Gothamist: Pet Food Recall After Cat and Dog Deaths

mark98115

Sat, 03 May 2008 14:40:07 -0500

If you buy pet food and treats from Wal Mart than you have yourself to blame for your pet's death. It's harsh, but that is reality. How many stories must you see and read about Wal Mart pushing their suppliers to move production to China and then stories about products made in China poisoning people with lead in toys or paint used in dishes. Did you think that producers in China will show any more good sense when it come to pet food?? People will not feed their pets table scraps but will feed them stuff that they buy in a 20lbs bag for $3.99!!!! Are you that stupid?!? What do you think is in that big bad for that little money?? Not giving pets human food leftovers is simply retarded. What do you think dogs and cats have been eating for the last few thousand years?? Do you think that someone in ancient Greece has heard of Alpo, Iams or Science Diet? You want to buy pet food and not give your pets human food? Fine! Here's a simple rule: Do not buy anything made by a big company. Buy a quality product from a small operation that uses real quality ingredients. You want a couple of good brands? Try Blue Buffalo or Natural Balance. Suing is also not very productive. The only people who make out are the lawyers. Best way to show the companies that make that crap that you do not approve is not to buy their junk. Then again how many people reading this feed their kids Fruit Loops for breakfast and McDonalds for dinner, and then wonder why the kids is a fatso?

GeneandGerri

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:06:04 -0500

Our pet Rosie, a 3 year old Chihuahua was poisoned from Chinese made Bestro's Jerky Chicken Strips #77849 00006 1 We have this contaminated bag. We have three Chihuahuas and one of them died one month ago. She started with vomiting and dehydration (she was drinking lots of water) and then we were told she may either have an obstruction or have been poisioned. Since our dogs are inside dogs and we are with them at all times outside we thought it was an obstruction. Finally the doctor at Elwood Animal Clinic in Glendora, California said he was almost positive it was some kind of poisoning. They were going to scope her but before that could happen she died July 21, at VCA in Fountain Valley, California. We gave our dogs Waggin train and Bestro's Jerky Chicken Strips. Our Sweet Rosie (our chihuahua that passed) loved them and and she would eat all the treats we put down for the other dogs too. Up until today we never had any idea what happened but now with Wal Mart pulling this quietly from their shelves. (I brought my treats at Wal Mart, Glendora, California) I truly believe that is why she died. Rosie wants all dog owners to be aware of this and a Total Recall of this chinese junk pet treats so other puppies don't slowly suffer is she did. How many other puppies must die before a total recall is called? We are totally heartbroken and will never forget Our Sweet Gypsy Rose! Since Wal Mart had this problem before, why didn't they pull all that Chinese junk off the first time? Our Rosie will still be alive! Is Wal Mart concerned about people and their Pets or Money? You figured it out. Gene and Gerri Richards San Dimas, California Rosie's website: http://www.dogster.com/dogs/614878

guest

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:16:43 -0500

I too lost my best friend after feeding her Old Roy Country Stew from WalMarts. The list of recalled cans was not listed until after she had consumed it and she went from a healthy 77 lb. greyhound to probably less than 30 lbs. We could not stand to see her suffer anymore and had her put to sleep on July 6. Her kidneys were destroyed and she lost complete control of them.My heart is still broken, altho I have just adopted another one this past weekend, and I hope that the people who have done this and made our beloved animals suffer the agony's of Hell will burn in Hell themselves. Truly unChristian of me but then at this point I don't care.

guest

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:35:44 -0500

there must be some way to make these money hungry bastards pay for this! 10 pets dead my ass! more like 10's of thousands! this is nuts I know of atleast thirty familys who have lost one to four pets from this crap. personally i don't think its even over. my heart goes out to everyone who has gone through this emotional roller coaster of losing a member of their family. my cat has been sick for a month now. he's doing ok but he'll never be a 100%. he's had ulcers and colds vomiting and loss of appetite. after weeks of treatment he's tried to get through it all. he's a trooper and i love him for it i just wish i could make the pain go away. he never deserved any of this. good luck to everyone who has a pet recovering and my sincerest condolences.

guest

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 14:02:13 -0500

This story is crushing.

Cyndi

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 17:01:18 -0500

We have switched our cats to Evo dry food. They like it, though it did give them an awful case of diarrhea the first few days. That cleared up once they adapted. Now I'd say their coats are much softer and shinier than when using Hill's Science Diet. Our allergy-prone kitty seems fine with it, so she must have a grain allergy -- Evo has no grain at all. Our vet wants to keep an eye on one of our older male cats who has had crystal problems in past, but said the high meat content of the new food should be helpful. I am so sorry so many lost loved ones. We were just plain lucky our household wasn't struck and I'll never again pay so little attention to food sources.

keen

Tue, 22 May 2007 23:03:31 -0500

Thank you for any information. Been reading over at howl911, petconnection and itchmo, those bastards are still killing our pets!!! Getting away with it they are! keen seeking justice keen@mac.com

She

Sun, 20 May 2007 22:37:43 -0500

keen

Thu, 10 May 2007 19:48:26 -0500

Post 606 Try these people... Accutrace Arlington, TX 76017 800-224-9551 fax 817-563-1890 They can test for Melamine + Aminopterin + Cyanuric Acid + Amilorine + Amiloride in wet or dry food for about 175.00. keen lost without Abby Gayle

jani1016

Tue, 08 May 2007 03:42:34 -0500

I have a few cans of fancy feast can food that i suspect is tainted, after my cat became very ill in march. i really want to have the food tested but dont know where to send it. If anyone has any helpful information on this please let me know..thanks

Angela Flynn

Tue, 01 May 2007 21:44:30 -0500

I'm afraid this has been going on for a long time. I found this article www.edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/04/30/china.recall.ap/ Chemical behind pet food recall common in Chinese feed POSTED: 0022 GMT (0822 HKT), April 30, 2007 Story Highlights • Mildly toxic melamine a common ingredient in Chinese animal feed • Chinese wheat gluten containing melamine was blamed for pet deaths in March • Melamine makes products appear higher in protein; can lead to higher feed prices • Company linked to recall was found to have posted online ad seeking melamine I have a feeling this is in human food as well. And I really think that the reason for the melamine becoming more toxic is due irradiation. I strongly urge people to stop eating grains from china

keen

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:06:12 -0500

Post 603 by Denise, Very sorry to hear about your Spinner!!! Please don't throw that pet food out, it's evidence and I would love to drive it over to UC Davis here in California, for testing in their labs, it is only a three hour drive for me... if you would like to send me that poison, I would be glad to include it with the Iams dry I am to have tested. Please email me at keen@mac.com if you are interested. Has anyone tested their pet foods? What did they test for? I still think there is more going on then what we are being told. keen, doing without for now!

Denise Gee

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 23:46:15 -0500

Posted by: MikeKeen | March 20, 2007 12:06 PM I just read the posting above. My puppy of nine years, past away on March 28. I thought I was giving him the best, Iams Dry Food Green Bag . With the Iams I mixed in 3 pouches of food that was given to me a week before the recall. When we noticed he was not himself ...it was too late he died in my arms as I carried him into the vet. He was part of our family....slept with my son every night. There wasn't a morning that went by that I didn't get a huge hug from my Spinner. Spinner's ashes along with pictures sit on my sons night stand. And we live with the guilt of not reconizing the symptons sooner and feeding him garbage. I spend endless hours of researching pet food and what they put into it and I'm truly disgusted. These large coprorations are making billions. And to read about one of the CEO of Menu Foods sell 50% of his shares a few days before the recall, sounds a bit like a Martha Stewart scam but much worse!!!! I now have a large container of food and don't know what to do with it. I don't dare throw it in the trash thinking a stray may get into in and get sick. Not sure if there is anywhere here in Canada that is testing the pet food. For those of you with loved ones (pets) I wish the best and hope that you take the necessary precautions in keeping your pets healthy.

t'mara

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 23:48:39 -0500

does anyone have a feeling for when this problem actually started, or has it been an ongoing but under the radar issue all along? i'm thinking of a little dog who at seven years of age suddenly developed kidney failure and passed away last summer (06). he had eaten mighty dog regularly. I wonder if this could this have been due to contaiminated grain? also what's wrong with national and local tv news for all but dropping this story? no one would know, if they didn't have access to the internet, that anything was still happening and new recalls were being added daily. i pray for everyone whom has lost a beloved pet. t'mara

keen

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 12:31:50 -0500

Thank you for your concern and yes I do feel a little better. Resection of the right lung on appearance is negative... so far, still waiting on pathology. Having a worse than ever attitude about that which has transpired right before our eyes though. Can you believe this, no one warned us about poisons in our pet foods until it was too late. Do you think money had anything to do with these murders? We all tried to warn each other as the time passed, but who really listened, we are all strangers for the most part. I feel so guilty to live through all of this...and now with what I'm going through, I can't stop crying about everything. Probably because of the strong medications that were provided for me, I just can't get this out of my mind, my doctor has asked me to let it go, I can not and will not, until I to have died. I don't feel as if I've done enough to help right this ship we are all riding in. Hell, I poisoned my pet with the help of a very large company and an even larger country. Words just have not been working well and pets all over are still getting very sick. What else can we do to stop all of this madness other than not provide our pets with anything commercial. My Abby Gayle used to put her nose up the butts of new people, just to kinda check em out. I just wonder! keen thinking of Abby Gayle and you!

