NEW RECALL: Royal Canin USA Recalls Sensible Choice and Kasco Dry Foods
Royal Canin USA is recalling eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products. Royal Canin states small traces of melamine-related compound were found in the rice protein concentrate provided by Cereal Byproducts — through cross-contamination. This supplier received food marked as rice protein concentrate from the same source as Wilbur-Ellis.
This confirms today is Friday.
The full press release after the jump.
UPDATE: Since issuing the release, RC updated the date codes involved. The new info is: “products with Best By date codes between July 28, 2007 to April 30, 2008 are being voluntarily recalled.”
(Thanks Mike and Carol)
ST. CHARLES, Mo., May 11 /PRNewswire/ — Royal Canin USA is announcing
today the voluntary nationwide recall of eight Sensible Choice dry dog food
products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products.
This announcement is based on the company’s ongoing extensive review of
its manufacturing and quality assurance testing procedures, which
identified trace amounts of a melamine derivative from tainted Chinese rice
protein concentrate provided to the company by domestic ingredient supplier
Cereal Byproducts, headquartered in Illinois.
“We deeply regret the concern and anxiety this announcement today will
cause our loyal customers and the entire pet community,” Olivier Amice,
President and CEO of Royal Canin USA, said. “While a very limited number of
Sensible Choice and Kasco products in this recall tested positive for trace
levels of a melamine derivative, Royal Canin USA is voluntarily withdrawing
these products out of an abundance of caution and because we are fully
committed to the welfare of our customers’ pets.”
Royal Canin USA has no confirmed cases of melamine related illness in
pets eating Sensible Choice and Kasco products affected by this recall.
Last month, Royal Canin USA announced it will no longer use any Chinese
vegetable protein suppliers.
The following eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products and seven
Kasco dry dog and cat food products with date codes between July 28, 2006
to April 30, 2007 are being voluntarily recalled:
SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)
– SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Adult (Dry Dog Food)
– SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
– SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Lamb and Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
– SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
– SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Large Breed Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
– SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) NATURAL BLEND Adult (Dry Dog Food)
– SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) NATURAL BLEND Senior (Dry Dog Food)
– SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) NATURAL BLEND Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
KASCO(R) (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)
– KASCO(R) Chunks (Dry Dog Food)
– KASCO(R) Hi Energy (Dry Dog Food)
– KASCO(R) Maintenance (Dry Dog Food)
– KASCO(R) Mealettes (Dry Dog Food)
– KASCO(R) Mini Chunks (Dry Dog Food)
– KASCO(R) Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
– KASCO(R) Cat (Dry Cat Food)
Based on today’s announcement, pet owners should stop feeding their
pets the eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products, seven Kasco dry dog
and dry cat food products listed. Pet owners should consult with a
veterinarian if they are concerned about the health of their pet.
The safety and nutritional quality of Royal Canin USA pet food is our
company’s top priority because we understand that the health of pets comes
first. Pet owners who have questions about the voluntary recall of Sensible
Choice and Kasco dry pet food products and other Royal Canin USA products
should call 1-800-513-0041 or visit our web site at
http://www.royalcanin.us.
All Sensible Choice and Kasco products have a satisfaction guarantee
and the company will refund or replace the diets that are part of this
recall announcement.
May 11th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Can we start taking bets…how long until a Friday passes by without any new recalls? This irks me as much, if not more than anything, that companies are obviously sitting on this information as there’s no way that all test results are confirmed on Friday afternoons/evenings.
May 11th, 2007 at 11:45 pm
I have been waiting all day for more friday recalls. I wish they would all come clean so we know what the heck to do feeding our furkids
May 11th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
I AM SO FED UP WITH ALL OF THIS. MY STOMACH IS IN KNOTS FROM ALL THE WORRY. I SWITCHED FROM NB TO EVO FOR MY KITTY, AND KEEP PRAYING THE EVO WON’T SHOW UP ON A RECALL. IS THIS EVER GOING TO END!!!!!
May 11th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Sensible Choice
May 11th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
ITCHMO. I JUST NOTICED AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR ROYAL CANIN CAT FOOD. DON’T YOU THINK THIS AD SHOULD BE PULLED??????
ITCHMO ADMIN: Yes. The ad is served from Google. I will request that they be banned.
May 11th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
calliekitty,
All Natura products (Innova, Evo, Cal Nat, etc.) are being tested for melamine prior to shipping. They also claim that ALL their ingredients are grown in the USA. I personally don’t use their products for my cats and dog, but a lot of people’s pets seem to be doing really well on them.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:13 am
ERIC,
OUR BEAUTIFUL KITTY ADOPTED US IN OCTOBER. SHE WAS A STRAY AND EVENTUALLY WE WERE ABLE TO COAX HER INSIDE. SHE HAS NO DESIRE TO GO OUTSIDE ANYMORE AND WE LOVE HER SO MUCH. WE WANTED THE BEST FOOD FOR HER SO WENT WITH NATURAL BALANCE. AFTER THE RECALL, AS I STATED BEFORE, WE SWITCHED TO EVO. WHAT DO YOU FEED YOUR PETS? WE HOPE AND PRAY WE MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE
May 12th, 2007 at 12:14 am
ITCHMO,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PULLING THE AD. YOU ROCK!!!!!
May 12th, 2007 at 12:20 am
I just switched to Whiskas made by the Mars company after hearing all the horrible stories about Purina.
Did I do the right thing? I have NO idea. I DO know it would be very hard to make their food myself. Cats have very specific diet needs. I researched Whiskas as much as I could though and liked everything I saw. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Now if I can just get Whiskers used to the new diet. She’s been fed Purina her whole life, and she’s looking at me like she thinks I’m nuts for changing her food. I feel so bad, but what else can I do?
Smokey adores the food that Whiskers turns her nose up at. Whiskers refuses to eat ANYTHING but dry food.
This whole thing is a pain in the neck. All because we were lied to by pet compaines. Oh this food is so good for your pets. Then we find out they are mostly made up of fillers, which is JUNK! Sure they keep our pets alive, but nowhere near as healthy as they should be, and now it’s downright KILLING them and making them sick!
Thanks to THEM, Whiskers is now addicted to junk food!
I am unbelievely angry. Now I have to go through the long painful process of trying to get Whiskers to accept her new food. I hope I can mix a bit of the old food together with the new and in doing so help her gradually get used to it. Wish me luck.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:23 am
Thank you Purina, for getting my baby addicted to your food, which is JUNK! Now I have to go through the long process of trying to convince Whiskers to eat a different product by mixing it with her old food and tempting people food. I hate this!
Smokey LOVES Whiskas, and I did a lot of research on it, it seems good and safe. *Crosses fingers.* Oh please let it be safe…
May 12th, 2007 at 12:26 am
ITCHMO,
Thank you for keeping us up to date. Somehow I didn’t think it would be possible for us to get by without another recall. It doesn’t seem like it will ever end. Knowing there are still foods out there that have caused some of us problems, I’m afraid this will go on and on.
Katie
May 12th, 2007 at 12:28 am
I think the google ad at the top of the page that says Royal Canin Dog Food Sale is particularly funny in an ironic sense. I have been feeding Evo to my abyssinians for almost 3 years and they all do very well on it. In fact, 2 of the 3 had bladder and crystal problems for years until I switched to a grain free food. Conincindence??? I’m starting to think not.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:33 am
Ah. Smells like Friday.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:35 am
MANDY,
WE WISH YOU GOOD LUCK! LIKE YOU, WE HAVE RESEARCHED THE INTERNET EXTENSIVELY AND WE CAN ONLY HOPE WE CHOSE THE RIGHT FOOD.
LOVE YOUR NAME. OUR BEAUTIFUL BORDER COLLIE OF 15 YEARS WHO WENT TO RAINBOW BRIDGE 5 YEARS AGO WAS NAMED MANDY.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:35 am
To those who are having a hard time switching foods, if your cat likes fish flavors you can get Norwegian Cod Liver or Salmon oil capsuls from your health food store. Buy only the best brands like Carlson so they are lowest in metals and you can break the capsule open and sqeeze it into the food. It’s a great source of omega 3’s for cats. In fact it’s better than flaxseed for them since it’s more easily absorbed by their bodies. You’ll see a differnece in their coats within a week too.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:36 am
calliekitty,
i think Evo is fine. they produce their own dry and i *think* menu does their wet, but at a different plant and they have someone there watching production (if i remember right, way too much info for my poor brain lately!)
for peace of mind, go to thepetfoodlist.com and check them out.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:39 am
Any math majors on the site tonight? What percentage of total pet food has now been recalled? It’s not still 1%, is it.?
May 12th, 2007 at 12:51 am
Some of the Kasco foods pulled don’t have wheat or rice products in their ingredient list. Is this another issue of cross contamination, incomplete ingrediant list or ? They do all have one thing in common though…corn.
ITCHMO ADMIN: Yup. Added.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:52 am
Thanks Itchmo for keeping us updated…I can’t seem to get the press release page to come up..it says not found
ITCHMO ADMIN: Fixed.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:54 am
STRAYBABY,
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT. I HAVE CHECKED SEVERAL SITES FOR EVO, AND YES, MENU DOES THEIR WET, WHICH I WON’T BUY. WILL STICK WITH THE EVO DRY AND PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU AND ITCHMO FOR YOUR FANTASTIC COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS. CALLIE LOVES FISH SO I WILL TRY THE FISH OIL CAPSULES THAT JESSICA MENTIONED.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:20 am
calliekitty
check Evangers for wet or felidea. Evangers does their own canning and does Innovas from what i understand. in the long run, cats do better on wet :)
May 12th, 2007 at 1:22 am
Strangely enough, Whiskers doesn’t care for fish that much. What she likes is chicken. She’s VERY picky.
Whiskers is a very sweet little girl and she’s so loving but all her pickiness is giving her Mama a headache!
May 12th, 2007 at 1:24 am
Using only Innova foods,about four months.No problems.I called the company to verify sales claims.Local pet store,used to stock only two-three bags of Evo and California Natural,now…………….our referral rate and satisfaction has sent clients to non grain foods.Cats adore California Natural.Dogs,really like Evo.It has worked well for us.The canned Evo,cat or dog food,………….animals ate it,but seemed to lack “scent” appeal for cats,dogs were less “fussy”. I hope this helps,some of the parents of fur kids.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Wonderful! Now this one is probably the CORN products?
What with a little rice protein thrown in? Intentionally or “accidently”?
Or the old story of “well it was just sittin’ around and thought we’d add a little to the formulas”, hold the Labels.
Sigh.
Thanks Itchmo and fellow Pet Food Contaminator Hunters.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:30 am
Jessica,
Do tell……are you feeding Innova Evo DRY to your kitties with the bladder/crytals problems? Are you using the fish oils with the Evo also?
I ask because of a recent vet emergency trip and hospitalization with my 6 y/o male. Vet said the switching to the premium foods not done gradually caused the crystals and they would most likely return if I didn’t start feeding a rx’d urinary diet — SD and Purina, natch. Don’t want to go that route. Since the Innova is so high in protein I’ve been a little paranoid to continue feeding this. My cat is not liking me withholding the Innova…he loved it!
With your tried and true experience with Evo, I would be thrilled if I could start feeding this again. So would my cat.
Thanks for any info you can share !!!
May 12th, 2007 at 1:32 am
Jessica the Kasco and Sensible Choice lines all have some form of rice. Rice hulls, brewers rice. Maybe they were using some RPC to spike their rice?
May 12th, 2007 at 1:32 am
Calliekitty :Try sardines packed in water for your kitty,They crumble ,very easy. I offer sardines as a change of “taste” for our kitties,most really like them.I have had no problems with sardines water packed, only. Good Luck with the “kids”.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:46 am
Donna Says:
May 12th, 2007 at 1:24 am
when my cats were first introduced to Evo canned, they all seemed afraid of it! it was pretty funny, actually. i think it may have smelled too strong. i notice they tend to like the milder scented foods. grocery store ground beef vs grass fed (?!!!!). fish they are fine with the water packed canned, but fresh, prefer milder ones. luckily they go nuts over free range poultry/organs/guts/bones. i also have one that is a raw egg freak! including shells. i’m going to see if mixing in the free range beef blend (beef/organs/bones) with poultry will mild it out for them. if not, my dog will happily eat it! lol!~
May 12th, 2007 at 1:57 am
I haven’t been able to find any ingredients list for Whiskas on their company website. The Whiskas ingredients list I’ve found elsewhere so far doesn’t seem very recognizable as food for my cats.
Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken By-product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved with BHA/BHT), Natural Poultry Flavor, Wheat Flour, Rice, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Turkey By-product Meal, Caramel Color, Calcium Carbonate, dl-Methionine, Taurine, Trace Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), White Fish Meal, Vitamins (dl-Alpha Tocopherol)
May 12th, 2007 at 1:58 am
For cats, who are obligate carnivores it is best that they have high protein and below 10% carb food. Best if they have wet only. Dry (most dry) is filled with grains and veggies and that is not a typical diet for them. (Evo has no grains but is still dry) Fancy Feast with no glutens in seem to be safe. If you chose the no gravy ones - check here for what to look for:
Gravy has glutens in them and high carbs.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/.....-diets.htm
A FD diet is best for all cats.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:59 am
I am so worried about the pet food recall. I have a persian cat he has FUS, Hes been on Hills CD for cats for yrs now. Hills has changed there CD diet chicken & its nothing but mussy stuff. Cat hates it so I went to just Hills CD. Having a hard time with the change. All he wants is dry food now & treats. I feel this is a tarrost attack on our pets with all these recalls.
May 12th, 2007 at 2:07 am
And always later in the day on friday, nothing when I checked this am. Every company that does friday news drops will never get a dime from me again. How many ate their contaminated food while they waited?
May 12th, 2007 at 2:08 am
Well, another recall that squeaked by the Friday deadline. Is anyone keeping score?
Sorry,my head already exploded…
May 12th, 2007 at 2:12 am
Mandy and others, My cat is not big on Fish either. So I have been making foods with TURKEY and/or LAMB.
It’s not hard at all to make foods. Tho mine must have a Very mushy pureed texture for her Wet food. I solve that with my Cusinart food processor and whip the heck out of the stuff. I add veggies {yukon gold potatoes, sweet potatoes {for fiber}, going to do some carrots this weekends batch. Might cook some rice this weekend too {not from China}, and make a small batch of carrot and rice and one of the meats to see how she likes those. I don’t want too much protein, or starch/carbos.
There’s NO Chicken No Fish No Beef.
You can do Beef and Fish too if your Pets like them.
I add multi-vitamin and E and Omega and BioCoat= a biotins {by Nickers}.
During a low slow simmer with some water. I add sea salt {a pinch} and Garlic, which my Cat loves.
Also might add some clams into a small batch and see if she will accept it for the taurine.
If you’ve got a Dog and need more chunky size wet food= cook in a Crock-pot. {won’t heat up the house and low energy.} Your dogs would love it. Make a batch on the weekend for the whole week. Store it in a old Frig in air-tight containers. {or Freeze in serving portions and then microwave before serving.} {test that it’s not too hot!!!}
I just need to find a Dry {prefer Organic} she likes and then she would get her vitamins from That.
It’s easy and the most time consuming has been picking the meats off the bones.
I save the cooking broth and add that when I microwave it, when it cold out of the frig., and thin it out a bit more for her.
It’s Good enough for me to eat!
I think these Vets have folks scared to Death!
I wonder WHY they do that? {wink wink}
{and No, not all Vets are bad or stuck in that rut.}
Can what you’d make and try, be Any Worse than the çrap we’ve been using that made our pets sick????????
YOU Know You can Do BETTER!
I wonder how much business Vets might lose if WE find other means of feeding Pets nutriously? We Are Not Idiots!
