Petition to Require Pet Food Companies to be Held Accountable for Damages
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED:
Request that the U.S. Congress enact legislation to require pet food manufacturers and the companies that market those pet food brands to be held financially liable for any medical costs related to or contributing to the illness and/or death of a pet that can be reasonably attributed to the food consumed by the pet. And that all pet foods include the name of the manufacturer, not just the brand under which it is sold.
This petition is in response to the thousands of pet parents and owners who have suffered under the Menu Foods recall and their slow response that started on March 16th, 2007.
Sign after the jump.
Or read about all the latest news surrounding the recall.
In creating this petition, our motive is three-fold:
- First, we want to ease the pain and suffering of those who have lost their pets due to mistakes and negligence of pet food makers. The loss or illness of a pet can be emotionally devastating. On top of it, the financial burden of uninsured veterinary treatment can be a double-whammy, leading pet parents and their families to significant financial damage — often affecting other family members such as kids and the elderly. This legislation will create a venue for settling these cases fairly and out of court, eliminating the need for a lengthy court case, which companies rely on in order to reduce the likelihood of payout.
- Second, create a financial motive for pet food makers and marketers to set higher standards for pet food. We want to let them know that consumers are interested in higher-grade pet food. And that the longer a company waits in issuing warnings or recalls related to their product, the larger the potential financial damage. This new law would hold the manufacturers (often smaller, less financially sound organizations) and also the larger corporations that market the branded foods — who ultimately control what goes in them.
- Third, a clear public disclosure of who actually makes the food. Since the financial liability falls to the brand as well as the manufacturer, the name of the company that actually produced the food should be obvious to the consumer. How much clearer would this recall have been if the food was labeled “Made by Menu Foods”?
Once the final tally of the pet deaths is complete, the petition will be delivered to the head of the congressional committee that controls FDA funding (Dave Obey, D-WI, chairman of House Appropriations Committee).
IMPORTANT!
For your petition to be valid, we require:
- An accurate email address
- Your First and Last name (In the comment field)
- Your Zip code (In the comment field)
Your email will not appear below and will be kept securely by us. Your email will be used ONLY in the purposes of carrying out the petition. It will not be used for spam, sold or marketed to any other company. We hate spam as much as you do. Only your name, Zip code, and any comment you make will appear.
This petition is sponsored by itchmo.com. Please feel free to start your own email campaign to this page. The short link to use is http://www.itchmo.com/petition
March 24th, 2007 at 11:35 am
78745 Therese Kopiwoda
March 24th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Shirley Perry
30064
2 dogs(children) - 1 deceased and 1 being treated - $1500.00 in vet bills and medicine so far. They were fed Ol’ Roy.
March 24th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
80918 - Nina Batcha
Our 8 year old Border collie died 2 weeks ago of kidney failure so bad, we had to put him to sleep. My vet questioned me about having rat poison around, but I told him I am an environmmentalist. I don’t use that kind of stuff. Next fear that someone had poisoned my animals. We continued feeding our two Tibetan Spaniels the same food since his death with one of them becoming ill. I am now making homemade dog food and recovery is happening at last. Our medical bills are not huge as he died so quickly and horribly, but the emotional bill is tremendous. I cry all the time and am afraid to feed my special friends. I fed the Iams slices in gravy and the little ones didn’t like it, so the big guy ate it all and died. I then gave the little guys Nutro chicken & rice dinner in can and they became sick. I still have full cans listed on the recall. My vet is filing this information, so I haven’t, but decided I should put my name on your list. Thanks. Nina
March 24th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
44140
CHERYL GIERCZAK
March 24th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
I lost my best friend Abby, a 1 year 11 month old 8 lb. Papillon 3 weeks ago, to kidney failure. She had been fed Nutro ultra since I bought her. The entire process is well documented from her admission to the hospital with blood tests ultra sound and at the end a necropsy of her kidneys. This all took place prior to the recall of the affected food but it all came together after that as my vet could not figure out why until then. I have since found 1 can from the list and still have it in my possession. Please get the truth to all the pets affected by this horrible event and make all involved accountable. Joyce Wood Zip 44039
March 24th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
jennifer hart
92651
Our cat winslow died last monday, after eating priority food on thursday. I didn’t even know about any recall untill we tood him to the vet, but it was toooo late.
please do something!
hart family
March 24th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Cathy Usher
01754
March 24th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Cathy Usher
01754
This company, Menu Foods, in order save money, in the name of greed and the botom line, profit, sold out and bought cheap products from another country. They did not check the product and now beloved pets have died. They have died in the name of greed. Menu foods should be held accountable and those that have lost pets and suffered should be compensated. The compensation will do nothing for the loss of their pet, but Menu foods cannot be let off the hook. The best thing we can do is never buy commercial pet food from this company again. They use other dead animals that are diseased, even other companion pets in their foods. This company should pay for their greed.
