Natural Balance Recall Expands to Canned Food and Treats
Itchmo has confirmed with Natural Balance that their recall has expanded and now covers the following items for all dates:
- Venison and Brown Rice Treats for Dogs (New today)
- Venison and Brown Rice Canned Formula for Dogs (New today)
- Venison and Brown Rice Dry Food for Dogs (Reported Sunday)
- Venison and Green Pea Dry Food for Cats (Reported Sunday)
The problem stems from melamine found in the rice protein concentrate (described by the company as rice gluten) used by Natural Balance. They confirmed that FDA testing has found melamine in the rice protein concentrate. The ingredient was produced by a US vendor, according to Natural Balance. Natural Balance recommends avoiding all rice protein in their products.
They have also confirmed that customers are reporting “a few cases” of kidney failures, which their original announcement described as “kidney problems”.
The items recalled are packaged (but not manufactured) by Diamond Pet Foods. The problem was discovered Friday and the FDA is testing all other ingredients and formulas. In the packaging process, the final food is run through Diamond Pet Foods machinery, but are overseen by Natural Balance quality assurance staff.
Natural Balance says it will reimburse the pet parents for medical expenses related to the melamine toxin.
NOTE: The recall expansion has not made it out to the mainstream media, but we expect it to do so shortly.
UPDATE: Natural Balance is not yet releasing the name of the US supplier. We’ll let you know as soon as we know.
UPDATE at 7:37pm Eastern: Natural Balance updates their site. Full release after the jump.
Natural Balance Pet Foods,® Inc. Issues A Voluntary Nationwide Recall on Specific Venison Dog & Cat Food Products
Contact:
Consumer Inquiries:
(800) 829-4493
Media Inquiries:
Daniel Bernstein
310-275-0777
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Pacoima, CA — April 17, 2007– Natural Balance, Pacoima, CA, is issuing a voluntary nationwide recall for all of its Venison dog products and the dry Venison cat food only, regardless of date codes. The recalled products include Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, Venison and Brown Rice dog treats, and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food. Recent laboratory results show that the products contain melamine. We believe the source of the melamine is a rice protein concentrate. Natural Balance has confirmed this morning that some production batches of these products may contain melamine.
The recall was prompted by consumer complaints received by Natural Balance involving a small number of cats and dogs that developed kidney failure after eating the affected product.
Dogs or cats who have consumed the suspect food and show signs of kidney failure (such as loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting) should be seen by a veterinarian. We recommend our customers immediately stop feeding our recalled venison products regardless of date code and return unused product to their retailer for a full refund.
The products are packaged in bags, cans and zip lock treat bags and sold in pet specialty stores and PetCo nationally.
No other Natural Balance products are involved in this voluntary recall as none of our other formulas include the rice protein concentrate.
Although the problems seem to be focused on a particular production period of the venison products, over the last four days we have notified our distributors and retailers by phone and e-mail to immediately stop selling and return all recalled Venison dog foods and treats and the Venison dry cat food. Venison canned cat food is not involved.
The source of the melamine appears to be a rice protein concentrate, which was recently added to the dry venison formulas. Natural Balance does not use wheat gluten, which was associated with the previous melamine contamination.
None of Natural Balance’s other dry formulas, none of our other canned or roll products and none of our other treats are involved with this voluntary recall.
We continue to work closely with the FDA in their ongoing investigation.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-829-449 or email info@naturalblanceinc.com.
April 19th, 2007 at 6:41 am
hi everyone.
we’re in los angeles. me and my two feline boys, quito and taño, living with chronic renal failure (crf), trying to eat well and keep on keeping on.
meant to go to sleep earlier and then again got into reading all of these passionate, heartfelt posts. sad but lovely how we are all coming together over this tragedy. my fantasy is that we all boycott the pet food industry!
i’ve been searching searching searching writing writing reading all i can. i’m down to wysong’s. haven’t heard it mentioned in a negative place once. JUST found out they offer a rx food for crf. wrote to them for nutritional analysis of cats foods. hoping beyond hope that this one will stick. has anyone heard ANYTHING about wysong, positive/negative?
quito and i also like halo. taño actually ‘lingered’ over it. that’s better than his passing glance with a, “what?? you expect me to eat that goo?!” look’ he usually gives me. that linger is progress for a devout dry food eater! but halo, as do others, use garlic, which is controversial. sigh.
bought pet guard today after seeing it on a list as a low phosphorus food. then came home and found an updated list that didn’t include pet guard! sigh again! if anyone has any info on pet guard, PLEASE let me know asap. i wrote to them as well today.
i wrote several times back and forth to honest kitchen. they were great, personal, patient… if anyone wants, write to me and i’ll send you a copy of their emails. i spoke to someone in person too, laurette. after spending quite a while with me on the phone answering many questions, she offered to send me free samples of a couple items that i was considering, prowl for cats and embark for dogs (nutrient profile looked fine for cats with crf). was so happy when i got them in the mail. served them to my boys as non-chalantly as can be; trying not to put any excited or desperate or big-deal vibes out… pretending i was just feeding them some of my food… ladeedadeeda… (hard trickin’ these finicky, stubborn, picky, suspicious, inconsistent, picky eaters!… who are adorable as hell while they investigate what mom’s up to! ;) …….
ha! oh well. anyway… sad to say, no takers. tried adding turkey, broth, …. nope. nada. nothing. too bad. i really love the concept of their dehydrated foods.
recently tried felidae canned and quito ate the whole can! a first! usually, he’ll eat about half then decide he doesn’t like it anymore! heehee. taño still won’t touch wet food. so i wrote to canidae and will let you know what happens. but after what i’ve read here, doubt i’ll keep trying them. (just reviewed mail and saw i wrote to them on the 12th and hadn’t gotten a reply.)