{all those bladder issues and hair and coat and skin, diabetes and allergies, etc, etc, etc,}
The food is Easy if you are Sensible. Read a little at Good websites. Even Here at Itchmo they have Links for Food recipes and guidelines.
Think about it!
Give it a Shot! Do Not be Afraid! Ask questions but Read-Up on it!
DO IT! Then Post. I’d be Happy to hear of your attempts and successes!
May 12th, 2007 at 2:12 am
4Cats on their website they show ingredients for each different food product they make. You click on each seperate food and if you look you can see where it says ingredients. You click on that and it opens to show you what they are.
The ingredients for their pouched foods actually sounds much better, they use real meat in that. They have to put some kind of grain or vegetable matter in their dry food to make it into kibbles.
Unfortunately Whiskers absolutely REFUSES to eat anything but dry food. So I may have to give her some shredded chicken from time to time to make sure she gets some real good meat in her diet.
I looked over the ingredients VERY carefully. But if you manage to find the ingredients on the site and don’t like what you see, by all means buy something else. We all have to decide for ourselves what is best for our babies to eat. All pets are as individual as people. What might be right for some might not be right for others.
I sincerely hope you find what you are looking for.
May 12th, 2007 at 2:16 am
Hey YaYa if I can’t find any good pet foods I like I might just do that! Thanks for the information!
May 12th, 2007 at 2:29 am
Typo! That’s COLD Frig! LOL
It’s late but then again so are The Freakin’ RECALLS!
Noone that uses them could call over the weekend for help either You Dirty, what? {Dogs is WAY Too Good for them!} Oh yeah Hyenas!
You SCUM!
Someone Here said, They’d Never Buy from You simply Be-cause you slide your RECALLS in So late on Friday nights!
Brilliant Idea!
Who do you think you are Foolin’?!
YOU DON’T DESERVE CUSTOMERS!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
May 12th, 2007 at 2:35 am
I just thought I’d mention that tonight when we got groceries we got the new Pedigree pouched food that is made from real beef. Sandy is a really picky eater about his dog food. Well not ONLY did he scarf down a whole pouch with NO people food added to it like usual, but he even ate part of a second!
Smokey gobbled down half of the turkey Whiskas pouch made with real turkey.
Both Pedigree and Whiskas are made by the Mars company.
Hey pet companies! Get it through your heads! Our pets want real meat and so do we!
Bravo Pedigree and Whiskas! Now if the other brands and companies can just wake up…
May 12th, 2007 at 3:32 am
I am on disability, and this month, have over $1000 in medical bills (I live by myself).
The food you are feeding is akin to the Priority I bought from safeway (their generic for Deli Cat). Its Trash in a Bag for cats. So is Whiskas, I’m sorry to say. They import the grains from China.
I have 3 cats, ranging in age from 3 to 14. I bought Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul 18lb bag for 19.99 at the beginning of April. It is still here. I started feeding wet food (and there is a technique to getting kitties to eat wet food when they are obstinante - just as some pet owners are ;-)
I started with Eagle Pack (they all dived in the first day - after that it was a struggle). I still bought a case of Eagle Pack, and a few cans of Innova. I am buying the 13.2 oz sizes (if it doesn’t come that large, I can’t afford it). I also bought 5 cans of Felidae later. Baby Girl - the 14 year old, dives into anything.
So - I started by feeding 1/3 Felidae to 2/3 Eagle for the Boys, and 2/3 Felidae to 1/3 Eagle for Baby (she’s 14, and gets her own room - spolied). The first time I popped a can of Innova, Siberia vomited twice, so I backed off.
Now the tricks. I have received $5 off and $3 off cases of Innova cans from Natura. I noticed the boys like their Eagle with a little Felidae (not too much). I enhance all feed with Parmesan Cheese (this started the trick). The 3 year old - Jimmy Kitty, likes a little (5 to 6 peices) of the Chicken Soup kibble in his food - then he will eventually complete.
Today, on second can of Innova (yesterday, mixed a little Innova with Eagle and Felidae for the boys, a little Innova with mainly Felidae for the girl). All ate up heartly.
This switch to accepting wet food has taken about a month. Variety is the spice of life.
My budget for cat food went from $12 per month - to over $50. I am sure there are things we can cut back on to increase the health of our pets. As I stated in another forum - I will give up HBO, Basic Cable (and yes - finally the Internet - but as a former developer - that’s the last to go) - before I will poison my cats.
And the other foods (whiskas, Meow Mix, and the Top line Prioirty - all dry) - are foods that caused Siberia to Vomit several times a week (thought it was hairballs, but he was actually allergic to the food), Jimmy to only crave kibble (and he wasn’t very healthy - not like he is now), and Baby Girl to probably have the devlopment towards CRF (typical in cats long term fed on that diet).
The improvement I’ve seen in my animals since switching to the healthier foods is remarkable (and yes, they eat better than myself!). So you should really, really reconsider the whiskas. Nothing you buy off the shelf at the Grocery Store is healthy for the pet (but it really makes a lot of profit for the retailer, the Supplier, and the manufacturer).
Just Food for thought - pun intended.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:35 am
Again, it is one thing to opt on choice here - but another to tout a food high in grains (with very little actual meat - due to the by-product thing) as GREAT FOOD!
May 12th, 2007 at 3:36 am
Sorry - it went without my final comment:
Just My Humble Opinion
May 12th, 2007 at 3:40 am
Well one thing I thought of here before I hit the Hay.
These “intelligent’ Business types who run these companies with all the RECALLS; slipping in on Friday nights, didn’t think about the fact Pet Parents with Questions would have Tons of Questions for them, Immediately this way:
If they did it LATE {as it Certainly appears their Patterns} on a Friday night, and noone THERE to answer the weekend Phones etc.,
Pet Parents WOULD SEEK ANSWERS SOMEWHERE.
And Guess What and WHERE, WE ended up????
HERE AND TO-GETHER!
By attempting to “ignore US” and our Situations for a weekend, WE SOUGHT OUT ANSWERS ELSE-WHERE.
Now ALL the GREAT PET SITES ARE BANDED TOGETHER AS ARE THE PARENTS OF DEAD, SICK AND/OR DYING PET FAMILY MEMBERS!
THEY did THIS to Themselves.
And Low Heaven Help Them Now.
THE COWARDS CREATED A FORCE OF MANY!
Otherwie we’d be rather lost and it would have Not STARTED like THIS Right Off. We’d eventually have Come “Here”. But those very first few days, March 16th, and over that weekend••• BAM!
Many Lurkers are out there too, WATCHING. WATCHING- You CEO’s and VP’s and Plant Managers and PR scum.
So here’s one for the Books:
Thank You Menu Foods for Setting the GOLD STANDARD in Customer Service in a Crisis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hyenas Do, run in Packs.
Their “timing” has been Off from the get-go.
The Internet Brought US, What You coward from! Thank Heaven.
None has had a single Original idea, or manner for this nor varied from the start. WoW!
May they Curse their Cowardly Decisions!
I hope You eat HAGAS IN H#LL! {of course fill with delicious mela-wheat gluten too}
And Now••• I bid You All Goodnight :-)
Boy I feel Better!
Of course, these are simply my Own Opinions as Always.
:-þ
May 12th, 2007 at 3:47 am
Karen V thank you for the information. I will think carefully on it. It seems that no matter WHAT food I pick, it turns out bad. I chose Whiskas because it DOES have less grains than the other foods I chose before, and it DOES use real meat, and it does come from the same company who makes Pedigree.
The Vons store I buy from is very, very, careful to only supply good products. I’ve noticed other products being taken off their shelves because people complained about them even though they weren’t on the recall list.
I’m sure you can understand that I can’t just buy EVERY single product that everyone recommends, and that I also can’t just immeaditely toss out EVERY single product because someone tells me it’s bad.
So far I’ve heard VERY few complaints about Whiskas. I’ve already bought the food, and I can’t just go back to the store, buy something else, and then come back here to be told THAT food is bad too! I’m sure you understand my position.
I researched Whiskas VERY carefully. Now if they really do buy from China, obviously I ONCE AGAIN have to try something else. I’m starting to wonder if ANY okay brands that aren’t super expensive don’t buy from China.
It’s extremely frustrating!
Not only am I on disability and have PHYSICAL health problems, I also have dealt with Depression more than half my life, and all this has made me extremely stressed out! I have literally found gray hairs!
I am doing my very, very, best to make sure my babies get the right food, so please don’t put my choice down and automatically think I am treating my cats badly because I don’t just take back or throw out the food.
I do have the right to my own opinion.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:58 am
By the way, we only have one real pet shop in this small town, and it’s not a very good one, so what choice do I have BUT to buy from a grocery store?!
May 12th, 2007 at 4:07 am
Trust me Mandy - they import from China. That’s how come the food is so cheap. It was an education for myself as well.
Now - here’s the scoop. Down the street from me is a Feed Store - where I pick up the Chicken Soup, Eagle, and Innova. All these expensive brand companies have a money back guarantee. If you don’t like the food (but I bet the kitties will just jump on Chicken soup, they will eat less, and it does last a long time - the eat less because there is REAL PROTEIN - not the FAKE STUFF - in It) - just take back the unused portion with receipt, you get all your money back.
There is also Mud Bay where I live, which is where I pick up Felidae at $1.30 for 13 oz cans. A LOT OF CATS WON’T EAT THIS - A TAD TO FERAL. Not only do these foods come with money back guarantees, all their products do. And this store offers free samples to take and try out on kitties (find a small pet food specialty store, or an animal feed store - in your area).
I called Innova, and they sent the coupons out. A case of Innova costs $19.08 (that’s for 12 cans). $5.00 off makes that comparable to the same price for the cheap canned food (and its cheaper than science Diet - which is also Trash in a can). Just go to Innova.com, find the phone number, and they will be more than happy to send you 2 coupons (one for $5, the other for $3).
May 12th, 2007 at 4:08 am
P.S. - the Pet Shop can order the food for you (do you have an Animal Feed Store?). Look for the brands I mentioned. You have choices, if you think with a Can Do attitude.
May 12th, 2007 at 4:13 am
The problem Karen is, that one person will tell me a brand is good and their pets got really healthy on it, then the next thing I know, a DIFFERENT person is telling me that same brand is bad, and made their cats sick. Different pets react in different ways to the SAME food!
I do NOT have a credit card. I CANNOT drive. I cannot travel every day, so please just back off!
The next time I buy cat food I may get something different, but for now, my kitties have to eat what they got. Of course if they seem to be getting sick, I will stop immediately.
Just because I can’t try EVERY brand that everyone recommends does NOT mean I don’t love my cats OKAY?!
My… options… are… limited. Most of the brands people have told me about that they recommend I have never seen nor heard of before! I am doing the best I can! GOT IT?!
May 12th, 2007 at 4:18 am
Mandy, It’s Ok. One day at a time. You are doing the Best you can right now.
I think folks just worry for everyone else. All of us do. I mean we All are walking a tight-rope here right now. So hang in there. They ate and are happy. Do what we do and just watch them. Check back here as often as you can and keep Fresh on the food topic if you can.
This is Not Easy.
Good grief we’ve all got anxiety over this thing.
And we All CARE for each other. That’s why at times is seems one might be harsh. Be cause We Care so much. AND Worry all the time. Each of us.
There are lots of Unknowns too yet.
You are doing what you can. THAT’S GOOD!
So many are laughing this thing off, just the the Food co. like it.
Check out some more in the Forums tomorrow and see what else others are saying and experiencing on Your food.
Monitor you cats.
We’ll keep Hunting down info and hope this thing Ends soon.
NOTHING in This is Certain or Perfect! And that’s what the Real issue is.
Because it SHOULD be Certain that Pet food does Not Kill or make sick the Pets!
And That: Is NOT Our Fault! Period.
It’s Unknown Territory.
Not a single one of us is guilt here. OK?!
May 12th, 2007 at 4:22 am
Oh and by the way, I am not the ONLY person in my family who has big doctor bills. There’s me, my mother, and my grandmother. We all take a handful of medications every day, and even one dollar is TOO MUCH IF YOU DON’T HAVE THAT DOLLAR!
I am perfectly willing to give up some things for my babies, but we just don’t have a lot of options in my area. We just don’t. We live right near the Mexico border.
I will be talking to their vet as soon as possible. I may have to go back to my idea of just feeding them human meat with suppliements. I am stressed out beyond belief and you are NOT helping!
I am desperate. I’ve been getting headaches, stomach aches, etc. Every time I think I have found a solution, someone tells me nope, that’s bad. Well guess what? In the end it is STILL my choice. I can only pray to God that I make the right one.
I can do all the research and take all the advice that I can, and still feed them bad food.
I can make their food the best that I can, and they still not get the proper nutrition.
I’m even talking to my therapist about this! Maybe I need to stay off of this site for awhile, I think I’m actually making myself sick with worry…
May 12th, 2007 at 4:27 am
Sigh - nowhere did I say you didn’t love your cats.
May 12th, 2007 at 4:30 am
Just one more thing on the fact some get/got sick on a brand and others did not.
It seems maybe the food ingredients may have not been MIXED “perfectly” or something along that order. One can got TONS the next got a tad. Another got None. Same for Bags.
We, here, just don’t know.
{you can bet the companies do and they ain’t talkin’!}
We are All what is within’ our means on all levels.
Please hang in there EVERYONE.
May 12th, 2007 at 4:36 am
You practically implied it. Chicken Soup, Eagle, and Innova? Never heard of those brands before. So I guess I have MORE to research AGAIN! I have to see if Vons has those brands AGAIN. I’ve been trying to make a list of all the foods I can to check out. To see if they have real meat, if they have a lot of grain or not, if they buy from China or not, etc.
I’m starting to truly wonder if ANY pet food made is safe or cheap enough for my family to afford.
I have not one but SEVERAL different doctors. I have no real friends. Half the time I am too sick or too tired to do anything. I can’t drive. My mother is abusive and not at all understanding of this situation and I have to live with her until I can figure out how to manage on my own. She keeps telling me that she doesn’t want to hear about it and she is my only ride.
Most of the time I hate my life and my baby kitties are the two creatures I love and trust the most in this world, and now they may die because I can’t safely say what I should feed them. My heart feels ready to shatter.
I don’t want to talk anymore.
May 12th, 2007 at 4:57 am
Check this forum on Itchmo for what folks are doing:
http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?board=57.0
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul:
http://www.chickensoupforthepe...../dry_food/
Recommended - all US ingredients - they are researching their suppliers now, I recommend the dry food only.
Ingredients:
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), ocean fish meal, white rice, potatoes, oatmeal, millet, natural chicken flavor, salmon, turkey, duck, flaxseed, sodium bisulfate, egg product, methionine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid
Note the lack of Corn, etc.
Whiskas Ingredients (their best Dry Food):
Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken By-product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved with BHA/BHT), Natural Poultry Flavor, Wheat Flour, Rice, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Shrimp Meal, Tuna Meal, Salmon Meal, Calcium Carbonate, dl-Methionine, Taurine, Whitefish Meal, Trace Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [Source of Vitamin E], Folic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Vitamin D3 Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6]), Red 3, Ethoxyquin (A Preservative). (Note: BHA/BHT cheap preservative - not good for kitties).
Eagle Pack:
http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_CanCat.html
My Favorite: Chicken & Lamb Formula
Ingredient Listing: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Lamb, Rolled Oats, Dried Egg Product, Carrots, Peas, Potatoes, Guar Gum, Brewers Dried Yeast, Cranberry Powder, Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Carrageenan, Taurine, Salt, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamins & Minerals
Innova:
http://www.innovapet.com/produ......asp?id=34
They give out coupons:
Ingredients listed on Page. Human type food.
