Pet-food recall: Saturday afternoon news and open thread
By Gina Spadafori
May 5, 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.
Lisa Wade McCormick of ConsumerAffairs.Com has done some very good reporting through the last seven weeks of this mess. Her most recent piece is a good overview of the situation:
The FDA — one of the federal agencies charged safeguarding the country’s food supply — has come under fire in the wake of nationwide recalls of tainted pet food, spinach, and peanut butter.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate some 76 million people suffer from food poisoning each year, according to Durbin’s office. Of that number, approximately 325,000 will be hospitalized and more than 5,000 will die.
Under the new amendment, the FDA has authority to:
• Establish an early warning and notification system for human food and pet food products. The legislation directs the FDA to work with professional organizations, veterinarians, and others to release information about pet food contamination. In cases of both pet and human food contamination, the FDA will keep up-to-date recall lists on its Web site;
• Create an adulterated food registry for imported and domestically produced foods. This would improve the FDA’s ability to detect problems and alert consumers of contaminants. The amendment requires the FDA to establish a registry to collect information about potentially dangerous food adulteration. Importers, domestic processors, and food manufacturers must submit information about actual or suspected food adulterations. This information would be included in the FDA’s database. Durbin’s office said the sources of the recent human and pet food contamination were wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate imported from China. Neither shipment was inspected by the FDA; in fact, the FDA inspects less than 1.5% of imports. A database would give the FDA better information to base inspections;
• Require companies to maintain records and make them accessible to the FDA. This would prevent delays that could keep the contamination from being traced as quickly as possible. When peanut butter was recalled last winter, an FDA report showed that inspectors were denied documents when they requested them;
• Establish uniform federal standards and better labeling of pet food. Today, the standards for the pet food industry are done on a voluntary basis by manufacturers and state departments of agriculture. There is no requirement for states to adopt these practices and they don’t have the force of federal guidelines. Inspections are not coordinated state-to-state and some states have standards that are different than others.
Honestly? I see the potential for problems with the FDA working with professional organizations to collect information, no matter how respected the organizations are. The primary role of a professional organization is to protect and promote their profession and their members, and that’s a goal that may not in all cases match with the need and right of the rest of us to know what we need to. Not to mention, professional groups are always influenced by internal and external politics, and industry alliances. (Not to say that government agencies aren’t, but it’s easier to find and report on the problems with public agencies.)
The collection and dissemination of pet-health information — which is important to both pet health and human health — should be in the hands of a government agency, the way human health tracking is with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Update: What’s a dead pet worth? No more $500, according to American Nutrition. Itchmo reports on the company’s claim form. These folks really don’t get it, do they?
Got anything for us? E-mail us or post in the comments! And be good blog citizens - if your post doesn’t show up, the spam filter caught it, it will be set free later. Do not re-post it or Christie will cry. And you know, no crass product promotion, no nastiness, no hate. It’s so easy to play nice.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05.....on.html?hp
Fake glycerin (used in medicine and food) from China killed thousands across the world. Diethylene glycol (cheaper to purchase than glycerin) was substituted and was deadly. How can the FDA, even if it’s beefed up, control this sort of deadly scam?
Comment by Patty L — May 5, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
$500 . . . Hows that going to cover $2000 to $10,000 and up vet bills due to gross negligence by the PF Industry?
Don’t take the bait people. Give them a taste of their own medicine and more.
Have a nice day AN.
Comment by Steve — May 5, 2007 @ 1:02 pm
The reality of this should be that no goods that can be consumed should be imported from China. It’s obvious that the exporters in China are only chasing the almighty dollar and have no concern for the lives they endanger.
Comment by Maureen (Lilly and Lucy's mom) — May 5, 2007 @ 1:12 pm
GINA
This is a bit off topic, but do you have the dialog of Stupak questioning Miller? Just that section? The speaker on my computer made it difficult to hear exactly what the questions and answers were.
Thanks if you can add that for me.
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
American Nutrition, Inc.(ANI) The Ogden, Utah based firm annually produces more than 290,000 tons of pet foods and snacks with 2001 sales exceeding 160 million dollars.
Comment by Steve — May 5, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
All I can say about the $500 maximum is, “Grrrrr.” At least, that’s all I can say if I want to keep it family-friendly.
Comment by Katherine — May 5, 2007 @ 1:34 pm
Steve
You remember the Congressional Hearing when Stupak questioned Miller about the wheat gluten. I found the blog on it and Miller’s answer on the blog was the same answer I thought I heard and again on Spocko’s clip.
Miller said something about being in the business since last fall. Maybe your hearing is better than mine, could you listen again and quote word for word Stupak’s question and Miller’s answer? About the wheat gluten.
Thanks if you can.
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 1:44 pm
Steve wrote:
“American Nutrition, Inc.(ANI) The Ogden, Utah based firm annually produces more than 290,000 tons of pet foods and snacks with 2001 sales exceeding 160 million dollars.”
Let’s see. 160 million dollars divided by $500 is - oh yeah - 320,000.
Maybe they’re afraid they’ll run out of sick and dying pets to pay for?
Comment by The OTHER Pat — May 5, 2007 @ 1:46 pm
The liveblogging of Stupak questioning Miller is here:
http://www.petconnection.com/b.....l-hearing/
I don’t know if there’s a transcript, I can’t remember… but that post has the info you could use to track it down…
Comment by Christie Keith — May 5, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
ANI has shown in the last week just what kind of company they are.
So, were I one of the companies who used their manufacturing wervices, I would pay my customers’ bills and then sue ANI for reimbursement. If in fact they messed with ingredients, I don’t think companies would have a hard time getting their money back.
Also, I believe that were this their own food that was tainted, and not that of other companies they manufacture for, that they would step up and pay the bills in full. I think they probably care less since it’s not their name on the food.
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 1:51 pm
Value of pets? Priceless!
Comment by Deanna — May 5, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
Christie
Thanks - I’ll see if I can come up with something. Miller’s testimony has been bugging me for a while. Maybe I’ll discover why?
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
“Also, I believe that were this their own food that was tainted, and not that of other companies they manufacture for”
i still find it interesting that their food was uncontaminated. They seem to have avoided the cross contamination issue also . . .
