shows any signs of illness, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
2. If you are a veterinarian and feel that a pet fits the case definition, contact the CAHFS Toxicology Laboratory at (530) 752-6322 for further information.
3. Save all suspect food samples (opened and unopened). Testing of food samples is offered and priority of testing depends on the specific case. CAHFS laboratory will make arrangements with the veterinarian for submission of food samples
1. Opened food samples should be frozen, and a minimum of 10 oz should be saved
2. Unopened food samples (cans, pouches, or bags) can be stored as indicated on the packaging (usually at room temperature)
4. In the unfortunate event that your pet has died, contact your veterinarian to arrange for a complete post-mortem examination. The CAHFS laboratory may assist with the arrangement for post-mortem examinations. You may call (530) 752-8700 for more information.
5. Sample collection for possible toxicology analyses include the following:
1. Live animal: urine (5ml ideal), serum and blood (2 to 3 ml if possible)
2. Post-mortem: urine (5ml ideal), kidney, liver, and stomach contents (as much as possible for tissue and stomach contents samples)
All samples should be saved frozen. Currently, we are accepting food, urine, and kidney samples for melamine analyses. Priority will be given to cases in which renal failure is present but no food is available for testing. Currently, there is no information available regarding melamine kinetics. Thus, we do not know how long after food ingestion melamine can still be detected in urine.
Cost of Testing
In-state cost per test is $100.00
Out-of-state cost per test is $200.00
6. Shipping and Submission:
Please see our shipping brochure here: http://tinyurl.com/2mj52q
All samples should be sent to the Davis Laboratory
7. Additional information related to this recall can be found at:
http://www.acvim.org/
http://www.avma.org/
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/h.....tfood.html
I hope this helps.
Comment by Ally — April 25, 2007 @ 10:25 am
RE: Comment by linda k — April 25, 2007 @ 9:02 am
Well Linda K, that settles it for me!
BOYCOTT WELLNESS.
I never bought their stuff anyway, so that’s easy for me to say.
Glad he came “clean” even if it was in a way a “leak”.
And, next recall??? Surely they’ll be testing it??? Right??? Isn’t that in the BEST INTEREST — THEIRS & OURS, ET AL???
Comment by Kat — April 25, 2007 @ 11:13 am
My doggie just asked me again “what’s up with the kibble?” You know I like to “graze” throughout the day!
He also told me that he’s beamed the Big Dog House in the sky. They’ve beamed him back & said that if this planet cannot provide decent, healthy, respectable nutrition for their canine population, and friends, then they’ll have to send a Rescue Dog down here to arrange for deporting our animals to another galaxy that has better methods & more respect for the entire animal kingdom, as a whole.
I kept hearing the morse code machine in the other room. I went & checked it myself & BIG DOG IS WATCHING!
Earth will be a very lonely planet if this happens!
Comment by Kat — April 25, 2007 @ 11:23 am
Kat comment 11:23am
Kat don’t say that. Makes me think of movie Planet of the Apes where all the dogs died and there was just a statue as a memorial for them. How sad for us if such a thing happened. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it as I type this.
Comment by VJ — April 25, 2007 @ 11:47 am
Kat comment posted 11:23am
Kat don’t say that. How sad if that were really to happen. Makes me think of movie, Planet of the Apes where all the dogs had died and there was just a statue as a memorial for them. Makes me cry as I type this.
Also what happened to this post. I saw my initials at the right hand corner that it was accepted but don’t see the actual comment??
Comment by VJ — April 25, 2007 @ 11:51 am
I don’t know if this has already been mentioned or not. If it has I apologize.
Diamond Foods had a recall last year. The FDA reported 76 dogs had died. Now how is it that they are reporting only 16 pet deaths with the latest recalls. I don’t even remember hearing about that recall. I cannot believe that a recall of this magnitude would result in a significant number of less deaths than the recall last year.
Here’s the story:
http://www.petville.com/pet_co......html#more
Comment by Tammy — April 25, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
Oh and it was grains that was effected. They say it was a fungus but it sure seems strange that another recall only a year later involves grains. I wonder if they were telling the truth about the fungus. I for one am suspicious now.
