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Pet-food recall: Friday afternoon broken thread open thread
By Gina Spadafori
May 4, 2007
- If you have a sick pet or a question on your pet’s health, call your veterinarian.
- If you’re new to the site, please check out our general information page (includes information on recalled foods).
- If you want to report a sick or deceased pet, click here.
Y’all broke our blog … again. Something in the comments of the Wall Street Journal post is causing IE6 to crash.
While the Black Dog sniffs it out, we’re opening a new thread. We’ll add Friday-afternoon information here as the just-before-the-weekend press releases fall.
Seven weeks today since this all started. Geez.
Update: USA Today has a debate over the performance of the FDA on its editorial pages. (Thanks to Elizabeth Weise and Julie Schmit, USA Today has done the most consistently outstanding reporting on the pet-food mess since Day 1.)
- In one corner, Andrew C. von Eschenbach, head of the FDA, arguing that the agency has done good work.
- In the opposite corner, the editorial writers of USA Today, arguing that the agency’s perfomance in this case should raise eyebrows, if not alarms.
And what ho! Comments sections at the end of each.
Bringing up from our comments, an AP piece on the domestic producers of wheat gluten, crushed by the search for cheap commodities elsewhere:
Even as fears grow over contaminated imported wheat gluten in recalled pet food, U.S. production has been so eroded by low-cost imports that it can no longer supply domestic demand, domestic makers say.
Only four domestic gluten manufacturers, including two in Kansas, have survived the flood of foreign wheat gluten bought here in the last decade at prices cheaper than U.S. producers can make it.
When the United States removed quotas on gluten imports in 2000, prices plummeted by about half, said John Neufeld, chief operating officer for Dallas-based White Energy, which purchased a bankrupt wheat gluten facility in Russell, Kan.
The U.S. imports roughly 80 percent of its wheat gluten from Australia, the European Union and China, where the contaminated wheat gluten behind the recent pet food recall is believed to have originated, according to figures from the National Association of Wheat Growers. It is used primarily as an ingredient in the baking industry, in cereal and in pet food.
Brings to mind that old adage: You get what you pay for. In this case, cheap commodities from largely unregulated sources, and the destruction of American farms, manufacturers and jobs.
Update 2: As Christie and I suspected — and I wrote about earlier — the FDA did not mean to say half of 17,000 calls were reporting dead pets. Reuters is the first to back off the number. Probably won’t be the last. So it stays at just over 4,000 “alleged” deaths per the FDA, for now.
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so, here’s the response I got from Natura when I asked them specific questions about where their ingredients are grown and if they are still planning to stop using Menu foods for their wet food and build/buy their own facility. I sent another email asking them to answer my questions… we’ll see what happens. In the meantime, here’s the form letter answer the sent me:
Dear pet lover,
Thank you for contacting us about our products. Natura Pet Products owns and operates two manufacturing facilities, including a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Fremont , Nebraska . Our plants are AIB Certified “ Superior ”, Organic Certified, USDA APHIS Registered and ISO 9001:2001 compliant. Natura does utilize Menu Foods to manufacture canned products; however, Natura maintains final review and strict approval of all formulation designs, including the types and quality of ingredients included. It is important to understand that:
1) All of the ingredients used in our products are all from within the US, with the exception of the New Zealand Venison.
2) Natura’s canned products are made at a facility which has NOT BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE RECALL. Since being notified of the recall, Natura has been in direct contact with Menu Foods management and have a 100% confidence level that our canned products in the market are healthful and safe.
We ask that you take a moment to view this video - http://www.naturapetcare.com - and forward the link on to anyone concerned about the quality of their pet’s food.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and to your dedication to Natura.
Please feel free to contact me if you need any additional information or if you have any questions.
Veronica Moreno
Natura Pet Products
800-532-7261
Comment by Cynthia — May 4, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
We know who broke the blog, but we ain’t tellin’!
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 1:22 pm
And a fun fact to pass along.
This is ethics in media week!
Isn’t that amazing?
Ethics and media, who knew?
I have seen the media do some things the past couple of months that are not what I consider ethical but they have a whole week named after ethics so perhaps they will reconsider.
Or maybe not.
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 1:25 pm
Maybe all those journalism students need to see this blog and all the changing headline stuff?
Show them how useful all that ethics touchy feely stuff is going to be in the real world!
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
P&G Pet Care Statement
May 2, 2007
Menu Foods Recall Update
On May 2, 2007, Menu Foods amended its cuts-and-gravy pet food recall to include additional wet pet foods manufactured at its Emporia, Kansas, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada plants. Iams and Eukanuba products are not affected by this recall amendment. No Iams or Eukanuba products have been added to the recall list, and no new Iams or Eukanuba product code dates have been added to the prior recalled items.
The Iams and Eukanuba pet foods currently being sold in retail stores are not formulated with any processed vegetable proteins. This includes wheat gluten, corn gluten, and rice protein concentrate. You can be assured that these products do not contain any processed vegetable proteins from China that are the focus of this recall investigation. Iams and Eukanuba dry pet foods are made in P&G Pet Care plants (not Menu Foods).
P&G Pet Care was the first company to voluntarily participate in the original Menu Foods wet pet food recall on March 16, and employed an independent firm to visit retail stores around the U.S. and Canada to take back recalled Iams and Eukanuba wet pet food products. This process is virtually complete, and provides further assurance for both retailers and consumers that the remaining non-recalled Iams and Eukanuba products can be sold and fed in confidence.
