Pet-food recall: It’s what’s for dinner
By Gina Spadafori
May 10, 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.
I don’t know why this cracks me up, but it does. The Food section of the Austin Chronicle is about cooking for pets. (Scroll down to the end of the linked story for even more articles on that site.) The story is being treated just as if it were about recipes for barbecue, things to do with asparagus or six new ways to make macaroni and cheese. (Can you tell I used to help edit a food section?)
The fact that these recipes are treated so matter-of-factly is interesting to me because it points out the ridiculousness of the “Home feeding? You’ll KILL your pet! It’s more complicated than a space mission!” nonsense that keeps getting put foward. Seriously, can you imagine there being no food section in the newspapers, no cookbooks and and no food shows because it’s simply not considered safe to feed yourself and your family without running every recipe past a board-certified MD nutritionist and having frequent check-ups, as has been recommended for pets being home-fed?
I recognize most of us just want to get back to commercial food we can all trust, and I want us all to get there, too. I use commercial foods myself, in part. But my BS detectors go off like air-raid sirens every time I hear an expert warn us against home-prepared meals for pets in such overwrought, end-of-the-world tones. A little perspective here, please!
As we have said here many, many times: Our Pet Connection team includes people who feed their pets store-label foods, national name brand foods, organic, human-grade commercial foods and a completely home-prepared diet. We’re not pushing our choices on you — in fact, we refuse to! But we are all in agreement that whatever choice you make for your pet, you ought to be able to buy that food with confidence that it’s not toxic. In our mind, it’s not too much to ask.
Our advice has always been whether you want to discuss the right way for preparing food at home for your pet (for most it will be temporary; for some, forever) or consider the many commercial options, you should always start by talking to your veterinarian. Even if more newspaper stories, cookbooks and even TV shows about cooking for pets pop up — and I have no doubt they will! – your veterinarian should always be part of the discussion.
The bottom line: Commercial foods are a modern invention with many benefits, and that will remain true after this mess shakes out. But there are always options when it comes to feeding yourself or your pet. And you shouldn’t be made to feel guilty or stupid about any of them.
News update: Up from the comments, South Korea recalls Chinese wheat gluten, US pet foods
Go to the latest blog post | Go to the PetConnection home page
I like the drawing of the pets sitting in chairs at the table - now that is doggie heaven for sure.
And is that picture above of dog food - looks like my dinner, yummy!
Comment by Linda — May 10, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
Gina: “home feeding? You’ll KILL your pet! It’s more complicated than a space mission!”
THAT made me laugh. I think it would sound something like this:
“Houston, this is Eagle 1 we are adding heat to the chicken. Please stand by.”
Capcom: “Roger Eagle one you are go for heat.”
Eagle 1: “Houston, Eagle 1 here. We have a good burn.
Capcom: Roger that.
Eagle 1: Burn is continuing, all indicators are green and range is nominal.
Capcom: Roger that.
Eagle 1: Houston we have a problem.
Capcom: Eagle 1 state the nature of the problem.
Eagle 1: The chicken is burning! Repeat, the CHICKEN is BURNING like it’s made out of plastic. We see black smoke everywhere. It is filling the cockpit!”
Capcom: Eagle 1. Did you TURN the chicken over?
Eagle 1: Houston you are breaking up? Please repeat.
Capcom: Eagle 1. Did you TURN the chicken over?
Eagle 1: Um.. Eh. We believe we have identified the problem. We are using the safe melamime chicken with very low levels of melamime, 2,500 times less melamine than is safe for human consumption. It appears that when heat is applied it bursts into flames. No wonder they didn’t want people to cook for their pets. It’s incredibly complicated.
Capcom: Roger that.
Comment by spocko — May 10, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
It’s actually beef stew … but it wouldn’t be bad for sharing. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 10, 2007 @ 4:04 pm
If everyone in the USA stopped buying commercial pet food for just one month or two and did this or sought out small outfits Menu Foods would tank along with the rest of their cohorts.
Good Riddance!
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 4:07 pm
I’ve been mainly home cooking for my dog since mid March. I do also still use a bit of commercial food. My dog was at the clinic yesterday for regular checkup and got the full battery of blood, fecal and urine tests. The vet said the pooch looked great and is in wonderful shape for his age…..except……he’s gained a fair amount of weight on the home prepared diet. It apparently will take me a while to figure out the difference in volume and caloric intake between mine and the previous commercial food. Just a word to the wise aimed at the rest of you home feeders out there! P.S. my local paper had a pet recipe section last week, too.
