Lab Reports Acetaminophen In Eagle Pack Senior Dog Food
Expertox, a Texas lab, tested an unopened, original package of Eagle Pack Holistic Select Senior Care Formula for Senior Dogs. The lab reported that the sample of dog food tested positive for acetaminophen.
The sealed bag of Eagle Pack Holistic Select Senior Care Formula for Senior Dogs had the best if fed by date of: 0549 P2 10 JUL 08.
A pet owner and a small pet store owner sent the bag of Eagle Pack dog food to Expertox after her dogs experienced symptoms when eating Eagle Pack, and she also received complaints from customers using Eagle Pack. Symptoms from both her dogs and customers’ dogs included vomiting, diarrhea, itching, eyes swelling, hives, conjunctivitis, tremors, and some unexplained aggression.
She then contacted Eagle Pack and said they told her that problems with Eagle Pack were only coming from her store. They said the itching was probably caused by the dogs going into the ocean and not getting the salt/sand out of their coats or that people were not rinsing their dogs completely after a bath.
Eagle Pack came by her store to obtain samples in mid-August, and she said she has still not received test results from them. She then contacted the FDA, and an agent come by three times to obtain samples and unopened bags of dog food. She said she hasn’t hear anything back from the FDA either.
Getting tired of waiting for answers, the pet owner sent a bag to Expertox. She sent them an unopened bag with the same date code of the bag that her dogs were eating from. After receiving the test result, she forwarded the document to Eagle Pack.
She said when she switched her dogs off of Eagle Pack, they got better and the symptoms subsided. She also said that she has had complaints from customers on every formula of Eagle Pack, including cat food. She mentioned that she did this testing for the safety and well-being of pets and has nothing against Eagle Pack.
Itchmo spoke to an Eagle Pack spokesman today. The company was aware of Expertox’s results. The spokesman first said that Expertox has been completely discredited by the FDA. He stated that the FDA has not been able to find acetaminophen in any of the samples that Expertox has tested and get any of the same test results that Expertox has been reporting.
Also, he mentioned that after they found out about the positive test results, they tested samples of their food in their independent labs and they all tested negative for acetaminophen. In addition, he stated that the amount of acetaminophen that Expertox found would have to be 3600 times more to cause symptoms in pets. He added that the company has not received any other complaints about their food.
UPDATE: Eagle Pack posted a response on their website to Itchmo’s post about Expertox’s findings:
There is a report circulating on the Internet that one bag of Holistic Select Senior Care dog food tested positive for trace amounts of Acetaminophen. ExperTox laboratories performed the test. This is the same lab that claimed to have found Acetaminophen in 5 other brands of dry premium and holistic brands. Yet in their own testing of these brands, the FDA and 2 leading Universities could not detect Acetaminophen in these foods and could not verify results claimed by ExperTox. It appears their findings cannot be considered valid or reliable.
Members of our Breeder Advisory Council have not reported any ill effects of their pets. This writer has 8 champion Brittanys of varying ages and has not experienced any issues. Two recent litters of 7 and 11 puppies are all in good health.
As noted in the Internet report, FDA took samples of our food in August 2007. There have been no adverse reports received from the FDA and our foods have not been recalled and remain safe.
We have our own in-house test lab that conducts ongoing tests on incoming ingredients and finished food. When major issues like the March 2007 melamine recall occurred, and now the Acetaminophen issue, we use independent labs for testing. Our foods have always tested negative and were never part of the recall.
(Thanks Eric)
November 7th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Apparently no one has notified Health & Human Services, of which FDA is a branch, that ExperTox is discredited:
http://www.expertox.com/
Certifications-Accreditations
Dept Health & Human Services
(Clinical Lab Improvement Act)
http://www.hhs.gov/
The DEA continues to speak highly of them too:
FDEA (Federal Drug Enforcement
Agency)
http://www.dea.gov/
http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/petfoods_pg1.htm
http://eaglepack.com/
Eagle Pack website
“Dry foods manufactured in Eagle Pack’s plant in Mishawaka IN.
“We do not use wheat or rice gluten/protein concentrate in any of our dry or canned foods. (from website 5/11/07)
“The only gluten we use is corn gluten and it is from in Hammond, IN and Iowa.
“Only ingredients from China are glucosamine and taurine (a pet food and human food industry standard).
“Vitamins sourced from BASF, a recognized & respected vitamin source. However, even they must buy some vitamins from China, as do the other respected vitamin companies.”
So we see that their glucosamine and taurine come from China as well as some of the vitamins via BASF. They say their only gluten used is corn and that’s US-sourced.
My thought would be that the source of any acetaminophen would be the Chinese suppliers of either glucosamine, taurine, or the vitamins and that they are perhaps using it as a “filler” for the more expensive ingredients, with the knowledge that no one’s testing for acetaminophen when the products reach US shores.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Yeah, no kidding. Little of this, a little of that. Who’s to know?
Eagle Pack knows who their suppliers are. So does every other company with products that have tested positive.
Time to start comparing ingredients between brands and amount of the supplement, maybe?
