Tainted Pet Food

[beefeater]

For the past 2 weeks I've been hearing stories about the death of 15 cats and 1 dog from commercial pet foods that had been contaminated by rat poison. As a pet owner I'm concerned about what to feed my dog. Are any store bought pet foods really safe or is time to start cooking meals for "Bingo"?

[foxy]

I like dogs and cats even though I don't own one and I would feel bad if someone's pet died from poisened food but... I can't help wondering why... in a world filled with starving children...that an equal amount of outrage could be shown...oh, never mind...

[OneFinger]

First, I don't believe the stats that only 15 cats and 1 dog have died. There are others that report the deaths as well over 100! So, I really think there is cause for concern.

 

I have always fed my dog dry food. Up until yesterday, all tainted food was "wet" food from a can or pouch. Yesterday the first dry food was recalled (Hill's Pet Nutrition Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food) but that was cat food.

 

I buy my food in bulk and my Nike eats the lamb/rice blend from Sam's Club (their brand is Members Mark). So far, that has not appeared on the list of foods.

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the dry food remains safe. I personally believe that the dry dog food is better for the kid than "human" food.

 

That said, my previous dog had epilepsy and couldn't tolerate processed animal food. The vet provided me with some great recipes to cook my own dog food. Before you start making your own, you should consult your vet (or at least a trusted website).

 

Making your own dog food is not inexpensive. Plus, depending upon your breed, you have to be careful to remove skin and bones from the meat.

 

For now, I'm sticking to the dry food I've already bought. But, I'm checking the recall notices and watching Nike for any signs of illness.

 

BTW, although rat poison has been a concern, I believe there may be other ingredients involved. According to CNN:

 

Federal testing of some recalled pet foods and the wheat gluten used in their production turned up the chemical melamine. Melamine is used to make kitchenware and other plastics. It is both a contaminant and byproduct of several pesticides, including cyromazine, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

 

Melamine is toxic only in very high doses and has been shown in rats to produce bladder tumors, according to the EPA.

 

The federal pet food testing failed to confirm the presence of aminopterin, a cancer drug also used as rat poison, the FDA said. Cornell University scientists also found melamine in the urine of sick cats, as well as in the kidney of one cat that died after eating some of the recalled food.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/31/pet.food.recall.ap/

 

Sure feel sorry for the manufacturer of the food. This must be an emotional and financial nightmare for them.

[+ deej]

Take a look at this:

 

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

 

My cats aren't exhibiting any symptoms so I crossed my fingers when buying cat food this afternoon. Changing brands is an option, I suppose, but as any cat owner knows they don't like change. ANY change.

 

I'm just hoping the brand I bought stays off the recall list. It's all any of us can really do.

[Guest ihpguy]

The recall has just been extended to products produced by Hills and Purina. Scary. Scary. If three different manufacturers are producing tainted/poisoned products, when is this problem going to pop up in food products produced for human consumption?

[MindThe Gap]

>My cats aren't exhibiting any symptoms so I crossed my fingers

>when buying cat food this afternoon. Changing brands is an

>option, I suppose, but as any cat owner knows they don't like

>change. ANY change.

 

Esp if it is dry food. Most cats when it comes to canned "wet" food will eat whatever is in front of them. STAY AWAY from fancy feast, for a regular diet. It will make them kitties look like Mama Casa before you know it.

 

Here's what I found and I'll provide more info tomorrow. But my cats have been on Science Diet for quite some time now. It was one of the major recalled "wet food" products. Now they are, as of today recalling "MD dry science diet" when they stated before it was safe -that being any and all "Rx" dry food for cats from Science Diet. Like most recalls, this just keeps getting worse.

 

Here's an option and if you read the label with all it's ingredients, you'll find like me that scinece diet is just crap. The two first main ingredients are water and by products. (lungs, claws, beaks and many other carcis like ingredients.