Comment by elizabeth R. — May 10, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Heres a good question to ask the FDA.
What do the people of America do when a food or food supplement industry in our country collapses under free-trade with China, and we are virtually forced to buy the products from China?
Then what do we do when the safety of the food or supplements is questionable, and we have already destroyed our own supplement industry through what is called “free trade?”
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 4:26 pm
Wed May 9, 4:19 PM ET
BEIJING - Avoid drinking tap water during the 2008 Olympics — unless you’re living in the Olympic Village. That was the advice from a high-ranking Beijing official on Wednesday, explaining the city’s attempt to “guarantee water safety” for the Olympics.
http://tinyurl.com/28jope
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
Thanks for this great article. I’m not going to feed raw in my little apartment to 2 dogs and a cat, but these recipes appear to solve the supplement questions I have.
Anyone who can help with these two questions, I’d be very appreciative:
Any particular brands of wheat germ and Brewer’s yeast? Anything to be careful about in purchasing these?
Can I sometimes substitute cooked organic chicken for the beef? Mine are on organic ground beef with kibble now and doing well, but this article will help my confusion in knowing what to do to get them to 100% homecooked. I can do this! Thank you — a black cloud has lifted.
Comment by Maureen — May 10, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 4:07 pm
“If everyone in the USA stopped buying commercial pet food for just one month or two and did this or sought out small outfits Menu Foods would tank along with the rest of their cohorts.”
I read today that Walmart’s same store sales were down much more than expected from last year. Lots of reasons, but they did mention that their pet food sector sales were down because of the recalls, etc. Then I remembered reading that pet food sales are more important than the dollars spent on them; they are one of the reasons that consumers make frequent buying trips to Walmart (and other stores, of course).
This says to me that making an alliance with large grocery stores and the Walmarts and Costcos to make it easier for them to market to pet owners who want to easily homecook would be good for pets and good for their business.
Comment by Maureen — May 10, 2007 @ 4:37 pm
Scam artists in poisoned pet food scandal destroy evidence.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Scam artists in the thriving food additive export industry are quickly giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the reputation of Keystone Cops.
http://tinyurl.com/38yzn7
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 4:39 pm
Wow, not a single recall. I guess they must have fixed everything overnight.
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
You guessed right. I am seriously PO’d.
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
My thing is that my cats don’t like may of the suggested ingredients.
This is what they will eat: chicken and canned fish, corn, macaroni, cheese, and yogurt; broth is probably ok and they might eat peas. Nada on the rice and yams, they say!
Any suggestions on how to put these together and what else is needed? I need a chart of some sort; like how a vegetarian puts combinations together to make complete proteins. Does any one know of something like that?
Thanks for all the help
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — May 10, 2007 @ 5:02 pm
My dog has been on home cooked now for 6 weeks. Amazingly she is thriving! She now sports a true golden retriever coat! It is glossy. She does not itch. She has maintained her true body weight( due to the miscalculated protein.. she had lost 5% of her body weight - the vet and I were stumped - the more food we put in, the more poop came out but not 1 pound was gained - go figure..)she is more alert, happy and energetic. Sorry to burst your bubble Mr Sandloff.
I look back and think, how did all those dogs and cats survive on the farms years ago. And, I hear tell how they lived to be 20 + years!
Mr PFI, better reformulate or higher a new nutrionist because some of us have learned they’ve been skimming the cream off the top..
Katie
Comment by Katie — May 10, 2007 @ 5:03 pm
Maureen- Check out Itchmo’s forums. Lots of people there are sharing feeding ideas. I’ve only been home cooking for a month this time around, but I did it for 10 years in the ‘80s and recently read a lot of books. I buy organic wheat germ, and buy nutritional yeast (organic) rather than brewer’s yeast. The two yeasts are pretty much the same but nutritional yeast has more goodies. Substituting chicken (and lamb, pork or fish too) is a good idea because variety is very important to cover different nutrients. I buy free-range chicken that guarantees no animal protein (so no dog food) and whole grains (no pseudo glutens). I have a freezer full of beef, lamb and pork from animals we bought last fall at the county 4-H auction and had butchered locally, so I don’t have to worry about melapork.
