EXCLUSIVE: Lab Reports Cyanuric Acid In Unrecalled Dry Food
UPDATE: The company that tested the food requested that we remove the image of the report from this post after being contacted by Proctor & Gamble, the parent company of Iams.
UPDATE 2: We received a call from an Iams spokesman. We have updated the story with their response.
UPDATE 3: We believe the bags in question are located in the Denver area.
ORIGINAL POST: Itchmo has learned that a toxicology test reported the presence of cyanuric acid in an opened bag of what is alleged to be Iams Large Breed dry dog food.
According to the report obtained by Itchmo, the results have been certified by a forensic toxicologist. We have obtained a copy of the toxicology report. Iams Large Breed does not list rice protein concentrate or wheat gluten as ingredients.
In response, Iams says they are “fully confident” that no cyanuric acid or melamine entered their products. They also defended their “exceptional response” to handling customer complaints. When asked if they were testing for melamine and cyanuric acid after the manufacture of their products, Iams said that they were “constantly improving their quality control processes.”
We cannot stress this point enough: This test was performed on a sample from an opened bag. We do not know if this is an isolated case of contamination before or after the sale, or if it is widespread.
This information requires verification and we are asking for your help.
Itchmo is asking you to find an unopened 20 lb. bag of Iams Large Breed dry dog food that matches the lot number: 260608 70574173 F4 US30940 with the expiration date of 6/26/08.
If you find an unopened bag, please email us at tips@itchmo.com and we will provide further instructions. If it’s the right bag, we will pay for the cost of the bag of food, shipping and testing. There will be no cost to you.
If an unopened bag is found and tested, we will release the results as soon as they become available regardless of the outcome.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Hi everyone,
I am just really touched by everyone helping me with my Kidney problem with my dog. Her name is Killian. I just want the very best and I do not want her to leave me. Not this way.
So thank you to everyone for helping me.
Jody
May 24th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
marcia, maybe it was the higher protein. the protein varies from flavore with CN. i had 2 cat food dry samples and the protein percentage was almost 10% difference between the chix and fish flavors.
My cats like the chix and havent had any reaction to it so far.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Julia,
Thanks for the advice, Make-up is easy to switch brands LOL Iusually by what is on sale……………..I just can’t believe it is CG and MF UGH. both my fav mascaras Coffee is back to Maxwell House, I use Colgate toothpaste it is my husband who will only use Tide, Crest, and Bounce. Has a very hard time with change, but I am the guilty one with the oil of olay soap fetish he only will use Dove. I personally like Cheer over Tide but its PG also. Talk about cornering the market. Funny how we all have our quirks.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Steve, look here before you go to the hardware store…or any store. :)
http://www.madeinusa.com/directory.shtml
May 24th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Dazzled:
I’m hoping the tequila has enough alcohol in it to kill all the nasties. Most tequila is made in Mexico (I think) but not sure where the worm comes from…..ha ha. Limes probably do come from China……can’t do shooters w/o lime & salt……
Kim?
May 24th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
YAYA
Going to figure out the proper way to get this wet food tested if it kills me trying………………..even though I have none of the recp’t anymore *sigh* but I wll will settle for hopefully finally exposing them once and for all.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Kellie and Helen- Thanks for all the info. I will call and Email everyone i can think of tomorrow. Does anyone know the best people I should get in touch with? and I did look up the Beneful site. Yikes! Now someone just just mentioned Pedagree and that’s what My dogs are on.
I am cooking for the cats, but not the dogs yet. I might have to. We have had a rescue for many years. what We have now are our own animals, not up for rescue. but we have 4 dogs and 20 cats- all “fixed”. and that’s a lot to feed. It’s about killing us. but I did lose 3 cats just before the recall, and I couldn’t bare to loose anymore. I am in northeastern N.C. so it’s late here. I have to go now. But please answer My questions for Me. I will check this thread first thing in the morning. Thanks again. Your all so intelligent. And a big Thank You to Itchmo!!
May 24th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Keep up the pressure friends.
U.S. Asks China for Significant Changes in Food Safety Relationship
http://abcnews.go.com/Internat.....amp;page=1
May 24th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Julia,
can you rec another toothpaste besides Tom’s?
May 24th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
About the Made in the USA site I posted:
Beware the food section! Those companies do manufacture products here, BUT where are the INGREDIENTS from…we of course have no idea.
This site is about American jobs, not about the integrity of food ingredients.
Hope it helps you find USA products though.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
trudy most of us like Innova/EVO dry foods.
i trust them and if you can get your critters to eat it I do feel it’s a quality food. It’s only slightly more expensive than grocery store brands.
good to see someone actually read my posts, heh, it feels like they get glazed over and no-one bothers with them.
