Dry Dog Food (Nutra Nuggets) Not On Recall List Test Positive For Melamine
A central California vet is reporting that tests on a bag of Nutra Nuggets-brand dog food purchased from Costco tested positive for melamine. Nutra Nuggets is not on any current recall list. We are working on getting more specifics from the vet.
Nutra Nuggets is a brand of Premium Edge Pet Foods and is made by Diamond Pet Foods. A month ago, Diamond claimed that they did not use rice protein concentrate in their own foods. Dozens of brands have been recalled due to cross-contamination of pet food ingredients.
Veterinarian Dr. Matt Humason says “We began asking questions…we found the dogs all ate the same food from the same store at the same time… so we sent a sample to get it tested and it came back positive with melamine.”
All four dogs ate Nutra Nuggets brand food.
A sample was sent to a lab at UC Davis and [the pet owner’s] fears were confirmed. “All I’m trying to get people to do is notify the people and let them know we may have problem. Unfortunately I feel Costco has been very hesitant to do that.”
…
They’re working with the distributor to track down the specific batch number. A Costco representative tells KSEE 24 news once it’s been tracked, they will immediately yank the product in question.
(Thanks mikescats)
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:38 am
Just a thought.. Boca Food Company is a subsidiary of Kraft Foods………..I was going to buy some nuts this weekend…from china, than I was going to buy some canned mushrooms from china. After checking out ingredients for half an hr I said to the lady next to me. Iam going home and make potato soup. She jokely said…Make sure you dont use any of those potatoes from China. I agree with Steve….We should stop trade with China of food items !!!! Does anyone think out there that we are ever going to find out what the ‘other’ toxic ingredients are in our pet foods? I for one dont think we will. We would still be feeding our pets tainted food if some of them hadnt died. Oh, I forgot…we still are.
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:42 am
I have a abig problem with all of this pet food on the market. They recall only certain numbers and dates and then leave the rest of their product on the shelf. This product is not tested and we all know they do not test every single product. I went to this pet store the other day and was looking at their pro plan dog food and noticed that it had a feb. 2008 date. well this is pretty old stuff and I know that it was not tested. I am sure there are a lot of products dry and fresh on the shelves that have not been tested. I think we best look at the dates. Only trouble is what date is best! We could get a cross contamination bag if it is knew and if it is old then we could get tainted food. I really would not be surprised if all of it was tainted in some way, especially since this could have been going on for years and our pets have finally ended up ill over it all. These companies are not testing all of the food. There is no way they could. They only take a batch here and there and test it. If you are feeding your dog or cat manufactured food then you very well may still be feeding them tainted food.
My dog ate tainted Alpo and I took him to the vet. He checked out okay but he would not eat. He was eating fine before this. I tried home made and some that was not on recall list and he still would not eat. I took him back to the vet and they said he was still all clear. They gave him a shot to boost his eating. It really did not help at all. I had to beg him each day and hand feed him home made and then he only ate a little bit. I took him back to the vet. They did an x ray and told me that his lungs were full of water and that he could have cancer. I find this strange that he was eating fine and never had a problem till this recall. My baby only has a little time left now and I blame it all on Commercial pet food. Heaven knows what he has ate in his life time that could have caused this. I have had pets all my life and never had any trouble with them till we started dealing with China.
they will still get their stuff in to this country. If the FDA is at on port then they will just go to another one and still smuggle it in without being tested. I heard they have been smuggling in chickens for sometime now. The FDA will never be able to check everything that comes into the country. Even for our food and we probably have been eating some really bad stuff for sometime. I am so very upset.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:02 am
Nikandboots
Deb G
Helen
Can I have permission to include your comments about Nutro in a list I’m putting together about “Suspected” Foods? I’ve found tons of comments here and on other blogs and forums about Nutro dry foods, but need permission to include them.
I’ll include links to the comments here, but my fear is that if i don’t include the entire comment people will just gloss over it and not give credence to it. You know, just like so many of our friends and family are doing when we tell them about this crisis.
(Everyone - feel free to email me about any other pet foods you suspect harmed your pet - at pft@playingbig.com)
And I’ll be posting the request for permission on Itchmo’s two main posts about other dry foods, and in the forum, as soon as I have a chance. I have a lot of the comments in a spreadsheet already, so if you email me with permission just give me the name you posted under and I can match it up. THANKS.