Peggy – Strombeck’s book (Home Prepared Dog & Cat Diets) has lots of combinations including some of the stuff your cats eat. It’s expensive so check the library.
Comment by Carol PW — May 10, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
My kitties have been eating raw home-prepared food for 3 weeks now. Even Callie, who was very slow to come around, is now fully on board. They are eating heartily, and are the picture of health. (their vet agrees!)
Callie has become more sleek, losing the excess couple of pounds she was dragging around, and she just looks more fit. Except for a couple of days when the raw food was brand new to them, neither cat has vomited since quitting commercial food. It used to happen several times weekly, especially with Science Diet kibble. Also, no hair balls, despite spring weather. Their coats are thick and soft, and their eyes are less weepy than we’d been seeing recently.
They are nice and lively, alert, and very content. All in all, I’m delighted with their condition at 8 years. My only regret is that I didn’t make this change sooner. It’s really not so difficult to make up a 2 week supply for the freezer.
Comment by Zanzie — May 10, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
Elizabeth R, Katie and anyone else who homecooks - I would be interested in hearing how you learned to home cook (books, websites, etc.). Thanks.
Comment by Donna — May 10, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
Carol PW, Good idea to check the library, although, unfortunately, all 7 books in my county’s library system are already checked out, go figure.
There’s a way to borrow any book online from any library, though. Gotta remember where I saw that.
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — May 10, 2007 @ 5:25 pm
Very good point about home cooking. When the fda vet did the dire warning re home cooking last week my bs radar went off as well. Unless your pet is a baby, pregnant, aged, or ill, even if one got off on the ratio’s for a short time, it would be far less damaging than the potential of eating contaminated food. I’ve done kibble in the am and raw in the pm for sometime on my dog and two cats and it’s really not that complicated. During the current mess it’s been great that anytime I can just skip the kibble and go all raw as they are all used to it. His comments told me that the fda was far more concerned about protecting the pet food industry than the safety of my pets food supply. How hard would it be to put a couple of home cooked and raw recipes up on the fda site during this mess? Best of luck everybody and thank you so much for all the great info here.
Comment by Robin — May 10, 2007 @ 5:26 pm
Disclaimer: I’ve been cooking for my pets for less than a month.
Maureen—
Chicken is fine. I see a lot of recipes with chicken. I’ve been feeding my cats a lot of bird, because, well, cats. Cats eat a lot of bird in the wild.
Elizabeth—
My cats are losing weight—slowly—on the homemade (except for the two that are gaining muscle). They’re also glossy and shiny and racing around the house playing. I think most of the recipes I’ve seen online have too many carbs for cats. IMHO, disclaimer, blah blah.
I don’t know what recipe you’re using, but if you’re using one of the recipes with a lot of rice/corn/other grain, ask your vet what s/he thinks of reducing the amount of grain in the recipe. I’ve never seen any source give a scientific rationale for a recipe’s protein/fat/carb ratio. It’s usually just handed down like the Ten Commandments.
IMHO, as long as your dog’s getting his protein/fat/vitamins/minerals it’s not going to hurt to give him less carbs, especially if he needs to lose weight.
Comment by Katherine — May 10, 2007 @ 5:30 pm
My surviving pets have not dropped dead NEAR as much as they did on the Menu Foods or Purina poisoned food! Amazing, they live, do not vomit and seem just as happy! Huzzah!
Either this is a miracle on the order of the walking on water miracle or, and this IS shocking, the FDA and the “experts” were WRONG!
The melamine and other poisons are not a big ingredient in my cooking. Not global thinking of me I know, but my view of things if you don’t much care for your own toxic waste I sure don’t care to pay good money for it!
So neither my pets nor my guests are gonna drop dead to further the FDA agenda that homecooking is bad.
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 10, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
One other thing re raw. I’ve been doing it for abour five years and no trips to the vet to have teeth cleaned. My 15 year old cat has kitten white teeth. And don’t ask me why but since going to half raw I have not used any flea products in the house or on the cats and dog. No flea bombs, no advantage and no expensive teeth cleaning. So while the raw cost a tad more in the long run it’s cheaper and better for the animal. And for you guys that have trouble looking at the raw there are some good cooked recipes out there. But the cooked will not keep the teeth baby white like the raw does.
Comment by Robin — May 10, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
Wait, I take it back.