The EVO, and canidae/felidae and evangers seem to be the brands of choice for most of us here. Theres some other brands listed too that i cant find or have never heard of like kumpikat and atremis
May 24th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Fluoride is just ONE of the ingredients in toothpaste which is toxic….Sodium Lauryl Sulfate(Known Carcinogen……even found in most “Natural” toothpastes)….Propylene Glycol(thats radiator fluid for you that don’t know….YES in your toothpaste!)…Sodium Hydroxide(commonly used as…..Drain Cleaner!)…PVN/MA(Poly Vinyl Nitrate……used in Plastics operation….oh and Plastic Explosives!)
Did anyone notice the tags at the fish counter at the grocery store….you know….the ones that say…Product of Chile…Product of USA…Product of CHINA!!…………they required these tags this year(not sure it could have been late last year)….makes you wonder WHY they required this labeling(can anyone make the connection between this and some Recalled Chinese fish…Hmmmm)
Some of the people at work think I am weird for starting a Veggie Garden, not buying pork or chicken (until they find out what they have been fed!)…..no Farmed Fish(especially ASIAN Raised….this means MOST shrimp frozen or “fresh” these days)….going to Organic and Natural Soaps(this is going to be the most expen$ive step!)
The point here is this……almost ALL of use have been guilty for YEARS of just buying things that we thought were safe….taking the word of others…well the time is NOW to start investigating what you are putting IN and ON your body(and your pets!)….we need to stop poisoning ourselves!
If you want to investigate some of the big companies and there practices here is a good starting block….
http://knowmore.org/default.php
May 24th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
straybaby,
I think I am switching to Auqafresh
http://www.amazon.com/Aquafres.....B00005AUWB
says made in USA
May 24th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Keep the pressure on the Reps friends.
http://abcnews.go.com/Internat.....amp;page=1
May 24th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Gee Howard,
I was just finishing up reading posts, can’t wait to go brush my teeth now before bed after reading yours * Wink* *sigh* Yummy toothpaste with radiator fluid YUCK
Good night everyone
May 24th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Sorry, was in the kitchen making cookies. Needed something to go with the Tequila. Tequila from Mexico, yes. But it’s a bottle I’ve had for 7 years (couldn’t drink for the past few years because of medicines I was taking).
Limes are from Mexico too. “Tourista” won’t kill me.
Helen - my (dead) cats used to eat Nutro too. The two I still have ate it occasionally, and I’d gotten a free bag in early March so had given them some of it. One immediately threw it up, and since she’d gotten really sick twice in the previous year (green bile anyone?) I dumped the bowl. The bag is under my kitchen sink, awaiting testing if need be.
Because of my other cat’s deaths I’d mostly switched to Innova and Wellness, with occasional Nutro and Natural Balance. 5 cats dead from food-caused illnesses in past years, and/so I just missed the bullet this time around. One has CRF though, so no telling if this made it worse. We’re avoiding the vet.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
I think Jason makes toothpaste.
Dr. Bronner is good soap.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
AH ,,,,Zoe you are correct,,,they do….and I just checked the list of ingredients……I think I have found a new tooth paste!(Toms of Maine and most other naturals still list Sodium Lauryl Sulfate)
Thank You!
May 24th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Biotene toothpaste is made in US. Biotene mouthwash is great if you hate that burning chemical taste in your mouth. Arm and Hammer laundry soap works really well, and is kind to sensitive skin, especially the perfume free one.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
JanC - thanks for the limes.
Want an oatmeal-raisin-chocolate chip cookie?
May 24th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Thank you for disseminating this info!!! I myself was done with commercial food from these big manufacturers when I learned last week about the pentobarbital found in pet food. The FDA confimed it back in 2002 and if you google “pentobarbial in pet food” you will find the link right to the report on the FDA site. It is CHILLING! I am so angry - the FDA said it was fine that our pet’s food contains the same drug used to euthanize them???? Of the 37 brands they tested, 31 were positive for this drug. So in order to help the pet food comapnies continue to make money poisoning our pets, they did this sham of a study to ‘prove’ it was safe. There were so many holes in their study and conclusion. If this stuff was so ’safe’ for our pets. why not mention it on the label and let US decide if we want to feed toxins to our furkids? How would these folks like it if it was in their kids’ food? It’s DISGUSTING how our govt will help poison our pets so the big boys can keep making money. I have called up to the CVM (the FDA’s Center for Vetinary Medicine) and I am NOT liking what I hear. I ask specific questions about the effects of this drug in different scenarios and all they can say is “it is not known”. I want to scream “THEN HOW COULD YOU SAY IT IS SAFE?????” But I have to refrain or I will not get answers. I have one more Dr. to contact there at CVM but so far it looks like they DO NOT KNOW much about the effect of ingesting this pentobarital regularly over a period of time. Or the effects on a pet with health issues. I am so sick. I have joined a class action lawsuit against the pet food companies for false advertising. I think the FDA shuold be sued as well. I will NEVER trust our govt again. FOr anybody using commercial food, I urge you to go look. It is obvious from the report and details of how they decided this stuff was “safe” that it was a complete sell-out to the pet food companies with our furkids as the loosers. I am sickened. I will continue to pursue this. In my beloved baby’s honor (lost 11/18/05).