Felidae:
http://www.canidae.com/cats/ca.....anned.html
All Natural Ingredients
Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Herring (Source of Omega 3), Lamb, Brown Rice, Eggs, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Dicalcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Guar Gum, Flax Seed Oil (Source of Omega 3) Choline Chloride, Salt, Kelp, Cranberries, Rosemary Extract, Carrageenan, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin, Lecithin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydro-chlride, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.
Note the differences in formulations.
May 12th, 2007 at 5:01 am
Eagle Pack:
http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/HS_CanCat.html
My Favorite: Chicken & Lamb Formula
Ingredient Listing: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Lamb, Rolled Oats, Dried Egg Product, Carrots, Peas, Potatoes, Guar Gum, Brewers Dried Yeast, Cranberry Powder, Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Carrageenan, Taurine, Salt, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamins & Minerals
Innova:
http://www.innovapet.com/produ......asp?id=34
They give out coupons:
Ingredients listed on Page. Human type food.
Felidae:
http://www.canidae.com/cats/ca.....anned.html
All Natural Ingredients
Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Herring (Source of Omega 3), Lamb, Brown Rice, Eggs, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Dicalcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Guar Gum, Flax Seed Oil (Source of Omega 3) Choline Chloride, Salt, Kelp, Cranberries, Rosemary Extract, Carrageenan, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin, Lecithin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydro-chlride, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.
Note the differences in formulations.
May 12th, 2007 at 5:04 am
Karen I am simply not talking or listening to you anymore. You are upsetting me way too much. Good bye.
May 12th, 2007 at 5:06 am
Check this forum on Itchmo for what folks are doing:
http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?board=57.0
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul:
http://www.chickensoupforthepe...../dry_food/
Recommended - all US ingredients - they are researching their suppliers now, I recommend the dry food only.
Ingredients:
Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), ocean fish meal, white rice, potatoes, oatmeal, millet, natural chicken flavor, salmon, turkey, duck, flaxseed, sodium bisulfate, egg product, methionine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid
Note the lack of Corn, etc.
May 12th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Royal Canin is being advertised again.
ITCHMO ADMIN: Google says it will take a few hours…
May 12th, 2007 at 5:30 am
Good Morning All,
I am convinced none of you sleep. Just got up to get ready for my road trip back to PA today and saw all this. What a nightmare, I still say everything out there has something wrong HINT PURINA , btw that is my opinion only, I am running out of things my cats will eat, they also give me the looks like you all are getting of what is this mom I am not eating this, UGH then it like ok are you being fussy or are you sick again?Started thowing sardines in for a new taste. My gat will not eat anyhting mixed together or touching, must get that from me I used to have to use section plates as a child drove my mom nuts. SO it is plain salmon plain chicken and now plain sardines, when I get back Imight try a small batch of salmon and sardines in food processor who knows, that will probably be just a waste of food and time. Little divas that they are. Mine too are crack junkies and are having a hardtime going cold turkeu from it, and so am I trying to find something else. *sigh*
May 12th, 2007 at 5:36 am
I found this page helpful when transitioning from Junk Food:
http://www.catinfo.org/#My_cats_are_now_eating
It even covers the canned, the home-cooked, etc. Great resource page.
May 12th, 2007 at 5:52 am
[…] Sadly, we have yet another recall. Roycal Canin recalls dry dog and cat food on Friday. […]
May 12th, 2007 at 6:14 am
I have been reading all of your posts for weeks now, I like you, don’t know which way to turn. I have 3 dobermans which are my kids. I live in a very rural area where food choices are minimal. I was feeding Nutro, went to SD Hills, now I have changed to Chicken Soup Dry. I cook for the gang as well. I call it Lynn’s stew, groung turkey or chicken breast, brown rice (USA), carrots, green beans, peas. I give around 1/4 of the Chicken Soup Dry to 3/4 of the homemade stew. For a change I add unsweeted applesauce, scrabmbled eggs, cottage cheese. I don’t know what else to do, I have also tired the Honest Kitchen dyhidrated and wasn’t really impressed with it. I would love any suggestions on what else I can do to make sure my gang is getting a wholesome, nutritious meal.
May 12th, 2007 at 6:42 am
Lynn - I found some new food yesterday - I had one cat on Royal Canin Rice & Duck (he’s no longer alive and although the RC vet who called me (after I sent the autopsy report to them demanding a reply) said in no uncertain terms it was “more than likely the food”, they’re now waffling (who would have thought). My other cats were on Hills cd and td but no longer are (I’ll just brush their teeth I guess). I then got onto Active Live wet (a Fromms brand) and Holistic Blend dry but yesterday came across something called “Orijen” made in Alberta, Canada. No grain although they do use tapioca as a binder. I had a 1hr talk with the store rep who is letting us try samples of this kibble. I have really cut down on the kibble and feed more wet. The remainder of my cats are getting used to it. I don’t know if this Orijen is available in the US. They love it as a mix with wet which I will continue to offer now. Orijen makes kibble for dogs as well. Pretty pricey but not as expensive as the vet bills when things don’t go right.
May 12th, 2007 at 7:14 am
# Jessica Says:
May 12th, 2007 at 12:35 am
To those who are having a hard time switching foods, if your cat likes fish flavors you can get Norwegian Cod Liver or Salmon oil capsuls from your health food store.
PLEASE! Cod Liver Oil is not the same as salmon body oil. Do not add cod liver oil to commercial food. It already has enough Vitamin D. Salmon oil provides omegas, cod liver oil provides Vit A and D.
May 12th, 2007 at 7:21 am
MANDY JUZT AN F.Y.I. THE A.S.P.C.A. HAS STARTD A SAFE FOOD LIST IN THE LAST WK AND WHSKAS IS ON IT IT MAY NOT BE THE HEALTHIEST DUE TO SOME INGREDIENTS. BUT ITS NOT A TOXIC RECALLD FOOD AND NOT GOING TO BE. THEY HAVE TESTD THR PRODUCT. THATS THE BIGGEST POINT RITE NOW
May 12th, 2007 at 7:52 am
Has anyone had trouble with Royal Canin kitten food? I switch to this about midway through my female cat’s pregnancy on my vet’s advice. She started throwing up on it — not much — just a bit. I quickly put her back on her regular kitten food and she has been fine.
May 12th, 2007 at 7:52 am
lainie I am giving you a BIG hug for that! Now that I know that Whiskas is at least SAFE, even if it’s not the most healthy food around, I can relax for awhile. I may have to stop coming here much for awhile. I swear all the stress is about to give me an ulcer. I’m too young to get an ulcer!
May 12th, 2007 at 7:54 am
KAREN V ISNT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE KITTEN LOVERS SOUL ON THE RECALL LIST MADE BY AMERICAN NUTRITION. DIDNT ANI NOT ONLY HAVE ITS OWN LONG LIST BUT LIE TO THE COMPANIES THE WERE MFGRN FOR AND THE CONSUMERS READING THOSE LABELS. SO IS SUPPORTING ANI A BETTER CHOICE THEN BUYING FROM A COMPANY THAT IN 2MONTHS OF LIES AND B.S. HAS HAD NO PRODUCT SHOW UP ON THE LIST
May 12th, 2007 at 7:56 am
lainie, do you have a link to that list? I visited their site but could not find it.
May 12th, 2007 at 7:57 am
What this basically points to is that one simply cannot feed commercial food anymore.
Who wants all the stress of this? It’s easier just to stop buying commercial products and feed human grade food to your pet.
Two good sites:
www.catnutrition.org
www.rawdogranch.com
Cats and dogs are carnivores that need meat, not wheat and cereals. There. You have solve the problem by taking into your own hands and making your food for your pet.
Vets cannot be trusted for dietary recommendations since they get no training in nutrition. Anything they know about diet comes from the pet food companies. The vets have largely been silent around this whole issue and baffled by the cases that come in.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:05 am
Back in February, before I was feeding the exclusively a homemade diet, I was feeding my cats Royal Canin, Sensible Choice Dry Kitten 34 Formula.
The breeder was feeding this and I was trying to ween them off of it because I feel that dry food is hard your pet’s kidneys.
The last 2 bags were making them sick. The first bag I threw out and bought another, thinking maybe it was spoiled. The second bag was thrown out before it was half gone. The youngest had diarrhea every time he ate it and came down with a urinary infection. Now that they are off of it, both cats are healthier. They’re more active and playful.
The first three ingredients are chicken meal, rice, corn gluten meal & corn. It has rice in it and I wonder if it’s contaminated with melamine. Maybe there could be cross contamination???
Needless to say, I will never buy their products again. I wouldn’t trust ANY pet food company that has had a recall on ANY of their products.
Has anyone had a similar experiences with other non-recall, Royal Canin products?
May 12th, 2007 at 8:05 am
lainie I would like the link to that safe food list too please. I did notice a few safe food lists around on the internet, but they were not recently updated. It’s horrible to see that the safe food list is MUCH shorter than the recall list. It’s so sad!
At least we know Whiskers is safe for NOW…
May 12th, 2007 at 8:06 am
Dee - I would not feed ANYHING from Royal Canin at this point. They keep coming up with the “oh dear we have more news” scenario with monotonous regularity. I even took my remaining cats off Hills as mentioned - no more vomiting. I can’t say if it’s contaminated or not but I can say that my cats are keeping what they eat.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:07 am
JLR i use orijen also and yes it is available at some pet shops in the US….I changed my labs to it because its all natural, they will talk to you on the phone and list all ingredients…they carry cat and dog food lines….my pets are thriving on the orijen
May 12th, 2007 at 8:08 am
I posted this in another area but did not see any response - just asking again: in addition to the acute renal faiure diagnoses of cats who have been poisoned, has ANYONE heard of any episodes of internal hemorrhaging?
May 12th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Hey there’s a google add right there that even says Whiskas is safe to feed kitties. What a relief! But we need more options darn it! We need as many safe options as possible!
Google really needs to get the Royal Canin food sign down.
You know after this I’m going to be terrified to get any new pets, and that is just AWFUL because I love animals!
May 12th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Thank you GPH - it is good to hear of someone else who is using this food. I can stand around and talk all day to petfood reps and still not feel comfortable! I stopped the Holistic Blend kibble because I asked them where they sourced their soy protein from and have received no answer except a rather indignant voicemail indicating their food is “not on the recall list” - no detail about the soy. I feel better about the Orijen. My rep told me to feed 25% less because of the high protein content so that is what I have done so far…
May 12th, 2007 at 8:13 am
By the way if anyone is interested, the website for Orijen is www.championpetfoods.com
May 12th, 2007 at 8:13 am
*Chants*
We need more options! What else is safe besides Whiskas? There are very few brands or companies that didn’t have at least ONE type of food recalled. Argh!
This is why I switched to Whiskas in the first place. None of their food is on recall. All of it has been tested. So maybe it isn’t the most nutritional food around, at least it won’t poison my babies.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:22 am
JLR…i also cut amounts back due to the high protein concentrate…my dogs are more satisfied, coats are shinny, they have more enegry and i have noticed the “doggy breath” has all but disappeared. and yes it is a bit pricey but less than a vet bill……Canz makes a good all meat wet product and also makes all natural treats
May 12th, 2007 at 8:29 am
ON A FRIENDLIER NOTE TO THOSE OF YOU THAT CAN AFFORD HIGH END FOOD. AND WANT 1 THATS GOT A GREAT INGREDIENTS LIST AND MADE IN THE U.S.A. CHECK OUT SPOTS STEW THERES 1 FOR CATS AND 1 FOR DOGS. MADE BY HALOPETS. THEY ALSO HAVE A GREAT SUPPLEMENT LINE FOR THOSE OF YOU FEEDING HOME MADE. THR DREAM COAT OIL I CANT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT. IVE BEEN USING IT 2YRZ NOW ON MY FUR AND FEATHERED KIDZ. THEY ALSO HAVE THE BEST PET SHAMPOO IVE EVER USED. I HAVE 4DOGS 2CATS AND 5BIRDS AND THANKFULLY EVERY 1S HEALTHY. BUT REGRETFULLY NOW MUST SEARCH FOR A NEW DRY DOG FOOD. BEEN USING ROYAL CANIN THE LAST TWO YRZ AND CHECKD WITH THEM @ THE 1ST RECALL, THEY SAID THR CORN GLUTEN WAS FRM THE U.S AND I NO LONGR TRUST THAT MINI PUP AND MAXI PUP WILL CONTINUE TO BE SAFE. GONNA CHECK OUT IF EVANGERS HAS A PUPPY FOOD. AND INNOVA IM ALREADY USING THR CANND PUP. GOTTA BE REAL CAREFUL WITH THE 10WK OLDS ESPECIALLY
May 12th, 2007 at 8:32 am
I am just so relieved that I picked the right food that has been declared safe. Seriously it’s brought tears to my eyes. I have been driving myself crazy for weeks.
It’s just a shame that we have to give up some nutritional value in foods just to make sure it’s not poison!
I used to never care that I was kinda poor. I never thought too much about being rich except once in awhile I thought it might be kinda nice to have a few super nice things.
Now I really wish I was rich just so I could get the best food for me and my pets! How outrageous is that? Just because you don’t have a lot of money you can’t get good food for yourself or your animals? What a crock!
Safe food should be safe food, no matter what it costs. Sure some food is junk, but it should at least not be poison!
Thank you God, for letting me choose the right cat food. Finally. Please God don’t let Whiskas end up on the recall list, and please let Whiskers and Smokey be able to eat it and not get sick or unhealthy in any way. Please don’t let Pedigree end up on recall either because that’s what my grandmother feeds her dog.
Please God comfort those who have lost their pets, who have sick pets, and who are having to put their very sick pets down.
Amen
http://rainbowsbridge.com/ Is a great site that has chat rooms and a forum to talk about pet health and to help those grieving their losses. They have a candle ceremony every Monday night.
*Has a respectful moment of silence for all the fur babies who died in this tradgedy.*
May 12th, 2007 at 8:40 am
Thanks for the tip Lainie i’ll give them a look see, then i hope they take a call … i am not rich but when it comes to my labs ( my children ) i will spare no expense….i also do some home cooking for them
May 12th, 2007 at 8:41 am
To Mandy
Mandy I guess I would say the most important thing is that you care enough to do something for your cats. And let me tell you that with all of the waxing on that some of us do that I have friends who have fed their cats Whiskas forever. One colleague at work just lost one of her females at the age of 21! Another is likely not long for this world - he’s 23. Both of them enjoyed stupendous lives with no chronic illness. One thing I will say is that she never fed them very much kibble - mostly canned. Kudos to you. Hang in there.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Im Not Good At The Links Thing Lol. I Never Remembr How To Get Back And Forget To Mark It But It Was At Aspca Website. Ill Go See If I Can Find A Link To Post Here For It. When I Found It Thr Were Only Two Foods 1 Cat And 1 Dog Hopefully The List Gets Longr
May 12th, 2007 at 8:49 am
LOL Lainie took me a while to figure things out also…..when u find a site u like just click on favorites and then on add and here’s the link to the site….http://www.halopets.com/
May 12th, 2007 at 9:00 am
Mandy, there are some very good threads in the Itchmo forums on safe foods and recommendations. Don’t worry about feeding them a little junk food right now, but take the time to look around in your area for alternatives.
Karen V, thanks for the link to the site about transitioning your cat off junk food. That’s the toughest part! My little girl is a Fancy Feast junkie, but will eat better quality wet food if it’s mixed in. Fortunately, she enjoys her kibble and she is finally putting on some much-needed weight. The kibble I feed to my cats and dogs is Orijen which is grain- and preservative-free. With the higher protein, I don’t have to feed so much so it is more economical.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Thank you for the support JLR and shibadiva. You wouldn’t believe what I just found. I was browsing around the ASPCA and saw that they have a section for kids. I was curious to see what information they put up about the pet food recall for kids, (they were as careful and gentle as possible when explaining, go them) and I just got to browing the rest of it.