Comment by straybaby — May 5, 2007 @ 1:58 pm
Do we know if their food has even been tested? (Don’t ask, don’t tell . . . . . . . . )
Comment by The OTHER Pat — May 5, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
that thought was floating around in the back of my head . . . .
Comment by straybaby — May 5, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
Really now,I paid $800.00 for each of my pups so BS on them .at 6 pm est on cnn Lou Dobbs will have a special report on how china did this this to the pet food and had the shippment marked wrong so it would not get inspected st the docks he is mad as all hell over this
Comment by Mary Ann — May 5, 2007 @ 2:20 pm
I am stuck with $800 in vet bills over the food recall. I am sending the bill to the company. Anyone have any suggestions?
Comment by kkl — May 5, 2007 @ 2:30 pm
Just checking in to say, “hi.”
I’m reading your posts every day…and as everyone else, I imagine, am very tired of this whole mess.
Everyone keep on, keeping on. It should get better…at least ‘something’ is being done now…even if it is late.
Thanks again to Pet Connection for all of your hard work. I have posted a link to this site on my own site.
Comment by Marcy — May 5, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
“i still find it interesting that their food was uncontaminated. They seem to have avoided the cross contamination issue also . . . “
That was actually my first comment when the whole ANI issue came up. The reason they can explain away the lack of RPC in their food is because best I can tell, they don’t use rice in their products.
As for cross contamination, I doubt they make their food in the bins as their customers.
Regardless, I dislike them almost more than Menu but it’s a close call.
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 2:44 pm
We encourage people to READ the LABELS of the pet foods they are feeding. If you do not understand what a certain ingredient is, research and know exactly what the ingredients are and why they are in the pet’s food. Research and ask many questions before deciding on a food. Please, do not just feed a food because that’s what your friend feeds. RESEARCH,EDUCATE,READ!!!
Comment by a.rodrigues — May 5, 2007 @ 2:44 pm
“Require companies to maintain records and make them accessible to the FDA.”
I don’t get this. There is ALREADY a rule about tracking shipments of exports/domestics and ALL companies, from large to those with under 10 employees should be in compliance. Or is it because the below rule is “guidance” (like the guidance of pet food facility inspections from AAFCO) there are no teeth to it? Why don’t they do things right to begin with? What good does psuedo legislation do?
http://tinyurl.com/2ntsse
Comment by CathyA — May 5, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
Lou Dobbs is mad as mela-hens, I love it. He is covering the nasty details that are out there on what is being imported by China. Pet food recall update he said today, anyone hear about a saturday recall? Loved the follow up on Martin L. King memorial being made by a Chinese artist and out of chinese granite.
Speechless…..
Comment by Maudigan — May 5, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
Iams and Eukanuba added more recalls today. It is on the menu site.
Comment by Maudigan — May 5, 2007 @ 3:48 pm
A VERY LONG BUT INTERESTING INSIDE STORY ON THE KILLER GLYCERIN PRODUCT FROM CHINA
Well worth the read for the information on how unscrupulous dealers in China operate:
From China To Panama, A Trail Of Poisoned Medicine That Killed Thousands
http://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=11643
Comment by mal — May 5, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
I was in a Publix today. My regular meat guy wasn’t there, but I thought I’d ask the asst. manager if they had any melamine chicken. You know I really thought I’d be making a joke. He looked thoughtful, then said he’d never heard of it! I said didn’t you hear about the 3 million chickens? Oh yeah, I heard something about that but we haven’t gotten anything from the head office. Well, I said, now it’s 20 million chickens that won’t be going on the market. Just tells you how little this information is available outside of these boards.
Comment by CathyA — May 5, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
The Fourth Estate has walked away from its responsibilities to stay on top of the big stories. Paris goes to jail, Spider-man takes in a record $59 million in one day, Prince Harry, DC Madam, everything but what people really need to know.
Comment by Steve — May 5, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
Here is something to ponder-
I carry dog trainers insurance. If something were to happen to a dog in my care the amount paid out would be as follows:
Price paid for the dog, plus a $$ amount for the amount of training, plus a maximum vet bill, depending on which option I purchase.
That sounds about right to me, if in this case all vet bills were reimbursed.
That is assuming that the pet food recall cases will not become land mark cases in which pain and suffering will be added to the claim. This could be the tide turner for that.
I am all for pain and suffering money for those of you who lost a pet due to poison food. So many of these claims will be so hard to prove unfortunately, and I feel for you all.
$500 dollars is ridiculous!
Nancy
Comment by nancy — May 5, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
Iams and Eukanuba added more recalls today. It is on the menu site.
Comment by Maudigan — May 5, 2007 @ 3:48 pm
……I know it seems like this has been going on for years, but it’s now May 5! Iams and Eukanaba haven’t been updated since April 5. So, no they haven’t at least at the time of this posting.
Comment by CathyA — May 5, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
I read in one of these news articles that the US produces/consumes something like 9 billion chickens per year. If that’s accurate, 20 million chickens is a bit shy of one day’s supply. I expect that the FDA is going to fiddle around and pretend to do something, and very shortly announce that, on the basis of their painstaking “risk assessment,” these 20 million birds are good to go.
It strikes me that the chicken industry will suffer more if these birds are released than if th FDA were to play by the book and not approve these birds for market. I know several people who will not be purchasing chicken for a while if the FDA lets these birds go to market. How many people having this cautious attitude will it take to depress sales more than the loss of one day’s supply of chickens?
And in the unlikely event that these birds *are* kept out of the marketplace, the chicken ranchers should not be compensated by the gov’t (i.e., taxpayers). Instead, the bird ranchers can sue the feed sellers, just as pet owners are suing pet food companies…
Comment by David — May 5, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
OK… it’s decided I am not reading anything more on the net today. Thanks Cathy for pointing that out. There were all these two’s may… then a couple fives. My eyes are shot.
Enjoy your evenings all.
Comment by Maudigan — May 5, 2007 @ 4:34 pm
Comment by David — May 5, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
“If that’s accurate, 20 million chickens is a bit shy of one day’s supply.”