The only scientific rationale I’ve seen for a protein/fat/carb ratio is a book comparing said ratio to the average mouse carcass (for cats). That’s good enough for me.
Comment by Katherine — May 10, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
I think my pugs fur is shinier, with less shedding on homemade food. I also think he’s more playful (that can be annoying when I don’t want to play, but still a good sign) He has never gobbled food faster than he does now, that’s for sure. He barks at me to put it in the bowl faster. I also have been sprinkling some flax seeds on top. He is really a fan. The cats are another story all together………sigh. They want their fancy feast back NOW!
Comment by Joyce — May 10, 2007 @ 5:43 pm
Yes indeed what would our pets do without the expert advice of Duane Ekedahl and his Pet Food Institute.
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 5:44 pm
Peggy- until you catch up and get a good book (and for cats the one I like best is Strombeck’s) you could over the short term pretty much feed your cats any of the stuff they eat, or even Twinkies, and do better than the Menu Foods did. Best natural taurine source (a must-add) is cooked or raw clams. The National Academy of Sciences ‘Nutrient Requirements of Cats’ is available on line – Google the title – and it has a taurine table (table 6) but omits other sources said to be high in taurine like heart. Don’t bother with the National Academy site unless you’re ready for heavy sledding science-wise.
Comment by Carol PW — May 10, 2007 @ 5:47 pm
Donna—
I have a friend who’s been cooking for her cats for years. Right now I’m wishing I started sooner.
I’ve seen a lot of people recommend Strombeck and Pitcairn, but I haven’t read them. I should.
I have Frazier’s New Natural Cat, Andi Brown’s The Whole Pet Diet, Sandi Arora’s Whole Health for Happy Cats, and I think http://www.catinfo.org/ is a good cat nutrition site. (This information is very cat-oriented because I have cats; sorry if you have a dog, but they’re supposed to be easier to feed than cats.)
I like Andi Brown’s book, but I disagree with her protein/veggie ratios for cats. I try to keep the protein/fat/carb ratios closer to mouse or bird. She and I are both pro-supplement, though; I think my grumpy old man cat has benefitted a lot from the EFAs I’m giving him.
I hope that helps. Good luck!
Comment by Katherine — May 10, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
Heart is also rich in taurine, and my cats really like it.
Comment by Katherine — May 10, 2007 @ 5:57 pm
I apologize if this has been discussed already, but does anyone have comments on California Natural pet foods? My vet seems to think it’s good.
Comment by Suzi — May 10, 2007 @ 5:58 pm
One reason home cooking is bad and dangerous is because the pet food industry has expended a lot of resources to train veterinarians into believing that commercial pet food is the only safe food for pets. Representatives of the industry conduct nutrition classes as some vet schools. The pet food industry lavishes vets with free samples, slick glossy propaganda, and a profit center. Do you really think all those prescription diets are so great or so expensive to produce?
Basic nutrition is essential to our pets, but the industry has created an environment of fear, leading vets and pet owners to believe that we will kill our pets if we don’t buy their products. Many vets actively push the pet food industry’s products. Too many pet owners have bought into the pet food industry’s propaganda.
Educate yourself and you will find that all too much is hype, propaganda, and scare tactics. Pet owners don’t need most commercial pet foods. I know commercial pet food killed one of my pets and most likely another some years back. I cook at home for the survivors now and I feel much better about it.
The pets food industry’s biggest fear is that the public will learn the truth about the industry’s trail of lies and their insatiable greed.
Comment by MFEMFEM — May 10, 2007 @ 6:02 pm
Carol PW; actually that is what my vet said about 3 weeks ago: “Fed them anything they will eat, give them whatever they want as long as it’s not poisoned.”
They’ve been on half commercial grocery store food, a fish pouched variety, and some dry (which I worry over both of these not having been recalled but that doesn’t mean it’s not poisoned) and half canned fish, (which I also worry about the salt and heavy metals; ‘cause thats a lot of fish).
They were doing great at first and much better that they were on Purina’s non-nutritious, possibly contaminated crap.
But recently they’ve been vomiting and acting belly-achey. Plus originally this was a short term solution, and besides which I want to get away from any manufactured foods now.
And, now, it’s been 3 weeks and they need a balanced diet. Three of them are still kittens, apparently they’ve had bad food most of their short lives; they deserve some decent food!
I feel like I have no choice but to go home cooked.
