Is there a god damn list of safe pet food, or is it all poison?!?

[graywarrior]

! ? ! ?

[Clark2008]

1. Pedigree is safe

I don't think Purina's on the list either.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. Mighty Dog is made by Purina

Or at least I think it is.

[Neecy]

11. Mighty Dog has been recalled as well

Not the cans, but the Mighty Dog sold in pouches. I heard about it this morning.

[Arkansas Granny]

13. I think the Mighty Dog was voluntarily recalled as a precaution.

I don't believe any of it has been found to be contaminated. The details are at the Purina website.

http://www.purina.com/company/press/2007/MightyDog.aspx

Purina to voluntarily withdraw Mighty Dog® 5.3 ounce pouch products in response to Menu Foods recall
No other Purina products affected
St. Louis, Missouri, March 16, 2007
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company today announced that as a precautionary measure, it is voluntarily withdrawing its 5.3 ounce Mighty Dog® brand pouch products that were produced by Menu Foods, Inc. from December 3, 2006 through March 14, 2007.

[Texasgal]

43. I feed my babies the CANS

mixed with kibble... I am a bit worried, even though I have seen no indication of the cans being affected. I am still pretty freaked out... I've stopped, but hell this past week they even had some! :scared:

[Neecy]

so do I...

I've fed my Lhasa Apso Mighty Dog since I got him at the age of 3 - and he's now almost 18 and as active as a puppy. Don't know if it's genes or the Mighty Dog.

I don't trust ANY canned food now, though. I've been boiling chicken and mixing it with cooked carrots and brown rice for all my boys. So far they seem to like it...

[Texasgal]

73. My kids like boiled LEAN

hamburger meat and rice... they are so finicky though! This whole thing has got me freaked out!

They both seem normal as ever, as a matter of fact as I type my boy has got the ball in his mouth DYING for me to throw it!

I have two Boston Terriers, one boy and one girl. They have LIVED on mighty dog and kibble since birth!

[Neecy]

140. my guys are finicky, too

Try adding a little pinch of garlic powder (not garlic salt) to the water when you cook the rice. My Pomeranians wolf it down when I do that. Some dogs really like carrots and chopping or grating a little cooked carrot into their food might help. Who knew we'd go back to frickin' Pioneer Days to feed our dogs?

This thing really is upsetting - I'd be driving to Emporia and storming the gates if even ONE of my dogs got sick from their shit.

Love Boston Terriers, btw.

[kestrel91316]

187. Garlic and onion are documented to be toxic to dog and cat

red blood cells. They cause oxidative damage to the hemoglobin, resulting in shortened rbc lifespan and increasing the risk of anemia.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

223. garlic is safe and onions are toxic for dogs

don't know about cats

[kestrel91316]

229. Sorry. Garlic and onion are BOTH toxic, to dogs AND cats.

It's my job to know this stuff. This article is just the best short summary I could find in a hurry. There's lots more.

Allium species Poisoning in Dogs and Cats
Vet Med. August 2005;100(8):562-566. 15 Refs
R.B. Cope1
1 Dept of Biomedical Sciences, CVM, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331

Abstract
Wild and domesticated Allium species have been used for culinary and ethnomedicinal purposes since the beginning of recorded history. About 95 species of native or cultivated leeks, chives, garlic, shallots, scallions, and onions are present in North America, and more than 80 ornamental Allium species are available. All Allium species and the products derived from them can be toxic to dogs and cats; however, relatively few Allium species are of important toxicologic interest. This article includes a table which lists the Allium species native to North America that are the most commonly involved in animal poisonings. The domesticated species commonly involved in toxicosis include Allium cepa (onion), Allium porrum (leek), Allium sativum (garlic), and Allium schoenoprasum (chive). The plants form solitary or clustered bulbs and are strongly aromatic, with an onion or garlic odor when crushed. The distinctive aroma distinguishes Allium species from morphologically similar poisonous plants, particularly death camas (Zigadenus species).

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

234. Large amounts of garlic are toxic

Not normal amounts that are added to food. I add garlic to the ground turkey when I homecook that for my dog. Richard Pitcairn DVM ("Natural Health for Dogs and Cats") recommends adding it to food as a digestive aid and flea repellant

Ever hear of brewers years with garlic - a supplement sold for dogs ? If garlic was toxic, I doubt that it would be an ingredient

I realize that you are a vet who specializes in cats. I trust that you do not want to spread misinformation that could cause unnecessary concern.

[piesRsquare]

248. Talk about spreading misinformation!

Did you just see the abstract kestrel posted above, from the DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES AT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY?!!

IIRC, Oregon State has a pretty good rep!

A peer-reviewed, published scientific study from a university biomedical sciences department that's less than two years old must be wrong because ONE DVM who's selling a book recommends garlic?

Many veterinarians DO NOT receive much education about pet nutrition during their training!

The arrogance on some of these threads really is obnoxious!

Oh--and I"m a veterinary technician...been in the field for 23 years. Worked with vets who specialized in everything from cats to goats to snakes. Definitely not an expert, but definitely know something!

Updated pet food recall info: http://2blackcats.wordpress.com

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

256. Data taken out of context is not helpful to anyone

Pitcairn is a respected expert in the field of nutrition and natural health for companion animals and has been for years. I have other books by vets on my dog bookshelf at home that contain the same recommendation ; I also have several homemade treat cookbooks with recipes including garlic. I have been adding garlic to my homecooked food for years - as have many other dog owners in my circle.

And, once again, brewers yeast with garlic is a popular supplement - which would certainly not be marketed if garlic in any amount was toxic to dogs.

I'm sure kestrel is a very competent and caring vet, but as you state : "Many veterinarians DO NOT receive much education about pet nutrition during their training! " . I have not seen any proof of her expertise in the canine nutrition field. If I had a cat, I would certainly pay attention to her recommendations for that species based on her years of experience.

And I agree about the arrogance - but it seems to be coming from the vet industry who can't accept the pet guardians who have taken the time to read and educate themselves on canine nutrition.

We all want to do what is best for our best friends and flaming each other is not productive.

[OhioChick]

8. Purina is on the list.

http://www.purina.com/company/press/2007/MightyDog.aspx

[Clark2008]

44. So basically, the only thing left is Pedigree?

That's made by Mars (yes, the candy company).

Which is a life-saver, truly, because that's the only thing I use.

Here's a note from their site:

Dog lovers,

We would like you to know that PEDIGREE® Food For Dogs is not a part of the recent nationwide pet food recall initiated by Menu Foods and other companies. All of our PEDIGREE® products remain a safe, nutritious and delicious way to feed your best friends.

As dog lovers ourselves, the safety and nutritional quality of our food is our top priority, and you should continue to feel confident feeding our food to your dog.

For details on the recall, contact Menu Foods at 1-866-895-2708 or visit www.menufoods.com/recall.

http://www.pedigree.com/petfoodrecall.asp

[Hepburn]

212. Thanks goodness my pup does like Pedigree...

....she likes other things ~~ people food ~~ much better, tho. I am always concerned, however, on just a diet of people food she will not get all the things she needs. Have always given her kibble in the AM mixed with things she likes ~~ tuna, chicken, egg, cheese, etc. ~~ and for her evening meal, she usually gets some version of people food. And she LOVES carrots ~~ so she gets those mixed in with her food on a regular basis. Tonight is beef stew night ~~ one of her favorites ~~ and her portion will have lots of meat and carrots.

Snacks? I buy marrow bones and bake them for her. Most of the pet snacks look like junk to me. For rewards on doing tricks, etc., she gets dried liver treats because they are in small bites, but I usually avoid all the other dog treats.

I have been so worried about the safety of pet food since all of this has come out, that I am worried about feeding her just about ANYTHING out of a can that is dog food.

[Raine]

242. I'm so relieved

cause Pedigree is what I feed my dog. I almost switched but because of their commercials promoting finding homes for shelter dogs I decided to stick with them.

[and-justice-for-all]

240. My little ones eat PURINA indoor dry cat food...

..and Blue Buffalo Spa formula.

I would like to food them a more natural diet instead of this manufactured garbage, its like junk food for them.

[dysfunctional press]

253. purina dry cat food is fine.

the ONLY affected purina product is mighty dog soft food in a pouch.

[dysfunctional press]

252. only one purina product- mighty dog pouch.

people should have cats, anyway.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

108. Now I am nervous. Is Nine Lives "Tender Slices with Chicken in Gravy" safe?

I'm freaking out... Does anyone know?

[magellan]

147. Nine Lives is okay

Del Monte makes it. I just read online that none of their food has been recalled, and also have a neighbor who feels lucky that they feed their dogs Del Monte brand food.

[donsu]

182. yes - 9 Lives pc site says food is OK

nt

[orleans]

220. pedigree has wheat gluten in the DRY food--check out the

ingredients on their website

[Sydnie]

2. My vet recommends Hills Science Diet

It is not on the list and is still made by a small company. Hoping the vet was correct, as I just picked up some today.

[Whoa_Nelly]

7. Hills' canned is being voluntary recalled

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/hills203_07.html

Total list:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html

And Menu Foods link recall:
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/

[Sydnie]

45. I use Fancy Feast for my cat and got the Hills for my room mate's

dog today. Makes me want to just make my own for a while.

[kestrel91316]

54. Fancy Feast is just fine.

[guruoo]

231. Have you tried jack mackerel?

Had mine on jack mac and dry ever since this thing hit.
They love it, but oooh, that breath...