Ruth

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 21:56:43 -0500

Glad to see you back Keen. Hope that you are feeling better. Know how you feel about Abby Gayle. I too am terribly missing my pet Marley dog. She also ate the dry food. She was my little puppy dog. Even though she was 6 yrs old.

Angela Flynn

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 00:34:18 -0500

I'm glad you are out of the hospital Mike. I read Abby Gales story over at www.howl911 I am so saddened over all of this avoidable suffering and it makes me pissed. I agree with you. No one has killed their pet. The person(s) responsible and to be mad at are whoever allowed this to happen.

Kam

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 23:12:46 -0500

Oh and to be more specific, I simply boil the chicken with the carrots, boil brown rice. Mash up the chicken and carrots and add it to the brown rice then I add a few drops or cat vitamins once or twice a week. :)

Kam

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 23:09:34 -0500

Hey everyone, It seems every week new products are added to the recall list. I've decided to play it safe and make my own cat food by boiling some chick and carrots and mixing it with brown rice. To make sure you pet is getting enough vitamins etc you can also buy organic vitamin oil you can mix into the food. Both of my cats really LOVE the change, their fur is also getting much shinier and healthy looking. If you prefer not to make your own so far Paul Newmans organic pet food is the best option. It is pricey but it's worth the extra money at this point. Currently Paul Newmans organic pet food states: "Newman's Own Organics pet foods are NOT part of the mass recall by Menu Foods or the extended recall. We DO NOT use wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate in any of our pet products. All our pet foods are made in the US and certified organic by Oregon Tilth, a USDA accredited certifying agency"

keen

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:26:35 -0500

Hello again... back from my hospital stay and I have to say, we have all been warned! Our family lost our pet to the non recalled DRY PET FOOD, made for Iams, Green bag, lamb and "rice". I knew then as we all know now that these foods, wet or dry, are sickening and killing our pets. The next time you visit one of our super stores, wally world etc, look around you, are there any isles without Chinese manufactured products? Is pet food so complicated that we have to buy from overseas some of it's main ingrediants? No, the price is right, that's all. Same with all the other Chinese made crap. If we don't stop buying from them, they are going to snuff us out, just like rodents. Selling by the pound is all they know, not what's in the pound. Just remember one thing, we did not poison our own pets, they did, those bastards!!! Hind sight does kill... Just another worthless two cents from "keen" who now desperately needs and misses Abby Gayle.

Angela Flynn

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:10:08 -0500

In light of the additional findings of cyanuric acid, ammiline and ammilide in the glutens from China I now think this may have to do with irradiation. Irradiation is known to reduce protein content. Melamine may have been added to the glutens to boost protein content. Melamine degrades into cyanuric acid, ammiline and ammilide when exposed to UV irradiation. Cyarunic acid, ammiline and ammile have increased toxicity after exposure to UV irradiation. China has at least 3 Gamma irradiation plants. As Public Citizen has so aptly put it - "Everyone will be eating plastic food." www.citizen.org/documents/Multinationals_(PDF).PDF "Irradiation blasts food with the equivalent radiation of hundreds of millions of chest X-rays. These high levels of radiation initiate a complex sequence of reactions that literally rip apart the molecular structure of the food. This process creates new and unidentified chemicals that have not been proven safe. One such chemical, known as 2-DCB, has been shown to cause cellular and/or genetic damage in rats and in human cell cultures. This chemical has never been found naturally in any food on Earth. Ironically, it is a well-known “marker” for determining whether food has been irradiated. Irradiated food is also depleted of its nutritional content. For instance — according to the FDA’s own scientists — irradiation destroys up to 80 percent of the vitamin A in eggs and half of the beta-carotene in orange juice. This problem is compounded by lengthened shelf life, because as food sits in storage, its nutritional content declines. If irradiated foods are stored longer and shipped further from the farm, these foods will arrive at the dinner table with nearly no nutritional value. EVERYONE WILL BE EATING PLASTIC FOOD." What is Food Irradiation::: Food Irradiation is the process by which fresh or dried foods are exposed to nuclear radiation: gamma rays or electron beams in order to sterilise them and thus prolong shelf-life.Highly radioactive materials such as Cobalt 60 (or Cesium 137, which is a waste product of the nuclear industry) are used to expose foods (or other products) to extremely high levels of ionising radiation. An irradiation plant, such as the Steritech facility at Narangba (just north of Brisbane), uses up to 3.5 million curies of radioactivity, as food moves on a conveyor belt through a chamber to receive it's requisite dose. Food irradiation has not been satisfactorily proven safe, nor does it seem to work effectively. Problems persist around issues of "safe" dosage levels and the different effects on food of different levels.Scientists speak out against the irradiation of food. Scientific studies since the 1950's reveal the harmful effects of consuming irradiated food. Some of the problems include: decreased vitamin and nutritional content and DNA damage, cancer, and radioaticivity in rats. The Chinese company JPY operates the three largest gamma irradiators in China. Its Shezhen facility is the largest, built in 1987 with 2.6 million curies of cobalt-60. The second-largest facility was built in Shanghai in 2003 and has 2 million curies. The third facility was built in Tianjin in 2005 with 0.7 million curies Preparation of Cyanuric Acid from Urea by Micro wave Irradiation The oxidation of melamine under UV-irradiation in the presence of H[2]O[2] proceeds step by step leading to ammeline, ammelide, and finally to cyanuric acid. The toxicity of the initial melamine solution seems to increase due to the intermediates generated in solution.

brenda

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:59:48 -0500

now more Medi-cal food has been recalled, i have to go buy my cat more medi-cal food today. I have no choice, becuase of his previous illness. And Iam very worried about buying any food, especially medi-cal now....It seems every couple days something is recalled from them. After I spoke to the vet and they ASSURED me their food was fine. This is so stressful.

Ruth

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:23:54 -0500

Once again sorry for the previous corn/rice mistake. I have already lost one beloved pet dog. I just dont want my daughter to lose her pets. But have changed 3 times and wouldn't you know it they have been on the list in just a couple of days. She's trying to cook for them. Shes not a cook but trying her best. We are all at a loss wondering whats next. There are still 3 other companies Wilbur-Ellis wont name and the FDA won't step in to name them.So in the meantime, we keep changing companies that say their product is safe and in a couple of weeks ....Oh no...our food is tainted because we didn't know that it was coming from China. Read the letter from Blue Buffalo. And see if it makes you feel any better.

Ell

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 23:04:23 -0500

What can I feed my cats now? What's left? What is not going to be added to the list next week. Natural Balance is out of the question now. I'm just so lost.

Ruth

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:46:31 -0500

Sorry I meant to write that Blue Buffalo recalled some of the dry cat food because it had tainted rice protein. In South Africa corn has been thought to be the culprit that dogs have been dying from eating certain foods. Sorry for that mistake. Its been a long day of worrying of what is safe and have my pets been affected. Have changed food 3 times and they all have been on the list.

Ruth

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:34:14 -0500

Has anyone read today's recalls......now its the corn protein thats tainted. Blue Buffalo is the other company that Wilbur-Ellis was not naming. Today B.B. recalled some its cat dry food. And it just so happens I spoke with B.B. yesterday afternoon and they assured me that their food was fine. So much for believing anyone.

Angela Flynn

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:52:02 -0500

Here is an article on the overall lack of safety in Chinese products. I think this is a sad testimony to the effects of over population and the never ending need to increase profits. www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/Columns/20070419080550/Article/index_html And this on The Price of Dignity on worker's conditions around the world. I have heard that most of China's workforce are virtually slaves. They have no options other than working in harsh conditions for little pay. www.commondreams.org/views03/0922-01.htm While it is easy to blame profit hungry corporations for driving this inhumane force I think we all need to accept some blame. Every day we practice using the power of voting with our money. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to get us all to take a good look at what is realy going on. While I hate the deaths and suffering that this contamination has caused I also hate the conditions that are in place that contributed to the contamination.

petlover

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:05:50 -0500

Sorry, my post (587)was supposed to read 'NO RICE AND NO WHEAT'. I accidentally wrote 'now wheat'. I know it's important to be clear on this issue!

petlover

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:11:33 -0500

I'm wondering how many more dry foods for both cats and dogs will be placed on the recall list now that rice protein concentrate has been identified as an ingredient that has carried the Melamine in some foods. I know for now it is just Natural Balance but it makes me think back to all of Mike Keen's posts and the others regarding their sick dogs who only ever ate Iams dry Lamb and Rice. If anyone is looking for a dry food that is GRAIN FREE, please check out Innova Evo for cats and dogs. No rice and now wheat. My cats are really enjoying it and are full of energy now.