Kim - Pet Food Tracker
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:06 am
P.S. You can just post ‘you have my permission to reprint my comments’ or something to that effect here, I’ll come back and check this thread.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:08 am
This is so frustrating! If you are still buying your food at a grocery store or big box, DON’T! The staff is not knowledable, nor do they care about the well-being of our pets. JanC mentioned Natura, they do a great job. I’ve been feeding FirstMate (www.firstmate.com) and I know they haven’t had any problems. I know this, because my independant pet store owner told me personally that she was visited by a FirstMate Rep. Not only do they make their own food, like Natura, in their own manufacturing facility, but they have on-site testing procedures. Find out who is making the food your dog eats! That will help you make a more informed decision.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:13 am
Kim: Yes you have permission to cross-post my comments about Nutro. My cat DID know there was something wrong with it. She had eaten it all her life and suddenly didn’t like it anymore. She ate very little of it, but got sick anyway: vomiting, which she had never done much before, lethargy, drinking extra water, extra urination, suddenly looking like “an old lady cat”, difficulty jumping. She continued to have good appetite for the other foods she was eating. I had attributed the above symptoms to her age (until the recalls started), but she is fine now. She is completely herself again. I feel like it is just dumb luck I still have her with me, and if you want to use my comments to help inform other people who are trying to keep their pets safe, please go ahead. As far as I know I am the only “Helen” posting here, and I have made several past comments about this, which you are free to copy.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:16 am
High Note
I feel so sorry for you, YOU WILL BE IN MY PRAYERS. I lost 2 girls and it takes so much time. I blame Eukanuba for adding so much of chromium tripicolinate and by-products. God only knows what else was in the food. The UGLY FDA didn’t recall that food either. I also agree no imports from China or any county that you cannot even drink their water or has given us bad food on a regular basis. Why is our gov. doing this to us. We die for this county and the FDA and our gov. gives us bad food and says it’s safe all for money. Got to go have an appointment. Bless you.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:18 am
Really hate to bring this up, it’s off topic, but I do know first hand that most of the potatoes we buy are GMO. Red McClures, Purple Peruvian, and Yellow Finn are the only real ones I know of.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:26 am
Sorry I goofed on contact info. Instead of Nutra, I did Nutro.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:35 am
3FURS, Thanks for the website, I’ll check it out.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:35 am
Kim:http://hubpages.com/hub/PET_FOOD_RECALL_NUTRO_DRY_DOG_FOOD
Many many comments here about nutro dog foods. Also, you definitely have my permission to use any and all comments I have made anywhere, including those about Nutro dog foods. I have posted under Kathy, Kathy Thompson, and I think bearsfostermum.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:52 am
And kthompson
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
I am really hesitant to call our various corporations “greedy, slime pigs” as per another earlier entry. But, if the description fits, then business/corporation should so be known. How profitable can it be to kill our pets with contaminated food? Boycott the businesses who don’t act responsibly!
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:18 pm
menusux
Hi, I am trying to find out why I cannot access the MSNBC pet boards since yesterday. Have they taken down the boards about the pet food recalls?
I remember your name from that board so that is why I am addressing you…don’t know who else to contact….thank you, Gail
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:30 pm
4lgdfriend,
I’ve read several posts, including yours, about the mysterious 5th ingredient. I’m no expert here, but you may be referring to benzoquanamine which the testing procedure says is to be used as an internal standard (but, according to the procedure, is still undergoing evaluation).
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:44 pm
I have given up on manufactured dog foods. I switched my dogs to raw 3 weeks ago and I’ll never switch back. For those of you who think it is too expensive, it’ll cost you about the same if not a little less than the premium commercials. Find a meat or chicken processing plant and you can buy bulk. Add some raw veggies, yogurt oatmeal and eggs on occasion. It doesn’t take more time either. Handing your dog 2 chicken legs or wings is faster than measuring kibble. I have seen an amazing change in my dogs. The chubby ones have slimmed down and my slim ones have built muscle and become chisled, and they can’t wait for their meals
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Kim
Your email link on itchmo’s site does not work.
I wanted to say that my dog Shadow only ate Pedigree and Milk Bone brand dog bones and got very sick and they have not been on recall yet. He was throwing up blood, and urinated blood for a week. My vet said it was a kidney infection probably…I dont believe her. I have not feed him any dog food since. I have saved the dog food and bones. Where can I get this dog food tested…do you or anyone in the blog know which UCDavis I can take it to.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:18 pm
scooterkid Says:
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:18 pm
menusux
Hi, I am trying to find out why I cannot access the MSNBC pet boards since yesterday. Have they taken down the boards about the pet food recalls?
I remember your name from that board so that is why I am addressing you…don’t know who else to contact….thank you, Gail
Wish I knew, but I’ve never posted at MSNBC. Here’s what I got that worked:
http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboa.....oardID=775
http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboa.....did=232979
Share your concerns, views about the pet-food scare–the title of the thread above’s link. Someone’s posted there today, so I would believe whatever was wrong is working right now.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:42 pm
[…] to KSEE24.com for this story and Itchmo for picking it up. Dog owners warned about potentially contaminated […]
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Unbelievable!
So to sum all this up…..