[kestrel91316]

52. PLEASE. Only the feline cuts and gravy from Science Diets is

recalled. All their other foods, canned and dry, are perfectly safe.

My clients feed mostly Science and I have had ZERO cases of this ARF syndrome to date.

[spoony]

72. That's reassuring but do you know

why dry food made by Menu is not being recalled? If the rodecide was on the wheat, doesn't that go into all the food?

I'm very concerned about my little fluff ball :(

[Critters2]

80. That's what I'm thinking. Lots of wheat in most dry foods

Why wouldn't that wheat also be from China?

[kestrel91316]

88. It was imported WHEAT GLUTEN that had the contaminant.

No wheat gluten in kibble.

[spoony]

93. *Whew* Thanks

Good to know. I was running around checking ingredients. Now I know why I didn't find any wheat gluten on the dry food :P

[orleans]

191. pedigree has wheat gluten in the DRY food

http://www.pedigree.com/dogproducts/Dry/PEDIGREE+HEALTHY+MATURITY+with+MEATY+HEALTHY+NUGGETS/With+Chicken+and+Rice.asp

[Hepburn]

213. Thank you for the info ~~

I have been worried about this since I like to give my dog kibble in the AM. Good for her teeth, etc.

[piesRsquare]

163. Menu Foods doesn't make dry food n/t

[Critters2]

196. Yes, they do. nt

[piesRsquare]

246. No, they don't

Go to the Menu Foods website, to the FAQ page. It's written right there, Q-&-A #8:

"I feed my pet dry food. Is dry pet food safe?

Menu Foods only manufactures wet pet food in cans and foil pouches. Dry pet food is not part of the Menu Foods recall."

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/FAQ_Consumer.htm

[Jamastiene]

17. Some of theirs IS on the list.

My heart did a flip until I saw it only affected food I don't use. Just in case, here is a link so you can be safe:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/hills03_07.html

[Critters2]

41. No, some Science Diet is made by Menu foods

I'll hunt up the link.

[Critters2]

42. Here's the Science Diet recall info:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/hills203_07.html

[Jcrowley]

70. Hill's science is loaded

with GMO's. First hand info.

Terrible, unhealthy food.

[NNN0LHI]

144. How is Hills Prescription? Besides expensive as hell?

Thanks for any info.

Don

[Jcrowley]

145. Here ya go- Avoid it

Ingredients:

Chicken-by-product meal, brewers rice, corn gluten meat, corn meal, powdered cellulose, pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), chicken liver flavor, vegetable oil, DL-methionine, taurine, preserved with BHT and BHA, minerals (calcium sulfate, potassium chloride, salt, calcium carbonate, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, maganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), rosemary extract, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, niacin, vitamin E supplement, thiamine monoitrate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement).

Remember the ingredients are listed in the order of quantity in it. The very first ingredient is chicken-by-product meal. You do realize what this is right? It is the feet, intestines, lungs, livers, beaks, necks, heads, and whatever else is leftover from a chicken. The third and fourth main ingredients are corn gluten meat and corn meal. Most pets cannot digest this very well.

Another ingredient that really bothers me is the use of BHA and BHT as a preservative. These chemical preservatives are believed to cause liver damage, fetal abnormalities, kidney problems and metabolic disorders.

I never use to check the ingredients of my pets food until this past year. I had always checked our human consumption ingredients and then it dawned on me to start checking the dog and cat food ingredients. Most of it was not very understandable but there are plenty of web sites to help you understand what these ingredients are. Please start reading the ingredients and understanding what you are feeding your beloved pet(s).

If you are going to pay a high price for a prescription cat food, do not buy the Hills brand I am sorry to report.

As a sidebar I called directly to Hill's and spoke with a woman who was beyond just a REP, I forget her title, and she openly admitted that they use GMO's in their base corn ingredients. Please avoid Hill's like the plague that it is. Also challenge your Vet on this and ask why they support and promote Hill's. You'll see they won't like this question and really don't have much detailed info to give you. It's built-in.

It's up to you (and friends) to change it.

[NNN0LHI]

146. Thanks for the information

You are like an encyclopedia on many subjects. Its good to have you here.

What is the best dog food one can buy if you have an opinion on this. Thanks again.

Don

[Jcrowley]

149. Solid Gold

is the very best. If you can find that in your area go for it. If you cannot I recommend Canidae. If neither of those are available get your local source to begin stocking them. We did that here by talking to other pet owners and then each of us telling the store owners we wanted Solid Gold.

At present we feed our hounds Canidae but are soon to switch back to to Solid Gold. These folks also welcome calls and inquiries.

http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/

http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html

In addition to the standard foods always give high protein scraps.

If you want more detailed info send a PM and I'll give you a phone number of folks to call who know more than I.

[NNN0LHI]

151. I have heard of both of them before and heard good things about them both

Thanks for the reminder.

Don

[Hepburn]

215. Thanks fior the info and the link...

...I will look into this for my dog and I will pass along the info to other pet owners.

[magellan]

152. Are there other prescription diets that are okay?

I only know of Hill's. One of our dogs has a pancreas or liver problem. She's negative for Cushing's so far, and after many tests the vet got her liver enzymes normal by putting her on Hill's c/d for several months.

I don't like this because I know there's rice and other crap in it, and she gets a rumbly tummy from it. But the vet said she would probably be on Hill's for the rest of her life. If there's a healthier alternative anyone knows of, please let me know.

[kestrel91316]

189. Hill's Prescription Diet is not part of the recall. It is all fine.

Don't believe the anti-Hill's disinformation campaign here. Their competitors have quite a staff of typists to badmouth them all over the place, lol.

They're doing it to Iams now, too.

[AZBlue]

156. Mine does too. Plus, they have a canned food that's not "cuts & gravy" style

which is the kind that was recalled. I still stick mostly to dry food.

[SusanaMontana41]

205. Hi Sydnie!

Science Diet is the only food my felines have eaten in at least 10 years. Our 12-year-old tabby is more kitten than cat. FWIW.

[goddess40]

4. Alpo is okay too as is all the dry food

the problem is only with the canned food.

[shireen]

14. but this incident shows how easy it is to taint the food supply

Dry food may be safe right now, but can we ever have confidence that it's safe for our pets to eat?

[kestrel91316]

55. This has exposed a gap in our pet food safety but for now there is

NO reason to be afraid of kibble and regular canned from reputable companies. Avoid generic foods as always (the kind that say "Distributed by" rather than "Manufactured by").

[roseBudd]

71. I hope importation from China is banned, search pubmed for articles on herbal supplements and see

what you see regarding herbal supplements and nutraceuticals mislabeled and or contaminated with lead and pharmaceutical drugs from China.

[spoony]

82. It's astonishing what they're willing to poison us with

to save a fucking buck. Whether it's outsourcing or importing crap like this, US companies MUST be made to stop these dubious, dangerous practices.

[kestrel91316]

89. People and pets both would benefit from becoming more like

the Locavores, IMHO.

Know where our food comes from. Producers have to be more accountable when they have a relationship with consumers.

[kestrel91316]

190. When I used to have a dog Alpo ALWAYS made her sick, and that stuff

was DISGUSTING.

Not a great choice.

[graywarrior]

5. Thank you, good people.

[MissB]

6. If I had pets on wet food,

I'd switch to dry food until this was sorted out.

[Arkansas Granny]

15. That's exactly what I have done. The wet food I use is not on the

list, but the list has been growing so it may show up later. Who knows. As a precaution, I am only feeding dry food for the time being.

[Jamastiene]

29. What I fear is that they will later include the dry foods as well.

I'm gonna cook for my cats for a while until they sort their mess out. If I eat something, then the cats can have some. I gotta find something with taurine though that I can eat. Anybody know of any human food with taurine in it?

[havocmom]

62. This page on taurine seems helpful

http://www.serve.com/BatonRouge/taurine_chmr.htm

Food Taurine content Food Taurine content
Conch (Strombus gigas) 8500 Eel 910
Inkfish 6720 Pork meat 1180
Blood Clam 6170 Pork heart 2000
Shellfish 3320 Pork kidney 1200
Crab 2780 Pork liver 420
Prawn 1430 Chicken breast 260
Sole 2560 Chicken leg 3780
Crucial carp 2050 Quail muscle 95-280*
Silver carp 900 Quail serum 0,50-0,9*
Hairtail fish 560 Tuna canned 3320
Yellowfish 880 Low-fat plain yogurt 7.8
Octopus 3900 Shrimp 1150
Cat, entire body 2000 Cheetah serum 0.8-6.3
. . Cat serum 6-14



Taurine Content of Selected Foods (mg/kg, wet weight)
taken from Nutrient Requirements of Cats, Revised Edition, 1986 which in turn
has adapted from Roe and Weston, 1965, Potential significance of free taurine in the
diet, Nature, 205:287.

Item Uncooked
Mean Range Baked
Mean Range Boiled
Mean Range
Beef muscle 362 150-472 133 96-125 60 58-63
Beef liver 192 144-270 141 68-184 73 36-95
Beef kidney 225 180-247 138 130-144 76 68-88
Lamb muscle 473 446-510 257 220-284 126 91-184
Lamb kidney 239 128-440 154 81-290 51 47-55
Pork muscle 496 394-690 219 126-390 118 91-184
Pork liver 169 110-228 85 70-100 43 30-54
Chicken muscle 337 300-380 229 140-310 82 71-180
Cod Fish 314 233-396 294 260-328 161 125-198
Oysters 698 390-1238 264 217-308 89 59-122
Clams 2400 1450-3700 1017 587-1700 446 264-794

No wonder me 'n my cat get cravings for shrimp

[femmedem]

174. You can get taurine supplements at pet stores.

At least I can at my local pet stores.
If you cook your own pet food, please note that cooking lowers the taurine content.