martha

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:21:00 -0500

Ruth post 580 - it doesn't sound like the same symptoms but it sounds like an awful experience. I've very sorry for you. I had what seemed like a perfectly healthy dog and two weeks later she was gone. I just thank God that my other dog recovered. We have switched to a wheat free food - California Naturals but now with this latest news of the contaminted rice protein I'm just not sure what to do. I guess we could start feeding her chicken and rice but I want to make sure she gets the proper nutrician

Angela Flynn

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:13:26 -0500

www.howl911.com is requesting the ingredients listed on recalled Natural Balance foods. NATURAL BALANCE PULLS AN INGREDIENT SWITCHEROO? 04/17/07 As word has spread today about the Natural Balance recall of foods containing rice protein concentrate, a few pet parents astutely observed that Natural Balance has changed their website's list of ingredients for the affected foods. Just a few short days ago, the suspect ingredient was not included among the ingredients listed on the Natural Balance website but, today, after the FDA announcement that melamine was found in the rice protein concentrate, the website was changed to add this ingredient. I believe there is an AAFCO (or is it FDA?) requirement to list ALL the ingredients contained in a pet food on the packaging label. Now, it could be Natural Balance is just woefully behind in updating their website to reflect recent formula changes (note: there are other changes in the ingredients besides the addition of rice protein concentrate.) Conversely, it could be Natural Balance is trying to do a quick CYA. Perhaps some pet parents who purchased the recalled food can take a look at the packaging labels and let us know whether or not the suspect ingredient, rice protein concentrate, appears among the list of ingredients. If not, then this is clearly a violation by Natural Balance of both labeling laws and consumer trust.

Angela Flynn

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:10:36 -0500

www.howl911.com is asking for the ingredients listed on recalled foods. NATURAL BALANCE PULLS AN INGREDIENT SWITCHEROO? 04/17/07 As word has spread today about the Natural Balance recall of foods containing rice protein concentrate, a few pet parents astutely observed that Natural Balance has changed their website's list of ingredients for the affected foods. Just a few short days ago, the suspect ingredient was not included among the ingredients listed on the Natural Balance website but, today, after the FDA announcement that melamine was found in the rice protein concentrate, the website was changed to add this ingredient. I believe there is an AAFCO (or is it FDA?) requirement to list ALL the ingredients contained in a pet food on the packaging label. Now, it could be Natural Balance is just woefully behind in updating their website to reflect recent formula changes (note: there are other changes in the ingredients besides the addition of rice protein concentrate.) Conversely, it could be Natural Balance is trying to do a quick CYA. Perhaps some pet parents who purchased the recalled food can take a look at the packaging labels and let us know whether or not the suspect ingredient, rice protein concentrate, appears among the list of ingredients. If not, then this is clearly a violation by Natural Balance of both labeling laws and consumer trust.

Angela Flynn

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:31:05 -0500

The FDA says that it researches all suspect food. www.fda.gov/cvm/petfoods.htm#PetFoodContamination Natural Balance says that it has found melamine in rice gluten imported from China. I'm really starting to wonder just how bad things are in China. Are they crushing up used plastic? Adding a cheap protein? Or are is everything so contaminated there is no containing it. www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-17-premium-pet-food-recalled_N.htm?csp=34

Ruth

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 21:35:11 -0500

This is the latest from Itchmo.com: Natural Balance * Venison and Brown Rice Treats for Dogs (New today) * Venison and Brown Rice Canned Formula for Dogs (New today) * Venison and Brown Rice Dry Food for Dogs (Reported Sunday) * Venison and Green Pea Dry Food for Cats (Reported Sunday

jim

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:39:22 -0500

Our dog was fed nothing but Nutro Natural Choice Lite dry dog food. On 1/21/07 her last bag of food was purchased. By 2/6/07 she was so sick it required a visit to the vet. She was prescribed antibiotics. It seemd to help for only a short period. She died on 3/4/07 at the animal emergency center. The attending vet said that her stomach was full of blood. I still have 1/2 the bag of dog food left. Anyone have suggestions on how to go about getting it tested?

Ruth

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:35:20 -0500

Martha-579, Its a mystery to the vet as to why my pet died and from what. My pet had blood work done and she had low red blood cells, the white cells were high, her thyroid was low but her cretatin level were normal at the time of the blood work but all that changed when she started to have liver failure. The vet noted that her blood was grandular and hard to draw blood from her. Her condition went down so fast we couldn't save her. The vet gave her shots and meds. predisone and antibotics. The vet said she had an unkown infection. But nothing helped. She went down so fast. She died in my husbands arms. All this happened in just 2 1/2 days. Before that she was a happy little dog running around making us happy. She was close to 6yrs old. Chihuahua/terrier mix. I did notice on her blood work that her glucose levels were high even though on her last vet visit everything was fine. All blood work was normal. Whatever the cause was some of the levels were high. Her symptoms were, bloody tarry stools, vomitting, drinking exessive water, rusty,bloody urine, lots of urine, weakness, lethargic, her body turning yellow, dry mouth. All this happened during vet care. I am sorry about your loss and your other pet still sick. I strongly believe it was the food. I notice that she started to be picky about eating the IAMs since she was such a little piggy. But hindsight is 20/20. And I am devastated about feeding it to her.

martha

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:46:29 -0500

Ruth - 575 - what did your dog die of - see my posts 519, 554. I had 2 dogs who ate Nutro Max mini chunks dry food who came down with pacreas issues in the last month and one had to be put down. I too think there is a bigger problem and feel like I'm getting no where with my concerns.

Breianne

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:29:34 -0500

This is reason enough to have been avoiding Iams / Eukanuba in the first place: iamscruelty.com Why anyone would support a company who supports cruel and unusual animal testing is beyond me, let alone feed the food to their animals. Iams is one of the largest supporters of puppy mills in the US, and it seems to me that brands who don't do animal testing are a lot less likely to have rat poison sitting around their facilities. A non-complete list of brands who do NOT animal test is available at iamscruelty.com/notTested.asp, though Natural Balance (my chosen and well-researched dog food that has just joined recall rank, much to my dismay) is on there. I'm not trying to preach, just hoping to educate some who may not have heard of the Iams allegations.

Amberine

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:47:01 -0500

My cat, Mikey died on March 16, 2007 due to illness from poisoned cat food. He was so sick for one week that he couldn't eat or drink water. He was feeling lethargic and so weak to walk. I took him to the vet and put him on IV for 3 days which doesn't include overnight ( I wish I did at a different vet clinic.) There was no improvement because he was so sick and due to his age. I spend nearly $600 dollars for the vet bills. I had said my last good bye and said I love him with all of my heart. I watched him died peacefully at home. I did not know about the cat food recall after his death. I search on internet and find the brand name, Nutro Max Cat Gourmet Classic is one of them that killed my cat. I had become very angry and felt if I had killed him by giving him that kind of food. I used to fed Mikey the Pro Plan which that brand should be fine. He used to be a healthy 16 yrs old cat. But now its too late. Mikey is gone up in heaven peacefully. I'm seriously considering suing the companies!!

petlover

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 22:34:04 -0500

JR, you wrote in your post (#573) that your cats are eating D/M, do you mean M/D? If so, that food has been recalled by Hills and you shouldn't feed it to your remaining cats. I'm so sorry to hear about your other 3 cats that you've lost. I too was feeding my cats Fancy Feast Grilled for a treat each night for months and months and decided to take them off it when this whole thing started. It still isn't on the recall list but I wouldn't trust it at this point. Before the recall two of my cats started losing quite a bit of weight and their fur was becoming thinned out. I took them both to the vet and had blood tests done and xrays and nothing was determined but their health still continued to decline. What I do know for sure is that once I switched them off Fancy Feast and all wet food completely to Innova Evo dry cat food which has no grains at all in it they both started putting the weight back on and their fur is becoming shiny and getting thick again. They're racing around like they used to which is such a blessing to see. That's enough proof for me. For the odd treat I give them a wee bit of canned turkey or chicken that is made for people. Not much, just a teaspoon or so. Hope your four cats will begin to get healthy again very soon. :0)

Ruth

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:41:19 -0500

My pet dog age 6. Died March 11,07 before the recalls came out. She only ate dry IAM's mini chunks, dog bones and tartar treats. I reported it to IAM's but they didn't sound to concerned since its only about the wet food. Same with FDA. Since her death I have spoken with other local people whose pets died around the same time frame as my pet. Their pets also ate IAMs and Nutro. They were healthy dogs too. They also had the same symptoms. I don't think its such a coincidence that so many pets are dying from just eating the dry food. I listen on TV the subcommitte hearings on the pet food industry and what got my attention was the fact that companies only get checked maybe once or twice in a three year period. Isn't it possible that toxins could get in the dry food? And to the Menu supporters who have posted earlier, do you really think that the CFO of MENU Foods didn't know ahead of time of the inpending problems that he dumped 14,000 shares before the recall? How stupid do you think we are. Well, so much for your support. MENU Foods should pay big time because people trusted your products to feed our pets. And to the other poster, the people who have posted are responsible pet owners, why do you think we are angry, and writing about it. We want answers and need to know what to safely feed out pets.

martha

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 10:04:44 -0500

JR #573 - I too had 2 pets - dogs - that suffered from pancreas issues - see post 519. One suddenly became diabetic although her urine which was tested for another reason back in December showed no signs of high The other came down with acute pancreatitis and had to spend the weekend with the vet but thank goodness seems to have fully recovered. I think Pancreatitis is another problem with the food but of course no one listens because the reported problem is kidney failure. We have switched the dogs to a wheat free food. The cat is already on a wheat free food but who knows if it is even the wheat. It is very frustrating and heart breaking and expensive. So far my bills between the two dogs was $4500 and that doesn't count the cost of putting my dog to sleep which I was too distraught to deal with paying the bill - so that is yet to come.

jr

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:54:50 -0500

I have had three cats die in the last week from pancreatitis. All of these classic symtoms seem to be the same as ARF. I currently have 4 other cats that are displaying the same symptoms. All of my cats eat D/M and various varieties of Fancy Feast, including some that contain Weat Gluten. I believe their is a major coverup going on and it seems to easy to pin point this problem to one bad ingredient. Anyone that has been given the same diagnosis please speak up. Purina swears their food is safe, but my cats have not eaten anything on the list.