November 7th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Menusux, I think, sadly, that you might be right about taurine being the source of the acetominophen contamination. I read somewhere–might have even been on an itchmo blog–that all of the taurine obtained by the U.S. comes from Chinese sources, which makes it especially terrifying for cat owners. Interesting that the pet food company’s first line of defense is to trash and discredit the lab that found the acetominophen. I’d trust Expertox before I’d trust any of these companies, or the FDA for that matter. Very disheartening news, because two of my three cats will not eat homecooked food–they’re addicted to Fancy Feast. I see this whole situation getting worse, not better–no one is willing to cut off China completely, which to me would be the only solution.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Yet another “trusted” Dog Food company blaming the Dog owners and also using sources from China that I am sure more than not, their customers were completely unaware of. Although at this point, even Dog foods that are made in the USA are suspect because all their suppliers cannot be watched or trusted. Alas, just when you think that some USA foods might be safe, here we go again. None are safe and even the old Trusted Purina One has killed some poor doggies…..And Purina just won’t fess up either.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
How is it that you people are so willing to believe that Expertox is the only good lab in the US? If any other lab found the same thing then at least there would be something to work with. One reason the DEA may think highly of Expertox because they find drugs in (i.e. acetaminophen) in everything they test. Just a thought.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
An interesting and plausible possibility. acet. as filler in vitamins sourced from China. And pets that eat only one food constantly would be getting a higher dose. This has got to stop.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
troll.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
“he stated that the amount of acetaminophen that Expertox found would have to be 3600 times more to cause symptoms in pets.”
what about if you’re feeding it everyday, twice a day?! does he have some sort of “risk assumption” report that says it’s ok to feed low levels to pets over a period of time because of dilution factors?
i’ve been afraid of Taurine and Vitamins since this whole thing started. never really thought about Glucosamine . . .
hate to say this, but something tells me that the generic drugs and drug ingredients are probably chock full of issues. the pet food is just one HUGE red flag that the government seems to not want to see.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Here We go again. I just switched My cats, all of them, to Eagle Pack. Dry and wet. so, what do you think I should do? I have a cat on Taurine for His heart. He has to have it.
What am I supposed to do??????????????
Help Me please.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Melamine taught us that there needs to be a financial reason to use a filler. I have a hard time seeing acetaminophen as a filler given its cost.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Duh says:
“November 7th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
How is it that you people are so willing to believe that Expertox is the only good lab in the US? If any other lab found the same thing then at least there would be something to work with. One reason the DEA may think highly of Expertox because they find drugs in (i.e. acetaminophen) in everything they test. Just a thought.”
No one’s saying that ExperTox is the ONLY good lab–point is that it’s untrue that it is discredited as HHS (FDA is a branch of HHS) and DEA, which are both Federal agencies, have certified and/or accredited them, and there’s no evidence that’s been rescinded by either agency. Therefore Eagle Pack’s statement re: FDA & discrediting ExperTox aren’t true.
Perhaps if PFI, its members, and the entire PF industry were to be more cooperative and willing to investigate when incidents like this are reported in sealed pet foods, the situation would be different–you can’t find something you won’t look for.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Trudy - stop reacting. If no one else can find the same problem you need to believe that there is an issue with the lab.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Menusux - fair enough. They aren’t discredited. Problem with these tests is that the complex nature means that a lab might do a wonderful job testing for steriods or pot (Expertox) but not be as accurate as they should be testing for other things. My fear is that Expertox is used to looking for drugs so now thats what they find. Sort of like staring at a light then closing your eyes… the light is still there.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
DFTT, folks. menusux, thanks for your post.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Per Eagle Pack - all ingredients are sourced from US suppliers.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
The FDA and any of these companies could put this to rest if they had verification from a number of labs, unconnected and not dependent on Gov. or big box contracts, using the same protocols, that say there’s no way it could be present in any amount.
Menusux- as always, way to go. Thanks.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Menusux, thanks, please don’t ever leave us.
By troll, by, by.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
I just took 2 cats to the vets yesterday for terrible diareahea[sp?] these are My oldest cats, 15 and 20. the vet said they might be alergic to something in the food. One of the cats intestines was hard, or something like that. Not right anyway.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
As per Eagle Pack’s website:
http://eaglepack.com/Pages/EP_Testing-QC.html
“In this global economy manufacturers are forced to buy some ingredients overseas. While most of our ingredients are grown or made in North America, the few that come from overseas carry Certificates Of Authenticity. They are also tested.”
I see “most”–not all–and this is what they’ve put into writing on their own site.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Trudy,
raw chicken hearts and clams are an excellent source of taurine. just run them trough a food chopper if your kitties have trouble eating them.
i won’t use commercial taurine anymore. i have an un-opened bottle that is supposed to be from before the company switched from japan to china, but i’m just not that confident. SO not worth the risk.
Duh, maybe Expertox is finding the chemicals because their testing is more sensitive, not because the “light” is still there after closing their eyes. WalMart had an issue with their findings of heavy metals in pet toys. basically they didn’t seem to think it was an issue (dilution factor, levels too low BS) even though Expertox did. I guess the issue could be, is it ok to slowly poison us, and our pets, to death, or should we just worry about levels high enough for quick obvious deaths?
November 7th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Do they source them from US products, or US suppliers? ChemNeutra was a US supplier. Wilbur Ellis is, I think, a US supplier. Of course it doesn’t matter where something comes from if it’s toxic.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
“I see “mostâ€â€“not all–and this is what they’ve put into writing on their own site.”
ah yes. how DARE you read between the lines! lol!~ it also tells me those certificates of authenticity scream nobody’s checking. and i hope people realize that the certificates from Chinese companies can be just as FAKE as the ingredients they are certifying. remember that certified wheat gluten . . . . . or was it rice, no wait, it’s flour, we think . . . .