[kestrel91316]

192. Relax. There's no wheat gluten in dry food, and that is the problem

ingredient. The problem started when they got a new source of the gluten, that's how they knew.

[Jamastiene]

211. Thank you so much.

You may never know how much your work on DU has been noticed on this issue in the last few days, but I wanted to thank you for letting me know I could relax and for giving us some facts to educate us on the real problem. I have an older cat who already has inflamed bowel disease and really do not want to lose her to something that could have been avoided possibly. I appreciate you doing this. Thank you so much.

[kestrel91316]

216. Thanks! Always glad to help in whatever way I can.

[Warpy]

9. I don't see Purina products on the list

and all kibble seems to be safe. It's only the most food with wheat gluten used as simulated meat chunks that seems to be affected.

My kitty lives on kibble and seems to enjoy it. Kibble keeps her teeth nice and clean.

[kestrel91316]

58. I'll grit my teeth and say Purina is just fine for now, but really I cannot

recommend any of their food for cats at all except maybe Purina One.

[Akoto]

10. My dogs eat Nutro Natural Choice.

The dry, though, not one of the recalled. We purchased it on our vet's advice because both of them have sensitive stomachs. It turns out they like it a lot, though, and it seems to have good ingredients.

[bobbie]

23. Uh, but Nutro brand was on the list, right?

I know it's the canned gravy style, but still...

[keepCAblue]

34. Lots of reports of dry food causing same illness/death as wet foods.

http://www.howl911.com

[bobbie]

48. Really!?!?! Holy crap. So glad I stopped buying that stuff.

I sure hope no one here has a pet affected by it.

[kestrel91316]

64. Some websites are rumor mills and nothing more.

We vets in the trenches have no reason to suspect dry foods as a problem at this time.

[bobbie]

96. And we the pet owners have no reason to trust strangers

I was merely recommending a brand of pet food that has long advertised that it only uses known trusted sources for its food and does not use byproducts, added growth hormones, antibiotics or brain or spinal tissue, no rendered or recycled meat from humanely raised animals from eco-friendly environments.

I thought some might be interested in that alternative as opposed to gambling with their pet's lives.

I'll talk to my vet if I want vet advice.

[kestrel91316]

193. Well then feel free to put me on IGNORE, but I'm not shutting up.

I know what keeps my patients healthy and doesn't contribute to medical problems.

BTW, what makes your advice more valid than mine? You are as much of a stranger to anybody here as I am. The logic there escapes me.

Oh, I get it. I am a veterinarian with 8 years of college including an advanced medical degree, and 26 years of practice experience. By definition that makes me the MOST UNRELIABLE source of pet health information. Right. Suit yourself.

[bobbie]

194. I never told you to shut up

I'm just feeling deeply suspicious about any of the big industrial corporate pet food makers and have found my solution in buying the Promise pet food I mentioned. I don't trust the mega corporations with either dry or wet food, given the scope of this rat poison horror. And I don't trust them to care more about the pets their feeding than the money they're raking in. They're buying ingredients from China where they use poison illegal over here. Nooo, I think I'll go with the food that only uses cattle from family farms that have standards I agree with.

[piesRsquare]

249. Hey Kestrel!

Do you need a tech?

Cuz I need a full-time job! :-)

[spoony]

84. How can that be, since Iams says they

produce their own dry food, not through Menu. I'm hoping this is just an (understandable) mistake in connecting illnesses with dry food.

http://media.iams.com/iams/global/Product_Recall.htm

[laugle]

121. I saw the "Iams" cat food on the local news. IT IS NOT SAFE!!

The woman on the news said her cat died! It was the small orange can damn, the same we fed out cat, but he seems okay.

[Lurking Dem]

125. Menu may not be producing their dry food.

[spoony]

179. Right, Iams says all P&G dry food is done in-house, not by Menu n/t

[laugle]

225. I was referring to the canned food only. Heaven help us if the dry food is affected!

So far it seems okay!

[laugle]

126. I don't want to panic people, but Lou Dobbs show says

there is no guarantee that PEOPLE food is not effected, since there is wheat gluten in our food as well.

I know I will be reading every label carefully........

Also on Dobbs, they said they won't know the long term effects on our pets who have eated some of the tainted food.......

Also, Menu Foods has said they will reimburse all vet bills for pets who ate the tainted food.

[Critters2]

128. Seems like that could wipe 'em out

Not that I'm sure that's a bad thing. Buying imported cheap goods, whatever they are, over better American products has consequences.

[kestrel91316]

195. Lots of pets die, every day, due to many causes. It seems as if all

deaths this past week are being blamed on food, and that's simply ludicrous.

I had a patient that was eating Purina dry a month ago and it got sick with liver disease and had to be put to sleep. I should automatically assume the FOOD did it??? Jesus wept, people. Don't get hysterical over this.

:banghead:

[laugle]

224. I am not the type of person who gets hysterical, but

I do believe as of now, we don't know the extent of poisoning in our pet food.

I had a cat die from renal failure and also my dad's cat died from it, both cat's were very old, and it was 2 years ago. I am certainly not going to blame it on this contamination.

I agree with you, that some may believe their pets died as a result of the poisoned food, but from what I understand, a qualified vet would be able to determine that.

So I say, bettter to be safe than sorry, and lose a beloved pet.

I like the idea one poster had of using baby food, and I will try that.

Until the extent of this contamination is known, (predidctions are in the thousands) I won't be using any canned cat food.

Also, I will look into the organic food as an alternative.

A vet on last night's news said 5% of his cases are related to the poisoned pet food, and that is just one city. Nationwide, that translates into some big numbers possibly.

BTW, you said your "patient" are you a medical doctor? Just curious......

[kestrel91316]

230. I'm a cat vet. I have had ZERO cases to date. I caution my

clients to avoid generic/house brands, obscure small brands with no track record, foods with fish in it (bad for cats), and canned foods in general. And I have always been sort of suspicious of gimmicky food like the cuts in gravy.

Most my clients feed Science Diet or Max Cat dry, some feed Iams or Purina dry. Few feed much canned, and when they do, they stick with Science or Max or Fancy Feast.

It appears to have paid off. Knock wood.

I DID have a case of ARF 18 months ago that, in retrospect, fit the bill other than the timing. The owner disregarded my advice and fed lots of Authority chicken slices in gravy to the cat, aho licked up all the gravy (where the toxin was?). He called this week to ask me if it was the food that killed his cat, and I honestly am not sure. This crap may have been around in lesser concentrations for some time. Scary.

[laugle]

237. Thanks for the reply. I did see on the local news that

there are cases showing up in L.A.

All I know is a young healthy cat should not be having renal failure. I'm sure there are exceptions though.

I have been feeding our cat Whiskas canned food, Fancy Feast, and sometimes Friskies, all seem to be on the safe list.

Our two companion cats, who have since passed on, lived 17 years each. They ate mostly Whiskas, it's made by Waltham. So I figured it was a good brand.

What do you think of the idea of feeding him baby food, one poster suggested? It sounds good, if he will eat it! We will try it, I'll let you know how it goes........

We also have a young female who eats mostly dry Whiskas. Neither cat will eat the Science Diet or the fancy spa or organic foods.

I think you are right about this crap being around for awhile, I hope we are wrong our pets really are an important part of our family.

Thanks again, best to you and the work you do!

[Akoto]

136. Yes, but that's not what I feed them.

Nutro cans and pouches were recalled. I feed them the dry food.

[kestrel91316]

60. Nutro dry is FINE. Don't let the Chicken Littles scare you.

[Truthiness Inspector]

114. I hope that's correct

as that's what I feed my animals.

There's bound to be lots of misinformation in scares like this.

[kestrel91316]

183. That's why I'm here - to make sure folks have good info, and to

extinguish false rumors.

[SallyMander]

129. Thanks Kestrel

I was starting to freak out because that's what my pooch eats... but no dry food has been recalled, right???

Thanks again for the info!

[kestrel91316]

184. No dry has been recalled. To my knowledge no pate-style (ground)

canned has been recalled (though if anyone sees any on the recall list, please let me know ASAP).

Only cuts-and-gravy style food has been recalled. I am currently advising my clients to avoid ALL food of this style, regardless of whether its on the list or not, out of abundance of caution. I don't trust ANYBODY'S wheat gluten 'til this settles down.

[shireen]

12. i don't trust any big brand names anymore

for a complete list of brand names affected by this outrageous lapse in quality control, go to the food manufacturer's site:
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[kestrel91316]

66. MOST of the brands recalled are generics (aka known to be junk).

Not all, but most on the list. Housebrands, off-brands. Never to be trusted, IMHO.

[roseBudd]

77. That is why the names of the foods were "huh" they are not advertised at all

Food purists hate the Big 3 but they can afford the quality control

[kestrel91316]

90. I'm glad that one of my policies is, if a client asks about Brand X

and I've never heard of it, I AUTOMATICALLY advise against feeding it.

Better the devil you know than the devil you don't.

[Madspirit]

16. Wellness, California Natural n/t

[keepCAblue]

32. are both made by Menu Foods (their wet food). I wouldn't risk any food made by Menu

[Madspirit]

51. Wellness and California Natural are made by Menu?

Are you sure? They aren't on the list at all.
Lee

[Critters2]

61. Not recalled, but made by Menu Foods

Here's more info:

http://petsitusa.com/blog/?p=210

[Madspirit]

74. Really disheartening...damn. n/t

[Critters2]

85. And dishonest, imo

All these "premium" foods with the nice sounding names. So, it turns out California Natural is made in Kansas by a Canadian company that imports poorly inspected wheat from China. And charges pet owners a premium price.