May 24th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Janet:
Here’s a report of a bad reaction to Iams Active Maturity Dry DOG food
http://www.itchmo.com/read/sev.....ment-11363
LOTS of Iams dry CAT food reports that don’t specify what variety it was.
(I’ve been putting these reports in an Excel spreadsheet so it’s easier for me to find them than searching through multiple posts/boards/etc)
May 24th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
“Marcia Says:
[…] but I am curious if anyone else had any kind of adverse reaction to California Natural?”
I just switched my cat from dry IAMS food, which he was fed at the shelter where I got him, to California Natural dry food. He likes it and so far no problems.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
straybaby Says:
May 24th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
“In response, Iams says they are “fully confident†that no cyanuric acid or melamine entered their products. â€
prove it. say what you
*******************
Stray, this sounds just like Nutro. They sent many statements out about no canned food being affected and lo and behold guess what happened on 4-9? A private vet had canned food tested and looky, looky, what they found? So Iams you would think you could learn from your predecessors mistakes?
May 24th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Are you kidding me? (See updated post above)
Iams defended their ‘exceptional response’??? Boy do I know of a lot of people that would beg to differ… grrrrrr.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Kim:
Thought you’d never ask…….mmmmmm…….cookies, limes & tequila…..burp…….
I had my dog on Nutro Ultra (holistic…..holistic my a**) right before the recall. I took her off it because she got the runs…..then the recall hit. Only the canned was recalled but I still totally freaked out & was thankful I pulled her off it. I just read tonight or last night about a dog that got really sick from Ultra. Also had her on Beneful & Purina One last summer…….both I thought were good pet foods…..Beneful gave her the royal itchies & One gave her the runs. I’m soooooooo lucky that I still have her with me. Somebody upstairs was looking out for my Hannah.
Just now starting her on Ca Natural……a little bit & the rest home-cooked.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
straybaby,
You can try Jason - http://www.jason-natural.com/p....._care.php.
or Kiss My Face - http://www.kissmyface.com/Cate.....Oral+Care/
or Nture’s Gate - http://www.natures-gate.com/sh.....tegory=143
May 24th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Kim, the first time I went to your site and saw about losing so many cats to pet food…I would call that the moment my world changed forever. I had never really thought about pet food killing pets and shortening their lives. I had thought Nutro and Fancy Feast were a good combo. My cat has always been healthy and beautiful…until she wasn’t. Now she is again. Thanks for getting my attention. Your site also let me to Itchmo with the dry food link. I saw other people were blaming Nutro dry food for illness. I now have a new community because of your site. I have been able to make some dramatic changes in my own and my cat’s life. Keep up the great work you are doing! My pet store kicked Iams, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, and Nutro right out on their @sses after this. :) I used to buy the nutro there. Very glad they refuse to carry it anymore.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Lorie Says:
May 24th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Lorie, I have heard of some other people getting that same response you did from your friend about needing to get a life. Anyone who feels that way must not have pets or shouldnt have pets or if they have pets they dont have a connection or loving with them is the only thing I can think. Next time someone says that to you, just tell them you feel sorry that they havent known such a bond, they are really missing out on something special in life.
My husband who acts like a tough guy broke down when our girl died. We have both said that we havent felt as awful when we have had human family members die and I have heard others say that.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
JanC - I’d be interested to know how Hannah does on the Calif Nat. Everyone says its great and it probably is - I just ended up buying the last bag in the store and the pups had such a bad reaction that I got really worried. After them being sick last fall, I, too, feel so lucky that they are okay now that I second guess every decision I make for them. I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to them. They are the loves of my life and it took me a long time to be able to have another dog after I lost my sheltie.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Sandi K - that must have been horrible; like losing a child. I’m so sorry you had to go through that; I’m so sorry that anyone has to go through that thanks to the greed of the PFI.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Sandi K - I know that when we lost our sheltie, our entire family fell apart. It was the most devastating moment in my life. Our babies give us unconditional love and devotion - something we will never find from any other source. The loss of such innocent and precious angels is beyond words.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Marcia:
I’ll let you know. I’m only using about 1/4c dry to 3/4 home-cooked because I’m so afraid of any pet food right now. I also give her a doggie multi-vitamin daily which I hope is not from China.