Sharon in Plano TX

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:06:58 -0500

I pondered about offering this information in light of all the concerns and grief many of us are sharing these last few months. My prayers and thoughts are with all of you that have lost family pets and still do not have the knowledge you deserve to acquire peace of mind. I am an old fashion and die-hard consumer (I am 61). I only bought Pontiacs, Tide laundry detergent, Dial soap and Hill’s Science Diet DRY pet food. After having to euthanize my 12 year-old black cat, Pete, because of kidney failure and severe dehydration on March 19, and being aware of the pet food contamination (mainly through the internet), I decided to take my dentist’s advice and buy a natural dry food through a milling company in Muenster, Texas. Just a few weeks earlier we brought into our home a 7 week-old black Labrador to be a sister to our 2 year-old yellow lab, Sandi. My 9-year old cat, Jordie, was crying and mourning from the loss of his brother, so a friend offered us a kitten to help Jordie heal. But now I am the mother to four beautiful animals. What an awesome responsibility (but love them so much!). For two years I thought my fate each weekend was to clean up yellow lab hair all over the floor and around her crate (not to mention, clothes and furniture). I thought it was normal for cats to shed hair over everything. All our animals seemed to like the Muenster dry foods I change to (I always had problems getting Sandi to eat during her two years with us, I thought she was just holding out for treats). After eating the diet for a week I began to relax in my choice of food. I also began to notice Jordie’s hair/coat was looking softer and had more shine. But the biggest difference was when I cleaned house this weekend. Sandi’s yellow lab hair was no where to be found. Not behind the recliner, not under the chairs or around her crate. The activity levels have definitely increased with her having a sister to play with now? If Jordie’s and Sandi’s coats are healthier, then what are the unseen, less obvious positive changes from their new diet? Jordie about twice each year would lose patches of hair on her body, and we attributed it to allergies. Sandi has the chronic ear problems and we attributed it to allergies. Well, it may be too much to hope for, but time will tell if these problems get better too? In my wildest dreams I never had hoped for such an obvious blessing from “finally” making a change in their diet and I am very thankful.

Cheryl in CA

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 18:13:48 -0500

I'm just so stressed and sick of all of this. I just read that Natural Balance is pulling their venison dry dog food formulas off of the shelves. They're apparently getting complaints on gastric upset. It may just be from switching foods. I switched all 8 cats and 2 dogs to Natural Balance three weeks ago. The dogs are loving the regular dry formula. The cats re still having some problems with the regular cat dry formula. Their poo really stinks worse than when they were eating the Cat Chow, and they don't even like it as well. They are losing weight though..and they needed that.

Angela Flynn

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 13:44:46 -0500

Well said petlover. The FDA continues to recall pet food. The FDA inspects less than 1% of imported foods. There has been an obvious massive poisoning from pet food. Whether this was done deliberately to increase profits or by careless neglect or indeliberately by a lack of oversight remains to be seen. I fail to see how the common sense reaction of avoiding possibly contaminated foods and the sharing of our stories can be regarded as hysterical.

petlover

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 17:20:59 -0500

re post #568: Perhaps if you were a little less hysterical yourself you'd see that my post is regarding a dog NOT a cat. Of course her dog's kidney problems could be a natural occurance but in light of the food recall it very well could be related. Besides, I really don't think anyone reading my post would become hysterical over Oprah's dog. Relax!

Sandra

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 21:39:47 -0500

Relative to post 567 about Oprah's cat - please do not add to the hysteria. Kidney disease is the #1 killer of cats, ask any vet. So not every damn kidney failure is cause by pet food!

petlover

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:02:17 -0500

Did anyone happen to see the Oprah show today? She mentioned that her beloved dog 'Sophie' had been diagnosed with kidney failure. She said she hasn't put her down yet but it sounded like it was something she was planning. I wonder what she has been feeding her dogs? Could be a connection to the petfood recall.

Angela Flynn

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:15:15 -0500

I recommend a visit to www.howl911.com I think they have overall the most information. You will find information on where to report sick and dead (I'm sorry to say) pets, alternative food and the latest headlines.

Tim McCormack

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:10:23 -0500

HELP! Can anyone tell me what to feed my cat? Now that he has eaten this food he has permanent kidney damage. The vet says he must be on special diet food, but he prescribed food from Hills Prescription diet, and I am worried that this may be making him sick. It is two-three weeks after the incident and now my cat is puking green bile all over the place this morning! This is horrible!

Sharon Foster

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:39:19 -0500

I am still very disturbed regarding my cat. Just the fact that I have been feeding my pet poisonous food for a time and didn't know it. He went from a very happy-go-lucky cat to very sick and not eating. I force fed him water because I was very worried. He was throwing up something awful and pooping all other the place. He was just sitting around not wanting to be disturbed. When he tried to walk, he wobbled. No one is calling me back and telling me anthing. I called three times and still no response. I even had someone tell me that his food was not on the list. I said well I have a print-out of it right here. Still no response, other than someone will call you back. Will they give me my baby back.

Angela Flynn

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:03:49 -0500

Please the only people who have done anything wrong are the ones who knew the wheat gluten was tainted. I consider most mammals to be sentient loving beings and this whole business makes me pissed. I wonder if Mark Weins lives with any companion animals.

Tim McCormack

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:57:20 -0500

Well reading through this page is heartbreaking... My cat became extremely sick about three weeks ago. He stopped eating, but we thought it was because he was upset with our move, since we were moving into a new house. After a week I took him to the vet. He is only 6 and up to this point has always been in perfect health. He was suffering from severe Renal Failure. His creatinine was at 81 (normal range 0.6-2.4, indicating almost 90% failure) and his BUN at 142 (normal range 14-36). We had been feeding him Hill's Science Diet Hairball Light Formula, and he was eating from a bag we bought at a pet store in Santa Clarita, CA back in January. Since his pet food wasn't on the list, I thought it couldn't be due to the "incident", but my vet is suspicious and now I am also. Anyway, it looks like Buster (my cat) is going to make it miraculously enough, but most likely with permanent kidney damager. We hydrate him every night (150 mL of fluids subcutaneously), plus have to force feed him, give him a shot of antibiotics and B12, plus shove a pill down his throat. He is starting to be afraid of us with all the screwed up treatments we are forced to give him and it is having quite an effect on us all... Anyway, if anyone else was feeding their pet Hill's Science Diet Hairball Light Formula and had problems please let me know (tim805@gmail.com). This whole thing is horrible and I hate to think that I did it to him somehow.

Iheartcats

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:56:41 -0500

Well, I'm just frustrated and sad. ***MEDI CAL**** formula is now added to the recall list. I happen to feed my two cats that food, I purchase it from my vets office. The formula I have does not have the same date as on the recall notice but my god what's next? I'm switching to Paul Newman's and hoping that won't be added to the list. Business is money so sadly in this case a business usually tries to downplay and cover certain truths. Certain facts with this whole recall clearly do not add up. I hope this brings massive awareness to the public. I can't imagine anything happening to my two boys, animals are beautiful souls and my heart goes out to all who had suffered a loss.