Pisses me off!!

[Hepburn]

217. My friend and I ~~ another dog lover ~~ were takling about this...

...issue today and we BOTH were surprised that all the costly stuff and the cheap store and off brands seem to come out of the same place. Seems like we are paying for labels and NOT for quality.

[sandyd921]

207. Wellness canned food for cats

says it's grain free (therefore no wheat) and the ingredient list does not include any wheat products. It would seem unlikely that the foods for cats anyway, are affected.

[gaspee]

18. The kibble I feed

Is good. Timberwolf Organics Ocean Blue. Very expensive though, so I supplement with homemade "canned" food. Other foods I have confidence in are Abady and Solid Gold. All are very expensive but I have small dogs. I try to feed mostly BARF and the homemade food, so 30lbs of dry goes two months in a house with six dogs.

[InvisibleTouch]

116. Times like this I sometimes think...

...I should have gone with a small breed too. I love all different breeds, but I fell particularly in love with rare sighthounds - I have 5 at the moment, 50-65 lbs. They've earned some nice conformation titles, too, and one has her CGC. But it certainly is easier to feed smaller dogs.

[TZ]

19. If you want to be safe..

avoid anything with wheat gluten in it. That's the issue. Although from what I gather Purina only recalled a couple of brands so in general thats okay for the moment!

[kestrel91316]

69. THANK YOU. Nobody seems to be paying attention to this.

[shaniqua6392]

20. Very few pet food companies make their own food.

It seems like most of them contract out to have the food made and then it could be transported somewhere else for packaging. Very confusing issue. We feed our two dogs a raw (also known as BARF) diet so we have no worries with them. We began this in earnest after the Diamond Pet Food recall last year. My daughter and I have been researching these companies because we still feed our two cats commercial pet food and are trying to figure out a solution to eliminate that. Here are a few of the links you could use to trace the foods. It seems like Merrick is the only one who makes ALL of their own stuff in their own plant. They even make all treats, etc. there. We are still in the process of researching, but try here to get started. www.petconnection.com and www.petfoodexpress.com http://www.fda.gov/cvm/petlabel.htm http://www.api4animals.org/facts.php?p=359&more=1

[donco6]

21. Timberwolf Organics - no wheat product.

Chicken Meal, Chicken, Turkey Meal, Whole Ground Oats, Chicken Fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract), Brown Rice, Ground Barley, Low Ash White Fish Meal, Ground Whole Flaxseed, Unrefined Roasted Walnut Oil, Atlantic Kelp, Alfalfa Leaf, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Carrot, Watercress, Spinach, Celery, Parsley, Fennel Seed, Wild Salmon Oil, Dried Cottage Cheese, Casein, Dried Chicken Liver, Potassium Chloride, Tumeric, Anise Seed, Cumin Ground Ginger, Organic Blue Corn, Dried Cranberries, Rosemary, Coriander, Choline Chloride, Lecithin, Probiotics: (Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Lactis, Bacillus Bifidum, Streptococcus Diacetilactis, Bacillus Subtillus), Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols (a source of vitamin E), Lysine, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Thiamine, Methionine, Carnitine, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Iodine Proteinate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine (a source of vitamin B6), Copper Proteinate, Selenium Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Papain, Yucca Schidigera Extract.

[bobbie]

22. Exactly how I'm feeling, glad I switched to Promise months ago

I don't think I'm gonna give the corporate bastards another chance to poison my pets.

I tried a sample of their dry food (got it at a bird food store of all places) and they LOVED it.
They only use animals from family ranchers and farmers--not big ol' industrial corporate behemoths.
Supposedly every package/can of their food can be traced back to the specific rancher/farmer.

I just came back from the bird seed store after stocking up.
If you can find it I highly recommend it.
It's expensive of course but it sure beats poisoning our pets.

http://petpromiseinc.com/

Top of their website:
"Pet Promise does not use Menu Foods Inc., and is NOT affected by the recall"

[hlthe2b]

24. FAQ from American Veterinary Medical Association Website:

including links for complete lists of involved cat and dog foods involved. All are "wet" foods manufactured under contract by Menu foods for a number of companies (see listings). ONLY canned or pouched foods: No dry cat or dog foods have been implicated of any brand.

Menu Foods recall
Frequently asked questions
March 22, 2007
http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/faq.asp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q: What foods have been recalled?
A: For a complete listing of dog foods affected by the recall, please go to http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/product_dog.asp.

For a complete listing of cat foods affected by the recall, please go to http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/product_cat.asp.

Q: Why have so many different brands been recalled?
A: Menu Foods contracts with a wide variety of pet food companies to produce their specialized products. Although these foods are produced in the same facility, they are made using ingredients specified by the individual pet food companies. The foods themselves are not identical despite being produced by one manufacturer.

Q: This recall list is only for canned or pouched foods. What about the dry food I feed my pet(s)?
A: Menu foods processes the "cuts and gravy" type pet foods at the processing plants in Kansas and New Jersey. Dry foods are manufactured using different processes and at different facilities. At this time, there are no recalls issued for dry pet foods.

Q: What should I do if I have the recalled pet food in my house?
A: Do not feed the food to your pet. If the food is unopened, you may return it to the store from which you purchased the food.
If the food is opened, dispose of the remaining food so that your pet cannot get to it.
If your animal appears normal, consult with your veterinarian and/or monitor your animal closely for signs of illness.
If your animal shows any signs of illness and has been fed one or more of the recalled foods, have your animal evaluated by a veterinarian. Store any opened food away from the reach of animals, and contact your state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Consumer Complaint Coordinator. For a state-by-state list of Coordinators, go to http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html. Please include as much information as possible, including the specific product name, lot numbers, veterinarian's report and diagnosis, etc.

Q: Does the problem affect dogs and cats equally?
A: To date, it appears that cats are more commonly affected than dogs, and small dogs may be more affected than larger dogs. This may be because cats and smaller dogs are more sensitive to the causative substance, or it because they are more likely to be fed the types of food involved in the recall.

Q: My pet has eaten the food that has been recalled. How do I know my pet is sick?
A: Signs of illness include loss of appetite, lethargy, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, sudden changes in water consumption, or changes in the frequency or amount of urination.
These signs may also occur with other illnesses. Any animal showing these signs should be examined by a veterinarian, even if the animal has not eaten any of the recalled pet food.

Q: My pet is showing signs of illness. What do I do?
A: Have your pet examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Q: What will my veterinarian do?
A: Your veterinarian will examine your pet, and will most likely take blood samples and collect a urine sample to test for kidney disease or other problems. Other diagnostic procedures, such as radiographs (x-rays) or ultrasound examinations, may be recommended to eliminate other causes of kidney disease and vomiting.
If the tests determine that your pet has kidney disease, your veterinarian may recommend treatment including intravenous fluid therapy and medications.

Q: What is in the food that is making animals sick?
A: The cause of the illnesses is not yet known. Because the cause is not known, the treatment can not be specifically directed to one cause. Generalized treatment for kidney disease and vomiting is recommended until a more specific treatment can be determined.

Q: How long will it be before you know what is causing the problem?
A: The answer to this question is unknown. Food, blood, urine, and tissue samples are being thoroughly tested for many possible causes. Many of these tests are not rapid tests, and may require additional time to complete. There is always the possibility, however, that the cause of the problem will not be found.

Q: How do I report my pet's illness from the pet food?
A: You should contact your state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Consumer Complaint Coordinator. For a state-by-state list of Coordinators, go to http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html. Please include as much information as possible, including the specific product name, lot numbers, veterinarian's report and diagnosis, etc.

Q: What if I want to have the pet food from my house tested independently?
A: We do not provide referrals for private laboratories to perform tests. If you choose to have the pet food tested by an independent laboratory, it is your responsibility to locate and contact the laboratory, and the costs associated with the testing will be your responsibility.

Q: Where can I go for up-to-date information?
A: The American Veterinary Medical Association's home page (www.avma.org) includes links to more information, and is updated as soon as new information becomes available.

Top

[TZ]

36. good post

with lots of information as usual health2b. Have had too much going on lately to hang out much but good to hear from you. This whole worrying about my cats has been the worst thing ever for me, as if I didn't have enough issues of late:-( :-( :hi:

[hlthe2b]

40. I'm sorry to hear you may have been impacted....

I wish all the kitties and pups all the best and hope we can make some important preventive changes after this horrendous episode..... My own little girlie dog, fortunately, is not at risk, eating only a special joint mobility formulation that is prescription-based, along with occasional "approved" human treats. Good to see you around too. ;-)

[TZ]

63. Lucky I think..

My cats love the Iams gravy stuff and I was absolutely horrified since they get it on a regular basis. But I checked all my cans late Monday night (went to bed about an hour later to be safe) and the lots were okay. But IAMS is going in the trash (even the dry, I have had it). I had an older cat with renal failure (Turtle) who had cancer and I euthanized her in Sept 2005. To some that might seem like a while ago but this whole thing is bringing back very unpleasant memories along with worrying about my two 12 month old kittens.

