Cat Food - Safe List
84What Is In Cat Food?
Use of corn, wheat, or soy which cause skin irritation, hair loss, fever, ear infections, kidney failure, liver failure. dental disease, obesity, chronic digestive problems, bloat, heart disease, and hyperthyroidism.
Because manufacturers need to ensure that dry foods have a long shelf life (typically 12 months) to remain edible through shipping and storage, fats used in pet foods are preserved with either synthetic or "natural" preservatives. Synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin.
Use of by-products. By-products are ingredients used which are not fit for human consumption. By-products are often floor sweepings from a rendering plant. "Animal by-product" is rendered product from animal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices." Pet food labels contain the words "meal" or "byproduct" on the ingredient label. Inedible byproducts such as bone, fat, heads, hair, feet and condemned offal are used in commercial pet food. These materials are sent to a rendering plant for processing into pet food products.
"Meat" is often rendered dogs and cats as well as other animals such as road-kill. When the source of the meat is known it will be listed as beef, poultry, chicken, turkey, etc. If the source of the meat is not known it is simply called "meat.
Rather than the wholesome pictures shown on the pet food packaging, rendering companies dispose of millions pounds of inedible waste each day including, heads, feet,stomachs, intestines, spinal cords, tails, restaurant grease, feathers, bones and dead or diseased animals rejected from slaughterhouses for use in manufacturing pet food. Amazingly, animals from research laboratories may be rendered into pet food as well.
Ol' Roy dog food, which is considered one of the poorest quality dog foods on the market, scored 5 out of 10.
The life span of your pet should be at least 20 years. Your pet's diet strongly influences your pet's life expectancy. Always look for a quality pet food which scores 10 out of 10.
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Safe Cat Food List
This is a list of Safe Cat Food to feed to your cat. The Safe Cat Food List was compiled after the huge Pet Food Recall begining back in March 2007.Look through the Safe Cat Food List for your favorite brands of Cat Food. You may also be interested in how your band of Cat Food did in the Cat Food Review - Cat Food Ratings
These links are direct to the Cat Food Company's web sites. These cat foods are on the Cat Food Safe List.
Free Online Pet Food Recall Information - Buyers Guide
- Acana Pet Foods
- Active Care Cat Food
- Advanced Pet Diets Select Choice
- Artemis - Holistic Cat Food
- AUNT JENI'S Cat Food
- AvoDerm Natural Cat Food
- Azmira Holistic Animal Care Cat Food
- Back to Basics Cat Food
- Bench & Field Cat Food
- Bil-Jac Cat Food
- Blackwood & Adirondack cat foods
- Blue Seal® branded canned pet products
- Brandon Farms® brand of organic dry and canned foods
- Bravo Cat Food
- Breeder's Choice Cat Food
- Burns Natural Cat Food
- By Nature® brand of dry, canned and pouch pet foods
- California Natural Cat Food **Deleted** Class Action Filed - False Advertising
- CANIDAE Cat Food
- Champion Petfoods, Ltd.
- Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul dry pet food 2/15/08 Deleted due to reports of pet illness and death
- Country Value Adult Cat Food
- Dad's Pet Food
- Diamond Maintenance Cat Food 2/15/08 Deleted due to reports of pet illness and death
- Diamond Professional Cat Food 2/15/08 Deleted due to reports of pet illness and death
- Dynamite Specialty Products
- Eagle Pack
- Evangers
- EVO Cat Food **Deleted** Class Action filed- False Advertising
- Flint River Ranch
- Fromm Family Foods
- Go! Natural
- Grandma Lucy's
- Great Life Performance Pet Products
- Halo
- Healthy Pet Products
- HealthWise Cat Food
- Holistic Blend
- Homemade 4 Life Cat Food
- Innova Cat Food **Deleted** Class Action Filed- False Advertising
- Life's Abundance by Healthy Pet Net
- Mon Petit
- mORIGINS
- Nature's Logic
- Nature's Valley
- Nature's Variety
- Newman's Own Organics
- Nutra Nuggets
- Nutrience
- Old Mother Hubbard
- Oma's Pride
- Origen Pet Foods
- Petcurean Pet Nutrition
- PetGuard Organics
- Pet Promise
- PHD Products
- Pinnacle Cat Food
- Plato Pet Treats
- Precise
- Premium Edge deleted - Diamond products
- Primal Pet Foods
- Professional Pet Food deleted - Diamond products
- PRO PAC Superpremium Pet Foods
- SOJOS NATURAL CAT FOOD
- Sojourner Farms Pet Foods
- Solid Gold Health Food for Pets
- SPORTMIX Pet Food
- Stella and Chewy's
- Steve's Real Food, Inc.
- The Honest Kitchen
- The Robert Abady Dog Food Company (Company's web site click here)
- Tiki Pet Foods by Petropics
- Trilogy Cat Food
- Tuffy's Pet Food
- Wellness
- Wysong
Ask Susan Peters Other Sites of Interest:
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Pet Food Companies (click here to view the press release)
Free Online Pet Food Recall Information - Buyers Guide
Have you purcased pet food from these companies? If you have, you may join in the class action, too. Were you "duped" by these companies?
Lawsuit sites: Concealed product contents: spines, heads, tails, hooves, hair, blood, euthanized cats and dogs, road kill, rancid grease, toxic chemicals. Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Pet Food Companies
Safe Cat Food List - Products not included in the Cat Food Recall.
- Ask Susan Peters (click here)
This site will link you to all of the articles written by Susan Peters.
- Pet Food Recall Information (click here)
This site will answer all your pet food recall questions. Is your dog or cat food included in the recall? Is your pet food on the Safe List? What is the Recall all about and what is being done about it.
Class Action Law Suit Filed Against Pet Food Companies (click here to view the press release)
Have you purcased pet food from these companies? If you have, you may join in the class action, too. Were you "duped" by these companies?
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Is 9Lives okay? It's by Del Monte.
I am headed to the store now and I am so concerned, I don't really know what to feed my cat and dog. My cat eats Whiska pouch. I am guessing from what I read above that it is okay. Is that how you all understand it?
I cannot beleive how difficult it has been for us to ascertain information regarding this recall. News casters used the info as a comeon just before commercials and did not come out with the names of the many prodaucts but rather told us how to get the info with quick telephone numbers posted on the screene. Thanks for little help!
A note: So far Purina has no rcalled cat food, but it is recalling Mighty Dog food- a Purina product. So, you can't really say that Purina is not affected by the recalls as your list above implies.
Thank you! This is so helpful. The news station said Purina, but did not give a list - as others have said. This site is a lifesaver- literally. Thank you to womever opened this page.
Tonight and for the next few nights we are feeding our animals home made food until we can figure out what products are recalled and which are not.
Is Maximum dry food distributed by Walmart safe? I just opened a bag and I have 7 cats. Also feed Friskies canned food. Please reply.
has anyone heard about Meow Mix products? THeir web site is "down for maitenance"? yikes!
Iams Dry Multi Cat large bag is not on the list, but just started using it last week and 3 cats started extensive vomiting. We stopped the food before we knew about the recall. The vomiting stopped and acitivty increased to normal. I returned it to Petsmart and the manager told me to notifiy Iams, which I did. I feel that this recall will expand. If you are makin your own, please share the ingrediants. My cats range in age from 1 1/2 yrs to 17. They also eat wet food, Iams, which I also returned.
Iams dry multi cat food, large bag. 3 cats started vomiting days after we introduced this food. Used for about a week and made the association with the food change. Stopped prior to the recall. The vomiting stopped and they returned to normal. The vet said give it a few days, when we called. Water intake remained good. I have notified Iams.
Iams is on the recall list!
Susan Peters
I can't get a review on the Maximum product. Please look at the label and tell me about "gluten". How far down the list and what kind. You are looking for wheat gluten.
Susan Peters
Meow Mix IS Safe
Susan Peters
Recently fed both cats IAMS dry/adult and noticed a change in pets' behavior prior to hearing about any recall. Excessive vomiting and unusally heavy consumption of water. Not sure if it is related, but would warn against using it until further notice....
Iams is on the recall list!
I have 4 senior cats and feed them Meow Mix Moist and Fancy Feast Moist-- one pack a day divided among them. Their dry food is a mix of Purina products, Friskies Dental Diet, and the new "The Good Life." Are all safe? I want to protect my babies. Help!!!! Thanks. Pat
I wouldn't trust The Goodlife Recipe. I'm not sure about the recall but the product name is very wrong! Stay away from corn and grains. The Goodlife Recipe is FULL of fillers!
I feed my two cats a premium dry food called Wellness made by Old Mother Hubbard. According to the website, www.omhpets.com, they are NOT affected by the recall. If you are worried you could feed your cats Wellness or regular deli meat until this blows over. I would go to a specialty store instead of buying the food at the grocery because most of those foods are the same type of quality. Complete Petmart is where I buy the Wellness.
These are great pages; thanks so much for all the information. Our pets eat mostly dry (Purina indoor formula for the cat, Purina One Sensitive Systems <made from salmon> for the dog), but we stock a variety of wet foods for special dinner "treats." Your pages have been very helpful in checking what we have against the recall lists. Thank you so much!
As an aside, my dog had a lot of recurring nausea a couple of years ago from eating Purina Beneful. The vet said it was likely an allergy to the food dyes used in that food.
I am a nutritionist and I run a feline nutritional newsletter. My readers Are commonly instructed to either make their own raw meals or use one of the grain free brands Available. Wellness and Natures Variety are considered two of the top brands for carnivore nutrition. They are also not involved in the recall.
I strongly urge anyone dealing with possible problems due to the recalled food to make an appointment with your vet and take you cat in for bloodwork and a full check up.
Good luck to all and my sympathies to those who have lost pets.
What about Hills Prescriptions Diet Feline c/d (dry)? I can't find anything about it anywhere. Is is safe?
Great web site. I didn't know what to feed my baby until I met a rep in PetSmart and am now trying Blue Spa Select for my cat. All appears well now. I did feed my last cat IAMs wet food and I lost him on February 5 and am now wondering. I will speak with my vet about this.
Hills is on the recall list. So is Iams
I think you can add Precise to that list too (http://www.precisepet.com/). It's not in the list of recalled brands.
Is Friskies Dry ok??
Is Whiskas pouch OK or Not? Is there any other site we can check out?
Its mainly all cat food that has gravy in them ... cans are ok! Pouches are definatly not ok!
I see only Hill Country Fare on the recall list but not Hill Prescription Diet c/d feline. Is this the same company and does it mean ALL Hill products ? This is very confusing.
Go to www.menufoods.com to check out the list of cat and dog foods that are on the recall list. It lists them by brand, date and code.
Hill's Prescription Diet is on the List
Friskies and Whiskas are ok.
The companies are saying the pouch is the only product affect but are suggesting NOT using ANY of the food
Pittsburg, KS (March 19, 2007) – In response to the recent Menu Foods, Inc. nationwide recall of wet pet foods, Natural Life Pet Products, does not have any items that are part of the recall. Natural Life takes great pride in monitoring our products and all customer concerns.
If you have any further questions please visit our website www.nlpp.com or call 1-800-367-2391
Please look for our many fine items for both dogs and cats at a retailer or supercenter near you!
3/19 I continue the attempt to access the complete list of recalled cat food via www.menufoods.com - to no avail!!!!! Thank the lucky stars there are now several kitty friendly sites who have attempted to give us a complete list. Even the FDA site links us to the useless Menu Foods site!!!
The web page in the news releases is not available on my computer, but if you go to menufoods.com you can choose recall and see lists for dogs and cats. Typical for menufoods to release a press release, then change the link address to something else??
Is Hill's Science Diet Senior Cat Hairball Control Safe?
Thanks
It is TOTALLY unacceptible that we weren't alerted sooner. From the above posts many of us are still worried and "in the dark".
Menu recall pg says go to Iams pg but Iams has no recall list yet? I presume all the new items are on recall. Prior to knowing of recall, I had just stocked up on Iams pouches (& 2 dry bags--Indoor Sr, regular Senior), as well as Walmart's Special Kitty pouches. Had fed one Special Kitty beef, my senior cat likes it best, and one Iams chicken pouch, no problems so far. I offer multiple bowls of dry for choices and my cat has eaten both new dry Iams and is so far okay, but I will change over to much the older dry foods I have until more is known. Certainly am withholding the wet food and returning all. Appreciate the ability to make and read the comments! Thanks.
Hills Prescription Diet IS NOT on the recall list. Only their "retail" label, Science Diet, is on the list and only the Savory Cuts cans. Please check link for specifics. http://www.hillspet.com/menu_foods/Menu_Foods_en_U
Margie C
Here's the link for Iam's recalled pet food-- http://us.iams.com/iams/global/Product_Recall.htm
Oops. the dry food in my prior comment was not IAMS, it was Science Diet. (My cat does not like Iams dry food nor Science Diet's wet food.) Sorry for that error.
Thanks Grace..I called my vet. He said Hills Prescription Diet (dry in a bag) is OK for my cat. This must be purchased through a vet. I checked out the site you mentioned. Thanks again..
OOPS. The dry food in my message #38 is not Iams. The dry food is Science Diet. My cat does not like Iams dry, nor Science Diet wet. Sorry for the error.
Thank you Grace, msg 40. I went to Iams site link and found all of my pouches have the plant code but only one has a date code within the numbers they show but it seems to be minor to the plant code. Guess I will return them all.
noon news in ca said Purina was voluntarily recalling cuts in gravy. I returned 7 cases of Friskies Chicken dinner in gravy sliced to Safeway which is a store involved in this recall.
is pet promise let byproducts be bygones on the list of recall
I have done some research on this pet food recall on the internet. If you look into this, it looks like this RECALL OF MENU PET FOOD has been going on since December 2005. I have found articles from CNN.com & MSNBC.com that they have been reporting on this recall for months. Just thought I'd let you all in on a little secret that this has been going on for awhile now. Just take care of all of our furry friends.
How long do I have to wait to know if my cats are ok?????
For Jan B., comment 45
Is the Purina cuts in gravy recall that the CA news referred to for the Mighty Dog in pouches or is this a new recall for cat food?
For Grace, The news said this was a VOLUNTARY recall by Purina for all cuts in gravy. Meaning they don't think there is anything wrong but they want to be safe since they don't know for sure what the problem is. I am feeding my oldest cat that is 15 chicken baby food now.
I feed my cats 9 Lives and Friskies canned food and Purina Natural Dry food. Are these safe? The cats are 6, 18, 20 and 22 years old.
Shepard Smith on the fox network just said that purina is part of the menufood recall
i have it on tivo- we really need to know!!
My cats flatly refused to eat the Eukanuba dry food about two and a half years ago, after many years of loving it. They sudddenly would not touch it, and went on a starvation strike, which I'm embarrased to say lasted almost three days before I caved. I called the company and got a coupon for a free bag. Ditto. I did switch brands, and my new brand is not currently targeted, but my cat vomits after eating it, at least once a week. Again, this another "premium" brand, but two of my cats have had cancer, and even if my cats haven't died immediately after eating a particular can or bag of food, I still wonder about the quality of pet foods in general. I am so sorry, for all people with cats and dogs at this time. (We need a "WatchHuman" for dog food). And cat food. This is a sad, sad day for all people who love animals. Now is the time for us to stand in force and demand better grade foods for our furry loved ones. Best to all of you, prayers, ElsaKitt
Susan - You said: "Hills is on the recall list. So is Iams"
I can't find Hills Science Diet on the list. Where did your info come from. Is the list on the menu site therefore NOT complete? Do you have access to an updated list containing more foods?
the 2 i kno that r safe r whiska's and sheba check it out on www.whiskas.com
I feed my cats Friskies can food, and it's funny, they don't eat the gravy style at all, only the ground meat, they might know why, but they don't tell me. I still have a whole carton left (bought it Months ago) and might get over this whole trouble, hopefully they don't recall Friskies. I tried other brands, and my cats won't eat anything but Friskies. At night they eat dry food, Friskies Feline favorites, seems to be alright, no problems.
Friskies seems fine!
I have gone thru my trash and found that I have given my senior cat at least 3 pouches of the recalled product codes, and he is still as active as normal.
What a mess this all is. Between what the cats WILL eat and, without samples out there for most of them, we buy and return, buy and return, which is really stupid. It is such a chore to find a satifactory food. I have tried baby meats/dinners, to no avail. It appears the best avenue now is to supplement an approved dry with a small bit of human foods, occasional beef (mine likes raw), and some gravy made just for him (mine really likes only the gravy in the wet foods anyway), some cheese, and a shared lunch of canned tuna or salmon (make salmon patties for yourself). I used to offer only dry, but found that some moist food prompts a good washing session and lots of pleasure. Thanks and good luck to us all.
Thank you SO much for this vital information. I have been feeding my cats foods from brands on the recall list, and have chucked them. At least now I know what brand I can trust for the time being at least. I do not want to take any chances. I love my pets.
My vet gave me a catfood recipe when my very old cat started having kidney trouble. I think this is it (she passed away last year at about 16) . I tried to use organic foods in it ... better people quality ... because she was so fragile. It can be changed occasionally for finicky eaters.
CATFOOD BEEF & PORK 1 pound ground beef (not lean)1/4 pound pork liver1 cup cooked rice1 teaspoon corn oil1 teaspoon ground egg shellVitamin supplementCook the ground beef and pork liver. Combine cooked ground beef and pork liver in a large bowl. Stir in rice, oil and egg shell. Feed sufficient amount to maintain normal body weight, adding supplement in amount recommended for cats by vet. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Makes about 1-1/2 pounds.
My vet gave me a catfood recipe when my very old cat started having kidney trouble. I think this is it (she passed away last year at about 16) . I tried to use organic foods in it ... better people quality ... because she was so fragile. It can be changed occasionally for finicky eaters.
CATFOOD BEEF & PORK 1 pound ground beef (not lean)1/4 pound pork liver1 cup cooked rice1 teaspoon corn oil1 teaspoon ground egg shellVitamin supplementCook the ground beef and pork liver. Combine cooked ground beef and pork liver in a large bowl. Stir in rice, oil and egg shell. Feed sufficient amount to maintain normal body weight, adding supplement in amount recommended for cats by vet. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Makes about 1-1/2 pounds.
Just wanted to let you all know our cat had to be put to sleep on feb. 10th for kidney failure. He was eating Friskies can food and Iams dry food. It all happenend in about 4 days. 1st he stared not wanting to eat all his can food, which was not like him, and drinking lots of water. The next day he threw up and started drinking lots of water the 3rd day he would not stop crying. The fololwing day we took him to the vet and he had 90% kidney failure and the vets were not able to help him.
Do you all think the IAMS dry food is bad too? What about Friskies can food? Do I need to call both companies? All I can say is I am very upset that this is happening. What are they putting in our pets food?????
Please all don't feed your cat IAMS dry food either just incase.
What are we supposed to feed our pets?
I just looked at the list of all the recalled foods and dates, everything i am feeding my 2 dogs and 2 cats are on this list, I am freaking out here! I just called the hot line, and they said stop feeding them, NO REALLY? I pay a fortune for premium food , and for what - this hell? Apperantly the illness can take a long time to occure. Who knows what I gave my babies over the last year? I am afraid to give them their dry food now. the hot line said dry food was not include in the recall, AS FAR AS THEY KNOW- why should I trust them. "as far as they know" is not good enough. What do we do??? I am insane with anger right now! anyone lnow if HILLS Perscription dry is ok for dogs and cats? HELP
I didn't see Royal Canin on the list, but I checked the website and it is not included in the recall; dog or cat. Just in case anyone was wondering.
I saw a vet being interviewed on tv this morning. He suggested feeding cats baby food until the scare of the recall is over.
#62 Chippy..My vet told me yesterday Hill's Prescription Diet dry was OK for my cat. See messages listed above for more: #22, 24, 29, 39, 42.
I am so scared Friskies loaf and Fancy Feast is going to pop up on the recall list. I'm at work and i am seriously considering going home to check on my two cats (aged 3 and 4 years old)
Only one Purina item has been recalled:
I feed my cats Fancy Feast-- are they at risk?
I also feed my cats fancy feast I am scared because now no one really know what is safe and what isn't anymore. Iams and other companies responsible better go under for this! Our family dog is sick with all the symptoms listed due to pet owners poisoning their loving pets without knowing!!!
I have been feeding my cats Meow Mix "Market Select" (before knowing) about the re-call. Even though they aren't on the list I got some "spoiled" food. This was purchased at Wal-Mart. I e-mailed Meow Mix regarding the product and gave the #'s on the plastic cups of food. I looked over the box that it came in and I was "floored" when I found out it was processed in "THAILAND". Let's see---what do you suppose their health standards are in that country??? how about none ! especially if it's for animals. The Cat/Dog Lovers American public better wake up and read the labels of this crap they are feeding our beloved pets.
What about Publix brand canned cat food? Any word?
Is Publix brand canned cat food safe? Any news?
I have not seen any reference to the Trader Joe line of cat food. I use the wet. Any information on this brand?
Friskies, Trader Joes and Fancy Feast are not part of the MenuFoods recall.
How can I get a list only of the good cat and dog food? I want to post them in the apartment building.
recorded message on the Purina line says that only a limited amount of its food is made by Menu, which I assume means only Mighty Dog. Can't get through to a customer rep.
Just want to send HEARTFELT THANKS for this site. I've passed it on to many friends, who in turn are passing it on to others. We're all getting on the ground beef/rice/tuna wagon until we know more. Thank you, thank you so much. Guess we'll all keep hearing in the media about the woeful lives of celebrities and little or nothing about this scary, incredible situation. Well, off I go for my 30 lb. bag of rice before it's all gone!
I'm using Purina dry, Science Diet dry and Fancy Feast. Also Meow Mix has their own manufacturing plant and said they didn't have any on the list.
They say Iams dry food isn't involved but now I'm afraid to open the bag I bought. The Mars Company that makes Goodlife says none of their food is recalled. Also Whiskas doesn't have any recalled.
just to update, I rechecked the Purina message and it says the recall affects only Mighty Dog and that no other Purina cat or dog product is impacted. If that's true, then Fancy Feast and Friskies should be OK. But I'd feel a lot better if I knew for sure that Menu had nothing to do with the production of those foods.
Thank you for this website. I, also, have been e-mailed this to friends and families with pets. I don't see Bench & Field (that you can buy at Trader Joe's) on any lists yet. Do you know anything about this company?Thanks
We have 9 cats and have always fed them Friskies wet food. We also use Meow Mix, Purina dry and Pro Plus. So far none of these have appeared on the recall list and the cats seem ok. I will be absolutely desolate and livid if any pet food I buy kills our cats.
Something needs to be done. My heartfelt sympathy to those who have lost pets. It's disgusting that this has happened. It's also terrifying. Who or what can you trust!
I recently began feeding my cat Nutra Natural Choice dry, and about 2 weeks ago my cat stopped eating it. She was back to nornal feeding last week, but I'm not feeding her the Natural Choice dry food anymore! If the poison is in the wet food, its most likelt in the dry as well!
This is the site I've been refreshing all day. The comments especially have been helpful. I didn't realize until yesterday that Nestle, Del Monte and Mars are such "umbrellas". Our kitties eat dry Purina One Special Systems. Two will eat Fancy Feast but the one who needs an antibiotic will only accept it mixed with Friskies canned Mariners Catch.
It seems that the Whiskas and 9 Lives sites are giving the recall more attention on their websites than Purina.
I tried poaching some salmon to substitute for the canned, but they're not pleased.
Any other thoughts/opinions about Purina One Dry and Friskies canned?
Please, if anyone knows....... tell me if the Trader Joe's Brand canned cat food is still safe. I do not see it on any of the lists.
Thank You
Hi. Pet food by Del Monte and Mars. Inc. are safe.
Mars Inc. includes Sheba, Whiskas, Cesar and Pedigree.
Del Monte includes the following:
MeowMix®Gravy Train®Kibbles 'n Bits®Wagwells®9Lives®Jerky Treats®Snausages®Cycle®Pup-Peroni®Gravy Train®Milk-Bone®Reward®Meaty Bone®Skippy®Pounce®Canine Carry Outs®Nature's Recipe®About Whiskas - wet pouch cat food: I was feeding my cat Iams the last couple of months - he liked it & ate well. The last week or so, he has lost a little weight & has just been licking the gravy, not really eating the food. When I ran out of Iams, I bought Whiskas instead. He hasn't really been eating it much either, but wasn't sure if he just didn't like it or if it was toxic. But when reading the box of Whiskas - MenuFoods is listed on the back also. Haven't heard it being recalled, but I don't want to take chances. I will buy something from the above list of safe foods.
Lara, Sue, Cindy, and Diane-
Lara, Sue and Diane- are you sticking with the Purina Dry and the Purina moist (Fancy Feast and Friskies) brand?
Cindy- what are you feeding your cats?
Like John, I'm hesitant now about Purina and might go to Mars or Del Monte and go with loaf style cans only, not the ones wilth gravies or sauces. It seems like for a story this has gone off the radar.
Lara, Diane, Sue, John and Cindy-
Those of you who have been feeding Purina Dry and either the Friskies or Fancy Feast cans- are you sticking with them?
Like John, I am hesitant about Purina now and may switch. Cindy, what foods do you feed your cats?
Below is a quote from a Purina rep regarding the recall. Taken from a story today in Advertising Age by Jack Neff. Makes for interesting reading. You can find it by googling to Adage.com and typing in pet food recall in the search area.
A spokesman for Nestle Purina noted that 5.3-ounce pouches of Mighty Dog moist food were the only products in the company's assortment affected by the recall. "We have no indication of any quality or safety issue related to that pouch product," he said. "No other premium products are involved or affected in any way. ... Mighty Dog canned products are not affected. ... The pouch variety is a part of the business where at this time we don't have the existing capacity at our facilities to make it, so it makes sense to use a co-manufacturer."
Where is Hills Prescription Diet listed as recalled? I have seen only the Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts cans listed. It is my understanding that only wheat gluten used in chunk/sliced/etc with gravy or sauce are known to be involved...at this time. Is that correct?
Connie,
Yes only Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts are listed. Hills Prescription Diet foods are not affected. The recall was for the "cuts and gravy" type foods and wheat gluten is suspected but nothing is definite yet.
My cat is fine. He eats Meow Mix and sometimes Whuska's wet food (pouch). He's a hefty 15 lbs. of love. Thanks for the list. It makes you feel better to able to check.
I have 4 cats, all seniors. They have been refusing the gravy style cat food for months. I simply started feeding them only loaf style and dry. They alternate in their preference between Friskies and 9 Lives. Even though they are all healthy, I am scared of feeding them canned foods now. I have heard from a vet that cats need wet food because the dry is mostly carbs and cats need protein.I don't trust the recall list and find that some supermarkets in my area (Northeast Ohio) still have IAMS in their shelves.I guess I can't trust them to care enough about our pets to remove the recalled items from their shelves.Has anyone here had success feeding their cats baby food? The past few days I have fed them home made food.My heart goes out to those who have lost a pet.
Hello,
I am also frantically trying different foods ("people food" such as canned salmon, tuna, sardines...) but my kitty just won't eat the stuff! Finally, I found a sample can of Fancy Feast in my cupboard, which my vet said was like"Crack Cocaine ??? for cats BUT she did eat some of it. PLEASE - someone offer some commercial brands which you feel confident will not harm my 'baby'.
Thank you!
In answer to both Diane's about am I sticking to Friskies. Yes so far, becuase that's pretty much all our cats will eat. I use Pro PLus chicken entree urinary tract formula for 1 cat because she kept getting urinary problems and has been ok since I started her on that. She would not touch the food from the veterinarians.
Again, after eating Friskies for years and Meow Mix our cats still seem fine. Fingers crossed!
We have one cat, a persian who will ONLY touch the gravy of any food. I hope for heavens sake that Friskies does not go into the danger list.
This really is terrible. Menu Foods has to be held accountable for all those people who have lost pets or have huge vet bills.
I posted a reply to both Diane's a while ago but it seems to have disappeared. So this may be answered twice. Apologies.
We are the one's with 9 cats and we are sticking with Friskies canned food as all the cats seem to be their usual selves.
I mentioned Pro Plus before, I meant Pro Plan. I use Pro Plan chicken entree urinary tract formula for one of our cats, a persian. because she had terrible problems when I rescued her but she has been fine on Pro Plus.
The remainder of the cats eat Friskies wet food, Meow Mix dry food and a mixture of Purina dry foods.
So far so good...Fingers crossed.
Again I want to offer my sincere sympathies for those who have lost or are finding out they may have lost pets due to this contaminated food. It's despicable and Menu Foods should not be allowed to get away with this.
AND, WHY IS THIS NOT ON EVERY NEWS CHANNEL? They should have lists on there constantly being updated on what is safe and what is not. Instead we hear about celebrities and othe inane stuff.
CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT
I just spoke with another attorney - Jay Edelson out of Chicago who said they are looking at bringing a class action law suit due to the pet food recall. If you would like to sign up they will email you over some forms including a questionnaire to complete - their contact number is 888.325.4652
Please add Natural Life Pet Products to the list of canned dog and cat foods that are safe to feed.
Pittsburg, KS (March 19, 2007) – In response to the recent Menu Foods, Inc. nationwide recall of wet pet foods, Natural Life Pet Products, does not have any items that are part of the recall. Natural Life takes great pride in monitoring our products and all customer concerns.
If you have any further questions please visit our website www.nlpp.com or call 1-800-367-2391
Please look for our many fine items for both dogs and cats at a retailer or supercenter near you!
Hi ,
Thanks for the Friskies and 9Lives food info. I, too, have been using Friskies for two yrs. At first it was the 'mushy' stuff then I switched to the slices, cuts with gravy. My cat loves it but also only licks off the gravy part most of the time. My point is that I read on the Friskies can that it contains WHEAT GLUTEN and I'm wary of ANY food that has wheat gluten in it. However, I may go back to it after about a week to be safe. Thank you, everyone. My heart goes out to those who've lost a precious pet.
First I want to express condolences to everyone who has lost a pet from a menu foods product. Second I want to thank everyone on this site for possibly helping to save my cat (still waiting to see is she recovers).
2 days ago I came to this site looking for answers, I found lots of testimonials about sick and dying pets. I called my wife and told her it’s worse than we thought and to take the cat to the Vet. immediately. He was suspect because of the symptoms (listless, drinking and peeing a lot) so he pulled blood work. The blood work showed some kidney damage (by the enzymes the kidneys were spilling into the blood). He said that typically these enzymes don’t show up until about 75% kidney failure has occurred, so he anticipated Felix (my cat) had suffered at least that much damage. He also said that there are 2 types of kidney damage chronic (happens over many years and isn’t reversible) and acute (from a toxic insult) there has been some success in reversing some of the damage of the acute type if it is treated soon enough). If you think you dog or cat is not behaving normally take it to your vet and have a blood panel run! If your vet doesn’t take you seriously enough take you pet to another vet! This poising epidemic is much more wide spread than the news has been letting on, thousands of animals may die from this before they know why.Stop feeding the pet food immediately!Freeze the open pouches or cans and hold onto the unopened food! (don’t throw away the evidence).Veterinarians and the FDA are collecting samples of food their affected patients were eating. Last word of advice, don’t be angry at Wal-Mart, Eukanuba, Iams etc. none of them whished or wanted something like this to happen. Menu Foods is another story, we can be angry with them!This whole recall is truly a nightmare come true for many pet owners. Sympathies to anyone who has a pet affected by this! :(
Does anyone have any information on the Triumph brand from Pet Supplies Plus?I do not know if this is a private label brand (meaning it may be a recalled foodwith a different label on it for Pet Supplies Plus) or if it is its own brand likeWellness or Melville. Thanks in andvance for any information anyone can provide.
-Jen
Hi, Sue,(98,99)
I posted yesterday as "Another Diane" as I was the second poster with the name. It seemed like my post disappeared too, and then it was on 2x (?!) Thank you for getting back re Friskies.
Brian, GOOD LUCK! We lost our eldest, a 16 year old gentleman, to renal failure just 10 days ago. I hope your kitty does well and recovers.
I just wanted to add that from my experience with senior kitties, the BUN and Creat #'s can be high on blood panels for several years and unfortunately can then crash "through the roof" pretty suddenly. So my vet explains it as chronic rf turning acute, but as you said, not acute from toxic insult.
I agree with you again, Sue; it should be easier to find this stuff out.
I learned that Menu has 2 plant locations in the states, New Jersey and Kansas. The Purina (that I have in the house) says it was manufactured in St. Louis.
My kitties- forget the organic poached chicken breasts- they want that canned Friskies!
Kind thoughts to all affected by this.
I'm confused. I feed my older cat (15 yrs) wet food:Fancy Feast, Whiskas pouches and Friskies canned food. He basically licks the juice only in the pouches. Some articles say that the pouches are unsafe and some articles say that whiskas is safe. Is Whiskas safe? Should I get rid of these pouches? My cats both drink alot of water, but it's winter in Alaska and I think that's normal. What about the Iams Multicat dry food I've been feeding my younger cat for years now? I'm so concerned. The younger cat vomits sometimes, but he's always done that. What do I do now?
does anyone know if nutro complete care DRY food is ok? that's all my cat eats and he is acting normally. i bought him some nutro complete care pouches last thurs and he only licked it once or twice and wouldnt eat it. . i threw it away. im so worried i cant stop thinking about it. i was thinking about taking him to get a blood test fri. am i being overly worried?