Ilovecats

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:54:45 -0500

Tim McCormack

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 20:29:18 -0500

Angela Flynn

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 11:28:59 -0500

www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/print/CTVNews/20070410/menu_foods_070410/20070410/?hub=TopStories&subhub=PrintStory Menu Foods CFO sold stock before pet food recall Updated: Tue. Apr. 10 2007 7:23 AM ET The chief financial officer of Menu Foods Income Fund says it was a "horrible coincidence" that he sold nearly half his units in the pet food company less than three weeks before a massive product recall. Insider trading reports confirm that Mark Wiens sold 14,000 units, or 45 per cent of his stock, for $102,900 on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27, reports The Globe and Mail. The shares would be worth $62,440 at current prices. Wiens still owned 17,193 units and options to purchase 101,812 units after the sale. "It's a horrible coincidence, yes . . ." Wiens told The Globe. "I hold myself to the highest ethical and moral standards possible. I wouldn't do anything to imperil the high governance standards that I demand of myself or anybody in the company." Wiens said the first reports about pet-related illnesses connected to Menu Foods products were made in late February. However, he said that he did not hear about the issue until early March. The Streetsville, Ont. company eventually issued a recall for 60 million containers of dog and cat food on March 16. "In terms of process, during any given year, we get consumer complaints all the time and it becomes matter of course for our technical people, so it's not something that necessarily gets flagged right to the top on an ongoing basis," said Wiens. Paul Henderson, the president and chief executive of Menu Foods, said his company severed its relationship with its Chinese supplier of wheat gluten on March 6. Melamine in the supplied wheat gluten has been identified as the root of the problem. Henderson said in a recent press conference that by March 6, it was evident that "something was wrong" with some of the company's products. Wiens said he has not been contacted by the Ontario Securities Commission or any other regulators since the problems erupted at Menu Foods. OSC spokesperson Wendy Dey told the Globe that the commission reviews insider trading reports routinely but she said they do not comment on individual cases. Wiens explained that he sold his shares for financial planning purposes and that he was prohibited from selling until Feb. 16 because of an implemented blackout period. He said he recognized why questions would arise about his trade. "Certainly there would be questions when you piece all the timing together. I understand that," he said. Multiple manufacturers have since recalled their pet foods after using the same supplier. © 2007 All Rights Reserved.

vnlnsM

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:27:06 -0500

Yes britt was pregnat and I slept with her for two hours befor I found out. But we need to take a stand ok. quailty controll or FDA has to be checked do you's know that homeless people eat this shit.I will boycot them and we all have to stick together.Don't ever buy it agin we will put them out of bussines if the fucking groverment!!!! We as a group we can do somthing to get them back!God i'm so lonley with out britt and I fell guilty for giving it to her I can't get over that part!!!!!

amy

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:29:49 -0500

hey everyone -- when it comes to pets - we should boycott anything from china at all costs. it seems that china hates dogs, i wouldn't be suprised if this whole dog food thing was a conspiracy... last august, china went on a massive killing spree of dogs, including beating dogs to death in front of their owners while out on walks. here's the article www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14139027/ they are going for round 2 this year... www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/07/world/main2544988.shtml and of course, there's this practice of abuse.. www.voice4dogs.org/tsinc.htm

martha

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:50:38 -0500

My dog that suddenly came down with diabetes - see my earlier post #519 - had to be put down of Friday. Most dogs once they go on insulin will bounce back but she never did. She still had a hard time standing up, walking and when she would squat to go to the bathroom she would collaps. I didn't give up hope until Thursday evening when she threw up her dinner and then refused to eat her breakfast the next morning. She did drink some water in the morning but threw that back up as well. The vet said she probably had a tumor on her pancreas. She was too old to operate on and I couldn't watch her suffer anymore so I had to say goodbye. It was a peaceful death. She was a good dog and I will miss her. I have seen the other posts with dogs with pancreas problems and 3 of the 4 were eating Nutro brand dry food. My other dog came down with Panreatitis (3/30) a week after my first one was diagnoised with diabetes(3/24). Thankfully she seems to have fully recovered. I still find this more than a coincidence. We've switched dog foods of course to California Naturals which has no wheat but still you wonder - is this one any better?

Cheryl in CA

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 19:58:09 -0500

I'm so sorry for your loss. If this was caused by her pet food, you need to take action. Save the food cans, bags, etc.. There are numbers that you can call to report this. If you post more detail here, we can help you to help stop this from happening to more pets that are also in danger. Again, I'm so sorry. Did you say that Britt was expecting puppies in 2 weeks?

MikeKeen

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 11:17:38 -0500

Post 552... We are so sorry to hear about your pet. Can you tell us more about the food. Circumstances surrounding this death and others are very important, as we are all in this together. Many people here have lost pets to this, PET FOOD COVERUP and understand how you are feeling. Please, accept our sincere condolences. We are here for you! keen remembering Abby Gayle and now Brittiny (keen@mac.com)

vnlnsM

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 09:36:57 -0500

My god my Saint Bernard DIED !!!!!!!!!THIS MORING I ONLY HAD MY BRITTINY. SHE WAS HAVTNG PUPPIES TWO WEEKS.Now use have killed my best friend and I live along,. Ihave had her sicence 8weeks old My mom passed away. sence then just me and britt...I bet you people don't understand loyity.Ihad britt. FOr the best five years I don't know what to do now .shewas800.00 and just had her studed for 1000.00 that's noteven bad part I lostherI can't believe you'scan get away with this something has to be done,I just last night we had hole made peanut butter cookies befor bad!!!!!!!!She passed in my bad 4-6-07.I am very depressedall ready this is taking me over the edge.l,lost britt LAST NIGHT

vnlnsM

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 09:26:20 -0500

AZSue

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 02:19:03 -0500

To Angela post 546 Thanks for the link to that article. It really makes you think. At one time I was going to be a nurse and I have a lot of chemistry, anatomy, physiology and microbiology classes under my belt. Dr. Fox's article has my brain spinning. Right now someone is genetically engineering OUR food. All I can think about right now is the report the other night on the increase in Autism in children, which nobody can understand, not to mention the prevalence of ADHD and related disorders. Could it be that maybe our beloved pets are the first DEAD victims of genetic engineering? Thanks again for that link....Sue

Angela Flynn

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 01:14:57 -0500

CNN is running a video featuring Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. and the overall lack of safety of food in China. edition.cnn.com/2007/US/04/05/pet.deaths/index.html It is incredible that the company has denied any involvement.

martha

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:53:31 -0500

Thanks Alex, you inspired me and I also left an email on the Nutro site as well. Is anyone else having troubles with Pancreatitis?

Angela Flynn

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:55:21 -0500

I feel veterinarian Dr. Michael Fox has put some pieces together in this article. Please read it. tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/id74.html

Angela Flynn

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:39:34 -0500

I feel veterinarian Dr. Michael Fox has put some pieces together in this article. Please read it. tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/id74.html

MikeKeen

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:13:16 -0500

Post 543... Editor’s Note: This story has been updated since the first posting. Several days ago, we started reading reports of dry food possibly making pets sick, specifically Iams. We then asked our readers to provide their experience to us. Here’s what we found: Number of pets covered: 134 (47 cats, 87 dogs) Reported ARF (Acute Renal Failure): 24 (17%) 15 cats, 9 dogs Cat Deaths: 20 | Cat Illnesses: 26 Dog Deaths: 9 | Dog Illnesses: 77 Since our report, one DRY food from Hills has been recalled so far. We caution you against accepting this as the final word as these are self-reported numbers from parents who have been reading about other sick or dying pets. Given the caveats, the brands that really stood out were Iams, Nutro, and Science Diet. We expected quite a few Iams reports since the survey results from posts about sick pets who ate Iams, (read about Menu Foods’ exclusive contract with Iams) but the Nutro reports seemed to have come from nowhere. Of the 5 reported deaths parents linked to Nutro, 3 were from Acute Renal Failure. 3 ARF deaths were reportedly linked with Science Diet and 7 were linked with Iams. There may be legitimate reason why some brands are on this list, for example, Science Diet may be recommended by vets to particularly sick pets. Recall resources: Detailed timeline & facts | Possible contamination of human food | FDA may have delayed the recall news | Who sold us the toxins | Future of lawsuits? | Get recall alerts | More Our numbers are not enough data to make any conclusive decision, but some correlations were highly troubling. We are highly in favor of a statistically correct and significant study of dry food-related problems. And we’d love to hear your thoughts in our comments. Important note: If you feel that dry food is causing your pet to fall ill, please contact the FDA. Number of Specific Cat Food Brand Reported: What to feed your cat Iams: 17 (ARF: 5 dead, 1 sick) Purina: 6 (ARF: 1 dead) Science Diet: 5 (ARF: 3 dead) Nutro: 4 (ARF: 1 dead, 1 sick) Special Kitty: 3 (ARF: 1 dead, 2 sick) Royal Canin: 1 (No ARF) Number of Specific Dog Food Brand Reported: What to feed your dog ARF reported: Iams: 21 (ARF: 1 dead, 2 sick) Nutro: 14 (ARF: 2 dead) Ol’Roy: 5 (ARF: 1 dead) Eukanuba: 2 (ARF: 1 sick) No ARF reported: Science Diet: 4 Pedigree: 2 Purina: 2 Authority: 1 Beneful: 1 Natural Balance: 1 Trader Joe’s: 1 Other News: Partial list of foods that contain wheat gluten | Blue Buffalo threatens Howl911. | See the latest recalls and updates here. Report your pet’s death or illness now. Keen and Abby Gayle

MikeKeen

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:57:45 -0500

Taeki's Friend

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:10:53 -0500

Ah, you're right Angela. I read the email too quickly. My cat Taeki died after eating recalled DRY Hill's Prescription Diet m/d (which does have wheat gluten), hence my suspicions. But, tainted wheat gluten does not explain the other dry food deaths...which are said to not contain wheat gluten. Of course, the labeling laws for pet foods are pretty lax, and as far as I can tell, not really enforced. Could it be that these other dry food products come from the mysterious "fourth manufacturer" who neglected to list wheat gluten as an ingredient on the label(s)? Since that would expose them to even more liability, that might be why they are remaining "mysterious." Has any one tabulated the other dry food complaints to see if they are linked to each other (same manufacturer/different brand, same plant, etc.) in any way?