Oh, great, speaking of vomiting… gotta go!!
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — May 10, 2007 @ 6:15 pm
Katherine, thanks for the input. I agree….I eat very few carbs myself so that is the first place I pinpointed for scaling back in the doggie food. I just need to get the portion sized-right for this particular dog. Every animal has its own metabolism and different activity level. The published recipes generally say what to prepare per serving (usually using example of generic 40lb dog). Well, my “little” guy’s 120 pounds and I now think 3 times the recipe for a 40 pounder is just too much dinner! Anyway, also agree wholehertedly with all those who have commented on the shinier coats they are noticing in just a few weeks’ time. Even if people can’t or don’t want to homecook all the time, making a few homecooked meals a week for your pet using nice fresh meat will be a treat for him/her.
Comment by elizabeth R. — May 10, 2007 @ 6:19 pm
Comment by Maureen — May 10, 2007 @ 4:37 pm
Screw Wal-Mart. They are the one company most responsible for moving American jobs to China (including manufacturing, milling).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/.....art/china/
Comment by Palomino — May 10, 2007 @ 6:24 pm
Elizabeth,
Yeah, I think Andi Brown said that it’s hard to portion a dog recipe for exactly that reason. Cats are easier, portion-wise. What a cat will eat in 30 minutes twice a day is about right.
My cats are doing so well that I’ll probably keep cooking.
Comment by Katherine — May 10, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
My surviving pets have not dropped dead NEAR as much as they did on the Menu Foods or Purina poisoned food! Amazing, they live, do not vomit and seem just as happy! Huzzah!
Now there is a ringing endorsement!
Homecooking, now with 100 percent less death!
Comment by spocko — May 10, 2007 @ 6:35 pm
Comment by Palomino — May 10, 2007 @ 6:24 pm
Wal Mart definitely makes the most damage done to America top 10 list.
They aren’t even welcome in most cities anymore.
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
Peggy – You could start with the Austin Chronicle cat food recipe that was the subject of this post, and substitute what your cats will eat – chicken instead of liver, macaroni instead of rice, bag the veg, add the oil, vitamin-mineral, eggshell, salt, and taurine either with supplements, heart or clams. Taurine supplement is RIGHT NOW, not to be omitted.
Comment by Carol PW — May 10, 2007 @ 6:45 pm
I do the ‘don’t try this at home’ food for my boys and the change in my 9 year old Black Lab is remarkable. Also, my new baby boy from the pound has taken to the home made meals with no problem. Bottom Line — the boys eat what we eat!
We have a wonderful vet that is assisting with the ‘balance’ of all things good. I am even making ‘dry’ food for them to supplement their raw / cooked menus.
Knowing what I know now and after losing a 4-year old dog, I would not go back to commercial food.
Still not sleeping real good at night concerned about the people food supply. Luckily we grow 80% of our food — it’s just that 20% that worries me.
Comment by Sunshine — May 10, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
They should just call it China Mart
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 6:48 pm
I have many acquaintances who over the past few weeks, refused to listen to anything about poisoned pet food. Now however, they are running into small problems……cats with urine containing crystals!!
Of course they have come to me on what to feed and I have sent them to PC, Itchmo, avma sites. But as is typical with these folks….”Don’t have the time”.
So, my question to you folks is
Can anyone recommend a specific brand of dry cat food? These folks won’t even take the time to open a can and they certainly won’t cook for their cats. I’m just trying to help the cats and I just don’t know what to tell these people. I’m doing my own thing with great success like you folks are. Any suggestions on a good dry cat food will be appreciated
Thank you
Comment by PegH — May 10, 2007 @ 6:49 pm
Clams = Taurine — check just saw that in that *sciency* book you mentioned. (lots of reading there)
Thanks, Carol PW, I was just thinking I could break them in and just make small additions to the chicken or fish, kind-of along the lines you just suggested.
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — May 10, 2007 @ 6:58 pm
Peg H, after much anguish and trial and error the only cat kibble I currently have in the house is dry Felidae and dry Innova Evo for cats. Only one cat likes the Felidae. The other two will eat the EVO. Dry kibble is only a supplement for my cats in addition to the fresh food I give them. I am not making a recommendation but after quite a bit of checking and detective work I THINK these two brands of dry are safe.
