IMPORTANT - Recalled Pet Food

[KrisNine]

hehe, dogs I'm sure use to eat this stuff before the "pet food" industry came into play. Then when they did, we were being told to only feed them their food.. :doh: I'm afraid not to cook mine.. maybe I need to have a different mind set..

That's what my mom was telling me. My mom grew up in the 50's, before commercial food was all the rage. They always had dogs and cats and my grandmother used to cook a bit extra for them every night. That's what they ate, home cooked meals. Stews, roasts, potpie, etc.

The squirrels, raccoons and other wildlife got the same thing for dinner. My Pop (grandfather) fed everything under the sun.

 

[accordn2me]

I'm having a terrible time finding anything that my little dog, Elmo, enjoys eating. I'm starting to think Elmo is really a baby trapped in a dog's body. I wonder if baby food would work?

I posted a link to this one food I tried. It sounds really healthy but he hates it. You have to trick him by mixing it with something before he'll even get near it.

http://www.healthypetnet.com/Healthypetnet/home.aspx?realname=

When my daughter's cat got sick and was in the hospital for over a week, I had the wet and dry cat food shipped to the house. She said the cats like it a lot. Sam is doing much better. Our vet still doesn't know why she got so ill....

Here is another food that I've come across while researching. I have not tried it, nor do I know anyone who has.

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

Good luck to everyone. My deepest sympathy to all who have lost beloved pets. Thanks to all who have posted! Please let me know if you try and like either of these two companies.

a2me

 

[reportertype]

I was just looking up Diamond brand foods because they have a big disclaimer on their Web site that they contain no wheat gluten.

However, a google search revealed class action lawsuits, etc. against them for a different problem. Food contaminated with something else, aflatoxin.

snip
Even though Diamond, Country Value and Professional brand dog foods have been recalled for containing highly toxic aflatoxins, they have caused an estimated 100 dog deaths in recent weeks, say Cornell University veterinarians, who are growing increasingly alarmed. Some kennels and consumers around the nation remain unaware of the tainted food, which may have been shipped to more than two dozen countries, and as a result, they continue to give dogs food containing a lethal toxin.

This is from January 2006.

I think homemade's the way to go at this point.

Link: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Jan06/dogs.dying.ssl.html

 

[SadieMae]

hehe, dogs I'm sure use to eat this stuff before the "pet food" industry came into play. Then when they did, we were being told to only feed them their food.. :doh: I'm afraid not to cook mine.. maybe I need to have a different mind set..

Marketing & advertising changed our attitudes. We were fooled into believing their food gave your pet all the "quality" nutrients for a healthy pet. Dog/canines in the wild never get cooked foods. It's all raw and they have survived. Our pet dogs and cats have digestive systems not far removed from their wild relatives.

I'm having a terrible time finding anything that my little dog, Elmo, enjoys eating. I'm starting to think Elmo is really a baby trapped in a dog's body. I wonder if baby food would work?

I posted a link to this one food I tried. It sounds really healthy but he hates it. You have to trick him by mixing it with something before he'll even get near it.

http://www.healthypetnet.com/Healthypetnet/home.aspx?realname=

When my daughter's cat got sick and was in the hospital for over a week, I had the wet and dry cat food shipped to the house. She said the cats like it a lot. Sam is doing much better. Our vet still doesn't know why she got so ill....

Here is another food that I've come across while researching. I have not tried it, nor do I know anyone who has.

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

Good luck to everyone. My deepest sympathy to all who have lost beloved pets. Thanks to all who have posted! Please let me know if you try and like either of these two companies.

a2me

I have heard good things about Honest Kitchen products. Every ingredient is human grade and a human could eat their foods.

I was just looking up Diamond brand foods because they have a big disclaimer on their Web site that they contain no wheat gluten.

However, a google search revealed class action lawsuits, etc. against them for a different problem. Food contaminated with something else, aflatoxin.

snip
Even though Diamond, Country Value and Professional brand dog foods have been recalled for containing highly toxic aflatoxins, they have caused an estimated 100 dog deaths in recent weeks, say Cornell University veterinarians, who are growing increasingly alarmed. Some kennels and consumers around the nation remain unaware of the tainted food, which may have been shipped to more than two dozen countries, and as a result, they continue to give dogs food containing a lethal toxin.

This is from January 2006.

I think homemade's the way to go at this point.

Link: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Jan06/dogs.dying.ssl.html

Diamond had a problem caused by moldy grains in the food. The mold produced a toxin that was deadly. Seems other manufacturers would have gotten a wakeup call from that scare...but NOOOOOOOOOO.

Good quality food makes for a healthy pet and extends the lifespan. My first Dane was an abused neglected 3 year old that lived to almost 10 years old, which is ancient for a Dane. He didn't get the best start in life, but good nutrition helped him live longer I strongly believe. How healthy and how long would a person who was raised only on fatty fast & junk foods live? Kind of the same thing for a dog. Food is very important to health and longevity for pets as well as their owners.

 

[SisterMadly]

This Natural Balance recall is &$#!@# me off. Their cans have a big old American flag and a Made in the USA label on them. Stupidly, I assumed that this means they don't import ingredients from China. I'm assuming, of course, that the melamine-tained ingredient in Natural Balance came from the same source as the Menu Foods recall, and that we don't have two melamine-tained distributors!

Guess it's time for me to learn to cook!

 

[SadieMae]

This Natural Balance recall is &$#!@# me off. Their cans have a big old American flag and a Made in the USA label on them. Stupidly, I assumed that this means they don't import ingredients from China. I'm assuming, of course, that the melamine-tained ingredient in Natural Balance came from the same source as the Menu Foods recall, and that we don't have two melamine-tained distributors!

Guess it's time for me to learn to cook!