Comment by Carole — May 4, 2007 @ 1:29 pm
Thank you for the Natura update. At the start of the recall I switched my cats to California Natural dry, so I’m very interested in their responses.
Comment by Brandi — May 4, 2007 @ 1:30 pm
Speaking of theme weeks, May 10 starts Be Kind To Animals week, per my calendar.
Comment by Debra — May 4, 2007 @ 1:31 pm
http://www.iht.com/articles/20.....s/food.php
Ok. If that’s melamine, that’s a lot of bags.
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 1:31 pm
The thing that worries me about Natura, other than them using Menu Foods, is they have recently been changing their formulas. They have made changes to the website (ingredients) recently (within the last week and a half). They also have a cat food with corn gluten meal in it.
Honestly, I was looking at that food. I thought it was a great looking product and still may consider one of their foods, but not until this whole thing is over. I chose to feed something else for now.
Comment by Stephanie — May 4, 2007 @ 1:37 pm
Shelly - it wasn’t me who broke the blog this time. I haven’t been here for a spate. Decided to give Black God….er…..Dog?!…. and Gina a break ;-]
E. Hamilton - thanks for the heads up re: the weed control. We really should exchange emails. It’s ever better than IM’s.
Now if I can only figure out why I can no longer post at Itchmo’s blog? I think I’m having one of those “through the looking glass” type of days. Either that or a bad recurring dream of “Groundhog Day”.
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 1:38 pm
I posted this earlier on the Wall Street thread but could never get back to it, kept crashing.
This came out earlier as Bellsouth’s top new story and was there for about 5 minutes.
Don’t know how to post a link here so kind of long.
World News
U.S.: Pet Food Ingredient Mislabeled
Published: 5/4/07, 1:25 PM EDT
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
SHANGHAI, China (AP) - The exporter of a contaminated pet food ingredient blamed for the deaths of dogs and cats in the United States may have avoided Chinese export inspections by labeling it a nonfood product, a U.S. government report says.
The company, Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co., was not the original producer of the tainted wheat gluten, but may have purchased it from up to 25 different suppliers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.
The identities of those suppliers remain a mystery and all calls to listed numbers for Xuzhou Anying on Friday rang unanswered. Investigators are also looking into the origins of a second contaminated food additive imported from China, rice protein concentrate.
The New York Times reported that Xuzhou Anying’s manager, Mao Lijun, had been detained by Chinese authorities, although the paper gave no details about possible charges against him.
Calls to police and government offices in the city of Xuzhou, in eastern China’s Jiangsu where the company is based, rang unanswered on Friday, which was a public holiday.
The scandal concerns the use of the mildly toxic chemical melamine as an additive to animal feed, a practice believed to be common in China, where scandals over contaminated or unsafe food are routine.
Adding the chemical to food is illegal under American law, and while no laws govern the use of melamine in China, the government last week said it was banning its application in food products.
A wave of animal deaths in the U.S. in March was blamed on melamine contamination, prompting one of the biggest recalls of pet food in American history - more than 100 brands. The recall has since been expanded to include pet food products in Canada and Europe.
The FDA on Thursday said U.S. government inspectors are checking food makers who use protein concentrates to ensure none of their products were contaminated with melamine.
There is no evidence that any of the two contaminated batches of wheat gluten and rice protein from China ended up as an ingredient in human food, “but it’s prudent to look,” said David Acheson, assistant FDA commissioner for food protection.
Although it has no nutritional value, melamine is high in nitrogen, making wheat gluten and other vegetable products to which it is added appear to have more protein. That allows it to be sold at a premium to farmers and those who use wheat gluten and other additives to make pet food.
The chemical, normally used to make plastics and fertilizers, is not considered a direct health risk to humans. However, scientists say they have too little data to assess how it might react with other chemicals, raising concerns about its introduction into the human food chain through the consumption of meat from animals raised on melamine-spiked feed.
“According to the Chinese government, Xuzhou Anying did not declare the contaminated wheat gluten it shipped to the United States as a raw material for feed or food,” the U.S. FDA report said.
“Rather, according to the Chinese government, it was declared to them as nonfood product, meaning that it was not subject to mandatory inspection by the Chinese government,” the report said.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement last week that the contaminated vegetable protein managed to get past customs without inspection because it had not been declared for use in pet food.
The FDA report said that as of April 26, the FDA had received reports of 1,950 deaths of cats and 2,200 deaths of dogs related to the complaint. Earlier, the administration said it had confirmed only about a dozen pet deaths due to kidney failure caused by melamine ingestion.
The outbreak has drawn wide concern in the U.S., where such pets are often considered members of the family. Bereaved pet owners have sued the firms involved, and FDA investigators have raided the offices of Menu Foods, a maker of pet food, and ChemNutra Inc., which supplied the wheat gluten, according to the companies.
FDA inspectors have been sent to China to investigate the contamination.
Associated Press writer Andrew Bridges in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.
(This version CORRECTS that melamine causes kidney failure, not liver damage.)
Comment by D Jackson — May 4, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
Wow … I upgraded to IE7, and no more crashes either with that or Foxfire.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 4, 2007 @ 1:50 pm
Ally-
did I miss a post or is weed control = evangelist?
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 1:51 pm
Ally if you’re using Firefox maybe that’s why you’re having issues w/ Itchmo. Try IE over there?