amazes me that any ‘customer service (at pet food stores, companies, etc.) thinks that avoidance, omissions, deceit, form letters, etc. is going to win customer loyalty. don’t they have a clue how united we all are, especially NOW! how idiotic. ignorant. plain old stupid! when i get responses like that about anything, i automatically take my business elsewhere. it’s bad karma that affects their products as far as i’m concerned. i would actually be more likely to use a product from an honest company with not the greatest food than a company that pretends to be greater than truth.
i’ve written to countless companies (april 5: newman’s, artemis, onlynaturalpet.com, healthypetnet.com; april 18: aunt jeni’s, evanger’s, nature’s logic, evolve/triumph/hi-tor, solid gold, merrick, petcurean, nature’s variety, plus the others referred to here) for info and for their nutritional analysis first. if they pass that test, then i ask for plants, manufacturers, suppliers, etc. i even asked honest kitchen about their farms. haha. but not so haha. told her if i could, i’d start my own farm. she wrote back concerned i might be a competitor. i replied, assuring i wasn’t and asked specific questions regarding pesticides, organic, chemicals, preservatives, humane treatment, animal testing… she reponded quickly and i was happy with her answers.
the only companies who’ve replied with nutrient profile have been diamond, honest kitch, holistic, halo, and stella and chewys. (wrote diamond long before the rice gluten discovery.) http://64.79.216.38/~itchmo/fo.....topic=35.0
actually, i wonder… canidae replied to me this week quickly but only with a question to clarify what i wanted to know. so now that i got more specific, let’s see what they come up with, if anything!
i appreciate your posts em. they’ve given me a new found don’t ‘f**k with me’ attitude. similar to a lion protecting her cubs. ;) we are the ones spending our money on their products, so we have all the rights to know everything! grrrr! >=\
maria
quitasi@yahoo.com
April 19th, 2007 at 6:54 am
just drafted this letter and thought i’d share. if you think i missed anything, please let me know. quitasi@yahoo.com these letters keep getting more and more clear with more and more questions.
hello.
i am a concerned, tired, suspicious, passionate cat mom looking for wholesome safe food that isn’t going to end up on THE LIST in 3 months.
what can you tell me to assure me about your products?
i would like to receive the complete nutritional analysis for ALL (despite similarities) of your various cat foods, wet, dry, raw.
also,
1. i need to know who and where your suppliers and manufacturers are
2. what ingredients, supplies, etc are imported AND which are u.s. based
3. what are your animal testing procedures
4. what is the humane treatment of the protein sources in your foods.
5. who certifies your ingredients as organic and which ingredients are certified organic
thank you.
April 19th, 2007 at 7:17 am
thanks rebecca! from: http://www.gmcontaminationregister.org
just one more bit of the truth hiding within independent, radical sites like itchmo… the truth is out there… we have to find IT ‘cuz it sure ain’t gonna come to us!
—————————————————
USA- US Department of Agriculture stops planting and distribution of contaminated long grain rice.
On 5th of March 2007 the USDA issued the following statement:
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) is taking action to prevent the planting and distribution of a long-grain rice seed known as Clearfield CL131 because testing by a private company has revealed the possible presence of trace levels of genetic material not yet approved for commercialization.
“APHIS began issuing emergency action notifications (EANs) yesterday, March 4, to inform distributors that this seed, scheduled for planting this spring, must be held until APHIS can verify and identify the presence of additional genetic material. APHIS directed distributors to begin notifying producers yesterday. Additional EANs are being issued to affected producers as they are identified.
end
—————————————————
the other sites rebecca listed:
for more info on GMO products visit
www.saynotogmos.org
www.greenpeace.org
www.gmfreeireland.org
April 19th, 2007 at 10:13 am
As soon as I heard about the Natural Balance problem I returned the bags and cans I had of the Venison & rice dog food. I had an old bag without the rice protein that I pruchased Jan 20th. I had a new bag with rice protein conc. that was purchased before March 16th. I had an older can that I don’t know when it was purchased but a best buy date of Nov 7 09 and I had some cans that I had purchased on March 16th with a best buy date of Feb 24 2010 that had rice protein listed on it. I used at least 1 of the newer cans and my little English Cocker is ill. Vominting & lethargy & dehydrated, her blood levels are good and I am hoping that she only ate enough to cause gastric upset that hasn’t damaged her kidneys. She only gets 1/4-1/2 cup of canned a day mixed in with her dry food.
April 19th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Hi Jeanna,
Yes, I have fed the honest kitchen to a ton of dogs. When it first came out, I was so excited to tell people about it that I conducted pet food tastings at the local pet stores. Here is a link to an article from the Summit Daily about The Honest Kitchen. http://www.summitdaily.com/art...../101300035
You might have to create a new account (free) to view the article. Lots of dogs are doing great with this food. It is 100% human grade and The Honest Kitchen is so far the only pet food company authorized by the FDA to claim this on their labels. You can get free samples online or by calling the company for your cats or dogs to try.
I am also starting a new website called Go Dogger.com that is going to have all of the ingredients from all pet food companies on it. It should be ready by late Spring.
Best of luck with your research,
Paul in Colorado
April 19th, 2007 at 11:56 am
NEWS ALERT!
A poster (Tim) on the PetsitUSA.com Blog just posted this:
“Just recieved word that the Rice protein that is contaminated isn’t just Natural Balance. Another 2-4 brands wil be named later today.”
Yikes . . . this is a nightware!
April 19th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Did you guys read the latest update from NB. I just read it. Nothing we didnt know already except when the food will be available again.