MikeKeen

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:59:03 -0500

Just trying my best to listen and learn. I made mistakes in the past about my dear pets nutrition. I will not make that mistake again. I can't replace my pet until I'm certain that I can care for it properly. As I've said before, they do not know what is killing our pets and continue with a smoke screen that we cannot see thru. When all the smoke clears and the dust settles, it's still up to us to make the correct decision regarding our pets nutrition. THIS IS FROM PETA THIS AM. I'm not sure which reputable labs they used, we should ask them. Yesterday, the dean of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine confirmed that Menu Foods had contacted the college in early March, when cats in Menu labs stopped eating their food. Almost a full week later, the company sent tissue and urine samples from sick animals to Cornell, acknowledging that the food was toxic. Nearly two more weeks passed before Menu issued a recall. Although the FDA continues to blame tainted wheat gluten for recent cat and dog illnesses and deaths, a mounting number of complaints about sick and dying animals who ate only dry food that did not contain wheat gluten strongly suggests that there is another source of contamination. Evidence from reputable laboratories indicates that an excessive amount of vitamin D in pet food may be to blame. Vitamin D overdoses produce symptoms similar to those seen in animals who recently got sick or died after consuming only dry foods. PETA is demanding that the FDA refocus its investigation to include other likely causes instead of pandering to the pet food industry and focusing on an ingredient that is found in only a moderate number of foods. keen thinking of Abby Gayle

Alex Barnes

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:50:00 -0500

Re: Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice dry food. I just sent a complaint to Nutro from a form on their site. I had been feeding Natural Choice Lamb & Rice small bites to my 2 Maltese. Their site claims that no dry food is affected by the recall. I know there is no wheat gluten in the food I had been using. HOWEVER, there are too many other pets who are ill after eating ONLY dry food. I urged them to consider that there may be contaminants other than the rat poison & melamine--I have read excess Vitamin D will show the same symptoms as kidney failure and also pancreatitis. It might even be something else that has not been discovered yet. I told them this is surely not coincidental and to ignore these testimonies would show irresponsibility and callous disregard for the lives of the pets we love so much. Also, I should add that prior to using Nutro, I had been feeding Eukanuba Small Breed lamb & rice for a few years. They had been fine on Eukanuba until late last year when they began occasional vomiting & bouts of diarrhea. I temporarily switched to Kibbles & Bits (and they were fine on that) but I worried because it wasn't a "premium brand." So I switched to Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice small bites because I read it was easier to digest & didn't contain "byproducts." They had only been on Nutro for a few weeks and everything got worse. Lab work reveals elevated BUN, Creatine, and also Platelet count. I'm not happy with my vet's casual attitude about the results since I was given antibiotics and told I would have to put them on a special diet (Hills Prescription K/D) which I DID NOT get. I am looking for a new vet. Meanwhile, after feeding them only home-cooked meals for the last week, they are much better. I used rice, boiled potatoes with skins on and alternated chicken, cottage cheese or eggs for protein. I'm also waiting on a kidney healing program I ordered. Check out Five Leaf Pharmacy at caninekidneyhealth.com --the testimonies are amazing! They also give sample recipes and therapies that I found helpful. My heart goes out to those who have lost a beloved family member in this mess. I am furious at the pet food companies who seem more concerned with making money than ensuring the health of our pets and at the FDA who knew there was a problem but waited so long to say anything. Who can we trust? Not them! Our innocent pets trust us to care for them--and personally, I would rather cook for them myself. I plan to do more extensive research into natural & organic foods for my pets as well as for my family. Who can guarantee that our food supply is safe? We need to press for further research & accountability by pet food companies who are calling their dry food safe. I think there is more to the problem than the rat poison & melamine found in the wet food. We owe at least that much to our trusting & loyal companions.

Angela Flynn

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:11:01 -0500

The way I am reading PETAs release about the excessive vitamin D is that it is not linked to the wheat gluten. There is this statement from the PETA site www.peta.org/feat-iams.asp "Although the FDA continues to blame tainted wheat gluten for recent cat and dog illnesses and deaths, a mounting number of complaints about sick and dying animals who ate only dry food that did not contain wheat gluten strongly suggests that there is another source of contamination" PETA goes on to suggest that excessive vitamin D is to blame for the toxicity of pet food, but they do not mention what lab has determined this.

Taeki's Friend

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 03:56:47 -0500

Angela, I don't think anyone is testing for an overabundance of Vitamin D. I have contacted one of the labs, but have not received a response back yet. Hopefully they will listen to PETA's request and test for Vitamin D on their own. My hypothesis would still be that the wheat gluten is the "carrier" of Vitamin D or whatever turns out to be the killing contaminant. The link would be, not the sudden addition of Vitamin D to different manufacturer's food, rather the change of several manufacturers to a cheaper source of wheat gluten which happened to be deadly. According to the latest reports, the chinese wheat gluten was sold by the US distributor (ChemNutra) to four US-based pet food manufacturing customers. I think we know three of them: 1) Menu Foods 2) Hill's Pet Foods 3) Purina (Not sure - customer of Menu Foods or own plant?) 4) ??? But who is the fourth? Is that why dogs and cats are still dying from dry food and other non-recalled pet food from a fourth manufacturer using the contaminated wheat gluten? And does this manufacturer make one brand of food, or many? Why should it be so difficult to find out which manufacturer bought contaminated wheat gluten, and continues to poison our pets by not issuing a recall?!

Angela Flynn

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 01:09:37 -0500

I know Mike Keen posted about a vitamin D link earlier. I would like to know what labs have made this discovery and how it could occur on such a massive scale. It makes sense if it is only Menu Foods, but it seems odd that other companies have added excessive vitamin D all at the same time.

Taeki's Friend

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 23:20:15 -0500

Substance causing pet deaths and injuries may not be identified...dry food not on the recall list may still be causing pet deaths! In an email from PETA today: Alarmingly, it appears that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may not have discovered the real source of contamination in the recalled Menu Foods items that have caused illnesses and deaths in countless cats and dogs. A mounting number of complaints about sick and dying animals who ate only dry food that did not contain wheat gluten strongly suggest that another ingredient is causing this crisis. Evidence from reputable laboratories indicates that an excessive amount of vitamin D in pet food—among other possibilities—may be to blame. Vitamin D overdoses produce symptoms similar to those seen in animals who recently have become sick or died after consuming only dry foods. This week we have asked the FDA to refocus its investigations beyond wheat gluten and consider other possible contaminants. For the safety of all our beloved companion animals, we must not let the FDA sweep this issue under the rug—as the agency has done so often before with animal and human health issues. We need to ensure that all available pet food is 100 percent safe for dogs and cats.

Jane

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 15:42:38 -0500

Re: post # 535 Wow, I think that says it all. If a veterinarian is only willing to feed home cooked food to his own dogs, and not a brand of food that he most likely sells in his own clinic, it couldn't be more clear that this situation is widespread, dangerous and unresolved. Thank you for sharing that Amy. Jane

amy

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:41:40 -0500

Hi everyone - I just found this website today and have spent the past two hours reading everyone's posts, and I am so sorry for everyone who has been personally affected by the recalls. I feed my dog, Sasha, Royal Canin German Shepherd dry food. My father is a veternarian, currently in Africa on safari. Before he left yesterday, he made promise that I would feed Sasha and his 3 dogs I'm babysitting, home cooked food only. The easiest thing he recommeded is ground beef and rice. Or boiled chicken and rice. I'm going out today to get a dog food recipe cook book, but the dogs absolutely loved the cooked ground beef and rice.

Heather

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:57:49 -0500

How is this happening? I am absolutely furious that the pet food companies and the FDA haven't been testing all the food as soon as the first recall came out. We also lost our cat to what I can only assume was poisoning by the food he was eating. The food still is not on the recall list, Purina, indoor formula dry cat food. He exhibited all of the signs that have been described by other of poisoning by the food. He had massive renal failure, off the chart BUN and Creatnine levels, vomiting, lethargy, dehydration...etc etc. As I was reading the other comments I noticed that apparently I'm not the only person who has lost a pet to this particular brand, so maybe I'm not being so paranoid after all. I have scoured my house looking for any trace of something else that could have caused this and came up with nothing. I'm not looking to sue; from the sounds of it, it wouldn't be worthwhile anyhow, but I would like to see someone held accountable and I would like to see a formal apology from the makers of the food. I drive past a Nestle/Purina plant on my way to and from work every day, which constantly reminds me of all the drama we went through. I got the cat for my daughter for her 6th birthday and she has lost her best friend in the whole world and she is absolutely devastated. I can only wish these bigshot assholes running the companies could see that and realize what their negligence has caused, because that would be worth all the money in the world. Just keep in mind that just because your brand of food isn't listed, doesn't mean it's not poisoning your pet, if you notice him/her acting strangely or vomiting, take them to a vet ASAP.