March 24th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Patricia Stearns Zip: 95648
Daniel Minyard Zip: 95825
March 24th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
08087
Joyce Calcutta
In loving memory of Tyson, my 6 year old Boxer mix, who died Jan. 16, 2007. His test results were off the charts and he was gone in a matter of days, but never will be forgotten. He was fed Ol’Roy beef and chicken cuts in gravy along with Ol’Roy dry food.
March 24th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Tracey Goodwin
02453
March 24th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
My heart goes out to the entire pet family community. This is beyond catastrophic. Have one comment to make in regard to someone’s comment regarding SOLID GOLD pet food. I called them last week to check whether they processed their own food and was told they contract to a company called Diamond. I must agree it is scary to know what to feed our pets and just who or what companies can be trusted. Last year after researching about half dozen companies as to the contents of their foods because my vet was concerned about one of my dog’s liver, I settled on Nutro Lite. But with 4 types of food on the recall list, I will not support them after this. We pet owners need to never forget this -EVER-and to band together and stop buying from all of the companies on the list and also to make sure to check if a new “name” appears, that it is not the old company changing its name and operating under the same old standards.
March 24th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
48096 Valarie Matusz
March 24th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
The manufacturer needs to be accountable, and the consumer needs to educate themselves regarding the pet food they feed their animals! Just like junk food there is bad pet food!
March 24th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
please read
http://leda.law.harvard.edu/le.....ick06.html
March 24th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Carly Gay 80220
If you didn’t investigate what you were feeding your pets, you have only yourself to blame. You blame the company for cheaping out, and look what you did. You bought the cheap food. Even the people who bought “super-premium” brands like Nutro & Iams cheaped out. There are plenty of organic and small batch foods available from companies who think of your pets as furbabies & family, just like you do. I must shamefully admit that I am guilty of the same. I thought Nutro “All-Natural” was a safe & economical choice, and guess what was on the list!? I don’t even feed my cat wet food, but you can bet I’ll be trashing the rest of the Nutro dry food I have and sacrificing a little more dough to do the right thing for her diet.
Like other people have said, this should be a wake-up call to investigate ALL processed foods we purchase, for ourselves and animals alike. Remember all the fuss about peanut butter a few weeks ago? Hmmm…..
http://www.themeatrix.com
March 24th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
11729 JC
To all the people who have lost their beloved furbabies, please accept my deepest sympathy. My heart goes out to you. My thoughts and prayers are also with those who are currently sick and are undergoing treatment.
While my dog wasn’t affected by this recall (THANK GOD), I am signing this petition because she very well could have been. Menu Foods needs to be held responsible for the pain and suffering of these animals as well as the suffering of the people who are mourning the loss of their best friend/child/family member or those who are currently caring for their sick pet. Menu Foods should not only be ordered to monetarily compensate all those pet owners who were affected by this (not that the money could ever begin to replace their loyal companions), but they should also be ordered to make a large donation to pet charities/organizations/shelters in addition to be forced to dissolve their company and business.
This is yet one more reason why the US should ban companies/corporations from outsourcing their business to other countries in order to save themselves money. Look at what this has cost so many people and now our pets too have had to pay a price. This is absolutely outrageous!
March 24th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
92270
susan watson
March 24th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
I want better control over the companies that handle the pet foods.
Helene Moorman
44039
March 24th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Michael and Trish Hoffman:32068
March 24th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
93010 Deborah Kulick
I just found out about the extended recall-I rarely feed my cats the wet food, but ran out of the dry, and had to feed them 2 pouches a week and a half ago. I was relieved to see that mine were produced before the date of the ones recalled, until now. So far, I see no sign of abnormal behavior, but am watching carefully until I can get them in for testing. My thoughts and prayers go out to all suffering right now….so many more than are being publicized. I only hope that as a result of this, stronger regulations and accountability are put in place.
March 24th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
19125 tracy mcginnis
March 24th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Ryan and Rebecca Reed 62301
First off, our hearts and prayers go out to those who lost their loved ones. I can’t imagine losing my animals in such a terrible way. Luckily I took our dogs off of Iams last year and have only fed them Kumpi foods since. Kumpi is an independent dog food company who I now COMPLETELY trust and I will never take them off it. I took them off of Iams simply because I didn’t know what was really in the food and I didn’t know what my dogs were eating. I researched online and found kumpi.com where a comparison chart of the ingredients major pet food companies (such as menu foods) put in their foods and was completely shocked with the results. The chart explained the ingredients in simple terms that I could understand and I finally realized that a funny commercial, great packaging, or a high price doesn’t necessarily mean that the product is quality. For any of those people that are concerned about their pets I highly recommend they visit www.kumpi.com and research for themselves. Menu foods has taken too many lives due to greed. They have broken up families, caused emotional scars, and have made hard working families pay thousands of dollars in medical bills to save the lives of their family members. They need to be stopped!!! If you truly love your pets, don’t give the greedy, commercial pet food industry your support or money any more. I am in no way affiliated with the kumpi company. I’m simply an average, mid western concerned pet parent who refuses to let the greed of corporate dog food companies ruin the lives and the health of my dogs with my own money. For all of you pet parents who lost your loved ones, I know how hard it is to go home to an empty house and see their empty bowls or their leash. Someday down the road, the scars will heal and maybe if you’re lucky a new little life will find its way to you and melt your heart all over again.