[michreject]

25. here

http://www.cesar.com/default.aspx?origref=http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1B2GGGL_enUS205US205

he 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.

and here

http://www.pedigree.com/petfoodrecall.asp

Dog lovers,

We would like you to know that PEDIGREE® Food For Dogs is not a part of the recent nationwide pet food recall initiated by Menu Foods and other companies. All of our PEDIGREE® products remain a safe, nutritious and delicious way to feed your best friends.

As dog lovers ourselves, the safety and nutritional quality of our food is our top priority, and you should continue to feel confident feeding our food to your dog.

For details on the recall, contact Menu Foods at 1-866-895-2708 or visit www.menufoods.com/recall.

[lonestarnot]

26. I'm afraid to say which one I know is ok, they may poison it!

and you can always do this... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=483748&mesg_id=483748

[Poiuyt]

27. Updated list

http://howl911.com/#foods

I guess it's only canned food or wet food in a pouch

[youngdem]

28. California Natural isn't on the list, and is great for your dog and reasonable

Plus, when you read the ingredients, it is shit you have heard of before - like meat and vegetables.

Your dog will thank you.

Dogs don't eat wheat.

[keepCAblue]

31. California Natural not on list but wet food made by Menu Foods

Menu Foods is the same company that manfactured the recalled food.

The media is not reporting that there have been MANY reports of suspected poisoning from brands and/or production lots that are NOT on the list, including reports of dry foods causing similar symptoms.

[dsc]

166. I had a dog who literally loved bread

He would go to great lengths to steal it.

[KiraBS]

177. I find this all disturbing ..

My late cat loved bread, scones, cereal and she would be very rude and demanding should she see any thing like that being eaten. She also like the gluten free stuff. And my boyfriends dog loves biscuits (English Cookies). My old cat died because she was 20 not from contaminated food.
There hasn't been a scare here in the UK but it has make me think about what I will feed my cat, when I get another one. I have often felt that pouches and tins were not as good for them as we think. But then my cat lived a long, long healthy life and was feed lots of wet food, but also stuff from the table too. I am not really surprised that this is happening and with our record for Mad Cow and bird flu at a turkey farm, I feel it is only a matter of time before something like this hits our headlines in the UK.
I have to say that switching from pouches to dry food would have been difficult with my old cat because she didn't ever consider she had been feed if I tried to give her just that and would nag, endlessly.
I would have to actually cook some chicken, mince or fish as an alternative to pouches.
I had another cat ( a regular visitor) who would only eat dry food and raid out cupboards at night, for it.
My boyfriend does cook special mince, rice, veggies and gravy for his dog and rarely gives him tinned food. And the dog loves potato peelings too.

[dsc]

185. that dog ate canned food and lived until about 11 or so

he was a found dog so we didn't know an exact age. My current dog, also found, lives on pedigree dry for which I am now very, very grateful.

[Vox Acerbus]

30. Fancy Feast is not on the list...

I keep checking, repeatedly. One of my boys loves Fancy Feast occasionally and had some...

[TZ]

33. Fancy Feast is fine...

Me and a friend who both USED to give our cats IAMS, have switched to Fancy Feast. I think they might even have wheat gluten free types which is really good.

[graywarrior]

35. Mine has been eating Fancy Feast along with Purina dry, but

every now and then I fed him Special Kitty and I'm a little concerned.

[TZ]

38. Did you check the lots?

If your Special Kitty was earlier than Dec 6. You are okay. Its actually been a good switch for my guys. They adore the Fancy Feast more than the Iams (Kitty Crack is the term here at my house) so hopefully things are all for the good for my little girls.:)

[graywarrior]

46. How do you check the lots. The can is stamped Oct 04 09

[TZ]

53. There is a code on the pouch that lists the lots

Its like a really long string of numbers. For example on one of my Iams cans the number is 61304197W4. The 6134 is the lot. From the lists of recalled foods in my case the effected lots were something like from 6334-7300, therefore mine is technically safe. 4197 in my code is the factory made which actually is the contaminated factory so this can is NOT being opened. That should help I hope. Check Menu's lists for the appropriate numbers. It should help.

[graywarrior]

59. Thank you very much. That is a big help.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

92. My kitty is very finicky (thank goodness) and only eats 3 type of fancy feast and 1 type of

friskies.

[rucky]

107. It's the only food my girl will eat.

the cat likes it, too.

[TZ]

119. LOL n/t

[Henryman]

37. What I want to know.....

is, if this one company, Menu Foods, makes hundreds of brands of pet foods, how many companies are there total that make all of the country's pet foods? It now seems that there should only be a handful?

[kestrel91316]

197. Cuts and gravy style foods are apparently only 0.5% of the pet food

market.

Oops, not sure. I might have remembered wrong and that type is 10% of the total, but that includes unaffected brands as well?

I'm not sure about the numbers, lol.

[rateyes]

39. We're still using Pedigree in pouches...

glad we were using it beforehand for our 4 canines.

[Raine]

243. That's what my dog eats

and it's still safe but I took him off it anyway because now I'm scared of everything. :-(

[Nite Owl]

47. I just got this

http://www.bluebuff.com/

for the doggie babies. No wheat, corn, soy or animal by products. The ingredients look good enough to have for dinner tonight! I went to PetSmart to look around and see what they had and the woman from Blue was there, we talked for a while and she really sold me on the stuff. Going to start them on it slowly tonight and see if they like it. They are a new and small company which is a whole lot better than one of the big multinationals cutting corners on our pets.

I got the lamb and brown rice:
High Quality Protein - Dogs love our tasty lamb, and it provides them with the essential amino acids they need every day.

Wholesome Whole Grains - Hearty whole grains like brown rice, barley and oats supply the complex carbohydrates that your dog needs for energy.

Healthy Garden Veggies - Whole carrots, sweet potatoes and garlic are three of the nutrient rich vegetables that your dog will get in every bite of BLUE.

Natural, delicious and highly digestible, our BLUE Life Protection Formula contains no by-products or artificial preservatives. Your dog will thrive on it!

[Polly Hennessey]

56. Blue

Nite Owl --- I have been giving my Goldens Blue for sometime now and they love it. Try Merrick also. You can find them online. They make their own food at their own plants.

[Nite Owl]

98. They had their dinner a hour

ago and they LOVED it! My big one kept going back to the bowl, I thought he was going to lick it through to the floor and my fussy little girl didn't even pick her head up for air. She was on the Iams dry and when I read here today that it too may be involved I didn't even 'wean' her onto the new food.

I'll look up the Merrick too.

[Hepburn]

219. Thank you for the info and the link. n/t

[Polly Hennessey]

49. Science Diet

I was at Petsmart today and inadvertently grabbed a small can of Science Diet Choice Cuts. When I was at the register it showed as one of the recalled foods. Petsmart has all of the recalled foods on their computer so that if it rings up on the register it will show up as a recall. The clerk told me she was going to put it aside. Petsmart has pulled all of the recalls off the shelf but some can be left behind and dummies like me pick it up. I am not buying Science Diet, Eukanuba or Iams anymore.

Friskies, Whiskas, Sheba, Nine Lives are OK (I buy these for the feral cats I feed). For my indoor cats I am buying only organic.

[kestrel91316]

75. Science Diet dry and pate-style canned are FINE.

They recalled 4 feline diets that are the cuts and gravy style.

There is no reason to condemn all Iams or all Hill's. They subbed out the work on ONE TYPE OF FOOD, that's all.

http://www.hillspet.com/menu_foods/Menu_Foods_en_US.htm

[TZ]

83. Yes but...

It still feels like this is dishonest behavior from Iams and Science Diet and it really pisses me off. And I must cynically note that I was in the store getting different food for my cats when I noticed that the person in front of me had a bag of dry kitten food from Iams that had a big sticker on it that said "Vet Recommended". I have never seen that before. Might be true but still, really are they getting marketing advice from Merck?:eyes:

[kestrel91316]

94. Absolutely. The bean-counters and suits have definitely changed

my opinion of Hill's for the worse in recent years. In spite of that, they and Nutro/Max are still at the top of my list for overall quality and lack of causing trouble.

[kestrel91316]

50. Don't be silly. No dry is a problem. No "regular" pate-style canned

is a problem.

Avoid ALL cuts and gravy style foods until further notice, regardless of brand or canned vs pouch or lot number (this is kestrel's official vet advice).

[TZ]

57. Here is the sad part

Is that I think a lot of cats like the Gravy in these foods better than the slices and certainly better than the caked ones. At least the cats me and my friends know seem to feel that way. I have a feeling thats why this "filler" of wheat gluten is sooo widespread. Happily my guys seem to have a nice taste for the fluffy cakish Fancy Feast which was a surprise to me!

[keepCAblue]

65. Dry food is cropping up in a number of reports.

www.howl911.com

Even the FDA has admitted this. Unfortunately, the press doesn't seem to give a rat's ass in reporting either the fact that there have been a number of reports involving dry food (mostly Iams, Beneful and one report of Trader Joe's), nor is the press reporting that the FDA and petconnection.com have received over a thousand reports of food-related death.

There have also been a number of reports of foods and/or produciton lot numbers not on the recall list that are suspected in pet illness/death.

www.howl911.com

[TZ]

78. anything with wheat gluten/wheat is a problem..

so some dry foods might be at issue. BUT lets keep in mind that renal failure/disease is extremely common in older animals (cats over 10 dogs over 8 I think) so that some of this may NOT be due to the food. As awful as this is we also need to keep certain facts in perspective here.

[kestrel91316]

87. You know one reason why I'm not worried about dry right now?

My patients eat mostly dry and I have had ZERO cases so far (knock wood). ZERO. Also, I don't think they make any dry at that plant in KS.
And dry food doesn't have wheat gluten.