And FDA says American’s don’t eat much chicken??!!
Comment by Deanna — May 5, 2007 @ 4:39 pm
I probably ate melachicken in my canned soup last night. Realized it half-way through the bowl…figured, what the heck, the FDA says it’s okay - Right?
{sigh}
Comment by Gail B — May 5, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
I think ANI put the cheap RPC into all the other brands saving all the good ingredients (that the PF companies had paid for & were supposed to go into their food according to their recipe) for their own pet food. Probably also very careful to clean everything before running their own. I believe Diamond also had a similar situation, didn’t they? Like everyone else’s food was tainted but their food was just the pristine little PF it was supposed to be.
This is either a case of sabotage OR something they had been doing for years & just happened to get caught with the old pants down. No matter which way it goes, it’s all about the almighty dollar.
Anyone who tries to work directly with ANI to settle is crazy…..get a lawyer or join a class action suit. Bet me you’ll get more than $500. Maybe I’m naive but I can’t see how these a$$wipes can get out of paying for these horrendous vet bills. This is awful. After they pay through the nose, they should go to jail & eat their carefully prepared cuts & gravy.
Comment by JanC — May 5, 2007 @ 4:53 pm
Does anyone know if Highland Pride dog food is on recall list. Didn’t see it on PetFoodTracker. Trudy Jackson asked about it on another thread.
Comment by VJ — May 5, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
Hi VJ, Highland Pride hasn’t been on any list that I’ve seen, and at this point I’m sure I’d have heard about it from somebody.
Kim (PetFoodTracker)
Comment by Kim — May 5, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
What was recalled today? I just went to the MF website & the last addition was 5/3. Am I going nuts or did someone say more Iams & Eukanuba were recalled today? Anyone know what it was????
Comment by JanC — May 5, 2007 @ 4:58 pm
P.S. by the way, I’ve never heard of Highland Pride.
Comment by Kim — May 5, 2007 @ 4:58 pm
JanC - no more Iams or Eukanuba today, someone read the April 5 date as May 5 by mistake. (We’re ALL bleary eyed)
Comment by Kim — May 5, 2007 @ 5:00 pm
VJ - PET pride is on the recall list. (I can’t find Highland Pride even on Google…)
Comment by Kim — May 5, 2007 @ 5:03 pm
I received a response today to an e-mail I wrote to American Nutrition regarding the “adulterated” pet foods. It’s a pdf file of their 4-28-07 response which I think many are already familiar with. Basically they say that if a company’s recipe specifically excluded wheat, corn and soy, then ANI would go with rice - but not just the type of rice that is listed on the food’s label (e.g. “brown rice”), they would use anything from the rice family (e.g. rice protein concentrate). They deny tampering with anyone’s products.
Comment by slt — May 5, 2007 @ 5:04 pm
Kim…..thanks…..I’m running from website to website to try to find what was recalled today.
Egads……
Comment by JanC — May 5, 2007 @ 5:04 pm
Does anyone know which pet food manufacturer sold the tainted pet food to the chicken farms? I know we don’t know which states got the tained PF, but what about how it got there? I haven’t seen anything yet about this.
Comment by RJ — May 5, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
slt……I don’t believe that ANI is going to admit to anything…..I’d be surprised if the PF companies, who claim that ANI did it without their knowledge or permission, don’t have a lawsuit in progress against them. Too many have said that ANI did this without their knowledge so either they are all in it together & lying or ANI pulled a fast one. This could ruin their reputation forever (the PF companies who say they trusted ANI) & it’s very difficult to regain the trust of your customers once you’ve blown it. Especially those who have very sick animals or have lost them to their poisoned food…..even those of us who, by some miracle, escaped this won’t ever use any of these companies who had recalled food. For some of the smaller places, this could be it for them.
I just can’t imagine they’d admit that they screwed up ROYALLY by tampering…..
Comment by JanC — May 5, 2007 @ 5:12 pm
VJ, I also tried Googling. Same results as Kim - nada.
Trudy if you see this - are you sure it wasn’t Pet Pride instead?
Comment by Ally — May 5, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
I just read an article on the ConsumerAffairs website regarding the FDA’s lack of authority to force a recall. This caught my eye:
“This shortcoming [lack of authority to issue mandatory recall] 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 are not publicly known because the FDA will not name them until the companies come forth voluntarily.”
Please help me to understand. Does this mean there are still two manufacturers/producers who have not recalled their products?
Comment by My Dog's Mom — May 5, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
Comment by JanC — May 5, 2007 @ 5:12 pm
Agreed. I would love to be able to see the specific contracts that were in place between the companies claiming product tampering and ANI. For example, I’d like to read the part (if there is one) about the rice. Does the contract say “ANI will use only the specific ingredients called for in our recipes and no substitutions of any kind will be made without our written consent”? Or does it say basically that ANI can use whatever rice product they want, so long as they don’t use wheat, corn or soy. If the latter, I wonder about all the other label ingredients. Like chicken for example - did ANI really put chicken meat in the foods or was it something from the “Chicken family” (like by-products)?
Comment by slt — May 5, 2007 @ 5:18 pm
Reassuring message from Natura website.
Hello. My name is Peter Atkins and I am President and one of the owners and founders of Natura Pet Products. I want to take this opportunity to assure you that all dry, canned and baked treat products made by Natura Pet Products are absolutely 100% safe to feed and have not been involved in any way with the recent pet food recalls.
Understanding your need for the absolute certainty that the pet food products you feed your pet are safe, I have instituted a new initiative, which I hope will set your mind at ease. Over the past few weeks, Natura Pet Products has directed an independent laboratory, Midwest Laboratories, to begin a program of testing our ingredients and ALL of our finished products for melamine contamination – this includes dry, canned and baked treats. And, as expected, all tests have confirmed that there is no melamine in our foods. Furthermore, Natura Pet Products has incorporated melamine testing as a standard part of our expanded, 120 point ingredient quality control program. This means that all Natura pet foods will be tested and confirmed to be melamine free before being released to the market for resale.