November 7th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
He doesn’t like chicken hearts raw. Can i cook them?
and All of you, what about all My cats being on Eagle Pack????I’m scared.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Itchmo admin: last poster’s name is showing up in the Leave a Reply “name” field again.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
yes, you can cook them. just gently and not too long. they still contain decent amounts cooked. if they’ll do clams, those are packed with taurine.
if it were me, i would take my cats off the food, especially since 2 just had to be vetted. unfortunately, i don’t know what you should feed them from the commercial market . . . :( with the price you are paying for brands like eagle pack, home cooking might be you’re best option until the PFI gets their $hit together. there is obviously an industry wide problem, imo.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
we have a troll on board here ladies & gents.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Anonymous says:
“November 7th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Do they source them from US products, or US suppliers? ChemNeutra was a US supplier. Wilbur Ellis is, I think, a US supplier. Of course it doesn’t matter where something comes from if it’s toxic.”
While CN has an office in Las Vegas, everything it sells is sourced from China:
http://www.chemnutra.com/
“The China Source Experts
ChemNutra imports quality ingredients from China to the U.S. for the feed, food and pharma industries.”
Wilbur-Ellis’ home base is in San Francisco, but they source various products throughout the world.
http://webprod.wecon.com/WECOW.....erview.htm
“Incorporated in 1921, Wilbur-Ellis Company has grown to become a leading international marketer and distributor of agricultural and industrial products, with sales exceeding $1.710 billion in 2006.
“To support our diverse customer base, we maintain a multinational marketing/distribution network of offices, formulation facilities, retail centers, and warehouses strategically located throughout North America and the Pacific Rim.”
If you think back to the recalls, many companies believed that the “RPC” from W-E was US-sourced until information proved otherwise. If you deal/dealt with CN, you know whatever you’re buying was produced in China.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Trudy,
If you can find Orijen in your neck of the woods, they don’t add Taurine because the food is so high in natural taurine (from the high amount of protein — chicken) that they don’t need to supplement. I have recently spoken with someone in the company who told me that they had done a review of all of their ingredients to make sure that they did not come from China. All of the main ingredients come from Canadian Provinces and their vitamins, I believe, come from the UK. I had switched my cats to this food when the recalls began and have had no problems. The company has had to open a new plant to accommodate the orders for Orijen. They also make a product called Acana and have been around for many years.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Duh is something I say when I don’t have anything intelligent to say. Hmmmm
Maybe someone should do some research on Expertox—they are more than a “tox screen” lab — before they post!!!
November 7th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Cnn is reporting they are finding a date rape drug in a popular toy.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I will trust the FDA’s result when they come to my house and take some samples that were sent to Expertox-and tested positive! Nobody called me yet!
November 7th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
good one Carol
November 7th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Slightly off the subject but here is the link on the GHB toys for anyone who is interested. Look who makes them!
Tests have revealed the tiny beads contain the chemical 1,4-Butanediol, which when ingested turns into liquid fantasy, also known as GHB.
Bindeez are made in Hong Kong and imported through Melbourne company Moose Enterprises.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0.....-2,00.html
November 7th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Duh saying “You people”
Duh ya think Duh is from duh PFI?
This is the 5th named pet food brand testing positive for acetaminophen. Keep duh-nying it. The truth is before your eyes.
Duh ya think Expertox washes its equipment down with acetaminophen? Get a clue. The drug is in duh food or it wouldn’t be found!!! This is wide spread. Duh!!!
Chris, tthanks for the link about the date rape drug in kids’ toys sold in AU. More poisoned crap. They don’t care who or how they kill or mame somebody.
November 7th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
I so desperately want to see all these corporate murdering B**t*rds behind bars where they belong.
What has happened to our country? It’s isn’t just Bush anymore, the whole country is badly broken. I used to be proud to be an American. Now I’m just embarrassed. And that’s really sad.
November 7th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
I trust Expertox too at this point.
I am also concerned with this as I use Eagle Pack Holistic Select dry for our cat who is picky.
The GHB story is in Australia, and CNN is carrying the story too:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/.....newssearch
November 7th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Are any of the pet food brands that tested positive for acetaminophen sold outside of the US?
November 7th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Anonymous says:
November 7th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
“Duh saying “You peopleâ€
Duh ya think Duh is from duh PFI?”
Duh might even be Duhwane-o ;-).
November 7th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
I agree with Anonymous & Geff.
AU seems to have the capability of testing & seems to be concerned with what is being sold in their country. The U.S. just denies it all and allows more in. It’s a crying shame.
I would guess this company in Hong Kong makes more than just Bindeez toys and some of their fine made products are currently in U.S. stores.
What is it going to take to make this administration do something about all the toxins in our food, our pets food and childrens toys? I have yet to hear one of those running for office even make mention of it. HELLO!
November 7th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
We also have these same toys in America. I’m sorry I didn’t catch the name on CNN but they are going to be recalled too.
Menusex,” Duh might even be Duhwane-o ;-).”. I think you might be right.
PFC & FDA, guess what, we are not going away no matter how hard you try to get rid of us. Get use to it, we are staying & we are going to grow in #. Count on it.
November 7th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Ann H says:
November 7th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
“Are any of the pet food brands that tested positive for acetaminophen sold outside of the US?”
What’s been tested which were factory sealed when they went to ExperTox were 3 Special Kitty pouches in 3 different flavors and now the Eagle Pack Senior Dry Dog Food. Both Eagle Pack and Menu Foods distribute both brands outside of the US:
http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages....._dist.html
Eagle Pack International Distributors List
http://www.menufoods.com/recal.....043007.htm
Menu Foods Special Kitty Canada Recall List.
November 7th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Ann,
Could be we need to look for food made outside the U.S. ? I’d have it shipped in and pay the additional costs for SAFE food.
November 7th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
My thought is this- is Expertox the only lab that people send samples to? If (and this is a VERY big hypothetical here) I were a shady individual at Expertox, and I wanted to make a quick buck, I would ride on the pet food scare by being the one lab that is known to test pet foods and give positive results. Why have other labs not been used, or are they being used, and not finding the results? I don’t trust the FDA to protect us either, but who else is verifying Expertox?
