Red, white and not-so-blue: We’re outta here
By Gina Spadafori
July 4, 2008
Happy Fourth of July! Our blogging crew is taking the three-day weekend off to do … whatever the heck we want to do. For me, it will almost certainly involve wet retrievers.
The little retriever below isn’t mine. His name is Ghillie, and this picture from his first Fourth of July is one of my all-time favorites. Ghillie lives in Michigan, and here’s what he looks like now.
We’ll be back Monday, but don’t let that stop you from adding anything worth reading to the comments. We’ll be checking in on the comments now and then.
Also: If you haven’t signed up for our free e-mail newsletter, don’t forget to do so. The July edition is going out on Tuesday, and of course being a subscriber will automatically make you eligible for our monthly giveaway of $1,000 in pet-care gear. This month, the cool stuff is all coming from Petmate.
To check out all the stuff in the prize package and sign up for the free e-mail newsletter, click here.
There is an updated statement at Nutro’s site about the article at Consumer Affairs.
http://www.nutroproducts.com/quality_facts.html
Q: I read a posting on ConsumerAffairs.com which provided specific examples of dogs that experienced health issues from eating NUTRO™ products. Is this true?
A: No, a June 23, 2008 posting on ConsumerAffairs.com falsely claims that NUTRO™ pet foods may have been the cause of pet health issues in a number of specific cases. Every NUTRO™ product that was analyzed in relation to the June 23 posting on ConsumerAffairs.com has been shown to be safe. It should be noted that in some of these cases outside sources have provided clear verification that NUTRO™’s products were NOT the cause of any pet health issues. In others, NUTRO™ has taken active steps to address pet owners’ concerns and determine the cause of pet health issues. While we continue in our efforts to contact owners there is nothing that indicates that these pet health issues were caused by NUTRO™ pet foods.
While consumer concerns about NUTRO™ product quality are rare, we take every complaint seriously. When we learn of an issue, we work with consumers to obtain information and request that samples of any product in question be submitted for testing at an independent facility. An in-depth review is performed to determine if an issue does exist. Consumers with questions or concerns about NUTRO™ products are encouraged to contact our Consumer Services Department at 1-800-833-5330.
NUTRO™ Products, Inc. remains committed to the quality, safety and performance of all our pet food brands. As we have for over 80 years, we strive to deliver the finest natural products to our customers and their pets.
Comment by Sandi K — July 4, 2008 @ 8:17 am
Sandi K - somehow I get the impression that this does not particularly mesh with your own experiences with NUTRO?
Comment by The OTHER Pat — July 4, 2008 @ 9:52 am
To say the least, Pat. This reminds me of when we called Nutro in Dec 2006 to tell them we felt very strongly something was wrong with their food. We sent food in for testing, and they told us it was fine. Well, if it was so fine, why was it recalled in April 2007? That was 4 to 5 months that went by that if someone had listened, thousands of pets might not have been sickened or died. Nope, this all sounds like the same ol’ cwap.
Comment by Sandi K — July 4, 2008 @ 3:08 pm
What a cute puppy! :)
Thanks for using his photo and for linking to the pic I took today of Ghillie all grown up. Well, sort of grown up.
Signed up for your newsletter and waiting the news that I won the contest! LOL
Comment by Terry — July 4, 2008 @ 4:26 pm
Comment by Sandi K — July 4, 2008 @ 3:08 pm
Same ‘ol stuff that we got from manufacturers during the recalls last year.
While the manufacturers claimed that their products were safe, people’s animals were getting sick and dying. The only time that they seemed to ‘fess up, was when they got caught with contaminated food. Even then, it was “business as usual”…as if nothing had happened.
When are they going to learn that pet owners just are not going to settle for this any more?
I have crossed many of them off my shopping list and won’t buy them again, until they go “above and beyond” to prove to me that their food is safe and good for my animals.
Comment by Marcy — July 5, 2008 @ 10:46 am
I also have crossed many of the “premium” brands off my shoppiing list.