 

Check this food out. It's what I switched to. http://www.bluebuff.com/products/cats-spa-select.shtml It's all just of everything that you and I might eat.

 

I have to go now, but this is a great option and the history of this company is unlike the major pet food companies you'll ever find..

[+ ArVaGuy]

While I am not a pet owner (I travel to damned much) I can just imagine how nerve racking this must be for everyone with a companion animal. It appears that cats may be especially prone to reaction to this chemcal.

 

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/03/31/624897.html&cvqh=itn_petfood

 

Also, it's scary how just one company, Menu Foods, seems to be the primary manufacturer of so many different brands. All it takes is one chink in the food chain as we have seen with tainted spinich of late and we wind up with massive health scares for humans and pets.

 

Here are links for the Menu Foods brands:

 

http://menufoods.com/recall/product_cat.html

 

http://menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html

[+ deej]

>Also, it's scary how just one company, Menu Foods, seems to be the

>primary manufacturer of so many different brands.

 

Well, the entire food industry (not just pet food) has been that way for 20 years or more.

 

There's a plant in central Illinois that does nothing but process oils. Peanut, coconut, sesame, you name it -- just oils. If you've ever eaten a Frito, an Oreo, Hostess DingDongs, Kraft Mac & Cheese, or a Sara Lee Cheesecake you've eaten their work.

 

It's sort of the ugly underbelly of the modern age and mass-produced food.

[rvwnsd]

Thanks for the link to petsitsusa. I found the url to Fromm's Family Foods, a brand that my cat absoutely loved until I could no longer find it.

[+ ArVaGuy]

>

>It's sort of the ugly underbelly of the modern age and

>mass-produced food.

 

Tell me about. One of our board members is a senior executive at ConAgra. Basically they make everything you can think of and are a completely vertical operation. Owning every part of the product chain from farm, to processor, to distributor. Throw in ADM and Cargill and those three companies have the market locked up.

[Guest zipperzone]

>Sure feel sorry for the manufacturer of the food. This must be

>an emotional and financial nightmare for them.

 

I don't think it will be possible for Menu Foods to stay in business. The last figure I saw was that it had cost them 32 million so far - and that may be just the tip of the iceberg.....

[Guest zipperzone]

>Take a look at this:

>

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

>

>My cats aren't exhibiting any symptoms so I crossed my fingers

>when buying cat food this afternoon. Changing brands is an

>option, I suppose, but as any cat owner knows they don't like

>change. ANY change.

>

>I'm just hoping the brand I bought stays off the recall list.

>It's all any of us can really do.

 

Isn't cooking up some fish & chicken an option?

[Guest ihpguy]

I am wondering if Blue Buffalo also produces products for humans. It sounds like a safer way for human to receive nutrition! We could certainly use some help as well.

[MindThe Gap]

>I am wondering if Blue Buffalo also produces products for

>humans. It sounds like a safer way for human to receive

>nutrition! We could certainly use some help as well.

 

If you read the ingredients on any Blue Buffalo can or bag of dry food, ihpguy, you will find it to be of the highest quality food for pets. And yes, it has been regulated as "safe for human consumption"

 

This company only offers the highest grade meats, vegetables, minerals and vitamins in their products. I urge anyone who loves their pets to read their website with care and concern.

 

It's not a well known company yet (only 4 years old) but it was a real eye opener as to what I was dishing out my pets with a Science Diet label on it. Science Diet, which I had believed to be high quality is actually crap. Again, look at the first two to three ingredients on most of their cans of food. You'll find water, broth and by products (again, ground up spline, beaks, claws joints, etc) as the major ingredients in their food. I too was horrified that Menu Foods was the mfg of all these pet food companies. Makes me think I could start my own. :-(

 

Science Diet "MD" a dry Rx food has now been added to the list of tainted cat food.

[beefeater]

>Isn't cooking up some fish & chicken an option?

 

Sounds like a good alternative, as long as my cooking doesn't give the dog the shitz. Anyone have any easy pet recipes?