Hi Diane ( 105) and poster 106 Elsie,
Elsie, from what I read Whiskas appears to be ok. But I am not sure if that means the pouches too, so to be safe maybe stop using them.
Fancy Feast is apparently ok. Try the Friskies. A lot of people are using that and their pets seem to be fine.
Our 9 cats eat it and are all behaving normally. Regarding the younger cat vomiting, we have a cat that always does that, (well not always of course), but I think it's because he is basically a glutton and eats too much! It's difficult in a multi cat household to restrict food on a particular cat.
If your younger cat has always vomited occasionally and seems otherwise ok I would just watch him closely to see if he starts behaving in any of the ways described. Lethargic, etc. I think it may be better to err on the side of caution and if in any doubt get him checked.
We have had our vomiting cat checked several times and they can't find anything.
Thank you Sue (comment 108). I am just beside myself about this and actually thinking about not taking any more chances and buying baby food, real tuna or making my own beef/port receipe as indicated in another comment. I will keep a close eye on my cat, Panda that vomits once in a while. Hopefully he just has a light stomach. The older cat, Smokey, sleeps eats and drinks all day. He sleeps 20 hours a day. He has been meowing alot in the middle of the night and I think he just wants food, but when I feed him, he refuses to eat. I know he is picky, but I sometimes open 2-3 different canned foods/pouches and sometimes he walks away from all three. I called the vet today and he's coming over to check on them. I am so nervous about this whole thing. How dare these companies allow this to happen and worry thousands of people and their pets across the nation (and the world). Something drastic needs to be done here.
Hi All,I am another stressed-out cat owner/animal lover who just read through all of the posts here, and am still trying to decide what I will be doing food-wise for my babies...but I feel the need to warn all of you who are considering switching your babies over to "homemade" diets. It's a hard sell to kitties that are used to store bought foods. Wean them off with non-recalled foods gradually, or you might see some of the same symptoms that this recall is guilty of.Meanwhile, we need MENUFOODS to tell us pet owners THE TRUTH about WHAT EXACTLY is the cause of this, and WHY they are targeting PET FOOD?!SHAME ON THEM FOR ATTACKING OUR PETS!As for Trader Joes, they did issue a statement:http://traderjoes.com/action_issues.asp#PetFood
Hi everyone. This is so scary. We feed our cats Special Kitty from Wal-Mart, which has been recalled. We had a cat that died suddenly from kidney failure just over a year ago, and we couldn't figure it out until now. This has apparently been an issue for some time. Just a word of advice: Del Monte, who makes 9 Lives cat food, also manufactures the Special Kitty brand. I would watch out for Del Monte brands, even though 9 Lives is not yet on the recall list.
Good news everyone!
I just came from PETSMART. They have signs posted everywhere that state Petsmart has pulled every suspicious pet food from their shelves. Therefore, feel comfortable and confident that whatever you buy from them - they stand behind!
Hope this helps... (3/21/07 @6:00pm EST)
Remember....just because the food wasn't on the recall list doesn't make it a healthy choice for your pet.
I just came across this article about the culprit:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/us/21petfood.htm
We feed our cats (a turkish van and an alley cat) Carnique raw diet. It is kind of expensive, and pretty gross to look at, but they seem a lot healtier since the switch, and I don't believe it contains gluten at all. I would highly recomend it to anyone.
Pet Food Recall What About Our Dead Pets And Vet BillS?
A question for Susan: I don't know if you're a vet or not but would you recommend some very healthy choices of cat food (that has gravy...)
Or for anyone, Jessie is a long-hair tuxedo about 2 yrs. old, an indoor cat and getting hefty altho we jump, stretch and run a lot. Any ideas for healthy foods?
I will do some checking.
For those who are trying to find another cat food, try the fancy feast GRILLED food. All of my cats over the years love Fancy Feast. But just the grilled varieties. The others varieties are hit and miss.
I have 8 cats and have NOT been feeding any of the foods on the recall list. We must note that the brands listed have specific lot numbers of specific floods that are involved....as we know at this time. Not all foods with that brand name are suspected as contaminated. At this point, I'm avoiding the types with cuts in gravy or sauce...even the unlisted brands. People have asked my advice (feline only veterinarian) and these recommendations make sense to me WITH
I submitted a note a moment ago but the message was sent before completed....what I wanted to say was that the decisions I made are with the information AS NOW AVAILABLE and this can change with time. We'll all be searching for information and making our own decisions. Good luck to all you wonderful cat loving people and my sympathies to those whose feline friends have suffered because of this disaster.
hello, this is my first post, but i found this list and have been reading it for three days now. thank you to everyone who has posted info...it goes without saying but will say it anyway, this is a heartbreaking situation and i know im not alone in being frantic about what is safe to feed my kitty. my kitty was a big fan of the gravy pouch foods, his favs were on that list, priority and natural choice. he did possibly eat one that was on the list with matching lot number and date, but since he doesnt eat anything exclusivley i think he's fine. although i am still worried. he is a kitty with already compromised renal health and i had noticed a slight increase in his water intake and urine output, but he has no other symptoms. he cant have his blood drawn without knockinghim out which fraks me out too. for now since there really is no behavior change thankfully i have decided not to get his blood tested. i cant figure how any changes could be determined either natural progression or from the food. he's fantastic so we'll stay like we are....in regards to what he's gong to eat now, this list has been most helpful so even if im repeating some stuff ill share what i think and know....in addition to the stuff on the list he ate, he eats one can of friskies a day and either those pouches or fancy feast or sheba. he is very finisky and will veto stuff he LOVED and go back to it months later and lover it again. so we keep a rotation going, and friskies special diet and senior is the only main stay....since wheat gluten is the going issue and hopefully the only issue, we have cut out all wheat gluten items, gravy/sauce, cuts/slices, ect. even from the items not onthe list, including friskies and fancy feast. also check any treat items, he was eattting the priority treats too and they had wheat gluten....i called purina on a non 800 this am and asked specifically if any other item beside the mighty dog pouch came from menu foods, they maintain NO. im going with it and hopefully they are right. ALTHOUGH i do find it very curious that they would outsource only the one item of so many they offer.????....the sheba site indicates they are not connected with menu foods either.....the other one ive put back into rotation is natural balance. this one has all natural stuff, you can chk them out at naturalbalanceinc.com i called them this am and they said they make their own stuff and never dealt with menu foods....my guys like a variety, so i hope following these guidelines i think i feel comfortable with i can find enough options to keep him full. he has a great appitite and i wiegh him everyday to keep his wieght at a certain poundage, i dont want to fall short of stuff he will eat. ... he also has 1/3 jar of baby food each morning.....anyway thats all i got for what my plan is for now, i too am crossing my fingers, we are at others mercy which sucks. i just hope whatevert the issue is its contained within what we already know. i am uneasy tho about what other companies the supplier in involved with. its almost suspicious that we dont have this info....oh yea and he eats both friskies and fancy feast dry food....sorry for the long post, i also went to trader joes today. eventho they arent part of the recall or invoved with menufoods, they had cleared their stuff and had a sign that said they are testing their stuff before putting it back out. KUDOS!....petco stil had tons of IAMS, nutro onthe shelf. their reason was they pulled the lot numbers involved. that would not make me feel safe with those products again or any others that come from menufoods....ok done with all i got to date. again sorry for the long winded post, i hope there is nt a limit now that im at the end!...my heart goes out to anyone who's pet was affected by this tragedy. my kitty sends kisses.
So many comments, so many different lists. I have three cats and 1 dog and they are my babies! I am scared to death and until this is over with some clarity, my cats are going to be eating tuna and chicken and my dog will be eating ground beef and steak. I'll eat beans before I lose one of my pets! And if I do lose any of them because of this, the pet food folks will hear a loud roar from me and my lawyer! Not that anything can ever replace our beloved pets, but we all need to stand up so this doesn't happen again. I appreciate all the thoughts and comments on this site. God bless to all.
I wouldn't feed my pet Fancy Feast, Friskies or Purina Cat Chow even though they are not on the recall list. We just lost our cat a couple of weeks ago. Fine one minute, then started vomiting, urinating and diarrhea - lost him 3 days later - he was 9 years old. His blood counts were "off" and they suspected his kidneys might be failing. One kidney was very tiny and one was huge (x-rays). His main foods were Fancy Feast and Purina dry Cat Chow. He'd also had some Friskies. He very rarely ate anything but Purina products. None of these foods were on the recall list, but I certainly think they are responsible for my cat's death.
Sherri, your posts and news segments on NBC and ABC this evening (Wednesday) have made me even more anxious as well. If that is possible.
The Friskies and Purina One Sensitive Systems Dry that are my kitties favorites don't contain wheat gluten and aren't manufactured either in Kansas or New Jersey where the menufoods plants are located.
BUT, the news reported that investigations will now go back further in time.
Four years ago my beloved kitty died from kidney failure and for the last 6 months of his life all he would eat was Fancy Feast cans and DeliCat Dry, which is another Purina product. He was so rapidly losing weight that I followed the advice that what he ate was less important that that he did eat.
I don't know what I'll do or how I'll cope if I shortened his time.
Leo, kisses to your kitty too! And Chris in Austin, I tried poached salmon and chicken breast but all they wanted was their Friskies can. I have changed the canned to Whiskas, so far Mars has not been implicated.
I just went to the store to buy Meow Mix that our 9 cats have always eaten and surprise, surprise, they are completely sold out.
So, I went and bought Purina Friskes dry and stocked up on Friskies wet. But now I see a post from Sherri saying she believes that Purina is responsible for her beloved kitties death!
I am so p,,,,d off with these animal foods manufacturers because going by some of these posts this issue has been going on for a lot longer than we are led to believe.
My cats are so fussy they won't touch tuna, chicken, salmon or anything like it. They just love their Friskies. For now I am going to have to continue with it, although one of our cats, and not the one who usually throws up, threw up this morning and I am becoming paranoid every time they cough up a hairball.
I also bought some Nine Lives wet food today because thats not on the bad list, how is anyone who is still using that seeing things so far? I may be taking it back and exchanging it for Whiskas!
If anyong out there is using 9 Lives please let us know, and how your pets are doing?
Also, I agree totally with the host AskSusanPeters question about "what about the vet bills and the dead pets". Someone needs to be held accontable. This is tantamount to murder of our pets. I know that's a strong word to use, but thats what it is. Albeit unknowingly by the manufacturers.
I feel very strongly about the fear they have instilled in everyone and the panic buying it is causing on pet foods that really none of us can now completely trust anymore. I am sure I am not the only one who feels paranoid now whenever one of their pets throws up, or gets a drink of water.
I hate coming to work and leaving them. Every single one of our cats was rescued one way or another, from ditches, from animal shelters, from abusive owners and I I lose one single one of them from what I have been feeding them innocently I will ba furious.
Ok! Venting here! Lets all stick together on this issue, it's extremely important that pet food manufacturers realise how important this is to pet owners. These pets are members of the family.
Ok- now I'm really confused! Even tho Petsmart says that all Friskies, including the ones with gravy, are safe, just how far should I trust them? Friskies w/ gravy DOES contain wheat gluten...
My cat will not touch people food i.e. canned salmon, tuna, sardines etc... She wants her gravy stuff. Please advise.
I did not see NATURAL BALANCE on your list of safe foods. I checked their website and they are not part of the recall. Please update your list. Thanks.
i didn't see the news reports re purina. looked back thru thread and didnt see the comments either? now i'm anxious to know what was said re purina products. all i know is my kitty has been eatting one can a day of friskies and at least 4 cans of fancy feast (along with pouches we arent feeding anymore). he is fine and that has been his diet for yrs. he's 18 and only developed a renal issue two yrs ago, so purina has been fine for 16 yrs. im not saying there isnt a problem now, i just knock on wood there isnt. its a damn hard decision what to feel safe feeding them. i change my mind daily according to what ive read....im going to try and search again for thospurina reports from last nights comments. if someone can repost or has heard updated info please post.....i was also goign to try 9lives, which he has never had, but i think there was a post back further that said that parent co del monte is the co for special kitty brand that WAS on the list. which would be suspicious . just don't know what to do.
This is to Leo811.
You asked about the comments on Purina, this is what I read that scared me-by poster Diane (125).
Written by Diane - Four years ago my beloved kitty died from kidney failure and for the last 6 months of his life all he would eat was Fancy Feast cans and DeliCat Dry, which is another Purina product. He was so rapidly losing weight that I followed the advice that what he ate was less important that that he did eat.
This is Sue again. I am not saying that there IS anything wrong with Purina, but as I said in an earlier post I am becoming paranoid now about what manufacturers, and brands we can trust.
Leo811, I replied to your question
Gosh diddly, I keep trying to reply to Leo and my posts vanish...Another one disappeared as I was typing. I think all this stress is affecting my typing fingers...Leo there is a reply to you about Purina out there somewhere!
Sue H. the one with 9 cats. There are other Sue's so I want to avoid (further) confusion! :)
I feed my cat "Shadow" Nine Lives Sliced Beef in Gravy--that's the only food she will eat and only if it is sold by Dollar General--it has more gravy than other stores for some reason--probably because it's cheaper and that's what she likes--the gravy rather than the "meat"! Hope it's ok!
Might want to check this USA Today story on pet foods: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-21-cov
Hi, Leo (129),
I posted 90,91,105 and 125.
Yes, as Sue said that I had posted some concerns about Purina and this is how they developed.
Since this recall started I felt that Purina was not giving "reassurance" a prominent space on their website, just IMO. But later yesterday post 124 by Sherri expressed doubt about Purina which, along with the newsreports I had seen throughout the day, led me to questions I posted in 125.
Post 111 from Shannon brought up a point about Del Monte, I did not read on their website about making the brand referred to in that post but that sure does not mean it isn't happening. I do, though, like the way the company is treating the issue.
Like other posters, my kitties will not touch human food. Rational or not, I am hesitant about Purina and Del Monte.
So, I've decided to go with Whiskas canned (made by Mars). But availability may play a powerful part. The store, Raleys, was stocked with about 200 cans of Purina, especially Friskies, to every one can of 9 Lives. Whiskas was very limited, and another Mars product, Sheba, not available at all.
I know this is long but I am so scared and am writing here for the sense of community as well as the information.
news site is pretty good.
I just came back from Trader Joe's and they have pulled their canned pet food. Just as a precaution. I am in Studio City CA. (Los Angeles area).
Hmm. My comment disappeared. Trader Joe's has voluntarily pulled all their canned food as a precaution. On the petconnection website a couple of people mentioned symptoms in their pets from TJ's pet food.
I fed my cat dried Winn Dixie food in January/February. Her and my Dog (who loves Cat Food) are the only two that are sick. Both have hair loss, my cat is the one that has vomitting. She can't keep anything down. The vet I called today said that dry food was not included - but I wonder...
ALERT:rat poison found in pet food...news conference later today...
Yes, go to CNN.com. Rat poison found in the cat food...
Just saw on CNN- rat poison not registered US found in food from Menu. Saw this on tv, didn't check web site yet. Found in Iams cat pouches and another food (didn't get name). Two bereaved fur parents filing suits.
A PS- news conferences scheduled for today-one with Menu representative, followed by one with FDA.
an article from Discovery Healthhttp://health.discovery.com/news/healthscout/artic
Please consider adding any of the following to your good brand list, that are not already on it. I use Natural Balance and Castor&Pollux. Very happy with both.
Blue Buffalo: Canned foods made by American > > Nutrition in Utah. Dry foods made at CJ Foods in Kansas.Breeder's Choice: Canned diets made at Menu Foods, but have not been recalled.Canidae: Canned food packed by Evangers. Kibble made at Pied Piper in Texas.Canine Caviar: Canned food made by American Nutrition in Utah. Kibble made by Pied Piper in Texas. Canned diets are 100% meat, contain no grains.Castor & Pollux: Canned diets made by Menu Foods but have not been recalled.Eagle Pack: Canned diets made at Menu Foods but have not been recalled and do not contain Wheat Gluten. Dry diets made at their own plant in Mishawaka, IN.Evangers: They have their own cannery.Go! Natural (Petcurean): Canned diets made at Menu Foods in Canada but have not been recalled. Merrick: Has their own plant for all products.Natura (Healthwise, California Naturals, Innova): Canned diets made at the South Dakota Menu Foods Plant but have not been recalled. Dry diets are made at their own plant.Natural Balance: Canned diets made at American Nutrition in Utah. Dry diets are made in Diamond Plant in Sacramento, CA. Nature's Variety: Canned diets made at Menu Foods but have not been recalled. The canned diets contain not grains. Kibble is made at Pied Piper in Texas. Raw diets are made in an in house plant in Lincoln, Ne.Pet Promise: Purina Brand ... canned and kibble made in their plants.Solid Gold: It is unknown where canned diets were made. Kibble is made in the Diamond Plant in Sacramento, CA.Timberwolf Organics: Just released one canned diet and working on additions, it is unsure where this is made, but due to the size of Menu Foods I highly doubt it is being done there. Kibble was at one point being co-packed somewhere in PA but I've heard rumors that it is now being made out of the Diamond Plant. I cannot confirm this and the company will not give out information.Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard: Canned diets made at Menu Foods but have not been recalled.Wysong: Canned diets made at Menu Foods but have not been recalled. Most of their line of cans are grain free.
Sorry, that last post did not go in nicely formatted as I thought it would. Also, I did not creat this list. It came from another list. Sorry. MARIEL
Mariel, Where did you get this information? I am VERY interested in checking this out.
Thanks,
Susan
I am so sorry about all your pets. Myheart cries for those who have lost a beloved member of their family and I say prayers for those who are sick.
Below is a link for a class action lawsuit. ANONE WHO THINKS THAT THIS HAS EFFECTED THEIR BELOVED PET SHOULD AT LEAST CONTACT THEM. A class action suit dosn't get much money for anyone included i the class and if you have many vet bills or have lost your beloved pet you may want to consider your own lawsuit. Or at least ask the right questions of the lawyers involved with this suit.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/22/pet.food.recall/i
http://www.progressivelaw.com/
My heart goes out to each and everyone of you who has lost your beloved pet or if they are sick. I found a place that sells healthy foods adn they were telling me all the HORRIBLE things that go into pet food. He said that it why so many animals have diabetes and cancers. They are not getting the proper nutriants and their immune system gets wore down and they are more susceptible to illness. Makes total sense. Here is that website. I have not bought any yet and they are expensive but if it keeps our babies healthy it is worth it. www.canusaint.com
Scientists are saying ANY food made in these plants or if it has been in contact with this RAT poison should be destroyed. I was feeding my babies Special Kitty and I freaked and threew it out. I only use dry food. I don't trust none of it anymore.
My prayers are wth all of you. I wish your pets speedy recovery.
Lisa
Thank you for this site! My cats seem okay. I have been feeding 9 Lives and Friskies loaf for a while. I know they are supposed to be "safe" but at this point I am really scared and don't trust any of those companies . Tried to feed human food to them but they refused it.Every time I open a can of food for them, I wonder if I am kiling them. I love my cats so much!
thankx for your reply diane (135) i have read back over all that. this is all stil disturbing and exhausting. i thank everyone for the info posted.....my mother just called a bit ago said that the issue is now being reportd as the wheat gluten had the rat poison as it comes from china and they put rat poison in the wheat fields!!! INSANE! people have no common sense, this has beena main peeve of mine and now that its affected innocent animals, i'm livid. i justkeep praying that its been isolated now and whatever we feed our babies now is safe, but incompetence is an epidemic, we are all at risk all the time at others peoples mercy.....i still have these questions i dont think have been answered. *this supplier that supplied to menu foods, also supplies to other companies, who are these companies? * even tho a site says their product is not part of the recall, im not sure that means they don;t use menu foods, which should be clairifed. ..... i think every food out there should be tested no matter. although when iread about the testing i felt bad for those animals. who are those poor animals?....my kitty loves people food but i try to limit him, he'd eat a whole burrito and burger if i let him lol! he also loves pasta. those are kinda extreme people food, for the ones who wont eat it, give a try to wolfgang pucks chicken dumpling soup, my kittyhad that last night, one of his favs. prob high in salt so i limit it, not the whole can, but parts of it, i smash the dumplings chicken and carrot in withthe soup and he loves it....ok good luck to everyone.
I hope that my message will be seen after so many have been posted. I am reading letter after letter of so many pet owners who have fed their pets the foods that are on the recalled list and are so worried. Please do the following-CALL YOUR VET AND GET YOUR PET IN FOR BLOODWORK. Luckily,my 16 year old cat was due for her 6 month renal profile this week (any aging pet should have periodic lab work). If the results are good then I will know she was not affected because just last week I was feeding my cats the Whiskas in pouches. Don't wait for symptoms,get it done now for ease of mind.
Here's the latest from Purina. They insist everything but the Purina pouches is safe. But I, too, wonder where companies other than Menu get their wheat, if that indeed was the problem. I'm still using Friskies and FancyFeast to a limited degree, but I still don't feel safe.
Are all of the poisoned foods found only in the US and Canada? Does anyone know if other countries have been included in this recall?
My cat died last night of some sort of acute toxicity & the vets couldn't figure it out. Vomiting, frothing at the mouth, ataxia, etc. This happened in the space of a few short hours. I feed Fancy feast (canned), sometimes Friskies (canned), and Blue Spa dry. This was a healthy, 4 year old cat (indoor only). Can't find any explanation for this. Maybe it wasn't the food, but my guess is that there are more brands involved than what are on the list. Dont take that list as gospel....remember, they didn't even tell the public til weeks after the contamination had been discovered. Now I don't know what to feed them. Be careful about human-intended tuna, etc. It has way too much phosphorus & could also potentially lead to a cat's death (I have a degree in nutrition). Unfortunately, my degree is in HUMAN nutrition---don't know a lot about what cats need, other than the advice I offered above, and the fact that cats need taurine. Guess I'll have to research it in a hurry---I have 3 other cats. Good luck, everyone...your kitties are in my prayers. It'll be a long time til I can stop crying over my little Spooky.
Hello again. It's really nice to be amongst people who truly understand how I am feeling right now. I have read everything stated by Purina because my cats love Friskies ( thankfully loaf style ). In any case, I noticed that although they point to the fact that only their pouch dog food is outsources to Menufoods, they fail to tell us if they use wheat gluten from China in the stuff they manufacture themselves. At this point in time, I don't want vague reassurances. I am asking for specifics.Our pets deserve their complete honesty.I will let you all know what they say if or when they answer.
None of the holistic, all natural pet food companies are on the recall list. This is primarily because they do not use corn or wheat in their pet foods -- or by-products, for that matter.
The canned cat food, Instinctive Choice, by HealthyPetNet, is a great food for cats. If you sign up for autoship (which can be cancelled at any time), you will get the same price as a distributor (20% off).
Teresa Holladayhttp://safepetfood.wordpress.com
I feed my cats Iams dry food and even though they weren't showing any symptons I called the vet. They checked them out and said they were healthy, but if I was anxious they would do a blood test. Later in the day the vet called back saying my smallest cat (7lbs) had higher than normal kidney levels and needed to be brought back for an IV fluid treatment. Since he was a 5yr old healthy indoor cat I find it an odd coincidence. How can we be sure that they are not using cheap wheat in all of their products.
I wonder if my bigger cats were able to flush out the toxins but it was too much for the smaller cat. I was suppose to bring him back next week to be rechecked but the vet just called back and wants me to bring him back in today. I don't trust any of these companies, they took to long to announce the recalls and they won't give an accurate number of how many pets are sick or dying. I will only use all natural pet foods.
My four-year-old cat who has puked exactly one time in his life has been vomiting and drinking water crazily after eating IAMS dry food. I took him to the vet and he got shots, and the vomiting stopped. I decided it wasn't the food, but now he's vomiting again. Has anybody else had a problem with the dry food?
The list of recalled cat foods keeps morphing into an ever expanding list. How do we really know what will be the final comprehensive accounting will include? Has anyone else turned to Gerber baby food, a much more regulated food product?
post #158 Mchelle, I would take your cat back and have them do a blood test to check the kidney levels. My cats weren't showing any symptoms.post #157 I have read of other pets eating dry IAMs and showing the symptoms of kidney failure. It was the reason I decided to have them tested.
I would like to know about Hill's Prescription Diet which my vet put my cat on after vomiting blood, saying she had an alergy. I was suspicious of all commercial food and started cooking chicken for her and she is no longer vomiting. Can anyone comment on Trader Joe's Cat foods or Newman's Own?
is special kitty dry cat food envoled.
I am scared to death of buying any kind of pet food. All I have left is some dog food.. My cats are completely out of food.. I always feed them Purina Indoor or that other indoor formula.. So far, I haven't seen any signs of illness, but I am thinking twice about buying commercial pet food... Any suggestions as to what kind of baby food to feed them? Cooked chicken? Is cooked ground beef ok? Help! :(
You left off Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance on the SAFE list.http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/
Hello, Mari, (154) I am so sorry to hear about Spooky. Two weeks ago our oldest was euthanized at 16 because of rf. His values were high for years, but he and we managed. He enjoyed Fancy Feast and Friskies canned. Recently I had fed only Mariners Catch but had previously used Shredded Chicken and Salmon in Gravy.
Considering your post, John's(152), and Elaine's(155) makes me only more apprehensive concerning Purina. I wonder about my kitty who died from rf four years ago too. My posts are 90, 91,105,125,135,142,and 143.
As far as I know Purina "never" outsourced (cat products) to Menu and I had heard of Menu before from PETA.
IMO only, but rational or not, fear and regret are powerful. AND ALL WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS TAKE GOOD CARE OF OUR PRECIOUS KITTIES!
I'm so sick worried about my cat. I fed him Science Diet ocean fish savory cuts since last december, and of course the cans have long ago been thrown out. I'm just hoping he doesn't get kidney failure. How long may it take for him to have symptoms? Is it pretty immediate or take weeks? I can't believe this is happening. Now, I bought friskies and 9 lives cans to give him, but I just can't trust if it turns out thier raw materials are bad also, regardless of not bing on the recall list......
Does anyone know of the brand 'classic entrees' produced for walmart, canada? I know that 'special kitty' is in the list to be avoided but does anyone know of 'classic entrees'? I have been giving my cat 'fancy feast' and 'classic entrees'. My cat has vomitted only three times and is a bit lethargic so I don't know if it is the food or just furball or something. She has been on science diet light dry kibbles too.
Found
Found this while following some links.
http://www.kumpikat.com/index.html
Anyone familiar with this brand? Apologies if it has already been mentioned on this board!
We have three cats and I cannot imagine losing one of them. They were eating IAMS wet but so far we have been very lucky. All have been tested as a precaution and they all appear to be fine. We even found a case of the tainted food in our kitchen, unopened. Regardless, I still cry over all these pets that have been lost. We quit using IAMS of any kind and switched over to ProPlan wet, after feeding human tuna and chicken breast for two days while making a decision on a new cat food. This is horrible and I am continuously monitoring info for updates. BTW, folks are edge to begin with so it's not cool to put out info that is not true. Special Kitty is not a DelMonte brand - THEY USED TO MANUFACTURE IT - so please do not frighten others unnecessarily.
I think it is terrible that something necessary to live is a death threat. However, people have also faced this with their own food. This site, along with the manufacturere's site are worth checking daily to stay informed (vs general information in the news and rumors). Purina brands are safe - the recall was for a limited brand of dog food and was precautionary. I run a cat rescue. lus with my own, feeed over 25 cats. None have illnesses that could be considered realted to this scare. Some are on the canned foods (Friskies, Purina One, and Fancy Feast) both solid and gravy styles. Others are on dry foods - none of which are listed by anyone anywhere as a problem. Vets do see problems with people feeding their pets human food - bacteria, gastrointestinal problems, etc. Rapid changes in a pet's food can also cause stomach upset, diarrhea, and vomiting. I now it's scary, but be careful when switching. Cats can have kidney problems without showing an immediate indication, so if your pet has been fed foods on the recall list, get it's blood tested by your vet - it's good for all cats to have that anyway, as kidney problems are common with cats. Baseline blood data will help you and your cat and your vet now and down the road. Typcically, canned food is good for cats because of the extra moisture. If you are moving to dry, consider a drinking water well for your cat to encourage more drinking to make up for the moisutre he may be losing with going to dry.
I am very upset over this recall and I would like to know where I can find the list of numbers on the effective cans of bad food. I am also using Iams Kitten dry food for my kitten. After reading this website I am now worried about that too.
They are now saying that they do not know the ingredient by which the rat poison came. They haven't identified it as the gluten as a fact. So, how do they know which foods to recall? I would stay away from any food manufactured with ingredients from this company. In fact, I am going to be staying away from foods that use foreign feedstuff, period! They obviously don't have the laws and controls that we do.
I would like to see a list of companies that use only ingredients that originate in the US.
Any negative reports on Pedigree canned dog food? Luckily, I have Flint River shipped to my house but add 1/2 can to their meal in the am. I also use Friskies canned cat food. Any detrimental reports about that?
Donna
Felidae and Canidae should be added to the list of "safe" foods. Although lacking internal organs these foods are excellent, and all ingredients originate in the US. They are also very reasonably priced. They have 4-5 different meat sources of protein, only one primary source of carbohydrate (brown rice) have 10 coat conditioners, no gluten or soy and no fillers.
One thing you have to remember is, if you feed only meat from the table or cooked meat, there will be imbalances.
There are lists of safe food. Companies that do not use Menu Food at all. I am a cat breeder, and have always had the best luck when feeding Eukanuba dry. They are not on the recall list, but I no longer trust them, because I no longer trust any company that uses foreign ingredients.
I guess one of us should write to all the main manufactures of pet food and ask them point blank if they use ingredients from other countries in their product.Last night I was at the supermarket buying food for my cats. Tried the baby isle first but found that all the meat jars were gone. I have four cats and can't afford Sheba. Fancy Feast has chunks in gel and I am afraid of that even though they are in the "safe" list. After much though, settled on Friskies loaf style which I have been using for years, along with 9 Lives (my cats keep switching preferences on me from one to the other). They seem to be doing well and a full blood panel showed no health issues. I am hoping that the "safe" foods are truly safe and our pets will remain okay. This is also a wake up call to us humans. How many of us use food products manufactured with ingredients from other countries? Sobering thought....
147. Comment by AskSusanPeters -- 1 day ago
Mariel, Where did you get this information? I am VERY interested in checking this out.
Thanks,
Susan
From this Yahoo Group: Commercial_Dog_Food_Comparison
Also< I have been using these two brands, neither involved in the recall.
Castor & Pollux: http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/
Natural Balance: http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/
MARIEL
my cat is eating friskies dry food and shes doing perfect you guys should get fiskies too lots of varaieties. im scared about her.
you should use friskies it is great no reaction for my cat at all. im very worried about her
New info on food recall Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard IS made at Menu Foods. I have a very close friend who works for them and said that wellness has not been recalled yet only because they havent' had any complaints and their food is supposedly made only after the lines have been flushed.
She also said that no one from Wellness has ever been to the Menu Foods plant to check that this is being followed and that their are no logs kept on this practice.
I was told by this person who works for wellness and has strongly believed in their company to take my pets off thier food immediately until they know for sure. I guess they are thinking that someone who works at Menu Foods could have put the poison in, if this is so wellness is absolutely at risk.
Better saft than sorry!
I have always fed my cats friskies and I am so glad that food is not on the recall list. I feel so sorry for the families that have lost pets.
I have always fed my cats friskies and I am so glad that food is not on the recall list. I feel so sorry for the families that have lost pets.
New news on Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard straight from the company..,,,
Wellness states that in Canada by law all 'human grade' pet foods are made in a seperate building with machinery owned by wellness. They supposedly have nothing to do with the animal grade foods that are on the recall list. This would also go for innova and wysong.
So hopefully this info is correct and we do not have to worry about these high quality foods being tainted with poison.
The only foods affected by the recall are the gravy foods in cans and/or pouches manufactured by menu foods. The companies that use menu foods are many. I have used Purina Pro and One cat/dog foods for over 30 years (I am 54). Only recently have I decided to switch, only because of an article I ran across during some research I was doing last year about the by-products, corn and fillers that seem to be in most pet foods. If you would like to become more informed and feed your beloved pets a food you would eat, visit: http://drsfostersmith.com and read, read, read your little hearts out. I did, not only there but everywhere I could find to learn more information about what exactly is in my pets food. Food made in the USA and both Purina and Dr. Foster and Smith are made here. The big difference between the two is that Dr. Foster and Smith has No by-products, No corn and No artificial fillers.It is so hard to lose a pet the natural way, but to lose that member of the family because you loved it and fed it cannot be accepted.