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 1:53 pm
Shelly - all is good over at Itchmo now. *phewe* Big shout outs to Emily who found my post held captive for some reason in their cue. FireFox works fine over there until the posts get over 120 or so. I won’t use IE (ducks from PC users), but Safari does this trick when needed. Thanks for thinking of me, though!
It really has turned out to be the strangest day…..
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 1:56 pm
*phewe* = *phwew*
I give up.
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
Black Dog says someone put an open “i” tag without a closed “i” tage. It’s fixed now.
Poor Black Dog. They are always cleaning up after us.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 4, 2007 @ 1:59 pm
Lookie -
There is an increase in human kidney disease.
FDA - are you looking????
http://www.ama-assn.org/amedne.....sa0409.htm
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 2:00 pm
Maybe if we do an
ALL HAIL THE BLACK DOG
devotional session two or three times a day, more often when we fark the blog, that will help?
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
I am posting this on this blog just in case it doesn’t show up in the last blog:
Nabaya, what I did was check the list on thepetfoodlist.com for Fancy Feast. There was no information listed the the link is live. I clicked on it and it took me to their website. I wanted to find out if there was a number to call to find out where it was canned. On their website at the top left is a link to click for a message from the employees of Nestle Purina. I clicked on that and it took me to the message. I read the message and at the bottom of it there is an 800 phone number to call for their Office of Consumer Affairs. That is the number I called first. I spoke to a man (don’t remember the name) but when I asked him where Fancy Feast was made he didn’t know first hand. He kept telling me it was made by Purina and gave me a number. (That number is another 800 number which I left at my office as I am now at home.) I called the number before I left the office and got a woman and I asked her the same question - who canned Fancy Feast. She said that Fancy Feast was not a part of the recall. I said that wasn’t my question. Who canned Fancy Feast - is it Menu Foods? Then she said hold on a minute she would check. After about 30 seconds she came back on the phone and said yes. As I said I don’t have that number with me but I can get it on Monday. Meanwhile the first 800 number I called on the Fancy Feast website you will find there. Again, it is their office of consumer affairs at 800-218-5898.
Nabaya, what I did was check the list on thepetfoodlist.com for Fancy Feast. There was no information listed the the link is live. I clicked on it and it took me to their website. I wanted to find out if there was a number to call to find out where it was canned. On their website at the top left is a link to click for a message from the employees of Nestle Purina. I clicked on that and it took me to the message. I read the message and at the bottom of it there is an 800 phone number to call for their Office of Consumer Affairs. That is the number I called first. I spoke to a man (don’t remember the name) but when I asked him where Fancy Feast was made he didn’t know first hand. He kept telling me it was made by Purina and gave me a number. (That number is another 800 number which I left at my office as I am now at home.) I called the number before I left the office and got a woman and I asked her the same question - who canned Fancy Feast. She said that Fancy Feast was not a part of the recall. I said that wasn’t my question. Who canned Fancy Feast - is it Menu Foods? Then she said hold on a minute she would check. After about 30 seconds she came back on the phone and said yes. As I said I don’t have that number with me but I can get it on Monday. Meanwhile the first 800 number I called on the Fancy Feast website you will find there. Again, it is their office of consumer affairs at 800-218-5898.
Nabaya, what I did was check the list on thepetfoodlist.com for Fancy Feast. There was no information listed the the link is live. I clicked on it and it took me to their website. I wanted to find out if there was a number to call to find out where it was canned. On their website at the top left is a link to click for a message from the employees of Nestle Purina. I clicked on that and it took me to the message. I read the message and at the bottom of it there is an 800 phone number to call for their Office of Consumer Affairs. That is the number I called first. I spoke to a man (don’t remember the name) but when I asked him where Fancy Feast was made he didn’t know first hand. He kept telling me it was made by Purina and gave me a number. (That number is another 800 number which I left at my office as I am now at home.) I called the number before I left the office and got a woman and I asked her the same question - who canned Fancy Feast. She said that Fancy Feast was not a part of the recall. I said that wasn’t my question. Who canned Fancy Feast - is it Menu Foods? Then she said hold on a minute she would check. After about 30 seconds she came back on the phone and said yes. As I said I don’t have that number with me but I can get it on Monday. Meanwhile the first 800 number I called on the Fancy Feast website you will find there. Again, it is their office of consumer affairs at 800-218-5898.
Here is the Fancy Feast website:
http://fancyfeast.com/#title=home&page=home
Comment by Lois — May 4, 2007 @ 2:05 pm
Help,
(bumping this up)
Sharon mentioned a secondary problem yesterday to eating cont. food.
I have a dog who now has blood in her urine(not RBC’s)vet finds it strange. It was on free flow - 1st of the day. She will have cysto. done for a culture. Is not showing signs of UTI. SpG has been the same since Feb.,and protein is still being found. Realize you can not offer vet. advise. Vet and I are just wondering what the pet community is seeing/experiencing?
Is anyone else seeing secondary health problems?
Thanks
Katie
Comment by Katie — May 4, 2007 @ 2:06 pm
my postie didn’t post - now i have issues.
There’s a bunch - i do mean a BUNCH of articles out here on internet land of the increase in kidney issues in humans and scientists just can’t explain it.
I posted an article here but there are so many - it’s soo easy to find them - keep hitting on them
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 2:06 pm
My apologies for the double post. I hope that the information I found out about Fancy Feast this afternoon is wrong because my cats have been eating the seafood selections.