Can also relate to losing a dog & having a hard time deciding whether or not to get another one…..then I met Hannah last summer & she became the love of my life.
Kim:
Like Helen said, you are an angel for keeping track of all the things you do on your website. I don’t know how I would’ve ever gotten thru this without all of you & your wonderful websites. Somebody asked me today how I found these websites & you know what? I don’t have a clue. Something or someone led me to them shortly after the recall & I’m very thankful to all of you. I get itchmo’s alerts & I know before anyone, pet food stores or my vet, what’s the “recall of the day”……..
You’ll always be welcome to my tequila & even my last lime……
May 24th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
As I am a student taking a veterinary course I will leave this info. for any who might wish to try it. I put my dogs on a home cooked diet and I am seeing a great improvement in both animals. I started cooking for them due to this pet food situation, but will keep them on the home cooked diet from now on. I feel that my fur babies are worth the effort and small amount of time it takes, and I’m sure you would also.
Recommended home cooked diets for dogs are made of 25%-30% meat 25%-30% carbohydrates, and 40%-50% vegetables for dogs. Chicken, beef, lamb, and even fish can be used as the meat component (no pork - I use ground turkey). The carbohydrate source can be rice, potatoes, pasta, or sweet potatoes. Just about any vegetable can be included. My favorites are carrots, broccoli, corn, peas, and beans. You can cook up a large batch and freeze portions for later use. Add vitamins and minerals to the diet along with fatty acids so that deficiencies won’t occur. (I use Pet Tabs Supplements from PetSmart)
For cats, the meat proportion needs to be much larger because our feline companions have a high protein requirement. As a general rule, meat should make up between 60% and 80% of the diet. The remainder should be split between carbohydrates and vegetables.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Thanks Helen. I’ll reread your post every time I think I can’t do this another day. (which happens almost daily now.)
JanC - yeah, BURP. Not the best combo with tequila, but better than melameat.
K Vance: A couple of Pedigree reports. These are the only two I’ve got (so far) - so obviously there are FAR fewer of them than Iams and Nutro, but, since I had em, here they are.
http://www.itchmo.com/read/sev.....mment-2055
http://www.itchmo.com/read/sev.....mment-1078
May 24th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
http://www.kumpikat.com
OR http://www.kumpi.com {this one I believe is for the Dogs.}
Phone# 303-693-6533
You can get it shipped to you Very easy.{it’s very Fast too} Evy the owner is Awesome. She took my debit card over the phone no problem. Maybe she’d do a check-debit? I did not ask.
And of course you can use a credit card if you’d like.
The small bag like 4lbs. is a flat 22.00 to ship.
I bought a brand of an Organic couple month ago to try here from a local grocer. It was 18.00 for only 2.2 lbs! PoW!
My cat did not like it. I took it back to the store and they returned my money.
Thats bout when we went totally homemade here. But she missed her crunchy food too.
My cat Loves the KumpiKat! {a Dry food}
And I am Totally confident in the food and how Evy has all the testing done.
She does Not make a wet for Cats tho.
I believe she makes both for Dogs.
I think my cat Loves the KumpiKat enough that, If that were All she got, She’d have no trouble living on just that.
I’d checkout the Web-site and then Call and Order it that way, your first time. Talk to Evy.
It’s a Denver area number- 303-693-6533
May 24th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
thanks julia! i was totally drawing a blank on other brands. i didn’t know that about Tom’s. figures i just opened a fresh one yesterday, lol!~
May 24th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Posted earlier & forgot to say; THANK YOU ITCHMO ! Also PC, The petfoodlist & Teri at Accutrace. You’re all doing a great job ! The pet food co’s wouldn’t be watching & threatening if you weren’t!
May 24th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Awww, Jan, thanks. That means SO much to me.
I’ve added your post to my ‘read when I’m down’ file. :-)
Funny, isn’t it, how much our lives can change in a couple of months? Whole new communities online, new friends, all pulling together to spread information and make change happen. It might take us longer than we thought, but, we’ll do it.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Stephanie &
Stephanie & Straybaby,
I was using SD & Iams before this mess started. I have 2 cats that had the trembling going on & one of them with a UTI. Creatine level was high along with some trembling. Vet said it was the weather change. The other laid down & started trembling. I took him to another vet the next day. he didn’t know why my cat was trembling. One lucky thing, I had taken all 4 cats off that food as soon as the recall hit. I had to put them on BN Venison & Green Pea can food. Within 1 week, they both stoped trembling.