Fancy Feast has not been too bad for my cats.
I recently bought Evo dry cat food. My cats are doing pretty well on the product, especially since it has no wheat in it and a lot of protein. I supplement their food with turkey and tuna fish made for real human beings.
It is the best that I can come up with.
I was shocked, as many of you were, to find out that the “premium” companies outsourced some of the cuts and gravy mixes. Also, I wanted to believe that the people who owned these companies wanted us to have healthy pets. However, money seems to be the biggest driving force. Wow—have I woken up!
Comment by Colorado Transplant — July 5, 2008 @ 11:06 am
>When are they going to learn that pet owners just are not going to settle for this any more?
When consumers STOP settling for it. No indication looking at check-out line at any big box retailer that there’s a great consumer revolution going on. Because for the most part, there isn’t.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 5, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
No reason for Joe Average Pet Owner to call for a revolution. If he followed the MSM coverage during the height of the recalls last year, he likely heard that 16 pets died. If he asks his Vet for advice, he’s likely to hear that any pet food is fine but the Science Diet in the lobby is really quite good. He’s probably not going to get any deeper into it.
Comment by slt — July 5, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
I don’t see it as a pet-food issue, really I don’t.
Food safety for everyone is the concern, and I think with the economy as bad as it is and so many people struggling, they’re just going to cut cost for their family food budget and trust (hope) the gov’t has a handle on it.
I just pray we don’t have a massive meltdown with human casualties before we insist on improvements to the system. Meanwhile, the salmonella epidemic continues.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 5, 2008 @ 5:21 pm
I know you’re on a 3-day break here but wanted to give you a heads up on this blog on Consumer Affairs website for folks to post Nutro complaints or success stories. It’s not for the faint of heart. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html
You can’t measure my anger that this is happening again and that again, a manufacturer is turning a blind eye to so many pet owners personal struggle to take good care of their animals. Nutro has a responsibility to consumers, &*$%it! There is absolutely no reason to repeat what happened in 2007.
You’re right, it isn’t a pet food issue. It’s a people food issue too. However, I do agree with slt that folks just aren’t informed. Blissfully ignorant until their own animal ends up sick or dead. Or until they do!
I said last year that the time for pet owners to be the most vigilant is in the 1-3 years after the recall. Pet food companies are bending over backwards to reassure consumers, changing packaging and labels to confuse us. We need to keep an eye out for con artists…
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, etc., it must be a duck.
How do these people live with themselves???
Comment by Sharon H — July 6, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 5, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
Isn’t that the way that it’s always handled in our country…after the fact?
People or pets have to die, before anyone takes it seriously…and then it has to be a LOT of them. Course though, only “16” pets died last year, right? For anyone reading this, that never heard the truth…try thousands of cats and dogs that died!
I don’t know about your store, but in mine (which is a big chain supermarket) the pet food aisle is deserted. Once in a while you see someone buying food or litter, but it’s mostly deserted (which was not the case prior to the recalls). Meanwhile, the small pet store a couple of doors down is doing a booming business now! The tables have turned here since the recalls. It seems that a lot more people have changed their buying habits, and I believe that they will educate others. I see it as an eventual downward spiral for the marginal pet food manufacturers. JMHO
Comment by Colorado Transplant — July 5, 2008 @ 11:06 am
I have crossed FF off my shopping list since last year.
I lost my cat during the recall time, and heard of others that did as well…enough said.
I have been buying canned: Merrick (no fish), Wellness; dry: Merrick Before Grain, Felidae Chicken.
I’m not recommending them, just saying what I have settled on for now.
Comment by Marcy — July 6, 2008 @ 1:11 pm
Fourth of July. So glad it is over. I dread it each year, mainly due to my next door neighbor from hell who elects to spend a fortune on illegal fireworks, the louder the better. Half of my feral colony is still MIA. Housecats have recovered though. My old wooden barn, home to the ferals, survived it again this year.