Well, it's been two days now since I emailed Purina and Del Monte and asked them point blank if they could reassure me that they do not purchase ingredients for their pet foods from other countries. So far there has been no knowledgment of my email from either company.In the news today, a vet was saying that we should not trust any wet food, canned or in pouches. He advised that until this is all sorted out, he is telling his clients to feed only dry foods whose list of ingredients does not read like a nuclear device.Also to provide plenty of fresh water when feeding dry food.He also said that the reported number of deaths is not accurate because in his practice alone he has had six.
I feed many cats. Have 19 house cats and 27 ferals/strays outside(all fixed ofcourse.) I feed them dry(different Purina types not starting with corn in the ingredients) and 5.5 oz canned Special Kitty. Use 18 cans daily. I have no sick cats. I did take one to the Vet, the smallest but in November 28, 2006. Symptoms vomitting, not eating, signs of dehydration. After staying at Vet overnite, she fully recovered. Was using Special Kitty pouches occasionally at that time. I do check each can of Special kitty for the Del Monte phone number(1-800 342 2114) in case Wal Mart has other suppliers for the same item like they do for Ol'Roy. Del Monte makes the larger can(13/22 oz) Menu foods the 5.5 and pouches. Very confusing.
Del Monte does state on their web site that they donot contract anything out to Menu Foods. I do feel relatively safe with the Special Kitty canned food if that phone number is on the cans.
Does anyone know if Diamond uses the Menufood plant to process their canned foods?
What about Eagle? Where are theirs processed? I don't trust any company who uses the Menufood plant because I don't trust that the wrong feedstuff may get into it.
In response to #184, Angie
Wellness does use Menufood plant to process their canned foods.
Re: #181
I don't trust that this wasn't terrorism. I heard that the wheat was sprayed with the poison. Nobody does that, because wheat is food. Maybe even PETA! They have a saying, "better dead than owned", and I think these people are dangerous. I can't rule anything out. At this point, I don't want any food that even came close to the Menufood Plant.
I wish they would give us an update on the investigation.
I know, we all feel threatened for our pets with the food recall. I watch my old Siamese tomcat, constantly now. He is 12. He needs his soft food.However, PETA members, would never be soooo cruel. Better dead than owned, is such a news bite. I cannot speak for PETA. As far as I know, their purpose is to protect animals.I agree:::: Menu foods TALK some more..........!!!!
I AGREE that Special Kitty Beef and Liver Dinner in 13 oz can from Wal-Mart is OK. Does not contain wheat and is made by a different manufacturer than Menu Foods.
My kitties were eating some SAV-A-LOT canned cat food but when I checked the Lot Numbers they were an earlier batch. Still, did not use the last remaining can. Then 2 days ago, I heard that ALL lot numbers are now recalled, leaving me with ONE doubtful can of Special Blend Beef Cuts in Gravy, 5.5 oz.
My four cats, including one nursing mother with 4 kittens are all okay. Since last remaining can of SAV-A-LOT Speicial Blend contains "wheat gluten" I will try to return it to the store.
I have heard reliable news reports the CULPRIT ingredient was WHEAT containing RAT POISON.
My cats are eating mostly PURINA ONE, Special Care Hairball Formula at this time of year. They are all doing FINE. If you use Special Kitty, you need to check carefully which are okay and which are NOT OK. The 13 oz cans mentioned here ARE OK. I post urgent CAT news in my blog blast: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-7dNzZV06cpnGmuKQRUw
DRY FOOD DEATHS/ILLNESSES NOW BEING RELEASED:
I AM ONE OF THE REPORTED STATISTICS IN THIS TALLY!http://www.itchmo.com/read/voluntary-dry-food-repoVoluntary Dry Food Reports SEE THEIR LIST OF BRANDS AFFECTED, PER VOL. REPORTS
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.
**DISCLAIMER** i have no connection to this company. I do not use the food, but it is an alternative to canned or dry food produced by the petfood industry. 1-877-9feline http://www.felinefuture.com/ ABOUT FELINE FUTURES’ food InstinctsTC: MADE IN USA
http://www.felinefuture.com/products/ MAKE YOUR OWN RAW – YOU BUY THE MEAT, FF SUPPLIES EVERYTHING ELSE.
Meat prices at the average grocery store can vary from $5.00/kg to $9.00/kg. Depending on your choice of meat the cost of your cat’s daily portion of food prepared using InstinctsTC can be: For ½ cup (125g) cat food $1.08 - $1.43 (very similar to better canned food price)For 2/3 cup (150g) cat food $1.26 - $1.71 This cost includes the cost of shipping and applicable taxes on the InstinctsTC powder.BUY ONLINE: http://www.felinefuture.com/payments/http://www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html dry food expose . She uses feline futures.
Her raw recipe: http://www.blakkatz.com/recipes.pdf
Concerned fellow animal lovers,
Here is something I wanted to pass along to everyone. I have just read and signed the petition: "PET FOOD RECALL!! MENU FOODS MAY BE TESTING ANIMALS WITH THEIR TAINTED PET FOOD" http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/57829512 Revised Target: Paul Henderson,CEO, Menu Foods Menu Foods may be testing/killing animals to determine the cause of illness and death associated with their recalled pet food. We would like Menu Foods to be honest and forthcoming aboutwhether they are testing/killing animals as part of their investigation into the cause of the tainted pet food. If so, we would like Menu Foods to discontinue all animal testing in this manner.
..."The FDA on Monday said that as many as one in six animals died in tests of suspect dog and cat food by the manufacturer after complaints the products were poisoning pets around the country"..
I have not used this, but have fed homemade using raw ingredients top quality for my cat. This might be one option, even on temp basis: http://www.felinefuture.com/products/ make your own. you supply the raw meat, ff supplies everything else. This is as easy as possible. can be purchased online.
http://www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html dry food . She feeds home made using feline futures: Her raw recipe: http://www.blakkatz.com/recipes.pdf
Concerned Animal Lovers,
Here is something I wanted to pass along to everyone. I have just read and signed the petition: "PET FOOD RECALL!! MENU FOODS MAY BE TESTING ANIMALS WITH THEIR TAINTED FOOD" http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/57829512
Revised Target: Paul Henderson, CEO, Menu Foods Menu Foods may be testing/killing animals to determine the cause of illness and death associated with their recalled pet food. We would like Menu Foods to be honest and forthcoming about whether they are testing/killing animals as part of their investigation into the cause of the tainted pet food. If so, we would like Menu Foods to discontinue all animal testing in this manner.
.."The FDA on Monday said that as many as one in six animals died in tests of suspect dog and cat food by the manufacturer after complaints the products were poisoning pets around the country"..
Sorry about my double post, my computer is overloaded with all the different recall info sites I have open at the moment.
my cat was loving the albertsons brand , happy tails. i talked to our store manager who was going to get further infor for me and never called me back. although the item was not on the recall list, i am suspicious becuz it is a store brand. even thought it contains no wheat gluten, i have still not reintroduced it and dont think i wil for sometime if ever. anyone have any info on happy tails?
for ELAINE # 186. thenumber i used for PURINA is 314-982-1000 and got a live person right away who answered my question.
Hello. This post is mainly for Judy Miller, post # 190. Judy I think your comment is unfair. PETA's purpose in life is to highlight the plight of animals worldwide and to say that they may be responsible or would even consider or condone such an act as to poison pet food is completely against what they beleive in.
PETA states themselves that because of their very strong beliefs in animal rights they sometimes attract extremists who will do extreme things to attract attention, but PETA does not condone these extreme acts. They are more about sending out undercover investgators and video taping what they find.
I personally think that to save an animal or to bring the plight of so many abused animals to peoples attention sometime extrovert action is worthy. BUT I really don't think that any animal rights person would willingly go out and purposely kill other animals to make a point.
We need PETA and only people who really don't look into what they do would call them terrorists. Like I said, they may attract types of personalities that would use their name for nefarious purposes, but PETA themselves do nothing but good for animals.
Well said Sue H #200. We do need PETA.
I have a remedy for all cat and dog owners, after just taking my MAX to the vet today, he's deathly ill, cook and prepare your own chicken for your cat and feed like a stray, don't buy into any more products, obviously they cannot be trusted. Also spending a little more on canned tuna is better and safer for your pets.
Just got this email from the ASPCA-
PET FOOD RECALL UPDATE: CONTAMINANTS IN ADDITION TO RAT POISON MAY BE INVOLVEDSince the massive pet food recall on March 16, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has been flooded with calls from pet parents and animal professionals alike. Based on data we’ve collected, clinical signs in cats affected by the contaminated foods are not fully consistent with the ingestion of rat poison—suggesting that additional contaminants may be involved
my cat has eaten some of recalled food, a month ago. she shows no signs yet. how long does the poison stay or signs show
Richi, #204. From what I have heard it takes effect very quickly. But I don't know for sure. I suggest taking the cat to the vet for a blood check just to be safe. Good luck.
i just read about the additional contaminants on yahoo news....
i could not cut and paste fo some reason the url so please search
and read the article.....this whole pet food thing is makingme sick.
will we ever feel safe again feeding our babies?
Hi Leo, I think this is part of the article you mentioned:"The apparently melamine-contaminated wheat gluten also was shipped to an unnamed company that manufactures dry pet food. The FDA is attempting." Now we have to find out which dry food used this contaminant.
They just added Hill's Prescription md dried cat food to the recall. It has the new thing they found. I have a bag of the cd but My cats won't eat it. Vets prescribe this all the time. Please spresad the word and check out the latest news. This is DRY FOOD.
It is in dry food now. This is often prescribed by vets and you can buy it at any other pet supply store also. Read this article.http://enews.earthlink.net/article/bus?guid=200703/460c9950_3426_13350200703301589727683
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/bus?guid=200703/460c9950_3426_13350200703301589727683
Haven't seen anything on this, but just to forewarn...I switched my 4 cats over to The Good Life dry cat food after the initial scare, from IAMs Weight Control dry food which they have eaten for years. Have always had some vomiting from them...one in particular while they were on IAMs. Immediately after switching to The Good Life, all started vomiting within the first couple of days. My one cat began having severe diahrrea and vomiting. He was drinking water, but looked very ill. Decided to isolate him and take him off the food for a day until I could get him to the vet. He became much better by the end of the day and by the next morning was hungry and loving. We put them all back on the IAM's for the present. Interestingly enough, they don't seem to vomit very much if I buy the small bag of IAMs, but the large bag makes them start up again. I know it seems odd, but I've watched it happen.
I didn't notice anything about Alley Cat dry food--it's a cheaper brand but it appears the contamination is occurring in the expensive brands. Also, how about 9 Lives canned food? And Sprout dog food that is sold by Fleet Farm? Have the recalled foods been taken off the grocery shelves? I also use Fancy Feast Gourmet Seafood Feast and sometimes Roundys small cans of pet care...are these okay?
I find it interesting that Hill's Science Diet has added prescription feline dry m/d food to the recall list as of yesterday. I have 3 cats, and they got sick during February 2007 off of Hill's prescription feline dry c/d food. They got all the symptoms: refusing to eat, excessive drinking, throwing up, lethary, etc. I am lucky however that none of my precious cats died. I did take them to the vet, and he couldn't find anything wrong. I think that the pet food manufacturers that insist the dry food is 'safe' should eat it themselves and see what happens if it's that safe. Also, what about cross contaimination? If you buy a bag of plain M&'s, the bag states that they were made in a facility that handles peanuts and may contain peanuts. Well, what about the dry food? If it was made in a facility where the poison food came from and from the same time period, couldn't it possibly be poisonsed too? Beside, are the different kinds of dry foods being made on the same machinary, and if so, how thoroughly do they sterilize and/or clean the machines before producing new batches and/or types of dry food? I think this is something that needs to be investigated also.
Also, does anyone know where I can get my 'old' (I have since switched dry food) cat food tested? I honestly think that I got 'bad' food although Hill's Science and my vet don't think so.
Hi friends,
Some more very important information from the http://www.howl911.com/#foods website
WAS THE TAINTED WHEAT GLUTEN ENZYMATICALLY MODIFIED? 03/30/07 A visitor to Howl 911 submitted the following two links to a couple of intriguing articles; one, on the enzymatic modification of wheat gluten with transglutaminase by Chinese food researchers and, two, a U.K.-based research paper citing a link between transglutaminase and renal insufficiency (kidney failure). While intriguing, little can be extrapolated from this information without making certain assumptions, as the enzyme used in modifying the wheat gluten is microbial in origin, while the enzyme used in the cited in vivo research was tissue transglutaminase. And even if the microbial transglutaminase possesses the same cross-linking potential as is credited to the tissue transglutaminase (which is certainly within the realm of possiblity), there would have to be sufficient transglutaminase left as a contaminant in the enzymatically-treated wheat gluten to be of any concern. But because the FDA's most recent speculation (melamine contaminating the wheat gluten from China) has only served to create yet more doubt, Howl 911 has chosen to include the following articles on this website.
Enzymatic modification to boost wheat gluten gelling: 11/27/2006 - Modifying wheat gluten protein with transglutaminase enzymes improves the gelling, rheological and textural properties, claim Chinese researchers - a result that may offer value-added solutions for a wide range of food products ... Some modified wheat gluten is already available to food formulators, like, for example, Tate & Lyle's Meripro 410 and 420 launched earlier this year. The former is designed to bring functional benefits as an emulsifier and dough plasticiser, while the latter is said to have emulsifying and foaming properties well suited for desserts and confectionery. The Role of Transglutaminase in the Rat Subtotal Nephrectomy Model of Renal Fibrosis This observed association between tissue transglutaminase ... rats demonstrated a steady increase in proteinuria and serum creatinine with time ... indicating progressive renal insufficiency ... and renal tubulointerstitial scarring in rats submitted to SNx suggests that tissue transglutaminase may play an important role in the development of experimental renal fibrosis and the associated loss of tubule integrity
Just as I suspected, they don't know enough to tells us that a brand or type of food is safe for our pets. Also, I read that wheat gluten is used in human food too. The article calls the provider of the suspect wheat gluten "an undisclosed distributor" , at this point, should anything remain "undisclosed?" I think not. Companies are cutting corners for profit with no regard to the consequences. They go to foreign providers which are not regulated as to what they use in growing their product instead of paying a little more and buying from American sources.It has now been one week since I emailed both Purina and Del Monte asking if they used imported ingredients in their pet foods. So far I did not even get knowledge of their receiving the email. In the past, they have done so immediately. At this point, I have to assume that they do not wish to write down what could be later proven to be lies, thus providing written, printable record of their deception to the public.
The Fancy Feast I've been using has been okay and I had some Science Diet Mature dry food and Purina Indoor that has been okay. But now I just bought some Purina Naturals Dry because I had used a sample and it was okay. I noticed it has some wheat in it but not wheat gluten, so I hope its okay. They say at their website none of their dry food is affected. This is complicated. PETA keeps going on about Iams dry food so I'm afraid to use my new bag of Iams even though they say their dry is okay.
I'm really worried about this. My cats DID eat some of the save-a-lot stuff but I switched them over to Fancy Feast asap. I'd rather pay a few dollars more than have them sick or dead. So far, they seem ok. What are the symptoms? How long does it take to show up if the cat is sick?
If Fancy Feast and Purina Cat Chow indoor formula show up on the list, I'm going to be VERY upset. This should never have happened, especially on such a huge scale as it did.
Our vet called yesterday to say the Hill Prescription Diet m-d had been recalled. Our sweet, fat 8yr old tabby, Springer, was put on it last week. She seems ok, and since she was still getting it mixed with Fancy Feast dry, maybe she will be ok. The problem seems to be that we can't trust any of the brands or varieties of dog or cat food because obviously, we also trusted the ones that went bad! One thing I do know for sure: gravies and sauces, even when liked by the pet, are added, CHEAP weight in a can of food; thus the heavy advertising by pet food companies. And the wheat gluten may be a thickening agent in the liquid. Who knows what will happen next in this train wreck. Global out-sourcing needs to stop and reliable inspection needs to begin now.
Our vet called yesterday to say the Hill Prescription Diet m-d had been recalled. Our sweet, fat 8yr old tabby, Springer, was put on it last week. She seems ok, and since she was still getting it mixed with Fancy Feast dry, maybe she will be ok. The problem seems to be that we can't trust any of the brands or varieties of dog or cat food because obviously, we also trusted the ones that went bad! One thing I do know for sure: gravies and sauces, even when liked by the pet, are added, CHEAP weight in a can of food; thus the heavy advertising by pet food companies. And the wheat gluten may be a thickening agent in the liquid. Who knows what will happen next in this train wreck. Global out-sourcing needs to stop and reliable inspection needs to begin now.
I bought 9 Lives canned food to replace a brand that was on the recall list. They were fine at first, but last night I fed them a cuts and gravy style dinner. Within 4 hours all three began vomiting. One of them was leaning his head and shoulder against the wall, looking totally out of it. The youngest vomited again this morning. Currently they all seem okay, but I will NOT feed them that style again, no matter what brand, no matter what the lists say. This is all so scary.
I was at my local corner store. They still had Alpo gravy cuts in the can on the shelf. I told him about the recall yesterday. He was thankful.
Recalled Pet Food Tracker - National Brands Updated 3-31
The Recalled Pet Food Tracker for National Brands has been updated:http://localhostr.com/files/4de1dee70dc78a2630e9.p
***Updated March 31, 2007***
Foods Added:
Alpo cans (3-30) Hills Prescription m/d DRY Cat Food (3-30)Information Added/Changed:
Parent Company information has been added next to each brand Brands are listed by order of Parent Company, so are in a different order Page numbersJust so you folks know, Iams dry food does NOT contain wheat gluten. My cats are getting grilled salmon with their dry food.
I posted about my story on the memory page. My 6 year old cat Winston died from renal failure in mid Dec. He was a healthy indoor cat and the vets were shocked that such a young cat fell ill with acute renal failure. I spent over $3,000 on vet bills and medicine and had to give him IVF injections every single night for 3 weeks. He suffered terribly. My heart still aches from missing him and to think that i posioned my baby from feeding him the gravy food he loved makes me feel like my heart is being ripped out. I am devastated. I fed him mostly Purina Fancy Feast sliced turkey, chicken, beef and gravy variety. This is not (YET!!) on the recall list, but last Friday purina did recall the dog food in gravy products. it's just a matter of time before they recall fancy feast cuts in gravy. PLEASE do not feed your cats fancy feast canned food.
I don't know what is going on with the cat food recall. But My boy cat stopped eating after I bought Iams Multi-cat in Jan 06. After vet visits, and force feeding he died 3 weeks later. However his sister was not effected. I still feed her Iams Active maturity, and no problems. The Iams website says dry food is not included, my girl cat is fine but the bag I bought a month ago is almost empty and i want to feed her a homeade diet untill everything is settled. I saw some organic etc recipes for cat food but, I am worried about changing her diet so aburptly. Any advise would be welcomed
I see that they added Hills Prescription Diet cat food to the recall list. I buy the c/d. All I see is m/d on the list, so is c/d okay?
I have decided at this time to do this and recommend to everyone.......don't feed canned/wet foods at all until this all blows over and if you can't make your own dry version of food, only buy ones that do not contain any wheat gluten. This seems like the best solution for now. Fancy feast elegant medleys is not on the recall list yet one of our babies was throwing up just minutes after eating it. (The third ingredient is wheat gluten.) My husband and I returned multipal cans just days before hearing about this whole recall business. They have been on and are on Science diet light right now. They are doing well and I hope that since it's not made with wheat gluten that all will be well. Our babies refuse baby food and so far do not like homemade recipes. If anyone has a new recipe for me to try (thank you for the one above) or wants to talk or share info...email me at email4danni@yahoo.com. Also the blog site itchmo! is wonderful! Sign un there and they send you an email immediately after a new product is recalled.
If wheat gluten is anywhere in the list of ingredients, be safe, don't use it. Why wait until it is added to recall list?! There are some Science Diet and other brand dry foods that are not made with wheat glutin.....look for those.
This is a copy of the email I sent to Purina/Friskies today. As I pointed out to them, it is my second attempt at a straight answer from the company: "This is my second attempt at getting an answer from your company to my question to no avail.Do you purchase ANY ingredients for your pet foods from foreign countries? I AM sharing this information with a large group of pet owners online. Because you did not answer my first email, we are highly suspicious of your brand and feel that you only own up to things when caught. Please prove me wrong.Do not answer this question by phone. I want it in writing."
these companies are disgusting! i really don't understand how they could let this happen. my mastiff was being fed the alpo canned food with another purina dry food mix and i noticed that about 4 or 6 weeks ago she stopped eating it. whenever we would give her food she would sniff it and back away looking at it sideways like she usually does when something scares her. so we just switched to the dry food with some pieces of our sausage. if something happens to her because of this i really don't know what i would do. now we have to make her homemade meals because she has lost weight from not eating as much as she should. my cat has been eating friskies since he was a baby but this whole thing has scared me so much that i really think that i am going to just feed my pets homemade food for the rest of their lives. i really could not live with myself if i knew that what i have been feeding them killed them. i really hope the people who let this happen burn in hell.
Elaine #232.......please keep us posted on that written response. I am very concerned and anxious to see how they respond. Thanks.
Purina cat foods were listed as recalled in the Sacramento Bee today.
My cat stopped eating Nutro Natural Choice DRY food about 2 weeks ago. I switched over to Meow Mix immediately. So far, she's back to eating normally. No symptoms. If you feed your cat dry food from any of the recalled brands, you may want to switch just to play it safe.
I have been feeding Science Diet original dry food and do not see wheat gluten in the ingredients. But, in view of all the recalls including Mighty Dog and jerky treats I have decided to change to California Natural Chicken and Rice. No wheat or wheat gluten in it and the first ingredient is chicken followed by chicken meal, brown rice, and rice. I also feed just a very small amount of Friskies Fancy Feast Chicken gourmet but is does not have wheat or wheat gluten in it. I would stay away from all wheat gluten products. READ THE LABELS!! Better safe than sorry since it is taking so long for the pet food industry to fess up. The foods apparently did not have to be manufactured by Menu Foods alone but also by companies that were using wheat gluten from foreign countries. Del Monte said they did not use Menu Foods but did buy from other countries. In reading labels I also noticed Wiskas treats have dried animal digest which is the undecomposed bodies of dead animals. No more of those treats in this house. The vet on cnn said he would not trust what the pet industry says right now, I love my four cats very much and do not want to take chances with their lives. Good luck to all of you and I hope this is straighten out soon.
FDA Pinpoints Suspected Seller of Wheat Gluten FDA just issued this warning against the import of specific wheat gluten from a maker in China. The full name of the company is: Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company Ltd. This company also exports wheat flour, cornstarch, sweet potato starch, protein powder, zinc oxide, carrots, garlic, ginger, and other agricultural products. (Web site)
This is the only known source of contamination identified by the FDA. Unfortunately, this was never released to the media from what we can gather.
If anyone else is using supplies from this company (for human or pet consumption), they should contact the FDA ASAP.
In the alert, the FDA has now authorized the quarantine or dentention of any wheat gluten from this specific company in China and passed through the Netherlands (a transit point) without the need to inspect it. Basically preventing the supply from getting into any food stream.
Judging by the date (3/30) we suspect that this definitive action labeling this supply wheat gluten as “poisonous” is what prompted many other makers from issuing their “voluntary recalls” last Friday. After all, legally speaking, their hands were now tied.
More information can be found at the following sites:
Itchmo's blog
http://www.itchmo.com/read/fda-pinpoints-suspectedFDA Pinpoints Suspected Seller of Wheat Gluten FDA just issued this warning against the import of specific wheat gluten from a maker in China. The full name of the company is: Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company Ltd. This company also exports wheat flour, cornstarch, sweet potato starch, protein powder, zinc oxide, carrots, garlic, ginger, and other agricultural products. (Web site)
This is the only known source of contamination identified by the FDA. Unfortunately, this was never released to the media from what we can gather.
If anyone else is using supplies from this company (for human or pet consumption), they should contact the FDA ASAP.
In the alert, the FDA has now authorized the quarantine or dentention of any wheat gluten from this specific company in China and passed through the Netherlands (a transit point) without the need to inspect it. Basically preventing the supply from getting into any food stream.
Judging by the date (3/30) we suspect that this definitive action labeling this supply wheat gluten as “poisonous” is what prompted many other makers from issuing their “voluntary recalls” last Friday. After all, legally speaking, their hands were now tied.
More information can be found at the following sites:
Itchmo's blog
I really am wondering if any dog or cat food w/corn gluten is safe. Is China the sole source of this stuff? I had problems getting Liquid Glucosimine Product w/o a China source for ingredients that were banned in the U.K. Perhaps the frenzy to buy cheap product from China has over taken food safety. We dont like our animal friends to be poisoned--unlike places that eat any critter they can capture in small cages. America? Canada? What the heck are you thinking? I use Diamond and thankful I have used Lamb based product for my dog--considering Diamonds issues last year. Now I think I will quit using One for cat and try Diamond for him. I think because no one has yet said they would stop using the corn products--its a no brainer--to use food w/o it. What are they waiting for--more dead pets? Maybe they can use this stuff to make alternative fuels--you'd think Purina would be first announce they will not use this anymore. To all that lost animal family--so sorry--its heartbreaking for sure. Thanks for all the good info here. I have used some of the suspect canned cat foods and now won't use anything w/suspect products on the list or not. Can't take the chance. I am not using my cat or dog like a Lab Test for toxic food--Good luck to everyone.
No the Prescription Diet C/D was not recalled.
Well I have fed some Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys and the cats acted the same. Well hoping it was an okay wheat gluten then. The Science Diet I still have left in the dry has been fine but wondering what to get next that is good.
They had more information about the wheat gluten at Fancy Feast.com
They did have more information about the wheat gluten at Purina now.
Is it just me or is everyone feeling as stressed as I am whenever I have to buy more food for my four "babies"? I read every tiny word in the label. I think they make it hard to read so that people don't bother reading it. Tried cooking for my cats and baby food, but they want their Friskies and 9 Lives! I monitor their water intake like a hawk too. I think we should start a petition to force food companies to buy from US farmers. They should also disclose who manufactures the product, none of this corporate umbrella garbage.
Classic Entrees is made by Menu Foods for Walmart. I called the Walmart Canada HO and that is what they told me. It is not on the recall list. There is no wheat gluten in this product from what I can tell from the label. The cans do not tell you where it is manufactured because it is made for Walmart, however, I think every can of pet food should tell you what company makes their food. Purina Canada said none of the food from their Canadian Company is made by Menu Foods. Does this mean they make their own food or is it made by a different company? My cat would never eat any of the gravy foods. She would lick the gravy off and leave the rest. What worries me is later they find out that it is not the wheat and maybe the meat that is doing the damage. Im confused as to what I should feed my cat now. I switched from Cassic Entrees after I found out it was menu foods that make their food Now I read above that Fancy Feast it is not the best healthy choice.
Go to naturapet.com and watch the recall info video. It's just a few minutes.
I apologize for my mistake discussing corn gluten instead of wheat gluten. I saw something on the internet about corn gluten and wrote incorrectly. I did notice my cat threw up several times when I switched him from Chicken based Purina One to Senior One. He also refused to eat the last fresh bag I got --so I switched him back to the other--but as I said I will switch to Diamond or another food on the safe list. By the way--A feral cat I feed --wont eat Senior One--or any other of the wild critters that used to eat what my cat left behind. They eat the regular One. I am worried my cat will get sick,it's very stressful. He has eaten Friskies canned and Pounce Meaty Morsels. I see Vets. on the news saying dont feed pets table food--as in Pizza--I didn't see anyone here saying give them Pizza or table scraps. Also they said don't make your own food because it won't be balanced. Considering its a temporary solution I feel safe making some recipes offered on the net. The Vets. interviewed said to continue using the brand if its not a recall --unless you notice a problem. I am not comfortable w/that. I think the advise here makes more sense. Again sorry for my mistake concerning the gluten.
I was unpleasantly surprised to see wheat gluten as the third or fourth ingredient on Fancy Feast cans.
We don't give kitty treats often but were going to last night for good claw clipping behavior. Those we had were from Purina and they also had wheat gluten among the ingredients
Julie (228) and Danni (230) I agree that we may be hearing more regarding Purina- Elaine, thanks for pursuing this and them.
Hey Everyone,
Just FYI, for what it's worth, I have two almost 2-year old kitties, and they love Whiskas pouches, especially the poultry pack. I've seen no changes in their behavior throughout this entire deal. They have recently gone to Nutro dry weight management, and used to be on Science Diet Light Adult, and chow it down. They love the Nutro dry compared to the S/D. No changes in their behavior or bathroom habits. Hopefully this is a good little tidbit/positive for you out there. My prayers go out to those of you who have lost your four legged children. :(
I currently use Friskies and 9 Lives canned cat food for my cats. They will only eat the cuts and filets or the shredded kinds. They eat ALL flavors, as long as it is the cuts, not the "mush". Has anyone heard recently about the 9 Lives or the Friskies? I also feed them Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula and the Natural Cat Food from Sams Club, which is distributed by SAM'SWEST, Inc. Any info on these brands?
So far, my four cats have been ok. Of course, there is the nornal vomiting every now and again due to hairballs. Are there any other symptoms that I should be looking for? I thought that I was ok with purchasing this food and I was relieved that the food I purchase is NOT on the list, but now, after reading the comments posted, I am a nervous wreck. My babies mean the WORLD to me.....Please help!
Now I bought some Purina Naturals and there's ground wheat in that. I'm getting to be a nervous wreck finding food for the cats now. I've been using Fancy Feast and I had a lot of them I bought on sale at different times. They haven't made the cats sick but now I'm afraid of the wheat gluten in them. I don't want anything with wheat actually. Of course I don't want canned Iams or Nutro either. Hard to find a good canned.
Dear friends, I received the first of the responses to my email from pet food manufacturers. Text is below: "In response to your email regarding Masterfoods USA, A Division of Mars, Incorporated.Thank you for your email. The recent nationwide pet food recall initiated by Menu Foods and other companies does not include any Mars Petcare US pet food products. All of our brands, including PEDIGREE and CESAR food for dogs, and WHISKAS and SHEBA food for cats, are safe for pets to enjoy.The safety and nutritional quality of our pet food is our top priority because for many people, their pets are their top priorities.For details on the recall, contact Menu Foods at 1-866-895-2708 or visit the company’s web site at: www.menufoods.com/recall."Juanita MartinezMasterfoods USA, a Division of Mars, IncorporatedConsumer Care Department1-800-525-5273DIRECT ALL E-MAIL REPLIES TO:pet.care@masterfoodsusa.com
That, however, did not answer my question, therefore I wrote back to Ms. Martinez the following: "
Dear Ms. Martinez:Thank you for your response to my email. However, I do believe that my question was whether your company (Masterfoods USA, a Division of Mars, Inc.) uses ANY materials from foreign countries to make the pet foods. I realize that so far, it is not in the recall list, but at this point, I do not trust that. To me, and other pet owners, that just means that it has not been caught yet. Please, if you would be so kind and answer my specific question, I would really appreciate it and will then be able to share your response with a large online community of pet owners I am in contact with. Thank you,Sincerely,Elaine MenendezI will continue posting the answers to my emails.
My two cats have been eating mainly Fancy Feast along with various sensitive stomach dry foods (and Aquariums for brushings and nail clipping treats) for the last four years. I was relieved a couple of weeks ago when Fancy Feast was NOT listed on the Menu Foods reacall. However, with all of the lastest developments over the last few days I've been freaking out that Fancy Feast has wheat gluten as one of its main ingredients (Aquariums has it, too). So I've spent the weekend reading food labels and have started buying Sheba. The ingredient list is short and there is no wheat or corn. It's expensive and I think my kids like Fancy Feast better but I think I'll stay with it until all of this is sorted out. I am NOT going to feed them wheat gluten and watch their behavior and hope for the best. Just like a few months ago I didn't eat possibly contaminated spinach and watch my reaction over a period of time! So I'm not going to do that to my babies. And, Elaine Menendez, thank you for trying to get some answers.
Elaine....I applaud your commitment and thank you from all of the caring pet owners out there that simply want the truth. In #247 I gave the web address for those of you that want to try foods that contain no wheat or wheat gluten. The company also is also refusing any International products/ingredients.....watch the video. It may be the best option. My girlfriend has had her 5 cats on their foods for about 4-5 years now and she swears by them. She has tried to get me to buy my babies this food for a while now.....perhaps I should have taken her advise sooner.
Thanks Danni, I will watch the video. I just heard in the news that there will be other foods recalled.
Todd, you are very welcome. I think that we deserve answers, truthful ones, not lies by omission. I too have fed my babies Pounce treats. They only like the seafood flavor and I heard the chicken flavor is the one recalled, but I am not taking chances. Who knows what we will learn next? This whole thing is out of control and very stressful.Lets all keep informing each other here.
What is considered safe now to feed our pets. The list you have above for safe pet foods is now in question. I'm an animal lover of nine pets. All adopted from poor living conditions. Why aren't dog food companys that know they are safe coming forward to the public selling their product. This is all very scary. Are there any pet foods known to be safe to feed our pets? If yes please post them.
We bought some Iams Multi cat hairball/overweight in Surrey, B.C., Canada in October, 2006.