Finally, I want to make sure that you know that we take very seriously our responsibility to provide healthful and safe products for the thousands of dogs and cats that eat Natura pet foods. All of us here at Natura Pet Products give you our absolute commitment that we will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure your pet’s nutritional health and safety. We appreciate the trust you place in us and hope that you will continue to rely on us for your pet’s care and feeding.
Comment by Gayle — May 5, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
Comment by Gayle — May 5, 2007 @ 5:32 pm
yeah
Comment by Steve — May 5, 2007 @ 5:38 pm
So like are they going to be using Animals to test it?
Comment by Steve — May 5, 2007 @ 5:45 pm
And uh, while were at it, where your ingredients coming from?
Comment by Steve — May 5, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
But doesn’t Natura still use Menu Foods for their canned products? I know they said they would get their own plant EVENTUALLY but that will take some time. In the meantime I think they are using Menu Foods and if that’s the case I still won’t support their products.
Comment by Nabiya — May 5, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
I think of all of them, Natura products are one of the few that I’d feed to my dog right now. Number one being that they have their own plant to make their own dry food….so nobody is going to be screwing around with the ingredients.
If they are having ingredients tested by an independent lab, that makes me feel even better. Where the hell are the rest of the PF companies & WTF are they doing to help put paw parents’ minds at ease about their PF.
I also think Canidae has been pretty open about how careful they are with their food. I really believe that there has to be a legal reason why Pied Piper does not want to be ID’d as the manufacturer of their dry food & whatever other companies they do business with. Some have been more open since this happened & some are still trying to keep that a deep dark secret. We haven’t had anything recalled out of PP so let’s hold our breath & hope that they run a clean operation (is there such a thing?)
Comment by JanC — May 5, 2007 @ 6:28 pm
This is truly horrifying if it’s true.
http://tinyurl.com/2debkw
Comment by Sharon — May 5, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
In todays SacBee: 3 tons of turkey products recalled bu USDA because they may have listeria, a potentially fatal bacteria. This recall was issued by Diestel Turkey Ranch in Tuolumne County CA on THURSDAY - isn’t today Saturday?! This packaged turkey went to stores in Arizona, CA, Colorado, Oregon Texas & Washington. HoHum, guess nobody thought it was too important.
Comment by Patricia Hill — May 5, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
My trust in the Pet Food Industry has been completely shattered.
Comment by Steve — May 5, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/pet.....SiTo6s0NUE
Guide lines for melamine poisoning of humans
“the risk assessment for chickens that had eaten feed with melamine would involve four aspects:
_The absence of melamine in feed used by large commercial producers.
_The dilution of the pet food with larger amounts of other ingredients in the feed.
_The healthy state of chickens that ate the feed.
_The lack of evidence of harm to humans by trace amounts of melamine because of the varied human diet and other factors.
“Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., the chairwoman of the House Appropriations’ agriculture subcommittee and co-chairwoman of the Congressional Food Safety Caucus, said the link between the tainted pet food and chicken feed “highlights the egregious holes in our food safety system.”
“It is time to grant the FDA and other food safety agencies clear mandatory recall and inspection authority,” she said in a statement. “These initial steps would help create a modern, comprehensive food safety agency that will be capable of protecting our food supply and restoring consumer confidence.”
“Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he agrees that the chickens should be held while risk to humans is assessed.
“This news proves how quickly a food safety concern can grow — it warrants great care and further proves why we need an audit of the nation’s food safety system,” Harkin, D-Iowa, said in a statement.
I have 1 guideline: NO Melamine - No tolerance for being poisoned.
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — May 5, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
Kim (PetFoodTracker) posts of 4:57p/4:58p
Kim I had checked your site and not seen anything for this Highland Pride either. Was trying to help Trudy Jackson who had posted on Friday afternoon
broken thread open thread at 4:46p. She was asking if anyone had heard of this Highland Pride as her neighbor has been feeding it to his pets along with Alpo and they got sick. Seems the Alpo is still on the shelf at WalMart in Virginia.
Comment by VJ — May 5, 2007 @ 6:51 pm
I really think some of the chicken feed was bought straight without pet food but with melamine and cyanuric acid added.
Why was not the pet food destroyed?
Just buying organic for myself. Cannot understand what to feed my two cats, previously sickened by Menu foods products.
They are well now, but am very nervous about cat food.
Threw out a cooked chicken I had bought for them after learning about 20 million chickens on hold. Threw out the can of chicken soup for humans that I was going to give them.
Baffled and quite a lot distressed. The only things that make me feel good are all of your comments. Some people care about all the darling animals. Evelyn
Comment by Evelyn — May 5, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
This is a little off topic.
I posted this on Spocko’s Brain: CEO’s for Menu and ChemNutra Testify - under comments.
Kathi said…
I have a problem with Miller’s answers regarding wheat gluten.
Stupak: “Have there ever been any complaints before about low protein content?”
Miller: “Well, this was a new product for us.”
Stupak: “Okay…from this company? You’ve used this company before in China, but not this product?”
Miller: “This was the first company we imported…(voice trails off)…We just started last fall in this business…(voice trails off)…This was a new product for us.”
Stupak: “Okay, okay.”
(video ends)
Vital Wheat Gluten has been listed as one of their products since at least January 2004 on their old websites.
They claim to have been in business for over 12 years.
Do you see why I have a problem with Miller’s statements?
Isn’t that some form of perjury or am I missing something here?
(end of comment)
This will take you to Spocko’s video:
http://tinyurl.com/23wj6u
Anyone here think this?
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
I thought Wal-Mart was all bragging about how they had all the UPC codes entered on the registers so that no recalled food could be purchased by mistake?
Comment by The OTHER Pat — May 5, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
Here’s where Wal-Mart claims to have ensured they won’t be inadvertently selling any recalled foods:
http://walmartfacts.com/articles/4932.aspx
Comment by The OTHER Pat — May 5, 2007 @ 7:02 pm
Doesn’t it amaze you all when you go into a store any store that has pet food for sale and the shelves are still loaded with product. Wouldn’t you think with all the recalled food the shelves would look emptier and emptier. Is it like that where you live or is it just in my area of Mich.
Comment by VJ — May 5, 2007 @ 7:04 pm
Mela/chicken Mela/Pork Question?