Now I know what was causing it, thanks to the both of you.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Helen, Martin, Amy, et al,
Evening. Took 4/ever to read all the posts.
Last night was blog Happy Hour. Today/night is like blog hangover realizing what happened with that report. What a buzz kill.
Question. About the retracted lab report, how do you capture something like that for safe keeping? Save to computer or what?
May 24th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Well, I am sure we will all be gathered here together again tomorrow night for the recall-athon week 10 Friday night “whoopsees”. Sleep well all.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
My cats also had episodes of vomiting and bloody diarrhea stools while on IAMS dry hairball formula. Switched them to another brand after the initial Menu Foods recall, and have had no trouble since…HMMMMMM….very interesting….
May 24th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
Well, after to-day and this Nastiness from the Imas folks; I’m ready for that Tequila over here now! :-P
Tell me JanC, that can’t be the last Lime?!
How bout Key limes from Florida? {Real sour but Good}
May 24th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Sandi,
When my first kitty died about 3 years ago, just shy of his 20th birthday, I didn’t think I’d ever stop the tears. My Mother mentioned several times that I would cry more for my cat than I would for her when she died. Hate to admit that she was right. Even though she had a terminal illness that I allowed me to mourned a few months prior to her death, it probably wouldn’t have made much difference. I LOVED that cat, my constant shadow.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Hi Genny. I’m sure quite a few people saved a copy of that onto their hard drive. Too bad these companies can’t act so fast to RECALL THEIR STUPID FOOD and to INVESTIGATE WHEN PEOPLE CALL TO TELL THEM HEY MY PET ATE YOUR FOOD AND DIED and TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT as they can to defend themselves from LAB REPORTS. >:{ Goodnight. Maybe we can have a laugh in next Wednesday night also. :)
May 24th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Aloha, Itchmo
What a wonderful service you are doing for our fine four-footed friends! As we have learned, the only safe way to feed our pets is by giving them REAL food. Nothing from a can or a bag is natural, organic or safe. I learned the hard way by poisoning some of my favorite pets over the years with the most expensive, vet-recommended toxic commercial foods. We’ve been LIED to by the giant corporations who are making fortunes from poisoning our pets and they know it! Our dogs and cats are innocent victims.
Homefeeding is cheaper than the commercial foods, especially when you factor in all the vet bills for skin & ear infections, digestive tract problems and cancers. You’ll never know how sweet your pet can smell until you feed real food for a couple of weeks.
Mahalo and keep up the good work.
Susanella The Pet Chef
May 24th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
These comments break my heart! What can we do to run these crooks out of the country? WE must unite to save our innocent pets from further harm. If there is enough of an outcry from the people - the VOTERS - then maybe the legislators will do something to stop this madness. We have NAFTA to thank for this mess & who was in such a hurry to pass NAFTA? - the politicians! It makes me sick to think how many pets have been killed or permanently damaged because we fed them food that was supposed to be safe. Is it just the tip of the iceberg?
May 24th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
A few weeks ago I emailed IAMS, asking for a MSDS on the product line. I figured melacrap has a MSDS….so should any product that contains it. Today, I finally got the response. Appartently, the rep just did not get it. I am going to try again….this is the response I rec’ed today:
Dear Deb:
We appreciate you taking the time to write to us! It’s my pleasure to
help
you!
All of our foods are natural with added vitamins and minerals and
therefore
does not require an MSDS sheet. If you would like to respond back with
what
specific information you are looking for I can see if I can help you
with
that!
Please contact us anytime through our E-mail Us Now page located on our
web
site at www.IAMS.com. Or, look for instant answers on our web site FAQ.
We
would also welcome your call Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to
7:00
p.m. Eastern Time at 800-675-3849.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Jenny
Iams Pet Care Team Member
May 24th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Chuck in the 8:49 post I said that the companies that want our business, specifically talking so far of only 2 that I know of: Natura and Kumpki Just read that Natura guarantees 100% their food is free from contamination and they do not use any of the gluten, wheat, etc. Thats what I mean by co’s wanting our business and willing to prove that they are for real and want the best for our and their pets. Also ourselves. So for now has to say born, bred, made in AMERICA or no sale no matter where its from. Not from here, tuff. As far as the food you feed Lifes Abundance it contains catfish? Just read tha majority of catfish I believe comes from China. In the forums on here read where they hang the chicken cages over the fish farms and let the chickens poop in the water and the fish then eat this. EWWWW - no thanks. Wonder if bird flu gets worse when the treat/handle the birds like this?