This is what I found in the nose for news section.
In Chinese astrology, each year is associated with an animal—and did you know that 2007 is the Year of the Pig? There are 12 animals in all. According to Chinese belief, the Year of the Pig is a great time to take a stand, speak your mind and finish up projects.
Ha ha ha! I’m sorry I just… ha ha ha! I love it!
So this is the year to take a stand, and speak your mind? Eat that China! Yet you banned Itchmo!
I am still laughing. I can’t help it! Ha ha ha ha!
May 12th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Note to Calliekitty - Please be careful feeding EVO. Even before the recall my vet advised me not to feed EVO because she had been seeing cases of kidney failure since the protein balance is not good. According to my vet you cannot successfully try to duplicate a raw diet in a dry food and that is what EVO tried to do.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Karen V–Innova and Evo wet are made by Menu Foods. They claim that it is manufactured in a plant “not involved in the recall,” but we already know those are empty words. With constant reports of cross-contamination, I wouldn’t feel safe with it.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Please folks, educate yourselfs in general on what to feed.
ANY food which has ANY type of gluten, soy, or one of these concentrated grain proteins is crap! Always has been. And that includes Royal Canin and other costly foods. You don’t have to pay big bucks for crap food. You can pick up a bag of Whiskas or Alley Cat and get exactly what you are looking for if you insist on feeding gluten et al, to your carnivores.
These ingredients are BAD on their very best day, even without the poison.
These companies don’t give a rat’s ass about the health of your pets! All they care about is the almight dollar!
Gluten, et al, is a CHEAP protein source! By adding it to the foods, they can leave out the meat, (or put in as little as humanly possible) and still be able to list a high protein % on the label. However, it is not meat protein, and carnivores are not meant to be eating it. They stooped to a new low, by trying to buy even cheaper gluten from China, although keeping the prices up so high, the ordinary person can’t even afford to buy it!
The aggravates me the most! They charge top dollar for these bad products, passing them off as top quality! No honesty at all.
Natura products are safe, as are those of the Canidae company, and DRY Iams and Eukanuba. NONE of have ever had any gluten or concentrated grain proteins in them.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Hope Its Usefull Gph. It Did Wonders For The Lab Next Door To Me She Has The Most Beautiful Coat Now And Her Only Medz R Now Her Dream Coat Oil The Allergy Meds The Vets Had Her On Never Workd This Well. She Has Seasonal Allergiez Frm The Grass And Pollen That Dried Her Skin Severely It Split Wish We Would Have Taken Before And Aftr Pix Of Her. I Also Notice Alot Less Hair Around The House And No Hairballs Since I Give It To The Cats. HAS ANYONE EVER READ WHAT IS IN HAIRBALL TREATMENT FOR CATS MAIN INGREDIENT WHITE PETROLEUM YUCK HOW GUD IS THAT FOR A CATS SYSTEM
May 12th, 2007 at 9:30 am
I am beginning to believe that this “cross contamination” actually means that the tainted ingredient was actually added to the products! How much cross contamination can there be?
May 12th, 2007 at 9:34 am
Fancy Feast is also ok, but you must read the labels and stay away from the ones that have gluten listed.
None of the FF ever had gluten until the last few years. They are cheapening their products, also.
Gluten is a No-No.
Everyone should start writing and calling and telling these companies you will not buy their products until they take the gluten, et all out and replace it with meat.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Mandy Im Still Lookn 4that Link And Now Hoping They Didnt Take It Dwn. Grrrr
May 12th, 2007 at 9:41 am
After the recall I stayed up so many nights researching pet foods, the companies that manufacture them, their shelf life, products and ingredients. I finally found a food that is all natural, no additives, no corn, no wheat, no junk what so ever. My pets love the food. Fearing my old food might have contained poison from the recall I switched my dogs cold turkey (I have 10) no one had an upset tummy, they love the food and their coats show the quality with their silky fur. I continue to research this food and still to this day have not found one thing bad.
I’m included the link for anyone that would like to read up on this Pet Food Product.
I highly recommend it.
http://www.healthfoodforpets.com/tehyapugs/
Rose
May 12th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Actually Whiskas wet food is made with real meat. Almost all dry foods have some kind of grain or vegetable matter in them. It’s what makes the little kibbles. I read up on cat nutrtion and wet food is just better for them in general. Wet food has more meat than dry food ever will and it allows cats to get more moisture when they eat then just eating dry and drinking water alone.
I read a whole horrifying article about the the health problems a cat can get by eating dry food alone. I had no idea!
I will be doing my best to make sure that wet food and meat is the main part of my cats diets from now on. I checked over Whiskas carefully and liked what I saw. If my babies are affected negatively in any way I will stop feeding it to them and try a different product.
At this point most people are just trying to find food to feed their fur babies that will keep them alive, not make them sick, and not be poison. Making cat food yourself is not easy because it’s hard to get all the proper vitamins, nutrients, etc in it. Even the ASPCA doesn’t recommend it unless you are SURE of what you are doing and discuss it with your vet a great deal first.
Right now Whiskas is the cat food for me. It’s at least on the safe list. I’ll have to see how well they do on it.
It’s going to be hard enough just to try to wean Whiskers off Purina. She’s a very sweet girl but she can yowl her head off when she wants to bed fed what she wants to eat! I better stock up on pain killers for the headaches I’m bound to get.
We can all argue with each other till doomsday what is or isn’t right to feed our pets, but in the end everyone has to make the choice for themselves, and badgering or trying to guilt someone into chosing the kind of brand you use is not a good idea.
Nuff said.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Everyday I get up wondering what other ‘news’ will be announced about a highend pet food that has been recalled. My little Westie has been sick off and on triggering a round of tremors that steroids have controlled. This plus his other problems. I m doing home cooking but also am not sure Natura ( Calif. Natural) has uncontaminated products. Guess we will have to make our own kibble soon. This has been a TOTAL nightmare.
HOPE your pets stay well…… Mia
May 12th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Mandy Says:
May 12th, 2007 at 8:13 am
*Chants*
We need more options! What else is safe besides Whiskas?
Mandy,
As far as wet food, I have been feeding our cat and 2 dogs Merrick. They LOVE it. I also purchased some for my brothers cats & dogs and they loved it, too. They even carry it @ Petsupermarket now.
The dry kibble I’ve been giving them is Felidae & Canidae. The cat is so-so about the Felidae, but the dogs love the Canidae. Since the cat isn’t crazy about the Felidae I’ve mixed in a little of the Natures Variety Raw Instinct kibble, and she loves it.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Mandy, check you e-mail
May 12th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Vry Konfuzd Now Karen Joy Whr Did U Hear Innova Is Made By Menu I Heard Difrent And The Can Im Readn Only Has Natura Pet Products Listd And Im Not Findn Any Wheat Gluten Rpc Or Corn Gluten On The Ingredientz List 4my Puppy Food
May 12th, 2007 at 9:54 am
lainie, I have to agree with you about the Halo Dream Coat. It is one of the best products I’ve found in all my years of having pets. I have also used their Spot Stew for my cat & dogs tho it is hard to find here. I’ve been trying to switch my cat from FF to the Spot Stew but she’s fighting the switch. She’s never been a dry food eater and I refuse to use Purina products any longer so we’re having quite a battle of wills.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Innova dry is made by Naturapet(their company) in their own plant. They are currently contracted with menu foods to made their canned food. Their canned food is made in the plant not involved in any of the recalls. If you go to www.naturapet.com their is a video and several statements from the CEO explaining this. Also, they are looking into other option for canning.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:56 am
I have been feeding my cats wet Merrick and Felidae and they are doing fine. Merrick has their own plant and manufactures their own food, and I believe Felidae is made by Evangers. Evangers also seems safe, but it wasn’t available at the feed store here and I didn’t want to order an entire case. I am still feeding Blue Buffalo dry because my cats have done so well on it. I have talked to them and they assure me it is safe, but I am a little uncomfortable because they have had some recalls. If I decide to switch dry food, I will buy Felidae.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Anonymous Says:
May 12th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Vry Konfuzd Now Karen Joy Whr Did U Hear Innova Is Made By Menu
I’m not Karen, but Innova’s WET food is made by menu foods–their dry kibble is made independently.
You can check this @ http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/
May 12th, 2007 at 9:58 am
My reply to anonymous seems to be in cyberspace…
May 12th, 2007 at 9:59 am
Mandy,
I did not read all the previous messages. I am getting the picture here.
I have been feeding and raising carnivores all of my adult life, and that is over 40 years now. I have also been educating people on feeding their pets for just as long.
Here we go…
Read my previous messages first off.
Dogs and cats are carnivores. This means they need meat to stay healthy.
Ingredients listed on the bag or can are in descending order.
If “corn” is the first ingredient, that means the product is mostly corn.
Dry foods are an artificial diet. In order to be able to manufacture it, the product needs some form of starch to hold it together. So they must put some grain in there. The idea is to get as little grain as possible.
When they add gluten, rice concentrate, soy protein isolate, which are very extremely high protein grain isolates, they add insult to injury! You must not buy foods with these forms of protein to begin with. The meat in these foods is almost non-existant. And this holds true, even if melamine were not involved!
I realize you have a problem getting around and shopping for food, so you probably must buy your food at the grocery store.
The very best grocery store food is Iams. It is also safe. It is not manufactured at any of the plants where the other foods came from.
It is 10x better than the next grocery store food on the shelf. You can buy the dry or the canned in most grocery stores. The canned Iams was not manufactured at any of the plants where the recalls took place as far as I know. The Iams company had very few foods on the recall, and these involved the pouch only type foods.
It was the Iams company who threatened to blow the whistle on MenuFood if they didn’t do it themselves. I read the dialogue between the two Heads. So this shows that they really do have our pets’ interest at heart.
If they hadn’t forced MenuFood’s hand, the recall, and all that followed probably would have gotten much worse!
Other excellent foods are those made by the Canidae company. www.canidae.com. This is the one that I have switched to.
Another thing you can do for the health of your pets, is to pick up some chicken gizzards, livers and hearts at the grocery store. Feed them raw a couple times a week. If they have never had raw food, saute them lightly to the point where they will eat them. Dogs will usually eat them right up, but cats may not.
Learning how to properly feed dogs and cats takes awhile, so don’t get discouraged. This latest fiasco has all of us upset, and the main thing right now is to find a safe food.
From the point of safety, Whiskas is safe, but Iams is the better food, because there is no gluten in it! This means more of the protein listed on the bag comes from meat.
Think about it. You’ll see!
May 12th, 2007 at 9:59 am
If you go to www.naturapet.com, the makers of Innova, Evo, Calif. Naturals, Karma, and Healthwise, they have a video and statements about the recall and why their foods are safe.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:01 am
I must be getting caught in the spam filter, that’s the second replu Iv’e sent that’s gone MIA
May 12th, 2007 at 10:05 am
CathyA
My bottle of Carlson super 1000mg cod liver oil has 240mg of omega 3’s consisting of EPA, DHA, ALA, DPA. Whereas the salmon oil has only EPA and DHA but in higher concentrations. I was told to alternate between the two since they are differnet sources of omegas. And not told by one person but many. I use a small amount and do regular CBC panels on my cats and they are doing very well, no complications for the vitamin D. In fact, their panels have come back better since I began the oils. Maybe it has something to do with the urinary crystals not returning in more than 4 years, the oldest’s seizures completely dissapearing for more than 3 years, the herpies not flaring in in youngest since he was diagnosed…maybe not. But these cats are healthier than they have ever been and it’s been almost 3 years on EVO. Also, I admit I also feed raw and use kitty bloom supplements for the meat. My vet says we have to do what’s best for the cats even if that means thinking outside of the normal vet books sometimes. We watch how they act, how they look and what their bloodwork says. I, like everyone else, am doing the best I can for my guys. But it may not be the same as the next person.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:05 am
For those of you making your own foods, do your pets a favor and don’t add the veggies. If you must, add only a small amount. Meat is what they need. You must also add bonemeal to any boneless meat. If not, fed over a period of time, you will cause deficiencies. The bone MUST be put back.
A dog or cat can live indefinitely on meat and bone. Always good to add heart, liver, kidney and some of the innards too.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Kripes! everyones awake! LOL
Holy Moly what’s with all the Food labels in the thread? I think a link would work just as well, but that’s just me :-P
I haven’t read all of the most recent in thread.
Hey Mandy how you doin’ today?! I hope you got some rest. And remember what I said last night.
Doing your best is the best you can do :-D
I live in a much larger area. I’m on the outskirts of several Million. And I hate ordering things. But looking in the pets shops or health food stores here has resulted in Very little. You’d think it would be Easy here. Nope.
And I’ve begun to use the phone more to save on Gas! PoW! It’s a killer. It takes over an hour to get from one side of the city to the other in good traffic.
I’ve asked for Felidae, Canidae, Chicken Soup, Timberwolf, you name it, Noone has Heard of these foods! {me neither!}
Until here.
So I am very Happy you’ve found something within your area that your babies Like and will eat. It also doesn’t cost a hugh fortune! Geees they can be picky. Even if we stand on our heads!
Anyway, I hope today is a Much better day for you!
This is Not Our Fault. Something that *Should be* a ‘Certain Saftey’ isn’t.
Anyday- the other shoe can fall on Any commercial food. imho
By the time We find out, it’s already Done. These Comp. are being Re-Active.
{yeah and they’ve had weeks and weeks ahead of us!}
I heard it’s going to be Very Hot in the ‘Southwest’ today. I Love the Southwest area. Keep cool! :-D
Hug your Babies for me :-)
How’s everybody doing this morning {besides the “news”!} We made it through another night here LOL
Have we turned a corner here with this food thing ya think? {was that groaning I heard?!}
May 12th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Sorry to be bringing this up again but I just can’t see the rice of wheat in this Kasco Maintenance Dog food. It must be cross contamination or ? It just makes me suspicious that it’s Royal Canin’s corn gluten in South Africa that was reported to kill 30 dogs and now this. Guess I’m just paranoid.
Ground corn, chicken by product meal, corn gluten meal, poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract and citric acid), beet pulp, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, choline chloride, Vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, niacin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid], Trace Minerals [zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, calcium iodate].
May 12th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Jessica - the press release cited cross-contamination….
May 12th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Jessica: Either it’s the corn gluten or any of the other ingredients that were “substituted” by the manufacturer. We all know that other products had claims of “no glutens of any kind” until they found out their manufacturer had taken it upon themselves to just go ahead & add some. Have no doubt it was because it would cost them a lot less to throw in this junk & had probably been doing it forever…..this time it was contaminated so they got caught withe their pants down. Just MHO.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Hi Jessica, I think imho, it just might be CORN products. It was CORN products {corn gluten} in South Africa’s Royal Canin products.
ALL of their stuff was Recalled there weeks ago.
But then again it could be a “slip” of the Rice in disguise!
I saw No specifics in the Recall. Just “traces” of Melamine. Nice of the Manufactures to be So helpful in figuring this out huh?
Grrrrrrr.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Yes, you’re all right. There just is no trusting anyone. I just keep thinking, what are the chances that Royan Canin SA is the only one in the world that got tainted corn gluten. They tested the corn and it came back positive for melamine. And they’re the only ones?
May 12th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Cross contamination huh? Well that would sound like Dirty equipment, since No Wheat or Rice is mentioned in the Ingredients right?
That’s some Serious DIRT!
How does a Corn product come in contact with a Wheat or Rice in that case?
And Here in th USA No Corn melamine has been found yet right?