Our cat was throwing up a yellowish vomit all through November. We thought it was
the clumping kitty litter, changed to newspaper --still vomiting.
We took her to the vet in the beginning of Dec. and he did some bloodwork.
He said it showed the beginnings "possibly" ? of an urinary problem. We went back to
get a urinary analysis bladder sample and our cat bit him and the assistant.
He wanted to tranquilize her, but I couldn't do it , she was so pathethic and hanging onto
me like it ws the end of the world. He suggested for us feed her Medi-Cal vet exclusive
high fiber food. Only vets sell it- it costs $40. Canadian for 46 cups. Very expensive compared to Iams.
We did. It is April 3 today and she seems to be thriving. No more throwing up that
yellowish vomit---at all. I'm not accusing anyone, but the proof is in the puddin' --so the saying goes.
Is it a co-ncidence? Maybe or maybe not.
For your info, we are still trying to get "our sweet little tigress" to the vet, when she sees me put
on any outside clothes (I wear joggers at home) she runs and hides and goes into "panther mode".
So, I guess I am just going to have to sneak her to the vest in my old clothes, but
I still don't want her tranquilized. I don't know what to do about that. Any suggetions
would be appreciated.
Menu Foods Income fund has been not performing well at all
the last couple of years. What does this mean?
Go figure. I'm worried about all cat foods and even human foods.
Tell me why I shouldn't worry about all the instant noodles and
wheat products from China our kids eat. Currently, my cat
is enjoying Cheerios and sardines. (not made in china)
Another canadian.
CNN to Report on Pet Food Safety Tonight at 10pm EDT April 3rd, 2007
CNN will air a segment on Anderson Cooper’s show on the safety of pet foods tonight. One of our favorite writers, Christie Keith of Pet Connection, will be a guest. We wish her the best of clarity and quick thinking under fire to dispel any notion that the system is safe. People are still in the dark.
CNN to Report on Pet Food Safety Tonight at 10pm EDT April 3rd, 2007
CNN will air a segment on Anderson Cooper’s show on the safety of pet foods tonight. One of our favorite writers, Christie Keith of Pet Connection, will be a guest. We wish her the best of clarity and quick thinking under fire to dispel any notion that the system is safe. People are still in the dark.
CNN to Report on Pet Food Safety Tonight at 10pm EDT April 3rd, 2007
CNN will air a segment on Anderson Cooper’s show on the safety of pet foods tonight. One of our favorite writers, Christie Keith of Pet Connection, will be a guest. We wish her the best of clarity and quick thinking under fire to dispel any notion that the system is safe. People are still in the dark.
Sorry about the triple post. I hit the the post comment one too many times. I think my anxiety from all this worrying is definitely taking it's toll on me that's for sure.
For Lyn #260Instead of tranquilizers, try Bach's Rescue Remedy. You can find it at Health food stores. My wholistic vet recommended it for my semi/feral cat. Doesn't knock them out, but helps with the anxiety level. And take a couple drops for yourself. It is for humans and pets. I time the vet appt for about her nap time. Hide the carrier around the corner and wisk them in the box. I find the cardboard ones, that you can drop them into easier than dealing with a front loading carrier.
sorry for the non post above. comp acted weird....
thankx to elaine for your plea for details. i have those same questions, always have. ..i too still anxiety everytime i feed my kitty and anytime he feels like napping longer or deeper than usual. i dont think any of us will ever feel comfortable again. i just hope that my choice in staying with friskies and fancy feast is the right one. he has been fine and so i feel pretty safe to keep as is except to EXCLUDE ALL WHEAT GLUTEN items regardless of "lists". i think that is the first best choice any of us can/should make.....i recently read something released by menu foods i believe that stated products being produced now are safe. this doesnt make me feel any better, as well how are we supposed to know which products those are when cans don't list date of production only expire date?....with the state of the world and their view on the US i don't think anything our pets or us consumes should come from outside this country. as well, we are also talking about out sourcing that is donein countries that have been known to eat cats and dogs, why would they take precaution to insure their health? i know that sounds horrible, like im profiling of sorts, but this is a SERIOUS issue!
Lynn (260), you may also want to consider Feliway, available in spray or diffusers. You'll find a lot of links regarding it on Google. Prices online are favorable to retail stores. It can be sprayed in carrier before transporting the kitty. I get mine (both formulas) from discountpetdrugs online (no connection wlith company). Like Cathy I use a carrier that you can "drop" kitties into and it also has a door on the side. It is hard sided, seems quite secure. I bought it at Persmart several years ago.
Hi, Leo, yes, I too am not feeding any wheat gluten and posted earlier what a shock it was to find it in treats. I buy a large 4 flavor case of FF at Costco and some, but not all the flavors have the wheat gluten.
Cathy, (266), I had better luck with Feliway than Bachs, but isn't it nice that it is safe for humans as well? And the same is not true for Feliway which has warnings about skin and eye contact.
Bumping my post...I find it happening a lot with this site that until another post comes in mine does not appear and it seems like this has happened to others as well.
There were some older flavors of Fancy Feast that had no wheat gluten but I threw out a bunch of new ones that did which were expensive and they probably were o.k. but it made me nervous. I have some Meow Mix cups that have it but were made in Thailand. I did go buy some little cans of Natural Balance canned at the pet store because it has no wheat gluten or any gluten but will the cats like them is the question. They are used to a little canned twice a day even though eating dry food.
I was told by my vet to continue to feed BiBi Fancy Feast since our vet feeds his own cats that food and feeds the cats boarding at his hospital the same. He just recommended that I not feed her the Fancy Feast foods that contain Wheat Gluten. BiBi doesn't like these very much but she is eating them. I also based on reading here have stopped feeding her Iams Dry cat food. I'm not taking any chances on her health.
CNN just announced that FDA has identified another company that also received the tainted wheat gluten. FDA refused (once again) to identify the company, but CNN said that their products are made by Sunshine Mills.They own brands such as: Sunshine Pet Treats, Sportsman’s Pride, and World Pet Foods. They sell “throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, plus over thirty other countries worldwide.”
This is my first time here and I am getting so much different info on what to feed or not feed to my 4 cats.I love them dearly,just like everyone does their babies so I wonder if anyone can give me advice? i feed them Purina Friskies wet food cans,usually the turkey & gravy prime filets or beef shredded.They don't like the mush type canned food at all.I also feed them Friskies Kit N Kaboodle dry food.I haven't seen these on the recall list but everyday I go to the store I'm scared i will see the spot on the shelf where their food normally is will have a recall sign on it.I couldn't live with myself if I poisoned my babies!the Friskies canned food has wheat gluten listed as the third ingredient,should I stop feeding them this?Where can I find some recipes for cat food online?I also heard today that there is another dry food contaminated and the FDA is not announcing the brand.Why the H**L not?We deserve to know what is safe and what is not and if we can't trust the FDA to help keep our pets safe how can we trust them to do right by our human food?This whole situation has me so stressed and hovering over my kids making sure they aren't drinking or sleeping too much.My heart aches for all those who have lost their babies,I know how much I love my boys and know what kind of grief you go through when one or your family crosses the Rainbow Bridge.This whole recall should never have happened and I pray that someone pays dearly for all the pain and grief caused by this.I know we can't bring back those who have passed,but someone needs to be held responsible.I hope someone can give me some info on what I should be doing to keep my babies safe.Thank you and God Bless.
So, we now know about ChemNutra, and Sunshine in addition to MenuFoods. But the AP report said ChemNutra's spokesman and CEO, Stephen Miller, "DECLINED to identify what companies ChemNutra supplied".
I HAVE READ THERE ARE 2-4 MORE COMPANIES INVOLVED!!!! WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW!!!!
*&^%$# YES, I AM SHOUTING, IN FACT I AM SCREAMING!
Elaine- For close to 2 weeks now I have officially switched my 2 cats to Triumph food, which does not contain wheat, wheat-gluten, corn, grains or by-products etc so I hope and pray they will be safe. It's more costly of course but I can't really put a price tag on my sanity, and at this point, the Triumph food at least makes me feel safer. I used to give them Friskie's Special diet since I knew it had a low ash content, but it also has wheat gluten so I feel better now knowing they are eating the Triumph food. There are a lot of natural, grain-free brands you can switch to, it will definitely help ease your mind a lot, I know it has for me. I truly believe this has been going on for far longer than anyone realized...My Skully cat, who was a very healthy 7 year old cat had suddenly become very ill and died in late July, with what my vet reported as blood levels that were off the charts, acute kidney failure, pancreatitis, diabetes, vomiting, dehydration. On the morning of the day I rushed him the vet he had refused to eat or drink water and began urinating outside the litter box. He then managed to climb into the bathtub and just collapsed. This all happened in the time frame of one and a half days so it happened very quickly. This was all extremely strange behavior for him to act that way. When he climbed into the bathtub I knew I had to get him to the ER vet immediately. I had fed him Iams can food and dry food, Science Diet, etc...so who knows, perhaps it's connected. It definitely makes me wonder why my perfectly healthy cat became so suddenly and severely ill and died within a week, even after being in the hospital and hooked up to IV's for 10 days. The more stories I read posted on the pet sites the more I realize I am not the only one with a story like this who is becoming increasingly suspicious with each passing minute. I had to put my poor baby Skully cat to sleep because the vet said he was beyond help and he was suffering. I held him in my arms as they gave him the needle and cried more than I have in many many years, whispering in his ear not to be scared and that I loved him the entire time. I wanted to be with him the entire time since I knew how frightened he must have been. I have adopted two new cats but I still miss my Skully cat and I honestly believe his sudden death was caused by Iams and/or Science Diet.
Anyway, I hope all of you out there are managing through all of this and your fur-babies are healthy and safe as well.
All the best to all of you. *hugs* Renee & The Dynamic Duo- Darren & Slinkyhttp://www.howl911.com/ (Updated information)Hi, Elaine (274) I had luck with Friskies "Mariner's Catch" and the cans I have do not list wheat gluten as an ingredient. My kitties refuse human food. So far I am using the above and canned 9Lives, the flavors I have purchased do not have wheat gluten. For dry I use Purina One "Sensitive Systems" but may switch to Krumpi although I wonder that it may be too rich.
I hear you! We were just at the Bridge on March 11.
Thanks carmelcat! The info on classic entree is useful. I had called walmart, etobicoke branch but they did not know if classic entree was a walmart brand. Let alone a menu foods production! The can says made for walmart, mississauga But the box of 12 doesn't say it on the outside. My cats are now on 'Science Diet Light dry kibbles' and lots of water! So far so good. I don't trust any of the canned food any more and now the Dry food is also getting me stressed out.
Thank you so mcuh for this site! read the babyfood tip above and it was brilliant! Have one senior cat who needs to maintain his weight and a younger one who needs meds. Thank you thank you!!!
I just found a website that names certain Fancy Feast varieties without wheat gluten. Go towww.felinediabetes.comThen click on diet on the right column. Then click on low carb, wheat gluten free Fancy Feast varieties.This site was last updated Feb 22nd before the recall. And it said then, wheat gluten is not good for cats.
In an editorial recently written by a veterinarian, were the words, "This story should be sending shock waves through the public and veterinary communities but the response thus far has been one that seems limited to being concerned in a way similar to an E. coli outbreak. But if we KNEW beyond a reasonable doubt that it was the wheat gluten and if we KNEW what wheat gluten was capable of (like we who study celiac disease know), then we should be seeing the bigger picture here: That is this just the tip of the iceberg and that dogs and cats have been dying from this stuff all along and we have not known it. Then all it takes is for us to wake up to the fact that dogs and cats should not be eating these grains to begin with, whether man has genetically modified these foods to death or not (which they have)." Further into the article, he writes, "...DO NOT let this story die...", -- and I couldn't agree more! I hope and pray that pet owners rise to the occasion and DEMAND answers that will not be easy to extract. And I hope that I am right, in that animal lovers are a passionate and loving group -- that can be 'ROCKS OF GIBRALTER' when it comes to their beloved pets. The truth is, the TRUTH REMAINS AN UNKNOWN. And we are the only ones that can draw it out. I have so many questions that have been left completely unanswered. For instance, how many pets have actually died?? Surely the 'official' count is more than (what was it?... 22?) what kept getting stated!.. And what happened with the earlier 'rat poison' story? Not that I believe that it was much of a factor, but it's still intriguing that this story just kind of evaporated. Did anyone review their data? And if so, what of it?? And why did And isn't it interesting that the FDA keeps withholding information? WHY? And I especially would like to know:1) Was the wheat gluton genetically-modified? (An answer that we have a right to have known)2) Since it's now known that the products affected were all animal foods - no human foods were affected - I would ask: - how they know this - why, if they know this much, they don’t know more? The link to the editorial follows:http://barknblog.aspenbloompetcare.com/2007/03/22/
Anderson Cooper Says Wheat Gluten Toxin May Have Been Added on Purpose
CNN is reporting that the FDA is looking into the possibility that melamine was used as additive to increase the protein content of wheat gluten. We don’t who or when in the process this happened, or even if it’s true, but its deeply disturbing. The FDA is also investigating other theories as well.
Transcript is here. Highlight is below:
…the investigation took a new turn today, when the FDA told CNN it is looking whether there could have been a profit motive for deliberately introducing melamine into the wheat gluten. In other words, it might not have been an accident and may have been about money.
http://www.itchmo.com/
Seems like everyday we hear about another recall. I am at my wit's end. As many of you know because I've copied the emails here, I wrote to several pet food companies asking them point blank to tell me if they import ANY of their ingredient . Only Mars answered me, a very vague answer which did not really tell me what we needed to know.The rest have remained quiet. I keep monitoring my babies' water intake. I wonder how much water a healthy cat drinks everyday? I never worried about this before.Now China is saying that they have not experienced large numbers of pet deaths. They could be lying, but if they aren't, we must wonder where in the process was the poison and melamine introduced? Doesn't the FDA test raw materials imorted into the United States? This administration has forbid the transport of a tube of moisturizer in your purse during a flight , but they allow food into the country without inspection? What is wrong with that picture?
I apologize in advance for this long post, but I think it has some extremely important information everyone should read. This whole crisis just keeps getting more horrid by the minute. I'm so saddened and distgusted with the commercial pet food industry and the FDA.
ChemNutra calls themselves the China-Source Experts: “ChemNutra imports quality ingredients from China to the U.S. for the feed, food and pharma industries. ChemNutra imports over 4,000 tons per year, and our customers include several Fortune 500 companies.” (Thanks for the reader tips)
In related news, we received a tip from Howl911 about a theory that links contamination of wheat gluten to the use of melamine-formaldehyde in the textile industry. (Read the theory after the jump.)
External Author’s Notes:
I’ve theorized the same–that an additive, probably melanine-formaldehyde, was added to the gluten to increase it’s crosslinking and hence it’s water absorption rate. Why would this be beneficial. Well, from a commercial standpoint, it means LESS wheat gluten would need to added in order to achieve the desired gelling effect (as in gravy manufacturing). Using melamine-formaldehyde as an additive represents a chemical method of modifying the gluten (increasing the protein-protein crosslinking to improve it’s gelling ability) in much the same way as with enzymatic mofication with TGase (transglutaminase). I’ve found several online references regarding using melamine-formaldehyde for not just wheat, but soy and other plant proteins as well. Also, melamine-formaldehyde is used specifically for crosslinking wheat gluten to improve the gluten’s resin-like performance in the textile/printing industry. The fact that the Chinese supplier also sold this to another Chinese supplier–a textiles company–is very telling.
Many are saying that the melamine is in itself not toxic, but rather a marker for whatever the true toxin is. I wonder if that toxin might be formaldehyde? I’ve got a number of scientific papers I’m scrutinizing for tying up loose ends to my theory, but I’m still wading thru them (although I’ve got a graduate degree in biochemistry, my chemistry is rusty…so I’m trying to be careful about drawing any false conclusions.)
NEWS
THE GLUTEN STORY, PART 1
by Robert Jay Russell, Ph.D., President, Coton de Tulear Club of America
CotonNews@aol.com (@aol.com)|www.CotonClub.com
April 2nd, 2007.
As you know, I’ve been publishing many warnings about wheat gluten in dog and human foods since this pet poisoning crises burst on the scene. I have also been sharply critical of our government’s inaction, and their obvious protection of guilty corporate parties. A story released by Elise Weise and Julie Schmit yesterday (”Pet Foods Recall Spreads, and So Does Confusion,” USA Today, 4/1/07) affirms much in my previous reports. Weise and Schmit report that: The FDA has not publicly identified the firm that supplied the contaminated wheat gluten to the USA. But on Friday, the agency issued an import alert ” found on its website” saying wheat gluten from the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. of Peixian, China, could be detained without inspection until it produced results from “the firm’s investigation(s) into the problem of melamine contamination” and documents showing that corrective action had been taken. Dr. Russell continues: Let’s examine that shocking news: (1) The FDA — an agency we the taxpayer pays for — will not tell us where the wheat gluten poisoning the US food supply is coming from, and; (2) The FDA will rely on the Chinese company that made and sold the poisoned wheat gluten to tell us that it’s product is safe, and we can all eat it. As it happens, I was grabbing information off the net about the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. of Peixian, China, about a week ago and found that they export wheat gluten to both human food and pet food makers. They do not, in their commodities sales literature, classify this gluten — which they market as “Wheat Vital Protein” — as specifically for pets only. Here is their product statement (it’s in broken English, to be sure, but I appreciate their effort since my Chinese would be impossible): Wheat gluten meal is also named wheat vital protein. The flour is used as its raw material, and from which extracts a light brown natural Grain powder through intensively processing. It is a good solubles protein, containing fifteen amino acid essencial for human body. After all, it can yet be regarded as a plant protein food looking good, smelling good and tasting good.Qualification:Protein: 75% min|Moisture: 8% maxAsh (lime) : 1% maxThe rate of absorbing water: 160% minThe degree of thickness: 99% through 200um tough silk sieveTaste smell: normal, with grain deliciousOutward ap: light yellow powderThe product description is innocuous, but additional referencing elsewhere on the web has lead me to hypothesize that an as yet undisclosed Chinese experimental gluten additive may have been added to this export gluten product as early as last summer (July, 2006 or even earlier) and that this additive, if I am correct, could have produced the diverse findings of byproducts such as the plastic melamine (which the FDA says may have been represented a whopping and very visible 6% of the total Chinese gluten package!) and the compound aminopterin (which Cornell labs state unequivocally is present in their samples today). At present, the etiology of kidney disease caused by either of these two compounds is vaguely understood at best, although both are known to be nephrotoxic under proper conditions. If my hypothesis is correct, another compound altogether, which is definitely causative of acute renal tubule failure and which is a newly announced Chinese wheat gluten additive, is at fault and the previously discovered compounds are secondary and contributory. Further, if I am correct, other Chinese gluten producers may be using this additive and supplying markets other than those already identified in the pet poisoning debacle. Stay tuned. As soon as I work out the biochemistry on this, I’ll write an article here and contact Cornell. I think its a lead worth looking into. Hopefully their collective, extremely intelligent heads will beat me to the punch on this. But even if I am dead wrong about the causative molecule, these observations stand today:|1. The human food supply subject to wheat gluten is suspect. Bread, pizza dough, candy, crackers, pasta, cereal and so much more may contain suspect Chinese wheat gluten; 2. The US pet food industry gets 80% of its wheat glutens from China. No pet food, dry or wet or treats, can be considered in any way safe if it contains wheat gluten. Period; 3. The date which toxic wheat gluten was first used in US food products (human or pet) is NOT KNOWN. Only Menu foods has stated tangentially that it “changed gluten suppliers in November” and that the tainted Chinese gluten was used in its food from that time onwards. None of the other companies who have been outed (Purina and Delmonte to date) have stated when Chinese gluten first appeared in their products. 4. There is a possibility that is not denied by the FDA that a great many of America’s pets are now suffering progressive assymptomatic kidney disease. There is also a possibility that many people are in that same boat, albeit with an absolutely larger kidney festooned with geometrically more tubules, they could remain assymptomatic for quite a bit longer than either Fido or Fluffy. From the onset, I have urged everyone to avoid wheat and wheat gluten in their pet’s diet. I would also suggest that this is an excellent time for the bipeds in your household to start a wheat gluten-fr
Sorry to make the long post even longer, but the last few sentences got cut out of my last post:
"I would also suggest that this is an excellent time for the bipeds in your household to start a wheat gluten-free dietary program. I know that that is difficult, and that gluten, which was never good for us, sure makes so many things taste good. But look at it this way: none of us want to compete for donor kidneys down the road. And our poor pets don’t even get kidney transplants, they just sicken and die painfully."—————————————-(c)2007 Dr. R. J. Russell & the CTCA
Thanks Renee! Very interesting ineed! Makes you wonder about food for human consumption too! I went to the website Howl911, it also had a link to a website http://tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/id74.html which talks about genetic alteration of wheat to actually grow with pesticide as a part of it's system (quite possible as the plant would be hardier to pests) which when used would have the toxins in it!
We have to be very careful about what we take as food now!.. for humans as well as pets...can't really trust anyone. Is organic the way to go??
Natural Life Pet Products has made every effort to be pro active, to assure our consumers, retailers, brokers, and distributors that our products are safe to feed your family pets. Even though our products were never on RECALL, We have had all of our products tested by an outside testing company, Accutrace Testing, Inc. The results show NO :Unknown Chemicals and Other Toxins + Aminopterin + Melamine (STAT).Please feel confident in recommending and selling all Natural Life Pet Products to caring and concerned pet parents.Natural Life Pet Products are safe and healthy and should not be removed from inventory or store shelves.www.nlpp.com
RE: IS ORGANIC THE WAY TO GO?? I'm not sure that anyone reads my posts - but I would like to suggest that even though this is moving in the right direction -- it STILL requires caution on our behalf. Many place confidence in the label 'USDA Certified Organic'; but you must realize that the USDA are still foxes guarding the henhouses. IMPORTANT: There are a few courageous companies that refuse to allow the USDA label placed on their products - even though it means a loss in sales (see: http://www.edenfoods.com/issues_important.html ). This link covers many concerns now with the USDA 'watering-down' of organic standards, so that more can enjoy the financial payoffs of 'organic' status. If anyone would like more info on this, GM foods, our depleating soil, Big Phrama-Agribusiness and the fact that well over 30,000 (and this is a very outdated figure) different kinds of human food products manufactured with GM products are on our shelves (Americans eat significant amounts of GM foods, and yet – are mostly unaware of it) please let me know. This is in part, due to the FDA allowing food manufacturers to be exempt from labeling requirements for GM components. At first, manufacturers used the logic that it would be impossible to track down the trails of all basic materials they use. But now, many have openly stated that if they labeled their product as containing GM materials – the public would probably not buy it - which is what I take issue with. I want to know what I am eating.
I hope others will give me a sign if they want to know more - or even links to some very informative sites (farmer organizations, etc.) who are - and have been - fighting this monster. It is BIG - very big, and very frightening -- and mostly unknown to the general masses. If there seems to be no interest, I will stop commenting and move on to another site. I have not registered, because I'm not sure of the readerships' interests. Some people don't want to hear about this stuff, and if not - I will move on. Renee -- very interesting info you have! Thank you. Soph
Sophie Thanks for the link. Couldn't open the page though. Sorry, but what is 'GM' foods? Sorry guys, I know this is a 'pet' page maybe Sohpie you could have your own hub for Organic happenings and info. I know it is a lot of work though. Now for my way of looking at it..Atleast organic 'maybe' better of the two evils though expensive. I'd hate my cats or my child to get genetically engineered foods that may have inborn pesticides to make it pest resistant!
Thank you RENEE-#276 for your advice.Unfortunately, Triumph brand food is not a brand I have ever seen available in my local area, which is Lancaster,PA. I am pretty much limited to Friskies,9Lives & Fancy Feast to choose from as far as wet foods go in my local supermarket. i am so sorry for the loss of your beloved baby Skully,I know it hurts and you miss him terribly.I said a prayer for you and Skully and your new additions to the family,I hope they will help ease the pain a little. I have 4 boys myself and all are my babies,literally. I have no children but my furry ones and they are my best friends. My babies are AMMO,LUCKY,JAKE & last but certainly not least,the littlest boy, BRAVE. The only wet food I found on the market shelf without wheat gluten was 9Lives,the mushy kind.They don't like the mushy kind of wet food but I am going to keep looking until I find something.I have also been giving them cans of tuna fish and they love that. For DIANE F.-#277-Thank you also, I will look for the Friskies Mariners Catch when I go to the store,I don't remember seeing that kind before on the shelf. I checked the 9lives cans and the Veal with gravy does have wheat gluten but the mushy 9Lives doesn't have it.This is so frustrating to have to worry what brand will be recalled next! I wish all of you the best and lets keep on top of things and keep informing each other what is going on.It is great to have other animal lovers to share with,it's unfortunate it's happening under such horrible circumstances. KEEP OUR BABIES HEALTHY AND SAFE!
Can anyone tell me if Goodlife Recipe dry dog food is ok to use? I don't know who makes it, but I think it is made by Purina. I read the label and see no wheat gluten, but it does have corn gluten and wheat flour among the ingredients. Also, I have given my dogs Ol' Roy beef flavored treats that look like jerky (the 22 oz round container with the red lid) and now wonder if they were ok. I threw the empty container away about a month ago. My cats just finished off a bag of Nutra dry cat food that I bought in December or January. I no longer have the bag since I had put the food in a covered container. I am hoping that they do not get kidney failure from it. I feel for all who have lost their pets. I have a cat who is almost 20 and he amazes me. It is hard to tell when he is sick or just having a "going downhill day" so now I worry when he throws up.
Elaine-Thanks so much for your kind words about my Skully cat, it means a lot to me. I definitely miss him every single day. He was after all only 7 years old, I thought I would get to have many years with him. I'm sorry to hear that Triumph food isn't available in your area. I hope you will be able to find another natural, alternative brand that you can switch to. My kitties are my babies too, so I know exactly how you feel. One thing you have to be careful of though is the tuna for your cats. I'm not sure how much or how often you are giving them tuna but just try to be careful and mostly give it to them as a 'once in awhile' treat. Although it's high in protein, tuna lacks sufficient amounts of certain amino acids, mainly taurine, to maintain feline health. There is insufficient calcium to balance the phosphorus; the ratio in canned tuna is something like 1-to-14.8, this results in bone disease. Many essential vitamins such as A and most B vitamins are also lacking . A common disease in cats fed a mainstay of canned tuna is steatitis, or yellow fat disease, an inflammation of the fat tissue in the body due to a deficiency of vitamin E. Mercury in tuna can also cause a lot of problems. But basically none of these things are an issue as long as you aren't giving it to them too frequently. Problems would mostly occur for people that give their cats tuna on a daily basis. If you are interested in any other alternative, natural pet food brands/suggestions let me know, I have done quite a bit of research lately and I'm also connected to a close group of friends that are all animal lovers (I'm one of the volunteer searchers here in NYC unofficially named "Team Vivi"-For the past year we have been out searching for Vivi(the missing Whippet) that was lost at JFK airport due to Delta's negligence.
I hope everyone is doing the best they can during this whole crisis and trying to remain as positive as possible. I know how frustrating is though, I still have so many friends that prefer to remain in the dark. I have done tons of research and it angers me when they can't take the time to at least read my emails that I am sending them for their own good! If a person takes on the responsibility of having an animal companion then they MUST make sure they also take on the responsibility of educating themselves as much as humanly possible and read every pertinent piece of literature on subject of the recall, nutrition etc. Perhaps I'm an extremist but I just love my babies so much and I wish everyone else would care as much for their babies as well. I swear, lately I have just wanted to take some of my friends and literally shake them into reality.
Ok, well I want to send my thoughts and prayers to any of you out there that have sick furbabies right now- my heat is with you and having gone through the pain I know what you experiencing.
*hugs to all*
I don't really know what to do. We have 3 cats and we feed them Friskies canned food and Meow Mix dry food and while I know that Friskies is not a part of menu foods or the recall, it does contain wheat gluten. If something happened to my cats, I think I would just die. They are like my children. The only thing I have noticed is they are drinking a lot of water. It may be my imagination, but I don't know. I don't know what to feed them, or what is safe. I'm afraid that eventually Friskies will be recalled and I want to switch to something else that is organic, but I don't know what. Any suggestions? We don't have a PetCo close by so I don't really know what to get to feed them. I just don't think I could live with myself if I keep giving them Friskies and it kills them.
also I would like to know of a brand of food that is all natural and is not made by menu and has no affiliation with them at all.
I have been doing some research and I swear if I had known what goes into those low quality cat foods like Friskies, 9 Lives, and Whiskas ect. I wouldn't of ever fed them to my cats. I was going to by some Dr. Foster & Smith, but I found out they are affiliated with Menu Foods and I don't want anything that has been made by that company.
to download 100 cat recipe book go to
http://www.filefactory.com/file/d0fec3/
and click on download for free with file factory basic
Hi, Renee, (276), (292) I too am so sorry to hear about your Skully. I missed your post 276 because I think we were posting at about the same time. Your experience sounds much like what happened with two of my kitties and it was devastating. One was several years ago-but it still hurts- and we were also just at the Bridge on March 11.
Sophie(288), I hope you continue here. I'm interested in learning!
Elaine(290) and Brooke (293)-yesterday I bought some different brands and am starting to transition. They are, and I hope these appear as links: http://www.petpromiseinc.com/, http://www.naturapet.com/, http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/.
Diane F.- Thank you so much for your condolences for my Skully, I offer my sympathy for your loss as well. It's truly heartbreaking, and even more so when it's such an untimely death. And ultimately could have been caused by something as simple as 'feeding' our babies. The whole thing is just so surreal to me, sometimes it's hard to wrap my mind around all that has taken place.
I have heard good things about the three brands you mentioned, especially the Natural Balance. I have friends that swear by it. I had originally planned to go with the Natural Balance but the pet shop I go to didn't cary it so I opted for the Triumph for now. Luckily so far my cats seem to be enjoying it for the most part, which says quite a bit. I have one of the pickiest eaters I have ever seen in a cat. If he doesn't like a food not only will he try to bury it, but he will stick his paw in it, pull out chunks of it and fling his paw around, causing food to fly everywhere. He is really something else, but I couldn't love him more if I tried. *smiles*
286. Fauzia – This was part of what I tried to link you to. Sorry it didn't work. They have lots of info on their site in their 'Issues:Info' pages. I am not an Eden Customer, but I would be if I grew to like soy milk products, etc. More in a second post on GM Foods.
Why Eden Foods chooses not to use the USDA seal 19 June, 2006
Though all EDEN organic food is grown, handled, processed, and certified in a way that meets and exceeds the requirements for using the 'USDA Organic' seal, Eden Foods chooses not to use this seal on its product labels or marketing materials. Many reasonably ask how Eden came to this decision. The short answer is, this seal does not approach Eden's high standards for organic, in practice or in spirit. Years before the implementation of the National Organic Program (USDA's NOP) in October of 2002, Eden got word in 1992 that a national standard for organic was underway. In theory it seemed like a good idea, but early on we had serious concerns. Petitioning the NOP several times in the rule drafting process, Eden asked that the new national organic standards be a strong minimum standard, allowing growers and companies to certify to a higher standard. The answer was an adamant No: the USDA intended to set one minimum organic standard, it would not allow higher standards to be certified, and total control would lie with USDA. In the first draft released to the public, the USDA announced its intention to allow food grown in city and industrial sewage sludge, genetically engineered food, and irradiated food to be certified organic. This became infamously known as the 'Big Three.' As deafening public outcry caused the USDA to 'cave,' Eden issued a press release that the struggle to save organic standards was still very much alive. We recognized the 'Big Three' as a common negotiating tactic: Make an offer that is so ridiculously unacceptable that all future offers would seem good by comparison.Our concerns have been realized. Under USDA it has become cheaper and easier for manufacturers to market 'organic' food that is not organic by any reasonable definition. The most serious degradation of national organic standards occurred in October 2005. In a back room deal the Organic Trade Association lobbied Congress to legalize the adulteration of organic food with basically any toxic additive a manufacturer may want to use, including substances that do not need to appear on ingredient panels. More than 400,000 consumers contacted their government representatives asking them not to weaken organic standards in such a way, but agribusiness influences prevailed. As a result, food bearing the 'USDA Organic' seal no longer needs to be natural food. As a company that has worked for decades alongside salt-of-the-earth organic family farmers to grow and make food by the highest possible organic standards, we cannot in good conscience add a symbol to this food that essentially cheapens it. We can however promise that we will continue to make the best, authentically organic food, grown on family farms we know and trust, handled and processed in a way that does not compromise its integrity.
There is something wrong with this site. It is not posting my comments.
This is the 3rd try!Wow! Sophie, Thanks for the info. What do they mean by 'In a back room deal the Organic Trade Association lobbied Congress to legalize the adulteration of organic food with basically any toxic additive a manufacturer may want to use, including substances that do not need to appear on ingredient panels'
What kid of toxic additive?Where can I find out more? What are my options? Is it useless to look for safer foods?
