I follow a page called The Truth About Pet Food that lists the pet food recalls and other things of that nature.

Today’s article is about how the pet food manufacturers are now treating recalls and pet deaths in a different manner – Silence.

The 2007 pet food recall taught Pet Food and the FDA something BIG.  The 2007 pet food recall taught Pet Food and the FDA that Pet Parents go a little ballistic over news of a pet food recall.  It’s been referred to as ‘pet food hysteria’.  Instead of just going on as usual, panicked ‘hysterical’ Pet Parents turned to blogging and Tweeting about a tainted pet food.  We (pet parents) want to learn everything we can and want to share every bit of pet food news the best way we can hoping to save the life of our or someone else’s pet.  This blogging and Tweeting told Pet Food and the FDA pet parents have lost trust in pet foods and have serious doubts of the effectiveness of the FDA.  The apparent new method of handling pet food recalls, is not handling them at all.  The new recalls are silent.

Did you know there have been 3 recalls or recall-esque events in the past few months besides the one I blogged about earlier this month? Probably not. The FDA does not have the authority to authorize that pet food manufacturers issue recalls. Read this blurb:

Why was there not a prompt FDA recall press release of these pet foods?  Why were these products (and many others of late) ‘withdrawn’ from store shelves instead of publically and promptly recalled?  What is the difference between a pet food withdrawal and a pet food recall?

The FDA provided me the following explanation to the difference between a pet food withdrawal and a pet food recall…
"FDA does not have statutory authority to require manufacturers to initiate pet food recalls. Therefore, the initiation of such recalls on the part of manufacturers or importers is voluntary.

Please see the following for additional information on recalls: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm049070.htm
Recalls classified as Class I require a press release which is typically issued by the firm. FDA posts those releases at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm.
Companies have conducted recalls that were not classified as Class I and issued press releases which is their prerogative but only Class I classified recalls require a press release."

The original blog post http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/480/1/The-Silent-Killer-of-Pets/Page1.html goes into a bit more detail on the FDA…it’s worth taking the time to read the entire article.

It goes on to say this:

There is a GAPING HOLE in the pet food withdrawal and recall system that everyone of authority seems to be ignoring; Notification of pet owners.  Ya know…the people that purchased the pet food…they’re called CUSTOMERS!  Customers and their pets are falling into this GAPING HOLE and no one seems to care. 

Thanks to the Internet and a world of concerned pet parents, news of pet food withdrawals does get out sooner or later…but I have to wonder how many times has the news of a suspect pet food arrived too late?  How many pets have fallen into the GAPING HOLE?  One sick pet due to NOT INFORMING A PET OWNER is too many.

OMG this is SO true! Without the companies letting US, the pet owners, know, how the heck are we supposed to know WHAT is going on in our pets’ food? How do we know we’re not feeding out pets tainted, moldy, contaminated, TOXIC foods? We put our trust into these companies thinking they know what they’re doing! And then they don’t have the decency to INFORM us??? That is OUTRAGEOUS!

Be mad people, be outraged. DEMAND change! The Truth About Pet Food has a suggestion to take action:

Let’s take matters into our own hands and ask (ok, perhaps demand nicely) Pet Food Companies initiate a notification system for pet food withdrawals and silent recalls!  This isn’t brain surgery…this is a very simple system that can Save the lives of Pets!  Perhaps your pet!

Please take a few minutes, copy a letter and email it to your Pet Food Company.  Click Here for the very simple instructions.

I am going to do this myself this weekend. This is just crazy and I’m tired of it. No pet owner should have to go through losing a pet because of the food they chose to feed their pets. And no commercial or premium food seems to be safe anymore. I’ve lost ALL faith in the entire industry.

Article in its entirety: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/480/1/The-Silent-Killer-of-Pets/Page1.html

http://www.wysong.net/recall.php

Where I got the information: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/469/1/Wysong-Dog-Food-Recall/Page1.html

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This next little bit is terrifying! I’m so glad we no longer use these products on our dogs! Yikes!!

A veterinarian presented with a peculiar case of a poodle stuck in its crate last week traced the problem to the pet’s spot-on flea treatment.

Residue from the product Advantage, which was applied between the poodle’s shoulders, somehow came in contact with the plastic base of the animal’s crate, dissolving the plastic and causing it to adhere to the dog’s belly.

When the dog wouldn’t come out of its crate the next morning, its concerned owner brought the dog, crate and all, to Dr. Tej Dhaliwal of North Town Veterinary Hospital in Ontario, Canada. Following two hours of sleuthing, Dhaliwal concluded that benzyl alcohol, an inactive ingredient in Advantage, was to blame.

Bayer Animal Health, maker of Advantage, acknowledged that the flea treatment was the likely culprit and offered to pay the owner’s veterinary bill, compensate him for loss of salary and replace the crate, Dhaliwal said.