Comment by Lois — May 4, 2007 @ 2:06 pm
Oh crap, then that *was* me. I even posted about it in the Wallstreet thread @ 12:13 pm.
Gina?
Black Dog?
I uh……erm………really need to get back to that clicker training Nancy offered.
do not play with italics, do not play with italics,
do not play with italics, do not play with italics,
do not play with italics, do not play with italics,
Just smack me you two if it helps.
I’m very sorry for all the extra work. :-/
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 2:08 pm
Katie -
We had blood in peepee (dog)
One part of what I do w/ him at home is make him drink a lot - I add water to his food and I give him chicken broth and add more water than called for to it - he loves it so he drinks a lot of it. He pees and pees. Doc is happy.
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
(chicken broth isn’t in the food - it’s in a bowl by itself)
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
Ally -
I wasn’t going to tell anybody it was you -
you really do need training.
Clicker for each paw.
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 2:12 pm
ethics in media? oxymoron?
Comment by Joyce — May 4, 2007 @ 2:13 pm
Gina (or whoever’s appropriate), please check your email. I sent you a message that could help you fix the Internet Explorer crash problem.
Comment by Barry — May 4, 2007 @ 2:13 pm
Comment by Joyce — May 4, 2007 @ 2:13 pm
I am pretty sure that the word moron belongs in there somewhere.
Oddly enough, a LOT of journalist teachers think sending students here is a GOOD idea.
Keep sending out those links to this site, everyone!
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 2:16 pm
E. Hamilton Re: post May 4, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
Done:
Discuss Testing Purina’s foods here:
http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?topic=327.0
Discuss Pet Food Testing here: http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?topic=324.0
Discuss Purina Friskies, Fancy Feast, Beneful and Purina One, and any others here: http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?topic=200.0
Comment by Peggy — May 4, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
Comment by Peggy — May 4, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
Thank you, we will get the info organized yet.
And the food tested and the people pee too.
I think Senator Durbin needs to consider a bill to PAY us, we get the news out faster, do more work and are far far more trustworthy than the FDA.
And we have all these vet bills to pay, so we are motivated in a way that the “friends of the rich and shameless ” will never be!
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 2:29 pm
yes, let’s test some people pee, too…
Comment by Peggy — May 4, 2007 @ 2:32 pm
I would be glad to be the people pig
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 2:38 pm
There have been..er.. several requests for me to cease trying to develop a EPT home test strip for melamine.
On the order of ” My God, isn’t it bad enough that the kitchen looks like someone slaughtered an ox just before dinner every night but you HAVE to quit asking guests to just pee in this cup and excuse you for a few minutes and then you run cackling off to the garage that looks like a mad scientists lab and then shriek things I doubt you learned in sunday school! Please, hon, people are beginning to talk.”
So I think we need a lab to do it.
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 2:38 pm
I didn’t see anywhere where that lab offers sterile cups - not possible to run a pee test w/out a sterile place to tinkle
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 2:39 pm
E - you go to Sunday School?
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 2:40 pm
As a “blind” to our urine analysis, we could ask some of the FDA or Menu guys to partake. They have no reason to say no, now do they? They KNOW what not to eat.
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 2:40 pm
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 2:38 pm
Nice try, E.
The EPT melamine idea was my idea.
*ahem*
(still snickering over the “people are beginning to talk” tho….)
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
how about asking friends and relatives already in the medical profession and maybe they could run some tests on their own…
Comment by Peggy — May 4, 2007 @ 2:48 pm
Once upon a time, I went to Sunday School, did not “take” quite as well as was hoped.
And the attempts to make a pee stick test thingy have been a dismal failure so far. Yes Ally, your idea.
The strange thing is that if you greet guests with a specimen bottle and tell them to go pee- they WILL!
Later, when I explain WHY I wanted the pee they seem amused.
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
E.?
I worry about you.
A lot.
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 2:52 pm
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap.....87475.html
Nice reporting, but not good news
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
University of Nebraska can test for melamine in food - get your samples ready!
http://tinyurl.com/25g5bl
Comment by Nadine Long — May 4, 2007 @ 2:55 pm
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 2:52 pm
Way too late for that, many years ago my grandmother threw up her hands and said and I quote ” I give up, all we can do is hope that someday, somewhere, some fool mistakes her for a lady!”
I do, however, give very entertaining dinner parties.
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 2:58 pm
“Other countries can make low cost food products because they have lower labor costs, less expensive land and less government regulation.”
That’s crap. China can make high protein everything because they put poison in it. US providers of (untainted) product can’t compete with their prices and have gone bankrupt. China buys the cheap stuff, adds poison and waaa la. Americans go bankrupt, Americans get poisoned, Americans die. Thanks for that great new regulation (or lack thereof) in 2000 folks. Thanks bunches.
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
Oh my God E…
You are just killing me today. You have to promise me that if you ever make it to Tulsa or Saint Louis that you will let me buy you an adult beverage to pay you back for all of the laughs you have given me. I am also still waiting for you to manufacture your “I supported the Pet Food Institute and all I got was this dead cat” shirt.