Does anyone know if when eating mela/chicken/pork if there is a taste that we could identify, a smell? Does it smell like burning plastic when being cooked?
Wife won’t buy any chicken until we get some word about what is going on. Getting tired of eating spinach with e-coli, peanut butter with salmonella, etc.
Just curious
sam
Comment by sam — May 5, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
I don’t think it’s melamine. I have not found any articles that link melamine with sure death. Early articles have vets reporting anti freeze like poisoning. I’ve read plenty of articles that link anti freeze to pet death though..food for though..eh ?
The FDA just put out a warning about glycerine testing.
Article out today on the poison trail from china which reports humans dying of renal failure.
http://www.iht.com/articles/20.....poison.php
quote I found on a petfood website:
semi-moist foods usually contain humectants such as glycerin or propylene glycol, which helps keep the food soft due to their water-holding properties. Propylene glycol also helps kill mites, which would otherwise grow on semi-moist foods. Propylene glycol is not permitted in cat foods because of concerns about abnormal red blood cell formation. It should be noted that the active compound in anti-freeze, ethylene glycol, which is very toxic to all animals is quite different from propylene glycol, the ingredient in semi-moist pet foods.
I dunno..just an afternoon in front of the computer with Google has me thinking that I’m living an episode of the “X Files”.
Comment by newlurker — May 5, 2007 @ 7:10 pm
Does anyone have a semblance of a life since this all started. Swear I spend more time at this computer than when I worked 6 days 10 or more hours and I’m retired. Do you feel like this is so-o consuming your lives. I can’t let go!
Comment by VJ — May 5, 2007 @ 7:10 pm
The pet food industry has zero credibility. Look at all the brands tauting AFFCO on their products. AAFCO, one employee, no inspections, a sick joke. Any pet food manufacturer saying they meet AAFCO standards is telling me they are part of the problem.
Comment by MFEMFEM — May 5, 2007 @ 7:11 pm
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
Oh Kathi, I think you *know* what I think of the ChemNutra folks! ;)
What honest company switches all of their Human Grade products to Feed grade and then deletes a majority of them 2 weeks later in the midst of a major meltdown like this?!
Hello?! Is anyone paying attention?! And has anyone besides bloggers connected those dots and the patent dots?!
Comment by straybaby — May 5, 2007 @ 7:18 pm
VJ
I wouldn’t be stuck on ChemNutra, Menu, ANI and Wilbur-Davis as well as China if I didn’t think it really means something. I believe they are more connected than what they would like us to believe.
If I didn’t think so, I’d only check here once in awhile and get back to my other project which has been suspended since March 16. That project I’ve been on for 7 years, daily.
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 7:18 pm
Jan,Natura Pet-Innova,CAl.Natural he is the only CEO that step up and said he will build his own plant for wet food.Lets give credit where it’s due.
Comment by Mary Ann — May 5, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
straybaby
Do you remember the purchase invoice and the certificate? Both Chinese company names were involved.
I smell a “shell” game.
Want product from company A, have company B ship as non-food product, have company A certify as food grade to US supplier, US supplier has GOOD certificate.
Same old game - same old slight of hand.
Similar to what “mal” posted above @ 3:50 pm.
I posted my shell game May 4 @ 4:18 am on Mainstream Media Reports on the Numbers thread.
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
Comment by Mary Ann — May 5, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
Well if comes through and doesn’t cut costs and corners on safety down to next to nothing he won’t have anything to worry about. He’ll get tens of millions of customers.
Comment by Steve — May 5, 2007 @ 7:33 pm
I had thought the Wegman’s recall was only for the cat food but maybe not. Just in case, I just came across this, a dog food by Wegman’s -
http://www.aplus-flint-river-r.....8f1de53be4
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 7:35 pm
VJ,
It’s not just where you live! I went to grocery store today just to get milk. For the first time in forever, the only “extra” thing I got were potatoes. (Pkg said they were from Idaho, I sure hope so!)
The shelves at the store were packed full of pet food. Couldn’t get another bag, can or pouch on the shelf if they had to. I didn’t look really close but it seemed to be all different brands with a number of items, especially in the cans and pouches, having signs under them that said “NEW!”…
I had Chickamine Salad for supper, and the only ingredient that I put in that I have any confidence in at all was the Georgia Vidalia Onion!
Granny
Comment by Aunt Granny — May 5, 2007 @ 7:37 pm
VJ
My friends from all over have been calling to tell me how full the shelves are and two of them said there were extra pallets on the floor.
Smells of “back to business as usual.”
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 7:43 pm
Maybe the shelves are full because so many people stopped buying the crap and are feeding homemade and/or raw diets.
Comment by Nabiya — May 5, 2007 @ 7:49 pm
Nabiya
I can only hope that would be the case.
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 7:51 pm
I wish we had data on how many cases of acute renal failure for last summer. I’ve heard of several. Including from an old vet I had who adopted from my girl’s litter. The vet’s dog was 8 years old and suddenly had renal failure with no explanation. The dog was never off leash except in the house or the office.
Comment by Kathi — May 5, 2007 @ 7:56 pm
My guess - I bet the shelves are stocked with more of the non-recalled food to fill in the gaps of the recalled food.
It goes more to advertising and appearance than to anything else.
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 7:57 pm
In response to the affco thread. Affco oversees the pet industry. it is governed by the major companies of the said industry. kinda like the fox guarding the hen house. In order to sell pet food that AFFco seal of approval(so to speak) must be on the package. Basically all it insures is that its balanced (snort) minimal protien, fat, etc.thats a joke. thats it and nothing more. Does not mean they cannot use substandard ingredients like peanut hulls, by-products, cellous or anything else they want to use for a empty non- nutrition filler. For instance, you cannot put bee pollen in food because it is not recognized as a food, sorry its what baby bees eat! oh yeah and so do people but…Ethoxyquin can be used even though its not a food but thats ok cause its approved for pet food, not approved for human food though because of its known danger of cancer, but thats ok they can still use it in pet food. P.S. other uses of ethoxyquin preservatives in chickens (for pet food consumption only)(very economical to use) and vulcanization of rubber aka car tires! All of a sudden I have an urge for a chicken melamine sandwich with a drizzel of ethoxyquin for extra flavor.