Bob Walker, a spokesman for Bayer in the United States, confirmed that Advantage contains benzyl alcohol, which reacts with certain plastics. He said he consulted with colleagues in veterinary services and was told, “We know it can happen, but we’ve never seen it.”

Walker said a lead veterinarian in the department thought that most of the veterinary community was aware of the potential for the product to react with plastic. Walker said that he personally had not heard of such a thing before. He added, “My counsel would be, if you’re not aware, you need to be aware.”

For more information: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/472/1/Spot-On-Flea-Treatment-melts-Plastic-Crate-to-Dog/Page1.html

http://news.vin.com/vinnews.aspx?articleId=14061

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This next article showed up in my inbox just this morning.

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) reviewed 200,000 cases from the past two years and produced no examples of lead poisoning from pet toys. According to Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, ASPCA Vice President and Medical Director of the APCC, younger dogs, just like children, are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, but most studies reveal only tiny amounts of lead in pet toys—not a grave risk for acute or chronic lead poisoning in dogs.

“Just because it’s ‘detectable’ doesn’t necessarily make it hazardous,” says Dr. Gwaltney-Brant. “Even oxygen is toxic at the right concentration.”

Amazing…there are no regulations for the amount of anything when it comes to our pets. We need these laws changed. Now.

Here’s the full article: http://www.aspca.org/news/national/10-16-09.html

The article also touches on rawhide and the risks of that. I am going to look for a good rawhide article. That’s another huge no no!

Here’s one: http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/INFO_Files/rawhide.chew.warning.html

FDA is clarifying that Nutro Products, Inc. is not currently under investigation.  FDA does not typically confirm or deny the existence of an FDA investigation.  It has recently come to our attention, however, that a media report incorrectly concluded and reported that Nutro Products, Inc. was the subject of an investigation.

http://www.fda.gov/cvm/CVM_Updates/NutroProducts.htm

I am not going to retract my previous blog, but it does seem that the information online about Nutro was false. Which is great for ppl who feed their dogs Nutro!

My statements in my previous blog were just me being frustrated to read about yet another investigation or recall. I hate the pet food industry sometimes, I really do!!

Ok…and onto the Swine Flu.

nataliedee.com

This is pertaining to our pets getting it, and passing it on to us.

According to this blog post on the Holistic Pet Food Blog, it looks like our pets can’t get it…or so far that’s what they think anyways. Check it out, they have a few good sources there and some links. (that’s also where the Nutro info came from too, and they also have GREAT info on pet food!)

Here’s what MSNBC says:

Is there any possibility of this strain crossing into dogs, cats or other pets? If so, are small animals (puppies, kittens) more at risk than adult animals?
—Anonymous

There is no evidence whatsoever of any risk for animals that has come up. The main problem with this is that it’s a virus that seems to have originated in pigs and became capable of infecting human beings. There are flu viruses that preferentially affect cats and dogs, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30460823/

So…good news tonight…No Nutro investigation and it looks like we won’t be getting the Swine Flu from our furry childrens.

FDA Confirms Probe of NUTRO Pet Food Deaths, Illnesses

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that the agency is investigating NUTRO pet food, following a series of unexplained illnesses and deaths. Consumers have been complaining for more than two years that their pets have become ill after eating NUTRO products; many have recovered when they were switched to other foods. The company has steadfastly denied that its food is to blame.

 

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/04/nutro_foia.html

Almost immediately afterwards in one of the forums, the link below was posted:
http://www.wxyz.com/news/story/FDA-No-Investigation-into-NUTRO-Pet-Food/hOoE48nKOkORqDNodwN3EQ.cspx

In the comments on that page, this link was posted…which is Nutro’s response:
http://www.nutroproducts.com/quality_facts.html (it’s in the 2nd Q)

Of course, I got emails back from people who “have been feeding Nutro to their dogs for X amount of years and have never had a problem”. Good for them.

When we lost our cats in the Menu Foods recall of 2006, we had been feeding the same food for however many months and then – boom – the cat got sick and we lost him a month later.

That’s all it takes, folks.

When is the FDA going to get some control over pet food? When are they going to stop getting crappy ingrediants from God knows where and have us feeding them to our pets? When is this madness going to stop??? If real human food had killed the amount of animals that have been killed in the past few recalls, it would be ALL over the news…HUGE investigations, lawsuits would be going on. But because these are ANIMALS and NOT people…the reaction is much, much smaller and all of the hype dies down after a while.

It’s BULLSHIT! It really is.

People ask me why we feed raw…well, not only do we have a special needs pup, but I don’t think I could feed my dog commercial pet foods. I’m even leery of the natural foods anymore! I hate that we have to feed the cats commercial food. I hate worse that it’s a “grocery store” brand and not premium. But we have 4 stinking cats and it’s too much money to feed them premium foods. But I swear to God, let there be ONE recall of the brand we feed them and I’ll work something else out. I’ll make their food if I have to.

