Our Lady was from our local shelter and cowered behind the keepers legs because she had been so abused. She was only 9 months when we got her. It took months, but she became my best friend and even caught frisbies with me. I miss her terribly.

This is the story of our two little Miniature Schnauzer doggie daughters, Prissy and Liz, who were poisoned with tainted food made in China.

We have had our little Sweeties in our home for over nine years and I cannot tell you how they have opened our hearts to unconditional love and warmed our sometimes stressful lives in sweet, soft ways that only a dog owner can appreciate. So you can imagine our pain when both of them became ill at the same time and with the same symptoms.

The smaller of the two, Prissy, was so swollen and weak and didn’t eat for 5 days, except for a few grains of rice I managed to coax into her. She did drink water via an eye dropper, the first day, and it kept her from dehydrating. The sturdier of the two, Liz, was not as lethargic and was still walking around, but was obviously in distress and her appetite was waning. They were incredibly thirsty for the previous weeks and continue to drink plenty water each day for the past 3 weeks. I have placed bowls of filtered water all around the house for now.

I took them to the vet immediately with stool cultures and he said that the little one was harboring three kinds of bacteria and put her on Clavamox . She also had a fever. Liz’s stool was all right that day and a urine sample unfortunately wasn’t taken on either dog. We thought we had solved the problem but it was only the beginning of a nightmare. The vet then, after several days of no improvement, gave Prissy a cortisone shot and another antibiotic called Baytril which she is still taking because the bacteria is still flourishing. She has been on medication since 08/09/2007.

Meanwhile, we brought in urine samples because we knew something serious was happening to both of them because Prissy’s ears were twitching terribly and she seemed as though she was going into a coma…weak, lethargic, barely able to walk…but then she would rally a bit. I made sure she ate by hand feeding her. Liz’s urine told us what I had feared….kidney problems….so my helpful human daughter started looking on the internet and discovered that we had been feeding them poisoned food…not one brand, but three different kinds. Bestro and Waggin Trails Chicken Jerky Strips, which I thought were safe because they contained no wheat flour or protein rice concentrate from China. I didn’t think there would be MELAMINE in chicken jerky strips which didn’t contain flour or rice. They appeared to be dried chicken breasts. I had been giving them at least one a day for weeks…..and they loved the flavor. Little did I know that they would be on the internet as a dangerous food on 08/23/2007. Then my daughter discovered that the Purina Beneful was also recalled and I fed them that, too.

The only thing I was feeding them which was “safe” was the UD prescription diet from Hill’s which we have purchased from the vet for years. Now, we have two precious pets who are in serious condition, their health seriously compromised. One is still on antibiotics and the other is on two kidney drugs for as long as she lives. The vet says that could be 2 years if we are lucky. We don’t know the prognosis of the other little Sweetie yet. She is losing weight and her ears are still twitching. Both of them are sensitive to touch for some reason..

I simply wanted to warn others about these products. Yesterday, we picked up a bag of Bestro Chicken Strips at Walmart to see why it was still on the shelves and when we went to check out the machine said it couldn’t be purchased…there was a warning. We reported the incident to the manager. Why in the world is it still on the shelves? Why isn’t there more about this horrific disaster on television? Some sites estimate pet deaths to be at 39,000 thus far. I know it is much more serious than that.

The lady in back of me at Walmart was checking out with a bag of Royal Canin…..so I warned her that it was on the recall list and she had no idea and was so grateful. Not everyone has access to the internet. The vet knew a little about the recall and thought at first that they had Salmonella, but then decided it is probably the melamine poisoning and asked if I would send this website link to the office, which I did. So, since August 9th, I have been nursing our babies and hoping with every fiber of my being that they make it through this crisis.

I am feeding them a diet I found on the internet for failing kidneys. We just look at our fragile little joy bundles and feel so grateful for all the happiness they have added to our lives and hope for the best. To say that we are angry would be a masterpiece of understatement. I don’t think a word is in the dictionary to convey our emotional state.

Is this a form of terrorism? Are some of these poisons in our food, too? Is the whole country at risk? Why aren’t we hearing more about it on television? Because they are animals? Because products made in China are so pervasive here that it would shut down the Stock Market if word got out about the potential danger to humans? I know there is an answer to this mystery. But how many treasured pets have to die before we solve the riddle. Or how many human beings are at risk from some hidden poison in our foods or medications? This is some American Food for Thought…..not Chinese.

Sincerely, Linda and Walter Cook

P.S. Take your loved animals off of all store bought foods. For awhile, cook for them or feed them from the table. They will love it and they won’t die. No dog treats especially. I am using Gerber baby foods right now plus cooking chicken and rice dishes. Look for signs of poisoning. Lethargy, depression, twitching, diarrhea, (my dogs did not have diarrhea), swollen tummies, saggy ears, sleeping too much, not wanting to take a walk, changes in personality and ESPECIALLY DRINKING INORDINATE AMOUNTS OF WATER.

If I have helped one little creature, then I will be so very happy. No one should have to experience this outrage in this day and age. Take them to a vet at the first sign of illness and insist on a urine and a blood test. Also, bring in a fresh stool sample. Love to each of you out there in Dogville! We live in Katrinaville!

HIGHNOTE: Good catch! petbed fabric. The level of formaldehyde was
900 times!, yes that’s 900 TIMES! the (probably already industry favorable) limits. Add that to flame-retardants linked to hyperthyroid - it’s not a mystery pets are suffering from this.

No more chances for these companies. Done.

Wal-Mart, after what you did to the pet food UPC labels, we’ll trust ya just like the FDA, sure we will - NOT.