[TZ]

95. Good point!

But is there wheat? This was a few years back but I thought my sister took her Border Terriers off of regular dry dog food and put them on prescription because of some sort of wheat allergy and they only ate dry food. I could be wrong though.

[kestrel91316]

97. They're fingering imported wheat gluten now, not wheat grain.

The Chinese invented wheat gluten (seitan) so of course they have huge factories for it............

[keepCAblue]

221. They don't know that it is definitely wheat gluten

That the contaminate is wheat gluten is only a "best gusss" -- pure speculation by Menu Foods because of a coincidence in timing. And, if in fact the source WAS wheat imported from China, which is how the aminopterin MIGHT have beem introduced to the pet food, it is entirely possible that other forms of wheat (wheat flour, whole wheat, wheat bran, ect.) could likewise be contaminated AND could have been purchased by other manufacturers besides Menu Foods. That said, the FDA and Menu Foods have both emphasized that they do not know how the aminopterin got into the foods which tested positive for it. The FDA has also emphasized they have not ruled out the possibility of another contaminates or contaminates beyond aminopterin. So, bottom line, no one knows what the definitive source of the contamination is (be it wheat gluten or something else) or what the full range of toxins is.

Besides all this, there ARE in fact some dry foods and MANY TREATS that contain wheat gluten, including Pill Pockets.

And just because your particular practice hasn't seen any suspected food-poisoning cases involving dry food does not mean there aren't other practices that have. As I said in a previous post, there are a disturbing number of cases of suspected poisoing surfacing that involve only dry food (Iams, in particular). And because Menu Foods does not manufacture dry food, this suggests a real possibility that the contaminant--whatever its source--may have been purchased in the form of a raw material by more than just one manufacturer.

[laugle]

226. Were there any pet deaths due to any dry food?

Please keep us updated.

As you said, the news hasn't reported shit on this and doesn't seem to care, so it's up to each one of us.

You know it's no coincidence, since that A-HOLE Bush got in, there has been nothing but problems.

Hell, people out her in California died because they ate some tainted spinach!

I say FIRE EVERYONE AT THE FDA NOW!!

You know wheat gluten is in people food. Wait until people start dying, maybe then people will wake up and realize we are being poisoned!

[denese]

67. try this

www.healthypetnet.com
This is what we feed our dog

[Critters2]

68. This is the best list I can find

http://petsitusa.com/blog/?p=210


I'm amazed at how many "premium" foods are made by Menu Foods. I won't buy anything from any company that uses Menu as a manufacturer. On top of everything else, I think there's an ethical issue in importing wheat from China to use in a plant located in Kansas! I won't support people who do such things!

[Jcrowley]

76. Best food in the world right here

http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/

Be careful out there. Avoid anything with corn.

[JanMichael]

122. We second this

Scout says "Woof!"

[Codeine]

79. Jeez.

Just check the codes and stop panicking. I compared our food in the house to the dates/varieties recalled and stopped freaking out. My doggy is fine, my kitty is also fine.

[kestrel91316]

198. Thank you. People are panicking and not listening to what

official info is out there, and there are more than a few pot-stirrers who are deliberately making things worse by spreading falsehoods.

We vets are gonna make lots of money treating gastroenteritis from all the crappy foods being recommended by folks with agendas. I should be happy about that, but I'm not. I'd rather PREVENT trouble.

[luckypunch]

81. Honest Kitchen

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/index.shtml

I've been feeding it for 2 years, its great stuff.

[MzNov]

86. I can't say enough good things about

Flint River Ranch.

http://www.flintriver.com/Default.htm

And I've had cats my entire life, domestic, feral, pure bred, and I am completely happy with this food. My vets also say how good it is. They do not add the outrageous crap such as feet, beaks, feathers, excrement, road kill.....

I don't want to be pushing products here, but I am always happy to share any info that will help people or animals.

:bounce:

[Vadem]

91. go to Wysong.net. I've used them for years for my dogs and ...

have been very happy. They are holistic; they produce their own foods for animals and humans! They have many foods, vitamins, etc. for humans, as well as for animals. Check them out!

[Critters2]

101. Again, this website says Wysong uses Menu Foods...

http://www.petfoodexpress.com/petfood/default.asp?pageid=78&Section=About

Scroll down to "available for sale on a restricted basis".

[Lurking Dem]

104. Fascinating.

There is nothing on the Wysong site to indicate they ever use Menu. And none of their products contain gluten.

[Vadem]

111. Here is what I find at the Wysong.net site about the contaminated..

dog food:

"Dear Friends:

Please rest assured that the Menu foods recall of canned pet food products does not affect Wysong products. Thank you for your concerns about and commitment to your pet companion health and well being.

[ScreamingMeemie]

99. Hill's C/D dry...The prescription food my dog is on is safe.

It's also very good for urinary tract health.

[AllieB]

100. California Natural is made by Natura Pet, and not Menu Foods

as someone said above.

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab

I feed my dog and two cats Innova and California Natural, along with table scraps. I'd love to have the time to make them homemade food, but I don't even have time to make my husband and I homemade food. :-(

On edit: oh crap, I noticed that their wet food is made at a Menu Foods plant. After this, even with premium ingredients, I wouldn't trust the cleanliness of Menu Foods' equipment. Who knows what other contaminants are used? Do they use the same equipment for premium foods as grocery store food?

[Critters2]

102. Some Naturapet brands are made by Menu foods

Innova is, not altogether sure about California Natural. But clearly, Naturapet outsources at least some of its manufacturing to Menu Foods. That's all I need to know.

[appleannie1]

103. We went to Sam's club and

bought a big bag of cheap chicken nuggets. Mix it with dry food.

[kestrel91316]

199. Hm. Excessive protein in the diet is known to exacerbate kidney

problems.

Just sayin' it's not necessarily wise to upset the foods proper balance of nutrients by throwing in a lot more muscle meat.

[IChing]

105. INNOVA

This is the food I use.

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab

[Critters2]

109. Some of which is made by Menu Foods.

Seems like EVERY company uses this manufacturer.

[IChing]

110. INNOVA is not on the recall list and that was the OP's question

It contains no wheat, Made in California.

[Critters2]

112. It's not all made in California, some is made by Menu Foods

is all I'm saying.

[IChing]

115. Care to link me the proof of that assertion?

On specifically Innova?

[Critters2]

117. Here:

http://www.petfoodexpress.com/petfood/default.asp?pageid=78&Section=About

Scroll down to "Available on a restricted basis"

If you can prove this is not true, you should take the matter up with Pet Food Express.

[IChing]

124. Thanks for the link: I will pass it on to my friends.

From your link:

we have spoken to the manufacturer and been assured that:

Their products are not produced in the suspected plants.
None of their products are being recalled
They have had no reports of sick, dying, or dead pets.
Their products do not contain wheat gluten.
We are selling these brands only if a client is fully aware of the recall and the potential risk posed by feeding a product made by Menu Foods. Although we have been assured that there is no problem with these foods, we cannot and do not vouch that they are safe.

The brands included are: Nature's Variety, Wellness, Castor & Pollux, Newman’s Own Organics, Wysong, Innova





Innova has at their site this claim

"SPECIAL NOTIFICATION: Natura pet foods are NOT affected by the recent Menu Foods recall."



My pets eat dry and with no grains
I can't say enough for this brand for my pets' health and coats.

Good link I will pass it on.

[Critters2]

127. I'd rather not feed anything from companies that use Menu Foods at all

but that is becoming a short list.

[liberal renegade]

106. just fry up some ground turkey

for the little carnivores, they love it.....

[bobbie]

113. It is getting more and more tempting to cook my own pet food

Since the corporate behemoths can't be trusted not to poison the little darlings.

[InvisibleTouch]

118. Organix (apparently) is NOT affected.

From their web site:

"We want to assure you that our Organix and Natural Ultramix products are NOT affected by the canned food recall."

But also:

"Question: Are your canned foods made by Menu Foods, the company involved in the recall?
Answer: Yes, they are. However, for a number of very specific reasons, our products are not a part of the recall -
a) First and most importantly, the wheat gluten ingredient associated with the recall is not used in any of our products.
b) Our Organix line of dog and cat foods is not produced at the plant being associated with the recalled foods and must also meet organic certification standards. These include very rigorous and detailed requirements associated with the processing, sourcing, storage, and handling of our organic ingredients.
c) Our Natural Ultramix feline canned formulas are not produced at the plant being associated with the recalled foods.
d) A small amount of Natural Ultramix canine canned formulas was produced at the New Jersey facility but NOT during any period associated with the recalled product. This product is not affected by the recall."


Myself, I'm still using the kibble but would not trust the canned, in spite of this statement.

The whole page is here:

http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/your_questions/canned_food_recall

[Kingofalldems]

120. Totally confused here

I have Nutro Natural Choice Lamb&Rice cans, which are being recalled IF the bottom label reads Dec0209. Mine reads Nov0209. I read the ingredients and there is no wheat gluten listed on the can. So why has it been recalled?

[TZ]

123. to be on the safe side I imagine

Nutro had a very good reputation before this and probably really really wants to try to do the right thing here. In MD, they pulled everything close to the list off the shelves even if the lots were technically safe. I don't think there is a can of cuts and gravy of the tainted brands anywhere in the state because of this.

[kestrel91316]

200. Safety precaution. They know everybody is gonna be looking for

an excuse to blame them for every sneeze and burp. So they're yanking foods en masse. Smart of them.