I’m not losing another animal to a pet food recall…not as long as I can afford to help it!

There’s a video on this page…check it out. it’s about half way down the page.
http://www.ilovemydogfood.com/

So back to Nutro…personally, we don’t feed it and we never will. I say buyer beware. But that’s really with any pet food anymore. Who knows what’s REALLY in the bags?

Franklin, Tennessee (September 12, 2008)—Today, Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of products manufactured at its Everson, Pennsylvania facility. The pet food is being voluntarily recalled because of potential contamination with Salmonella serotype Schwarzengrund. This voluntary recall only affects the United States.

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. Healthy people potentially infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The company stopped production at the Everson facility on July 29, 2008 when it was alerted of a possible link between dry pet food produced at the plant and two isolated cases of people infected with Salmonella Schwarzengrund.

Even though no direct link between product produced at Everson and human or pet illness has been made, Mars Petcare US is taking precautionary action to protect pets and their owners by announcing a voluntary recall of all products produced at the Everson facility beginning February 18, 2008 until July 29, 2008 when we stopped production.

The company is continuing to work collaboratively with the FDA to determine the nature and source of Salmonella Schwarzengrund at the Everson facility. Since it has not yet identified the source of the Salmonella Schwarzengrund at the Everson facility, Mars Petcare US does not plan to resume production out of a commitment to the safety of our pet owners and their pets, customers, and associates.

The top priority of Mars Petcare US has always been and continues to be the health and welfare of pets and their owners. Consumers can continue to have confidence in the quality and safety of the products produced at other Mars Petcare US facilities. Only those products which were produced at the Everson facility are impacted by the voluntary recall.

Many of the brands involved in the recall are national brands produced at multiple facilities. A chart for all products is below. For example, PEDIGREE® is manufactured in numerous facilities throughout the country, and Everson represents a very small portion of the manufacturing base – 2.7 percent of total PEDIGREE® production.

Mars Petcare US will work with retail customers to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or fed to pets. In the event that consumers believe they have purchased products affected by this voluntary recall, they should return the product to the store where they purchased it for a full refund. Specific product details and other information can be found at www.petcare.mars.com

We don’t feed this to our dogs any longer, but my mom feeds Mickey their canned food (that’s really all he’ll eat) and so I still try to keep up with the recalls and what’s going on in the pet food world.

This really concerns me because we lost two cats to the Diamond recall of 2006 and frankly, I just will never trust any brand made by Diamond again.

So I emailed Canidae…and here was my response from them.

http://www.canidae.com/new-formulas.html
Dear Heidi,

Please click on the above link, we have updated our site to insure all your questions are answered about our newly improved formulas. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of that page.

Due to overwhelming customer support and increased demand on our products, we have been faced with unique production capacity challenges. Our growing customer support and demand has pushed for increased capacity, therefore we have outsourced additional production from Diamond Pet Foods. Our customers demand and deserve no less than the highest quality safe ingredients, as well as state of the art consistent manufacturing. Outsourcing additional production from Diamond comes not without first carefully instating and accepting only the strictest testing protocols, as well as mandating stringent operating procedures to ensure the highest quality products possible at every level of production. We are very happy with this relationship and the high quality formulations we are able to bring to you. Expect Excellence!

Our quality of raw material as well as quality control has actually increased not decreased. Yes we have diversified our complex carbohydrates as rice continues to climb and high quality availability decreases. Our products are better than ever and more consistent. Yes we have cut costs on shipping rates as fuel continues to go through the roof. To ship pet food from one location is no longer cost effective. Our economy is facing some challenging times and we are being proactive in offering you the highest quality products, yet affordable enough for our consumers to purchase. We are not sure about other companies and their plans for change or their reasons in the past, however we feel we are being open and honest about our changes. We are getting alot of positive feedback from our customers that are actually feeding their pets our improved formulas.

We thank thank you for your comments, and hope your pets are able to receive the benefits of our products.

Personally, I still wouldn’t trust them. But that’s me and it’s really a personal preference.

Added 8/11/08.…many people have come to my blog to read this post so I thought I’d also include a list of foods that are made by Diamond. I copied this list from a dog forum I participate at and so I cannot account for it’s accuracy. But thought it was worth adding.

• Kirkland is made by Schell and Kampeter who also is dba for Diamond. (imo pretty sneeky way of not coming right out and saying what foods Diamond does make)
• TOTW
• Solid Golid
• Country Value
• Diamond
• Professional
• Natural Balance
• Artemis
• Chicken Soup for the Soul
• Canidae
• Nutra
• Premium Edge
• Menu foods makes canned Nutro

Like I said, I cannot account for the accuracy of this list. I hope that a food like Artemis is not made by Diamond, but I have no clue and cannot say. I’ll have to look into it.

Here’s a site that has a good list of many foods and their ingredients: The Best Dry Dog Foods