Comment by elizabeth R. — May 10, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
PegH, Ditto for the Felidae dry for one of my cats. The rest are on Feline’s Pride raw and loving it.
Comment by Nabiya — May 10, 2007 @ 7:00 pm
elizabeth R and Nabiya
Thank you both very much from me and the cats with wishwashy owners!!
Comment by PegH — May 10, 2007 @ 7:17 pm
Peggy – lest you think I’m having an easy time here by reading lots of books including the ‘sciency’ Academy of Science report, for full disclosure I have to tell you I have some problems with my cats too. The Baghdad dumpster cat (Hek) and the bimbo cat Mouse (sharper than a knife despite the wide-eyed looks) will so far only eat poached salmon, baked chicken, and chicken liver (a rare treat for them). They tolerate the clams, bone meal/eggshell and vitamin/mineral supplements mixed in so the diet is OK for now. Puck (the Humane Society 50 lb dog) will happily eat anything, probably including ground up plastic plates and forks, so her diet is to spec according to the books.
Comment by Carol PW — May 10, 2007 @ 7:24 pm
Does anyone know how Linda K’s cat is doing?
Comment by PegH — May 10, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
For reasons that I will not go into here, my dogs have almost always lived long healthy lives on homecooked or other people food.
Cats got second mortgage cat food and whatever people food was around. Everyone lived to an age astounding to vets and was getting me into trouble with legal trespass laws for miles around.
Sheriffs two counties away know my name and not for MY shenanigans, because I have rowdy pets. Or had.
Everyone is back on the bad for them homecooked and I am looking forward to a few chats with the local law.
Screw the FDA, my pets and I are going back to being a giant pain in the ass. What a relief.
And no, I do not know how to help with this or that animal problem, I can give no help whatsoever and I will contribute no money, not for animals, not for your children, not for anything and by the way ,I vote and will vote NO and HELL NO on every issue.
NO schools, NO sewers, NO!
I have jury duty coming up and I simply cannot wait to vote to let loose the first felon who crosses my path. If I can turn a little nasty loose on the world then it is my DUTY as a global citizen to do so!
I got the message!
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 10, 2007 @ 7:45 pm
Katherine, thanks for the info. And, yes, my kids bark.
Comment by Donna — May 10, 2007 @ 7:53 pm
Carol PW, :) I never seen a dog that wouldn’t eat all of everything!
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — May 10, 2007 @ 8:11 pm
Scam artists in poisoned pet food scandal destroy evidence.
Comment by Steve — May 10, 2007 @ 4:39 pm
“ChemNutra maintains Chinese offices—or at least did in opening chapters of the poisoned pet food scare—in the same region as Mao’s gluten factory.
The distance? Forty miles as the crow flies and 55 miles by road.”
Okay, now I understand how difficult it must have been to stroll over and check on things from time to time….Whut? Beemer break down???
Re: Home-cooking for pets:
A few things I do know… If it’s not melachicken, chicken and the darker fishes (tuna, salmon, etc…) are actually healthier for cats than the white fishes. Those choices will make the PH more acidic and help guard against urinary tract infections. If you feed a lot of white fish or fish oils, make sure to supplement with Vitamin E as the fish will deplete the body of this vitamin. Flaxseed oil for example is a better choice to add Omega 3’s to the diet. Virgin organic coconut oil is supposed to have all kinds of health benefits for people and pets and the way the chain of fatty acids are formed can actually boost the metabolism instead of causing weight gain. I don’t think it is rocket science to home-cook. Just use precautions and do read up on it. I know some people who are just trying to cook hamburger and rice for their dogs and that is not giving sufficient nutrition. There are also things to consider like protein/phosphorous ratios, etc. If you have animals with health problems already, then there is the whole idea of trying to figure out the proper levels of everything that would be best. I always hate to hear that “my cat/dog can only eat this one particular food that my vet told me about”. That’s BS. Research…figure out exactly what your animal needs for his/her particular ailments and you can craft a diet that will work. And if/when trust is restored, there are probably some commercial diets that will fit the bill just as well that don’t cost $60 a bag even though it is loaded with corn, by-products, and Ethoxyquin. I have also heard the Dr. Pitcairn’s book is excellent. Although, I think that the food portion is a small section and the book deals with holistic pet health in general. I, personally am not a big cook. I have one dog in CHF and he is on a commercial raw diet with lots of supplements. The others are on kibble with occasional raw meat and veggies. Trial and error at first…they won’t touch this…that makes them barf…etc…
Comment by Amara — May 10, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
RE: Cooking for dogs (sorry this is long)
I’ve found that K9kitchen,K9nutrition,K9kidneydiet(all yahoo groups)b-naturals.com,and dogware.com were extremely helpful. I also leaned on some of my golden ret. friends who have fed raw and/or homemade for 10 yrs. (stupid me use to poo poo them) Suzi at smilingblueskies.com also has a wealth of info. on her site. westcoastcaninelife.com, sells a product(I haven’t used)but their site also has a wealth of info.