Unless we are rich, and can afford our own testing for these 5 contaminates, or we depend on the good detective work of Veterinarians like Dr. Matt Humason, we CAN NOT depend on the FDA , or pet food companies to inform us.
*Extreme censorship!
The acronym for the FDA I’m thinking of at this point in time, can not be repeated on this forum…
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Has anyone had experience with California Natural? I heard that it was excellent and the dogs love it, but they have had very very loose stools with it (and seem to be drinking more water - but it is getting warm). Should I be worried? I am switching to Canidae now but with the cross-contamination issue with foods not on the recall list I am very worried. Thanks for any input.
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Flamin,
No need to post it. We all know what FDA stands for.
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:43 pm
I wonder what’s in the human food?
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I am making my own food now and my dogs never looked better. Here’s a great group if you’re interested in checking out home cooking. They’ve been very helpful to me.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/g.....e_Cooking/
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:11 pm
It’s not just Costco that sells this brand! Our local Health Food market does. I have sent them a link to all of this and I hope it’s not the one batch they have.
A word to vacationers
We have tourist season in full swing here with RVs arriving every day with people and animals. I would so hate to think that a tragedy of bad food could harm an animal while traveling, and having to go to a vet when one may not be available. So, a warning for you traveling dogs, and cats, pre- cook up their food and bag in freezer bags and put in your cooler. Yes, we know they want the stakes you are cooking, but it is better for them.
I had a bad feeling that this would be next, I have been studying the pages on the manufacturers and it just keeps spidering out, touching so much. I think the best suggestion is if you see the brand, make management aware.
I think that it’s time for a letter writing campaign to Michael More, “please make a documentary out of this one”. I will continue to cook for our critters, have been for two years. I use California Natural kibbles to supplement. They are one company that has been very good about testing their products.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Janet - you haven’t had any problem with loose stools with the California Natural?
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Marcia,
I have had my dogs on canidae forever–but am concerned, so I feed half canidae and the other half home cooked. I DO NOT TRUST ANY company now. I am worried.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
My GSD friend/breeder feeds her GSD’s Kirkland brand dry. I told her I was worried for her now….geez..this is really tooo close for comfort. the affected Cosco’s hit home as well…Arizona. Where we live!!!!!!!!!!!!! yikes.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Aurora–was she a german shepherd? Sorry to hear about your dog.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Barb - thanks. I am trying to cook for them too as much as I can. I worry that they aren’t getting the right nutrients though and I don’t always have ingredients on hand to cook for them. When the recall first started I got some samples packets from my local “home owned” pet food store. I liked the Canidae but they seemed to prefer the California Natural so after the first big bag of Canidae was gone I got some Calif Natural - but the had loose stools from the beginning. I asked about this and was told it might just be the change in food so I started mixing it with home cooked. Still pretty loose. Then I tried just a bowl of dry food to see how it went and it was not good. Bath time today! So I went back to Canidae and we’ll see how that goes, but I am so worried since now it looks like there is so much cross-contamination or who knows what else going on.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Something is not jelling, yes, contamination, but, there has to be more, I think Diamond added the gluten to the foods. They are looking for a scape goat.
Think about it, how much can be lef t on machines ??
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Do not blame yourself about your dog’s cancer.
I know many a young dog that has succumbed to the disease. Their moms and sires were raised on raw for a few generations.
In many cases it is genetic.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:16 pm
This post is for Kim: Kim you totally have my permission to use my post on this tread with reference to Nutro Max Dry which sickened my Shih Tzu several months ago. Still have those (2) 25lbs bags I will never use. I thank you for gathering this info and doing something about it. Please keep us posted and let us know if we can do anything to help.
Deb G.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:20 pm
Thanks to all that responded and confirmed my doubts and concerns about Nutro Max Dry, and as always, thank you Itchmo for a place to come where we can share, learn, and express our concerns.
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:01 pm
I’m not sure who asked for a company who tested pet foods. This one was on an Itchmo forum: http://www.accutracetesting.com/poison_testing.php
Accutrace
#1-800-224-9551.
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:16 pm
You’re welcome Marcia–good luck with Canidae. I’m not changing anything right now until this mess clears up…who knows when!
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:57 pm
My dog had bloody stools and ibs from the Costco Chicken & Rice Dry and the Costco Lamb & Rice. If Nutra-nuggets was recalled please be careful with the Kirkland Dry product.
I immediately put her on Kumpi and all of her problems disappeared! (Knock on wood!!!)
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Chee-tah dog,
Oh boy–I forwarded your message to my GSD pal. She has 20 German babies who are eating Kirkland Dry food. So far, so good.
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I don’t have dogs, but I’m still terrified of these pet food recalls. I can’t afford (time-wise) to prepare fresh chicken and rabbit for the ferrets every day. However, I can try to choose good foods for them. I am so very glad I stopped feeding Chicken Soup (made by Diamond) and switched my boys over to all grain free food.
