Warning! Pet Food Recalls...

[Maylissa]

I thought I should post this, as already there have been many beloved animals who have died, or are very ill, from many brands of (now) recalled pet foods in both the States and Canada (but manufactured in the U.S. plants). This was an updated alert I received yesterday from one of my health e-letters:

"You’ve probably already heard about a nationwide recall that affects dozens of popular brands of dog and cat food.

This recall specifically targets 90 different brands of wet “cuts and gravy” style food packaged in cans and foil pouches. The food may cause kidney or liver failure.

You can use the link below to easily find out if the brand you feed your pet is on the list. You’ll also find information about how to proceed if your pet has already eaten recalled food and is showing signs of distress.

http://www.menufoods.com/recall

Be sure to check your pet’s current bags/cans of food, as well as any you may have in storage."

I don't know how many of our members (from all forums) have animals who may be affected by these foods, and know that not many of those who haven't lost a 'pet' even read this forum, but I hope I can get this message out to as many of you as possible, as we don't need any MORE loss than we already have. This info has already been circulating on a dedicated pet loss board I use more often, and these warnings have been 'pinned' to alert everybody who loves their remaining furgirls and furguys as much as we do. Those of us who chose much higher quality canned foods &/or a raw food diet instead of these 'popular' brands are now more thankful than ever that we made different choices for our kids, but still feel terrible for those who didn't and are now affected by their loss because of this.

[MartyT]

Bless you, Maylissa, for your vigilance, and for bringing this to our attention.

[lorikelly]

I work for a vet and we have been bombarded by phone calls. we also have seen alot of pets for blood work. thank God mine don't eat the food. my cats don't eat canned food and my puppy eats organic Merrik which so far has not been on the list. lori

[Maylissa]

Close to where we live, there is a woman whose 3 cats ALL got kidney failure from one of these 'foods' - one died, the other is on an IV in the clinic, struggling to stay alive and the 3rd got 'luckier' and is recuperating at home. But once the kidneys are damaged, they're damaged for life. Vets here have been inundated, too, with bloodwork, etc....and these are just the reported stories. On the other board I use, there have already been 2 animals who ate this food and now their grieving parents are suspecting this was the cause of their sudden deaths. Iams (owned by Proctor and Gamble, a well-known animal tester) has also been brought before the courts before and investigated for animal abuse in their food research labs (those who were boycotting their products are probably now DOUBLY glad they weren't using them!), so I personally would never trust any of these companies to be making 'quality' food in the first place, much less support their abuses by giving them money by buying their food. Their 'test subjects' may not have ever been MY 'pets', but they are still just as precious as mine, or anyone else's, were/are. This should be a wake-up call to everybody to take a good, hard look at the whole pet food industry and one's own personal choices on behalf of those they love. I'm spittin' mad about this recall.....but not even a wee bit surprised.

Edited March 22, 2007 by Maylissa

[4MBF]

This is a concern of mine with the recent illness of my dog. I don't have a high suspicion just because of her recent eat habits and what she has been consuming. Also the best I can tell any canned food she has ate recently dosen't appear to be on the list but I also think the list is extensive and hard to decifer. The vet did say that her kidneys and liver appear to be ok. However I will inquire more on the subject when he comes out later today.

Steve

[Maylissa]

Here's some new information about this recall. RAT POISON FOUND IN THESE FOODS!!

Rat Poison found

Organic pet food may benefit from recall

Menu Foods interview, and other links to story

[laurasc718472]

I just wanted to let everyone know that if your pet has eaten the recalled food, it doesn't always mean permanent kidney damage. There is hope for some. My knowledge is for cats. I'm not sure about the how the food is affecting dogs, sorry!

One of my cats ingested the recalled food. Her kidney functioning was considered "acute renal failure" by definition. Her BUN was 81, her creatinine was 6.7.

She was given 200ml of sub-q fluids every other day for two weeks. After two weeks, her kidney functioning blood values had returned to "within normal limits."