May 12th, 2007 at 10:25 am
I’m doing better today Yaya. I think we do have to try to have a certain amount of humor about things so we don’t go insane. Hey it’s the YEAR OF THE PIG! The year the Chinese say it’s time to take a stand and speak your mind. I just don’t think they wanted US doing it. LOL I’m going to be laughing about that one for years…
May 12th, 2007 at 10:26 am
IMO if someone is on this site, they are trying to do the best they can for their pets. Personally, I am happy to see pet owners researching and trying to make better food choices. We all start somewhere. I’m glad when I started my (ongoing) journey, it was before the internet so I had no one to put me down or tell me I was poisoning my pets. I might never have gotten going.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:31 am
I don’t know about y’all but I’m just tired. I shouldn’t have to fight with my cat to get her to eat something I consider relatively safe for the day. I shouldn’t have to watch my dogs constantly to see if they’re walking funny or drinking too much. I shouldn’t have to spend hours and hours examining pet food labels. I shouldn’t have to drive from store to store looking for something safe to feed my animals. This is America. I SHOULD be able to enjoy my pets and feed them with the confidence that what I choose to feed won’t be poisoning them. I shouldn’t be having to do all those other things, but I DO have to and I will continue to because it has been proven to me that I can no longer have faith in the pet food companies. They are not looking out for the welfare of my pets. But I’m just tired and discouraged and felt like ranting this morning.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Genny: I keep reading people with cats that have crystal problems have been giving their cats Emu oil. You may have to look on the internet to find it, but the people who reported doing this said their cats have no problems with crystals after adding the Emu oil. Emu oil has anti-inflammatory properties.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:40 am
I am so sorry about all the pets that have gotten sick and passed. My condolences goes out to everyone whose experienced a loss:+(
This is TERRIBLE and i’m very FRUSTRATED!!!
My question is i don’t have any cats…all dog furbabies, and have always fed them “Purina One” Dry dog food. I just switched 3 days ago to “Pet Prosmise” Dry dog food by reccomendation from my vet. he claims it’s all natural products and is made here i the US. I VALUE Itchmo’s website and all the responses and information here. In your opinion have i made the right choice? Does anyone here know anything about “Pet Promise” dry dog food?
Thank you so very much. Good luck to ALL of you.
Muffin
May 12th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Before I get busy with my day and forget to say it,
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL :)
whether it’s a butterfly kiss from your kid, a sandpaper kiss from your cat, or a super soft kiss from your dog, I hope you all have an extra special one tomorrow.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:42 am
For Lainie:
Can you please explain to me what the “Dream Coat Oil” is and where you obtain it? I haven’t heard of it before
May 12th, 2007 at 10:44 am
For Muffin:
I found their website:
http://www.petpromiseinc.com/products.htm
May 12th, 2007 at 10:47 am
OK never mind - I found a link to Dream Coat Oil. Thx
May 12th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Hey Ya Ya Welcome Back U Beat To To My ? By Her Latest Txtz I Think Mandy Is Having A Much Better Morning. Hope Im Right. I Have To Go Shopping Now 4my Pets And Have No Idea What Im Going To Get Anymore I Knw Some Great Foods But My Dogs For Some Reason Cant Eat Them They Vomit Evrytime I Give Them Spots Stew Or Merrick. I Was Using Innova But With Menu And Cross Contamination Im A Bit Nervous Now. And I Gotta Get Bird Food And Shez Worse Then The Dogs And Cats She Only Eats 1 Kind Of Food No Matter What Else I Try 2give Her Purina Bird Chow. Gotta Change The 10wk Olds Dry Food Now To. Gotta Find A Good Home 4my Lil Grl Dachshund Cant Keep 6dogs My Head Is Pounding Again. We Can Research Anythng And Find Out Today Its Fine But What Happens Tommorrow.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:53 am
I wanted to mention that if anyone is thinking of making their own food and has nutritional questions, the people at dog bloom are very friendly and helpful about supplement questions. They have vitamins, minerals, calcium, etc. and have been in business for 50 years. I have been using them for 10 years and really value their support.
http://www.dogbloom.com/index.htm
May 12th, 2007 at 11:02 am
www.halopets.com JLR I Love Thr Products And Have Tried Most As Much As I Dont Like The Store Chain Petland Carries It Here But They Do Alot Of Mail Order Also I Found It In The Pet Supply Store I Drive 45mins To Get To My Gas Bills Are Soon Going To Excede My Pet Food Bills Lol. Halo Is Also Earth Friendly They Pack Thr Products 4shipping In Popcorn.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Well I gotta go for now. Laters!
May 12th, 2007 at 11:14 am
So now we will have to wonder who will be next on the list from this cereal by product company. Heaven knows who will. What scares me now is if they do let all the tainted chickens into our food chain because they tell us that there is little chance of harm, well they did not say if the left overs from all these chickens that will be put into our animal feed will cause harm. Especially to cats since they seem to get ill far worse then the dogs. I do not want these chickens into our food chain, nor the leftovers to be put into our animal feed and it will be put into our animals if it is used by us. Now think of this all of you that are on holistic food or raw foods. IF they put tainted chicken into our food supply then that same chicken will be used in all of those expensive pet foods too. Now what will that do to our animals. They say there is little risk to us but they did not say if there would be any risk to our pets.
Then there are the vitamins that are put into the pet food. Almost all of our vitamins in human sources come from China now. They make almost all the vitamin C. Eighty percent of all of our fish is shipped over seas while China ships their fish to us. Maybe they will get some of our tainted farm raised fish that they helped distroy.
I guess I should not blame all of them over there. I am sure there are some animal lovers in China too. I do not feel our country is going to do much about this since we did get a loan from China. It puts the US in a sticky situation. Loan or no loan we are the consumers and have to stop these chickens from getting into our food supply and our animals too!!! Most of all the animals since they would probably consume the worst of it. But no one knows what it can do to us in the long term either. The American companies have moved a lot of their business over seas because it is cheaper labor and cheaper everything and it scares me to wonder what we are even eating any more. There is no guarantee that any of our food sources are pure. Don’t just worry about the animals any more! We better start worrying about ourself as well and our children and the elderly especially!
Right now if your pet is eating something that they are not getting sick over then do not stop feeding them this. Changing the diet is hard on a pet. Switching from one thing to another is costly and you very well may end up on the recall list before you know it.
I know a lot of people that have been feeding their dogs purina and have no problems. I fed my dog Alpo that was on the recall list and he was taken to the vet twice now and they said he is fine. but he will not eat. I have to beg him every single night and he will not eat out of his bowl at all. I have to hold on to it in my hand before he will eat a bite. and beg with each and every bite. He will not eat dry at all. No Dry!! evo or any of it.
I have spent all kinds of money trying different kinds and he will not touch it. The birds like it though. I went to this pet store and picked up all sorts of wet kinds. He would not eat holistic or organic. He turned his nose up to all of it. He took the dry foods and scooted them out of his bowl with his nose. He did the same with the wet. I have had several messes to clean up. My vet said to give him the science fresh. tried it.. he would not eat it. Tried the chicken soup. nope. evo and he would not touch it. Halo.. nope, Paul Newmans brand, nope.. I could go on naming them.. but he just would not touch them.. You cannot leave them out all night long either since they are raw. so.. i had no choice but to pick them up after an hour of waiting.. I finally got some pedegree.. well he put his nose up to that too of course. I would too. I looked like there was no meat in it.. and then I got some of the new pedegree with more meat in it.. such a little can and I have a collie, so I bought two cans.. and then I noticed that for every ten pounds that i needed a can.. wow.. my dog is over sixty pounds. well he was.. not sure at this point. he had lost five pounds when i took him to the vet last time.
anyway he will eat this stuff out of my hand but it is hard to get him to do that even. I cannot afford to take him to the vet again!!! I have taken him twice and they said he is okay. I wonder about that.. I mean maybe his kidney and his liver is okay but what else? He was fine till this all started. Ate every day, but now? I wonder each and every thing I have fed him may have somethig in it by changing to this one and then that one. I mean I could take him to the vet every week because i have changed his food and anything I may have fed him could have poisoned him again! I may as well give up.. After all if they put the tainted chickens in our food supply then we all are going to have it in us. WE can go to a place that says their chickens are okay, but are they? just there word is not enough any more. I could go buy a cow but am I sure that it had not been fed bad feed or is from a line of mad cows?
I think we all may have been eating tainted food for sometime now and our animals too. I mean think about it. It is in the fish, Pork, chickens for how long? IT just looks like a losing battle! One that is already lost! All we can do now is try to stop all of this for the future and for our childrens future and our animals. Stop those chickens from getting into our food supply!
May 12th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Lorie: I am supplementing my efforts at better wet foods with Sheba. It is made in Thailand for Mars. It has only three or four ingredients per flavor, being mostly chicken, tuna, turkey, a little tapioca, guar gum. No supplements, but smells like human food, and for some reason my cat likes it way better than the human food. It is chunky, recognizable as food, and has a little sauce. I do not feel this is the best choice for her, but it is helping her get wet food in her, has not made her sick so far, and has helped get her started on some other wet foods. I mixed a little Sheba with some better food, and she ate all instead of turning up her nose. The Sheba has zero grain in it, and it is helping to detox her from the junk canned food she keeps craving.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Well…bought another bag of lamb and rice canidae yesterday….with reading all the input re dogs foods this is getting pretty scary. Please, please canidae do not show up on the recall list………..I have been feeding my dogs this for several years. I tried adding evangers wet to the dry food and the german babies scarfed it down, the chi would not eat it. ?? So, me add whatever my husband and I are eating. I make a big pot of stew for ALL of us. If you’re looking for treats I recommend innova health bars…they love these treats! The ingredients are very good. Several of my co-workers WERE feeding science diet. After I gave them this site boy did they change foods…lot of pwople are not aware of the recalls that are going on. My DUMB vet has ROYAL CANIN ads all over his vet office…..geezzzzzzzz. I keep forwarding him all the recall information. They are not aware what is going on. :o(
Happy Saturday,
Hot IN ARIZONA. :o(
May 12th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Jessica,
How much of each of the two oils do you use per feeding? I would like to put a little on their dry food each day. I’m gradually getting my cats used to eating raw food. Right now they are eating a little Nature’s Variety Raw Organic Chicken and I’m going to start some Pitcairn’s recipes.
It’s just difficult to get cats who are used to a certain brand of dry food to switch to raw. I’m taking it very slowly.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Jessica,
Would you say one capsule of either cod liver oil or salmon oil per cat each day would be about right?
May 12th, 2007 at 11:34 am
JLR: “has ANYONE heard of any episodes of internal hemorrhaging?”
I have read several instances of this here at Itchmo. Also liver involment instead of kidney. Lots of talk about bloody stool also.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Well, I have been cooking for my cats for about three weeks now. My husband fishes so they have been getting lots of trout, flounder, drum, and redfish. I cook it for them, make a broth since they like gravy, and grind it up with guts and bones in the food processor. I am a little scared of the chicken right now since we cannot get a definitive answer and they don’t like beef. I prepare it with pumpkin (vet suggestion) or carrots. They like it and I have noticed that they seem to have much more energy than when I was feeding them cat food. my cats have always been healthy, but I notice a big difference in their energy levels. I guess it is because of all the crap that was added to the cat food, and the deal with wheat flour. It is ironic because you always hear don’t cook for your cats unless you make sure you add all the correct vitamins, etc to satisfy their dietary needs. Where they really getting that in cat food anyway? I was feeding Natural Balance. I do have an old bag of Meow Mix dry that I give them as a weekly treat. I hate too. I give them very little but they are like a bunch of kids in a candy store when i give it to them.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:45 am
PET PROMISE is a PURINA PRODUCT
that is how good they are!!
grrrrrr no go!!
May 12th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Mia, Natura is testing all their products for melamine.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Anonymous, Natura makes their own dry food. Their canned food is made by Menu South Dakota plant. They are testing their food, wet and dry for melamine before distributing.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Zoe,
I alternate each day between the cod liver and salmon oil but ONLY Carlson brand. I have 3 abys, 3 stainless steel bowls, I poke a hole in one capsule and divide it evenly between the 3 bowls. It ends up being just a few drops each but the stuff is strong. That’s the amount that I’ve been advised to use with the diet I’m feeding right now.
For the meat, I stated using the honest kitchen recently but I add beef hearts to increase the meat content. I’ve tried Steve’s real food, Grand-dads, Primal, Feed this inc., just to name a few. Also, I’ve made my own using Four Paws Five Directions recipie as well as Pictarins. But I feed the Evo along with it. I know it can be scary making food for our pets but let’s be honest, we feed ourselves and our families. In fact, I feed my cats better than my family :)
All of my cats gradually took to raw. I just always offered it and then tossed it if they didn’t eat it. Now they all ask for it. My cats are indoors only so I feel liker I have to offer it. If they were outside eating birds or mice I wouldn’t bother at all.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Jessica,
I posted this last night but I guess you didn’t see it so I’m reposting because I REALLY, REALLY need your advise, please….
Do tell……are you feeding Innova Evo DRY to your kitties with the bladder/crytals problems? Are you using the fish oils with the Evo also?
I ask because of a recent vet emergency trip and hospitalization with my 6 y/o male. Vet said the switching to the premium foods not done gradually caused the crystals and they would most likely return if I didn’t start feeding a rx’d urinary diet — SD and Purina, natch. Don’t want to go that route. Since the Innova is so high in protein I’ve been a little paranoid to continue feeding this. My cat is not liking me withholding the Innova…he loved it!
With your tried and true experience with Evo, I would be thrilled if I could start feeding this again. So would my cat.
Thanks for any info you can share !!!
May 12th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Our Krogers sells Spot’s Stew. It smells like human food. My cats will not even lick it.
My cats hate aromatic root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, squash, pumpkin used in premium pet foods. Don’t mention garlic. Any garlic and they run
I tried Doxsee canned clams last night. They looked excellent. I rinsed off the juice. Cats would get near the dish. Sigh
About Mars. Mars at one time a rather secretive privately owned company has suddenly gone global expanding aggressively into pet foods. I believe Mars bought a Menu plant a while back. I think it just bought Nutro? My warning meter is up. Mars is changing rapidly. I am staying away from it
Even before the pet food crisis I have lost faith in the companies going global, because a drop in quality follows and the labels become evasive about where the food is made. I have noticed this on candy.
The smaller candy bars made for Halloween are not the same quality as the big bars. That warns me production may be farmed out. Who knows where since the globals have all changed from ‘Product of” to ‘Distributed by’. (Lying scumbags) I just threw away a bag of candy reduced because it was made in Easter colors. It was definitely inferior to the normal brand product. No more will I touch Holiday production runs
I am not against people selling foreign product. I just want it listed on the label so I can choose to buy or not. This is the crime. They do not want us to know what we are buying. Snake oil salesmen used to be run out of town on a rail.
I am using Whiskas too because of unemployment.
My cats love roast turkey. Sometimes the store cuts up almost expired frozen turkeys reduced. Turkey livers are the best treat of all
My kitties love the new Purrfectly Fish in a pouch. It seems to be mostly water, has nitrites to make it bright red. Thailand of course. Why doesn’t some news service go visit that factory in Thailand? The one making almost every brand? It bothers me but it makes the cats happy so they share a pouch a day. If I wasn’t broke they would not be eating this
May 12th, 2007 at 11:58 am
When I add meat I add calcium too… gotta have calcium with the meat.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
There are several options out there for people who are interested in feeding their cats completely grain-free food, that do not involve having to make your own cat food. Since these foods do not contain any rice or wheat products, this could go a long way in allaying your fears about melamine contamination.
Here is a list of some of the more readily available grain-free cat foods out there:
*Wellness canned foods - at least 3 flavors are grain-free. Three out of my four cats eat it. (One only likes dry food.)