April 19th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
My bag of Venison and green pea dry cat food doesn’t have the rice protein listed and it expires May ‘08 so hopefully it didn’t have any in it. The cats didn’t care for the venison anyway. I threw it in the trash since I didn’t still have my receipt. Not buying it anymore. They didn’t seem ill from it so maybe it didn’t have any.
April 19th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Well I’ve been feeding another brand of dry food that says their rice protein is okay and the cats weren’t getting sick, but I stopped putting it out now and put out some Purina Natural. Since they are going to be saying other companies that got it. I don’t really want rice protein now.
I have spent a lot of money on new special organic foods that are turning out to be thrown in the trash now too. Probably $100 worth.
I may as well have just stuck with the old Meow Mix, Purina stuff.
April 19th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
RE: Canidae/Fedilae
Upon further investigation into the Texas plant they keep referring to as ‘our†plant/facility in an email I have and also to Smileonadog from the “Natural Balance Recall Expands to Canned Food and Treats†Itchimo thread, this is what I discovered.
1. Canidae/Felidae has no address in Texas
2. Muenster Milling Co. originally a flour mill was purchased in
1932, then added production of animal feed. In 1989
Munster installed an extruder which allowed for pet food
production.
A quote on my email from Canidae/Feldiae says “â€Our dry foods are produced in TX. Our plant has been involved in animal nutrition for over 75 years. “â€
3 My math says 2007 minus 1932 = 75 Is that just a
coincidence???
Muenster Milling just happens to be celebrating 75 years in
business this year!
4. Muenster Milling Co. in Texas, who manufactures their own
dog/cat food share an uncanny resemblance to
Canidae/Felidae ingredients with the exception of wheat &
corn.
5. Munester Milling has a history that shows a good possibility
they have capacity to produce and manufacture product
for another company, such as Canidae/Felidae.
If Canidae/Fedilae has been lying about this plant being their own, there is a good possibility that there Website claim of: “All Canidae/Fedilae ingredients are grown &/or raised in the USA†could also be a lie. Muenster website claims all of their purchased ingredients are USA grown with the exception of Flax seed, which is imported from Canada.
April 19th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
update: per telephone call to Canidae 5 minutes ago, “”They never heard of Muenster Milling in Texas and have no information as to the address of their plant down in Texas.”"
April 19th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Maria,
When my CRF cat, Daisy Jane, wouldn’t eat the Hill’s k/d, I eventually had to do assist-feeding with a homemade recipe. But, if she hadn’t been so end stage, I would’ve instead kept giving her the wet food she loved, (fancy feast) mixed with some Dried Aluminum Hydroxide Gel. Because, if they won’t eat anything, it’s just another huge problem on top of the kidney problems.
The Gel (which I also used in my homemade kidney food) is a powder you can mix in with their food (it’s tasteless) and you can get it with a script from your vet. But — most vets don’t even know it exists in powder form –usually it’s liquid, like mylanta. So you need to let them know about it. The cats all HATE the mylanta liquid, and mine was no exception. The aluminum hydroxide mixed in the food keeps the phosphorus from being absorbed by the cat. As you may know, with CRF it’s often the phosphorus levels which hasten the kidney issues. The Gel is about 50$ for a pretty huge container, and I don’t think it comes any smaller, but I still have about 1/3 left from when I bought it, as it lasted longer than my kitty did. You can order it from Reed’s pharmacy in Tucson, AZ.
I accredit Linda Fishbach’s yahoo group for giving me three extra months with my Daisy. It’s a CRF cats phosphorus group, but she is a whiz on everything CRF. Had it in her own cats. And she has a heart of gold. The group is also linked with other groups for different CRF cat issues, support, plus assisted feeding. the link is:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/g.....anagement/
Another page with a wealth of info on cats and kidney issues is Tanya’s Feline CRF Information Centre:
http://www.felinecrf.org/
With the help of the CRF phosphorus group and Tanya’s page, I was able to help diagnose issues early enough for the vet to help Daisy, and give us more time with her. It made all the difference when we finally had to let her go. If you go to Linda’s group, please tell her Em and Daisy Jane send their love.
You’re so welcome, Maria, and I’m glad my posts have helped. Before the recall fiasco I was a trusting “sheep”. At first, actually, I had no idea what questions to even ask Canidae or other companies. I knew nothing about how things were done in the pet food industry, to even know what to question. I think they all depend on our ignorance and trust. It’s dispicable. But, thank God for the internet and all the pooled resources!
good luck, and I’m so sorry your cat is ill,
Em
April 19th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Annie!
Thank you so much for your research and recent postings. I read your last two postings with a loud intake of breath that got my dogs barking, lol, but it is far from funny. I can’t believe this! How does a company not know where their own plant is! That’s ridiculous! Unless they’re lying or hiding the truth! It makes no sense whatsoever! And what also angers me is that there are no names or officers’ names connected with Canidae in order to ask for or speak with someone higher up in the company. Why is that, and what’s that about?
I just KNEW something was strange by their email without specifics. I wouldn’t have caught it before the recall, but trusting my gut, I knew it sounded strange.
Thank you so much for your research — I plan on calling today, too, after I clean the puppy room and muck my horses. This really p****s me off!
As for the other factory you mentioned, Muenster, if they are using it, yes, it’s too outside the Canidae chain of command to just trust blindly. Did Canidae at least say or nay that they OWN the Texas plant, as in it’s THEIR Canidae plant?
No way they have no address for their own plant.
What do these companies think we all are, morons?
If this is all we get for a premium, expensive food we buy, then I say BOYCOTT CANIDAE! It’s not worth the lives of our beloved animals!