So there is hope. I've been speaking with vets from Iams (one of the recalled brands). She said that she has seen my kitty's response in several other cats, which has been the more typical response.

For the others, for which I am very sorry, after repeat bloodwork, kidney values have worsened.

I asked her what may be the difference of why one cat's kidney function may return to normal and why another's elevates even more, and she was unsure. There is just not enough data out there to come to a valid conclusion about this.

I just wanted to post this, so maybe it doesn't seem so hopeless. There is a possibility that your pet may recover.

[saggybaggyeyes]

It's May 22 2007

There are still alerts going on with contaminated pet food everyday.

I think it's best to list what pet foods are NOT on the recall list at this point in time.

http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/

I was feeding Babe the Iams packets and she was vomiting and feeling terrible so I'm sure what little time she had, the food did send her over the edge a bit quicker. I changed food immediately when she became 'more ill than normal' and started feeding her human baby food and brown rice. Her health did improve enough that she was more comfortable.

What I regret the most was I gave the rest of the unused Iams lamb and gravy and beef and gravy to the animal shelter after she died. When I called to alert them, they told me they were donated food from Iams on a regular basis. I shouldn't feel guilty over a few packages when they were donated so much from the company itself.

For all who have lost their companions, I know the guilt and disgust of it all.

Regulatory standards must be met, otherwise food in general will all be based on the profit margin and not on quality.

The Chinese company ChemNutro, was American owned. I find it hard to believe that shipping from China to the processing plant in Canada is cheaper than buying north American ingredients. I also find it distressing that a culture who airs television ads for dog meat and have existing conflicts of a culture that looks down on pet owners as bizarre behavior can be allowed to produce pet food? If you go to Snopes.com and search China St.Bernards you'll find that it's true.

[Maylissa]

I'm glad you posted this new link - there were many links even from this one that would help re-educate people about this whole food crisis. In today's world, it takes great determination and 'smarts' to access enough information to make informed and good/better/best choices on behalf of our beloved companions. While I have the luxury of considering myself 'lucky' that I currently have no one to worry about in this regard, my heart absolutely breaks for all the people and the thousands of animals who were lost, and who have had to learn some pretty terrible, painful and more-than-costly lessons from all of this. One can only hope that MANY improvements will come out of such tragedy! But think about if this had been human babies dying, and you will STILL see quite a difference in the level of attention and rectification to date! So no one should stay silent until we DO see the proper changes made!

Although I lost my girl last summer, long before all this was discovered, and for years she'd been eating the higher quality foods, not the mainstream ones (plus still a bit of her raw, homemade food diet), I was STILL alarmed to recently read that even those "Pill Pockets" for administering drugs were also suspect, as I used about 4 of them in her last week of life, with her kidneys already severely compromised by CRF! And when we love someone that much, it's incredibly easy to feel guilty about anything and everything we may or may not have done!

But I also like to think that perhaps for any of the individual animals that lost their earthly lives because of this, their Divine Blueprint for their lives may have included this greater purpose for the benefit of many animals worldwide who, if we are diligent about demanding change, will be better off in the future. I know this doesn't help with current grief or anger with this whole set-up, but it may lend a bit of larger meaning to this tragedy, in the bigger picture (rather like MADD does for those affected), since I also firmly believe animals are here in large part to teach us (silly) humans so much more than many give them credit for.