Also in 'toronto star' Newspaper, they had said that it is not a good idea to give your cat/dog raw foods as this may be harmful for the owners as well. this is because raw meat may have some bacteria. It is safest for all if the meat is cooked. Also, home made meals may not be balanced for your pet or you may unkowningly give them something they should not be eating. I don't remember the date of the paper. Check the sat/sunday papers for the past 4 weeks if interested.
I too have posted two comments that have not appeared. One was an email response I got from Del Monte and another was my reply to them.
RE: 300. Fauzia - What do they mean by 'In a back room deal'... It means that the Organic Trade Association managed to 'buy' a piece of legislation that would benefit corporations, while reducing the standards of organics. The Organic Trade Association is purely a business org - period. As far as what specifically was allowed, Eden foods would know. You could email them and learn more. Basically, I wanted to just stress this: USDA Organic Certified means next to nothing, if true 'organic' is what you want. They only put this label on so that they can get the higher price of an 'organic'. It is true - I am sorry. HOWEVER.... this does not mean there are not other options. There are! You just need to go beyond what is being shoved in our faces. Buy local - from a local organic farmer. They are out there. You just need to seek them out. Try WWW.LOCALHARVEST.ORG and search for what you want in your area. Be well.
RE: 300. Fauzia - What do they mean by 'In a back room deal’ – Basically it means that the Organic Trade Association bought themselves a piece of legislation so that they could allow more products to be sold at a higher price under the USDA Certified Organic label. As far as what specifically was compromised – Eden would be happy to share, I would imagine. Why not write them? I mostly wanted to stress that the label USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC has been deceptively compromised and does not represent true ‘organic’. HOWEVER --- does this mean that there are no options?? ... no! We just need to stay away from the ones that are being shoved into our faces by big business and (unfortunately) our government. It is true, I am sorry. There are many sources that are safe; some right in your neighborhood, most likely. The best sources, are LOCAL. There are small farmers all around you that have held out, and are surviving without selling out to big business. We need to find them and support them. They are by far, safer with more pure foods than you could ever find through the corporate market. One place to look is www.LOCALHARVEST.ORGThere you can find just about any sort of organics you could want – with a locale search tool included. I will keep posting this until it works. I too, am having trouble with posting. Be well.
RE: 300. Fauzia - What do they mean by 'In a back room deal’ – Basically it means that the Organic Trade Association bought themselves a piece of legislation so that they could allow more products to be sold at a higher price under the USDA Certified Organic label. As far as what specifically was compromised – Eden would be happy to share, I would imagine. Why not write them? I mostly wanted to stress that the label USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC has been deceptively compromised and does not represent true ‘organic’. HOWEVER --- does this mean that there are no options?? ... no! We just need to stay away from the ones that are being shoved into our faces by big business and (unfortunately) our government. It is true, I am sorry. There are many sources that are safe; some right in your neighborhood, most likely. The best sources, are LOCAL. There are small farmers all around you that have held out, and are surviving without selling out to big business. We need to find them and support them. They are by far, safer with more pure foods than you could ever find through the corporate market. One place to look is www.LOCALHARVEST.ORGThere you can find just about any sort of organics you could want – with a locale search tool included. I will keep posting this until it works. I too, am having trouble with posting. Be well.
297. Diane F. – I will share what I know, and I can only hope that those who read this site, share what they read with others. This brings to mind two stories that relate to our need to share and educate others; one is on the Eden website I referred to in another post. (By the way, it is sheer coincidence that Eden has become a source of info that I use. But then again, I don’t mind pointing out to others a company that actually shares a sense of responsibility for our earth and its inhabitants.) It’s a hope-rendering story entitled The Hundredth Monkey. The link is:http://www.edenfoods.com/issues_important_hundredt The other story is an American Indian story entitled, The Gourd of Ashes. It's important as you read this, to keep focused on the 'share' aspect.A link to it is: http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=38 If the link does not work, let me know and I can post it. It too, exemplifies the critical need for us to share and tell and share again and again and again. Be well and may you find comfort in your loss of your kitty friend. ……………………
RE: GM FoodsGM stands for 'genetically modified'. Another term that has a similar meaning is GE, meaning 'genetically engineered'. Basically, our food system (for both our pets AND us) has since WWII, been increasingly taken over by big corporations - to the point where we have no intimate knowledge whatsoever of what we are eating. This is in itself, bad enough. But the sad truth is – corporations have evolved to the point of having such immense wealth and power, that they are not very reactive to the emotions of the little people. In fact, in many ways - corporations have been granted the same rights, as individuals. The following is something that everyone must realize, if we are ever to hope to stop this new kind of ‘commercial tyranny’, before we become indifferent to it. Corporations have neither conscience nor sense of responsibility,other than to their investors…- whose sole interest in holding shares, is to make a profit - Their exclusive obligations are the fudiciary obligations to 1) make a profit – and – 2) to expand or grow. That’s it. And they have the government’s support all the way. Now please, I’m not saying that ALL businesses and companies are bad. But when they grow to the grotesque size that many now are, and when they are publicly funded through shares – then who becomes the moral decision-maker? -- certainly not the shareholders. The CEO is overseen by the BOARD for making certain that profits are there – and the BOARD is responsible for the same, to the shareholders. They simply MUST be profitable, or risk corporate takeover by competitors. U.S. farmers (for mass production) are mostly becoming corporate farms – who are told what to grow, when to grow it and how to grow it. It has become ‘assembly-line’ farming, with less and less for the farmer to have to worry about with each season. They are given genetically modified seed that has rendered crops able to withstand drought, disease, pests – and even the herbicide, Roundup (called Roundup-Ready seeds), eliminating the farmer’s need to ‘weed’ by hand, his fields. Instead, they can just spray for weeds with Roundup. Some farmers have protested, and refused to bend to this pressure – and lost their farms. But others have been convinced by Big Agribusiness that this is the way to go, with a lot less work. But not only are they being told what to grow, etc. They are also being told that they cannot save any heirloom (self-seeding) or non-hybrid seeds --- but only the GM seeds. Meanwhile, many seed companies are being bought up by these same companies. … starting to see a pattern here? Needless to say, GM crops are BIG, BIG business … (unfortunately). Actually, it was my understanding that there were only four (4) nations that allowed the growing of genetically-engineered crops, which include: United States Canada Argentina and BoliviaI had thought that every other nation in the world had outlawed growing them, even China. But perhaps something has changed. I do know however, that the U.S. is heavily involved in GM crops, thanks to corporate greed. It was also my understanding that GM wheat was banned by every nation in the world, with the U.S. being the last one to officially ban it (?). The reason was that it was just too dangerous to grow, risking contamination to other non-hybrid crops. Anyway, some have been convinced that GM crops are the solution to a starving planet – but this has been proven wrong by scientists from 3rd world countries. I have links to their report if anyone would like it. Some have been convinced that gm crops need less pesticides / herbicides – wrong again, and in fact – often wind up needing more toxic materials in the end, to correct the unexpected mishaps caused by the gm technology. In fact - study, after study, after study have found that the risks FAR outweigh the benefits to growing gm crops. And the single biggest risk?... well, according to GREENPEACE – “…these crops are usually grown in open fields. If these altered crops escaped into the environment, 1) they could never be recalled, and 2) they could enter the food chain.” A second concern they have is: “…none of these companies to date, have a commercial permit for the cultivation of these crops. In some cases, the companies will sell the chemical in commercial channels, while hiding their actions behind a ‘research’ permit provided by the USDA. With this type of permit, the chemicals and field locations can be kept secret.” And last but not least, “…there have been woefully inadequate peer-reviewed scientific studies available on the overall long and short-term effects of growing and eating GE foods. But we Americans DO have first hand experience in watching as companies fail to segregate GE from non-GE crops, even when in a crisis and mandated to do so. The reality is that there are endless ways for non-GE crops to be contaminated with GE crops. The bottom line is this - the use of any food crop for pharmaceutical production should be stopped in open fields.”
Next: a tiny look at animal husbandry (and sorry, in advance) with some quotes/notes from Jane Goodall. Many are from her book, Harvest for Hope - an eye-opening revelation to our mass-produced food regimes. This all relates to this horrific pet food recall. Be well, and buy locally.
……………………This is the email I got from Del Monte:"April 7, 2007 Dear Elaine, Thanks for visiting our Del Monte website and for your email.Wheat gluten is an ingredient sold on the global market. Only a fraction of our supply comes from China. While the vast majority of our grain products and ingredients overall are sourced from the United States, wheat gluten that meets our specifications is not available in sufficient quantities in the United States. We want to assure you that we are no longer using wheat gluten from that facility in China and no other Del Monte Pet Products, other than those that were recalled, have ever used wheat gluten from that facility.I can understand why you would have concerns given the current issue, but the pet food industry is actually highly regulated- in some cases more so than the human food industry. We want to assure you that our products are made with nutritious, quality ingredients that meet that applicable standards and specifications of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Each of our products is processed and packed following strict quality control procedures that comply with the Good Manufacturing Practices established by the FDA.Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to respond. As part of the pet community, we value the health and well-being of pets, and we will continue to take any and all actions necessary to ensure the quality and safety of our products.Shawn, Del Monte Foods Consumer Affairsconsumeraffairs@delmonte.comDel Monte. Nourishing families. Enriching lives. Every Day.Now my response:" Dear Del Monte:Thank you for your response to my email (see reference # above).While I appreciate your response, at this point we no longer have faith in the FDA or the pet food manufacturers whom, as a whole, traded our pet lives for economic gain. We are tired of the constant recalls, the uncertainty that prevails and the practice of only coming forward when exposure is eminent. We, the pet owners, want to know exactly what is in our pet foods, we want to know that when we buy a product from a company like Del Monte, we are getting something made by Del Monte and not some Canadian company we know nothing about, using ingredients from countries such as China that think of pets as food for themselves and not beloved family members. This crisis has shown me that I should not trust just because it says FDA approved. That I should read not only the lines but what is between them. What is said as well as what isn't. This issue has gone too far to sweep under the rug now. It's time for changes. I find it hard to believe and disturbing when you tell me that pet food is in some cases even more regulated than human food. If that is the case, then we are in deep trouble because someone dropped the ball with our pets and if what you say is true, we humans are doomed. Thank you for at least letting us know that while you no longer use ingredients from the "presumed tainted facility", you continue to buy from foreign countries. I will share your response with my online groups.Sincerely,Elaine Menendez
Elaine Great work! Thanks for all the effort.
Thanks Sohphie for the valuable information. Again, the link didn't work for me. I am not sure if it is my compuer.
Elaine, From what Sophie is pointing out, it doesn't matter that the food is not bought from china. It is the quality control in North America that is out-of-hand. Even if the ingrediants are picked up from U.S. itself there is no guarantee that it is not going to have 'toxic additives' Unless there is a better process in place to make it essential that a more detailed check is done to provide safe foods to the consumers.
You are absolutely right, we can't trust something just because it is FDA approved. Actually we already know that because so many times medications are approved because they cave in to big pharma, and then have to be recalled because people are dying or it has cause birth defects when given to pregnant mothers. Some think that is why there is still no cure for cancer. Because there is more money for the drug companies to have a life long ailment control than a CURE. There is a lot going on that we don't see.
I have been feeding my cat Purina Whisker Lickins Tuna Flavor treats, Meow Mix Dry Food, Purina One chicken flavor dry food, and also Fancy Feast. Are these foods okay to feed my cats? One of my cats has been throwing up her dry food everyday and is starting to look very skinny and feel lethargic. Can anyone please help me? Thanks!
Claire – I would definitely stop feeding the Meow Mix, primarily because (I believe) it contains wheat gluten. As for the Fancy Feast (see #272) it may or may not contain wheat gluten. Check the labels. I’m not sure on the Purina One or the Tuna Treats. My understanding is that even under normal circumstances - wheat gluten is hard on feline kidneys, especially – and the more exposure that they have to it, the more the damage accumulates. We stick with Natural Balance cans and Natural Variety dry for our kittys. Good luck - and good thoughts.
Claire - See comment 280 for a website that tells you which Fancy Feast cans do not have wheat gluten.
Claire - See comment 280 for a website that tells you which Fancy Feast cans do not have wheat gluten.
Claire - See comment 280 for a website that tells you which Fancy Feast cans do not have wheat gluten.
Clair - please see comment 280 to find which fancy feast cans have wheat gluten.
THIS IS HOW I FEEL, IF YOU LOVE YOUR CATS DO NOT FEED THEM ANYTHING WITH WHEAT GLUTEN IN IT AND DO NOT FEED THEM ANYTHING THAT IS MADE BY MENU FOODS. My cats were on Friskies for years and now they seem sick and just not themselves. We switched to Natural Balance which is not made by Menu and doesn't contain wheat gluten and in just 1 day I can tell a difference. They are acting like kittens again!
Just because a product hasn't been recalled yet, doesn't mean it isn't going to be. Friskies, 9 Lives, Fancy Feast, IAMS, Science Diet, Whiskas, Meow Mix, Pounce, Special Kitty are all bad for cats. They are low grade foods. Also, I have seen thread after thread of these that haven't been recalled yet, killing cats.
Thanks for the info. posted here.
For those interested in Triumph cat food, go to evolvepet.com where you can search for a store by zip code. Also the Evolve dry cat food is one of the best. It does not contain any by-products or corn fillers. It's very similar to Wellness, but at half the price.
Thanks for the info. posted here.
For those interested in Triumph cat food, go to evolvepet.com where you can search for a store by zip code. Also the Evolve dry cat food is one of the best. It does not contain any by-products or corn fillers. It's very similar to Wellness, but at half the price.
Triumph and Evolve canned cat food are made by Menu, but they do not contain wheat gluten. Felidae and Natural Balance canned are not made by Menu. I wish my cat liked them!
Is original Science diet and indoor science diet in the dry food ok for cats?
Also the whiskas brand purrfectly fish in the pouch?
I just bought a bag of Beneful for my dogs, but am alittle leary of feeding it to them as so many more pet food recalls are coming about, what can you trust?
I am in rescue. I have 6 cats now (and for good) but since last year I have had more that were eventually adopted. Unfortunately, I fed what I could and what was donated. Consistently however I fed friskies wet food. I am bringing a few of my cats to the vet today. Not rushing them there but obviously I am concerned. This is the thing. Last october or so I took in the first mama cat I have ever experienced in my whole life (the spay neuter thing is a family tradition). She died brutally while nursing her kittens in my bathroom. Prior she had been at another ladies who fed her mama food which I did also. we did not know the problem and never have to date. The babies got wet, the poor mama had been shuffled around in the worse case imaginnable. I did not know what I was doing and I kept blaming myself, something I cleaned with - the residue. I fed her the wet friskies the day she died. We did not know she was sick, so out of our element my boyfriend and I were. I could not look at her but my boyfriend said there was green and yellow. I don't know what that means. I asked a vet at the time and they said it could be all sorts of things and so I just buried her in my back yard. Someone with more experience took the babies and they all died slowly. Please don't judge me on this, I did not ask for it. They were dropped off at my house when no one could take them in rescue and they failed to tell me anything. I called for help. I did all I could. Anyhow, the point. This is just one of my concerns. The other is that it is almost to the point where 80% of the 40 cats I have rescued have/had stomatitis. Vets sometimes don't even know what this is I have found. It is Not gingivitis. It is in the back of their mouth more, front too. Eventually their gums turn bright red, they are in major pain and have to be put down as it will kill them or teeth removed and lots of various drugs. I did not know at first anything about it and nobody I went to for spay/neuter, etc. said anything. As I became aware of it looking inside their mouthes is just awful. I am in debt because I could never put my babies down. My little Cecil (looks abysinnian partly) just had all his teeth removed. He is doing good though. My friends in town in rescue also have an abnormal amount of cats with stomatiits also. We are told it is not normal and especially in one year old and two year old cats without leukemia, aids, or anything else. I don't know if their mouthes were bad before eatting friskies because I did not know them but I know they have all gotten consistently worse. One of the first signs is only wanting wet food or gravy but some of my cats still eat dry so you can't tell either way. Stomatitis does not start out as bad as it gets, obviously. Please everyone familiarize yourself with your cats mouthes. And if anyone who feeds friskies sees a problem please let me know. Stomatitis is listed on a site I trust (A canadian vet ass) as one of the signs of this renal failure or whatever it is. I don't trust any company literally so I hope I am not going to far out on a limb but I really think there is something going on here with my cats and my rescued cats that demands I pay attention. It's not normal and the only thing I can link up right now is the wet friskies. I am feeding wellness but they won't eat the wet food and they are barely eatting at all. I'm going to go get some more baby food again right now. I want to make food but I am so overwhelmed by how to do it correctly.
319. Comment by Dee
I noticed you said you bought Beneful dog food. I saw some things mentioned about Beneful. You can read it here:
doggybling.comDOGGYBLING.COM ISSUES BENEFUL ALERT 04/09/07 From doggybling.com: "Purina has until Good Friday to recall Beneful and issue an apology to all of the people who have had to deal with the sickness or death of their dogs ... Nestle/Purina was made aware of the problem with the food by DoggyBling.com staff in January. (We are positive they knew of the problem before we initially notified them)"I have two cats, one is almost 10 years old, and the other is 6. We feed them Whiskas cat food, and im really worried abotu whether they could get sick from it. please let me know, you can e-mail me at livinonthedge7@hotmail.com or else just reply on here. Our 6-year-old cat has been acting really strange lately, in the past week he threw up twice, and whenever someone goes to pick him up he meows and screams (which usually doesnt happen). Please let me know, this topic truly concerns me!
There is an expanded recall by menu food. Please check news reports Unfortunatley, this shows, they do not know what they are doing.
Seems like everyone is asking questions, and some people are answering them based on information on the "list". By now we know that list might be missing some products. It would be nice to know where the "safe" foods are being processed out of. Alot of people are getting no where with phone calls. Can someone of some authority please put out a list of the more popular brands they sell in supermarkets, like friskies wet, dry cat food, Beneful, Pedigree, 9 Lives, etc. Someone just give us a list of the products that aren't produced by menu foods at all. Someone please just give us a list! This is a nightmare, and no one is taking the time to really advise us on what is absolutely safe and not produced out of that plant. I don't care if these people make a penny this year, I don't care if they all lose there jobs...I don't want any of my pets to die because of lack of information...Someone please get a healthy list out, that meaning no foods processed at that plant. hurry please ....this is really rediculous
Seems like everyone is asking questions, and some people are answering them based on information on the "list". By now we know that list might be missing some products. It would be nice to know where the "safe" foods are being processed out of. Alot of people are getting no where with phone calls. Can someone of some authority please put out a list of the more popular brands they sell in supermarkets, like friskies wet, dry cat food, Beneful, Pedigree, 9 Lives, etc. Someone just give us a list of the products that aren't produced by menu foods at all. Someone please just give us a list! This is a nightmare, and no one is taking the time to really advise us on what is absolutely safe and not produced out of that plant. I don't care if these people make a penny this year, I don't care if they all lose there jobs...I don't want any of my pets to die because of lack of information...Someone please get a healthy list out, that meaning no foods processed at that plant. hurry please ....this is really rediculous
Seems like everyone is asking questions, and some people are answering them based on information on the "list". By now we know that list might be missing some products. It would be nice to know where the "safe" foods are being processed out of. Alot of people are getting no where with phone calls. Can someone of some authority please put out a list of the more popular brands they sell in supermarkets, like friskies wet, dry cat food, Beneful, Pedigree, 9 Lives, etc. Someone just give us a list of the products that aren't produced by menu foods at all. Someone please just give us a list! This is a nightmare, and no one is taking the time to really advise us on what is absolutely safe and not produced out of that plant. I don't care if these people make a penny this year, I don't care if they all lose there jobs...I don't want any of my pets to die because of lack of information...Someone please get a healthy list out, that meaning no foods processed at that plant. hurry please ....this is really rediculous
Seems like everyone is asking questions, and some people are answering them based on information on the "list". By now we know that list might be missing some products. It would be nice to know where the "safe" foods are being processed out of. Alot of people are getting no where with phone calls. Can someone of some authority please put out a list of the more popular brands they sell in supermarkets, like friskies wet, dry cat food, Beneful, Pedigree, 9 Lives, etc. Someone just give us a list of the products that aren't produced by menu foods at all. Someone please just give us a list! This is a nightmare, and no one is taking the time to really advise us on what is absolutely safe and not produced out of that plant. I don't care if these people make a penny this year, I don't care if they all lose there jobs...I don't want any of my pets to die because of lack of information...Someone please get a healthy list out, that meaning no foods processed at that plant. hurry please ....this is really rediculous
SUSAN; WHERE'S THE SAFE CAT FOOD LIST? Having a hard time getting my cats to eat my cooking, including frest cooked salmon,chicken,lean turkey. I tried ti fix it so many ways, I'm at my wits ends. HELPPPPPPPPP
It was just on the news that the CEO of Menu Foods sold half his shares in the company three weeks before the recall was announced.
havent stopped by in a few days, becuz i am just doing what i'vebeen doing and it seems to be ok. BUT i now have a concern maybe someone has some insight. i emailed the FDA but in the mean time i'll throw it out to you all. .... after reading additional rports re the melamine issue, i am feeling sick to my stomach becuz i feed my kittie on melamine plates. i realize these are dinnerwear, but pets lick their plates and most people don't. my kittie was diagnosised with kidney issues maybe a yr after i started using them. im wondering now if over time the licking exposure to those plates isn't toxic. considering they are plates, it may be far fetched, but i wold have never thought this whole event would have been possible. any thoughts, thankx in advance.
My cats eat Fancy Feast and our dogs eat the Science Diet none of which have gravey. Are these foods on the contaminated list? I
I am sure and I hope you all know by now but the some Trader Joe's canned and Newman's Own Organic canned are pulled out. Newman's made by Menu for sure. There are some reports on pets getting sick (but not fallen ill completely) from Fancy Feast gravy types and fish kind, Whiskas dry (which has been recalled along with Pedigree dry in Asia), Friskies Chef's Blend 18lb, and Meow Mix cups (spoiled food). My cats threw up eating Sheba Select (no wheat gluten but made in Thailand). None of these are on the recall list in the US but who knows what's in them! I am pretty much out of choices as far as what to feed to my cats!
yea the new sheba (round containers) is made in thailand. my cat wouldnt touch it before the recall and after i have it inthe return bag since its made there. .... are you refering to FF fish even without the wheat gluten? so far i've had luck with the regular loaf types. .... sucks about newmans, my cat wont eeat the stuff, but i looked at the label the other day and didnt see wheat gluten or anything else suspicious. im still going with friskies, FF and natural balance, no flavors with wheat gluten....he eats the dry FF as well and doesnt seem to be a problem.
The FF fish with ASPIC and tuna with gravy. My cats were eating Grilled in Gravy FF's and had no problems before and after the recall, but I stopped feeding them just because I wasn't sure about the wheat gluten in them. Looks like of all the canned food, FF no matter what seems like the safest so far. Rather interesting result. Newman's own original kind doesn't have wheat gluten but my cats don't seem to like it that much although they don't seem to get sick from it either. I wonder if the Newman's Organic cans are the only ones Menu manufactures for Newman's. It's good to know your cat is okay eating the dry FF. I will switch to that brand for my cats also. Thanks for the info!
Hi. I just stumbled on your blog and found it very interesting. I wanted to let you know that I found a website that is giving away free samples of a pet food that is made by Life's Abundance. It's derived from organically fed animals and has no wheat or wheat by-products. The site is <a href="http://www.precious-pets-paradise.com">http://www.precious-pets-paradise.com</a> and you can get it from there.My dog loves it and I feel much safer giving my pet something that is so natural and is not on the recall list! Thought you might want to know!
Thanks for the info, Bob! I'm sure every pet owner is searching for safe foods at this point! This is a great info! I have been feeding "Figaro" cans to my cats for the last two days and my cats seem to be fine so far. You can get Figaro cans from pretty much any stores for those of you who can't wait for the samples to be shipped to you. I never thought "blogs" will help non-bloggers this much. Thank GOD for the internet for once!!
Hello, God bless our furry kids. and my prayers are with the familys of lost loved ones. I did feed my little girl (Princess) about 6 different foods with the evil bad codes on them, rushed her to vet right after the recall, she is fine. Thank God! I'm now trying (which I did when she was a kitten, 1yr ago) Blue Spa and Sheba. She doesn't really care for them, but either doesn't have any wheat products. She was eating Fancy Feast and I stopped that when I relized there was wheat product in it. I also am trying to mix babyfood with it. Does anyone know when it will be safe again. This is so unreal and tragic for all. God Bless
It seems like every cat food I want to use somebody is having a problem with it. I was using Fancy Feast and it was fine but now I just get the ones without wheat gluten. I finished my Science Diet and my male cat likes that and I have a bag of Iams I'm afraid to use because some people on the net are saying it was bad. It doesn't have wheat gluten listed on it. I got Natural Balance but he doesn't seem to be crazy about it, the Venison and green pea. I got those Sheba fish ones and he ate it so fast he threw it up but wasn't sick.
I have a cat who is about 6 years, he has had Friskes, but has recently been eating Alley Cat dry food. He is not a fan of the wet food. Is the dry Alley cat food ok to eat? He has vomited but not drinking a lot of water and not peeing, so I don't think its serious but would like an answer. If it is not safe then I dont want him to eat it.. please, any info?
Maybe I am hallucinating- I hope so- but I just caught on one of the CNN's that NATURAL BALANCE is recalling two of its dog foods and two of its cat's foods!
I've been posting here awhile, and back on (297) mentioned that on the advice of a natural health foods owner I was trying three brands of new (to me) foods and that Natural Balance is among them.
I saw at the top of this site that dog foods were mentioned but not cat foods. I think one of the cat foods recalled IS ALSO venison and greenpea, dry formula and I did not catch which canned formula.
Just want to get this out to you as soon as possible, as I remember mentioning Renee, Brooke and Elaine and wonder if you and others have been feeding NB with confidence as I have.
Or maybe I am just waking up and did imagine all this!
Here is the link from NB, http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/.
CNN has verified the recall of NB venison and green pea dry for cats. I have a bag here, read the label and there is NO wheat gluten, in fact, no grain, gluten of corn, wheat or rice at all.
I cannot confirm which canned cat food is recalled- according to the NB site none are listed. The one I have on hand is "indoor cat formula". It contains brown rice flour but no gluten.
#341(Diane F.)
Thank you so much for your concern. I have actually still been feeding my cats the Triumph brand. Diabne- have your cats been ok, any symptoms of trouble? God, I hope they are ok, please make sure to get them to the vet for bloodwork just to be safe. On the Itchmo site, it says that Natural Balance is recommending avoiding all rice protein in their products and also people have posted that the Natural Balance website has changed it's list of ingredients recently, so I don't know what the hell is going on anymore. I was originally supposed to try Natural Balance because my friends recommended it so highly but since my pet shop didn't have it I went with the Triumph until I could decide what to do, which brand to go with etc. I am disgusted and beyond shocked to learn about the melamine in Natural Balance! So the list of recalled items continues to grow as does the ingredients that are contaminated. When a 'natural' brand like Natural Balance now has contaminated ingredients I know we are in serious trouble and unfortunately things will probably get a lot worse before they get better. Well it looks as though I will probably be sticking with Triumph for now. I have been keeping all the labels from the cat food cans and writing the codes/dates that appear on the bottom on the can, just in case. At this rate, there is no telling which brand will be on the recall list next. Since the contaminated 'ingredient' list is growing, then obviously the brand list will have to increase as well. Who knows which 'grain' will be added to the list next. I hope all of you and your furbabies out there are doing ok through all of this. This is all so horrible, I can't even believe it's all happening. I cry constanty just thinking of everyone out there suffering right now with a sick animal, I know all too well the pain involved. I recommend everyone check out the Itchmo site for udpates as well as other people posting their stories, it might help you get more information:http://www.itchmo.com/read/natural-balance-recall-
I have been literally glued to my computer, I have like 8 different sites open, different threads and I keep checking them for additional information and updates every few minutes.
*hugs to all of you*Diane F- I hope you write again soon, I'm anxious to hear how your cats are doing
Renee
ReneeSo far, so good, Fancy feast, without wheat gluetin, seems OK. I just do not know what to think......
Menu foods was adding Natural Life to the recall list today as well. Science Diet, Iam, and Natural Balance are all recalled for some products. I will stay away from those, in fact, I'll stay away from anything made by Menu or others who imported ingredients from China (wheat gluten via ChemNutra or rice gluten via Wilbur-Ellis)!! Menu Foods updated (expanded) their recall list again today so check their website daily and make sure to be on the Ichmo Pet Safety Alerts Email list! I haven't heard any issues with Alley Cat but if your cats don't eat it, throw it away to be safe!
I posted a message on this site to respond to Diane F. last night but unfornately it never showed up, I'm not sure what's up with this site.
#341-Diane F.- Thank you soo very much for your concern about my cats, it means a lot to me. I actually never ended up switching them to the Natural Balance because I wasn't able to get it so I had stuck with Triumph.
I am disgusted and shocked at this point to learn about Natural Balance.The list of recalled items continues to grow, along with the ingredients that are contaminated. When a 'natural' brand like Natural Balance now has contaminated ingredients I know we are in very serious trouble and unfortunately things will probably get a lot worse before they get better. I had originally planned to switch my cats to Natural Balance because of it's good reputation, holistic, 'natural' approach to pet food but instead went with Triumph only because my pet store didn't have NB at the time. Well it looks as though I will probably be sticking with Triumph for now. I have been keeping all the labels of the cat food cans and writing the codes/dates that appear on the bottom of the can, just in case. At this rate, there is no telling which brand will be on the recall list next. Since the contaminated 'ingredient' list is growing, then obviously the brand list will increase as well. Who knows which 'grain' will be added next. I hope all of you and your furbabies out there are doing ok through all of this. I honestly cannot believe what things have come down to at this point, 'scary' doesn't even begin to express my emotions at this point. I cry just thinking of all the people with animals out there suffering, it's breaking my heart, since I lost my Skully cat in the end of July(pretty sure due to his food), so I know the pain involved in having and losing a sick animal.
Diane F.- are your cats ok? Are they showing any symptoms. I hope you can get them to a vet to get some bloodwork done just to be on the safe side. I hope you write soon and let me know, I'm worried about your babies.
Renee
Does anyone know if the Natural Balance Ultra Premium dry cat food is safe? I switched to it about a month ago and my cat really loves it. He has been a lot more active and his coat looks great. All this mess is making me lose my mind! I am tired of worrying from one day to the next if what I'm feeding is lethal or not. Goodness Any info would be appreciated. Thanks :)
The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
Natural Balance said it was recalling all its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, its Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and its Venison and Green Pea dry cat food as recent laboratory tests showed the products contain melamine.
I have been feeding Drs. Foster and Smith dry dog and cat food to my pets since February, not only are they healthy and happy but they are actually looking better. Their fur is thicker and shiny and my Border Collie's fur is incredible now.
OTHER PET FOODS CONTAINING RICE PROTEIN CONCENTRATE 04/18/07 Recent reports of Wilbur-Ellis selling melamine-laced rice protein concentrate to five different pet food companies has sent pet parents into a downward spiral of mistrust for the pet food industry and the authorities who regulate it. Both the FDA and Wilbur-Ellis, the U.S. distributor of the poisonous substance, have refused to identify all of the pet food companies who purchased the rice protein concentrate. As of this writing, we only know that Diamond, the makers of Natural Balance's venison-based forumulas, was one of the five companies. Until the FDA or Wilbur-Ellis fully disclose all five pet food companies, it is wise to assume that ANY pet food product containing rice protein concentrate is potentially poisonous. If any of our readers has knowledge of a pet food other than Natural Balance Venison formulas which contains rice protein concentrate, please send us an email and we will post it on our website, with the appropriate alert and disclaimer. Thus far, we have received a report of one other brand containing rice protein concentrate. This brand is not under recall; however, as we do not know the supplier or country of origin of the rice protein concentrate, pet parents would be well advised to avoid use of this product: Blue Buffalo Spa Select Hairball Control Dry Cat Food : Ingredients (partial): Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Rice Protein Concentrate ...
Ok, here's the "skinny" on pet foods. Corn, Wheat, Soy, other grains (gluten of any grain) is TOXIC to our dogs and cats. They are meat eaters not chickens. Does your dog scratch endlessly but has no fleas? Maybe sit around licking his paws and legs. These are the allergic reactions to GRAINS. It makes no differnce if the grains are tainted or not. Dogs and Cats need veggies and meat!
No where is it written these grains are actually good for our small pets! Our dogs and cats die 10 full years before their time because of the junk we feed them!!
Susan Peters
Our dogs today have been bread up to our standard of living, which does not truly in the sense of any word include eating raw meat on a daily basis. Raw meat is dangerous to us and to our pets, why would they be able to fight off a disabling disease better than us? I disagree about the grains. Whole Grains are good for everybody, I have seenit and I have used it extensively.When someone categorizes all grains as bad in the complete sense for ourdogs or cats, I have to disagree. All grains are not at fault and to assume sois detrimental to the science of animals. Rice is not at fault in it's pure form,it is what is done to it by "Some" and it seems that "Some" is coming out moreand more with regard to making grains and wheat a more profitable "Additive"with regard to our pet food, so where I wonder do we the humans figure in thishypoythesis of "How to make more money?"For instance, look at Minute Rice -read the box- everyone seems to think it isan easy alternative. The fact is that a bag of real full blown rice is better for youthan anything contrived to make it easier. Real rice takes 10 minutes to cook.Minute Rice is another form of food changed by man to make humans eat it.I don't eat minute anything and that includes Minute Rice, I buy it whole.