Em
April 19th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Annie, also want to say,
You wrote: (I’ll answer below):
>>4. Muenster Milling Co. in Texas, who manufactures their own
dog/cat food share an uncanny resemblance to
Canidae/Felidae ingredients with the exception of wheat &
corn.
5. Munester Milling has a history that shows a good possibility
they have capacity to produce and manufacture product
for another company, such as Canidae/Felidae. >>
We know from the Congressional Hearing that there have been fines imposed on feed manufacturers because their belts/macines weren’t adequately cleaned between different pet food recipe production. That allows for possible error of cross-contamination of feed ingredients between recipes.
It’s why it’s best to have food from a company that owns its plants and only produces its own recipe. For example, if Muenster makes food that contains wheat gluten or rice protein, it could be on the machines when the Canidae is processed.
That’s my big worry, now. Next to the fact that Canidae continues to give everyone the run-around.
Em
April 19th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
This is regarding info I found re: processing locations for Nestle Purina Fancy Feast canned food. I now have a little info on this. First a little back-story.
I have been feeding my cats Innova EVO for a month or so because it has NO grain, and only 7% carb, which I found and my vet OKed for my diabetic cat. (I hope no one has heard anything bad about this DRY food.)
I started giving EVO to all my cats. Hope its ok!
Fancy Feast:
In addition to EVO, I am feeding him and my other cats Fancy Feast flavors without wheat gluten, there are a few. After hearing on Itchmo, that Purina now had a plant in China, I hastened to call and find out where Fancy Feast is produced!!
I called Purina today, and spoke to several people, finally a supervisor regarding the post on Itchmo about Nestle Purina having a big petfood processing plant in China. The first two people denied this, and said that it was absolutely all processed in the U.S. Then the supervisor denied it also. It didn’t seem that she was intending to lie to me, she was very nice. I think she was uninformed. I read her the article about the Purina plant in China. She left, came back and said that information was inaccurate!
I said I wanted to know how to decipher the number codes on the bottoms of the Fancy Feast cans so I would know where they were processed.
She was very helpful, I read her 5 flavors, and she told me that the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th, numbers on the bottom, give you the location of the processing plant for that flavor. Four of my flavors were “1160″ She said that is in Jefferson Wisconsin. Great! I said. Then I read her the numbers of the Flaked Fish and Shrimp Feast!!! “1828″
She was quiet, and said OH, sounded a bit shocked and then said, oh my it is processed in ( a very chinese sounding place!) I really think she was surprised. She put me on hold to go speak to someone and then she came back and she said that it was not processed in China, but it WAS processed in THAILAND!! After that, she seemed more prepared to believe that perhaps they did have a petfood processing plant in China too.
Anyway, I asked for codes for all 17 purina processing plants in the U.S.
so I could check them out when buying my FF, and that I wanted to know the origen of all the ingredients too.
She said she didn’t have that information, and could only look up the flavors I gave her the barcodes for, I only had 5 of those, but she said she would definitely send my information and request to their headquarters in St. Louis and have someone get back to me, hopefully with the information I wanted, but that it would take a while. (I am sure it will.)
I am taking back the cans from Thailand. I don’t feel their processing regulations are as stringent as ours in the U.S., though I am starting to have doubts about ours too, and I fear they may be using local ingredients too. She certainly did seem to try to help me and seemed forthcoming about the cans I was discussing with her.
I told her I had friends waiting to hear what she could tell me, and I wanted to share the processing plant numbers with friends, and she said of course. So there it is if is helpful to anyone interested in Fancy Feast. My cats won’t eat any other canned food, and I have tried many supposedly good ones.
I don’t want any processed by Menu at all. Tried Merrick turkey dinner yesterday, but only one cat would eat that. It smelled good to me!
I am hoping no one has heard any horror stories about the Fancy Feast flavors without wheat gluten or rice protein.
April 19th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
To Annie again,
Canidae wrote in the email reply to me/us:
>>Our dry foods are produced in TX. Our plant has been involved in animal nutrition for over 75 years. The original pet food extrusion mill was built in 1978. CANIDAE’s involvement with the plant sparked the introduction of our own extruder in 1999. >>
“Canidae’s involvement with the plant” —– that to me says right there it is some other company’s plant, but then, with “Canidae’s involvement” blah blah blah.
It’s a confusingly worded email. Is that done on purpose?
So it does seem it’s Muenster’s 75 yr old plant. So, the next question, if that’s the case, is if Muenster has ever had any problems with the food produced there, or fines from issues there.
Em
April 19th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
TO: smile
Yes, I have that in my email also >>Our dry foods are produced in TX. Our plant has been involved in animal nutrition for over 75 years. The original pet food extrusion mill was built in 1978. CANIDAE’s involvement with the plant sparked the introduction of our own extruder in 1999. >>
Am waiting for Muenster to reply to an email I sent about 1 hour ago. It’s not difficult to guess what my questions were to them.
smile, please send me an email
I want to tell you something I wouldn’t dare post on the Internet, as I know these ‘people’ are also reading the boards.
April 19th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
A representative from NB called me this evening regarding my ill cat. I just wanted to let you all know that I have a bag that they believe does not contain the contaminated rice protein concentrate, (exp. Date of April 08) but they are having me send them a sample of the food because they are concerned that there may be some other problem with it. The woman was very polite and apologetic. She reassured me that they would be in contact with me again to set up reimbursement for vet bills.
April 19th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Just returned from PetCo where I purchased Natural Balance Chicken & Liver Pate Formula and Salmon Formula CANNED. I don’t feed them any dry, except Flint River for treats. I’m still sticking w/NB because overall, my cats (one w/hyperthyroidism and CRF and the other w/megacolon) have been scarfing this down for over a month now w/no unusual side effects. I HAD been giving them the Venison & Green Pea Canned Formula as well, but figured I’d skip it - just in case. They wouldn’t miss it and be fine w/the other flavors.