Comment by Tammy — April 25, 2007 @ 12:04 pm
Ohmigod Tammy, I can’t believe we hadn’t made that ‘of-COURSE-it-was-more-than-76’ connection until now.
I feel sick. Again.
Comment by Kim — April 25, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
Has anyone considered passing around a petition to friends and other animal lovers?
On past problems, I discoved single complaints were often ignored.
I found that petitions got more interest (especially if leaked to the media). The more signatures the better.
I may draft one myself and send the signatures to our ELECTED officials.
Comment by Jeanette/Ohio — April 25, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
Here’s the story about the quarantined Ohio piggies:
http://www.nbc24.com/Global/story.asp?S=6426188
Ohio Quarantines Hogs Possibly Fed Tainted Pet Food
(AP) —- Ohio agriculture officials have quarantined a farm where hogs may have been fed pet food contaminated with an industrial chemical.
It was not clear yet whether the hogs ate the tainted feed, state agriculture director Robert Boggs said Wednesday.
“At this point it is unknown whether the Ohio farm actually received the contaminated feed,” he said. “However, the farm did receive feed shipped within the timeframe of concern.”
Investigators were collecting urine samples from the hogs to determine whether they had ingested the chemical melamine, Boggs said.
State officials did not release the location of the farm or its size.
Agriculture Department spokeswoman LeeAnne Mizer said they do not know whether any hogs from the Ohio farm had been processed into the food supply.
more —
Comment by Kat — April 25, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
Here’s the story about the quarantined Ohio piggies:
http://www.nbc24.com/Global/story.asp?S=6426188
Ohio Quarantines Hogs Possibly Fed Tainted Pet Food
(AP) —- Ohio agriculture officials have quarantined a farm where hogs may have been fed pet food contaminated with an industrial chemical.
It was not clear yet whether the hogs ate the tainted feed, state agriculture director Robert Boggs said Wednesday.
“At this point it is unknown whether the Ohio farm actually received the contaminated feed,” he said. “However, the farm did receive feed shipped within the timeframe of concern.”
Investigators were collecting urine samples from the hogs to determine whether they had ingested the chemical melamine, Boggs said.
State officials did not release the location of the farm or its size.
Agriculture Department spokeswoman LeeAnne Mizer said they do not know whether any hogs from the Ohio farm had been processed into the food supply.
more —
Comment by Kat — April 25, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
wellness foods and wellness bars are being tested this week
Comment by linda k — April 26, 2007 @ 6:47 am
wellness foods and wellness bars are being tested this week
Comment by linda k — April 26, 2007 @ 6:47 am
PLEASE BE SPECIFIC when you drop a bombshell like this. Which Wellness foods are being tested (only those with rice protein?)? Who is testing them? FDA? An outside lab? Who is the source for this information? Contact ph. #?
Comment by Maureen — April 26, 2007 @ 6:54 am
That is because the wellness treats and I believe it was posted on this blog earlier contain the Rice Protein Concentrate - Yogurt and Apples and the other one I can’t remember -the “simple solutions” for allergies. They also list the ingredients on their packages and web site.
I spoke with a woman at Wellness about this but don’t have my notes in front of me now. So it makes sense that they would test these two products - the treats and bars.
Comment by Sara J. — April 26, 2007 @ 6:59 am
i got my info from one employee at custumor service that was willing to give me some info my dog has been eating the wellness bars for some time and i am very upset i have been s0 careful trying to find the healthiest foods to stick with it is their wellness bars and allergy can foods she would not tell me who is testing them
Comment by linda k — April 26, 2007 @ 8:32 am
i just got back from our local pet store store owner said chicken soup for the cat lovers soul and dog lovers soul kitten and puppy food got recalled this morning they have it off the shelves we are in pennsylvania
Comment by linda k — April 26, 2007 @ 12:59 pm
I called the Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul customer support line and spoke to a rep. She said that the canned kitten and puppy formulas were pulled. There is NOTHING on their web site about this!
Comment by Nadine in Irvine — April 26, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
RE: Comment by Tammy — April 25, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
If they are saying 76 — then, you KNOW (using this catastrophe as an example) that THAT COUNT is waaaaaaaaaaaaay off…. 300+%
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 8:57 am