I’ve started to log daily what I feed my dog, calc. her proteins,carbs and fat. Learned to be sure and offer variety to make sure her nutritional needs are met.
I’m using beef,chicken,turkey and lamb and canned salmon. A variety of vegtables, Barley and Brown Rice, Sweet Potatoes, Eggs, Yogurt. Not all at the same meal, only yogurt. I’ve used yogurt to ease gut transition and digestion. My dog is a senior dog with now mild kidney disease so she is getting some grain. Her protein is 45% of her diet. It differs depending on age, health and energy needs. She gets a B vitamin, salmon oil, vitamin E. I grind up egg shells for her Ca.
The meat can be steamed,boiled,baked,grilled,MW. I was told to lightly cook and not cook till it was shoe leather,by than the protein is really low.
You will find it goes quickly. Crock Pots are great! When you cook a meal for your self, just cook a little extra. Veggies need to be grated, I slightly steam - you need to breakdown the cellulose wall.
On the yahoo groups, people even discuss how to travel with dogs on raw and home cooked.
It is really not hard and when you see the results - you will be amazed!
Katie
Comment by Katie — May 10, 2007 @ 8:54 pm
For the poster who inquired about dry foods for cats, I’ve been pretty happy with the CORE dry. (I chose it because it’s grain-free.) My cats love the stuff.. and it’s one of the very few higher-grade foods I’ve tried that A) Nicholas is willing to eat, and B) doesn’t cause him to projectile vomit all over the house. One of the drawbacks to the CORE, however, is that it’s not a particularly low-fat food.. so it’s probably not the best choice for a tubby tabby.
None of my cats seem to care much for the Felidae.. which is unfortunate, as many seem to swear by it and it is quite a bit cheaper than the CORE.
Comment by Gwen — May 10, 2007 @ 10:50 pm
I checked out CORE, sigh, made by Wellness, so that’s out, since Wellness has it’s canned food made by Menu.
And as for all of you Walmart “fans”, I’ve been boycotting them since the corporation removed a t-shirt from their shelves that said “someday a woman will be president”. Apparently it was offensive to all those anglo male execs. Now I just keep adding to my list of reasons, and to my list of places to boycott. My friends and coworkers are tired of my tirades. But I truly believe in putting your money where your mouth is. Only by punishing these companies financially will we ever get the message across. Money is the only language they understand.
Comment by joyce — May 10, 2007 @ 11:34 pm
Oh, I forgot…a woman also got arrested in a Walmart for breastfeeding in a dressing room. Appararently it was indecent….
Comment by joyce — May 10, 2007 @ 11:44 pm
Joyce:
Jenny Dover was actually at Target, IIRC. Search Google for her.
Comment by leek — May 11, 2007 @ 12:54 am
“And as for all of you Walmart “fans”, I’ve been boycotting them since the corporation removed a t-shirt from their shelves that said “someday a woman will be president”.”
lol!~ thankfully i live in NYC and they aren’t welcome here ;) we do have k-mart, but hey, Martha introduced decent colors to the mass market through them, so i’m not too bothered *grin*
Comment by straybaby — May 11, 2007 @ 1:00 am
Katie - “Suzi at smilingblueskies.com also has a wealth of info. on her site. westcoastcaninelife.com, sells a product(I haven’t used)but their site also has a wealth of info. “
I don’t know Suzi personally but met her on-line over 6 years ago when she was still in Ontario.She is an amazing woman,with tons of sound,tested knowledge about canine nutrition.She more than answered all my never-ending questions and I had great success using the information she provided.She hadn’t developed a product at that time,but I’m glad she has now.
She also raises a lot of money to support cancer research at the University of Guelph,in Ontario.
The other sites Katie mentioned are terrific ,too,in my experience.