Our dogs today have been bread up to our standard of living, which does not truly in the sense of any word include eating raw meat on a daily basis. Raw meat is dangerous to us and to our pets, why would they be able to fight off a disabling disease better than us?I disagree about the grains. Whole Grains are good for everybody, I have seenit and I have used it extensively.When someone categorizes all grains as bad in the complete sense for ourdogs or cats, I have to disagree. All grains are not at fault and to assume sois detrimental to the science of animals. Rice is not at fault in it's pure form,it is what is done to it by "Some" and it seems that "Some" is coming out moreand more with regard to making grains and wheat a more profitable "Additive"with regard to our pet food, so where I wonder do we the humans figure in thishypoythesis of "How to make more money?"For instance, look at Minute Rice -read the box- everyone seems to think it isan easy alternative. The fact is that a bag of real full blown rice is better for youthan anything contrived to make it easier. Real rice takes 10 minutes to cook.Minute Rice is another form of food changed by man to make humans eat it.I don't eat minute anything and that includes Minute Rice, I buy it whole for mywhole family uncluding my pets.
Hey everyone, Now it's rice too ! Looks like stay away from all of the grains. Found out that Wellness is grain free. Check out their website. wellnesspetfood.com You can even order it online. God bless all of our furry kids.
Our dogs today have been bread up to our standard of living, which does not truly in the sense of any word include eating raw meat on a daily basis. Raw meat is dangerous to us and to our pets, why would they be able to fight off a disabling disease better than us?
I disagree about the grains. Whole Grains are good for everybody, I have seen it and used it extensively.
When someone categorizes all grains as bad in the complete sense for our dogs or cats, I have to disagree. All grains are not at fault and to assume so is detrimental to the science of animals. Rice is not at fault in it's pure form, it is what is done to it by "Some" and it seems that "Some" is coming out more and more with regard to our pet food. So where I wonder do we humans figure in this hypotheses of "How to make money?"
For instance, look at Minute Rice -read the box- everyone seems to think it is a good and easy alternative. The fact is , that a bag of whole rice is better for you than anything contrived to make it easier. Real rice takes 10 minutes to cook. Minute Rice is another form of food changed by man to make humans eat it. I don't eat minute anything and that includes Minute Rice, I buy it whole for my whole family including my pets.
Is Natural Choice Complete care Cat food OK?????
Okay here is the deal, I switched my cats to Natural Balance Venison dry food and now it is being recalled. That was the whole point of switching them to this higher priced food, so I wouldn't have to worry, and now look. They say that the rest of the NB is okay, but should we trust them, because just last week they were saying their products WERE safe... Also, I don't want to use any product made by Menu Foods, I don't care if it is in a diff. plant than the contaminated kind. All these other natural products like Triumph, Wellness ect. may be wheat gluten free but they are MADE by Menu Foods. The only other product that I know of that isn't and is natural is Halo, but to tell you the absolute truth I do not trust any of these companies at all. I would make my own cat food, but my cats refuse to eat it. What can I do???? I want to feed them something that I KNOW FOR SURE is okay for them.
Okay here is the deal, I switched my cats to Natural Balance Venison dry food and now it is being recalled. That was the whole point of switching them to this higher priced food, so I wouldn't have to worry, and now look. They say that the rest of the NB is okay, but should we trust them, because just last week they were saying their products WERE safe... Also, I don't want to use any product made by Menu Foods, I don't care if it is in a diff. plant than the contaminated kind. All these other natural products like Triumph, Wellness ect. may be wheat gluten free but they are MADE by Menu Foods. The only other product that I know of that isn't and is natural is Halo, but to tell you the absolute truth I do not trust any of these companies at all. I would make my own cat food, but my cats refuse to eat it. What can I do???? I want to feed them something that I KNOW FOR SURE is okay for them.
From www.howl911.com -Melamine Found In Corn Gluten in South Africa-4-19-07
Go to the site for the full story
From www.howl911.com site- Melamine Found In Corn Gluten in South Africa-4-19-07
Go to the site for the full story
Hi, Renee! Thank you so much for your kind words (347). That was so nice of you.
I, too, received today from the Itchmo alert service, the news about the corn gluten. Following the NB news I switched BACK
Continuing from (361)...
I switched back to Purina One. I like their Sensitive Systems especially for my 14 year old. Then, as Renee posted, heard about corn gluten. Of course it is in that formula. For wet food I went back to Friskies and Fancy Feast, only varieties without wheat gluten. I just realized yesterday that Pet Promise is in fact, a Purina product. My three had eaten several varieties of NB wet with what I think was an increase in vomiting. At the same time though I had switched their dry to Pet Promise as well as California Naturals, until I found out they used Menu Foods that is!
It bothers me that the company (NB) first referenced kidney "distress", then it took them awhile to come out with "failure".
Neither Triumph or Evolve is available in my area.
And what is it going to be tomorrow?
#362- Diane F.- I'm glad to hear from you. I know exactly how you feel, we all have that same feeling, what next??? It just keeps getting worse and worse by the minute.
From www.itchmo.com LIST OF TOXINS GROW-PIGS FED TOXINS As if it weren't confusing enough, three more toxins have been found in the urine and kidneys of sick pets.
Researchers in at least three labs found cyanuric acid, amilorine and amiloride-all by-products of malamine- in the crystals of animals' urine, tissues and kidneys..
Finding cyanuric acid is the more significant finding, Hoff, Goldstein, and Mullaney said, although they are not yet certain how toxic it is to animals.
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention's Web site said, "When ingested (by humans) in large amounts, the substance may have effects on the kidneys, resulting in tissue lesions."
Also, pigs that ate contaminated rice protein were slaughtered and sold before the government could quarantine them. It is not clear whether the meat made it into the consumers' hands. The pigs ate salvaged pet food from Diamond Pet Foods.
Researchers also ruled out aminopterin, previously announced by NY state. No explaination is given as to how this decision was made.
New recall, Royal Canin. I am so nervous.
Hi Everyone -- I've been gone for a bit, so I have lost touch with the main topics of discussion. My guess is that it would include to a fair degree, the Natural Balance recall. That is what I feed our cats, and even though it's not the flavors they have recalled -- the label still lists as an ingredient, the brown rice flour. So what conclusion are we supposed to come to with that?? Don't they realize that we have a brain? How extremely frustrating. It keeps spreading and it feels like theres enough on the market that poses a threat - that it's pure folly to have confidence in anything at all! Even the FDA is found with egg on their face, in their comments of 'absolute assurance that human food was not tainted'... I don't know exactly whether or not the 'bad' rice (we know so little, ONLY because we are simply not being told) is a GM rice product, but countries are having a problem with GM rice all over the world. I can provide a link to a recent story shortly.
RE: 364. Comment by Renee (Sorry...this is pretty gross - but if its true, we need to know) History of Rendering: Cattle Cannibalism in the USAThe Middle Ages Butchers' fat trimmings are used in soaps and candles, the first significant use of rendered animal products. 19th Century The industrial revolution transforms agriculture and the storage of meat. Cattle production increases and with it comes a burgeoning disposal problem. Rendering--converting animal byproducts into animal feed and other commodities--becomes the solution. Early 20th Century Fat and water are drained in rendering process and the remaining protein product called tankage, is used as fertilizer. 1912 A Chicago company adds blood meal to tankage and uses it as a food ingredient for hogs. The hogs win first prize at the International Livestock Show in Chicago in 1914. WWI and II English farmers feed their cattle cheap, high-protein sources derived largely from slaughterhouse waste, while demand is high in the US for rendered glycerin, used in the manufacture of nitroglycerine explosives. After the war, with increasingly intensive farming, protein supplements offer accelerated growth of young calves that is too good to resist, and later become a common practice for feeding livestock and poultry. 1947 Chickens' growth is accelerated by feed mixed with meat and bone meal derived from fish, cattle and other chickens. 1950s Offal from the concentrated poultry industry in the Southeast is collected and processed, introducing new products including poultry byproduct meal and feather meal. The use of fat from animals in soaps disappears with the advent of petroleum-based synthetic soaps. 1960s and 1970s Rendering industry launches research and development for new end uses for their products. Fats begin to be used extensively as cattle feed, and rendered products find a market in the pet food industry. Competitive market pressures drive the livestock industry to maximize "efficiency"--cutting costs while increasing growth rates and yields. Innovations in genetics and artificial insemination create super-producing breeds of cows, pigs and chickens. Synthetic hormones and antibiotics also help maximize growth and production levels, while drugs help fend off diseases that might hinder production in growth-stressed animal populations. To increase production levels of meat and milk, cattle are moved from grazing indoors, where they are force-fed optimum levels of carefully--formulated rations--the introduction of the "feedlot." 1970s At this point, cattle are consuming rendered fats, but their proteins are from grains and soybeans--viewed as costly and wasteful. A search for alternative substances leads to such ingredients in animal feed as: sewage sludge, treated manure, agricultural wastes, retail food wastes, slaughterhouse and tannery wastes, industrial wastes such as sawdust, wood chips, twigs and even ground-up newspapers and cardboard boxes, cement dust from kilns, sludge from municipal composting plants, water from electric generating plants that used fluidized combustion of coal, and waste water from nuclear power stations, the "Four Ds"--dead, dying, disabled, and diseased animals, moisture-damaged or maggot-infested grains, foods contaminated by rodents, roaches, or bird excreta. The rendering industry admits at one point that rendered feeds carry detectable levels of salmonella and other disease organisms, but insists the amounts fed are too small to cause a problem.http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/history_of.cfm
PEOPLE, PLEASE CHECK OUT WELLNESS CAT FOOD. THE BRAND CORE , DRY , HAS NO GRAINS IN IT. ALSO THEIR WET DOESN'T EITHER, EXCEPT RICE IN THE SEAFOOD VARIETY, ALL OTHER HAS NO GRAINS. AWSOME! CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE. WWW.WELLNESSPETFOOD.COM GOD BLESS OUR FURRIE KIDS.
After losing a cat to the poison pet food, and my dog in kidney failure, I was alarmed to discover that Atta Cat, which I thought was healthy has BHA a known cancer causign chemical and liver failure inducing chemical) in it.
So I went to petco and bought the dry Castor and Pollux. Does anyone know if this is healthy?
Please contact me. Thanks
A reqest for Everybody. PLease only state what you are feeding your kitty in canned and dry and if it works ..so we can get a consensus as to what is working..
I GIVE ONLY DRY RIGHT NOW: Science Diet Light dry -seems to be working.
I have 3 cats, one of which is acting sick and has thrown up twice that I know of in the last week. We are taking him to the vet tomorrow and I am wondering should I go ahead and take the other two? We had them on Friskies and they started acting sick and throwing up. So we switched to Natural Balance and it was recalled. I have been feeding them mainly Tuna for the past few days and while I know it isn't really good for them, it is the only thing I trust right now.
I know that, we can only feed our critters, the best way we know. Stay away from wheat gluetin. Go to feline diabetis. Fancy Feast is working for me now. With out the wheat gleutin.
I just ordered some KumpiKat. I was feeding regular science diet but just don't trust it anymore. I also feed fancy feast without gravy. I was feeding the fancy feast with gravy but so far none of my cats are sick. I am also trying Innova. Has anybody heard anything about KumpiKat?
From www.howl911.com
RICE PROTEIN RECALL: DRS. FOSTER & SMITH DRY LITE FOODS 04/25/07
The last of the five pet food companies who purchased rice protein concentrate from Wilbur-Ellis finally outs themselves. The following recall announcement appeared this afternoon on the Drs. Foster & Smith website -- TEN DAYS after the first RCP-related recall was initiated by Natural Balance. As part of this precautionary recall Drs. Foster & Smith requests that customers discontinue feeding the following products purchased during the periods listed, until all FDA testing is complete: Adult Lite Dry Dog food item numbers 14180, 14262, 14263, or Adult Lite Dry Cat food item numbers 12855, 12856, 13864, 13865 purchased between January 22, 2007 and April 19th Adult Lite Dry Dog food item numbers 14178 and 14179 purchased between February 2, 2007 and April 19, 2007 Only Adult Lite Dry Dog (Item #'s 14178, 14179, 14180, 14262, 14263) and Adult Dry Lite Cat foods (Item #'s 12855, 12856, 13864, 13865) are included in this precautionary recall. The health and well being of your pet is always important to us, so as part of this precautionary recall: Drs. Foster & Smith is contacting all customers who have purchased these items during this period. These products are being reformulated to eliminate rice protein concentrate. The new formulation should be available by mid-May. Please call Customer Service at 1-800-239-7121 between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm CST or email CustomerService@DrsFosterSmith.com if you have questions. None of our other Drs. Foster & Smith foods contain the ingredients in question. FULL PRESS RELEASEThanks for the heads-up!
Susan Peters
My Dog and two cats are still doing just fine and have been eating Drs Foster and Smith dry food since February 2. I did read also this is a precautionary recall. My Chile cat who is 16 years old just stretched across the floor to me ...just like a cat!
Got to love a cat!
My Dog and two cats are still doing just fine and have been eating Drs Foster and Smith dry food since February second. I did read also this is a precautionary recall. My Chile cat who is 16 years old just stretched across the floor to me ...just like a cat!
Got to love a cat!
from www.howl911.com
This hasn't been made official yet but I wanted to make a mention of it so everyoneeveryone can be made aware of it in case it does end up being on the official recall list.
COSTCO'S "KIRKLAND" LABEL NEXT ON RECALL HIT LIST? 04/26/07
Just received this email from Therese, who runs the PetSitUSA blog and maintains ThePetFoodList. We will report more on the Kirkland canned food recall as details become available. I just got of the phone with Costco and American Nutrition. Both have confirmed that Kirkland Signature canned food has been recalled. American Nutrition just announced it and doesn't have an official statement yet but they'll contact me as soon as it's available.I just don't see an end in sight with all of this unfortunately...
http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/Attention:
Diamond Pet Foods has announced it is withdrawing a limited number of canned products manufactured by American Nutrition. This action is limited to three specific canned products: Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Kitten Formula 5.5 oz. cans, and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Puppy Formula 13 oz. cans, and Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula for Dogs 13 oz. cans. Diamond Pet Foods has not received any indication of quality or safety issues, including pet illness, with the three withdrawn products. However, because American Nutrition informed the company that these three specific products may include rice protein concentrate, Diamond Pet Foods felt this action was necessary for the protection of its customers and their pets. Customers with these products should stop feeding them immediately and return them to their retailer for a full refund. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul dry pet food and dog treats ARE NOT part of any pet food or treat recall.
Diamondpet.com confirms this recall. Diamond was part of the January 2006 pet food recall. I would have thought, pet food manufacturers would have taken interest in the safety of the food since that recall. Maybe a one day boycott of all pet foods, would make them take safety more seriously.
The safest thing to do in this recall is to look at the ingredients on the back of the bag. Any reputable company will not use rice protein to begin with. Look for whole grain rice, instead. Many of the smaller, all natural companies use smaller, privately owned manufacturers to make their foods. These manufacturers do not use compromised ingredients in thier foods. Some of the more natural foods are comparable in price to Purina and Iams. Search for natural brands, and you will be clear of problems. Some of the natural foods include:
Evangers, Merrick, Nature's Variety, Innova, Nature's Logic, Wellness, Feladae, Tiki Cat, By Nature... There are other good brands as well. Check by your local independently owned pet store to find these brands. Many of these stores will be able to find a similar diet to what you are feeding that is very similar in price to what you are feeding that will be safe. I work in the natural pet food industry, so feel free to contact me if you need any help or assistance. I will try to help in any way possible.
Brenton Weaver
my email: brentonjweaver@yahoo.com
Interesting. Chem Nurtra and Menu foods are blaming each other for the contaminated pet food. Now, do something about safety control, I say.
Why can't we see what is before us? What is wrong with us I ask? As I read,
it seems it all revolves around me and that is my main concern.
Pet food recall confounds scientific sleuths
The pet food recall, which started in mid-March, quickly spanned two continents and killed scores of pets, as scientists peered through microscopes, sifted through data and scrambled for information.
Before veterinary laboratories could pinpoint a problem, tainted pet food made its way to farms raising a total of 6,000 hogs and a feed operation, raising the specter of contaminated meat reaching American dinner tables.
And still scientists are stumped: What exactly has been killing pets?
"This is something quite new," said Grant Maxie, a clinical pathologist and director of the Animal Health Laboratory at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. "We haven't seen this before, and we may never see it again."
Initially, the New York State Food Laboratory detected a rat poison, aminopterin, in cat food samples from Menu Foods, the company that launched the recall.
The Food and Drug Administration and Cornell University found no such results. But they did find another possible culprit: Melamine, an industrial chemical, was found in wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate from China that contaminated about 100 brands of cat and dog food and treats.
It was also found in the kidneys and urine of dead pets.
"Melamine is definitely there. It definitely should not be there," said Bruce Akey, director of the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. "But pure melamine by itself should not be causing the kinds of disease in these animals that we're seeing."
Melamine is usually found in hardware stores in the form of laminate flooring or in retailers selling dinnerware. "It has numerous applications in a variety of end uses, but food is not one of them," said Sebastian Bizzari, senior consultant for SRI Consulting, a chemical research company.
Melamine is a crystal produced from ammonia and urea. When treated with formaldehyde, it becomes a resin for use as a glue or, in crystal form, for use in flame retardants.
It's not considered to be particularly toxic, unless consumed in large quantities and over a very long period of time. Male rats, fed pure melamine as part of their diet in one study, did develop bladder tumors -- but after 36 weeks. And a large amount of melamine fed to dogs over a long period only caused a diuretic reaction, not the kidney lesions that labs are seeing in dead pets.
What they are seeing, though, are curious crystals.
"We've not seen them with other conditions," said Barbara Powers, who leads the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians and Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
"They're very characteristic," she said. "They're round with concentric rings and radiating spokes, almost like a wagon wheel. And they're yellow green."
The crystals contain melamine, as much as 30 percent, Maxie's lab found. But they also contain something else, cyanuric acid, Powers said.
Although not a household name, cyanuric acid has a household use: The chemical is added to pool water to keep chlorine from breaking down in the sunlight.
The cyanuric acid that labs have detected could be a byproduct of the manufacture of melamine.
Cyanuric acid is used to make melamine but it can also be produced from the breakdown of melamine, said Birgit Puschner, associate professor of clinical veterinary toxicology at University of California at Davis. Both substances contain nitrogen, an indication of the amount of protein in a product. Federal officials, and Menu Foods, suspect the Chinese suppliers spiked the wheat gluten and rice protein with melamine -- and possibly cyanuric acid -- to boost the apparent amount of protein and command a higher price.
Like melamine, cyanuric acid is not considered to be especially toxic. It's in swimming pool water, and people swallow that all the time, Maxie said.
Cyanuric acid has been shown to cause kidney lesions in dogs, but only when fed large amounts over as long as 21 months, said Wilson Rumbeiha, clinical toxicologist at Michigan State University's Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health.
Toxicologists doubt that either cyanuric acid or melamine would cause the deaths of so many pets. Although the FDA doesn't know how many pets have died, it's received calls from nearly 20,000 pet owners and veterinarians since mid-March. Oregon's public health veterinarian, Emilio DeBess, has tracked 122 suspected cases so far, including the deaths of at least 20 dogs and 26 cats.
Cases have slowed dramatically, with contaminated food largely pulled off shelves, but they haven't stopped completely. Powers said she's still seeing cases and so is the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, said executive director Pat Halbur.
Halbur's lab has identified 36 cases of dead pets tied to the pet food recall. But what he's worried about even more is the poisoning of pigs. Iowa produces about a quarter of the pigs in the U.S., he said. Any bad news about hogs, hurts the state.
Tainted pet food made it to pig farms in California, Utah, Kansas, Oklahoma, New York, South Carolina and North Carolina, and possibly to a poultry operation in Missouri. Other labs are trying to put the pathological pieces together.
The FDA said that scientists now are considering whether the combination of melamine and cyanuric acid is toxic.
But there's even some doubt about that.
"There were studies done in Russia years ago that show that the combination does not appear to be very toxic," said Puschner, of UC Davis. "But we're talking rats and mice and we might be facing different toxicity in other animal species."
So the search continues, and so does the frustration.
"This is getting a bit wearing," said Maxie of Guelph. "We started with aminopterin. And then on to melamine. Now on to cyanuric acid. What's going to be next?"
This terrible tragedy has brought a lot of other problems to my attention. When I started reading ingredients I could not believe what I was feeding to my pets. Science Diet for example is a bunch of Bi-Products & JUNK. I will never feed my cats this again. I have been doing a lot of research and I have found that you really need to get pet food from a pet store (Not PetsMart or Petco). A pet store that specializing in a natural pet food. I feel that Life's Abundance, KumpiKat, Innova and Felidae are the best foods for cats. My cats did not really like the Felidae but they love KumpiKat & Innova. I ordered Life's Abundance from the Internet and have not received it yet. I am unsure of Flint River Ranch because it contains Corn Gluten but the company says it is not included in any recall and that their food is Very Good.
I had a dog come into my salon today for over-night boarding. He's folks brought Science Diet because the vet told them it was the best food they could feed their new little dog. I have done reviews on these products but seeing them first-hand made me want to scream! The can listed meat by-products (didn't even state what type of meat), grains like corn and other stuff this dog didn't need. Then, to top it off, the last three lines were things I couldn't even pronounce. Why would THIS be GOOD for their new dog? I feel that if the vet ever read the label he'd kick himself in the butt for even selling the stuff.
I wonder if it is on my recall list!
Susan Peters
Susan, Isn't this your website. Asking what is on the recall list?
Cathy, I was saying that being a little snide. I feel like if a company has products on recall they probably are using the same stuff in the other products, the other products just haven't shown up on the recall list as of yet. This product has gluten in it. Should be on the list! Although, this particular can was NOT.
Susan Peters
I get it...... It is a mystery to me too..... This is not brain sugery or even, difficult for us to understand. I am frustrated too, with these food, FDA, experts. I love, sarcasm. Thanks
Some sites are saying they feel corn gluten will be next. I purchased a small bag of Flint River Ranch dry cat food to try and now notice that it contains Corn Gluten. I am not sure if I want to feed this food or not. Anybody else have any comments about this type of cat food.
I'm not sure about gluten. I would hate to say it is safe then have it recalled. I don't advise feeding corn or any kind.
Susan Peters
Would streaks of blood in the cats poop be something to worry about? My cat has been on science diet light dry. Last night and this morning I gave her fancy feast canned cuz so many people have been using it. She is lethargic but not peeing too much or drinking too much water. She seems to be constipated and at the same time some watery drops contained streaks of blood. Any suggestions. I went and got welness core dry and wellness canned food but your suggestions are welcome.
After reading all your comments I got a little worried. I was feeding my two cats (both about one year old) Nutro Natural Choice (pouches and dry food) thinking it was good food. I stopped feeding the pouches after I heard about the recall immediately but I was feeding the dry food until the bag was empty. Because of all this I did a lot of research on pet food and switched my cats to a holistic brand. Now I'm very concerned if my cats could be sick. They do not show any symptoms but I was feeding the pouches and the dry food (dry food is not on the recall list) for month. Does anybody know if they could be sick without showing symptoms???
Oops I forgot to ask ..... I'm feeding Wellness Indoor Health (dry) and Wellness canned as well as Innova Evo (dry) and Merrick canned. Are those foods ok ???
fauzia ,
Don't waist any time. Get to the vet! Don't take any chances.
Susan Peters
Fauzia. Your cat could be constipated and the straning to go could cause some blood like in humans. With out drinking enough water with dry food could certainly cause it. I would go the vet. A simple exam by the vet, and you will know if your cat is constipated. Even with a fecal impaction some liquid can leak around it appearing to be watery diarrhea. Take care.
Andrea,
The bands you mention are NOT on the recall list. Most people are reporting symptoms of some sort within a few days. After 30 days, I think you would know. Don't take any chances with trying to continue to feed a product heaving in corn, wheat and soy. Just stay away from these items and you and your pet should be alright.
Susan Peters
The way I see these sentences written, blood in the poop, changing diets so quick with feeding this and that and then again changing. I have to ask, are you even thinking? My good lord, blood would worry me. I sure hope everyone knows by now not to change your pets diet abrubtly?
Never fast, but just slow and easy. I usually take at the least a good ten days to wean my pets onto anything new, whether it be dry to wet, wet to new wet or dry to a new dry. Basically, if your pet has any underlying sensitivities and you change food to quick, you are asking for trouble.
Albeit, this can only be applied with regard to a slow change in diet where applicable. When it comes to having to do a switch with regard to a recalled food and you must stop, that is where the problem comes in. I have not read yet how a person who has to stop immediately feeding a certain food and that makes me sad.
If I were that person, if I were YOU, I would dilute the NEW food with water or whatever other thing you may have been feeding you pet as a treat or something special on the side, very slowly and as slowly as you can adding the new food.
Best Regards -Linda-
Linda,
I think you make a good point about changing diets. I don't feel like people have the chance to change diets slowly with this pet food scare. My hopes are the pet food is being changed from a poor food to a quality food. The quality food should be richer than what they are used to eating a may cause a bout of loose stools for a day or two but NOT a bloody stool.
I had to change my dog and cat's diets without notice, at a drop of a hat, and didn't notice any stool change at all. I realize we are making the same point and I thank you for the chance to talk about this.
Susan Peters
URGENT - this is a very important post that will hopefully inspire readers to act now - today - Wednesday, May 2 - as quickly as possible - in the hope of preventing this type of thing from ever happening again. There truly is not a moment to lose, because Congress (in the Senate) will be voting on a bill either today or tomorrow to put even MORE power into the lap of the FDA, which I think is a huge mistake, until more answers are given us. Something is TERRIBLY wrong here – and we are not being leveled with. In fact, I even wonder if this pet food event is being exploited now, to help push this bill through. Hence, we have no choice but to consider them (FDA) as part of the problem -- and enabling them to do even more harm is either irresponsible, or we are being dreadfully deceived. Actually, I have a good idea why it's happening, but I can’t go there now. All I am asking is that you trust me on this... you really have nothing to lose, and more to gain than what you may ever realize. For starters, I have always suspected that genetically modified foods were involved in this somehow. I have searched the web through the nights for weeks now, looking for signs that this might be the case. I had hoped that I was wrong - and I STILL could be. But the pieces to the puzzle are starting to create an alarming picture - enough so, that I am willing to take to risk the humiliation if I am. So here goes: Someone had forwarded to me, an article written by the veterinarian, Michael Fox, entitled LARGEST PET FOOD RECALL EVER; FULL INQUIRY CALLED FOR AND ACCOUNTABILITY. It was forwarded by an individual who publishes a very large newsletter in England. These are their words: Sophie - thought you may be interested in this if you can get thru the weird coding symbols! This is as it came to me. The top section is a comment from a subscriber and the main text is by Michael Fox, vet and author of a book on GM animals. Best wishes – then it goes on: Subject: Fwd: Pet Food Recall - new insights“… so it is surely incumbent upon the FDA to determine if this imported wheat gluten and other vegetable protein from China came from genetically engineered crops. Other endogenous toxins not yet identified could well have resulted in so much sickness, suffering and death in companion animals across North America. For example, Monsanto’s GM corn MON863 has been shown to cause kidney and liver toxicity in animal feeding tests. (For details see www.doctormwfox.org ˜Risks of GM Crops and Foods™).” “Most significantly, the UKs Food Standards Agency reported on April 26 that an illegal shipment of rice protein concentrate from GM rice line Bt63 had come from China via the Netherlands into the UK for incorporation into livestock and possibly pet foods. Unlike the laissez-faire attitude of the US government to GM crops and foods, the UK has tight restrictions.” “The life science industry has convinced US legislators that genetically engineered crops are safe, and substantially equivalent to conventional varieties of food and animal feed crops. But the scientific evidence, and documented animal safety tests, point in the opposite direction. The US government even attempted to have genetically engineered seeds and foods included under the National Organic Standards.” “Further insights add to the complexity and clarity of the current mega-pet food, and now livestock feed recall across North America, that is now crossing the Atlantic to the UK and Europe.”**************Then came the article, which I have copied excerpts below, which illustrates the significance of his message. Dr. Fox wrote this on April 29, with minor revisions made on April 30. He has brought to light some things we need to make sure those in Congress hear very loud and clearly from us, - as many people as possible, who want the TRUTH, damn it. They are making their decisions in Washington based on what the big corporations want, and if we confront them with this, we can call their bluff. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvIn particular, Senator Kennedy from New York, Senator Mike Enzi from Wyoming and Senator Durbin from Illinois believe that the American public are fairly ignorant on this stuff - but we have an opportunity to show them otherwise. (Actually, this makes me especially sad, because I always had a high regard for Senator Kennedy.) Excerpt #1On March 30, the FDA reported finding a widely used compound called melamine, described as a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics, as a wood resin adhesive and protective, in the wheat gluten. The FDA claimed that the melamine was the cause of an as yet uncounted number of cat and dog poisonings and deaths. The FDA could not find the rat poison, aminopterin, in the samples it analyzed. However a lab in Canada at the University of Guelph, confirmed the presence of rat poison. This chemical is also used, however, as a genetic/DNA marker, and is included in U S Patent 6130207, filed Nov 5, 1997 (Cell-specific molecule and method of importing DNA into a nucleus). [Note: the bold portion of the sentence was added on April 30, 2007What is interesting here, is that we briefly (like once) heard about the rat poison discovery – and then, - nothing -. Now I see that we should have been wondering WHY the FDA was not pursuing that. So…why weren’t they? Any thoughts? Excerpt #2The Environmental Protection Agency identified melamine as a contaminant and byproduct of several pesticides, including cryomazine. People began to question if there is also pesticide contamination of the wheat gluten. Was there a possibility of deliberate contamination, or was it the result of gross mismanagement and lack of effective food-safety and quality controls that account for levels of melamine reported to be as high as 6.6% in FDA analyzed samples of the wheat gluten? The widely used insect growth regulator cryomazine is not only made from melamine. It also breaks down into melamine after ingestion by an animal. Wheat gluten is wheat gluten, fit for human consumption, so the question still remains, what was wrong with this imported gluten that it was only bought for use in pet food?[In other words, it was known prior to purchase – that it was contaminated?? On April 6, 2007, FDA’s veterinarian Stephen Sundlof told CNN that the melamine found in the contaminated wheat gluten from China could actually have been added as cheap filler'. Melamine crystal is a urea-derived, synthetic nitrogen product that is used as a fertilizer that could have been added to the wheat gluten, but in fact it is NOT cheap. Fine Chem Trading Ltd Special Offers lists China Melamine Price Indication for 1 metric ton at $1,130, while other sources list China wheat gluten at around $750. [Note: the bold portion of the sentence has since been edited, as of April 30, 2007. I am only including it here, to show that this may be a valid point, but for whatever reason, Dr. Fox decided to not use it.] How this melamine got into the gluten is still an open question, and some toxicologists still doubt that this is the main cause of so many dogs and cats becoming sick and even dying from kidney failure. FDA officials told the media that melamine is fairly non-toxic. The derivative pesticide cyromazine, sold as Larvadex and Vetrazin by Syngenta, is not all that toxic (oral LD50 for rats 3387mg/kg) and is actually fed to chickens to control fly larvae in their droppings.This is particularly worthy of note, since in an article Tuesday, May 1 in HealthDay News, the FDA and USDA portrays chicken feeding on this, as a potential threat – so which is it?:FDA: Contaminated Pet Food Used in Chicken Feed05.01.07, 12:00 AM ET TUESDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- The potential
Sorry - my post was cut off. Back to the chicken feed however,... the fact that chickens are said (by the FDA) to be often fed with the derivative pesticide cyromazine, this is particularly worthy of note, since in an article Tuesday, May 1 in HealthDay News, the FDA and USDA portrays chicken feeding on this, as a potential threat – so which is it?..