Didn’t matter that I wasn’t going to get it anyway, because PetCo pulled the CANS of Venison & Green Pea Cat Food as well as the DRY that was officially on NB’s website and along w/the others printed on an advisory PetCo had on the NB shelves. Asked the sales clerk why the cans were pulled since it was just the dry that was affected. She said PetCo was informed by NB to pull even the cans! News to me since I just checked NB’s website an hour before. Called several other stores that carry NB and they, too, have pulled the cans as well. But THEY said it was because their managements wanted to err on the side of caution, even though they didn’t receive any official notification from Natural Balance.
Called NB after that. Told rep what transpired. She said she’d “pass it on to her supervisor and would get back to me”. I just wanted to know whether or not NB had, in fact, notified PetCo to pull cans now, too!
If it’s the management of the stores using precautionary discretion, I can understand. But if NB is now recalling those cans, it’s not on their website. What is potentially more insidious is that NB said - repeatedly - it’s the rice protein concentrate. AND THAT’S ALL. None of their canned cat food has rice protein concentrate. Only brown rice flour in most flavors. On NB’s site they specified there is no contamination of brown rice flours or any other flours used. Only the aforementioned rice protein. Now, I’m wondering if ALL the venison products are tainted? If it’s not the venison, but the rice, then what the hell is going on?
BTW: Still waiting for the supervisor to call back. But not for long. :(
April 19th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
RE: Canidae
I just called Canidae. Let me go straight to the end of the conversation, first:
Diane, customer service representative says? “Are you through with all your questions, because, really, I’ve about had it with you.”
?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!
I was polite and in no case rude to her, and also was sure to tell her I was a very concerned consumer, passionate about protecting my animals. I had a bunch of questions.
Before I could really answer her, as I was lost for words for a second or two, absolutely surprised by her words, I heard a click and realized she’d HUNG UP on me. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wonderful Diane talked of “proprietary contracts” that hide ALL levels of ALL information of all goings-on of Canidae, from the Canidae consumer.
1) I was not allowed to know the names of the CEO or any officers of the company. I was not allowed to know who OWNS the company — I asked all those things.
You have GOT to be kidding me! What the h**l is THAT about? I was not allowed nor was there an ability to speak with any other level of the company other than customer service.
2) She could not disclose the manufacturer Canidae uses — I say “uses” in a strange meaning of the word — because, she said that Canidae has a **building** on the grounds of/ at the plant of ANOTHER manufacturer.
She would not tell me manufacturer of WHAT. She would not tell me WHO. She said it wasn’t Muenster, Annie. But who really knows.
3) Her lack of answers, information, and non-forthcomingness (is that even a word) is UNACCEPTABLE. BEYOND UNACEPTABLE!!!!
I am NOT using Canidae any longer. Buyer Beware!
4) Wonderful Diane would not give me any info as to for-sure U.S. origin of ingredients, as to the suppliers, or anything else that would allow me to research ANY part of their food and its manufacture for myself as the consumer.
ALL information is under “proprietary contract” to be kept secret/hidden. I do not even know what a proprietary contract is, but fully realize the outcome — NO INFORMATION!
Wouldn’t it be funny to learn that, hidden from us all, Canidae belongs to Nestle Purina or Colgate/Palmolive or Del Monte or something to that effect. A person with nothing to hide HIDES NOTHING. So why is it a contracted secret at every level across the board?
I am furious. I am so da*n sick of the cloak and dagger and outright abuse by withholding of knowledge at the expense of our animals.
Someone needs to do some undercover investigations.
Em
April 19th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
Annie, how do I get your email address? I have no problem giving you mine. Your address doesn’t show here. Mine either. I’m now nervous, being so outspoken, posting mine here.
Em
ITCHMO ADMIN: You can go to our forums, register and private message them to each other.
April 19th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Linda,
I am going to Petco in a little while to return NB “Ultra” 17.5 lb bags of cat and dog food per agreement with Petco Mgr 2 days ago.
I’ll check out the Venison cans and also ask the Mgr about why take it off if not recalled, blah, blah, etc. and come back here to let you know what he says. I’m even going to ask for a peek at the Petco Corp notice about this.
I know that “Ultra” hasn’t been recalled by NB but my dog has symptoms since being on it 100% from 2/16 to 3/19.
On 3/19 I found out that NB out sourced, didn’t want that so I bought Canidae and started the switch on 3/20 to 4/16, but stopped feeding this mix the day of NB recall of Venison. I can no longer justify my dog’s symptoms since NB recall.
BTW, I’m still waiting for NB to return my detailed voice mail call on 4/16 about problems with ULTRA .
April 19th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Smile,
Let’’s go and register on the forum as suggested. I’ll be Ziggy. I’ll go and do that later this evening after I get back from Petco and food shopping.
Thanks Itchimo Admin!!
April 19th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Annie, sounds good. I’ll be on a little later, as I have a ton of hungry mouths for evening feeding.
Thank you Itchmo Admin for the help.
Em
April 19th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
some links about poisons and treatments…
just glanced thru them but may have some helpful, relevant info, particularly with current tragedies….
http://maxshouse.com/lifethrea.....ncies2.htm
http://maxshouse.com/Poisons+Toxins.html
April 19th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
hi em.
why nervous about posting email? what could they do?
i mean, other than get terrorist on us…
really tho’. what do you imagine?
i posted my email and genuinely want to know if i’m missing something…
thanks for all of your passion em and everyone! -maria
April 19th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Maria,
I did type in my email addy in above post. Itchimo deleted it which I have no problem with and suggested we go to the forum.