Like what Science Diet did - no complaints or suspicions of problems with their food, but they didn't want to be tarred with the same brush that everybody else was.

[AZBlue]

206. In addition the other two responses, I think it's like the issues you find w/food allergies -

Foods now have to be labeled if they contain or are even made on the same equipment as other foods that contain allergens. So, maybe Nutro & Hill's don't contain the same wheat gluten but if the same machinery was used to make all their products, then some contaminations could have occurred.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

130. Precise

Precise pet food super premium for dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens, all natural NO chemical preservatives, oven baked, holistic, and USDA approved.

http://www.precisepet.com

[piesRsquare]

131. HEY!

For updated information on the pet food recall, INCLUDING LISTS OF SAFE FOODS, go here:

http://2blackcats.wordpress.com

I've been busting my ass all week and posting this link non-stop here on DU to get the most relevant info about the recall out to as many people as possible. Go to the damned blog--your questions will be answered RELIABLY.

I'm a veterinary technician with 23 years in the field. Trust me!

On Edit: Sorry for my grouchiness...it's been a hard week!

[femmocrat]

133. Thanks for the link, piesRsquare.

Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[TZ]

134. welcome and thanks

I bet its been a hard week. Trust me. We appreciate you vet/vet tech folks very much! I can only imagine the scars from all the cats you have had to hold down (LOL-well my sister had a cat that had an easy file to find-it was stained with the VET's blood!):-)

[piesRsquare]

138. Dang!

Your sister must've had one cyclone of a cat! Sheesh!

Yup, I've got scars...many have faded though (thankfully!)

One incident that always keeps me laughing is when a (really sweet) doberman spat barium all over the vet. Didn't want to laugh too hard at the time so I could keep my job!

Miao! :-)

[TZ]

139. devil cat you could hear three rooms over...

Sounded like a wailing siren. Techs tried to schedule vacation when Pookie was coming....

[piesRsquare]

162. It's the Cat Bag

...for cats like that!

Are you familiar with the Cat Bag? (probably not...most vets take the cat to "the back" if the cat has to go in the Cat Bag...)

[TZ]

164. I was shown "the cat wrap"

by a vet tech friend with a towel once. But thats not the same is it. Sounds pretty funny actually. Thank god my personal kitties have been the sweet but scared variety. But you can't treat a cat if they are taking chunks out of you (Pookie was mean to me too-scared the living daylights out of me when she started he siren sound at home when she was just cranky)

[kestrel91316]

201. Heck, we give 'em a little Torb and Ace, and the few really bad ones

we box down with gas. We don't need much Ketamine/Valium anymore for bad cats. Torb is GREAT.

[piesRsquare]

250. Yeah, I'm familiar with the gassing...

...but for the ones who are too wild to hold, but not appropriate to sedate, it's been the Cat Bag.

Wish I had a photo...

The Cat Bag is, quite basically, a straight-jacket for cats. It's really cool.

A cat feels like a little loaf of bread (with a head) while in the Cat Bag.

It's made of durable cotton, with zippers in a few places. Hooks and eyes to go around the neck, then all limbs and tail go in the bag and you zip it up. Cat (except for head) is enclosed in bag. There are then small zippers so you can pull a leg out (front or hind); there's also access to the scruff and the jugular.

The cat can spit, wriggle (barely), and fuss all it wants; it can't get you. Can't bite you, can't scratch you. Nice, accessible vein--without damage to your own! :rofl:

There is no dirtier, more pissed-off look on a cat's face than the look it has when it's in the Bag.

And I must admit...it IS pretty funny!

Every vet who works with cats ought to have a Cat Bag...saves A LOT of trouble!

[TZ]

251. thats very interesting

wonder who invented it. God I wish you had a pic of a cat in it. I remember going to my cat vet one day and hearing a yowler in the back who apparantly had sent a tech to the hospital for stiches. And the devil needed to stay there several days! Needless to say the staff was on pins and needles...that was a few years ago. Maybe they have cat bags now too. Maybe I will ask although my two don't need it.:)

[piesRsquare]

254. Stitches?!

Good Lord! :wow:

Only twice have I landed in a doctor's office to be bandaged up...only once have I lost work-time as a result.

There's kind of an art to restraint...can't be timid, and must be willing to use towels and "tackle"! :-)

[TZ]

255. it got infected too I think ,(it was a bite and deep scatches)

That cat was LOUD. It was in the back back of the office and it was still was ear splitting. Seriously, outside of country vets (All Creatures Great and Small a fascinating read if you haven't read it) cat vets have the most difficult vet jobs. Maybe it was a bobcat and not a domestic cat:)

[SammyWinstonJack]

209. Thanks for the info! I feed my dogs "Kirkland" brand wet and dry from Costco.

I don't see it on the list. And the wet food is their rice and lamb formula and not in gravy, either. My dogs are fine, so far.

[femmocrat]

132. I received this e-mail from Mars; their brands are safe:

http://www.pedigree.com/Emails/safe

Includes Cesar, Temptations, Sheba, Whiskas, and some others I haven't heard of.

[bullwinkle428]

135. Dick VanPatten's Natural Balance pet food is a great choice!

From the website:

"NOTICE:
NO Natural Balance® products are produced
by ANY company associated
with the Pet Food Recall."

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/

My little 6 lb. Selkirk Rex eats their allergy formula food every day, and is doing just fine!

[Critters2]

137. That's a good, clear statement

So many are just stating their foods are okay, without detail about whose producing it, which makes me suspicious. This statement is great, and inspires confidence in their products.

[bullwinkle428]

142. Agreed - my cat gets Castor & Pollux as well, and they had

a "multiple-disclaimer" type of statement on their site regarding the food recall. The specific product I buy is has nothing to do with any of the recalled products, but some of the canned foods may leave questions in consumers' minds...

http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/your_questions/canned_food_recall

[City Lights]

150. That's what my kitties eat.

They love it.

[july302001]

141. Dry...

Dry pet food (any brand) should be safe.

[soulcore]

188. Never thought I would be glad my Russian Blue is so picky

but since all he will eat is dry Cat Chow, I don't feel so bad for him now.

[verdalaven]

218. It may be unrelated, but had same symptoms

A work acquaintance had a Great Dane who only ate Ol'Roy dry, died two days ago of illness that had same symptoms as the poisoned pets. The Vet is investigating. Scared me because I feed my dogs Ol'Roy dry - no wheat in it at all. I know people who are feeding their dogs ground beef and rice to avoid all dog foods. I can't afford that, but really wish I could. Instead, I'll switch brands and hope like hell that nothing is wrong with THAT brand.

[Greylyn58]

143. I feed my boy Sheridan, Nature's Recipe dry dog food

He suffers from food allergies so the food I feed him contains: No Wheat, No Corn, and No Beef, which causes most of the problems dogs suffer from.

It is a wonderful food and he has had no ill effects, thankfully.

[Lorien]

148. YES

Pet foods made with organic human grade ingredients (see the pets forum). Websites for a few brands:



www.pookiesbowwowbakery.com

www.waggintails.com

www.nationalpetpharmacy.com (search the natural food section)

www.halopets.com

www.artemiscompany.com (has a search function to find holistic pet food retailers in your area)

www.naturesvariety.com


Most commercial brands are made with "Pet grade" ingredients: leftovers from the food industry, moldy grain, and even pet carcasses. Basically, stuff that's illegal to sell to you goes into most commercial brands, including "premium" brands like Iams, Eukanuba, and Hill's Science Diet.

[bluetrain]

153. Evanger's, Fromm and Chicken Soup do not use Menu in any way.

www.evangersdogfood.com (They make cat food, too.)
www.frommfamily.com
www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com

Solid Gold uses Diamond to manufacture their products and they had a fairly recent recall. Merrick makes their own stuff, but I have read several reports of people finding glass and other things of that nature in their wet foods.

I have been feeding my cat Wellness (wet and dry) and Nature's Variety Prairie (wet). Neither brand has recalled their products and my cat is not sick, but knowing that both companies use Menu makes me uneasy. Fromm seems fine, in theory, but I noticed that Tomato Paste was the third ingredient in one of their dry foods for cats and, I believe, tomatoes are poisonous to cats. Also, I've read a number of testimonials from pet owners who have said that their cats became very gassy and got diarrhea from Chicken Soup. So, I ordered 3 cases from Evanger's today and hope my cat will like it.

[sandyd921]

208. One of my kitty babies

kept throwing up the Chicken Soup dry food. I've since been using Wellness dry (and their canned, supplemented by Solid Gold) and have had no problems. But l'm also nervous about the association with Menu.

[Codeine]

154. Feed them dry food.

All kibble is safe and it's probably better for your doggy anyway.

[Nevernose]

155. Dry food. Your pet WILL eat it. Who's the boss?

Dry food. Your pet WILL eat it. When he/she gets hungry enough. Like a kid who will only eat McNuggets. If you don't buy McNuggets, eventually they WILL eat something else.

On the off chance that it has no teeth with which to chew said food, add water and mush it up. Also, several people have posted recipes for homemade food.

Failing that, leftovers aren't exactly good for your pet, but they're what pets evolved with for the last 20,000 years or so. Take the chicken bones out, and don't feed him anything he couldn't have caught on his own.

[Codeine]

203. Exactly.

Finicky pets are spoiled pets.

[leftofthedial]

157. not ot change the subject, but

most of it IS poison, even when there is no recall.

This one company must have a shitload of market share though, judging from the 800,000 or so brands that were recalled . . .