Comment by Jan — May 5, 2007 @ 7:59 pm
A previous post said that Fancy Feast canned cat food was produced by Menu Foods. Since I use Fancy Feast (non-wheat gluten varieties), I looked for information that would indicate which Purina plant or plants might have produced Fancy Feast since they supposedly manufacture their own foods. On the website for the St. Joseph, MO Chamber of Commerce, I found the following statement regarding the Nestle-Purina Petcare plant located there (4502 Parkers Ave., St. Joseph, MO 64504). “St. Joseph facility is the sole producer of the canned Fancy Feast product.” Maybe this statement will be reassuring to anyone worried about this. I have also sent an e-mail to Purina asking this question and will post the answer. Even though it takes longer to get an answer by e-mail, when I e-mailed a previous question, I did receive a phone call from a lady who was very knowledgable and answered my questions satisfactorily. I can’t explain why someone there would say yes to the question about Menu Foods unless there was some misunderstanding on one end or the other. I can understand why someone who suspects Fancy Feast of causing a problem would stop usig it, but I have had no problem, and have more fear to change than to continue. I considered changing at the beginning of the recall and bought a couple cans of Natural Balance. I only fed one, and it was not on the recall list, but decided that I would stick to the Fancy Feast rather than take any more unknown risks.
Comment by Linda P. — May 5, 2007 @ 7:59 pm
Linda, I dont know personally how to read all of Purina’s manufacturing codes….. but I’m sure there is something out there on it.
Comment by Don — May 5, 2007 @ 8:09 pm
Carole,
That’s what I figured when I first went down the pet food aisle.
After Hurricane Katrina the shelves here were jam packed with all of the same few things to fill in for missing items.
It wasn’t that way today in the pet food aisle. It all looked different, just like always…
Comment by Aunt Granny — May 5, 2007 @ 8:10 pm
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/D.....elines.pdf
GUIDELINES FOR THE DISPOSAL OF INTENTIONALLY ADULTERATED FOOD PRODUCTS AND THE DECONTAMINATION OF FOOD PROCESSING FACILITIES
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 8:12 pm
ABC7 is going to talk about ‘more tainted food’ in the human food supply.
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 8:13 pm
RE: Natura - question. We were told 3 days ago that they only use US ingredients in their foods. However, the early April video message from the President stated effectively immediately their buyers were to purchase from US only. So, is the stock of food currently being supplied to stores include ingredients from China? There is a slight conflict in answers. What about taurine, which someone stated is purchased from Japan or China? Are they testing current production only or packages on the shelf?
I’m glad they are testing. I’m glad they are getting their own manufacturing plant. I feed a Natura product, but I’m not confident about any food right now.
Comment by Donna — May 5, 2007 @ 8:15 pm
http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Res.....ndices.pdf
Considers a food mislabeled if it contains false. or misleading statements. • Prohibits shipment in interstate commerce of. adulterated food products.
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
I personally called Purina on Friday re: where’s Fancy Feast manufactured and the customer service person was ADAMANT that they do not use Menu Foods for any canned cat foods and never have. He said there’s all kinds of misreported info out there about this and Purina has no connection to MF. He was also adamant that all canned cat foods are produced 100% in their own plants.
Comment by Nabiya — May 5, 2007 @ 8:17 pm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18405363/
Makes it all too real when you see it talked about so vividly
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 8:18 pm
RE: Worth of a pet
a local dog day care facility also views dogs as property. Their limit is $200 in the event of a dog’s death.
Comment by Donna — May 5, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
Shelly,
That takes care of the so-called cross contamination issue, doesn’t it?
As usual, Lies, Lies, Sweet Little Lies….
Comment by Aunt Granny — May 5, 2007 @ 8:26 pm
RE: Comment by Nabiya at 8:17 pm
Thank you. Your phone call to Purina confirms to me that my information saying that the Fancy Feast is produced at Purina’s St. Joseph, MO facility is true. In addition, for those worried about cross-contamination because of the recall of Alpo, the Alpo was produced at Purina’s Nebraska plant. For now, I feel better.
Comment by Linda P. — May 5, 2007 @ 8:33 pm
Wonder if human grade chicken, meat, and turkey is safe for my cats.
I give them California Natural but I supplement it with human food. With 20 million chickens on hold and three million already eaten by people, I am feeling like I am poison them with every food I give them.
I think there is a lot of poisons going into the whole animal food chain.
Comment by Evelyn — May 5, 2007 @ 8:34 pm
So Granny, if in fact the shelves are stocked with all different food, then it would seem that the companies are forging ahead as usual.
Given the they are testing for melamine in their ingredients and finished product (at least a lot of them are) then I assume they feel safe about selling their food. Keep in mind that there are millions of folks still relying on this food so there is a market.
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 8:36 pm
Shelley - the Wegmans recall you mentioned was from June 2006. It was for dry food, apparently because of mold.
http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_.....ovider=top
However, Wegman’s Bruiser canned dog food *is* recalled, it was part of the initial Menu Foods recall.
Comment by Kim — May 5, 2007 @ 8:48 pm
Oops, sorry Shelly, misspelled your name. Didn’t mean to!
Comment by Kim — May 5, 2007 @ 8:48 pm
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/163056.html
“The tendency to cover up, or minimize, the cases is strong in China.”
“… in the past three weeks alone. Watermelon tainted by pesticides sickened residents in Guangdong and Shaanxi provinces last week. In southern Fujian province, 34 students fell ill after eating mushrooms at a cafeteria April 17. A day earlier, 60 migrant workers grew sick in Shanghai from canteen food. Police are investigating how rat poison got in breakfast food at a hospital in Harbin on April 9, making 200 people ill and killing one person.”
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 8:52 pm
“Within moments of a foreign reporter’s arrival at the day care center, police hauled him to a local station for questioning.
“There’s no problem here,” said Officer Li Gaofeng, adding: “If this is in the foreign media, it will damage China’s reputation.”