Annie
April 19th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
I hope the Natural Balance cans I have are okay. I threw out the venison and green pea ones just in case. On their website it says they are okay and the cats have eaten some. They didn’t appear sick from the Venison and Green Pea dry which they ate just a small amount of. It had an expiration date of May’08.
I have been using Fancy Feast cans without wheat gluten. I may check out Castor and Pollux Ultramix dry cat food. I hope these companies are going to check the corn gluten since China appears to be adding melamine to everything. Why do they have to get the crap from there?
April 19th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Does anyone feed their dog Fromm’s?
April 20th, 2007 at 12:49 am
Do you SERIOUSLY think that, during this time where I am sure every pet food manufacturer is being harassed out of their pants, that you could simply call and ask for the CEO or for this and that information, and they would just give it to you? Please… open your eyes and your mind, here.
Also, is is *hardly* unusual for a company to manufacture on another company’s plant. It is incredibly expensive and difficult to have your own manufacturing plant!!
I work at a natural pet foods store… we pulled every NB venison product, even the ones that were not recalled such as the venison at cans, because we were being CAUTIOUS!! Good god people, stop being so suspicious and creepy. Just because a store, be it PetCo or your friendly neighborhood store, pulls a product not necessarily recalled/known to be recalled, that does not = conspiracy!!
April 20th, 2007 at 1:40 am
Feverish — who’s talking conspiracy? I just want to know what I’m feeding my dog, and how it’s processed, and where. I happen to believe I have the right to that information in exchange for my money and patronage. And if it won’t be provided, I’ll take my business elsewhere. It’s really that simple for me.
And yes, I do expect answers to my questions from a legitimate company. I know of no one else who is operating or dba-ing with no names, and no access to higher ups/chain of command. It’s unacceptable to me. I don’t care what the company wants to do — if it’s going to get *my* business, those are my rules, my safe guard.
Won’t you please list for me all the other companies operating this way? With no one higher up to contact, with no names or owner, and with no information available other than a nasty customer service rep? I’m all ears.
In my opinion, as the hard-working person feeding my animals — and with my pets and my rescue, I spend almost 240.00 a month on kibble — secrets are far, far from good enough for my money or my peace of mind.
Canidae’s customer service person, Diane, was unprofessional and downright abusive. It was as if I’d gotten their gum-popping teenage daughter on the phone. Useless. Legitimate concerns of their customers aren’t funny, like Diane thinks it is.
If no pets were dying, I could see your use of the concept of conspiracy. But pets are dying. We the consumers are being misled and lied to. It’s been detailed in the news and at the Congresional hearing! It’s not “all in our heads”.
Em
April 20th, 2007 at 2:04 am
Hey Annie,
Can’t figure out how to find you on the forums, as in where to look, and in doing a user search, “Ziggy” doesn’t show up as a user there.
Em
April 20th, 2007 at 2:38 am
I got the news of the Natural Balance recall today. My husband sent me a text message telling me the Venison products had been recalled. I didn’t believe him at first cause all I could think was it is supposed to be all Natural, no wheat, etc..it is good for my pets. I actually had to check online before I believed him. I have a 3 year old pomeranian. He has been eating the Natural Balance Venison and Wild Rice for about 2 years now. I was really happy with it, he seemed to like it, and he looked healthy. So about 6 months ago I switched my 3 cats to Natural Balance Ultra Premium. My oldest cat is almost 14 years old, and has bad teeth. I have to feed her canned food. But with the Natural Balance Cat food, the pieces were small enough that she could eat some of it. I would still give her about 1/2 of a small can of wet cat food everyday though. I always (since the recall) worried about feeding her the canned food, but I never once worried about feeding any of them the Natural Balance products. That was until today.
I went in search of new food for them today. A friend of mine suggested the Bil-Jac dog food. So, I got it, and according to the label it seems good. And my dog really really likes it. The search for cat food was more difficult. I was in the pet store for over an hour today, picking up bags of food and reading labels, and not once did anyone ask if I needed any help. I have never been in that store for more than five minutes with out someone asking if they could help me. I finally just got a bag of Meow Mix. My cats turned their nose up at it.
It is just frustrating. I spent more time reading labels on pet food than I do reading labels on what I buy for my family.
And from what I have seen in previous posts, it is time for the pet food companies to start answering some questions. I know that with 3 cats and a dog, I spend alot of money each month on pet food. And we all deserve to know how our pets food is processed, where the ingredients come from, and when they change their formulas…especially right now. And if it costs more to manufacture the food, charge me more…I will pay it to keep my babies healthy. It is just sad when what you think is good for them turns out to be dangerous even deadly. I really hope this whole situation causes some major changes in the pet food industry.
And I started noticing today that one of my 9 year old cats seems a little groggy and lethargic. She is usually running around playing with the dog. For the past week she hasn’t been. I’m hoping it is just my paranoid imagination. She is a real slim cat, but she looks like she has lost some weight. Again, I’m hoping it is just my paranoid imagination. I’m going to decide tomorrow if she needs to go to the vet or not.
April 20th, 2007 at 3:30 am
Kate - before doing the Fromm, check the canned food - right on the label - product of China. I’m not going down that road…
April 20th, 2007 at 3:37 am
feverish,
To the best of my knowledge no one has mentioned conspiracy. Although I have heard the word “tampering” rumored.
My reason for concern is the disparity between PetCo, et.al’s actions and the recall information being dispensed by NB’s website. Go to
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/faq.html (frequently asked questions) and they state repeatedly that there is no problem w/venison and no problem w/any of the canned cat foods.
Then to find that pet stores have pulled one of the products WHICH NB SAID ISN’T ON THE RECALL LIST raises just a “tad” of confusion on the part of the consumer, wouldn’t you say?