Its not perfect, but I’m trying to stick with smaller chains that market quality over quantity.
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Kim.
I have posted here about Brewski’s decline in health this past winter. Seemed to age very rapidly and expeienced an acute illness on March 6th after eating from a new bag of Nutro Natural Choice Dry Senior the night before.. He experienced symptoms smiliar to Helen’s cat. If you do not have my post. I can give you more details. Brew has made a remarkable recovery. I am feeding him Canidae and adding chicken and ground beef on occasion.
Our vet couldn’t believe the change in his health status on a recheck visit,
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:49 pm
We REALLY all need to write this vet…Dr. Matt Humason, and thank him for caring enough to go above and beyond to test a dog food that made 4 pets at his clinic ill.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Sue - I so agree. What a wonderful vet he is to be sure! He needs to know how much we ALL appreciate what he has done. If only there were more like him.
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I read in the Fort Worth Star Telegram newspaper dated May 22,2007 in the business section “C” page 2 under “What you need to know”
“Chinese authorities investigating two firms that may have exported tooth paste tainted with diethylene glycol an ingredient in some anti-freeze to Latin America,none has surfaced in the US” Wonder when the US food producers will catch on that using China for food or food additives are playing “Russian Roulette”I think everyone involved in the poisoning of our fur kids should be in jail! (really I can think of a bit more severe punishment –like the “rack”)
Judy Boone
Fort Worth
Texas
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:07 pm
it’s just so hard to avoid chinese foods and additives when even organic producers will not reveal the country of origin of their products. We tout ourselves as living in a democracy, but we are lacking a lot of basic rights these days. The FDA won’t tell us what our food is contaminated with or what exactly they are doing to investigate the extent of that contamination. When asked if something as basic as milk and eggs have been sampled and cleared, they give the non-answer, “there is no indication that they are contaminated” Does that mean they haven’t checked or that they have and all is well. Or nothing at all. Smoke-screen. And the reporters rarely follow up with a more specific question. They actually thank them for nothing. Something is really wrong. I agree with those who suspect the problem is more serious and prevalent than they want us to know with proof. All this talk of independent testing may have them worried, unless they have gagged the labs.
I am literally fed up!!!
May 23rd, 2007 at 1:55 am
I agree with the above post. Nutra Nuggets (this was the same time as the Natural Balance), contains Wheat Flour. The Contaminated RPC was actually Wheat Flour. Me thinks they got a bad batch the same way the NB got the Rice Protein Concentrate (which is why the hold of all grain products from China).
Since, at the time - they didn’t know about Wheat Flour, they wouldn’t know to test for Melamine (they have since updated and are now testing all batches - but I’m getting skeptical here.)
As was said before, how much can possibly be left on the machine? Not enough (and they do have cleaning procedures). I think it was the Wheat Flour - and that is why noone is stepping up to the plate.
Imagine the reaction - another contaminated grain to send the public running (I have no pet foods with my special grain list since this started).
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:33 pm
I agree taht vet is wonderful totally different than my vet who does v=not want any part of sending my poison food to be tested. She said since both of my cats had no permanent damage she really doesn’t see it necessary to send it off. UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If they only need PEPCID sometimes that is fine for the rest of there life, basically she is saying no harm no foul.
IMO I think she is scared PURINA would ruin her practice.
May 23rd, 2007 at 2:49 pm
here is what is coming next if the government starts importing chickens from China, open this link and push play to see timeline:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12375868
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:14 pm
To Karen V: What is on your special grain ingredient list and where do you get decent untainted dog food? I’ve been feeding my dogs the Nutra Nuggets stuff…it looked like premium food that supported joints (a good thing for growing boxers and older dogs with hip problems). But my older dog (17yr old mix) I just put down Sat. with symptoms that could’ve been kidney failure. (I found vomit in the yard later) Ultimately he had signs of a stroke. Without an autopsy, now I have doubts. He was very old so I thought nothing of it at the time. But I’ve got a small terrier who’s throwing up and a boxer who seemed to be drinking a lot of water a few weeks ago. He seems fine now and we’re having the terrier checked. They’ve all been eating this same batch of food. So how am I to feel confident in dog food these days? Got any suggestions?
May 24th, 2007 at 12:31 am
Helen, Kathy, Deb G, Barbara - Thanks for your posts! I’ve got your information and am working to get it all consolidated now. It takes forever.
Sharon & Shadow - See the accutrace information someone posted above for testing information. Which Pedigree food was it? You can post here, or email me at pft@playingbig.com
Thanks!
May 24th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
My beloved cat because of this dog food, he loved dog food we thought we were safe because it was not on the recall…… we could not save him it was too late. its been 12 weeks but the pain is still very much in my heart.