From what I read, it was 2 of the American plants, plus the one Cdn. one that were affected...but there were cover-ups all down the pike, including from the FDA (who I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw them!). I'm also well aware of how some Asian countries (and others) treat animals (some unspeakable horrors there), but the fault is not by any means limited to them. When lives as a whole, both animal and human, are seen as cheap and disposable, from so many sectors that too many people are complacent about, it doesn't surprise me one bit that something like this could happen. And this is even in western cultures. We are no angels as a whole, either! Luckily for me and Nissa, I knew more than I ever wanted to about the whole pet food industry, starting many years ago when I made it my business to read, read and read some more, and from listening to and reading books and articles by her holistic vets. It was only a matter of time, I figured, until people would be forced into dealing with the truths of the matter. I hope people aren't fooled into thinking that simply buying ingredients more locally is necessarily any guarantee of quality or safety because that is just a fool's dream. There are severe problems everywhere with our food and that includes human food. Corners are cut and shoddy compromises are made everywhere you turn. If anything is still true 'out there' it is that you really do get what you pay for, and organic &/or biodynamic foods for any future furbabies of mine is the ONLY way I'd go, w/o compromise, to an even higher degree than I already met in later years. But if we want everything to be cheaper, rather than of high quality, the organic producers will indeed be drummed right out of existence by the large corporations and the masses who trust them over common sense (which isn't too common anymore!).

I hate to sound preachy (I'm honestly just trying to help educate!), but this is a wake-up call that's been a long time coming. And all that guilt and anger can be effectively utilized to goad us into making the changes needed on this, or any front where we've been personally affected. Let us not forget the inspiring and true words spoken by Margaret Mead, who said,

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

[MartyT]

For more of the latest news on this matter, see Recalled Pet Food and Treats ~ Humane Society of the United States

See also Pet Food Recall and Resource Information Center

I'd also like to inform all our fellow animal lovers of this alert that came to me from a friend via e-mail:

Could you please pass on my story about Xylitol to our animal friends.

Xylitol is an artificial sweetener created from birch, raspberries, plums and corn mainly produced in China. This sweetener is found in many human "sugar free" products such as gum,candies and other sweets. In Humans high doses may have a mild laxative effect, but in dogs, ingestion could be fatal.

On Monday evening, our dog Lizzie ingested a package of sugar free Trident gum. Fortunately for us, I found the remains of the package or we would never have known what she ate that made her sick. When I called the ASPCA Poison Control Center, I found out that Xylitol is very toxic to dogs. I rushed Lizzie to the animal emergency hospital for treatment and she ended up spending the next 24 hours there. The doctor induced vomiting and fortunately most of the gum was still in Lizzie's stomach. She had to have her glucose level monitored throughout the night and also have a liver panel done. Everything remained normal and she was able to come home the following day. She had another liver panel done on Thursday and I am happy to report that she will have no adverse affects from ingesting the gum. The doctor did tell me that I was lucky that it was gum as it takes longer for the body to break down gum than it does candy or food.

Xylitol causes the glucose levels to drop rapidly causing hypoglycemia and this can happen within 30 minutes of ingesting Xylitol. Following the appearance of clinical signs intravenous dextrose can be used to control hypoglycemia. It may also be necessary to treat the patient for low potassium levels. High enough levels of ingested Xylitol can cause liver failure and death.

Clinical signs of Xylitol toxicity may include one or more of the following:

Vomiting

Weakness

Ataxia (uncoordinated movements)

Depression

Hypokalemia (decreased potassium)

Seizures

Coma

Liver dysfunction and/or failure

Searching the web for Xylitol will bring up many web sites concerning its toxicity to dogs.

Fortunately, our story has a happy ending and I wanted to pass our story on to inform other animal lovers about the dangers of Xylitol.

We are all very much aware of the pet food recall, but we also need to be aware of the other dangers out there that can have adverse affects on our beloved pets. If you need to find out if something your pet has eaten is dangerous to their health, you can call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 for information. There is a $55.00 fee for this service.

Best wishes to you and your beloved companions,

Dianna Vasicek

[Maylissa]

I thought I should add this site, as it's chock-full of info about the recalls plus how to choose healthy, safe food, and a whole lot more! A must-read for any animal parents!

Little Big Cat - recalls, pet food, etc.