*Nature’s Variety Raw Instincts - dry food and also canned food. My 4 cats love the kibble but not the canned variety.
*Innova Evo - dry and canned. Three out four of my cats like the kibble.
Yes, these foods are more expensive, but as someone else on this forum pointed out, because they are protein-rich, the cats eat less of it to feel full, instead of gorging on carbs. No one has ever been able to explain to me why obligate carnivores like cats should be fed grains!
My own cats have done very well on the grain-free diet. Their coats are shiny, they have far less dander, NO hairballs, and their poops are smaller (because they are absorbing more of what they eat). They have muscle tone instead of flab, too.
All this food is available in selected pet stores, but generally not in the chain stores. You might be able to get good deals over the Internet.
To transition your cats to the dry food, try first offering a few kibbles to them as “treats.” Then add a small amount to their existing food and slowly work up to using only the new food.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Helen,
Hey there, I read the same about emu oil, too, a week or so ago. I even orderd some and got it Thursday! I’m all for natural remedies and it sounds really promising. I even ordered a little sample pack. Thought the oil might help my overly stressed neck from staring at this monitor since the recalls started and reading everything I can.
Are you using it?
Thanks for the heads up!!!
May 12th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Genny,
Sorry, I missed that last night. I do feed the Evo, with the raw, and the crystals are gone. I saw a new vet yesteday, my last one retired so I’m starting over. He said it’s impossible that the crystals are gone. I said tell that to the tech who analyzed the last cysto. I swear 2 cats who had problems regularly have had none since I started Evo. The raw I fed all along so I can’t attribute it to that. But the kibble change coincides with the bladder improvement. I’m a cautious person by nature, skeptical of most things but I am beginning to wonder if it’s not that the Evo made things better but perhaps the the other foods were the problem. Maybe the grains have been bad for a long time?
May 12th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
High Note: Have you tried getting a new bowl that is a different color and shape? Your dog might associate the bowl with getting sick. Put the new bowl in a different spot (don’t get any kind of plastic) and try throwing one bite at a time into the bowl? If that works, put a little food in the bowl first and then hand toss a bite on top of it. My sig other had a dog once who got her legs stuck in a sewer grate when she was a puppy and would never walk on a pattern after that (no patterned floor, etc) and would avoid every odd spot in a sidewalk. Once your dog has made a link like that, you may be stuck with it, but if you can change the whole concept of a food dish, you might be able to get back to a dish, or a plate. I will keep fingers crossed for you. This is so frustrating!
May 12th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Jessica,
Thanks! I’m confused about the Evo products since there are several. I was feeding Innova Evo dry in the orange bag. Is that the same Evo you are talking about?
Thanks!!
May 12th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Helen has a great idea with the bowl change. I used to work with dogs. Nearly 100 dogs at a time sometimes at a service organization that shall remain nameless and the dogs get some odd ideas and associations. I got into trouble for coaxing the dogs to eat sometimes but your suggestions did work.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Im Not Sure Who Was Saying Thr Dog Wouldnt Eat Any New Food They Tried But Got An Idea That May Work It Did 4my Male Dachshund Whn I Got Him We Put Him On Stage 3 Babyfood With Nutrical Supplement Got Him Eating And Slowly Added Dog Food To His Baby Food It Took Awhile But Now He Eats Most Of The Time Still Have Nutrical On Hand 4the Days He Doeznt Want To Eat
May 12th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Helen, maybe I am blind but I cannot find reference to the hemorrhaging. My cat’s liver was heavily involved as well. His final decline was alarmingly quick and very painful. If you could point me in the right direction of anything you remember seeing, I would be eternally grateful and I do mean that. If anyone remembers seeing anything about this, I would love to get my hands on it. I am currently in dialogue with Royal Canin and Michigan Labs, who performed the liver panel. Thank you!!
May 12th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Genny, wow did it take me a long time just to catch up on what I missed going to bed early last night! I am not using the Emu oil myself yet. My cat does not have crystals, but she is recovering from bad dry food that has not been recalled. I am thinking I will order some just to be safe. The people who commented they are using it were 100% happy with the results they were getting. Since it is an animal fat, it will be good for cats whether it cures crystals or not, and since those using it say it has cured the crystal problems, it sounds like a good bet all around. Now I have read this morning someone said fish oil also helped a cat with crystals. If that is so, it is good information for those who can’t find any Emu oil. I can’t find any locally, so will have to resort to internet. I have been hesitant about that because the companies I have looked at don’t say where the Emus are from or where the oil is processed. If anyone knows a safe brand with a website for Emu oil, please post it. :)
May 12th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Mandy,
I am single, unemployed and very, very broke. I have experienced depression first hand. I understand being sprapped financially and depressed, believe me! I had a $500 vet bill last week to add to the depression of my sick kitty.
You come here moaning and groaning about your woes and pet concerns, asking for info and advise of what to feed your cats. You say “I’m not going to talk anymore” but yet you still keep posting.
I’ve read all the people trying to make suggestions to help you out. Most everyone here is kind and conciderate and have been very compasionately trying to help us all in the same situation I don’t think it is very nice to tell someone that is just trying to help and offer options to “back off.”
I think you owe Karen a very big appology. But of course this is JUST MY OPINION.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I don’t know if the fish oils helped my cats with the crystals, I think it was more about getting off of grains that were probably tainted all along.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
If Evo is too rich, try the Innova adult cat
May 12th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
JLR: I am really sorry about your cat. How awful!! I am also sorry I can’t remember what days or what foods this has been mentioned on the blog. I have been following along on here for weeks, and there are several threads a day, but I definitely have read this several times. People were confused by the liver rather than kidney involment. One food was definitely Beneful. I do remember that for sure. Try looking on thepetfoodlist forums. They have one topic that contains comments for dozens of foods. You may be able to find your food on that forum and see if anyone reported similar illness. What was the food?
May 12th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Helen,
e wem, who I noticed just posted a few posts back, is who told me about the emu oil. maybe they will pop back in and can enlighten you better than I. He/she suggested LBemuoil.com. That’s who I orderd from. Very quick shipping, too.
I don’t know about the fish oils but I think the emu oils have similar omega factors. I don’t know much about either so someone can step in and explain. Since my cat has urinary problems and crystals and shouldn’t eat fish, so “they” say, I don’t know if fish oils would contribute to my particular problem or not. I’m really illiterate about that part of the vitimen/mineral/supplement stuff. I do know that emu oil is really great for a number of ills.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
PRODUCT DATES ARE WRONG in the Royal Canin press release.
Royal Canin has changed the dates affected by the recall. The release says “with date codes between July 28, 2006 to April 30, 2007.” According to a Royal Canin rep who spoke with our food co-op, those dates are off by a year. The dates shown on their web site are the current ones:
“products with Best By date codes between July 28, 2007 to April 30, 2008″
The current release also specifies that the dates are “best by” dates, not production dates. See the new statement at http://www.royalcanin.us/
May 12th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Genny, I know the Emu oil is said to have anti-inflammatory properties, which I have never heard of fish oil having. People rub it on externally for inflamed joints. If it is anti-inflammatory, maybe it is helping the cats by reducing irritation in the urethra, and thus helping pass crystals Maybe it helps prevent crystal formation, no idea. Thank you for the website. I am going to try giving some to my cat even though she doesn’t have crystals, as it sounds like a good supplement for health.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
The Itchmo report states the recall date codes are July 28, 2006
to April 30, 2007 but the Royal Canin website lists the dates as July 28, 2007 to April 30, 2008, which makes more sense.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Helen, the food was Royal Canin Vet Prescribed Sensitivity Duck & Rice. When we got Oscar eight years ago he had severe Giardia and through the episode and the cure became allergic to chicken protein. Of course my vet prescribed another type of protein - duck - and it came with rice (and rice protein concentrate, and all the other good stuff). When he died in January the autopsy came back positive for Diphacinone - rat poison. I argued with the pathologist because we have no rat poison in our house, nor did Oscar ever go outside. Had he been the unlucky one to eat a pre-poisioned mouse who had wandered into the house (we live in the country), my vet said he would have to have eaten a handful of the poison for the amount of toxin they found stored in his liver. It’s a little daunting to argue with a pathologist so I had a piece of his liver tested at Michigan Labs - same result. I had no closure though because I didn’t believe any of it. Fast forward to the food recall in March and I tell you, I was just waiting and waiting for RC to recall their duck & rice product and VOILA - a few weeks later they did. I then sent the autopsy report and the emerg vet ppwk to RC and demanded a response. Within days I had a call from a RC vet affirming that yes, it was more than likely the food. She even offered me blood money and then retracted a few days later. The RC version of damage control I would imagine. Anyway, since the hemorrhaging doesn’t match with the symptoms the “16″ deceased dogs and cats presented, I will be searching until I find someone whose animal presented the same symptoms as mine did. I am sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that the $18.25 per bag I spent once a month for the seven years Oscar was on this stuff put him in his grave, and I will not be at peace until I prove my case.
Our other cat Austina is still alive and in sporting health. She was not on the same food. I feel that RC is desperately hoping that I will “go away”. No chance.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
I forgot to add - I am trying to get hold of Michigan labs to see if the test result could have been a “false positive” for something else (like CYANURIC ACID) that they wouldn’t have been looking for last January. Further, I found a web entry detailing some poor human’s unfortunate exposure to cyanuric acid and guess what?? Most of the symptoms matched Oscars during his rapid decline. Low body temp (and I mean LOW), no blood pressure, etc. etc. etc…
I’ve sent all this to RC and they haven’t commented. I’m wondering why (sure I am).
Thanks Helen.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Helen,
I think that the emu oil very multi-tasked. All of what you said and I was just wondering if the oil didn’t help disolve the crystals if they did form. Any thougts to that?
I’ve heard people tout its glory for a long time. I bought some years ago and used on my neck and it did give some relief.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
JLR, Do you still have any of the food? You could get the food retested yourself if you do, by an independent lab? If you do have any of the food, and a toxin in the food matches a toxin found in your cat’s liver, then you have a case.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
JLR: Someone, again sorry I forget who and when, said albumin levels were very low and therefore fluid was leaking into the gut causing extreme fluid gain. I am pretty sure this was a dog. It was in the past few days.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
I think that I too have heard that fish oils are not good for urinary problems, though I use them and have cats with a history of urinary issues. I have 3 cats with very different health issues and I got tired or the vets putting out fires so to speak. Everytime we smothered one symptom another would pop up. In the US we treat symptoms, in most other countries they use the symptoms to guide them to root of the symptoms and treat the illness. So i said no more special diets, steroids, antibiotics, vaccines, let me rebuild my animals with good nutrition and food and see what their bodies do. Now, they are not in perfect health but they are all in better health. I am not against using the treatments I mentioned but I think sometimes our vets don’t listen to the animals and just start masking things. Again, 4 years no crystals, 3 years no seizures, and an immune disease that is progressing much much slower than previously. It’s been a long and difficult road though.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Helen - I know. What actually happened is that Oscar died on January 7th. The food recall didn’t happen until much later (in relative terms). I found Oscar’s food on the shelf in our garage one day in early Feb and just decided I couldn’t stand to look at it anymore and threw it out. I was still arguing about rat poison with the pathologist at that point. I did not yet have any suspicion at all that I was poisoning one of my dearest friends with high-price, veterinary-prescribed food. I kick myself that I didn’t save it but life is life…
May 12th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Hi all!
For those of you looking for Emu oil, there is a Minnesota based company that produces emu oil products. Go to www.emumagic.com They have topical as well as dietary emu ol suppliments. I have never taken their suppliments, but their shampoo is great and I love their deep pain relief analgesic liquid! I met them at a local fair several years ago. I had an injured wrist and was trying to set up an informational booth directly across from theirs. They saw that I was in pain and came over offering their help and a squirt of their product. Theswelling in my hand and wrist reduced during the day and I bought a bottle of their product. When that was gone, I tracked them down on line. Their phone number is 1-800-368-4246. They are in Nevis, Minnesota.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Jessica, Jessica, Jessica,
Sorry, don’t mean to be a pest but which Evo product are you using, specifically??
I was using Innova EVO dry.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TERIC????
HE WAS A GENTLEMAN WHO SENT KUMPI, CANADAE, AND FELIDAE TO ACCUTRACE FOR TESTING FOR SEVERAL CONTAMINENTS AND WAS GOING TO GET BACK TO US AS SOON AS HE FOUND OUT. ANYONE HEARD ANYTHING? DID I MISS HIS POST?
May 12th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
JLR: There is some mention of liver failure in this thread:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/vol.....s_20070328
May 12th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
No pain, it’s me. I feed Innova Evo dry during the day. I’m home with a toddler so I sort of feed the cats on demand. (I feed one meal of raw in the evening.)
May 12th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Wellness also had a grain free high protein dry diet now to compete with Evo. It’s called Core. My cats didn’t care for it and it was $9.00 for 2 lbs.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
cheetah-dog,
he went “missing” last week or so and everyone was posting and asking about him and his results. he did come back, said he’d been out of town and sorry to alarm everyone. his initial tests came back negative. i don’t know if he ran more tests for other substances but perhaps he’s been out of town again. i’m sure he’ll be back with results, if he has any additional, since he knew so many people were worried about him.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Jessica,
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! It is very encouraging to hear about your personal experiences with your cats. I, too, believe what you said about treating symptoms vs illnesses and don’t always agree with a vet’s approach to such.
When you have time, is there any way you can pop over to the forums, Uniary Tract Infections, and post your experience with treating your kitty? We are all asking what to do, what to feed, etc. It would be so helpful to hear first hand of your success at getting your kitties on the path to wellness from a personal nutritional approach. Please?
Best of luck - you are on the correct path.
Thanks again!!
May 12th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Genny,
I will see about getting over there as soon as my 2 year old ( 2 legged ) tornado takes her nap.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
JLR: Do you remember very early on in the recall, before the melamine was determined, followed by cyanuric acid, that the primary suspect was rat poison? Some New York lab said it WAS rat poison, but that was not substantiated by any other labs. I don’t know if cyanuric acid and rat poison would look similar in any testing, or what type of testing it was (chemical or mass spectrometer). The mass spectrometer readings helped determine the chemical contaminants because chemicals cause a readable “fingerprint” on a mass spectrometer, but the person doing the reading can make a mistake. If they were saying rat poison, and rat poison was tested for, there must have been many many more cases of rat poison symptoms, which includes liver failure and internal bleeding.
Most of the talk since the discovery of the melamine has been about renal failure, as that is what we have been told to look for. Liver has been mentioned but much less. Could people be thinking “Oh, my pet had liver failure, so it must not have been from the recalls” and left it at that? Maybe the liver has been underexamined. Cyanuric acid is a breakdown product of melamine, but I have also read it can be added independently as it also reads a nitrogen spike. So some of the foods may have had a large dose of cyanuric acid rather than a large dose of melamine. The combination forms kidney blocking crystals at the Ph of a cat’s kidney, but there has been far less discussion of what cyanuric acid might do by itself.