FDA: Contaminated Pet Food Used in Chicken Feed
05.01.07, 12:00 AM ET TUESDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- The potential threat to human health from contaminated pet food has now widened to include chickens, with U.S. health officials announcing that melamine-tainted pet product made its way into poultry feed at 38 Indiana farms...http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hsco As for the actual origin of the melamine, this chemical is the parent of a widely used crop insecticide called cryomazine that is actually absorbed by plants after being sprayed, and is converted into melamine. This could be the source of gluten contamination, and was why the gluten was not imported from China for human consumption. But melamine, according to Dr. Sundlof, "..is not very toxic as a chemical." Pesticides are used extensively on rice crops, and many varieties of GM/transgenic rice have been planted in Asia. This may account for the presence of melamine in rice protein identified in two of Natural Balances cat and dog foods that lead to a recall on April 16, 2007 after people reported that their cats and dogs were getting sick on the dry food. But perhaps other chemical compounds in the transgenic/GM/genetically engineered rice, corn, and wheat from China, not yet identified, or at least made public by the FDA, may be involved in the tragic pet food poisoning pandemic. [Note: the bold portion of the sentence was added on April 30, 2007 The possibility of synergism of toxic pet food contaminants, where two or more harmful additives or contaminants resulted in this pet food poisoning pandemic, still remains open. The massive pet food recall in 2004 of dry cat and dog food manufactured in Thailand by Pedigree Pet Foods after reports of kidney failure in hundreds of pets, mostly puppies, in nine Asian countries is a matter of public record, but no toxic agent/s were ever reported to the public by this multinational pet food company. [Note: the bold portion of the sentence has since been removed, as of April 30, 2007.] Within the first ¼ of the article, Dr. Fox outlines concerns that the FDA should be expected to address. They include: Until there is evidence to the contrary, the following concerns remain to be addressed by the FDA. 1. The wheat gluten imported from China was not for human consumption, because, I believe, it had been genetically engineered. The FDA has a wholly cavalier attitude toward feeding animals such ‘frankenfoods’ but places some restrictions when human consumption is involved (yet refuses appropriate [human] food labeling). 2. The rat poison aminopterin is used in molecular biology as an anti-metabolite, folate antagonist, and in genetic engineering biotechnology as a genetic marker. This could account for its presence in this imported wheat gluten. 3. The plastic and wood preservative contaminant melamine, the parent chemical for a potent insecticide cyromazine, could possibly have been manufactured WITHIN the wheat plants themselves as a genetically engineered pesticide. This is much like the Bt. insecticidal poison present in most US commodity crops that go into animal feed. 4. So called ‘overexpression’ can occur when spliced genes that synthesize such chemicals become hyperactive inside the plant and result in potentially toxic plant tissues, lethal not just to meal worms and other crop pests, but to cats, dogs, birds, butterflies and other wildlife; and to their creators. So what does all of this mean? It means that we need to work very hard with our Congress to get them to see/ or to cease denying that fact that the FDA, as it is now, is a large part of the problem. Bear in mind that the FDA is NOT a taxpayer funded agency. They receive their paychecks through the fees from pharmaceutical companies’ when these companies pay for their drug trials. The FDA fundamentally, has little incentive to serve our – or our pets’ best interests. And Congress, today or tomorrow, wants to give them A LOT more power. So much so, that they will make more decisions on what is, and is not legal for us to have access to,… such as vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements. See http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/us/growing_thre http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArti Finally, read what TX House Representative Ron Paul said in his speech, on Nov. 11, 2005 entitled Free Speech, and Dietary Supplements http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2005/cr11 I will stop here, with leaving links to finding phone numbers for your state’s U.S. Senators and Representatives (because the House will vote next, probably within the month). Please call them, now – this morning – and leave a message telling them to vote NO on S1082, which is a bill devised to appear as if it’s about drug safety – when it couldn’t be further from the truth. S1082 would open wide the doors, for this sort of thing to occur again and again – it would increase ten-fold overnight, the practice of careless, profit-seeking, genetically modified biotechnology, and policies that are purely profit-driven. And because our pets are the obvious guinea pigs, we must fight for them, … because without us, -- Congress won’t. WE need to stop this – or reap the consequences. I hope that this post stays, and is not removed. I have tried to inform and alert others to serious threats to good health. What we are facing involves the entire animal kingdom. We in America, have been lulled to believe that we are taken care of. Those days were never as real as we had believed. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and fight for what we believe in – just like any other nation around us. Good luck, and may tomorrow be a better day for all of Earth’s creatures. To find your Senator: http://www.senate.gov/ To find your Representative: http://www.house.gov/writerep/Thanks a ton Susan, Cathy and Linda for your input! I will take the cat to the vet! She seems to be eating wellness core dry and wet food alright. Her poop today seemed ok. I was wondering if it was an emergency cuz i don't have a ride to the vet right now. Should I cab it?
The reason I offered them fancy feast was because they had eaten it before I stopped canned foods for them and I felt there were enough people feeding it. Also, Science diet seems to be not very healthy from what all of you mention.
The switch to wellness was immediate so that if the previously given food was toxic, i didn't want to poison my pet anymore! I do agree that any food change should be gradual! I could go back to mixing science diet light with the wellness dry?
I just found a great homepage. You can see which foods are safe and where they are manufactured ....
Fauzia, I would cab it to the vet. There may be a pet taxi company if you live in an larger city. I don't know if they would be less expensive?
from www.itchmo.comPetSmart Expands Recalled Items May 2nd, 2007
According to PetSmart’s own Customer Handout (PDF), they have expanded the recall items on their shelves yesterday to cover 20 more products.
They are all covered in our recall list (as we list brands, not just specific UPCs), but since it is an expansion, we want to make sure that you don’t have them at home.
Items pulled on 5/1 with UPC codes and SKUs after the jump.
(Thanks Robert) Read the rest of this entry »
You can go here to this link for the expanded recall items from PetSmart:
www.itchmo.com
BREAKING NEWS: Menu Foods Recall Expands Dramatically to Include New Wheat Gluten May 2nd, 2007This recall expansion covers dozens of new brands and foods. Menu Foods is now recalling all of their food that contains wheat gluten regardless of the importer.
See full list after the jump.
US List: Brands covered in expansion are listed after the jump
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/PressReleaseUS0502 of the new additional recalled brands)Why menufoods is going to pull the cat and dog food is because China hid the fact that they did not want a bag inspected so they wrote nonfood on the bag and had a textile company ship it to the US as a nonfood product and it was the Wheat Gluten and no one knows where it went to.
Thanks for the tip Cathy!
Toronto star says in today's newspaper that menu foods has a further recall of items to avoid cross-contamination?? Is wellness now a doubtful item to feed?
Some Information sent to me with regard to a Chinese firm dodging inspections and shipping "Tons" of wheat gluten labeled nonfood (Note too the Caynuric Acid factor is mentioned again):
SHANGHAI: A Chinese company accused of selling contaminated wheat gluten to pet food suppliers in the United States failed to disclose to China's export authorities that it was shipping food or feed to the United States, thereby avoiding having its goods inspected, according to U.S. regulators.
Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development, one of two Chinese companies at the center of the massive pet food recall after thousands of animals were killed and sickened, had shipped more than 700 tons of wheat gluten labeled as "nonfood" products earlier this year through a third party, a Chinese textile company.
The "nonfood" designation meant the company's shipments were not subject to mandatory inspection by the Chinese government.
The details of the case, some of which were disclosed Friday in a circular released by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, are just the latest clues that Chinese feed suppliers may have been intentionally disguising the contents of their goods.
FDA officials are now visiting China, seeking more information about how and why an industrial chemical used in plastics and as fertilizer got mixed into pet food ingredients.
The pet food recall is threatening to turn into a major trade issue because of mounting worries in the U.S. Congress about the safety of China's agricultural exports to the United States, the ability of American regulators to protect the country's food supply and the slow pace of efforts by the Chinese government to aid the investigation.
American regulators admit that six weeks after one of the biggest pet food recalls in U.S. history, they still do not know who in China manufactured the contaminated pet food ingredients or where in China the contamination took place.
Though the agency has named two Chinese companies as the suppliers of the tainted vegetable protein, regulators suspect the companies may not have been making the feed but buying it from other feed manufacturers in China. Those producers, regulators believe, may have intentionally mixed melamine into the feed to artificially inflate the level of protein in the bags to meet pet food requirements.
"Records relating to the importation of these products indicate that these two firms had manufactured the ingredients in question," the FDA said. "There is strong evidence, however, that these firms are not the actual manufacturers. Moreover, despite many weeks of investigation, it is still unknown who the actual manufacturer or manufacturers of the contaminated products imported from China are," the FDA said.
Worried that the contaminant could continue to enter the United States and also seep into the human food supply through additives, regulators have blocked all Chinese imports of wheat gluten and warned importers to screen nearly every other kind of food and feed additive entering the country from China, including corn gluten and soy protein.
Last week, the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture jointly warned consumers that melamine had found its way into hog and chicken feed and encouraged producers to destroy the animals, even though there was no clear evidence that consuming meat from the animals was a danger to human health.
American regulators are now under growing pressure to ensure the safety of human and pet food and to get to the bottom of the melamine scare.
What began as a pet food recall on March 16 involving two factories working for a single pet food maker, Menu Foods, has now expanded to include some of America's leading pet food brands and over 60 million pet food packages.
The two Chinese companies named by American regulators last month have said little publicly since the recall. Both are based in eastern China, near one of the country's biggest wheat growing regions and also one of the centers of melamine production.
Melamine is an industrial chemical that animal feed producers here say has been intentionally mixed into feed to cheat farmers into thinking they are buying higher protein meal, even though the chemical has no nutritional value. A similar practice took place in the United States and in China involving a related compound called urea, but that compound is now more widely tested for and banned from certain feeds in the United States.
"This was standard stuff after World War II, when animal feed was adulterated with urea," said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food and public health at New York University. "This is simple greed. It's like they're adding water to the wheat gluten."
Contacted a few weeks ago, Xuzhou Anying officials denied having any knowledge of how melamine got into one of their packages and insisted that they never exported any wheat gluten to the United States.
But Xuzhou Anying advertised on the Internet as recently as late March seeking to buy large quantities of melamine scrap. "We urgently need a lot of melamine scrap," Xuzhou said in a posting March 21 on a trading Web site called EC21, leaving a cellphone number.
The Chinese government has told American regulators, however, that Xuzhou is not a manufacturer of wheat gluten but purchased its products from 25 different manufacturers.
ChemNutra, the Las Vegas pet food supplier that bought the wheat gluten from Xuzhou and then resold it to pet food makers in the United States, also said it was led to believe Xuzhou was the manufacturer of the product. But ChemNutra officials also say that they received the shipments of wheat gluten through a third party, a company called Suzhou Textiles Silk Light & Industrial Products. A spokesman for Suzhou Textiles denied that the company exported wheat gluten to the United States.
The other supplier of contaminated protein named by regulators is Binzhou Futian Biology Technology, which says that it supplies soy, corn and other proteins and has strong sales in the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia. The company also declined comment.
The Chinese government said last week that it was unlikely melamine could have harmed so many pets in the United States. But on Friday, China banned melamine from use in any vegetable protein for export or for use in the domestic food market.
The FDA says that it has received reports that more than 4,000 cats and dogs died as a result of eating pet food that may have been laced with melamine.
Scientists are now struggling to determine why melamine, a chemical that is not believed to be toxic, may have turned poisonous. Some scientists theorize that melamine mixed with other melamine-like compounds, such as cyanuric acid, to create a poisonous substance.
That possibility may be all the more likely because many animal feed producers in China are not using pure melamine but much cheaper melamine scrap, sold as a waste product from melamine production.
PS: Susan, you are welcome! I am trying a different approach to copy and paste here on your site as the paragraphs do not separate properly, I hope it works :)
Fingers crossed -Post-
It worked!
Fauzia, I have not read anything negative about Wellness Foods, you could go to Mother Hubbards website to check.
Does anyone know if Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken is ok? Has anyone had any problems w/this brand?
Wellness has not made it to the recall list as of yet.
Susan Peters
Susan. Love the tag at the bottom of this page, cat food ratings. It is a great resource!
I know it is not listed but . . . Chicken Soup Adult Dry Cat Food made one of my cats sick. I changed from Science Diet to what I thought was a better cat food. I took her to the vet and they gave her fluids and an antibiodic. She had a fever. She was so sick that I thought she was going to die. She is fine now. I will never feed that food again. I now feed Life's Abundance & Kumpi Kat. I just wanted to let everybody know to be careful with this brand of food.
Thanks for the information. I feed Chicken Soup to my pets. I'll keep a watchful eye.
Susan Peters
I've been feeding my cats Chicken Soup dry as well, and no problems so far.
I am still feeding my loves Drs. Foster and Smith and all seems well. My Border Collie's fur is actually becoming more creamy to the touch, which is truly amazing. He is a smooth coat and I have been fighting the battle of brittle hair for the first 4 years of his life. He will be 5 this summer and finally I think I have won the battle.
I started my exploration of pet foods quite by accident last year when I came upon an article about "the ingredients." That provoked me on a massive search to learn everything I could find. Needless to say, I learned too much and am amazed at the timing as I was learning. I am very watchful even now.
What I learned with bloodshot eyes from reading too much, is one thing...
No additives.
Which is not conclusive if you look at it with a lean eye. It is because the additives are deceiving and you have to learn how to see it with a new eye. I am 54 years old and thought I knew much, I now know I do not. I have had many beloved pets through these years and feel some were lost just for the same reason we are all seeing today. The only difference is that back then it was not a large number all at once or perhaps someone was not paying as much attention to the issue.
One thing is certain, many eyes have been opened with regard to the fillers and by-products and meal products put into our pet's food. There are many details to this whole thing and the main thing is not to panic, which I did. That is why my eyes are falling out of my head from reading too much.
My heart cries always for mine and for yours.
"When I look into the eyes of my Border Collie, I see my world as his and it is."
There are big changes coming in the pet food world. Mark my words!
Susan Peters
Linda-I know what you mean. All this contaminated food thing made me start reading lables. I now feed my cats Life's Abundance, Kumpi Kat & Innova. I was feeding them Science Diet. What a change I see - they feel better and have a lot more energy and are just more playful. There coats are better. I just can't help kicking myself for feeding such junk for years. My 10 year old dog is another story. I was feeding him a recalled food. I switched to Canidae and thought everything was good. He still just did not seem the same. I took him to have his teeth cleaned and the vet called me two hours later and said his kidney function was not up to par and he could not clean his teeth. That made me sick to stomach to think that I poisoned him. He was put on Prescription Science Diet KD that contains Rice Protein Concentrait. I do not feel good about feeding him this food but I just don't know what to do. I checked all over the internet to see if there was another food for kidney function and just could not find one. If anybody out there is dealing with this problem and knows of a different food - Please let me know. Also, please everybody read lables. You might not be feeding your pet a contaminated food but you might be feeding them junk that will cause them to have other medical problems and shorten their life. Science Diet along with MOST foods you buy at you local grocery store really are not good food. I order my pet dry food from the internet - it cost a little more but not a whole bunch more - I truly feel I will save the difference in money on vet bills.
Jeannie - You might want to consider a different approach. Dietary management consists primarily of restricting the amount of protein, phosphorus, and sodium in the diet, while providing adequate amounts of non protein calories, vitamins, and minerals. But not every dog with kidney disease needs such a diet.
I found this article very helpful in my time of need: http://www.cah.com/dr_library/caninekidney.html
After reading the article discuss your ideas or thoughts with your vet and if he is not helpful you could call Drs. Foster and Smith's help line, 1-800-381-7179.
I'm a HealthyPetNet fan but there are many great, safe pet foods out there. By safe, I mean, not just part of themelamine tainted foods scare but no corn, wheat, soy, by-products, etc.
The Safe Pet Food Blog just put out a notice of which pet food companies are instituting a sort of Pet Food Reverse 911 System where, especially if you are buying a mail order food, they can notify you directly if there's any problem. HealthyPetNet is mail order so they've had that system in place for nine years, but companies like Natural Balance and Drs Foster and Smith are now doing it. I thought that was just a GREAT idea. The Safe Pet Food Blog is at http://safepetfood.wordpress.com
Teresa,
Thanks for the link and information!
Susan Peters
I believe the time is ripe to realize that China is our enemy and caresnothing about our pet's or us. All you have to do is read the history ofChina and compare to neighboring countries, the obvious appears.We as a united country strong in our beliefs must boycott all things fromChina. China has no love for it's pets much less ours and this last articleI found has clinched it for me. The important factor is that it must clinchit for you, otherwise another big fat winner of our money will win and wewill lose.Think about it and read what I have read, sent to me:Safety of Chinese Imports Questioned in CongressMay 15, 2007The company that imported melamine-tainted ingredients linked to the deaths of thousands of dogs and cats nationwide called today for a national Pet Food Ingredients Safety Summit.ChemNutra, of Las Vegas, said it wants manufacturers, ingredient importers, and analysis laboratories to work together at the summit -- tentatively set for July 14, 2007 in Las Vegas -- on import standards and specifications for pet food ingredients from China and around the world.“Just as E. coli incidents have forced retailers and restaurateurs to get more directly involved with ensuring the safety of growers, the melamine adulteration of pet food mandates that importers and manufacturers establish new protocols for ensuring the safety of our suppliers,” ChemNutra’s CEO, Steve Miller, said in a written statement.
“I am hopeful that those who import and use imported pet food ingredients will set aside any competitive differences we may have to unite for what I know is a common purpose, the safety of pets."
Since March, 18 companies have recalled more than 5,600 pet food products because they contained imported and mislabeled ingredients tainted with melamine and melamine-related derivatives.
Melamine is a chemical used in plastics and fertilizers. It is not approved for use in pet or human food.
Importers originally thought those ingredients were wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate.
But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has since learned those tainted ingredients were wheat flour — intentionally spiked with melamine to give a higher protein count.
Two Chinese companies exported those tainted ingredients to the United States -- Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. and Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd.
U.S. food inspectors sent to China to investigate the companies discovered last week that both manufacturers had closed and all their equipment was dismantled.
“We visited the two facilities, but there's essentially nothing to be found in that they are currently closed down, not operating,” Walter Batts, deputy director of the FDA’s Office of International Programs, told reporters. “There's essentially nothing, as they have determined, that is available to be seen at the facilities. They've been closed down, machinery dismantled, nothing to really get access to.”
The FDA also confirmed that China detained the manager of one of those companies – Mao Lijun of Xuzhou Anying.
The Los Angels Times reported that Mao Lijun’s factory has sickened people and plants for years.
“Farmers in this poor rural area about 400 miles northwest of Shanghai had complained to local government officials since 2004 that Mao's factory was spewing noxious fumes that made their eyes tear up and the poplar trees nearby shed their leaves prematurely,” the paper reported.
“Yet no one stopped Mao's company from churning out bags of food powders and belching smoke — until one day last month when, in the middle of the night, bulldozers arrived and tore down the facility.
The story added, “It wasn't authorities that finally acted: Mao himself razed the brick factory — days before the investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration arrived in China on a mission to track down the source of the tainted pet food ingredients.”
And those tainted ingredients haven’t just shown up in pet food. They’ve made their way into feed for pigs, chicken, and fish.
FDA officials, however, say the risk to humans who eat meat from these farm animals and fish is minimal.
Congressional ConcernMeanwhile in Congress, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) have asked the country’s trade representative to examine America’s trade relationship with China.
"There is significant evidence that China is failing to meet international food safety standards -- from deceptive labeling and intentional contamination of products to unsanitary conditions,” DeLauro said in a written statement.
“In a modern, globalized food supply system significant amounts of food imports are a reality. And the Chinese need to be aware that their regulations need to be strengthened because trade should not trump public health."
In a letter to Ambassador Susan Schwab, the United States Trade Representative, Durbin and DeLauro, wrote: “The safety of food imports from China extends beyond the pet food recall. China is especially poor at meeting international food safety standards, which is particularly disturbing considering that China exported approximately $2.26 billion in agricultural products to the United States in 2006.
"A recent news article noted that, in February, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blocked the entry of several food products from China because they contained banned additives, were tainted by pesticides or were contaminated with salmonella. Some products were simply unsanitary.”
Durbin and DeLauro asked Ambassador Schwab to answer two specific questions:
• What sanitary measures are included in current free trade agreements and other permanent trade relations in which the United States is currently engaged?
• What legal recourse does the United States possess with respect to imported food products that pose a threat to public health, in the event that the country where the offending product originated is not cooperative?
"Not that long ago, the vast majority of products at the local grocery store were from domestic manufacturers, and subject to standard regulations,” Sen. Durbin said. “Today, an increasing amount of our food, food additives, and over-the-counter drugs are imported from other countries -- where the laws governing food and drug safety are often lax or entirely absent.
"Fewer than one in 50 food products from overseas are inspected. Those are poor odds for any bet, and not a risk American families should have to take."
Meanwhile, the massive pet food recall sparked increased traffic and interest in pet-related Web sites.
Nielsen//NetRatings, a Internet media and market research company, said Monday that Web traffic to pet-related sites grew 115 percent in March over the previous month--from 9.1 million visitors to 19.5 million.
The company said worried pet owners flocked to online sites to learn more about that products affected by the nationwide recall of dog and cat foods.
"When I look into the eyes of my Border Collie, I see my world as his and it is."
©Linda
This information should be very disconcerting for all, it realizes so quickly all of our losses, not just today or the last few months. But years prior, these are our days of reckoning, now we know what has been going on for far too long. We must take action and not buy anything that has a "from China" label ...period.
I am so done with China!
I have read all of you comments and I am so afraid for everyone out there who has pets. About 4 years ago I lost my cat to anaphylactic shock from antibiotics that were given to me by my vet. So when this recall started happening, I was terrified that I would have to observe the same type of death in my now six babies. My babies are my source of life and they have saved my a few times. I am a four time cancer survivor and quite honestly, they are the only reason I am still here. Then I watched this video at http://HealthfulPetZone.com and it changed my life and my babies lives forever. I find it appalling to know what I have been feeding my babies over the last 20 years. For myself, I have been converted to all healthy foods and I felt my babies deserved the same attention to their diet. I could not bear to lose even one of my babies. I personally do not trust any of the store brands, even the organic ones. My babies were die hard Friskies fans and when they stopped eating primarily the prime filet cuts, I called the vet. Friskies has not been on the recall list but I noticed just recently that the Purina Indoor Cat formula has been added and that is what I had been feeding my babies. It's just my personal opinion but I think all manufacturers are guilty of this problem and some are just not steeping up to the plate. Since I have switched to this new food, I no longer worry about one of my babies frothing at the mouth and keeling over dead. The transformation in my babies since using this food is nothing short of amazing. Thier coats now feel like rabbit fur, their eyes are much brighter and they are much calmer. Poisons in any mammal affect the nervous system so without unconsciously feeding my babies food that is poisoned, they are thriving. With Susans permission, I am including my site information for all to browse. It is not intended to promote business, only to let people know there is a healthier alternative. There is never any obligation. There is a place on the site though where you can subscribe to the monthly newsletter for free. Wishing all of you all the best in keeping your babies safe.
Yours in pet health,Starla Willettzoochild@msn.com303 367-3422Independent HealthyPetNet Representativehttp://www.trilogyonline.com/zoochildHealthyPetNet Safe, Natural, Holistic Pet Food Order Line: 877-387-4564 Use my id: 40042651Autoship gets you a 20% discountStarla,
This is the most awesome video I think I've seen. This is a must see for every pet owner! Starla, would the company allow me to publish this video on my "What's in my pet food" site?
Susan Peters
Zoochild - I was also horrified at what I had been feeding my Pets. Yes, HealthyPetNet sells Life's Abundance dry & Instinctive Choice can food for cats. My cats Like both of them. Other really good foods are Innova & Kumpi Kat. My cats also like the California Natural can food. I purchased some Flint River Ranch dry food and my cats love it but... it contains corn and I am not going to order any more of it. I mix Life's Abundance, Innova & Kumpi Kat.
Hi, Susan! I know Starla and I'm the host of the Safe Pet Food Blog. I'm also a HealthyPetNet rep. Sadly, I don't think the company will allow their video to be copied as it's a key reason why people go to a rep's website -- to be educated about safe pet foods and then to purchase. It *is* an outstanding video and it's the only one I know of that any pet food company does. It follows Ann Martin's "Foods Pets Die For" and the report, Do You Know What's In Your Pet Food?
What I simply do on my blog is encourage people to watch the video and then I list *many* types of healthy, natural foods that they can choose from, not just my own company's. And I try to teach people to read their own pet food labels.
I had a friend read her bag to me over the phone yesterday, she was bragging that it was an expensive "good" one. Ground yellow corn, wheat, corn gluten meal, "meat by-products" (GADS!), soy protein... It was seven ingredients before she got to lamb. So I sent her to watch the video. I never send people to my own site, any more, I send them to someone else's, I can't handle the extra volume!
Yesterday, I helped my boss purchase Felidae from PetFoodDirect.com. If someone prefers Wysong or Solid Gold or Artemis or HonestKitchen or any of the others, I show them where they can get them mail order and with discounts.
I just want people to be educated on what constitutes a "safe" pet food. It's not just that it's not currently on a recall list. It's no corn, wheat, soy, by-products, and a few other dandy things.
I'm so glad to get your post! I think the video really proves what I've been "barking about" for so long. Great job you have done with that video.
I have a new fear. In my area we are seeing several sick pets again. No recalls. I feel the sick pets from the first recall have made it into the pet foods of the now affected pets.
Susan Peters
Hello Teresa, I have switched my cats from Science Diet to your food Life's Abundance. You seem as though you really know a lot about pet food. I have been surfing the internet ever since I started reading lables. I will check on the brands you listed because I have never heard of them. Wysong, Solid Gold, Artemis, Honestkitchen. What do you think about Innova or Kumpi Kat? I truly appreciate your opinion. My 6 cats love Lifes's Abundance and I have now ordered 3 cases of the can food. Ouch! My budget hurts but I just cannot bring myself to feed them any more Fancy Feast. I do like to give them a choice. They also like Innova pretty good but would not eat Felidae. Thanks.
Jeannie,
You list some pretty good cat foods. http://hubpages.com/_t2er98ebaauo/hub/Cat_Food_Rev
I've posted some reviews on this hub. If there is something you would like for me to review, not on the list, just post a comment and I'll get the review for you.
Also, pet foods of quality seem higher in price when you purchase them but realize pets do not eat near as much (maybe a 1/4 or so) of a quality food. Please do not "doctor" the food to make them eat more. They, simply, don't need to eat near as much of a good food.
Susan Peters
It is true Susan, as I have noticed my pets eating less and less these months but still thriving and acting normal. I am always observing them far more than I have ever done in the past and that saddens my heart. I'd rather watch them be and be just the happy pet I love, but I have now another job, to watch so carefully.
So, I breathe hard. I believe that feeding our pets a food with ingredients that do not include any by-products, any corn or meat-meal (unidentified meal) and/or artificial favor, preservatives or coloring seem to make for a safe moment. If you cannot read the label and you cannot see the print, then it is a personal problem.
I say that with much reserve because I believe vigilance will be our saving grace and I will forever be a more watchful pet owner.
"When I look into the eyes of my Border Collie, I see my world as his and it is."If all dogs were loved like you, this would be a perfect world!©Linda
Best Regards Susan - Linda
Linda,
What a nice comment and a very wise one.
Susan Peters
~A Funny Moment~
Fat Cat
I have a cat named Scutter, the fattest cat I have ever seen. I found him in the rain one sad and sorrowful day.
A tiny sight to see, all wet with boney fur. I never watched a cat grow so fat as he, for surely he observes the 'neuter me' law and I will grow just to show how fat a cat can be!
Now this is quite a tale and he continues to taunt me, with that fat wide smile as he gallops smiling so surely, away from me.
"All of your cats have maintained perfect weight, not I ...no matter what! I am the fat cat meant to be!"
©2007Linda
Thanks Linda
:-)
Susan Peters
I just read on the CNN website. They are checking out the toothpaste from China, that we humans use. Nice..........
When I read between the lines and someone says “Part of the investigation is determining how far back this went.” Then I am very concerned because that is the bigger question. An article sent to me today which raised my eyebrows ..how far can my eyebrows go:
Melamine-tainted ingredients aren’t just coming from China, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday (May 30,2007).
At least two U.S. feed manufacturers also have sold products used to feed livestock and fish that contain the industrial additive.
The disclosure offered a new twist in an ongoing investigation that started with the March recall of pet food tainted by ingredient products imported from China.
FDA officials said that several feed products manufactured in the United States for cattle, goats, sheep, fish and shrimp were made using an ingredient in which melamine was added as a “binding agent.” Melamine, a substance used in plastics and as a fertilizer, is not approved in the United States for use in any products for animal or human consumption.
The new announcement is unrelated to the recent flurry of reports of protein concentrate ingredients imported from China that were heavily spiked with melamine to make them appear to have high levels of protein. Those ingredients were used by dozens of pet food manufacturers, setting off the largest pet food recall ever.
Some of that tainted pet food was later used in feed for livestock and chickens. It was also used in feed for fish raised for human consumption and release into lakes and streams.
The FDA on Wednesday said it was not asking that any of the livestock or fish that were fed the contaminated feed manufactured in the United States be recalled.
FDA officials reiterated their position that the levels of melamine are too low to pose any risk to humans.
An investigation by the FDA into how long the firms have been using melamine as a binding agent, and how widely their products are distributed, is ongoing.
“Part of the investigation is determining how far back this went,” said David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food protection at the FDA. “It’s probably been going on for at least a little while, but how long and to what extent, we don’t yet have those specifics.”
The feed ingredients were made by Tembec BTLSR Inc. of Toledo, Ohio, and Uniscope of Johnstown, Colo. Tembec supplies a binding ingredient to Uniscope. It also makes and distributes some products under the Uniscope brand.
On May 18, Uniscope contacted the FDA after testing ingredients it buys from Tembec, part of a publicly traded Canadian-based forest products company.
The FDA then did its own testing and asked the two firms to voluntarily recall products and issue alerts to the companies that purchased the products, including ones outside the United States.
The companies issued a recall Wednesday. The companies had no further comment.
The FDA does not have the authority to require recalls.
The FDA said both firms are cooperating. The FDA declined to say whether it would pursue action against either firm, although it does have power to prosecute companies that violate food safety laws, including adding nonapproved substances to food for animals and humans.
Shame!!
Curled up in Perfect Motion (Another Poem)? ..ok
When I see her sleep, I feel safe. When I see her sleep, I want to be there.
Curled up in perfect motion ...when I see her sleep.
Her dreams could be mine if I could be there,
Curled up in perfect motion ...when I see her sleep.
She is old you know ...16 years for a cat, so I have been told.But not so for a cat, just old, she should live longer then that...So is it ...when I see her sleep, curled up in perfect motion.©Linda D. ButzThis came across my desk tonight - Some dry pet food added to recall list
KVBC News 3
More pet food has been added to the national recall list. The Food and Drug Administration says Natural Balance Pet Foods is recalling two kinds of pet food. The recall includes all date codes of venison and brown rice dry dog food and venison and green pea dry cat food.
The company doesn't know the cause of the problem. Natural Balance Pet Foods says it has received reports of animals vomiting and experiencing kidney problems. It is working with the FDA to investigate and urges people not to feed either product to their animals.
I hope people are advising those who do not have access to this news of what is going on. If I remember correctly only certain dates were initially recalled, now it is ALL dates. Note: ALL.
That report came through as a NEW report on June 5, 2007 and read as a new report, which makes me more suspicious. It looks now as an old report which makes me wonder what is being fed to the news. Who is trying tp confuse whom?
Linda,
You are right about this being an old report. According to my sources there are many more recalls on the horizon.
Don't forget about National Pet Food Boycott week schedualed for June 17 through June 23. Get the word out to all your friends! Don't stock up on pet food just before the Boycott. Use this time to make foods at home or feed baby food. Let's make a statement and take a stand against these companies!
Susan
Hello Susan,
When notification of the recall was initially made public, I was panic stricken! I had fed my 14 year old cat Iams Weight Control Dry and Iams cans and pouches for years. At the time of the recall, the variety box of pouches I was feeding my cat did not fall within the recalled date codes, though they were manufactured in the same plant. A week or two later, they expanded the date range. The date of the recalled pouches fell only a couple digits short of what my cat was eating. I immediately stopped feeding him the Iams pouches with the fear of the date rage being widened again.
Because Fancy Feast was not on the recall list, I began feeding him this brand's cans until I could safely feed him a better quality brand. What I'm confused about is your Pet Food Review. You reviewed 2 of the Fancy Feast flavors as 10/10, yet Fancy Feast is included in the class action law suit implying that Fancy Feast contains unthinkable ingredients. I just don't want to feed my cat unhealthy, or vile food.
Could you please recommend a healthy dry and canned/pouch food available at either the grocery store, pet store, and/or vet? I feel so lost and would be crushed if I learned my cat became ill strictly from what I provided for him to eat. I noticed a few links above to mail order some brands, but unfortunately I'm out of both dry and wet cat food now. Thank you so much for your guidance and for your support in keeping all of our defenseless pets safe.
Toonce and Toonce's Mom,
The sad truth about the Fancy Feast and many other brands is that not all flavors are created equal.
I feed Chicken Soup Brand to both my dog and cats. There are some pretty good holistic pet foods which are available. I hate to say what I think you should feed.
The reason Fancy Feast is included in the Class Action is for it's use of euthanized cats, dogs, roadkill, and the drugs used to euthanize these pets, in the making of their pet foods. These pet foods state the products are healthy for your pet when it is actually false advertising.