[Nevernose]

159. 80-90% of generic drugs are made at the same factories as the brand-names

80-90% of generic drugs are made at the same factories as the brand-name drugs. Yet people still buy Tylenol instead of generic Acetaminophen.

Many people, maybe a majority, still seem to think that the more you pay for something, the better it must be. And while sometimes the case, it's not always true. Just because you vet sells it, or the lady at PetSmart says it's the greatest thing ever, does NOT make it any better.

[laugle]

227. I heard Menu Foods stock went up! I'm not sure what that means, since I would have expected the

opposite!!

[leftofthedial]

232. gotta love capitalism

eh?

[Nevernose]

158. I had a long-lived dog that was a strict vegan.

She was a Lab/Setter mix, and the best dog I've ever known. She lived to be almost 18, and was extremely healthy most of that time, up until the end.

I met her when she was about 8. Mom married an organic-only vegan, who fed his dog the same stuff he ate, usually what he could pick from the garden. Pretty unusual family, considering that Mom and I are the type of people who ordered bacon cheeseburgers with extra bacon. "And can you make the french fries a little greasier, please?"

Okay, veganism killed my stepdad, granted (massive, irrevocable B12 protein deficiency) -- but the dog lived a long time for such a large breed, and went crazy for carrots from the backyard, to boot.

[Shallah Kali]

160. "Despite recall, pet food maker is still a large supplier" companies refuse to say if will drop Menu

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/22/business/pets.php

PetSmart is not alone in buying from Menu, whose plants in Canada and the United States are still operating while investigators try to determine what went wrong with the recalled products.

Menu executives told financial analysts this week that the company was still shipping products to Procter & Gamble, which has contracts with Menu to produce some Iams and Eukanuba wet foods. Procter & Gamble did not respond to requests for comment.

Most of Menu's customers do not have long-term supply contracts tying them to the company, but they have nowhere else to take their business.

{snip}

Several other Menu customers, including Safeway, Kroger and Pet Valu, did not respond to interview requests.

[bluetrain]

161. How can there be nowhere else to take their business? There are a handful

of companies who use other manufacturers. Why can't they do the same? Or invest in manufacturing their own food?

I don't know that anyone is going to go out of business over this, but I know that I'm never going to use food made by any company who thinks it's okay to have such lax standards. I've dropped two brands which claim to be best of the bunch because they clearly aren't and have given my business to a company which has given me no reason to distrust it. I doubt I'm alone in this. By refusing to reveal who their manufacturer is (when it's obvious), refusing to dump them after something as big as this, and not being open about the source of their ingredients, these companies are asking to lose business.

[TZ]

165. Fancy Feast-no lethargy here!!!

For all of you wondering if this is safe-I started my cats on it several days ago. Oh my goodness! Even though I got up and fed them at the appointed time, they couldn't just let me go back to sleep as they sometimes do since its the weekend. Oh no. One of my girls jumped up on my nightstand and managed to knock over and break a pretty porcelin lamp I had (thats a new one- they jump up on the nightstand lots but have never managed that before). Thats what I get for spending most of last night on the computer and ignoring them. I guess I had better go. I can here the little troublemaker whining and scratching at the door now. Ah kittens!!!
:crazy: :silly:

[Bluebear]

167. Wellness.

http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/

[Qanisqineq]

168. Is Friskies canned cat food on the list?

I keep trying to open the list but get an error message. I am feeding my kitties Purina dry cat food and Friskies canned cat food. I hope those aren't on the list as I don't have many choices here in Korea.

[TZ]

169. Don't worry Purina and Friskies are fine

Purina seems to be in the clear with the majority of it. I think they recalled one type of dog food. If you worry, you can avoid the gravy and chunks canned food. None of the cake style cat foods is at issue.

[Qanisqineq]

170. Thank you!

It's too bad that the gravy and chunks is their favorite. They'll just have to suffer for a little while. :P

:hug:

[TZ]

172. If you can find Fancy Feast

try that. My two kitties love the gravy and chunks too, but to my surprise they LOVE LOVE LOVE the Fancy Feast (Special Menu?) even the cake style.

[laugle]

228. I fed by cats Fancy Feast, Friskies and Whiskas, but how can you know for sure if they are safe?

I realize they are not on the list at Menu Foods, and they are on the safe list at Petsit USA, but you can't really be sure can you??

You keep telling people "it's okay," but I would put a "caveat" in there, since know one really knows for sure, what the extent of the contamination is, as time goes on. Would you not agree?

[TZ]

235. you cant 100% obviously

but the other manufacturers have been using a different source. And Menu Foods admitted they just changed their sources. I don't particularly worry about these other brands but if you feel nervous just do as Kestrel has suggested to me and others and feed nothing with wheat glutin wet food. No dry food seems to be the issue now.
Also since we all know what to look for symptomwise now, its possible to catch it before it is too late as well. Knowledge is power after all.

[laugle]

239. My only question is, are they 100% sure it is in the wheat gluten?

It seems a bit confusing.....

[TZ]

244. it is still somewhat of guesswork

but I think its pretty strong evidence of something with the gravy/wheat gluten since this all started when a new source was used. Since the evidence of the toxin is pretty much being backed by reputable groups like Cornell Veterinary Group, (they actually found it not Menu) I would tend to believe it.

[laugle]

245. Thanks for the reply. It's too bad, but we just can't

seem to trust anyone nowadays!

I'm going to wait it out, feed Scruffy baked chicken, his favorite and try some baby food.

Afterall, the only thing that is 100% for sure, is to just not feed him the canned food.

I can't help but think about the mad-cow disease, and how even the CDC down-played the numbers. Hell, it incubates for 8 years and they think that Alzheimer's disease may in fact be mad-cow. Wonder how many people ate that poison beef and will be sick in 8 years.

If they told us the truth, it would decimate the beef industry!! And we all know what they raise in Texas and Bush's home state.

Anything to do with Oil or Beef, Bush will protect. Geez, do Bush or Cheney own stock in Menu Foods.....I wonder........

[TZ]

247. heres irony...

a couple years ago I wasn't able to get my prescription cat food for my cat with chronic renal/liver issues from Canada because Canada had one cow with Mad Cow and we refused to import anything from them. Funny how now that its here we scream bloody murder if anyone bans our meat.

[RestoreGore]

171. Who will be held accountable for this?

And do we know if that wheat was used in any other food processing? It is absolutely insane that we are importing wheat from China. China is a polluted dirty country that we should not be importing anything from. It is obvious however that this government doesn't care about its people or its pets. Hurricane Katrina proved that when they let animals die. I am so sickened by all of this.

[TZ]

173. Menu foods is offering to pay vet bills now..

but probably because this is cheaper than paying out a very large class action lawsuit! In this day and age nothing surprises me. There seems to be almost no money or resources to protect our pets because they are "just stupid animals":sarcasm: :cry: :cry:

[RestoreGore]

181. It is heartless

And I think you're right. They don't want a class action lawsuit, but I think that is what should come from this. I'm not litigation crazy, but this is defintely something that needs to see acccountability. It is absolutely inhumane how so many do not think of animals as living things that experience what we do.

[femmedem]

175. Check out this thread in the Pets group:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=243&topic_id=4388&mesg_id=4388

I think you'll find it interesting and useful.

[Triana]

176. Pet Promise...

..an organic brand.

In fact the organic foods (while more expensive) are supposedly held to higher standards regarding what's in them than regular pet foods.

As a generality, stick with organic pet foods for higher quality standards.

http://www.petpromiseinc.com/

They have - right on the front page of their site - that their food is NOT affected by the recall.

My cat LOVES the stuff, too!

[Orsino]

178. Switching to Royal Canin today.

We use only kibble, but last night I found a few envelopes of Eukanuba Bites in Gravy on hand. They probably predate the rat poison, but it's scary.

[tammywammy]

180. I feed my kitties, Nutro Natural Choice

I never used the pouches anyways. They eat dry, but each get 1/4 can of the pate style canned food at night.

[TZ]

186. Bull Mastiff and Nutro!

I just saw a story on CNN and they talked about a BULL MASTIFF that died from eating NUTRO!!Yikes! I really thought it was the smaller animals that were having the problem. I can't imagine how much toxin there had to have been in the food to kill such a large animal!! I also heard a vet saying you can do immediate switches of food if the food is good. On my way out the door soon with trash bags full of Iams food and going to get all new food for my kitties!:yoiks:

[kestrel91316]

202. One vet on the website for vets reported a Bernese Mtn Dog

recovering from cancer surgery that was being given 11 packets of the cuts and gravy daily to keep him eating.

He never had a chance.

But it's mostly smaller dogs and cats being affected.

[Codeine]

204. What the heck?

Who would be so stupid to feed a dog THAT big THAT much canned food? Whatever happened to good old kibble?

[jgraz]

210. Aunt Jennie's food finally got me to stop making it myself

My dog loves it and it's all human grade organic ingredients. They also make a cat/ferret food. Too bad it's so damn hard to find.

[Vincardog]

214. ANY DRY FOOD IS SAFE

[keepCAblue]

222. Nonsense.

http://www.itchmo.com/read/several-unconfirmed-reports-of-iams-dry-food-causing-illness_20070323

[Vincardog]

233. What does "Several Unconfirmed Report" indicate to you?

[Jax]

236. Royal Canin

http://www.royalcanin.us/

Been feeding my dogs this for years, recommended to us by a Humane Society worker.

Good luck, it is scary frustrating.

[BlooInBloo]

238. A list is only as good as its maker.

[seemunkee]

241. Merrick

Our dogs love it and the canned stuff has whole chicken chunks and vegetables.