The other thought is this- why does it have to be something from China? Yes, they have been caught recently, but plenty of US companies do shady things, and I beleive that it was on Itchmo that I read that US companies have been suspected of spiking food as well.
Which leads me to the second part of my other thought- if this is intentional, why acetaminophen? Is it really that cheap? Why not look towards all the acetaminophen that is dumped down the drain by US citizens, moving up the food chain, increasing in concentration until it finds it’s way into fish, which are fed to chickens, which go into the dog food? Given enough of that chicken, the toxin could build up in the dog. It’s how the gulls in California had reproduction issues related to DDT.
I feed my cats a mixture, which changes daily, of Nature’s Variety raw food, canned Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Pet Guard, Avoderm, By Nature Organics, Nature’s Logic, plus Orijen Dry. The way I figure it, the more you spread it around, the less of any single toxin that can build up in any amount. Weekly fasting plus milk thistle and dandelion extract can also help cleanse the liver and support your animal’s overall function.
It’s easy to be upset with China right now, but I would not jump to conclusions. They are not 100% guilty and the US is not 100% clean and sparkly with great internal oversight. The FDA, USDA and anyone else “looking out” for us are bumbling, disjointed agencies full of hard working, well intentioned individuals that are not encouraged to really keep things clean, just given enough resources to have some clarity every now and again.
*sigh* We are all test subjects in the new chemical world. Our animals, with smaller bodies, are indicator species for the results of this new world. This is a glimpse of our new reality.
Go organic. For you, your children, your pets and our world.
Good luck. Let’s hope there is some clarity shown on these results, so that we can see what is really going on here.
Chris in Baltimore, MD
November 7th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Shipping it in from other countries isn’t the answer. Until one company or other admits there’s the possibility of chemical contamination and actually tests their products for unusual or chemically similar (enough to fool most tests) ingredients, we’re on our own. It’s not like there aren’t chemists that know what to look for in various industries. There’s the duh factor for ya. They know what’s out there, one way or another.
November 7th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
If You want to know the name of the toy go to the forums. We have a bunch of links about it. It has already put 2 children in a coma and they don’t know if they will live. It is the date rape drug. And China put it in the glue that goes to these toys. Sounds like they want our kids dead!
November 7th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
Claudia, Thanks so much. i can’t find anything here. But i’ll look on the web. do you know if it might be good for hyperalegic cats to eat it too? If that makes any sense? thanks again,
November 7th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I don’t doubt the results. One alternate theory, could the acetaminophen be from USA rendering plants? I’m under the impression from reading the itchmo forums that the pfc’s have at least 3 things in common:
1. Vitamins, glutens & possibly other ingredients sourced from China
2. “Rendered” dead cats & dogs used as part of the food
3. Dishonesty
Is acetaminophen commonly used as a medicine in animals that are close to death? If so, that could be how it’s getting into the food. I’m assuming the stories in the forums about the rendering plants are reasonably accurate. I’ve also seen the photos of plastic pieces & sutures embedded in the dry food, which really seems to validate the rendering plant stories.
November 7th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Trudy, They want all of us dead and will continue to poison our food until they accomplish it. With the current administration not giving a rat’s ass ~ they are sure to get it done.
We can only try to take care of our family’s in the best way we know how and continue to pay our taxes so they can send the money to other countries so they are protected and safe. What about us?
November 7th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Acetaminophen is toxic to dogs and cats and would not be used for any medical reasons.
November 7th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Anonymous, you are so right again. No wonder I missed you guys yesterday.
Pretty soon We won’t have anything left to pay the taxes with anyway.
But, We’ll always send our money to other countries.
Has anyone heard if any of the Eagle Pack Cat food has been tested?
November 7th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Someone should question the person who got this food tested. Didn’t Expertox find acetaminophen in Canidae and Innova, she is still selling these foods, what’s the beef with Eagle???
November 7th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Chris- Acetaminophen is never used for cats, but is sometimes used under vet supervision for dogs with chronic conditions who can’t tolerate other anti-inflamatories or painkillers.
November 7th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Thanks once again Menusux and Anonymous! Busy day - just caught up on these new issues. My guess is that if the whole truth ever hit the mass media there would be a nation wide panic. Best bet, plant a “victory garden”, buy local and USA organic, and try to stay on top of what’s happening every day. Survival of the fittest! It’s a real jungle out there.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:05 am
What we need is a dip stick tester for acetaminophen.
Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?
November 8th, 2007 at 2:02 am
It’s kind of interesting how the PFI straight party line keeps going back to, “ExperTox is the only one finding it.”.
That’s not true. Our sick, dead or dying pets found it also.
November 8th, 2007 at 5:50 am
When the FDA and the PFI tells us WHY the results at Expertox regarding acetaminophen are inaccurate, then I will not continue to lose faith more every day. I would like to think that once my food tested positive for melamine and acetaminophen, the first thing they would do is want more of the same that I have—only “flavors” that I had more than one of (with the same use by date)were sent for testing. I am tired of all the negative test results put out by the FDA and PFI because I want the same food that tested positive by Expertox tested by them—why would they not want to? I have my opinions –I only hope I am wrong. Not only is the poisonings of our beloved pets an outrage, so is the handling of this debacle by the FDA and PF Co’s that continue to dismiss us. I will keep the food in my freezer for as long as I need and I will remain vocal for a very long time. I am so tired of this. I look forward to the release of MenuFoods’ “retesting” that they said would be done as soon as possible on October 19—-.