Angela Flynn

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 01:26:12 -0500

I discovered this veterinarian - Dr. Michael W. Fox www.tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/index.html Dr. Fox is a promoter of bioethics and I found his site to be heartwarming. Something I think we all could use.

Taeki's Friend

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 01:01:42 -0500

Just wanted to share in the good news with Bridget, and to wish the best for Blake's pit bull's vet visit. Let us know how he is. Deepest sympathy and condolences to Jeri and family for Twister; words can't really express the pain...pets really are family members.

Blake Johnson

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 00:40:49 -0500

I am so sorry to hear everyones losses. I have a 80# pit bull that is like my kid. I have been feeding him Eukanuba Premium dry food for about 4 years. Within the last month, he started throwing up in the house and has been urinating in the house every day. He HAS NEVER done that!! I checked the recall list, and didn't see it on there. Then I found this website. I am bringing him to the vet tomorrow. I hope it's not the same case as everyone else.

Angela Flynn

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:14:14 -0500

I've been doing some thinking on this whole pet food issue. I do not have any pets now. I've been traveling too much over the past ten years. I do feel for every one who has lost a pet. I cried more when my last dog died than I ever have in my life. For the last two years I have picked up work from a friend who has a pet care business. I started noticing people complaining about their pet's digestion. I couldn't help but think of genetic engineering. Today, after doing some research, I found that aminopterin is used in genetic engineering. It is part of a compound in HAT. The Cornell Lab and researchers in Canada have been insistent about their finding of aminopterin in the pet food and now I am wondering if the melamine link isn't a bit of a red herring. I find it hard to believe that melamine could have been distributed through so much wheat. It makes more sense that it is genetically engineered wheat. As ge products are not considered to be substantially different from their non-ge product our government does not require safety testing. I do not know what China's regulations are. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAT_medium A click on the aminopterin link at the HAT site mentions the Canadian findings. It also mentions that there is no evidence that aminopterin has ever been used as a rat poison.

Bridget in Michigan

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:31:35 -0500

re: post 474 i took my dog in to the vet, the results are back, she is fine. i stopped feeding her IAMS over the weekend and switched to Paul Newmans Organic dog food. I just don't feel safe feeding her the IAMS still and maybe down the road i'll mix it up but for now i'm staying with Newman's Organic. The vet said her kidney's were in great shape and hasn't been affected by any of the recalled food. She however was pushing me to keep feeding her the IAMS food saying it's better than the organic becuase the organic is usually missing nutrients. I'm not a nutrionist/chemist but to me if they recalled beef for the mad cow disease than i surely won't be eating beef. And since feeding my dog the new food she seems less thirsty. I just wanted you all to know that my dog is okay and my heart goes out to all who have lost their pets.

She

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:01:33 -0500

re: 493 Brenda Wysong is apparently a European name, from their site: 1. Q: Where did the name “Wysong” come from? A: That is the name of our founder and present director, Dr. Wysong. It is of European decent and way back was converted through different languages from Vincent. St. Vincent de Paul is in the lineage.

Jeri Mills

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 07:34:23 -0500

I had my dog for 11 years full of engergy. I feed him Alpo prime cuts with gravy for long a very long time. Then 2 weeks ago Wednesday and Thrusday he was acting different I notice there wasn't a lot of stool in the back yard and he was walking around the yard and not stopping his tongue was hanging out and he was acting like he was extremely thristy. Not knowing that he was not drinking the water but did try to eat which he threw up and then he started having seizures. I rushed him to the animal Hospital where they tested him for Anit-freeze poisioning and other test they didn't know what was wrong with him but he had 6 seizures within 1 hour. They were alful. We had to make a decision to either take him home and him continue to have seizures that would evently kill him or put him to sleep. We didn't want him to suffer and ended up putting him to sleep which is one of the worst things you can ever do. I cried for days and miss him every day. My Son was so upset because he had him every since he was 5 years old. Then within a day it comes out that the dog food is bad and has posion in it and that it is killing dogs. At first I wasn't worried because it wasn't what I was feeding him till they came out with the Alpo prime cuts which is what he ate every day. I had to pay $450.00 to put my dog through test and then to sleep when this could have been prevented and he might have lifed a longer life. I think it is the crullest thing that I have heard of first people and now your pets. I think and would like some peace in this manner even though it won't bring my dog back. I lost my Dad a year ago and now we lost our dog. Missing Twister every day Mills in Louisville KY

Jeri Mills

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 07:29:15 -0500

edie ricardo

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 01:04:13 -0500

Thanks Sue for the helpful info. I looked on the cans of grilled fancy feast and wheat gluten was one of the main ingredients. This makes me even more sure of the cause of my cats illness. I too will not be contributing to purina or any other large manufactured pet food. Thanks again for the info.

Marian Steiskal

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:32:39 -0500

For all of you who have lost pets to this latest manufactured pet food debacle, please know that you have my deepest sympathy. Nothing can replace a beloved companion. And to have the company/brand that you purchased, tell you that you can get your money back or exchange the product [for another that is just as bad] is unconscionable! I noticed that many commented on "what brand food should I change to?" Since our dogs and cats are carnivores, you could start them on a natural raw diet, which would put a stop to this kind of thing ever happening again. There are many rawfeeding groups on the web with loads of good information to help you get started. It's safe, healthy and your companions will love you for it. [Less vet bills too and no dental work needed] The best way to show your angst and displeasure, would be to stop buying manufactured pet foods! Pet Food Recalls have happened all too often this past year and now already this year! The total lack of caring and consideration as well as the carelessness shown by the major manufacturer only makes one wonder when it will happen again. Our pets are part of our family, not something that if it dies, "oh well"!!! Again, my condolences to all that have suffered losses. Candles lit to honor their passing and to comfort us who have been left behind to mourn.

Taeki's Friend

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:07:36 -0500

Once again, from an AP article: FDA Bars Wheat Gluten Used in Recalled Pet Food Even more pet food could be recalled in the next few days, though there probably has been no contamination of human food, FDA officials said Monday.

MikeKeen

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 19:01:10 -0500

Lindsay, I believe there are a few more people with that same type of problem and I've read their posts on menufoodclassaction with yahoo. Also on the pet connection you can search for pancreatitis and find all post relating. Same hold true for howl911 and itchmo. keen without Abby Gayle

Lindsay

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:34:40 -0500

My little pomeranian was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis at the end of December. She is only 3 years old and has only ever eaten Nutro Natural Choice lamb and rice small bites dry food. I find it quite coincidental that this illness occurred right around the recall. I just got off the phone with someone at Nutro who has assured me that the Nutro Lamb and Rice jerky treats are not affected by this recall even though they contain wheat gluten. I'm quite confused since all the news says that anything containing wheat gluten is being recalled. Not only did my little pup have acute pancreatitis in December, but she came down with a bad UTI (urinary tract infection) two weeks ago. She has had a perfectly good bill of health since these two illnesses. She's only 3 years old. I spent $1800 in vet bills in December and now $600 in vet bills for the testing/medications last week. When will it all stop? When will these companies fully own up to what they have done?

AZSue

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:29:44 -0500

To Edie post 517 I feed my cats 3 Fancy Feast varieties...Savory Salmon...Ocean Whitefish and Tuna...Cod, Sole and Shrimp. I checked each one with a magnifying glass to make sure the tiny little printed ingredient lists did not contain any wheat gluten...none of them did. However, when I run out of Fancy Feast, that's it. I will not contribute any more of my money to Purina, or any other large manufacturer of pet food. This whole recall mess has really opened my eyes to what kind of crap is in these mass-manufactured foods. Edie, do you know what ash is? When you find out you will be sick. Spend some time reading this list and others, along with some major Google searches on pet food ingredients. It will totally open your eyes! I have already switched my cats to Diamond's Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul and Wysong's Vitality. I have read that Diamond had a problem with their food some time ago, however, I believe that was dog food and they have since cleaned up their act. Diamond's Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul is all natural and holistic. Wysong's food, from my research, is a superior kibble. Both are dry foods. Since cats, especially neutered male cats, need extra fluids in their diets, I will either be adding water to the above mentioned dry foods, or making my own wet food for them. They get a tablespoon of Fancy Feast twice a day for a treat, so it's not like they are fed wet food as a main food source. I hope this helps you...Sue