Lorna
Comment by Lorna — May 11, 2007 @ 4:23 am
Peggy and Peg H,
I am having really good luck here with Nature’s Variety Prairie canned food here with my 3 monsters. They are picky. I know they make a chow too. Might want to try that.
Comment by Sharon — May 11, 2007 @ 6:42 am
I believe Nature’s Variety canned is made by Menu - am I correct?
Comment by Lois C. — May 11, 2007 @ 7:34 am
Regarding the recipe above, my only concern is the chicken broth. I was using broth to improve the tast, but all of the broth I havae found has onions in it, and onions are supposed to be bad for dogs. Does anyone know if a small amount in the broth is ok? I think Rupert liked the food with the rice cooked in broth a little better, but I stopped due to that concern.
Comment by Joyce — May 11, 2007 @ 8:47 am
I cooked. They laughed.
I put some in their mouth, they were like:
Yum! This is tasty! Mmmmmmm!
Then they turn around saying: Ain’t no way we’re eating that. Don’t care how good it tastes!
All 7 of them, they all did the same thing!!!
They’re not getting any commercial, manufactured foods.
They’ll have to starve, I am not poisoning them ever again. (Don’t worry, they won’t really starve, I’m just telling them that.)
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — May 11, 2007 @ 10:47 am
Lois, yes it is. Although they’ve assured me it’s fine, for what THAT is worth.
I’m stuck here. I have 2 with renal problems that must be on a low protein, low phosphorus diet. I’m feeding Hi-Tor and I’m so nervous about it, I’m holding off on that starting today. I’ve decided to feed just the Prairie as my cats are so thin. They need to add a little weight. At this point, any assurances from anyone that their food is 100 percent safe isn’t going to make me feel better.
My Mom is feeding Merrick but then her cats weren’t exposed to this, luckily.
Peggy, I said the same thing to my cats 4 weeks ago and home cooked for them for a few weeks. Never seen such an attitude - even my girls can’t have attitude like the cats :) I reminded my husband last night that WE are THEIR royal subjects and the look on his face was priceless :)
I so want this to be over. I’m so tired of lies, I’m so tired of reading heartwrenching stories of people losing animals, of animals suffering. Every life has value, even the lives of our smallest companion animals.
I worry about the turtle food (he gets mostly fresh and worms from the garden), the Tetra fish food, the millet I give my birds for snacks and their seeds, the hermit crabs food. This whole thing has just opened such a can of worms that it is mind boggling.
I’m sorry for the emotional roller coaster in this thread but that’s how it feels on a daily basis. I want to punch a wall or something but I don’t want to break my hand :(
Comment by Sharon — May 11, 2007 @ 11:08 am
I have a comment for Joyce regarding the use of broth in the rice for flavor. I have 2 dogs who have eaten tainted food, the smallest one’s renal counts were over double what is considered normal. I have been home cooking for the last month and 1/2. I cook the rice with half the amount of water and the other half is cranberry juice. I make sure it is the 100 percent juice one, not the cranberry cocktail juice. The cranberry is good for the kidneys and my dogs seem to love the taste. Our little Westie was loosing his hair and became nothing but skin and bones despite how much he ate. Since I have been feeding him home food he has gained some weight and his hair is growing back except for where his kidneys are located on his back. The other thing I do is to wash him with Olay Body Wash-daily purifying with sea salt and microbeads(human body wash). Before using it he always seemed to smell even after he was bathed with regular pet shampoo, plus he seemed to have an oily feel to his skin which I believe to be the toxins coming through his skin since his kidneys are not processing them normally. My vet said that I could wash him every couple of days & that it won’t dry out his skin.Whatever is doing it, it seems to be helping. At least his is growing back most of his hair, finally. But try the Cranberry juice instead of the broth for the rice. The other thing I have done is add pureed carrots and green beans to their food for added vitamins and mix that in the rice after it is cooked. I also cook both the meat and green beans with garlic powder and that seems to help with the taste too.
Comment by Diane — May 11, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
Hey, wadda ya know, they started eating my home cooking!!! :) Yea!!
And the random, intermittent vomiting has stopped, just like that!! They needed calcium to go with the meat; that’s what was throwing them off.
Yea, we so happy!! :)
Thank-you everyone!! Now, maybe, I won’t get an ulcer from all the worrying!!
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — May 12, 2007 @ 6:51 am