Ahhhhhhhh...the power of suggestive marketing. Natural Balance is probably "processed" in America, they don't tell you the ingredients are from China. They don't have to include that information to legally say "Made in the USA". American branding doesn't guarantee all ingredients are from American suppliers. Works the same way with "American" cars. Lots of those parts are from Mexico and overseas too. A Chevy just ain't what it used to be.

 

[PaperDoll]

Well here we go again... more recall on pet foods and this time it's in the rice protein :furious:


http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18173908/wid/11915773?GT1=9303

 

[CuriousAnne]

Here's more info on the recalled food with rice protein.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/04/pet_food_company_scrambling_to.html

But the recalled Natural Balance products contain no wheat gluten. Instead, the Food and Drug Administration said that it appeared that melamine was in rice protein concentrate.

That concentrate came from a U.S. supplier, said Daniel Bernstein, a spokesman for Natural Balance. He said company is working with the FDA to try to figure out how the melamine got into the pet food and treats.

"It's very scary," Bernstein said. "This is industrywide. No one truly knows what's going on. No one intended to to put the melamine in any food. How it got
there? We don't know."

 

[KrisNine]

So it's a US supplier? This morning they were saying it was a Chinese supplier! Gosh, I'm so confused. I had to buy Josie food this afternoon and I felt a little sick to my stomach. She eats dry kibble in addition to the homemade. It's just worrying me. She gets a carrot stuffed Kong for her snackie time now.

 

[cathieq]

(1)Menu Foods has added:​

​

Natural Life
Vegetarian 13.2oz Can
13.2oz
UPC: 12344-07114

(2)

Diamond Pet Foods mfgd. the foods for Natural Balance....but at the Diamond web site, a banner assures the public that none of those ingredients are used in feeds pkgd. with the Diamond label. (yep, it's a long.....sentence ). For some reason, I just don't trust those folks). ​

 

[CuriousAnne]

According to this article, the rice protein was imported from China.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070418/pet_food_recall.html?.v=4

The Las Vegas importer of the contaminated Chinese wheat gluten, ChemNutra Inc., that led to the original pet food recall has suggested that spiking a product with melamine can make it to appear to be richer in protein during tests, thus increasing its value.

 

[kahskye]

I'm having a terrible time finding anything that my little dog, Elmo, enjoys eating. I'm starting to think Elmo is really a baby trapped in a dog's body. I wonder if baby food would work?


Here is another food that I've come across while researching. I have not tried it, nor do I know anyone who has.

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

Good luck to everyone. My deepest sympathy to all who have lost beloved pets. Thanks to all who have posted! Please let me know if you try and like either of these two companies.

a2me

My dogs love this food! I feed them Embark and they get excited when I start mixing it with water. Once it's mixed, I add different meats/veggies to it and they always gobble it up.

 

[accordn2me]

My dogs love this food! I feed them Embark and they get excited when I start mixing it with water. Once it's mixed, I add different meats/veggies to it and they always gobble it up.

It would be so nice to see Elmo get excited about some food. Instead he pulls his head away from his bowl and looks up at me with the most disappointed expression. Eventually, he sulks over and eats then lies down and shoots "that was gross" glances my way. I feel terrible! The Embark looks like it would be the one for him since he is so active. Thanks!

For those who are going the cooking route, I saw this article the other day:

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/07/03/31/100loc_a8petmeals001.cfm

 

[MissieMt]

This is really starting to make me a nervous wreck every time I feed our dogs! I've always fed them the Iams Mini Chunks dry dog food, but I think I'm going to have to do some research on feeding them fresh foods now. Seems like the list of manufactured dog foods they CAN have is going to be empty at this rate.

 

[Observer]

I raw feed my dogs, have been doing so for years. One added benefit to doing so is that their waste production is much less and no smell! They love it! I try to do it with the cats but they don't like raw food as much as the dogs do.

 

[SadieMae]

I raw feed my dogs, have been doing so for years. One added benefit to doing so is that their waste production is much less and no smell! They love it! I try to do it with the cats but they don't like raw food as much as the dogs do.

Absolutely!!!! And they go poo less often. I can't even imagine the cleanup I'd have to do if they ate corn based foods. With 2 Danes it probably would overflow a wheel barrow in a weeks time. :doh:

 

[GlitchWizard]

I'm having a terrible time finding anything that my little dog, Elmo, enjoys eating. I'm starting to think Elmo is really a baby trapped in a dog's body. I wonder if baby food would work?

I once won a local dog show contest after telling the judge I mixed purina puppy chow with baby food for my puppy and won a year supply of dog food. So yes, you can feed babyfood.

I'm thinking until this blows over, just grab whatever is on sale in the meat department of your store. That's what I'd do if I only had one small dog.

I'm feeding old roy dry dog food right now - have been through this whole ordeal and the dogs who only ate that and not the canned are fine.

 

[cathieq]

FDA Alert:
Wilton, Connecticut, April 19, 2007 -- The Blue Buffalo Company today announced a voluntary recall of one production run of its Spa Select Kitten dry food.
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html

St Charles, Missouri -- April 19, 2007 -- Royal Canin USA is announcing today that the company has determined there is a melamine derivative in the rice protein concentrate in some of its dry pet food products.

Wonder if the importers will continue to buy China's agri products? I'd surely be afraid to. Bet ya it'll eventually will show up in the human food chain......

 

[KrisNine]

I've also read that they are recalling corn gluten in South Africa not here in the US!! Do we have any South Africans here that can verify or that may not know. This supplier in China was not shipping their corn gluten to the US. I think we should all be aware because you never know what is next!

 

[KrisNine]

I also heard on the news this morning that Natural Balance is manufactured by Diamond foods. So, are we to be on the lookout for any Diamond foods that have this rice protein concentrate?