November 8th, 2007 at 5:56 am
MaineMom says:
November 7th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
I am doing my best to get the story to the mass media!!! Lisa McCormick at consumeraffairs.com has been covering this and today I am taping for the SteveDale Radio Show—anything to keep this in the spotlight!!!!!
November 8th, 2007 at 6:22 am
Neither the manufacturer nor the FDA ever got back to her. Big surprise. Yesterday we heard more lies of caring coming out of the mouth of George Bush. I hope they all rot in hell.
November 8th, 2007 at 6:23 am
[menusux says:
November 7th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Ann H says:
November 7th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
“Are any of the pet food brands that tested positive for acetaminophen sold outside of the US?â€
What’s been tested which were factory sealed when they went to ExperTox were 3 Special Kitty pouches in 3 different flavors and now the Eagle Pack Senior Dry Dog Food. Both Eagle Pack and Menu Foods distribute both brands outside of the US:
http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages….._dist.html
Eagle Pack International Distributors List
http://www.menufoods.com/recal…..043007.htm
Menu Foods Special Kitty Canada Recall List.
—
My thoughts are that we find pet owners using these brands outside of the US and get them tested.
Right now, with some unopened testing positive that eliminates most of the innuendoes of unclean hands. Having testing done outside of the US might help with the mud they’re throwing at Expertox. One spinning hurdle used by the PFCs and FDA is mostly over, now the 2nd hurdle is the lab.
I know that my state Agriculture dept was to do acetaminophen testing, but in June the FDA told them it wasn’t there and they did NOT test for it.
We have some inside the US problems that we need to work around too.
Finding those products outside the US and getting tested, even to EU standards, can only help solve the BS being thrown at us.
November 8th, 2007 at 6:52 am
There should be penalties (not just financial) in place when the pet food companies and the FDA fail to respond and FollowUp on complaints like these. At this point there is no consequence for the pf co’s to just stop communication–like with the results back to this pet store owner. Until regulations change I think this will continue!
Another troubling problem is where else is this news getting out now—if it were not for this site I would not know about this finding. Think how many more people may be having trouble with their foods and not know what we are slowly finding out!!
November 8th, 2007 at 7:40 am
i’m really weary of this controversy over results coming from expertox and i’m wondering if there might be a way to put this to rest once and for all. i’d like to see the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation or a similar organization do a blind test in which they send samples to expertox, fda and uc/davis. in this test, they would have “clean” samples, and some they themselves adulterated with acetaminophen and/or other contaminants. the labs would not know where the samples came from… that is, they would not know that it was actually an evaluation of their competence. only a2la would know who got which samples. i think the results of a test like that might prove to be very interesting.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:10 am
Wonder if that’s why NONE of my cats would even touch the Eagle Pack when I tried it a few weeks ago. Thought it was strange that not one of them would eat it, but since we’ve tried other foods without success I just returned it to the store. HMMM. . .
This would also explain why my CJ went into ARF and then developed liver disease after being poisoned last November. Never could figure out where the liver disease came from. Isn’t that typical with acetometaphine?
Just thinking out loud here.
November 8th, 2007 at 9:07 am
I still can’t get past that Expertox is the only place getting results.
So has any food been tested there that hasn’t come back positive? Because it seems like they find something in just about everything sent there….
November 8th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Becky, it’s also important to remember that most, if not all, of the people who sent food in for testing have had pets die or become sick, and acetaminophen is what has been found.
The sick or dead pets is what prompted the testing to begin with. To my knowledge, Expertox is the ONLY INDEPENDENT LAB that does testing for private citizens. Otherlabs may do only government testing or testing for businesses. Many universities accept huge grants/funding from corporations that may present a conflict of interest - for example: University of California at Davis received around a half million dollars from Hill’s. I believe it was UC Davis that told Don Earl BEFORE HE SENT IN CAT FOOD SAMPLES that there was no acetaminophen in the food.
BTW, where in the process is this??? Remember the professor and student who developed a test/machine to quickly (a couple of minutes) scan for all toxins? The student brought pet food in for testing? I thought there was supposed to be a huge unveiling of the machine and work done on it last month???
Purringfur
November 8th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Expertox is a certified lab that is not funded by PF companies, so I believe their findings.
The fact that pet owners complained about the food, and THEN the food tested positive for acetaminophen is SIGNIFICANT.
On the other hand, the FDA, other labs that are funded by PF companies, and labs that are less sensitive than Expertox have lots of reasons to NOT find toxins.
If the FDA, or anyone else, can offer a technical explanation of why Expertox’s findings should be discredited, I’m a reasonable person who is willing to listen.
But rather than get involved and try to troubleshoot the problem (of different findings), the FDA has chosen to offer no reasonable explanation, and to ignore the problem.
I have written several letters to the FDA (another one last night), have made many phone calls, and have heard only criticism of Expertox.
Having a criticism is fine, but refusing to explain the basis of such criticism is not.
At some point, it may be appropriate to question Expertox, but first we need to ask “why won’t the FDA explain the difference in findings?”
We should never, ever forget that the PET FOOD RECALL OF 2007 occurred in the USA. Why?
IMHO, the root cause of the PF recall also explains the difference in findings.
The root cause is very simple: POLITICS
November 8th, 2007 at 10:14 am
University of Guelph (Ontario) was doing some testing early on. Perhaps they are a non-US option.
November 8th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Perhaps somehow an independent “oversee-er” not connected with Expertox and not connected with the FDA could be present when some of these suspected foods are tested. It would be hard to argue that results were mistaken or fixed with that type of verification. I don’t trust tests that are done (or are not being done) by the FDA when probably all their employees are under a gag order anyway, and they are in the pocket of the food producers. And without an independent monitor the manufacturer or the FDA can claim Expertox is coming up with inaccurate results.