[lorikelly]

Thanks . my food thank God is not on the list. my cats eat prescription diet food and my puppy is on a organic food Merrick. lori

[Maylissa]

Nissa's staple was Wellness (no grains; I added home-cooked cream of brown or white rice in small proportions, for reducing protein a bit because of her kidney disease), as well as a few other, choice, high-quality canned foods, some organic, but all with extra testing done by the original companies...as well as whatever she'd still eat of her homemade raw meat diet by Dr. Pitcairn, with ALL ingredients from me being organic, including the meats. She ate very little, limited amounts of Wellness dry food, as dry food is generally bad news, especially with kidney problems....only about 1 Tbsp/day is all I allowed in later years, only because she insisted on at least some.

If I were to do it all again, I'd feed nothing BUT homemade food now, if it was accepted well enough. With all this tragedy, animal guardians must keep being vigilant and even aggressive in their care and concern for their animals' health and safety. It's terrible that already, so soon after such a massive uncovering of all the pitfalls of this industry, that they're not allowing consumers to know the continuing problems that go on unchecked in the pet food industry!

[Maylissa]

I've been saying for years that the FDA is 'useless' when it comes to timely or even logical testing (or reporting) of foods, drugs, you name it. I was just alerted to this link that supports my opinion. If anybody expects the FDA to save either our animals or us from tainted, imported food from China, other countries, or even right here in North America, you'd best think twice. We are the only ones who can try to control what we feed our animals, and ourselves. Become aware of what's really going on.

NPR interview by Richard Knox

I also noted a few contradictory statements in this piece. For example:

"Drug residues in food are illegal. They promote antibiotic resistance, which makes drugs useless when they're needed. One drug that routinely shows up in Chinese food imports is dangerous. It's a veterinary antibiotic that causes cancer in animals." If antibiotics are "illegal" why are they also found in many of the domestic animals used for food?

After alarm bells were continuously rung in this interview, William Hubbard, former senior associate commissioner for policy, planning and legislation at the FDA, now working with the nonprofit, nonpartisan Coalition for a Stronger FDA (the person being interviewed), audaciously said, "But I think the food supply is safe. I think we can continue to consume our food with confidence....And when you have what some consider a weak FDA, then that actually gives foreign exporters incentives to send us their bad stuff."

Riiight.....but the food supply is safe, is it? Yup....many more good reasons for homemade (or otherwise) food made with certified organic ingredients that ARE tested by the manufacturer, and checked into by the consumer! WE are the ones who hold all the power (by supporting, with our dollar, safe foods over cheap but unsafe foods), but we have to actually use that power for it to have any good effect.

Edited June 13, 2007 by Maylissa

[Maylissa]

For any animal folks who are living in Canada, I thought I should let you know that Animal Alliance/Environment Voters Animal Alliance Environment Voters - "About Us" in Ontario, are busy campaigning to pressure our Prime Minister into enacting stiff pet food regulations and strict enforcement of same into law because of this whole tragedy with foods. They have also mailed out to members/supporters a class action lawsuit form one can fill out and return to them if your pet has been affected by any of these foods (I know there are at least one or two class action lawsuits already begun in Canada, where Provincial law allows for them), and they can offer guidance in becoming a part of one of these if you contact their office. I've gladly donated money to this cause, as this will improve all pet food in future, if they're successful. (this is why an actual political party was formed about a year or so ago, as w/o a political representative/leader of a party who's aligned with animal concerns, nothing ever truly changes where it counts) There are also postcards to the Prime Minister to send as part of this new campaign package, postage-free, to aid in this cause.

Liz White herself, the leader of this party, the Director of Animal Alliance and a former director of the Toronto Humane Society, of course has pets of her own, and was feeding one of the affected brands to one of them, hence her determination to do something proactive about it, as is her usual mode. So if you're a Canadian and have had one of your own fur-family members affected by these foods, here's a way to use that outrage positively and fight back against the wrongs that were done, and to ensure this never happens again. And without steady pressure on our government, I firmly believe it WILL happen again.

Hmmmm.....perhaps I ought to have started a new thread for this instead, seeing as it's new news and is really important.....Marty, can you help?

Edited July 6, 2007 by Maylissa