People have even said on here their vets told them their pets got rat poison somehow due to symptoms, but the pet parents said no way and blamed food. This can’t all be coincidence.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS ON EVO DRY CAT FOOD. I THINK I WILL STICK WITH IT FOR NOW. I AM DESPARATELY TRYING TO FIND A CANNED CAT FOOD THAT CALLIE WILL EAT. THE ONLY BRAND SHE WILL EVEN TOUCH IS TIKI. IT IS MADE IN THAILAND BUT IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY HAVE STRICTER RULES REGARDING FOOD PROCESSING THAN THE GOOD OLE’ USA. IF ANYONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT TIKI OR SOME OTHER CANNED FOOD YOU CAN SUGGEST—-I’D APPRECIATE SOME FEEDBACK. ALSO, WHILE SEARCHING THE INTERNET I CAME ACROSS AN ARTICLE REGARDING SOME FROZEN FOOD BEING RECALLED IN FEBRUARY. DON’T REMEMBER HEARING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. HERE IS THE LINK http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17133480/
May 12th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Helen I FOUND IT from a March 28 thread. Here it is:
“My beautiful baby girl, Sophie, died on March 9, three days after she ate a sample bag of Science Diet dry dog food. This was prior to the recall. She was only 7 and very healthy. The vet was stumped as to why her LIVER scores were off the scale. When I asked the vet to “look†inside to see if she could figure out why Sophie died, she (the vet) said Sophie had “bled out†and the only other times she’s seen that was when dogs got into rat poison. There’s no doubt in my mind what so ever that Sophie was poisoned by the food. She’s with me 24/7 and there’s no posion here. I’m just devistated. Thanks for caring.
Helen, God bless you! Thank you.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Last year, it was liver failure.
Diamond pet foods…
“Diamond has promised to reimburse pet owners for vet bills and other costs associated with the aflatoxin poisoning, which officials now believe may include pets in Europe and other areas outside the country where the food is distributed.”
May 12th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
And yes, I do recall the rat poison but the lab results in Albany couldn’t be duplicated anywhere else. Helen, thank you so much for this.
Anyone else who has heard of these symptoms please email me:
janet.ross@hotmail.com
Thank you!
May 12th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Hello. I have two large dogs of mixed heritage, one of which is diabetic and needs to receive at least half of her food in dry, high fiber form. For a long time I’ve been feeding them Purina Pro-Plan slices in gravy with veggies, which I mix with Wellness weight control formula dry food because it is hi-fiber. I bought Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul and Wellness canned turkey and Lamb with sweet potatoes, whichI used to lesson the amount of Pro-plan as it has wheat gluten.
Through this website I have learned that wellness is made by Menu, but so far these products have not been cross- contaminated. My dogs have not taken kindly to the addition of the new foods, as they are big fans of wheat gluten, but I ignore them until they are hungry enough to eat what I give them. I also give them each half a turkey burger and some sprinkling of part-skim mozarella on top of my furry kids’ food.
From Gabrielle
c
May 12th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Genny, I don’t have any experience or any lab results either on the emu oil. Only that pet parents have said it cures crystals. If it works, it makes little difference to me why, other than curiosity. :) If it is anti-inflammatory and good for human arthritis, it is probably also good for elderly pets’ joints. No experience with that either, only guessing. Maybe it is good to try on pets that have lasting kidney damage from these $%$@ recalls. Can’t hurt to try? I know of no reason it would harm a pet, as it is just bird oil, as long as it is not contaminated. I keep bringing up the emu oil because it stuck in my head, and maybe will be explored by folks who missed the thread it originally came up in.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Admin/Moderator:
Was the ROYAL CANIN 20% OFF SALE ggogle ad ever removed or are you saying that we have to wait up to 5 days?
ITCHMO ADMIN: I think it’s gone. Haven’t see it today. The problem is that it was coming from multiple companies. We had to block each one. Let us know if you see another RC ad.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Nice post, Genny.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Admin:
Went I sent the post regarding the Royal Canin it was there. When you posted minutes later it was not. Maybe they are just popping it up and down so we don’t notice?
May 12th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Helen,
I’ve followed just about everything since the pet 9/11 started, as most of us have. My brain is mush. My eyes are tired, red and gritty. My back and neck ache sitting and starring at this monitor. My memory….well there isn’t much recall left. And I suck at details.
That said, I do remember reading something about the lab that tested and found rat poisoning when that first was in the news. I’m pretty sure it was the howl911 site. It seems there was something written about the 2nd lab, that could not duplicate the original findings of the rat poison, was linked to the FDA, sort of buddies, in their pockets kind of thing. (and no, I’m not even going to go back and try to find the link. ( ; )
Anyway, at the time I was thinking that maybe if it really WAS rat poison, “they” (again, “They”) would want to squelch that story fast for fear of public panic. Like the public could take the tainted ingrediants/chemicals since we are used to that kind of crap being in everything we eat and use but not ….. RAT POISON!
Again, these are just my personal thoughts w/o validation.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
JLR: Hmmmm. RC says their contaminant was a “melamine derivative”…cyanuric acid perhaps? Testing was just started very recently. There could have been vastly varying amount of contaminants in earlier production runs of food. It is at least possible that months ago you ended up with a batch of food that had a much higher level of contamination than what RC is now testing. I would definitely ask RC if they keep production run samples and ask them to test the prescription diet from the time frame you bought the bag if they do. Maybe they won’t be honest with you, but their current recall press release says they have no complaints of illness with the new recalls of their food! Ask them about test results for the prescription food currently being produced also. If that is the reason your cat died, you should make sure they don’t ignore your complaints like Nutro ignored mine.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
JLR thank you so much for posting the Pet Promise site. I’ve looked over EVERY single part of it in search of anything saying it’s a PURINA product but can’t find it. I did however write down the phone number and will call them on Monday morning. I believe it was JollyCat who mentioned that. Is there a link or anything JollyCat that you can refer me to about this? Thanking you in advance. I am REALLY even more FRUSTRATED now because i actually switched TO Pet Promise to get away FROM Purina..lol!
Muffin
May 12th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Genny, I also think rat poison was at least possible, with all the other crap we have found out is in pet food. Rats are a problem where grain is stored, rat poison is used to kill rats. Rat poison may be used in the same areas grain is stored. Could easily get mixed up in one batch or another of pet food and not show up in the next batch. Rats poisoned with rat poison could also end up in rendering vats. It is all so infuriating. The NY lab could have made a mistake or they might not have. Just because another lab didn’t find it doesn’t mean it wasn’t in that batch the NY lab tested. It would be a very weird coincidence though, since it has not been found again, or if it has been found it has not been made public. It is so hard to believe anything we are told at this point, as we have been lied to so much by gov’t and food companies alike, all trying to protect the corporate bottom line. I just can’t even get my head around it all anymore, and have never been more disgusted and angry in my life.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Martha,
Thank you. (I want ask, but I think I know which one. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Fair is fair)
Helen,
I wish *** E WEM *** would come back and address the emu oil issue. He/she said he/she used if for his/her diverticulitis. (please forgive my spelling, I’m lousy at it). He/she recommend the LB brand because of it’s purity and his/her condition. I’ve read a lot of his/her posts and they are very articulate and intellegent (much unlike mine) so I trusted the recommendation. I am all for anything natural to help my babies, also. I feel it couldn’t hurt them. After all, an emu is just a giant bird and cats love birds, right??
May 12th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Helen that is exactly what I thought when I first saw the Albany’s lab findings of rat poison. We always have mice & rats in the grain at the places I’ve stabled my horse over the years. I’s a fact of life. I also wondered if the Albany lab thought they found rat poison, but it was really Cyanuric acid. I don’t know if they would produce similar results and/or symptoms. However, you’re right Genny. No one’s talking! And by the way, the RC food that Oscar was on tested positive for cyanuric acid. They actually published that themselves.
May 12th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
For whatever it’s worth, one of my dogs eats California Natural (chicken & rice) dry and has eaten it (or the lamb/rice dry formula) for about 2 years now. No problems at all. She’s had bloodwork 4 times this year (due to knee surgeries) and the one she had last week, I also had a urinalysis done just in case. All is clear!
My other dog eats Innova Evo RM dry and had her annual today. Bloodwork results aren’t in yet, but her urinalysys was clear. She’s only been eating the Evo for about a month - was into her first bag of Natural Balance (not the venison formula) when they had their recall so I switched her to Evo then. Prior to the Natural Balance she was eating Wellness Super 5 weight management formula (dry).
My cats eat Royal Canin (used to be IVD) Modified Formula canned (prescription food for CRF), and have eaten it for about 5 years. They were diagnosed with early stage CRF about 5 years ago. They’ve not had any problems on this food - yes RC makes me nervous, even more now - but they have done well on this food and haven’t shown any worsening in symptoms recently (I would think they would show problems fast since they’re old - 16 and 18 - and have had CRF for at least 5 years now). Their last blood work (about 6 months ago) showed BUN and Creatinine levels looking good considering CRF - there has been gradual, small increases in their numbers since they were diagnosed 5 yrs ago, but that’s to be expected at their age and with progression of CRF. The vet says they are doing quite well with holding the numbers down (BUN/Creatinine down). Given that they have CRF I don’t have a lot of options in foods with lower protein and phosphorus, and quite frankly I don’t know who to trust anymore especially when it comes to canned food. The other options at the vet for CRF food are Hills K/D or Purina NF - no thank you! The ingredients in the RC (does have “meat byproducts” - ugh) aren’t stellar but they do look better than the Hills and Purina and that’s why I chose that one 5 years ago. Oh, wait, I did try K/D once and they wouldn’t eat it, but they loved this one.
Just for what it’s worth. I don’t know if anything is safe anymore…..just live week-by-week, dreading the Friday/Saturday weekly recalls…..
May 12th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Muffin - you’re welcome. Good luck and let us know what your results with the company are - perhaps in another thread.
May 12th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Genny, someone else popped in that night the emu oil first came up and also said they had used it for crystals, and also said that it worked. I believe them. I hope others will give it a try and report back. :)
May 12th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
JLR: Since it was prescription food, I am sure your vet has records of your purchase, details of the illness, etc that you could send to RC!
May 12th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
oops, forgot to put a name on my post
May 12th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
I was “anonynous” who posted about dogs on Calif. Natural and Innova Evo, cats on RC Modified Formula several posts above……
May 12th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Helen I’ve sent the emerg vet report, the autopsy report and the Michigan labs report along with his last food purchase bill from Dec 18 (fits in the window) and I’m getting ready to send all the food invoices for the last half of 2006 as well as the bill for his cremation. RC has had all the reports since two days after they recalled the Sensitivity R&D in Canada. I’ve had three phone conversations with one of their vets - now since the autopsy report is in french they’ve handed it over to someone in Quebec they haven’t named, and they have stopped contacting me. I guess they don’t know what to say just yet. I certainly do!
Thanks for your help on this Helen especially finding that thread!
May 12th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
I second Donna’s input on Evo vs CA Natural for cats. My 10 cats weren’t wild about the Evo canned but they like the CA Natural canned formulas. As for the dry foods, most liked Evo dry at first, but then got to where they wouldn’t eat it. But they LOVE the CA Natural dry — both the chicken & brown rice and the herring & sweet potato formulas. I’d rather feed the Evo, but they have the say in which one tastes better to them!
May 12th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
JLR,
On another site someone talks about liver problems and Nutro. Thought it may be of interest to you.
http://hubpages.com/hub/PET_FO.....Y_DOG_FOOD
May 12th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Helen,
Maybe it was Jessica, the poor dear I was just pestering above about which EVO product, who popped in about the emu oil??
It would be so freaking great to have this work for urinary crystals since nutritional requirements for this condition are pretty much non-existant: no grains, no high protein, no dry food. And, personally, I don’t want to go the vet perscription food route.
With E Wem’s and Jessica’s personal testimonies, maybe they, or we, can make the emu oil suggestions whenever the subject comes up in the threads to spread the word. Pet owners helping pet owners is pretty much our objective here.
May 12th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
I haven’t tried the emu oil but am listening and considering it. I think I’ll check with my supplement contacts and my friend who is a vet and see what they say first but I am considering it.
May 12th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I think this got lost in space the first time I sent it.
JLR,
Someone talks about liver failure and Nutro on this site. Thought it might be of interest to you.
http://hubpages.com/hub/PET_FO.....Y_DOG_FOOD
May 12th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Admin: As I am posting this the ROYAL CANIN DOG FOOD is visible. They are popping up indiscrimantly. Wouldn’t be surprised if you can not get rid of it.
May 12th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Thank you Jessica
Have a good afternoon, everybody. I am off for a ride in the woods on my horsey - try to put this out of my mind for a few hours. Also off to get some more Orijen feline. Based on what I’ve read here it looks OK for Gracie, Jasper and Austina.
I think I’ll start investigating what Purina puts in their Fat ‘n Fibre supplement as well - I give that to my horse!
And a happy mother’s day to all of you Mom’s out there!
May 12th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
When I refreshed my page 2 out of 3 ads at the top of the page we for royal canin. sites are candcpets.com and jbpet.com
May 12th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Genny, yes the urinary crystals are a conundrum for sure. My sister’s cat has them. Funny he has eaten hills his whole life and was prescribed a bunch of chemicals made by hills to treat them. I really think they are dietary to begin with. I have read numerous times in all this that quality protein and low phosphorus are more important than “low protein” for cats with kidney problems. I wonder if there is any link there with the crystals. Would they get crystals if they didn’t eat the chemicals and grains? It is so scary to go against a vet’s advice on the chance you may be wrong…but what about when the vets are wrong? They were taught nutrition by pet food companies, so if pet food companies say that cats with crystals “need” a diet that is “this that and the other thing” and it just so HAPPENS they MAKE a food that is “this that and the other thing”… There have to be other answers, and I am so grateful for this site as a place to find alternative answers, even if they are not from scientists, because people are sharing experience. Now if I ever have a cat with crystals, I will not be afraid to buck the vet and try to eliminate the crystals with a high quality diet and emu oil. Maybe I can avoid ever having a cat with crystals by following such tips. Hope so. Thanks to all who have had the courage to try new things and report them here! You are helping all our pets!
May 12th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Jessica,
OOPS! My bad! You are using fish oil, not emu oil. Sorry, I got it confused. None the less, when natural alternatives work, we need to spread the word, right?
Thanks again,
Genny
May 12th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
YOU GO HELEN!
It always seemed crazy to me that I’m supposed to buy food from a person who if they sell enough product they can win a trip to Hawaii or a Porsche.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Just a reminder. In early April, on my old blog, I posted to be safe - avoid all foods containing glutens/flour/protiens/concentrates etc - Corn, Wheat Rice, Soy. Itchmo also posted this as a recommendation.
I have spent hours on the phone with different Companies regarding their foods - and particularly like those I’ve chosen.
Why does Eagle Pack use the Menu Plant? Because it is the closest plant to them - and they ship the canned products back for testing prior to distribution.
Innova (also EVo, Califronia Natural, Etc.) - has an Employee on site to monitor (he is a quality control expert). They also use Human Food, and everything is from the USA. They test more than Eagle Pack - and they test for INGREDIENT INTEGRITY (what’s on the label is in the Can). That is why I am eager to swithc to them.
I was hoping to only use Felidae - but the boys won’t eat it. It is canned at Evangers.
All these foods, including the Dry Chicken Soup for the Soul (which this formulation has only US ingredients - its different than the regular Diamond foods) - have only the whole Rice element added to their foods. All make the Dry in their own Plant.
None of the Food makers mentioned have their own processing plant (well, Evangers does - but then there was the Quar Gum incident I read in the Forums - and explained why I had a chunk of something in a Can of Felidae). Natura is big enough to try and acquire their own plant. The others are not. So they need to test their food.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
My cat would have starved to death by now if not for the Evo dry in the brown bag. The outdoor cats scarf it down too. For wet I’ve gone with Evangers and Felidae but I worry about the source of their organic chicken and mackeral. Even if the pet food company is reliable, with US produced chicken and fish tainted are the same ingredients just being recycled?
May 12th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Like all of you, I don’t know for sure what is safe anymore. I have 1 cat and 4-5 dogs (I rescue). I feed dogs high-end kibble and raw meat. I was using NATURAL BALANCE, EAGLE HOLISTIC DUCK and a few others, rotating every couple of bags, but using NB the most.