Martha

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:49:39 -0500

Two weeks ago one of my dogs (11 year old lab) came down with Diabites suddenly even though her urine was tested in December and looked fine. She is back home taking insulin shots 2 times a day but can still barely walk - it is heart breaking. Insuline is produced by the pancreas Then last friday my other 11 year old lab(her litter mate) had to be rushed to the vet. She was diagnoised with acute pancreatitis - seems odd to me that both of them are having medical emergancies related to the pancreas. They have been eating Nutromax minichunks for several years and this food does not contain wheat glutton but are both also on Thyroid medication and DES which is a hormone. we have two other dogs eating the minichunks who have not had problems - so far. I went to the feed store today and the cashier said someone else had been in last week who's dog also had problems with their pancreas. Are there other people out there seeing this issue. I did notice 2 other people posting issues

Debbie4747

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:25:40 -0500

I just checked www.howl911.com and they are reporting that Purina has opened and is operating a pet food manufacturing plant in China, using local ingredients. I'll be boycotting Purina as well from now on. Can't imagine what they were thinking.

edie ricardo

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:19:13 -0500

After feeding my cat fancy feast grilled food (with Gravy)he too had signs of vomiting, lethargy. I took him to the vet and he had elevated levels of creatinine..they said he had kidney failure. He is 15, they said that was normal for a cat his age, but i truly believe it had something to do with the food. After 3 days of IV to flush his kidneys he is now recovering...(thank god)...But now i dont know what to feed him, all i have been feeding him is shredded chicken and cottage cheese. The vet gave me some science diet m/d to take home and feed him (which i didnt) and now thats on the list...I dont know whats safe anymore, i fear that there are pet food out there on the shelves that should be on the list...i also wonder if anyone has had a similar experience and fed there cat fancy feast??

AshleySue

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 13:46:44 -0500

Melamine is a synthetic polymer which is fire resistant and heat tolerant. Melamine is a very versatile material with a highly stable structure. Uses for melamine include whiteboards, floor tiles, kitchenware, fire retardant fabrics, and commercial filters. Melamine can be easily molded while warm, but will set into a fixed form. This property makes it ideally suited to certain industrial applications. Melamine is manufactured by mixing urea with formaldehyde under heat and pressure. The substances begin to polymerize and are forced into a mold which will create the desired shape. Under pressure, melamine releases water, which could make the plastic unstable if it is not removed. The materials finish polymerizing and create a finished product, melamine. Melamine is known as a thermoset plastic, because the plastic is fixed after molding. If exposed to enough heat, melamine will melt. For this reason, melamine dishware should not be exposed to high temperatures like those in the oven and microwave. However, the plastic is able to withstand higher temperatures than other plastics. Because it is a thermoset plastic, melamine is difficult to recycle. Melamine can be made into a foam product. Melamine foam has a distinctive structure composed of stacked bubble shapes, which are extremely hard and therefore can easily clean a wide variety of substances. Melamine foam is marketed under a variety of commercial names including Magic Eraser, a cleaning tool well known for removing scuffs and dirt from a wide range of surfaces. Melamine is used in Formica and similar construction products made from composite materials. Formica is made using melamine resin, which is used to coat the fibers in the upper layer of the construction product. The melamine resin makes the end result heat resistant, so that hot objects can be set on the counter without concern. The surface of the material is designed to be easily wiped and cleaned, creating a long lived household product. Melamine plays a role in a wide range of flame resistant materials. These include textiles used in upholstery and the uniforms worn by firemen. Thermal liners, heat resistant gloves, and aprons to protect from splashback of hot substances are made using melamine. Melamine will protect a wearer from heat hazards, and will help to resist the spread of fire in aircraft and buses by providing a fire blocker. Melamine is also used in the manufacture of some filters. The material is porous and will admit substances to pass through, but can be used to filter out particles of a particular size. Melamine filters are capable of handling a high capacity and can be used in hot environments due to the heat resistance of melamine. Melamine filters are also extremely efficient.

AshleySue

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 13:44:40 -0500

Melamine!!! Important read!!! http:// www . inchem . org / documents / sids / sids / 108781 . pdf "The toxicity of melamine is low. Repeated exposure resulted in urinary bladder stones and other lesions of the urinary tract. Bladder tumours occured only in male rats after prolonged irritation of the epithelium by the bladder stones. Melamine is not genotoxic. The exposure of workers and consumers is low. Therefore, melamine is currently considered of low potential risk and low priority for further work."

AshleySue

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 13:21:28 -0500

Everyone who lost a pet, I am SOOOOO sorry! Until a few days ago, I was feeding my pets Nutro dry foods both dog and cat varities. With nutro's dry in question from recent antecdotal accounts I have since switched to Purina Naturals. It is not the best situation, but Purina has assured me that there dry is not made from menu, and that they do not contain contaminated ingredients in there food. It is the best I can do for now. Also, would like for you to know the Natura Brand (Innova, Evo, ect) has wet food made by Menu... but according to them are safe, and are planning on building there own canning facility. ((("Until Natura begins its canning operation, it will have one of their own Quality Control employees on-site in South Dakota to oversee the production of its products. Natura has also instructed its buyers to utilize ingredients from domestic suppliers only.")))

MikeKeen

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 12:06:17 -0500

www.xzay.com/english/index.asp The manufacturers of the suspected wheat gluten from China. Del Monte says they bought food grade gluten from these people. Food grade for pet food? How can we turn our anger, into something possitive? Did you read about the couple that killed themselves over the loss of their pet? www.itchmo.com/ My doctor, who I see 4 times a month, and his wife have a cat and when my pet died I passed along the facts as I knew them and a few of my own personal feelings about this recall. I told him to avoid commercial foods wet or dry. He went home after our visit and found that the food he was feeding his cat was manufactured by Menu Foods. He stopped feeding that food and put his pet on a product his vet advised, which was made by Hill's. This morning, by chance, my wife called and talked to his secretary about the new and re-updated recall. His cat has been drinking a ton of water, urinating on everything and is lathargic. He's leaving his office as we speak to take care of their cat and see the vet that recommended the poison. I'm certain his vet was unaware of any porblem with that pet food he sells. The experts are being fooled by this, and they still don't know for certain what is sickening and killing our pets. keen without Abby Gayle

Taeki's Friend

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 19:16:54 -0500

Sharon, I am so sorry to hear about Pete. Our cat Taeki died on 3/16 (4 days short of his 12th birthday), after eating Hill's Prescription Diet M/D and W/D. We have received absolutely no satisfaction from Hill's. We tried repeatedly (after Taeki's death, unfortunately) to confirm that their food was safe and not the cause of his death, even though the symptoms were all the same, and they kept saying it was. When they finally recalled the food on 3/31, we called again, and they expressed absolutely no smypathy. The extent of their condolences were: "we'll replace the food or refund your money." This after we told them our only cat and pet, practically a member of our family, had passed away after eating their food. They also had no response ("we can't answer that") as to why it took two weeks after the Menu Foods recall (which was itself about a month after the problem surfaced) for Hill's to recall their food which was tainted with the same wheat gluten. It couldn't have taken them that long to figure out they used the contaminated gulten. Anyway, we contacted a couple of lawyers over the weekend and are awaiting a response. We don't think we fit in the larger class action lawsuit against Menu Foods, because as far as we can tell the Hill's issue was the wheat gluten, but not otherwise connected to Menu Foods. We are not sure exactly what we want from a legal standpoint; initially we would probably have settled for an apology and an expression of sympathy, and covering our "huge" vet bill of $35 for Taeki's cremation. Now we are really upset with Hill's response (or lack of response) to Taeki's death. Obviously no amount of money can "replace" Taeki, so... Anyway, if you are interested in us passing your information along to the lawywers as well, please let me know at Taeki@Acorp.net.

F Martinez

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 18:43:32 -0500

Thank you Rebecca. I did have some Del Monte dog treats in the pantry, but they are not the same one's that have been recalled. I've since stopped feeding these to them. Post #508 has scared the hell out of me...as Science Diet Light Hairball Formula was the one I WAS feeding my cats, and Science Diet Adult Small Bites was the one I WAS feeding to my dogs. The only thing I've noticed as far as the cats go is that my white cat threw up a week and a half ago, but otherwise seem fine. As I said earlier, I am now feeding all my cats and dogs Natural Balance. Still, I am concerned.

Rebecca

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 17:59:18 -0500

Im sorry, Beneful contains Corn Gluten not Wheat Gluten.

Rebecca

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 17:58:25 -0500

Josephine, RE:504... I feed my 2 dogs beneful healthy weight. They have been eating it for about a year now. Sometimes dogs eat too fast and they throw up. Also, if you just changed them to a new food sometimes they may throw up. Beneful does not contain wheat gluten, it contains wheat gluten. I am continuing to feed my dogs beneful until something else comes up. If you are giving them dog treats, there was a recall on Del Monte pet treats. Dogs: Jerky treats beef flavor dog snacks, gravy train beef sticks, and dollar general jerky snacks. I have cut out all treats. They get cesar soft food in the mornings and they have their beneful most of the day. If you are nervous check www.mars.com they make pet food that is safe and none of their products are recalled.