Comment by Christi A. — May 4, 2007 @ 3:05 pm
“The House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing next week to look into the problem with contaminated feedstuffs from China. Committee Chair, Collin Peterson says as part of that, they are going to consider moving all food inspection functions to USDA. Peterson says it would be the sensible thing to do, “They are the people that know how to do this.” The Minnesota Democrat believes additional funding and inspectors for the Food and Drug Administration would not, “Get a whole lot better results.” Peterson says there is work being done on legislation that would transfer the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) back to USDA from the Department of Homeland Security…”“
http://preview.tinyurl.com/23gyrb
Comment by Nadine Long — May 4, 2007 @ 3:06 pm
http://tinyurl.com/25g5bl
University of Nebraska @ Lincoln will now test pet foods for melamine, an illegally imported substance thought to sicken or kill pets.
The UNL diagnostic center will analyze pet food to determine if melamine is present.
If the animal has died, it can be brought to UNL’s Veterinary Diagnostic Center on East Campus for post-mortem evaluation.
..
UNL analysis
The UNL analysis is offered in cooperation with the UNL Water Science Laboratory.
The cost is $107 per pet food specimen.
Animal deaths that are investigated will receive an examination of kidneys for changes typical of toxin exposure, and also there will be a detailed examination of all systems to rule out other diseases.
The cost of animal examinations range from $50 to $100.
Pet food specimens should be sent in their original packaging. Include your name, address and telephone number and the manufacturer, brand, production code and lot number of the product.
Unopened containers of wet or dry food can be shipped directly to the laboratory. The contents of opened containers of wet food should be frozen and shipped to arrive frozen at the Veterinary Diagnostic Center. Send as much of the wet or dry specimen as possible.
If using UPS or FedEx, send to the UNL Veterinary Diagnostic Center, Fair Street and East Campus Loop, Lincoln, NE 68583-0907, Lincoln, NE 68583-0907. If using the U.S. Postal Service, mail to UNL Veterinary Diagnostic Center, P.O. Box 830907, Lincoln, NE 68583-0907.
For more information, contact (402) 472-1434.
Comment by schnauzer — May 4, 2007 @ 3:07 pm
Comment by Christi A. — May 4, 2007 @ 3:05 pm
“I supported the Pet Food Institute and all I got was this dead cat” shirt.
Oohhh Christi!!! Methinks you’ve had a most bodacious idea!
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 3:07 pm
Comment by Christi A. — May 4, 2007 @ 3:05 pm
Come over to the itchmo forum for a minute Christie A., got something for you.
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
okokokokok —
*I* have a stock tip! I am buying on Monday morning!!!
“The nation’s largest gluten maker, MGP Ingredients (nasdaq: MGPI - news - people ) Inc., is based in Atchison, Kan., with another plant in Pekin, Ill. The company has the capacity to produce 120 million pounds of gluten in a year but the plants are running at only 20 percent of that capacity, said Steve Pickman, MGP Ingredients’ vice president for corporate relations.”
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 3:14 pm
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 2:58 pm
Being a lady is vastly overrated……not that I would know.
Comment by Joyce — May 4, 2007 @ 3:30 pm
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
I went and looked and nothing jumped out at me. Is there a particular thread that I should look at at?
Comment by Christi A. — May 4, 2007 @ 3:31 pm
Comment by Christi A. — May 4, 2007 @ 3:31 pm
How to send a private message to me is where I would start, wink wink nudge nudge say no more.
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 3:40 pm
5 Minutes till Friday Night Watch Shift.
Comment by Steve — May 4, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
How to block Monsanto’s roundup ready seeds. Might be a way to block all Chinese foods for pet and human diets too!
Organic Foods
In an important victory for organic farmers, a federal judge has ruled that USDA’s approval of “Roundup Ready” alfalfa was illegal. Link to press release by the Center for Food Safety.
http://tinyurl.com/37t2sn
Comment by DogsGoOrganic — May 4, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
Stop buying pet food for awhile, and let them all go bankrupt!!!
Comment by ann gates — May 4, 2007 @ 3:54 pm
Katie,
Cleo is doing better after 1 1/2 days on an IV. Her temp has come down considerably and she’s back to being as mean as she can be. I took her food today and they finally covered her cage so, I’m hoping and praying that she returns home as her naturally cantankerous self.
I think Cleo’s problems are a continuance of the exposure to the melamine. And I’ll go to my grave believing it despite arguing with my vet about it. He believes she may have had some kidney failure before the exposure and she’s hyperthyroid too so, of course, it’s THAT and not the darned poisonous pet food. I’m not gonna argue with the man - just hydrate my kitty per ASPCA’s guidelines and let me take her home.
I’m gonna go digging around, actually might ask Itchmo to post a forum topic to see if we can start getting an idea of what our dear animals will be having to deal with in the future.
Comment by Sharon — May 4, 2007 @ 3:59 pm
Comment by Peggy: “how about asking friends and relatives already in the medical profession and maybe they could run some tests on their own…”
Actually I did my own last night and no melamine. Apparently I’m not getting enough protein in my diet :)
Comment by Marilyn — May 4, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
Who pays the price for the megalomania of the Pet Food Empire builders?
Us
Comment by Steve — May 4, 2007 @ 4:09 pm
As the President and CEO of Nutro Products, I make a personal promise to you that we will continue to work with the FDA, the AVA and all other organizations assisting in this investigation. We will do everything we can to get to the bottom of this and to take action to ensure that it never happens again. We will continue to share information as we have it, at http://www.nutroproducts.com, and we invite you to contact us directly if you have any concerns: 1-800-833-5330.
Sincerely,
Dave Kravis
President and CEO
Nutro Products
http://tinyurl.com/2xgfbg
Comment by Steve — May 4, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
So much for his credibility
Comment by Steve — May 4, 2007 @ 4:17 pm
Comment by DogsGoOrganic — May 4, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
that judge needs some thank yous!
