Comments on: Pet-food recall: Saturday news and open thread

By: Mill

Mill — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:49:42 +0000

I’ve been reading all your information here with a mixture of awe at your proactivity and knowledge - and absolute horror at what you’ve uncovered. I knew about the pet food recalls, but was lulled by the comfort of knowing my cat’s food was not on the list.

I found your site today by accident, attempting to check out whether or not a new food, Royal Canin Siamese Formula, is safe for my cat, Minkey. I recently tried it on him, and it certainly spectacularly solved a 13-year vomiting problem that did not resolve during an endless round of all sorts of foods and diets in succession - “natural”, raw, home-cooked OR commercial - and much veterinary input and proactivity from me.

Now I am wondering if Royal Canin Siamese Formula - if any commercial cat food - is safe on other levels. I can see I have a good bit of work to do before I can relax about it (or switch yet again.)

Speaking of companies changing formulas and quietly taking over previously dependable brands… Minkey’s problem started in 1999, when as a 4-year-old, he suddenly started throwing up his Iams premium cat food - and rapidly and visibly stopped thriving on it. We suspected a formula change, and switched - but it was an eye-opener to read here that Iams was taken over in 1999 by Proctor & Gamble.

It seems it’s not enough to really love your pet any more and buy him “premium” vet-recommended foods - you have to be a diligent scientist and nutritionist too. Yet another complication of 21st century life.

Thank you for all the mind-numbing information, and for letting me have my say. I’ll be checking your forum constantly from now on.

By: crenshawheavyiron

crenshawheavyiron — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:18:23 +0000

I can’t come to grips wtih it! With the global market tanking, I’ve lost a lot of bread in my stock funds (I’m certain I’m not the sole person one here)!

My predicament is - I may be required to reduce the amount of supplements I’m consuming to ease the pain of this loss.

Anyone else experiencing this kind of “budget consciousness?”

By: elliott

elliott — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:55:59 +0000

Cats can literally starve themselves to death. Late last Feb we adopted a 6 yr old who had been in rescue for 1 month. He came to rescue weighing 17#. A month later when we got him he weighed 15#. We fed a combo of dry Nature’s Variety and HILL SCIENCE DIET M/D. He was a picky eater. Think the elderly lady who owned may have fed his chicken or junk food. Took him back to the vet on 3/28 for shots and noticed he was now 13#. He dropped weight too fast too soon. On 3/29 he died at the vet clinic. A necropsy showed he died from fatty liver disease. His liver was absorbing the fat in his body as a result of his not eatting. Vet did not visually see any problems with his kidneys. My thoughts are that the little he did eat may have been the Science Diet. The recall for the M/D came out too late for him. Please do not let kitties starve themselves. It takes patience and creativity. Currently working on getting our 6 to transition to raw. No answers yet on any tricks.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:22:09 +0000

Regarding the numbers… The fact that the FDA and the media have kept repeating those low numbers when we know there are so many more is part of what drove me to help organize the postcard blitz to change the reporting.

There WILL be more confirmed deaths and illnesses. That is already happening within the scientific community. The scientific community does have to work with facts — that is their job. As a vet tech, the scientist in me understands that and supports that. (When I’m working in the vet clinic, that is my job too.) And on behalf of all of us and our pets, it is important that they do that. The information they gather, the protocols and treatments that they develop from all of this may help all of our pets in unforeseen ways in times to come. From the AVMA page for veterinarians, they have criteria for confirming a case from contaminated food… “Cases should meet two of the following four criteria: (1) known exposure to one of the recalled pet foods, (2) histologic lesions consistent with crystal-induced tubular nephrosis (pictures are posted on the AAVLD Web site), (3) urinalysis with crystals (also posted on the site), and (4) chemical confirmation of the presence of melamine or other marker chemicals in pet food, tissues, or urine.”

HOWEVER, for reporting purposes, the FDA and the media can also look at other information like the number of phone calls they are getting, the self-reported cases here at Pet Connection, the surveys being done by state vet associations and VIN, and on and on. There is no reason why they can’t report that the number of presently confirmed deaths appears to be only the tip of the iceberg, that there could be many more, and so on. Even the scientific community uses the term “suspicious” for cases that are as yet unconfirmed. Unfortunately, too many of the media are focusing too much on those low numbers and not reporting the whole story. I’d also like them to talk more about how many people will not be able to prove anything because the delays in issuing recalls resulted in the proof being destroyed before anyone knew what to keep or even what to test for.

On the bright side, there are those who are and who have been doing a great job, like Lisa McCormick at Consumer Affairs. There are others, too.

The word is getting out, but we have to keep the pressure on or the story will die.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 13:43:31 +0000

This got burried overnight, so I’m posting it once more here and invite you to come on over to the thread at itchmo to post your medical costs…

Hey everybody! E. Hamilton had a great idea to organize a lot of the information that is coming in here by breaking it down into smaller specific topics. We’ll use itchmo’s forum since it is easier to organize a thread over there. She’s asking for volunteers to take various subjects.

SO… I just started a new topic on the forum. Medical Costs for Treating Affected Pets. Please start posting. Be as specific as you can. If possible, itemize. If you must estimate, please indicate that it is an estimate. This information will be used to demonstrate the economic impact on all of us. Let’s get this rolling!

By: Georgeann Heckman

Georgeann Heckman — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 13:25:33 +0000

I don’t have the Dog but I have the Food that killed him. FDA Proves to me that they hide behind right along with these Pet Food Manufacturers and do nothing. I think now, they are just as guilty as the Pet Food Companies. I don’t trust the Pet Food Companies because they lie and further more I don’t care if they put GOLD in there dog food. I WON’T BUY IT AND I WON’T TRUST THEM ANYMORE.

By: dottie

dottie — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 13:06:37 +0000

IMPORTANT!!!
Earlier someone said to just put food down and wait for the animals to eat, that they won’t starve themselves. That might work for dogs but cats will ~ and can develop fatty liver disease which can be deadly. When CJ had ARF she stopped eating and had to have a feeding tube inserted in her neck. The vets were very concerned about her developing fatty liver disease in addition to everything else. A cat cannot go very long without food. If you need more information about this, please check it out. Anorexic cats can die very quickly.

By: Nancy Nielsen

Nancy Nielsen — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 11:53:57 +0000

My dogs always preferred to have their bones in their crates. They liked the privacy and security. If your dogs aren’t crate trained I would think an x-pen or playpen would work, you can always put an old rug down (bathmat) to protect the carpeting. (Just using that past tense makes me blue.)

By: Kat

Kat — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 08:30:50 +0000

Joyce: Thanks for sharing the Canadian FDA outlook.
nite!

By: Kat

Kat — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 08:26:35 +0000

About the numbers - I’ve said that all along: they won’t release the numbers until they’ve checked, double checked, then tripled plus, made sure all the i’s are dotted, the t’s are crossed… then, it’ll go to editing. In 2009 we MIGHT get the conclusion that although there were substances likely to cause injury or death, it cannot be substantiated.

ChemNutro & Wilbur, et al will all get a slap on the hand — for their misdemeanor’s & they’ll keep on chunking out crap.