November 8th, 2007 at 10:57 am
It really bugs me that K Tremell would say things that that about the Innova. Natura has done so much to make sure that their products have only the best ingredients and are completly safe. Just because one person says that her dog got sick from the food does not make it true. Also, Natura sent samples of the food to three different labs (not including their own) to be tested. None of the labs found anything wrong with the food.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Here it is…
Professor O. David Sparkman and graduate student Teresa Vail used a mass spectrometer with the D.A.R.T. (Direct Analysis in Real Time) interface device…
[skip]
“The significance of the D.A.R.T. mass spectral technique is that results are available in minutes or seconds,†Sparkman said. “Because of enhancements we have made to the D.A.R.T. technology, our answers are definitely unambiguous.â€
Thank you to the University of the Pacific - April 23, 2007 Press Release
http://web.pacific.edu/x7982.xml
Purringfur
November 8th, 2007 at 11:37 am
I have a new kitten that has been on California Natural and has had diahrrea the whole time. I dont know if the CA Natural is to blame or not but I just took her off all of it on Tuesday and she hasnt had diarrhea since. I was thinking it was from the flaxseed in that food but now I dont know what to believe. I have one unopened bag left bought at exactly the same time as the first bag…..hmmm, Im wondering if testing is needed……
November 8th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Becky,
RE: “I still can’t get past that Expertox is the only place getting results.
So has any food been tested there that hasn’t come back positive? Because it seems like they find something in just about everything sent there….”
ExperTox has tested hundreds of pet food samples. The numbers available early on suggest they were finding acetaminophen in approximately 5% of those samples.
I know of only 2 other labs that even pretend to offer testing for acetaminophen in pet food and both of them are deep in the hip pockets of pet food companies. It’s also worth noting that there’s a strong likelihood of false negatives, even from ExperTox. It’s also worth noting that the only reason this information is in the public domain at all is because of private parties releasing the results.
Pet food companies with samples known to have tested positive for acetaminophen aren’t talking about it, and there is at least one of those we know about.
There is a huge difference between “none detected” and “none present”. No one is using a protocol able to positively eliminate the possibility of false negatives.
Samples of Pet Pride I sent to ExperTox in unopened cans were some of the earliest to test positive for acetaminophen back in May. I had three cats when I bought that food. Two of them refused to eat it. The one that ate it died. She was a happy, healthy cat when she dug into the first can. By day 4 she started slowing down. By day 7 she was in acute renal failure and died 3 days later.
If you have pets, especially cats, you should be VERY concerned. It has been almost a year since acetaminophen started showing up in pet food, no one knows how it got there, and it is still showing up in pet food being produced even as we speak.
If you’re willing to believe the ExperTox results are bogus, the first question you should ask is why aren’t any of these billion dollar pet food companies suing them for libel. There are two very obvious reasons to that question, 1. Truth is an absolute defense against libel, and 2. The pet food companies don’t want to draw attention to the fact their pet food contains deadly toxins by filing a suit they can’t possibly win.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Hi Trudy: I’m in the same boat you are! I too recently switched my cats to Eagle Pack cat food (since Sept.) though haven’t noticed any problems except my one cat threw up once in awhile (maybe once every 3 weeks) but I thought that’s because she’s has hairballs. My other cat’s coat has turned extremely soft now whereas it always used to be rough before (using Royal Canin Indoor 27).
Now I’m not sure what to do–I have about 1/2 bag left of the Eagle Pack multi-cat plus just bought a brand new bag of it.
I think I’ll return the unopened Eagle Pack and get the Orijen which is available in Milwaukee at Bark’n'Scratch Outpost.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Why doesn’t expertox sue the PFI for saying things about it that aren’t true? Can’t they do that?
Like Eagle Pack has on their site now? Isn’t that liable?
November 8th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Thanks to the person who sent the Eagle Pack bag of dog food into Expertox for testing and shared the results. Fortunately, it isn’t something we feed. It IS, however, indicative of the fact that problems still remain in one or more of the ingredients in commercial pet food. I doubt it is confined just to pet food and would hazzard a guess if we tested cereals, for instance, we would find things we didn’t know we were consuming ourselves.
I eat as little prepared, prepackaged food as possible and since the recall hit and I began to understand how the supply chain worked (or more accurately does NOT work) I stopped taking most supplements. When current vitamin/mineral supplements in our home run out, they will not be replaced. I wonder about the two generic prescription drugs I take, but alas they are necessary, so for now I’m resigned to taking them with the hope that the unknowns are probably small enough not to cause more harm than doing without would.
It’s a sad time indeed when our great nation puts the health of our economy ahead of the health of it’s people. Our four footed family members are a bit like the canary in the mine.
Again, I’d like to thank the person who sent this bag of dry food into ExperTox, paid for testing and shared results. I wonder if the list of “safe” foods wouldn’t be shorter than a list of brands and varieties that actually have caused problems.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
And what are the signs of slow kidney failure? My cats have been eating Eagle Pack and I really need to know what to look for.thanks,
I asked My vet this morning what the signs of slow asetaminophen poisening would be? He didn’t know but said He’d look it up? Does anyone know?
thanks,
November 8th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Trudy: see this website for an article posted last summer about symptoms:
http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-.....-food.aspx
Joyce
November 8th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Is there any poison that brand MIC won’t sneak in?? Doesn’t sound like an accident to me anymore: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asi.....083158.stm
Millions of Chinese-made toys have been recalled in the US and Australia after they were found to contain a substance linked to the date-rape drug GHB. .A total of five children were taken to hospital after swallowing tiny beads known as Bindeez in Australia and Aqua Dots in the US.