Since new developments on this whole malamine debacle seem to crop up almost daily, how was I to know if an hour before I got to the store, NB decided to pull that can for whatever reason? Or if the manager is just being cautious? Like I said, I can understand the manager’s cautionary decision. I’d probably do it too if it were my store. But if that’s the case, then unfortunately in their effort to be careful, they raise even more confusion on the part of the consumer as to what exactly is going on NOW?
That’s why I ultimately put in a call to NB to get it clarified. They never called back and I didn’t have time to call them again. Too late anyway. I’ll try in the morning. I’ve been up all night on “poopy watch” in a totally unrelated health issue w/my cat w/megacolon. She finally went 10 minutes ago, so now I can go to sleep w/a little less anxiety. Anyone else w/a cat who has megacolon can relate to the anxiety of “poopy watch”. :(
April 20th, 2007 at 5:02 am
To: Linda F
(TO: EM I’m going to the forum right now to sign up)
The Mgr at Petco told me that Natural Balance officially recalled the canned & dry Venison to Petco on Monday!
I asked him 3 times over, if he was sure that NB officially recalled the cans in addition to the dry Venison from Petco?” He said YES every time.
I asked him if he was aware of the NB web site only recalled dry Venison NOT CANNED. He looked at me like he didn’t have a clue and didn’t answer either way.
At that point he was finished with my credit and started to check out the person behind me.
This is the Petco I was at tonight shortly before closing time.
Petco (MGR Corey -credit receipt sales Sales Associate #2)
364 Randall Rd.
South Elgin, IL 60177
847-717-0201
Does anyone know who does the canned Venison for NB?
I thought I read somewhere that NB uses AMERICAN NUTRITION for their production of canned food.
Can anyone confirm this please??
As we all know, NB was forced to ‘officially’ come out about their out sourcing production of Venison dry to Diamond, only because of the recall. Do you all remember the big lie NB told over at PETSITUSA? The post is still there.
http://petsitusa.com/blog/?p=223.
What is it going to take for NB to tell us: Who is their Venison canned supplier and the truth about rice protein concentrate in the canned V.
Why would they put it in dry V and not canned?
This is insane!!
The only way we get the truth out of these pet food suppliers is when they have to fess up, ONLY because their tainted product is killing our pets and making them sick!
April 20th, 2007 at 5:46 am
To: Linda F
(to EM, I just registered in the forum as Ziggy, you’ll find me now. I’ll be back later today, need some sleep here!)
The Mgr at Petco told me that Natural Balance officially recalled the canned & dry Venison to Petco on Monday!
I asked him 3 times over, if he was sure that NB officially recalled the cans in addition to the dry Venison from Petco?” He said YES every time.
I asked him if he was aware of the NB web site only recalled dry Venison NOT CANNED. He looked at me like he didn’t have a clue and didn’t answer either way.
At that point he was finished with my credit and started to check out the person behind me.
This is the Petco I was at tonight shortly before closing time.
Petco (MGR Corey -credit receipt sales Sales Associate #2)
364 Randall Rd.
South Elgin, IL 60177
847-717-0201
Does anyone know who does the canned Venison for NB?
I thought I read somewhere that NB uses AMERICAN NUTRITION for their production of canned food.
Can anyone confirm this please??
As we all know, NB was forced to ‘officially’ come out about their out sourcing production of Venison dry to Diamond, only because of the recall. Do you all remember the big lie NB told over at PETSITUSA? The post is still there.
http://petsitusa.com/blog/?p=223.
What is it going to take for NB to tell us: Who is their Venison canned supplier and the truth about rice protein concentrate in the canned V.
Why would they put it in dry V and not canned?
This is insane!!
The only way we get the truth out of these pet food suppliers is when they have to fess up, ONLY because their tainted product is killing our pets and making them sick!
April 20th, 2007 at 6:44 am
For some administrative reason, my post of 2 hours ago regarding my visit to PETCO last night and what was told to me in regards to the canned Venison recall by NB to Petco, is NOT showing up in this thread.
It can be found in the FORUM thread titled: Natural Balance Recall, What Does It Mean?
Itchimo Administrators, what happened please?
Annie
April 20th, 2007 at 6:46 am
To: Linda F
(to EM, I’m registered in the forum as Ziggy, you’ll find me now. I’ll be back later today, need some sleep here!)
The Mgr at Petco told me that Natural Balance officially recalled the canned & dry Venison to Petco on Monday!
I asked him 3 times over, if he was sure that NB officially recalled the cans in addition to the dry Venison from Petco?” He said YES every time.
I asked him if he was aware of the NB web site only recalled dry Venison NOT CANNED. He looked at me like he didn’t have a clue and didn’t answer either way.
At that point he was finished with my credit and started to check out the person behind me.
This is the Petco I was at tonight shortly before closing time.
Petco (MGR Corey -credit receipt sales Sales Associate #2)
364 Randall Rd.
South Elgin, IL 60177
847-717-0201
Does anyone know who does the canned Venison for NB?
I thought I read somewhere that NB uses AMERICAN NUTRITION for their production of canned food.
Can anyone confirm this please??
As we all know, NB was forced to ‘officially’ come out about their out sourcing production of Venison dry to Diamond, only because of the recall. Do you all remember the big lie NB told over at PETSITUSA? The post is still there.
http://petsitusa.com/blog/?p=223.
What is it going to take for NB to tell us: Who is their Venison canned supplier and the truth about rice protein concentrate in the canned V.
Why would they put it in dry V and not canned?
This is insane!!
The only way we get the truth out of these pet food suppliers is when they have to fess up, ONLY because their tainted product is killing our pets and making them sick!