Comment by straybaby — May 4, 2007 @ 4:19 pm
I just got an email from Nutro regarding the latest recall. I really like the “abundance of caution” part. Here it is…
Menu Foods Expanded Recall
Includes Three Nutro Wet Canned Cat Food Products
Menu Foods has announced an expansion of the pet food recall to include certain products that do not contain ChemNutra wheat gluten, but that were manufactured at Menu Foods’ facilities during the period in which ChemNutra wheat gluten was being used.
Menu Foods has expressed concerns of possible cross-contamination of certain products that were processed during the same timeframe as contaminated products. Three Nutro wet canned cat foods are included in this expanded recall even though these products do not contain wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate.
Nutro dry pet foods are not manufactured by Menu Foods and are not impacted by this recall.
From the beginning of these recalls through May 2, 2007, Nutro has received no consumer complaints regarding the products listed below.
While Menu Foods’ recall affects only certain production dates of these foods, in order to avoid customer confusion, Nutro is asking that all of the products listed below, regardless of date, be removed from store shelves and suggests that pet owners stop feeding these products to their pets.
The newly added products from Nutro include the following 3 oz canned wet cat foods:
Product Name Size UPC Code
Nutro Max Cat Gourmet Classics Kitten Chicken & Oceanfish
3 oz. 79105 38101 7
Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Kitten Tuna & Chicken
3 oz. 79105 35204 8
Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Kitten Beef & Chicken 3 oz. 79105 35203 1
A number of samples of these foods produced both during and after the time period referenced by Menu Foods (December 6, 2006 to January 24, 2007) were sent to an independent laboratory for analysis and no melamine was detected in any of these samples. However, out of an abundance of caution, Nutro is voluntarily participating in the recall of these three products.
For a complete list of Nutro products included in the recall, as well as further information about Nutro and
how its products are affected by the Menu Foods recall, please visit http://www.nutroproducts.com or call
1-800-833-5330.
Comment by catlover — May 4, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
Comment by Katie — May 4, 2007 @ 2:06 pm
About the UTI. Seems like a lot are getting that, at least I keep seeing it brought up.
This is just my thinking, but see what you think.
I’ve been wondering about the crystals, maybe they are scratching their insides? The crystals are tiny but possibly, maybe, they could be causing micro-scratches?
Maybe some pets are not having the same full range of problems; maybe some get the crystals, each animal is different, but perhaps their kidneys don’t fail.
Another thought is that different foods have different concentrations of melamine, and may or may not have cyanuric acid, so the levels of poisoning will be different.
I’ve seen quite a few post about both UTI and inappropriate urinating from both cats and dogs.
Comment by Peggy — May 4, 2007 @ 4:26 pm
“However, out of an abundance of caution,”
uh, where was that during the first recalls?!
Comment by straybaby — May 4, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
Comment by straybaby — May 4, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
Yes, and let’s not forget the 2nd Nutro recall that was prompted by UC Davis finding melamine in their product!
Comment by catlover — May 4, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
i would be very surprised if foods didn’t cause UTIs, inappropriate urination and GI issues. that crap looks nasty before it even does it’s toxic change. i certainly could see male cats blocking from it also.
Comment by straybaby — May 4, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
Katie, I forgot about the high protein, could it be high nitrogen that looks like high protein. THere is a test that will show just protein. Find out if your vet thought about that.
It’s nitrogen fooling the protein test that got us in this mess in the first place.
Well, that and greed and extremely poor business practices.
Comment by Peggy — May 4, 2007 @ 4:32 pm
Comment by catlover — May 4, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
oops! i did forget! WAY too much crappy info to keep straight in my poor little head :(
Comment by straybaby — May 4, 2007 @ 4:33 pm
Organic Consumers Association Organization
http://www.organicconsumers.org/
Give Bees a Chance—Ban Genetically Engineered Crops
Honeybee Die-Off Threatens Food Supply
Leading Alternative Health Group Speaks Out on FDA Suppression of Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Three Million Chickens & Pigs Enter Food Supply after Eating Contaminated Feed
‘Urban’ Farmers Riding the Trend for Fresh, Local
Cheap So-Called ‘Organic’ Food from China: A Bad Idea
EU Patent Offices Rejects Monsanto’s Monopoly Patent on Soybeans after 13 Year Battle
Publix—Large Supermarket Chain in Southern US—Bans Monsanto’s Bovine Growth Hormone
FDA Reform Bill that Could Undermine Big Pharma’s Monopoly over Prescription Drugs Hotly Debated in Congress
Pet Food Contamination Leaks Into Human Food Supply
Comment by DogsGoOrganic — May 4, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
20 MILLION!!!!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Friday as many as 20 million chickens currently on U.S. farms in several states may have been fed contaminated feed.
A USDA official said the birds must be held until the government can complete a risk assessment to determine if they can be processed. The results could come as early as Monday.
The birds were among those believed to have been given contaminated feed with pet food containing melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizer. It is uncertain how many chickens have been processed.
http://www.reuters.com/article.....3720070504
Comment by mal — May 4, 2007 @ 4:39 pm
Comment by mal — May 4, 2007 @ 4:39 pm
HOUSTON? I think we may have a problem…..
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
Comment by mal — May 4, 2007 @ 4:39 pm
Wonderful. So I guess they hope we all die of a stroke or heart attack from stress and worry before Monday.