The beads were coated in chemicals which transformed into the banned drug when swallowed. …In the US, two children were affected, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warned. They slipped into comas, but later recovered. ….About 4.2 million units of the toy will be recalled in the US, …The firm said Bindeez beads would in future be covered with a “foul-tasting ingredient” to try to ensure children would not eat them.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
BRAND MIC: what’s the harm in adding a little acetametophin to their “vitamins”? I mean, it’s not like it’s the date-rape-drug GHB or anything. Those picky American parents and petowners. Where do they get off thinking toys and foods should not be dosed with poison? So their little children and their precious little dogs and cats croak, so what? Besides, we know that their regulatory agencies are shams and don’t forget, we own their country anyhow.
BOYCOTT NOW
November 8th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
In the Congressional hearing a few weeks ago: “Diminished Capacity: Can the FDA Assure the Safety and Security of Our Nation’s Food Supply?” (http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-oi-hrg.101107.FDAPart3.shtml), David Nelson, senior investigator, said he turned up evidence that the food companies use private, uncertified labs to test their products. (The FDA does not require that these labs meet any kind of certification.) When they get results showing contaminants, they request that the lab throw away the results without reporting them. It takes only Google and a little time to find that many pet food companies have built multi-million dollar labs for the universities they prefer to use. It sounds like ExperTox is the type of lab the FDA should be requiring. A third-party, independent, certified lab.
November 8th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Anonymous, I really don’t think the Aqua dots was a mistake. they ]China] just about admitted that the drug was on,in the glue that goes with the beads. Like it was no big deal.
they will kill our pets and our children if something isn’t done Quickly. And to them- no big deal.
November 8th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
All the perverts are probably out there buying up all the Aqua Dots before they are gone. Better than candy. Thanks China
November 8th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Eagle Pack responds on its website:
http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/EP_itchmo.html
November 8th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/EP_itchmo.html
“Yet in their own testing of these brands, the FDA and 2 leading Universities could not detect Acetaminophen in these foods and could not verify results claimed by ExperTox. It appears their findings cannot be considered valid or reliable.
“As noted in the Internet report, FDA took samples of our food in August 2007. There have been no adverse reports received from the FDA and our foods have not been recalled and remain safe.
“We have our own in-house test lab that conducts ongoing tests on incoming ingredients and finished food. When major issues like the March 2007 melamine recall occurred, and now the Acetaminophen issue, we use independent labs for testing. Our foods have always tested negative and were never part of the recall.
FDA couldn’t find the melamine here, but one of WalMart’s 17 tests did:
http://www.reuters.com/article.....8220070822
Reuters August 22, 2007
Wal-Mart Says Removed Tainted Dog Treats
“Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it pulled two Chinese-made dog treats from its shelves nearly a month ago, and tests now show they had traces of melamine, a chemical found in pet food that was blamed for the deaths of pets and led to a massive recall earlier this year.
“The two types of dog treats — Chicken Jerky Strips manufactured by Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and Chicken Jerky manufactured by Shanghai Bestro Trading — were removed from its stores on July 26, Wal-Mart spokeswoman Deisha Galberth said in a statement.
“After 17 sets of tests, “the latest advice from our testing laboratory shows trace levels of melamine,” Galberth said.
http://www.fda.gov/consumer/up.....92807.html
Caution in Feeding Dogs Chicken Jerky FDA-Updated September 28, 2007
“To date, FDA has not been able to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses. The agency has conducted extensive chemical and microbial testing but has not identified any contaminant.
“FDA continues to actively investigate this problem.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/bu.....4945.story
South Florida Sun Sentinel November 3, 2007
“Continuing investigations by the Food and Drug Administration and a Cornell University team, which began about two months ago, have uncovered nothing dangerous in the products and have not definitively tied a spike in cases of a rare kidney disorder to the treats. The FDA has not requested any recalls of jerky treats. But the investigation is not yet completed.
“Officials with Wal-Mart, the discount chain that removed two brands of Chinese-made jerky treats in July, said the company has no plans to restock those items. One was from Shanghai Bestro Trading and one from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co.
OK–let’s reverse the situation–in the case of the Bestro/Pingyang Pet Product Jerky Treats, 16 tests at an unknown number of independent labs and the FDA labs could not find the melamine. Shall we class all of them as having invalid or unreliable findings? WalMart apparently took the positive melamine finding from one of the 17 tests they ordered for this seriously enough to discontinue carrying the product–something none of the PF companies whose products have had positive acetaminophen test results via ExperTox have done.
Ah, “independent labs”–they’re the stock answer when no names of them are given:
http://waggintrainblog.com/?p=12
September 26, 2007
“ADI Pet manufactures the Waggin’ Train Brand of treats using facilities and safety protocols for human food preparation so that the highest quality can be maintained for our pets. In addition, our treats have been tested extensively by FDA as well as third party laboratories….”
Everyone’s checked out clean through their “independent labs”–yet there is still a problem with these jerky treats–FDA has not posted that their investigation has ended–but those “independent labs” allow everybody to try saying, “Not MY product!”
November 8th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
“i’m really weary of this controversy over results coming from expertox and i’m wondering if there might be a way to put this to rest once and for all. i’d like to see the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation or a similar organization do a blind test in which they send samples to expertox, fda and uc/davis. in this test, they would have “clean†samples, and some they themselves adulterated with acetaminophen and/or other contaminants. the labs would not know where the samples came from… that is, they would not know that it was actually an evaluation of their competence. only a2la would know who got which samples. i think the results of a test like that might prove to be very interesting.”
I think Pat’s idea is great. How would we arrange this?