April 20th, 2007 at 7:05 am
To: Linda F
Let’s try this revised post.
The Mgr at Petco told me that Natural Balance officially recalled the canned & dry Venison to Petco on Monday!
I asked him 3 times over, if he was sure that NB officially recalled the cans in addition to the dry Venison from Petco?” He said YES every time.
I asked him if he was aware of the NB web site only recalled dry Venison NOT CANNED. He looked at me like he didn’t have a clue and didn’t answer either way.
At that point he was finished with my credit and started to check out the person behind me.
This is the Petco I was at tonight shortly before closing time.
Petco - South Elgin, IL
Why would they put it in dry Venison and not canned?
This is insane!!
The only way we get the truth out of these pet food suppliers is when they have to fess up, ONLY because their tainted product is killing our pets and making them sick!
April 20th, 2007 at 7:27 am
This is quoted by Jennifer Freeman from Natural Balance over at Petsitusa”" The link to this is on my post in the forum thread as stated above.
she says:
“”Further, all of our products are tested prior to production, after production, and then once again at our facility before the product ever leaves for distribution.—"
Really? Then why did this tainted product leave the plant after these tests? NB only recalled product after receiving calls from pet owners on Thrusday and Friday of last week to say their pets were sick and dying.
So they tell us they test, test, test, test 4 times!! before the product leaves the plant. Why bother with all of these test??????
Natural Balance still shipped out tainted product!!
Waited for pets to get sick and die, then they recall.
Did I miss something here?
April 20th, 2007 at 8:01 am
This is you the folks who don’t make it over to the forum where I posted all the details about my Petco visit last night!
The only POINT I want to make is that PETCO MGR told me:
OFFICIAL RECALL from Natural Balance was given to PETCO on MONDAY!! regarding the recalled CANNED Venison product.
April 20th, 2007 at 10:15 am
Are you speaking of the cat canned food? I know the dog canned venison is recalled and the newer ones have rice protein listed on them.
Cheryl
April 20th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Does anyone have info on a reliable independent laboratory that can test samples for melamine?
April 20th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
LATEST UPDATE ON NATURAL BALANCE CANNED CAT FOOD:
JUST RECEIVED A CALL BACK FROM PETCO HQS IN SAN DIEGO. AS OF AN HOUR AGO, PETCO CONFIRMED THAT NATURAL BALANCE HAS OFFICIALLY CONTACTED THEM AND ADVISED THEM TO ADD THE VENISON & GREEN PEA CANNED - THAT’S CANNED - CAT FOOD TO THEIR RECALL LIST.
This information STILL is not on NB’s website. I’m continuing to try and contact NB. This is more - MORE - than just adding yet another food to the recall. This flies in the face of the information NB is dispensing that: the only concern is the rice protein concentrate. The reason being the Venison & Green Pea Canned Cat Food “allegedly” (at least according to label ingredients) does not - repeat does not - contain rice protein concentrate.
So I ask again and will ask if and when I ever get through to Natural Balance:
“If you’re now pulling this canned food w/no rice protein concentrate then what the hell is wrong with THIS one, now?”
I urge anyone who can to continue trying to contact Natural Balance. This dribs and drabs of info leaking out of them is inexcusable.
April 20th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Sorry, didn’t put in my name. The above comment and warning is from me as a follow up to my previous questions and statements.
Linda F.
April 20th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Cross posting this here as well as on the Forums:
This is quite obviously moment-to-moment as opposed to even day-to-day trickling of information and misinformation.
Finally reached a rep at Natural Balance who adamantly stated they DID NOT release any notification to PetCo to (a) remove the canned venison cat food or (b) that is has been added to their recall list.
He, Todd Weigert at Natural Balance, is contacting their in-house Petco liason to definitively verify this and will (hopefully) call me back within the half hour.
Naturally, the first thing he said was that there was no rice protein concentrate in this particular food nor any of the other canned cat foods. I told him that I knew that and that is exactly why I’m concerned as to the reason for the pulling of this “allegedly” unaffected food?
Awaiting a response. He seemed earnest and sincere in his efforts to get to the source of this. (If you’re reading this, Todd, because you said you’re scanning the blogs and forums), don’t let me down on this!
Linda
April 20th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Cross posting again from the forums:
Todd, from Natural Balance, just phoned back after speaking w/their PetCo liason:
Quote
“Natural Balance has issued NO recall of their Venison & Green Pea Canned Cat Food Formula. Nor has their been any recall on ANY of the canned cat foods. None contain the rice protein concentrate, and it is the rice protein concentrate that contains the melamine.”
They (NB) are contacting PetCo in San Diego to inform them that PetCo stores and their main offices there in San Diego are dispensing incorrect information. I told Todd that not only are they (PetCo) doing a disservice to their customers, but to Natural Balance as well, considering that I was going to stop purchasing any of their other canned cat foods if there was indeed a problem w/the venison & greenpea canned. I wasn’t about to take a chance on some other horrific revelation coming down tomorrow about all the cans! He agreed and repeated that NB will contact PetCo.
To repeat: The Venison & Green Pea as well as all other canned cat food varieties of NB are NOT being recalled. As of today
Linda
April 20th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Linda,
Thanks for that clarification. I’ll call my local Petco shortly to see if that information trickled down to them.
April 20th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Annie — sounds good. I’ll find you in the forums.
Just wanted to say again that my thoughts and prayers are with everyone who, like me, are scared to death just trying to feed their pets, and with all the people with sick or dying pets. This is such a nightmare. My head is just spinning trying to keep up with all the info hour to hour and day to day. It’s like a full time job plus overtime. I even go to sleep and dream about it!
Em