As to safe petfood. Although I do buy premium food for my foster kittens(Purina proplan canned and Royal Canin Babycat34), I feel safer buying a product from one of the biggies like purina, masterfoods etc. Safety in numbers, if something lethal is in the food, it will come faster out of the woodwork IMO as opposed to a low production brand.
Am I the only one that does not look forward to the fourth of July. I do like professional fireworks display though. Have seen some awesome ones. I hate the local yocal private ones in back yards, especially close to my house.
Comment by Serijna — July 6, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
I also dread the date: July 4.
Instead of a celebration it can often sound like a war zone—some years worse than others.
The rockets that are shot off sound as though they are coming toward ya—or your pets.
Totally unsettling to my nerves fireworks is—will be calma when de July 4th weekend ends and might speller betta too—duh!
Comment by Colorado Transplant — July 6, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
I have one of those neighbors, too. Illegal fireworks on the dried grass behind the house (plus lots of the legal ones, but also on the dried grass behind the house, not good).
Only my old girl Heather got worked up about it. In her dotage, she has become sensitive to many noises. Nobody else cared, not even the cats.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 6, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
Comment by Serijna — July 6, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
Serijina, Im not sure the “safety in numbers” logic works with PFC’s. In 2007 there was something lethal in the food and it involved several “biggies” as you put it. I think it was more like mass poisoning in numbers rather than safety in numbers…..I think if anyone of these companies truly knows they have another food issue, the consumer wont be told, instead they may just pull and replace products, effectively silent recalls. If the pet food recalls have served any purpose, it has been to teach the PFC’s to be even more secretive, if thats possible.
Comment by Sandi K — July 6, 2008 @ 5:55 pm
I, too, don’t care if there is never another firecracker set off ever. The dogs slept through it. But some of the boomers rocked my home. Someone across the road from me was setting off a HUGE display for 2 hours. Gawd. Even the professionals only spend at most 45 minutes. Understand he did get a permit to be legal from our township but I still hate fireworks. Kept expecting the cattle across the road to stampede that’s how close to them the fireworks were. But,
think they were too petrified to move.
Comment by VJ — July 6, 2008 @ 6:15 pm
From my house I watched the big fireworks show at CalExpo, the California state fair grounds (my house is maybe three miles away). They use the racetrack grandstand for the crowd and set off the display from the middle of the track.
The harness racing meet is running there now, and the stables are on the other side of the track from the grandstand. I wonder what they do to keep the horses from freaking while the fireworks are going off.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 6, 2008 @ 6:47 pm
I started adding “nerve tonic” to the pet water bowls a couple of days in advance. For some reason, this year was MUCH lighter on the illegal fireworks, in the days running up, before the big show and after. MUCH more pleasant this year. And the funny thing was, they moved the fireworks down river a bit. AKA, right down my street on the river! Had a view out my front window. Usually, I have to go outside and look up river a bit to see them. And my building doesn’t usually shake. The pets are used to the show to a degree and I keep the TV on to the show so the noise is coming from “somewhere”. Very mild 4th overall even with the increased noise from the closer location and building shakes. These are some pics I took out my window. Had to guess on how to use my new camera since I had no clue I would have a view :)
http://tinyurl.com/69bogx
Comment by straybaby — July 6, 2008 @ 8:49 pm
My kitties were ok with the fireworks, even though they were close. One got grumpy though by bedtime, I think she was tired of the noise.
We still are getting a stray firecracker now and then tonight.
Comment by Marcy — July 6, 2008 @ 8:50 pm
My dog gets to spend the 4th in the basement with a good movie playing. It works to keep her calm. She hates fireworks! This year there seemed to be a lot less of them and the whole thing was over earlier. That was a relief.
Comment by C.L.H — July 6, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
I’m curious: What is your dog’s idea of a good movie? Does she like the classics, or maybe a light romantic comedy? :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 7, 2008 @ 6:09 am