November 8th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
If memory serves me….Expertox is CAP accredited and believe me that is not easy to get! Until all labs follow the same testing methods it will be apples and oranges. And, me thinks the FDA likes it that way as does the PFI. So I trust Expertox.
Whatever happened to the Menu food tests????
Since the oasis reports still show lots of contaminated product including glutens….leaves me to believe pets will be at risk for a long time. Wish the FDA and PFI would be willing to accept and stop contaminated product.
Everytime I read of new contamination findings - and now date rate drug on kids toys! I know in my heart that home cooking is the only safe food for my dog.
Katie
November 9th, 2007 at 2:43 am
I can’t add anything to what you all have already said except I agree with all of you and thanks I don’t think i’ll ever go back to any pfi food no matter what they ever do.
I just really wish I could get my Kitty to eat organ meat. She will only eat a tiny bit of turkey liver & she can’t eat any fish. I keep trying so hard & have used every trick I could find on the net She is such a good eater except for that. It really makes me wonder what the pfi puts in their food that my Kitty would eat it. I have to use vits until I can get her to eat more organ meat. Da!! the He!! with the pfi.
November 9th, 2007 at 7:01 am
kb, the logical place to start would be a letter (or letters) to the exec director of a2la, preferably by a senator or congressperson. sen durbin or rep. delauro might want to help with this, or if you are able to convince reps from your state to take an interest, that would be good too… the more the merrier. if a2la could be persueded to carry out a test like this, it would be up to them to determine the best way to present the samples while maintaining anonymity.
November 9th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Trudy,
I had a cat who was “allergic” to Purina One (when I was feeding this garbage) and after I switched to Orijen and Acana — voila, no more allergy. I guess it depends on what your cat is allergic to. Mine was not good with chemicals and crap– fancy that. Here’s the product’s website if you’d like to check the ingredients:
www.championpetfoods.com
November 10th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SA.....cet_PI.pdf
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/sa.....taminophen
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SA.....htm#acetam
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmr.....05_05.html
November 11th, 2007 at 8:30 am
I’m weary too of the “trace” or no levels given and not knowing if it is under the MDL of .1ppm of Expertox.
I think it is time to examine the levels Expertox reports as positive findings and focus on those with amounts reported OVER “trace”.
Ask Expertox what “trace” means.
Is “trace” under their MDL of .1ppm?
November 11th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
FWIW, the chemical found in Aqua Dots is much cheaper than the chemical that was supposed to be used.
November 12th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Anonymous, thanks for the grreat links.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
You’re welcome Jenny Bark. IMO- does it matter if it’s a “trace”? If it’s there in that amount there’s no reason to think it wasn’t or hasn’t been there in higher amounts. Not all dogs and cats were affected by the same recalled food. This doesn’t make the ones that died any less dead.
Whether it was melamine with something, or something else, something killed. Explore all avenues and keep an open mind. Remember the early lab results from NY and Canada?
November 13th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
OT- more or less. Questions to ask:
Historically, have pet food recalls followed major drug recalls?
Many of you have vet bills from the past when your dog or cat was ill
or died. If these were unusual or perplexing cases, do the dates fall within a few months of major drug recalls?
Did your pets symptoms match those of overdose to these drugs?
Ask your vet if their practice keeps statistics on illness. They can usually determine whether an illness is chronic or acute, or an unusual case. If logs are created on a daily basis it would be much easier to spot trends. Waiting for an “ah ha!” moment in a busy practice sometimes takes awhile unless someone is keeping track.
The AVMA is starting to be more proactive. Let your vet know this type of involvement is important to you.
November 14th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
let’s think logically here…how can one small store in one state in one city have problems. I have had my dogs on Eaglepack for a year and no problems. In fact they have never looked and acted better. Does acetaminophen cause vomiting, diarrhea, itching, eyes swelling, hives, conjunctivitis, tremors, and some unexplained aggression, the signs that the pet store owner claims the customers had…no. In fact, the website listed above on symptoms of acetaminophen poisoning in dogs and cats might include depression, weakness and difficulty breathing.
K Tremell is right, Expertox claimed they found acetaminophen in Canidae and Innova as well some time ago. And the store still carries these foods. In fact I think the same store order those tests too.
Eaglepack and the FDA have tested random samples, Expertox tested one sample from one store. There is nothing scientific about this kind of testing. I haven’t seen any reports on this sight from customers who have been using Eaglepack for some time that have problems, nor any who have been feeding Eaglepack and have had great results. I know they are out there. Speak up! This store owner is trashing Eaglepack for some reason.
November 17th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Just recently we got a sample bag for some Holistic dog food given to us to try out. Two days ago we tried the new unopened sample bag. We gave some to our Mini Schnauzer ‘Sydney’. He had one third of a cup of - Chicken and Rice - that night for his supper.
During the night he was moving around the bed more than he usually would and the following morning his face was all swollen and the top of his nose was bleeding. The swelling could be clearly seen around both eyes and all around his mouth. We went to our vet and she identified what has happened to be a sever reaction to something.
Our yard is fenced and we have 3 other dogs that share the same play area and living quarters. None of the others was affected only Sydney. The other dogs are a Yorkie, a Jack Russell and a Border Collie. We do compete in dog sports and we take very good care of our dogs. The only thing that was different between the four - was that Sydney got the Holistic Dog Food from Eagle Pack that night.
All our dogs are physically fit and in very good health. All of them compete in Agility, some do Agility, Flyball, Disc, etc….
The reaction to the dog food came rather fast and very severe…
You can see what it looks like here.
In the case the link doesn’t work use this URL –> www.kobi-jrt.com
I hope this will help some other dogs and pet owners.
Kobi