March 24th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
my 10 year old cat who was other wise healthy ate the Special Kitty food and became sick for kidney failure and was put to sleep.
Stacey Mc Gregor 10540
March 24th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
77082 J Morrison
I am absolutely furious — I think Pets Mart should have also been more proactive in publishing how long it takes for symptoms to show up and 800 # hot lines. I now have to take my dog to the vet to be checked.
March 24th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
15221 barbara hoffee
March 24th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Linda Frahm 60074
March 24th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Please Read!
This came out at 5pm today. Unless I read this wrong, Menu foods is having all brands of cat/dog foods pulled regardless of the date/code on the can. This is dreadful. Please correct me if I read this article wrong. The link is below.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/.....fer=canada
March 24th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I agree with researching these pet companies. One thing to remember as I found out when I called about one “natural” pet food… Ask them specifically if they use Menu foods for ANYTHING. One of the companies I called said they were not on the recall list, however, when I asked them specifically if they used Menu foods for “anything” they said “yes”. They said they use them for canning one of their brands. In other words, this “natural” pet food is tied in with Menu foods on some level. Thats the problem with this. We don’t know where these places manufacture. This is horrid!
March 24th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Linda Frahm 60074
First of all my vet has always warned me about substandard food and insisted that “humangrade” food was best for my pets. My dog Jaeger was diagnosed with a medical condition that required fish and potato diet. The specailty vet recommended Eukanuba (dry). My vet told me about Flint River Ranch a humangrade pet food. Well my two cats were on Friskies and Jaeger often would clean up their left overs. I couldn’t take the chance of him eating cheap food that was not good for him so I confidently changed to Iams fish moist food for my cats. Unfortunately my eldest cat became lethargic on Monday. I quickly made a call to my pet dietician and asked for Flint River Ranch cat food. (dry). I wasn’t going to take any chances. By Wednesday night after many vet visits where he had bloodwork done and IVs for dehydaration, he passed away The vet said that his bloodwork showed he had high numbers 200. . I just took my other cat for bloodwork to make sure that her kidneys are fine. I am waiting for results. I do want regulation on pet food and Menu Foods should pay for the vet bills. But don’t kid yourself there is no monetary value you could possibly put on my Basti’s life. I want them to know that . This is not a monetary issue entirely, this is a character issue and an inhumane act.
March 24th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Dwayne Wade, 48237
March 24th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Dia H. Niclatos
14214
March 24th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
kristine colby
03290
March 24th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Cynthia G. Hall
40475
March 24th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
This came out at 5pm today. Unless I read this wrong, Menu foods is having all brands of cat/dog foods pulled regardless of the date/code on the can
March 24th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
19968 Bonnie Helder
March 24th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
My 14 year-old feline “Tailgate” stopped eating on Friday, March 16 and became larthegic. After researching Menu Foods recall list and identify Eukanuba’s Flaked w/Select Tuna in Sauce, and date/plant code was in our pantry I took him to the Veterinarian. His blood chemistry re kidney functions were/are off the chart . . . he has been hospitalized since Tuesday, March 20 . . . PH level has been lowered but CREA and BUN readings are still very high . . . he is drinking water and on IV fluids, been given medication for mouth sores and pain . . . I am sitting with him 4 to 6 hours each day in the hospital . . . taking it day-by-day and praying.
These people/companies must be held accountble. There is no excuse, these critters are our children . . .
March 24th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
12065
pbdweeb@nycap.rr.com
Phil and Lydia Perham
March 24th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Dina Peterson 82604
March 24th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Joey J Peterson 82604
March 24th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Ashley Pettit 40313
March 24th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
01247
March 24th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
JOHN ROBITZSCH 31220 THIS IS A CRIME AGAINST HELPLESS ANIMALS THAT TRUST AND DEPEND ON US!! MAY GOD FORGIVE YOU BECAUSE WE CAN NOT!!!!!!
March 24th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Our animals should be safe from food poison
March 24th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
21048 Jeanette Hill
March 24th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
21048 Steph Hill - I hope that something can be done this is criminal and our pets are not just animals they are part of the family
March 24th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
80121 Sara Kolaja
March 24th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Diana M. Vacek—44102
March 24th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Diana Vacek—-44102
March 24th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
93541 kathi richards