Comment by Steve — May 4, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
OMG!
20,000,000 chickens
Comment by Peggy — May 4, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
Edit:
20,000,000 Mela-Chickens
How many servings is that?
Comment by Peggy — May 4, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
Another Monster that puts profit before pets and people.
May 3
Monsanto Company Disappointed With Court Decision Against the USDA Which Suspends the Planting of Roundup Ready Alfalfa
http://tinyurl.com/23frtg
Comment by Steve — May 4, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
RE: Comment by Peggy
“How many servings is that?”
Well, if you’re using the new FDA math - that is only about 150,000 people eating the 20mm chickens…
Comment by Gail B — May 4, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
So, what about pets that eat a Chicken based diet?
I swear I’m going to sue someone to kingdom come if this keeps up.
Comment by Steve — May 4, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
Beef..it’s what’s for dinner
Comment by Joyce — May 4, 2007 @ 4:53 pm
Holy CHIT
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 4:54 pm
You can’t eat beef Joyce - E-Coli is in ours, Mad Cow is in Canada’s and these are the only two countries I even remotely trust at the moment.
Eat the bugs.
Wait - the soil….
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
Me scared of beef.
More like apples and carrots for din-din.
Cripes, dare I ask what’s next?
Comment by Ally — May 4, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
And it all safe per the FDA right?
Melachicken goes on sale Saturday and it comes with a “bonus” third drumstick too!
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
I haven’t seen it mentioned here yet (excuse me if i missed it). But earlier today i read that the store brands of pet foods at Roundy’s Super Markets have now been recalled. Roundy’s Super Markets are in Wisconsin, Minn, and Illinois.
Comment by CherCat — May 4, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
Can you sue everyone at once, Menu, FDA, USDA Chemnutro, China? Did I leave anyone out? Maybe it would be easier to name who weren’t not suing. You’re all safe (from me at least)
Comment by Joyce — May 4, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
Yea -
I’m going to the local farmers market and getting raw locally grown fruits and veggies. I’ll just eat that.
Take any orders?
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
That’s a GREAT idea.
Then we don’t have to work and we can just blog all day. and grow our own stuff.
Comment by shelly — May 4, 2007 @ 4:58 pm
What about our pets? They really are the canaries in the mine.
Comment by Joyce — May 4, 2007 @ 4:58 pm
Melachicken is already on sale in my local Safeway $.99/lb - yum. (SF Bay Area)
Thanks to a PBS documentary on factory-farmed chickens, I stopped feeding chicken to my dogs a couple of years ago (and stopped eating it myself).
I even cautioned my puppy-buyers away from kibble based on chicken (unless it was free range).
Comment by Gail B — May 4, 2007 @ 5:02 pm
Now WE are the canaries, and who are we protecting now, is there anyone LEFT to protect?
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 4, 2007 @ 5:02 pm
“
USDA: 20 mln birds on farms may have had bad feed”
excuse me, wasn’t there an article posted earlier that the USDA wants full control over the food instead of the FDA/others involved? Are they really up to the challenge? Plus, don’t they allow some of the things we are trying to avoid? just sayin . . .
Comment by straybaby — May 4, 2007 @ 5:02 pm
Tammy - info on Emporia Plants - Mar 30-Apr 2
Thanks for posting articles for me.
I did not see a statement about actually cleaning the plant.
Henderson says, “Let me be clear on this - we have removed the problem from our system. I can say with confidence to our consumers - that our products are safe.” - March 31, 2007
*** Not a clue what the h*** that’s supposed to mean.
Does that mean they removed ChemNutra form their ordering system?
Does that mean they removed the contaminated product from the vats?
Does that mean they removed the recalled product cans and pouches from the building?
*** Henderson - Could you please clarify what you mean by “problem?” And could you please clarify what you mean by “system?”
Because you didn’t say you removed the contaminated product nor did you say you cleaned the equipment, I’m not clear on what it was you did say.
Am I clear to you, Henderson? 8)
Comment by Kathi — May 4, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
Just to add some icing on the mela-cake. From Itchmo’s site:
Random? Or Related? FDA Issues Warning Against Anti-Freeze
David Goldstein, a Seattle talk show host, points out this press release from the FDA today:
Today, the agency is issuing guidance to industry recommending methods of testing glycerin and other controls to identify any contamination with DEG before use in the manufacture or preparation of pharmaceutical products.
http://www.itchmo.com/read/ran.....e_20070504
Comment by mal — May 4, 2007 @ 5:09 pm
Comment by Kathi — May 4, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
“Henderson says, “Let me be clear on this - we have removed the problem from our system.”
I means that he has dumped all his stock, problem solved.
Comment by Joyce — May 4, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
“I’ve been wondering about the crystals, maybe they are scratching their insides? The crystals are tiny but possibly, maybe, they could be causing micro-scratches?”
Peggy, I asked my vet this last night, as this is what happens with people who pass stones. He said he didn’t see any crystals in Cleo’s urine. Would they break up stay as a larger lump that causes damage? H*ll if I know - he thinks I’m crazy anyways…
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…I’m sorry, I don’t believe in coincidences when it comes to this.
Comment by Sharon — May 4, 2007 @ 5:14 pm
I’ve seen mention a few times of a complete list of foods Menu makes. Has anyone found such a list. I’d LOVE to have it! I have family and friends that are feeding Purina canned cat foods and they are under the assumption that Purina makes their own food dry and wet.