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 8:54 pm
“If there’s a way to add bulk to food with an additive such as melamine, “God forbid, then they will do it,” said Matthew Crabbe, the managing director of Access Asia, a Shanghai-based market research firm, “because they probably get away with it most of the time, and it increases their profit in a market where profit margins are microns thin.”
WOW-this whole article is SO TELLING!
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 8:56 pm
Comment by Linda P. — May 5, 2007 @ 8:33 pm
A lot of people are still feeding Fancy Feast as it appears to be “safe” right now for contaminants but it’s still a “junk food” type of cat food IMHO. Also, here in the Bay Area of California, FF raised their prices from .45 cents to .75 cents a can. Real nice of Purina to take advantage of a tragedy. But they’re not alone. Most canned cat foods have gone up in price. Maybe that’s why the shelves are full?
Comment by Nabiya — May 5, 2007 @ 8:58 pm
Thank you Kim. Didn’t know it was June ‘06, but wow that is recent - ? It was just before the major recall… (Dec06 is when most of our dogs/cat in the US have been getting sick ?)
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
Cat folks, please help.
I am not in the habit of feeding my cats wet food (okay, beat me with a noodle of you want, but there it is.) But I have a cat who’s losing weight, though all her labs and UA are fine. She won’t eat homecooked - trust me, I’ve tried!! - so I’ve been giving her some canned food to add some extra calories - Hills SD, not the recalled style, but plain old pate style. So far, it’s working - she’s loving it and gaining a little weight to boot.
Tonight, I opened a can of SD Turkey and Giblets entree and found what looked like MOLD on top. Little freckles, greenish black. They were only on the surface - not mixed throughout the food. I didn’t give it to her.
Is this normal? Am I just being paranoid? None of the other “flavor” formulas I’ve fed her had anything like that. But I don’t know very much about canned food. If you do, please let me know what you think.
Thanks!
Comment by Laura — May 5, 2007 @ 9:02 pm
Nabiya -
I had that cross my mind- pet food is going to rise in price. ‘They’ can’t use melamine to raise protein content anymore (until they find another trick to raise nitrogen) so they have to use the real stuff for a while. Costs more - you’ll pay more. (‘They’ being whoever knew)
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
Carole,
I truly don’t know…
Some of them may not have much, if anything, left to lose at this point.
I wouldn’t trust the SOB’s any farther than my wrinkley old self could throw them. ANY of them!!!
I wouldn’t assume that any of them have gotten their act together except to the extent that it takes to try and legally cover their collective a$$es!
To quote my youngest: “The incorrect assumption is the Mother Of All F*** Ups”. It’s awfully nasty sounding, but it’s also very true!
Any credibility the pet food companies had, has been blown, and big time!
The safest thing anybody can do for their beloved fur child at this point is to head for the kitchen and “ride the range”. Make their food just like you do for the rest of your family…
Comment by Aunt Granny — May 5, 2007 @ 9:06 pm
Laura,
First trust your instincts. Rarely will they be wrong.
Second - What are the ingredients? (any reason to have what you described?)
If in doubt, burn it.
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:06 pm
I miss E. making me laugh all the way to the little girls room.
Where’s E.
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:08 pm
Uh, most companies announced price increases 3-4 months ago. Purinas became effective April 1. I think Mars became effective May 1. Well ahead of all this. The price increases are just now taking effect.
Also, they were about 5%. Also remember, stores do control end pricing on 99% of cpg pricing.
Comment by Don — May 5, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:06 pm
Thanks for your response!
Re ingredients - Nope, nothing, as far as I know, anyway (hey, we all know they’re potentially fictitious anyway). But I can’t see anything that ought to be making flecks like that, and the can wasn’t dented or damaged, either.
Comment by Laura — May 5, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
Oh Gosh E.
Really, really need you NOW
:)
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
Shelly, E.’s fine, just not able to be here right now.
I miss E.’s posts too. Especially when E. goes on weed patrol, lol.
‘Night everyone. Off to enjoy some snuggle time with my fur kids.
I recommend you do the same. ;-]
Comment by Ally — May 5, 2007 @ 9:14 pm
I just got back from a trip to the only supermarket in our county, and there were some empty spots on the canned pet food shelves.
Some of the brands you all mention are not at all familiar to me, but I did see Attaboy in cans and Western Family and I think Pedigree. Forgot to look where the IAMs is. That is the luxury food here unless you go to the Vet’s office and they sell Hill’s Science Diet.
I buy only U.S. labeled produce (or Canada)and they are putting info stickers (COOL) next to the produce—finally! So now I can buy some veggies.
I stayed away from any chicken, tho, but made a point to ask where it was from at the deli, and she said the store manager went on the internet and checked and said their chicken is OK. Sure would help if we knew what chicken farms, huh?
Comment by Elaine — May 5, 2007 @ 9:14 pm
Yea, and we’re currently in need of some weeding :)
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:16 pm
Comment by Don — May 5, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
Fancy Feast going from .45 to .75 per can is 66%, not 5%. And it’s called price gouging. And Purina never announced a price increase months ago.
Comment by Nabiya — May 5, 2007 @ 9:17 pm
Did anybody ever discover why the animals that were eating Beneful got so darned sick??
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
Shelly, not touching that.
Don’t want to make Christie or Gina’s finger’s itch.
*poof*
Comment by Ally — May 5, 2007 @ 9:19 pm
Are you sure they didnt announce a price increase??? What store in the Bay Area raised their price from .45 to .75?
Comment by Don — May 5, 2007 @ 9:19 pm
I see said the blind man.
anybody have any problems tonight please post. I’m outta here for the night
I’ll be wading through the ‘net looking for stuff …
too many sales pitches for me, my animals are my priority. the all mighty dollar can go straight to - -
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
Comment by Don — May 5, 2007 @ 9:19 pm
Safeway, the biggest grocery chain, as of today when I was there AND online has Fancy Feast at .75 cents per can, up from .45 cents per can.
Comment by Nabiya — May 5, 2007 @ 9:28 pm
I guess I think if it this way. Our country was never safer than immediately after 911 when security was at its height. You could barely get on a plane without being strip searched.