Susan
Toonce and Toonce's Mom, I now feed my cats dry INNOVA & LIFE'S ABUNDANCE. I also bought some "KUMPICAT" on-line but my cats did not like it that much. I buy the Innova at a pet store here in Corpus Christi and I buy the Life's Abundance on-line. My cats like both of these. They also like Innova's can food. I also use California Natural & Instinctive Choice. I purchased some Pet Promise & PetGuard & Newmons Own from Sun Harvest. I am "trying" all the GOOD quality can foods to see which ones my cats prefer. They really liked Fancy Feast but I will NEVER feed that stuff again. So Far I think they like the Innova can food best. One of my cats prefers Instinctive Choice but it is fairly expensive and I have 6 cats. I hope some others will write in about the food they are feeding now.
Toonce & Toonce's Mom, I would watch out for the Chicken Soup Brand. Some of it was also included in the recall. One of my cats got sick from the Adult Dry Food and I really thought we were going to lose her. We took her to the vet and she had to be given fluids. I was feeding the Chicken Soup Brand at that time because I thought it was good quality food.
Jeannie,
Excellant suggestions! I've not had any trouble with the Chicken Soup but there was recalls on the wet food. I wouldn't push for this food but I feel like it is a better choice than what Wal-Mart or the grocery stores have to offer.
Susan
It is a great idea to boycott pet food the week of June 17 through June 23!I will have to stock up though. My cat has digestive problems. If your pet has medical issues, you may need to stock up too. For healthy pets, consider gradually introducing home made food with the food they are accustomed to eating. This will avoid any digestion problems.This is the first time I heard of a National Pet Food Boycott. How can we get the word out there? I googled it and only three sites popped up, including your site, Susan.
Cathy,
National Pet Food Boycott Week June 17th - 23rd. We have to let everyone know so this will be an effective effort on the part of the pet owners. Send a message to your friends through office memos, emails, phone calls, etc. When shopping tell the person shopping in the pet food area, put up a poster at the laundry, etc.
Shout, yell, scream, whisper....but get the word out!
Susan
Susan - I think it is time you listed Drs. Foster and Smith as one of the Pet Foods as Safe. They have been around since the 1970's and I have used their veterinary telephone number since those days. I have not had a negative experience in all of these years and dealing with them as I believe they have the same devotion to our pets, they deserve a positive rating.
Linda,
I would love to include Drs. Foster and Smith on the Safe List but with their list of recalled products I can not put them on the Safe List. Too many recalls.
Here is a partial list of the recalled cat foods
http://hubpages.com/hub/DRS_FOSTER_and_SMITH_Cat_F
Susan
Linda,
I would love to include Drs. Foster and Smith on the Safe List but with their list of recalled products I can not put them on the Safe List. Too many recalls.
Here is a partial list of the recalled cat foods
http://hubpages.com/hub/DRS_FOSTER_and_SMITH_Cat_F
Susan
Here is the latest new on the class action lawsuit:
Catherine J. MacIvor
Partner
cmacivor@mflegal.com
June 12, 2007 Dear All, This is our second communication to everyone who has been kind enough to e-mail us regarding the lawsuit. I have been very impressed with your offers of assistance. Most of all, I wanted to let all of you who have lost your companions cats or dogs, that my heart goes out to you and that I truly hope that this lawsuit will mean that such a senseless travesty will not happen again. I received a recent estimate from someone that perhaps as many as 30,000 pets have died from pet food – and that may be underreported. This is just one recall, if you look at the lawsuit, there have been many, many deadly pet food recalls in the last few years. This must stop. I also wanted to thank you all for the information that you have provided and let you know that we are making our way through the e-mails and will be contacting you. Thank you for your patience. If you have any concerns in the interim, please contact me. As for the status as the case, so far all of the Defendants have been served with a copy of the Complaint and all have requested additional time to respond to it. They have also asked for additional time to discuss the scheduling of deadlines to be used to progress the suit, which will be discussed at a hearing before the Judge on July 6, 2007. Once I receive the Defendants’ responses to the Complaint and attend the hearing, I will send another status report. Finally, Mike Floyd from Defend Our Pets has contacted me because he is putting together a petition online that he intends to deliver to Senator Durbin and Representative DeLauro personally. He advises that the petition is intended to encourage Congress to pass S. 1274 and H.R. 2108 to better protect pets in the future. Specifically H.R. 2108, in particular, contains provisions requiring the labels on pet foods to disclose the nature and origin of ingredients. As you know, this goes to the heart of our class action. Given the recent news that tests have revealed the presence of acetaminophen and cyanuric acid, but no melamine, and the news earlier this year that a pet food company was placing an additive in the food that could possibly cause genetic damage, among other things, I encourage you all to go to www.defendourpets.org/pettion.html so that all of your voices can be heard. Thank all of you for contacting me regarding being a part of this lawsuit. For those of you I have already contacted, your information and assistance has been invaluable. I look forward to speaking to the rest of you in the near future. I am looking forward to working together with all of you to try to effect a change through this lawsuit. Kind Regards, Catherine J. MacIvorcmacivor@mflegal.com
Jeannie,
This is great news! Thanks for sharing with us!
Susan
This is confusing. The list is supposedly Safe Foods to feed your cat, but then many of them have Class Action Filed following the product name. Can't we simply have a list of SAFE cat food brands? This is confusing.
Ginger,
Yes, Ma'am you can have a truely "safe list". I don't feel like all the foods listed on this page are safe even though there have been no recalls. I will change this page by then end of this weekend to show what I believe to be safe foods!
Thank you!
Susan Peters
Ginger, A lot of the foods that are included in the class action law suit is because they contain some pretty terrible things. Go to cmacivor@mflegal.com and take a look at the lawsuit. After you read this you will not want to feed you pets any of the food involved.
Susan-What food was added on 6-16-07? Also, have you heard that they have now found a tylenol like substance in some of the pet food? Do you know anything else about this?
Jeanie,
The pet food added on 6/16 was pet food for our little fish friends. I've heard mixed reports about the Tylenol like stuff found in pet foods. So far this is unconfirmed. Several reports state the products sent to the lab were open and not sealed. Confirmation testing has not been able to produce the same results. I'm holding my breath on this one until I find out if the sample was tainted by someone made at the companies or if there was really a problem at the pet food company (s)..
Susan
I called the company that makes Whiskas after buying seafood pouches from Wal-mart and they had a recording that stated that all of their wheat gluten was aquired from the USA not Aisa (where the bad gluten came from) so it is compleatly safe for all pets.
1800-667-2424 is the Canadian number for this company and they have a 24/7 recording to listen to.
Heather,
What about all the cat deaths that have been due to feeding this product? Yeah, Whiskas wasn't under recall but it has been killing cats left and right.
Susan
I found there has been a voluntary Royal Canin recall of some type of dog food:
http://www.royalcanin.us/questionsandanswers.html#
We use RC dry cat food for Maine Coon and it seems unaffected thank G-d!
David,
Looks like no new recalls on this product at this time. I looked at the link you provided and I believe those are production dates not recall dates. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Susan
Some of that tainted dog food was found here in NY in a park in brooklyn. Apparently someone left some of that dogfood out and some dogs found it and died.
Does anyone know if Science Diet pulled of a recall as well?
I found some of that NY info at this site... http://www-legal-aid.com/blog/
Thanks for the safe list. I've been looking all over for it. I've been feeding my cats Science Diet and Purina Indoor. I had heard that Science Diet was OK, but I was concerned about the Purina.
Asapilot and Dwdcrew,
Science Diet is on the recall list.
Susan
My cat stopped eating yesterday, started throwing up today and is only drinking water. I am taking him to the vet tomorrow, but I am afraid it's his kidneys.
I was feeding him the usual stuff, Friskies cans, Whiskas dry food, and sometimes Whiskas Temptations. Has anyone's cat got sick or die on this diet? These foods are not on the recall list, from what I know, but please let me know.
Anna,
The answer to your question is "yes". There have been enough pet illness and deaths from both of these products that there has been a class action filed against these pet food producers.
Anna,
The answer to your question is "yes". There have been enough pet illness and deaths from both of these products that there has been a class action filed against these pet food producers.
Bad news: Wal-Mart has put Special Kitty back on the shelves in a new package that reads in big letters ASPCA on the side. So does that mean it is not being made by Menu foods and is safe. They are watching it and is ok now. It still has Wheat Gluten and by-products so is it still a product of left overs from 5 months ago. Have they really cleaned up their act? Or maybe it is fool me once shame on them, fool me twice shame on ME.
I had 4 clients call me last week to tell me they had pets die and could not make their grooming appointments. My best friend called over the weekend to tell me his pet was in the throws of death. The latest recall was July 20th. Special Kitty has years of recall history. I wouldn't be the stuff! Thanks for the warning about Special Kitty being back on the shelves, Nan.
Susan
Hello Susan - I am confused with regard to your report of Drs Foster and Smith pets foods. They had one "voluntary" preventative recall because of rice gluten but your page/link lists another food called "Lick Your Chops" a product of Healthy Pet Foods not related to Drs Foster and Smith. It is not a product of Drs Foster and Smith.
I don't think anyone should be disregarded for taking a proactive approach in these times of trouble. Drs Foster and Smith's pet foods have killed NO animals to date and to ban them as a company that blatantly poisons our pets with bad ingredients is not a viable choice in my opinion. It is only a choice made by due diligence that confirms who is and who is not making the correct choices.
Drs Foster and Smith in my opinion made a proactive decision and recalled one (1) product because of rice gluten. No animal suffered and no animal died. It was a decision based upon consumer need to be and feel safe. If all of the other companies involved in the deaths of pets back in March had taken a more proactive approach instead of turning a blind eye, most probably many of the deaths that occurred would not have been.
This is only my opinion based on 25 years of feeding a product I trusted as the best! Purina One, Purina Pro, Purina everything! During those years I never once thought I was hurting my pets. I was rudely awakened last year in October and started my research for more information about the ingredients, I was not happy. Still I have my own personal questions, but since so many questions have been raised, then I am left again to research and to continue.
You know just between all of us, the best thing I ever did back in the old days was to start feeding my cats "Dad's" cat food with the ash benefit for urinary tract problems (In the Yellow Bag, in those days Purina was not offering a food for the urinary tract). I have since reread their ingredient label and it outshines Purina. How sad does that make me ...very.
I have simplified what I had to say because it would take far too long to write it all here.
I made an error, it is not Rice Gluten, it is Rice Protein. A voluntary recall because of a possible Rice Protein contamination. My error with words. No such thing as Rice Gluten.
Our 2 babies are HEALTHY 9 years old and have been eating and greatly enjoying Whiskas ground canned wet food since their inception! wE Within the past month, we have noticed that PetSmart and Petsco have gradually diminished carrying these products (canned Whiskas) down to nothing. When we've asked management, no one seems to know what happened. Is this related to the recall? I have not found anything on the web to indicate that the Whiskas canned food has been tainted. The Whiskas pouches are still being sold. Has anyone heard about what happened to Whiskas canned cat food? Our 2 little ones are especially fond of "kitty stew!" I pulled the latest cat food recall list from FDA and still there is no showing of Whiskas on the list. DID WE MISS SOMETHING???!!!
TLC,
Whiskas didn't wish to be included in the recall so now they are named in a Class Action lawsuit against the company for killing so many pets. Seems to me that PetSmart and Petco must have realized this and pulled the product from their shelves.
Susan
Thanks Susan for the quick response. We had suspected as much but weren't able to confirm. Is there a particular brand of wet cat food that you recommend that can be purchased at say Petsmart or Petsco that is safe? We feed our kitties a very small portion of wet food predominantly as a treat. They are both on the Purina OM (Overweight Management) dry food, which they seem to like.
TLC,
Take a look at this list and find something you like with a score of 10/10 http://hubpages.com/hub/Cat_Food_Review
Then, compair it to the list on this page.
Good luck!
Susan
I am so amazed this day as I read and have read all of the so-called new pet food products which have been re-introduced into the market. The old ones we all knew and loved have re-entered under a new and assumed label. OH GLEE! I should be happy! But I read the label and the ingredients. What is wrong with us? Nothing has changed!! Still corn, still by products at the lesser. Everything is still wrong, so I ask what is wrong with us? If not for "Us" these companies would be forced to feed our pets first grade food, not second grade. Apparently they know that we are under their control and believe all is well, when it is not.
If you want me to read your email make sure the subject line rings true. I will delete the trash, faster than you can think.
Linda,
You are so right about the pet food industry. Shame on the producers! Killing our pets should be a crime!
Susan
I only got part way down these comments and it breaks my heart. My one cat was diagnosed with kidney failure and the vet may think it was the food they recommended we give them since they were overweight. Right now we and he are fighting for his life. My suggestion to you all and the suggestion from our Homeopathic vet and doctor is to give them raw meat. We found that it is a little more work but it makes me feel better knowing what exactly my boys are getting to eat. The food they were put on was hills prescription diet both wet and dry. The dry food was recalled but not the wet. The reason why the vet thinks it may be the wet food is that another young cat was diagnosed right after mine and he only ate the wet. Our cats are carnivores at heart lets give them what they need. Just do a google on raw meat diets for cats and dogs and you will see the studies. To me it did not matter if a certain kind was recalled or not these companies and brand names are so intertwined it probably all comes from the same place.
Hi Susan,My vet recommeded Hills Prescription I D for my 12 year-old cat. He has lost weight in the last few months. He has a good appetite and had been eating Fancy Feast, but only the ones without wheat gluten. I did not see that particular food (I D) on your list. Any thoughts about it. Are there other foods out there to help fatten him up. I want to avoid a whole battery of tests, but will of course, if necessary.Thanks
Cathy,
I believe your vet is trying to make some quick bucks. Fancy Feast scored higher than Hill's Prescription diet. Shame on Hills and your vet ! I've posted the review on my Cat Food Review Page. I'll have the review for the canned formula ready for you soon.
Susan
Cathy,
I'm guessing you feel your cat is suffering from a liver condition. My suggestion to you is get that cat on some meat. Absolutly NO corn, wheat, or soy. The liver can repair itself if it is not overly damaged but it is a long slow process. Cats were not made to eat rice, corn, wheat, or soy. How many farmers do you see chasing the cats away from the grain crops? Cats are meat eaters.
Good Luck and God Bless!
Please keep me advised.
Susan
Thank you. Although, it is not what I want to hear.......... Right, that is why, the food that I give him, is without the grains. I just know, that he will be fine........ One time, they wanted to give him steroids, for his allergies. I said, no I had, my little special cat, Short Cat, develope diabetes. from the steriods. shots. I will keep you advised. There has to be something,,,,,, to fatten him up.
Why does California Natural say "Deleted?" It is no longer safe???
Leigh,
California Natural has been deleted from the safe list due to a class action filed against the company for false advertising. The class action against the company reports the ingredients used by California Natural are "not fit for human consumption". To answer your question... California Natural is NOT safe for your pets.
Susan
Wow. I thought I did my research. Just switched to Cal Nat about 2 weeks ago. This is all confusing. Tried to switch to Felidae or Evangers but having trouble finding them in my area. Thanks for this blog!
Also, I see that some of the companies on your list, like Wellness, do use Menu Foods. Do you really think we can trust those companies?
Leigh,
I'm not a 100% sure Wellness is completely safe but I can find nothing to support my thoughts to pull it from the list.
If you have any additional information I would sure be interested in reviewing the facts.
Thanks,
Susan
Susan I have looked and can't seem to find a lawsuit against Natura Pet. Is it documented anywhere? It is seperate from the Menu Foods lawsuit?
Leigh,
The Class Action is not part of the Menu Foods lawsuit. Natura Pet has been included in the Class Action by Maltzman/Foreman Law Group. I'll see what I can do to get the information published where they have been included in the suit.
Susan
Well, I went to the Maltzman/Foreman web site and found a law suit, but it does not mention Natura. It does mention Nutro and Menu Foods, among others. So you're saying they just have not published it yet? Thank you.
Leigh,
I have not been able to find any published announcements about Natura but I do expect to see one soon.
Susan
Leigh,
I have not been able to find any published announcements about Natura but I do expect to see one soon.
Susan
It would be helpful to see a reason for the deletions and the date they were deleted.
I do not see where Natura Pet (Innova, EVO, California Natural) have been listed in ANY lawsuit. Where did you get the info on that? I would like to see it as I feed those foods myself.
L.,
Testing has shown the ingredients in these foods no fit for human consumption. I've not recieved an official notification of the Class Action as of yet. Once I have that notification I will post the information.
Thanks,
Susan
Hi Susan, I wrote to you about 4 months ago with my 12 year old cat losing weight and was put on ID. He gained 2 lbs in two months. Although, I still mix in some Gluten free Fancy Feast with it. Whew!ThanksCathy
Cathy,
Thanks for the report. I'm glad your cat is doing well!
Susan
Hi Susan, currently my cat is being fed the innova evo dry kibble formula and it alarmed me when I saw that they are being charged for false advertising on your site. I dont want to take the risk so am in search of a different product. I came upon a brand called Life's Abundance made by a holistic veterinarian and I was wondering if you could review that brand and give your input. Also I've been reading that it is actually not good for your cat to be fed a dry diet as it can lead to diseases like diabetes due to the lack of water. What is your input on that issue? Do you think an all canned diet is better as well? Also can you give input on the Life's abundancy canned foods as well as another brand called Bench and Field holistic formula for cats. I happend to see that today at Trader Joes and never heard of them before. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Jo5,
http://hubpages.com/hub/Cat_Food_Review
I'll get to work on the reviews for you. I have many requests for reviews so it might be a couple of days.
Susan
Jo,
I forgot to mention that I feel the canned cat foods are a better option due to the lower temps in production. The high temperature of making dry pet foods kills a large part of the nutritional value of dry foods.
Susan
Jo,
I have not had a chance to do a full review on Bench and Fields at this time. I should have the reviews done for you tomorrow. I want you to know there are a lot of "feel good" ingredients but with the fillers they are using plus the manure they use to flavor the cat food I'm not suggesting you purchase this product.
Susan
Thanks Susan I'll be waiting. Oh, by the way, I've literally cut off canned cat food for my cat since the recalls because I'm afraid to find any one of them (even the so called good ones like innova) be charged for false advertising or end up on the recall list. What do you recommend is the best dry and wet food brand out there for my cat? I've just been getting more and more anxious about it because I feel there is always something wrong with something. Also, I've come across the RAW diet alot. What is your input on those?
Jo5,
Here is your Life's Abundance canned review http://hubpages.com/hub/Cat-Food-Review---Cat-Food
Here's your Bench & Fields and Life's Abundance dry food. I'm working on more reviews http://hubpages.com/hub/Cat_Food_Review
I don't really know much about the raw diets. Should you find a brand you favor I'll be happy to take a look at it.
I hate to suggest any pet foods at this time. All I've tried at home have failed. Look through the list for a 10/10 score and be sure to read the comments.
Good Luck!
Susan
You'll see me posting up there 2 months ago. Just have to say I switched to pre-made raw by Nature's Variety. A vet highly recommended it here: http://www.catinfo.org. (She recommends making it or Feline's Pride more, but I can't afford Feline's Pride and am not ready to dive into making it myself yet.)
Also click on my name to read the whole story of me switching my cats over. So far it's been the best thing I ever did for them.
Leigh,
I am sorry, I remember you. I'm headed to your page now.
Thanks,
Susan
thanks for your great info :)
Cat Lover,
I'm glad to be of help to you!
Susan
Hi Susan,
I was wondering about a brand of canned cat foo, Merricks Grammys Pot Pie (can you review that one)? I am very impressed with your work! Much appreciated. I was very informed on the Fancy Feast..I have stopped feeding that as my Simba loved the sliced variety best. Looking for something better. Merricks in the aboved and using Wellness dry as of right now til I can find one he will eat in canned (that's safe) and healthy.
Simba's mom,
I took a quick look at the Merrick Grammy's Pot Pie I do not care for the use of salt or potatoes for fillers. I will give this company a 9/10 score. For a cat food that is a pretty good score. I have several requests for reviews, more requests than I have time, so it will be a few days before I can provide a full review for you.
Thank you so much for letting me know my work is helpful to you, knowing this makes it all worth while!
Susan
Click my name for a link to the problem Evanger's is having with the FDA. They can Canidae and Felidae and others!
Leigh,
Thank you so much for the heads up. Where did you find the information on what other products Evanger's cans?
Susan
As a cat lover I must say this is a great hub! We've been paying extra for the fancy cat food... but it's worth if it makes them safer and healthier. "them" being our two cats of course!
Jonny,
Not always is the more expensive food better. Take Science Diet, for example, very expensive and very low quality. (Not suggesting feeding this junk) Special Kitty, Wal Mart brand, score 3 times higher.
Note: Don't feed either pet food!
Susan
Simba's Mom,
I have your Grammy's Pot Pie Review ready at http://hubpages.com/hub/Merrick-Cat-Food-Healthy-P
Susan
The more I read about safe cat food the more I get confused. For example, you stated that cat should have no corn or corn gluten but you also approve eagle pack which has both ingredients in it.
Another example is the review for california natural. it says in this page that it's no longer safe but the review page still gives 7/10.
Good pet food webpages each has their own version for rating. Others deduct points for yeast others don't, others approve a product others don't etc. In the end I would have to make the decision myself.
Hardy,
Products on the safe list are those which do not have a history of pet illness or pet death. This is a "Safe" page not a "Healthy" page. I would love to make a page of healthy pet foods but I find little need to publish a blank page.
You are very observant about the high score for poor pet products. You may have found some of my older reviews which I have not gotten updated with the Class Action and Recall information. Many pet food companies are changing their use of ingredients and able to score high in my reviews even though the product is toxic to pets. Due to the recent trend from the pet food company I have developed a new rating system called the Pet Food Danger Gauge http://hubpages.com/hub/Pet-Food-Danger-Gauge-How-
Susan
Sweet. Nice to hear that you're keeping up.:)
I'm stil educating myself regarding cat food. I live in Australia and we only have few choices for good pet food. I've tried Innova and Evo but both are way too expensive for me. I think a chain store has the monopoly of distribution for these brand so the mark up can be quiet a lot. Plus it's no longer on your safe list so I'll steer away from this brand.
I've tried science diet also but it gives one of my cats diarrhea. A bad one too. So I switched to eukanuba based on the advice of my vet but that didn't help so I switched again to iams. And I kept using Iams for a year until I could find substitute.
Not until lately we have good pet food coming in to Australia. Tried natural balance and my cats seemed to enjoy it. Plus their stools become less smelly. I don't know why but the expiry date is always a close one. I had to throw away my last one before finishing it.
I was thinking of trying eagle pack but they have corn, corn gluten meal and yeast. I just got my first pack of orijen this morning and going to give it a try.
Cheers.
Hardy,
Of the pet foods listed I support the Orijen. Keep me advised.
Susan
So many to choose from :o
Tried Wellness products - caused excessive diarrhea in cat, after trying each variety, (slowly introduced as indicated) now vet has prescribed hills d/d duck and pea , still diarrhea, now wondering if cat has contracted some kind of colitis, ibd, or worse. (although cat had no problems actually on Regular run of mill (possibly gross contaminated food w/ the grisly things possibly in shelved products)). Now vet wants to try him on hills i/d for gi problem cats. Is it true hills has class action against it and was part of recall? Why would vets be using it?
(my cat with this problem was on blue bag hairball control purina.)
anyway, please let me know latest info on these!!!!
Problems all began when i tried to switch to pricey 'good for them' high-end producs!
thank you,
wendy
Wendy,
The vets are prescribing the recalled crappy food because they can sell the junk to you and make a huge profit while still treating your pets for other conditions. Change vets!!! NOW! This vet does not have your cat's best interest at heart.
Be sure to feed the good food to your cat in according to the directions on the packaging. Your cat is going to have trouble eating the new food if he is allowed to eat all he wants. Your cat has lose stools because the new food is much richer than what he is used to. It will take a few days for the new food to settle with him. Forget the slow mix of old and new foods. The old foods are produced with ingredients to force a pet to eat far more food than what the cat or dog needs, thus, he is getting too much of the new product.
If your cat is used to eating (example only) a cup a day of the old food he should be getting only about 1/4 a cup of the new food. No junk and fillers in the new stuff - just the good ingredients your cat's body is looking for.
I'll write a review for you using the Pet Food Danger Gauge.
Susan
heard something about a cat food recall on cnn and I was trying to locate what brands.
Hello Sue
Great site & good information. I just discovered you this morning so I have not had time to read everything.
A quick question..not all thebrands have ratings so I wanted to know what you found for Acana Pet Foods .. I discover that they have salmon & potato for adults...really potato ?
Suzanne,
Potatoes - cheap filler, much like the use of beet pulp. Can be dangerous to pets depending on the condition of the potatoes. Potato Peelings and Green Potatoes (Contain Oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems.)
I'm not trusting of commercial pet foods containing potatoes, we don't know how the potatoes were prepared. I question if someone sat and peeled all these spuds.
Susan
Hey Susan,
I really went crazy in the research dept after the recall and after days and days of reading, checking, calling etc finally settled on Evangers back in '07 for my cat.
Now I'm looking again because she just gets no thrill from eating it. I can tell, just eats what she has to and I end up throwing away a good 30% of it week after week. But geeezuz it is sooo incredibly frustrating getting a consensus on the most important things I look for if i'm going to switch foods.
First safety. I DON'T understand the current status of foods that are STILL manufactured at Menu foods. For example I used to feed my cat some Trader Joe products. But i stopped after i found out during the recall that they were made by MF. They were never part of the recall but i still felt uneasy about it. NOW in 2008 you get different reputable sites saying certain foods are safe that formerly were made by Menu foods or were part of the recall. Natural balance is another. Gets great ratings but they were part of the recall too, not all flavors but some. Then I read that Natural Balance is loaded with carbohydrates. Also looking at Natures logic but just saw it was made at MF also. I know that there are many foods that never had any connection to MF or the recall but there is also the cost factor. Would like to be in the 80 cents to one dollar category and not any higher. And ofcourse i would not feed my cat any of the typical grocery store pet foods.
Bottom line can i feel safe about feeding my cat foods that are deemed safe but formerly had a Menu foods connection or are STILL made by Menu foods?
OMG. I keep feeding my kitten all these expensive foods like Royal Canin and Science Diet. And all I keep reading is how bad they are. I don't want my kitten to be sick =( What are some safe foods I can buy for him?????
I am so confused by the recall news and your reviews! Is there anything safe for my cats?! What dry food do/would you feed your cats?
wendy,
My cat lulu has been on wellness core for a while. Then the store didn't have it so I switched her to wellness deboned chicken one and she had diarrhea for 1 whole month till I finally got core and she got better all by herself in three days. I think they must have changed the formul or something for her to get the diarrhea too! Just thought I'd let you know that the wellness core worked so far.
Isn't this just the best set of reasons for feeding a properly balanced raw diet of foods bought from human food outlets? Like the "whole prey" diet that either is the kind of prey that is the natural, species appropriate diet for cats... or replicating it by serving the same proportions of edible bone, varied organs and lots of fatty, meaty meat from a variety of species. Just like cats ate before humans invented ton cans.
The stories about the bad experiences people have with commercial foods scare me. Most vets get their nutrition education from Pet Food Company vets. A little bisased, do you think? No wonder they fill their shelves with cans and bags, and do not know anything about the evolutionarily appropriate diet for small carnivores like our pet cats, dogs, ferrets.
Lois
PS forgive the typos. I am disabled and type with difficulty. L
Watch out for 9lives catfood.
Hi susan,
I was looking through some canned foods and came upon a canned food that is supposedly for dogs but people feed them to cats as well called tripett canned food. Have you heard of these? From what I understand they are the internal organs of various animals. i also cannot find who the manufacturer is as well. Can you look into this?
Also I've read before in the posts that you homecook for your pets from time to time. What type of foods do you cook for them? is it the raw?
I've been feeding my cat the nature's variety lamb and beef, wellness beef and salmon and once a week the ticki cat tuna sashimi (sorry for spelling), for a little over a yr now but am always nervous these will end up recalled as well. I limit to these b/c it appears she has food allergies and they tell me I should try to stay away from chicken and eggs as it is a common allergin. I know they aren't 100% safe b/c of their ingrediants of sodium selenite, chlorine chloride, and salt etc. I can't seem to find anything completely safe out there and am seriously considering the raw but really nervous about that too as I've heard of pets that had stomach issues from the raw.
What do you recommend if I want to stray away from the commercialized food? Is there anything cooked that I can make at home that is safe and fills her nutrient needs? any help would be grateful!
Great Hub you have here :) Please check out my Belfast Maine website would love to network!
Your list says EVO was deleted. Do you mean it was deleted from the list of safe foods? If so, can't you just remove it to keep from being confusing. Evo is listed on your site with an 84. None of this makes sense, you are really causing a lot of unnecessary confusion here unless you are just trying to up your page count from me clicking all over the place to try to figure out what you are talking about.
Susan,
What do you know about the Orijen cat food recall in Australia? I feed my cat Orijen so now I am not sure what to do.
The Orijen recall in Australia was ONLY for Australia and was traced to the irradiation that the pet food received when it entered that country. It was not actually the pet food itself. That seems to be one of the few truly safe brands left.
Hello, i haven't been on the site lately. But i noticed several posts and was wondering is Susan not keeping up on the site anymore. Known of her posts were very recent.
thanks,
Michelle
To Danielle Dolan,
You're exactly right... looks like you researched what being a "HubPage Author" is all about as I have. If anyone is upping Susan Peters page count, trust me, it's ME! Not only is her page count going up but, she is earning money every time people like you and me click all over her pages for info... the confusion she is causing is, in my opinion, deliberate. Did you know that Susan Peters (if that is her real name) is not a certified or licensed pet nutritionist but a pet groomer? Kind of like seeking advice on eye surgery from a make-up artist.
To Michelle,
Hello... I believe I have written to you on another of Susan Peters HubPages..."ka-ching, ka-ching" If she doesn't have the time to answer questions, she is most likely "conveniently" on vacation. In one of her comments online she admits to making over $2,100 a month voicing her opinions on this site. Pretty good vacation money. If anyone out there is intrigued by this and considers becoming a "Hubber" please, for all our sakes, don't pretend to be someone you're not by giving advice to people on very crucial subjects that relate to sicknesses and death... stick with what you know and admit that your opinions are just that.. opinions.
If you read this, Susan, I want to say I'm sorry for the negativism but, you can hardly blame me (or us). When it comes to the well being of our beloved pets I wish you would look for a real job and leave the advice on pet foods to a certified nutritionist. Your confusing advice is adding extra frustration to pet owners who are frustrated enough by mean-spirited pet food manufacturers looking to make a buck, and also veterinarians who push the garbage they advertise in their office to make commission from that particular pet food company...don't be the same way.
A word of warning to everyone about pet food at your vets office... my vet quietly told me during one of my pets appts that she would never feed her pet the food they advertised, which happens to be Science Diet... garbage! These foods make your pets sick so that you go back to the vet making more money for them, it's a vicious cycle. I wish Vets would take a stand against this disgusting practice but, the veterinarian schools are largely financed from these major pet food companies, therefore brainwashing every student into pushing their product for commissions. Judgement day can't come soon enough, Good Grief!!!
~ The More I Meet People The More I Love My Pets ~
SUSAN, HOW MANY PETS DO YOU HAVE? and what kind of cat foods do you give to your cats?
Has anyone seen a post from Susan Peters on any of her 600+ "hubs" within the last 8 months? Maybe her two year run with this little gig is up? A person can only go so far pretending to be someone they're not. In Susan Peters case a "Pet Food Nutritionist Wanna Be". I think she finally came to realize she got in way over her head... but I doubt she feels any conviction over her fraudulent ratings. There are way too many posters on her pages complaining about her ridiculous ratings for her to ignore. I hope all her readers are becoming aware that she is not qualified whatsoever to give advice on which pet foods are safe. Please read other sites like: www.dogfoodanalysis.com and www.thepetfoodlist.com, the later showing you where these foods are manufactured. It's hard enough trying to figure out who we can trust without having to stumble onto a "Susan Peters HubPage" to make matters worse! What some people do for money- it's disgusting. All I have to say to her is GET A REAL JOB! I'm gonna start saying grace over my pets food (and everyone elses, too!) everyday and pray for the best.
Oh... to Caroline,
I highly doubt Susan Peters has any pets at all (IMO), unless she considers the pets she grooms her own ?? I say this because I have read many posters asking her that same question but never saw her reply to it.
Susan: THANK YOU for an informative, clear list of Cat Foods. I found the site easy to understand--but mostly! I HUGE wake-up call for me!
I already know that vets will promote some foods only because they made a deal with the company (honest doctors admit to this). Due to that, though, they are NOT a trusted resource.
Again, thank you--I appreciate your dedicated service for all of us.
Keep up the good work!! Sincerely, Victoria
pepole should always love cats no mater what!
Wondering about what the "Deleted" means. I was thinking about purchasing Diamond Indoor Cat Food but saw that all the Diamond Foods are on the list. (as deleted) What does that mean ? False alarm or Bad?
Eileen D. says:
3 years ago
Does anyone know if the Whiskas brand pouch food is involved in the recall?????
I don't see it listed on the recall list, but I don't see it listed HERE either.
Help. If you know, please let me know. Thank You.
Eileen D.