Comment by Maureen (Lilly and Lucy's mom) — May 4, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
So if you eat enough mela-chickens, will you poop plastic?
Comment by Don — May 4, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
Purina makes 99% of all their food. Only when capacity becomes an issue do they have others make it.
Comment by Don — May 4, 2007 @ 5:19 pm
Comment by Don — May 4, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
Maybe if you live to poop again
Comment by Joyce — May 4, 2007 @ 5:19 pm
Anybody interested in another “TEA PARTY” 8)
Comment by Kathi — May 4, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
This reminds me of the old movie “The Time Machine” waiting for the siren to blow the “All Clear.”
Comment by Kathi — May 4, 2007 @ 5:25 pm
Comment by Joyce — May 4, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
RE: Can you sue everyone at once, Menu, FDA, USDA Chemnutro, China?
If not, maybe we can just use them for target practice???? (Plastic plugs or paintballs, of course, or better yet, KIBBLE)
Comment by michelle — May 4, 2007 @ 5:29 pm
Or cuts and gravy meat pies, sprinkled with a light and fluffy mela-cream whipped topping…..
Comment by michelle — May 4, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
Guess I’ll have to go hunt some possum and skunk for dinner.
I heard cinnamon helps keep down the odor.
Comment by Kathi — May 4, 2007 @ 5:41 pm
Kathi,
Please not a tea party, we’ll end up with Mela Sea Critters…
Comment by Aunt Granny — May 4, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
Comment by Maureen (Lilly and Lucy’s mom) — May 4, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
I started a Menu Foods list on Itchmo at
http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?topic=330.0
Comment by slt — May 4, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
Aunt Granny,
We already have Mela Sea Critters, just look at the just look at the FDA’s seafood/fish mis-labeling repot!
Comment by Patricia Hill — May 4, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
Oh sure, I’ll feed Iams in total confidence again after it could have killed my baby.
When pigs fly.
Wait………
Comment by Sharon G — May 4, 2007 @ 6:48 pm
What would a fake high protien diet do to a human? Especially if it was high in nitrogin? Or a pig, chicken, turkey all plump and full of melamine, ready for market.
This little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home.
Comment by Maudigan — May 4, 2007 @ 7:58 pm
Ally, (and everyone else who posts on the blogs)
If you notice a problem like the *i tag* not being closed, so that the blogs
turn into whatever *tag* was missing - bolding, large font etc. - just
put an extra one in in your next post. I did the *i* thingy a few days ago
and I corrected my own error by closing the *tag* in my next post.
No need to wait for BlackDog to do it.
Comment by Mary Smith — May 4, 2007 @ 9:26 pm
Mary - Considering how quickly comments can get buried here, I am SO glad I happened to see your post about the tags! Thanks HUGE for that very handy tip! ;-]
Comment by Ally — May 5, 2007 @ 3:23 pm
Hello, I don’t where to write this- A friend came over and He has lost 2 dogs and has 2 dogs sick and dying. He had just heard of the recall. [not everone in the country knows], He was feeding his dogs- Highlands Pride [I don’t know what this is? ],dry food. and He just bought some Alpo canned at Wal Mart. I know that has been recalled. Why is it still on the shelfe? At Wal Mart in Virginia? Now what doesHe/ or I do about this total mess. those poor dogs, Trudy
Comment by Trudy Jackson — May 5, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
Reply to Trudy post of 4:18pm
First he should get the dogs to a vet. May be late in the day where you live. Usually if you call the vet office they will have a recording with information of an emergency number for you to call. The dogs need to get on IV drips as quickly as possible. The longer he hesitates, the less chance the dogs will have to survive. Take care of the dogs first. Then contact the FDA and report the WalMart store still stocking the food. Maybe another blogger here knows if Highlands Pride was on recall list? Tell him to get those dogs to a vet!!
Comment by VJ — May 5, 2007 @ 4:40 pm
Thanks, I did that. He is on his way. but this is such a mess. and thanks for answering Me, Trudy
Comment by Trudy Jackson — May 5, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
The first comment in this blog entry was my answer from Natura about California Natural food for cats. I wasn’t happy with their form letter-type answer and so I wrote back and asked for specific answer to my questions. I received a satisfactory answer back on Friday, may 4 but haven’t had a chance to post until now. So here’s the response I got from them for anyone who’s interested:
\
Cynthia,
Yes, we are still planning on either purchasing an existing facility or to build our own. All of the ingredients in our products are all from the United States with the exception of the Venison from New Zealand.
The announcement yesterday by Menu Foods which expands the list of products being recalled due to cross contamination DOES NOT AFFECT NATURA PET PRODUCTS.
Natura’s cans are made exclusively at the South Dakota plant which was not involved in making any of the recalled foods (including the latest announcement)
This plant does not use wheat gluten, corn gluten or rice gluten in any of its production and therefore it is impossible for cross contamination to occur
Natura has tested all canned food (as well as our dry and baked treats) for the presence of melamine at an independent laboratory and have the results to confirm that all of these tests show that our products are free from melamine contamination
As of last week, Natura has instituted a policy whereby ALL production of cans, dry and baked treats is being tested for melamine before being released for sale
Please feel free to contact me if you need any additinal information or if you have any questions.
Veronica Moreno
Natura Pet Products
800-532-7261
Comment by Cynthia — May 8, 2007 @ 7:50 am