It’s the same with this. After the FDA has inspected their plants, companies are at their highest screening because they can’t and don’t want the FDA back in their plant nor do can they afford to shut down. Melamine testing has become standard testing as we are hearing.
That’s a start…
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 9:30 pm
There is no reason for Fancy Feast to be that cheap. If its everyday price was .45, it was an error. At Vons, it was never .45.
Comment by Don — May 5, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
To further my comment…
You may feel that there is a lot more that pet food companies can be doing, and you probably won’t find too much argument on that. My point was that for the current situation, with the established facts, most of them are trying to institute measures that will address this situation. It may not solve everything down the line, but this mess seems to be evolving all the time so I imagine they are constantly reacting to possible problems as they arise.
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
Fancy Feast is all over the online stores including Petco for .44-.54 per can still, while the supply lasts…..
Comment by Nabiya — May 5, 2007 @ 9:46 pm
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
Ruh-roh. I think I’m on the verge of being accused of being a shill - again.
To clarify - I have ZERO interest in (and am not employed, paid, or otherwise remunerated in any way by) ANY pet food company. I’m just trying to figure out what to feed my “kids.”
I’ve been feeding Hills based loosely on the “9-11” theory mentioned above - i.e. if Hills is so dependent on sales by vets, then they probably have more reason than most to get their s**t together and test everything so they don’t lose that connection. (Cynical, but I’m banking on it anyway.)
The SD I’ve been feeding so far has been pretty popular with my cat, who’s loving the new foray into the seductive world of canned food. Then again, I suspect she’d love whatever canned she got right now, so this is NOT a product placement!
But one new variety (SD Turkey and Giblets adult entree) I opened tonight has flecks of something that looks like mold - just on the surface. Nothing I can identify in the ingredients (and there’s plenty I can’t identify, for the record) ought to be causing it, as far as I can tell.
That said, please understand I know less than diddley-squat about canned cat food. Is this normal, or not? Has anyone else seen this? If not, what do you do with it?
Comment by Laura — May 5, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
Its a sale price, are people not allowed to have sale prices anymore? Petco is 20/$10. Elegant Medleys .75?
Comment by Don — May 5, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
If looks like mold, I’d return it. Nothing to do with melamine … even good products sometime go bad.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 5, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Sorry Laura but without seeing it it’s hard to make a definitive call. I’ve used wet food my entire life and I can’t recall seeing something like you describe. If I did, odds are I’d probably toss it and open a new can (back in the old pre-recall days). Normally I wouldn’t suggest this but since it is Hills you may want to drop it with your vet’s office and ask them if they can give you any insight on the mold thing. Given the situation, I assume most vet offices would at least look at it.
Wish I could help but if you ever open wet food at any time and feel it smells bad or whatever, go with your gut. I can’t say I’ve seen that happen much, but even if it’s just bad food and not harmful, it’s not worth making your cats eat it.
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 9:56 pm
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 5, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Okay, it’s back to Petsmart tomorrow, then, Thanks!!
Comment by Laura — May 5, 2007 @ 9:57 pm
Comment by Laura — May 5, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
Negative :)
Comment by shelly — May 5, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
Kathi,
Perhaps what has been bugging you is the same thing that has been bugging me in Miller’s testimony. He contradicted himself—-first saying they’ve been been in business many years (did he say something like 12?) and then he said he’s been in business since last fall. I’ve been wanting to read his testimony but haven’t had time. I’ve been in the process of packing and moving and haven’t had a minute to myself in days. We’ll be on the road all day tomorrow so I won’t have a chance to check it then either. You might want to look at this.
Comment by Nadine Long — May 5, 2007 @ 10:01 pm
Comment by Don — May 5, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Biased :)
Comment by Nabiya — May 5, 2007 @ 10:02 pm
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 9:56 pm
Thanks, Shelly, Gina, and Carole. I don’t want to be paranoid, but after a full seven days of feeding canned, I’m still pretty much ignorant about it, and don’t want to go back to the store and raise a fuss over something that might be totally normal. Apparently, it isn’t, so it’s going back manana.
Thanks very much, really!
Comment by Laura — May 5, 2007 @ 10:04 pm
No, fact. Price increases were anounced MONTHS ago. Its ok.
Comment by Don — May 5, 2007 @ 10:08 pm
Gonna go in a different direction for a minute and toss in something positive…
My husband and I participated in the Humane Society Walk for Animals this morning, the largest in the country.
It’s so well attended that they held it in two parks in two cities in my area. When we arrived we were overwhelmed by the amount of folks who showed up with their animals to walk, I have never seen so many dogs in my entire life. They figure there are about 10,000 people who participate and about 5,000 animals. We even saw a ferret, a bunny, a few cats and a hamster. Teeny tiny dogs, dogs in wagons, generations of dogs, and dogs that could take you out in a New York minute.
And the dogs were thrilled to be out and about in the park surrounded by hundreds of other dogs. It was better than any dog show imaginable.
I think the best thing we saw was this large dog hopping along - he only had three legs. The woman told me that she worked at a vet clinic and the dog had been hit by a car and the owners were going to put it to sleep so she took it. He was having a ball and was just running along with everyone else.
All in all, they raised a ton of money, their goal was 1.2 million. And the nice thing is that all of it goes to animal needs, nothing to administrative.
We were probably one of the few folks walking without an animal but we didn’t think our cats would really want to go.
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 10:16 pm
Comment by Carole — May 5, 2007 @ 10:16 pm
It IS awesome, isn’t it?
Last year, we went to one here in NC with our laid-back lab. I was *amazed* to see so many dogs in so little space getting along and taking a walk. Although I have to admit the synchronized poop-fest at the .75 mile corner was frankly even more amazing. :)
We’re going again this year, with both the old lab and the new rescue terrier guy. It may be a huge mistake, given his occasional leash aggression issues - but I’m hoping he’ll pick up on the vibe - or failing that, at least realize he’s WAYYY outnumbered.
Comment by Laura — May 5, 2007 @ 10:26 pm
Hey! I just posted a new thread with a bunch of head explosion in it… check it out.
Comment by Christie Keith — May 5, 2007 @ 11:25 pm