Diamond makes NB dry, and they say only the one NB (Venison) was recalled, and that was a known change in the formula which included the bad wheat gluten. Diamond also has a certified change over process which is “supposed to be” the best and they earned 100% on their process in the last review. this is supposed to keep out cross-contamination when changing from one run of food to another. I feel “reasonably” safe with continuing Natural Balance DRY.
I dont feel safe with any WET FOODS right now and have suggested to all my dog friends not to feed it as more wet foods are affected than dry (although that seems to be changing now). luckily, my cat will not eat anything but dry. tried for years to temp him with all sorts of fresh stuff.
I used to feed WELLNESS, but they changed the formula about 1.5 years ago and my dogs started getting diarreaha, so I took it back. all high end foods have a guarantee and can be returned.
Right now I’m feeding BRANDON FARMS ORGANIC. Kroger started selling it after all the recalls, at least in my area. I normally do not recommend ANY food from a grocery store as most are CORN based, but I checked the ingredients. also researched and found that they have their own plant and only use u.s. sourced inputs. Their wheat comes from Michigan (although the stuff I bought has no wheat, corn or soy in the dog food, which is also good).
If you DO find a food you feel is “as safe as it gets”, now is the time to STOCK UP. I bought a #15 bag of Eagle Holistic Duck, shipped from MD for free via FedEx, cheaper than I could buy it locally (and no tax because it came from out of state). $20.78 total. normally a #6.5 bag would be about $13+ here, plus 6% tax AND the gas to go buy it.
I know stocking up sounds wierd, but if you have done your best research and are going to use a certain food, you might as well stock up at a good price before WE get hit with the bills/outcome of all of this (yes, ultimatley, it will be US paying for THEIR mistakes). If you stock up and it is later recalled, it is all returnable. So, after you do that research, look around the web for bargains. The cheapest is usually anything that ships free from out of your state.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
At this posting - no Royal.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Again no Royal (P.S. - they went off my list due to the Glutens). I’m thinking of swithcing to Innova Evo Dry (not sure though - wonder if the cats will eat it).
May 12th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Hey, Helen,
Can I cheat and ask if you know what phosphorus %% is best for cats w/crystals? I gotta run in just a few and don’t have time to drudge thru websites right now.
About what vets say and trying to push their food….I’m just trusting my gut on this one as it usually doesn’t fail me. He did suggest SD and Purina (sorry, I know I’m repeating myself) and even Purina One, since I refused the rx’d brands but gotta give it to him for suggesting a store brand. I just hope that later I don’t have to slither in office, with my tail between my legs, and buy their sh*t because my cat gets crystals again.
Jessica,
“a trip to Hawaii or a Porsche.” Ha Ha. Ain’t it th’ truth!
May 12th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Most cats seem to like EVO. Dogs gobble it up. The protein is very high, so if you have dogs also, be careful because feeding it PLUS extra meat can be too hard on the kidneys. Almost everyone I’ve talked to seems to think EVO is still safe.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Both Wellness and Merrick give my cat diarrhea. To me that says there is something in it that we don’t need. I’m following my gut and hers these days. I’m also shopping around for a vet that doesn’t have an office that looks like a pet food store. I buy my cat food at the feed store now.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Ya Ya and anyone who home feeds–
A good site to check out “people” foods that are bad for pets is the
ASPCA\NAPCC website.
I entered “garlic” in their search, and they definitely say to stay away from the allium species, which includes garlic, onions, leeks and chives. There is also a list of more foods that are toxic to pets.
The NAPCC website also lists toxic and non-toxic plants for your house or garden, in case you have plant-eating pet.
I wonder about fish oils myself. I think cod liver oil has a lot of vitamin A
in one little capsule, which may be too much for a little pet..
I was told also to be careful with herbs, particularly with cats.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
PET FOOD RECALL - HOW YOU CAN HELP! PLEASE CROSS POST PET FOOD RECALL - HOW YOU CAN HELP! PLEASE CROSS-POST
PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION & PASS IT ON
> TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com...../937015756
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkyBv2wA8tU
You’ll see why this is so important. You will do something after seeing this!
http://www.itchmo.com/
http://defendourpets.myfastforum.org/index.php
May 12th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Garlic can actually be used as a natural anitbiotic in SMALL doses. I put it in gelitin capsuls when I use it for my cats. I have been using Four Paws Five Directions which ironicly is chinese medicine but it’s a very informative book if you’re trying to stay clear or things made in a lab.
And a fish oil capsule per cat is sure to cause diarrhea if nothing else. I use 1 per 3 cats.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I dont remember why I was concerned about feeding MERRICK food…think I didn’t like something in the ingredients list, but I do recommend and use their DRIED beed, lamb, etc, treats (meat and nothing else). also, their “TEXAS TOOTHPICKS” (dried beef tails).
However, you have to offset the protein in their regular dog foods so as not to over tax kidneys. It is also good to give their system a break a couple days each week (I’m taking for dogs, don’t know as much about cats). this way they don’t get nitrogen build up, etc.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
You were probably concerned with feeding Merrick, because they own one of the lasgest rendering plants n the country. On the same site as their dog food plant….
May 12th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Nope, I only have cats.
As to the Merrick, they own their own rendering plant. A few years ago, they blocked the FDA from enforcing a NO DDD policy for pet food- citing a higher cost for them (they are a HUGE corporation, based out of ???? TEXAS - who has the strings here;-)
So its kept hidden under the wraps, and I won’t dredge up the links (they are in the Itchmo forums), but they use Dead Dying Diseased animals from their own farms in their food.
That is what you probably heard.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
EVO dry has already changed their formula. Check the ingredients on the new color bag against the previous brown. Not a good change.
I am feeding canned Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Felidae, & Friskies. Dry is Wellness, the old Innova Evo, & Felidae.
Pam
May 12th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Genny–I have a 16lb male manx, Rudi, that went in for a completely blocked bladder 4 times in a year & a half, plus had 3-4 other episodes of partial blocks. I tried a bunch of different dry foods to keep the crystals at bay, but he always got them after going through a bag or two of each food. I finally found the only thing that worked for him was to feed him some watered down canned food every other day or every 2 days. I think it gave him enough fluids on those days to really flush out his bladder.
Up until a month ago, I had all six of mine on Evo with a fun meal of Wellness grainless canned watered down slop every other day or 2 to keep them all hydrated & give some variety in ingredients. They slurped it up greedily, water & all–guess the Evo dry was boring as a steady diet. Now I have them all on Felidae canned senior. The Wellness canned scared me (made by Menu & ANI) & one of my cats just got diagnosed with CRF so I’m staying off the high protein for now till I get her diet all worked out. I’m thinking I may stay off the dry food completely if I can find the right products or recipes for home cooking.
Good luck with the emu oil–sounds like a good supplement in any case. They have it at our health food store so I may try it with mine.
May 12th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
High Note,
You said your dog ate Alpo and that vet says it is ok. I don’t know if it got sick from the food or you were just having it checked out.
FWIW…..My friend fed 5 dogs Alpo just one day b/4 the recall. Out of the five, only one got sick; very, very sick. She would not eat. Friend had to force feed with a syringe. Dog hated it but she did what she had to do to save the dog. First they used baby cereal and yogurt drinks. Then (ug) Science Diet a/d and Pediolite. They fed her every couple of hours till she got well enough to become the chow hound that she was. She also said to watch the sodium.
I am in no way pushing SD products (ug) but just passing on info that helped her.
I saw doggie last w/e hanging out in the kitchen waiting for some opportunistic dropped piece of food nibble.
Ok, now I gotta to run.
Good luck!
May 12th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
pam-
I have tossed my old Evo bags, what is the change?
May 12th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Pam - what did they change in Evo?
May 12th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Once again - how can Delmote and Purina be immune from this? How can any company when dealing with a COMMODITY have dodged the bullet? Is ANYONE - i.e. FDA or a land-grant university - testing ALL products?
May 12th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
I am so sick of it all as I am sure everyone with pets they love are…sigh…
The only way to make a difference is go after your congressmen and senators they have the power but want use it …MAKE THEM! ..write them constantly go to them force them into changing the whole pet food industry and the quality control that governs it. Who actually knows what pet food is good because the ones YOU feed yours might be on the recall list next.
The sites all say we are safe…how much are you willing to bet?
I don’t trust any of them because it’s all about money and greed.
Make a difference go to the higher powers that be and LET THEM KNOW
WE ARE SICK AND TIRED AND FED UP and if they don’t act to PACK their bags cause we gonna send them home next election.
Jeannie >>>>Proud mommy of 5 Boston Terriers
May 12th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Mandy,
I left a message for you on the FDA Warns Staff on maj. I think we are trying our best. It is nice to know that everyone is trying to work together. It has helped alot. I am now trying to switch my 4 kitties to Innova, Evo, a few cans of Holistic Select (which the lady at the pet shop uses and her mother uses with no problem) and a few cans of Calif. Natural. I hope the same as others. Pray it doesn’t get recalled.
Best of luck to everyone and Happy Mothers Day to you all!
May 12th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Hi Nancy, thanks for the reminder for the Alliumn plants family. I grow alot of my own herbs. My cat will not leave my Chives alone :-)
{I have a pot in the house.}
She bites a few strands every couple of days and sort of ‘cudds’ it. Not even swallows it. I figure it’s a very small amount and and she “knows” her limits.
As for the Garlic she must be Italian :-P As she loves the smell and taste of Garlic. Even as I just boil a clove in with pasta for supper. She comes to the kitchen.
She likes my pasta sauce too! Go figure.
Garlic is in Everything round here. With her food I put a large clove in with the Turkey and or Lamb when I simmer/boil it.
It gets pulled out when I process/whip the meats and veggies.
Garlic IS a “natural” anti-biotic, a deterrent for fleas, fly, etc for Horses too and People. Even ticks don’t like that “smell” on you :-)
{you don’t smell it but the creature world does}
But it Also helps De-toxify. Which my cat needs badly.
I never go excessive in anything for the Animals around here. I’m careful with the supplements. And most are the water soluble ones too. {you lose each day and don’t store}
Ahhhhhh…now I know why my Horse licks the heck out of me when she sees me! She Loves the hidden to me, smell of garlic! LOL
And here I thought it was LUV, LOL :-þ
She is worse than a Dog!
{and she has Plenty of salt in blocks, so it’s not that}
Yes, All be cautious when adding “supplements” to the foods we make.
Maybe I should spray down the Vet for when he sees my Cat! LOL
May 12th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Helen - the university vet I took my dog to said “rat poison” when she came in as an emergency on a January Sunday. She had liver involvement. She had blood, both fresh and digested in her stools for 2 weeks and bilirubin in her urine. I called to get her records and said I belived it was contaminated pet food. Vet said there was no kidney involvement so it coudn’t have been. The lawyers that are handling the future class action suit are also looking at kidney function at this point. Same sypmptoms reoccured when I added back her food and treats (Natures Recipe Lamb and Rice Adult and Bil Jac Liver Treats) two weeks later. I supposed the rat poisoner could have snuck back in our house?
May 12th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
For the Evo reformulation, BW details the changes in the forums under “the NEW Innova Evo formulation!”, in News (Recall related)
http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?topic=298.0
They moved some of the better ingredients to below the supplements, which means there are only a couple of molecules of each in there now.
Many of us are buying from just a few pet food companies right now because they seem to be the safest. I’m afraid they may start to cut corners to keep up with the greatly increased demand for their products. And of course they have 6 months to change labels. Evo changed bag colors so their labels were updated then, but most others probably won’t do that. Scary stuff.
May 12th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Is Wellness ok to use? I don’t remember if I read good or bad about it. It’s hard to keep them all straight. I should write everything down so I don’t have to keep asking. The can cat food I’m asking about.
May 12th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Hi all…
I have been lurking for a while now and have not seen any comments regarding my particular brand.
I am just wondering if any of you have any comments regarding Bench and Field’s Holistic Natural Canine Formula. Like any pet food supplier they have several formulations for both cats and dogs but this is the one I use.
http://benchandfield.com/holistic_canine.php
General brand information ~~ http://www.benchandfield.com/
… from their site….
A note to our customers and new customers:
We are not involved in the pet food recalls, or Menu Foods. None of our products contain wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate. Our ingredients are grown domestically. All incoming ingredients are sampled and every batch of food is lab tested. The plant is USDA and APHIS inspected. All ingredients are EU certified. You can confidently purchase our Holistic Natural Foods at your nearest Trader Joe’s, On line and other fine retail stores. Thank you.
~~~
May 12th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Well that is just Plainly stupid on the Vets part Kristi. I’m sorry. As Rat poisons “function” In a RAT is to cause Hemorrages! Bleeding. That’s how the rats die. Duh-Oh
Coumadin is a Blood thinner. {a basic rat poison}
It’s used in humans who’ve had like Heart surgeries and implants for that etc. For the rest of their lives. It has to be monitored each couple of weeks.
{it keeps them from clotting}
And sure there are more and Newer versions of Rat poisons on the markets but, basically they all cause “bleeding” from what I’d understood.
I’m glad you are pursuing it with Attorneys. And sorry you had to go through that as well as yor pet{s}.
Some times I just don’t “get” the Medical people “on” this stuff.
AND China must have LOTS of Rats around with the lack of Health Inspections etc in factories.
Oooooops. I drop that, noon will notice if I put it back in the batch/bin {with rat poison on it}
Sorry I went “off” Kristi. This stuff makes me SO angry.
May 12th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
To JLR u can find dreamcoat info here… hope it helps…..http://www.halopets.com/
May 12th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Hi CJL, I don’t know of your brand personally, tho am sure someone will come long that might. I do not remember seeing it in Recalls but not absolutely positive about That now either {there are now Way too many to remember!}
Please check out at these places for more posted Ok. Maybe help ease your mind.
http://www.ItchmoForums.com
There is a section on Recall info big time there/here.
And http://www.petfoodlist.com next.
It’s good to have More folks posting! Thanks!
Hope these help for now.
May 12th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Barbara–on the canned Wellness–I haven’t heard anything bad at all about their canned food & fed it to my cats for over a year. I just quit using it because I’m so afraid of the Menu/American Nutrition link & the cross-contamination issues. I still have all the cans I bought a few months ago & may use them in the future if nothing comes of it.
I did notice a different Wellness canned formula in the store the other day–95% meat with very little else added, including no essentials like taurine & other supplements. I’m not sure if it’s replacing the grainless complete formulas or not. I think it’s for either cats or dogs. There were quite a few varieties of meats to choose from. May be good for mixing with other foods, but doesn’t look like a complete diet to rely on exclusively. They remind me of Wysong’s canned meats.
May 12th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
I know nothing about Lifes Abundance except they have one product made by Menu. Most are made by Ohio Pet Foods.
May 12th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Hi CJL, I have heard of Bench and Fields dog food. I feed my 3 dogs Eagle Pack, and found that Bench and Fields dry dog food is made by them. I found www.petsitusa.com very helpful in determining who makes what - hope that helps.
May 12th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
I believe Menu makes some Wellness products as well.
May 12th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Ginny — I cannot believe your vet said that! Anyway, for humans, kidney stones were long thought to be caused by using dairy products. Well, calcified kidney stones are really caused by an imbalance between calcium and other minerals in the blood such as magnesium and zinc. In fact for us, eating a cup of broccoli will give us as much calcium as a cup of milk, but is more readily assimable, because it is a vegetable form!
So what does this idea have to do with your cat? If you are feeding a balanced grain free diet like EVO, the likelihood of developing any crystals is low. Of course rarely, creatures (human or animal) have a body that is just imbalanced and has problems. BUT THIS IS VERY RARE.
If you believe Whiskers may have crystals, get her a homeopathic kidney detox at the healthy food pet store, OR I get Dolisos or UNDA Common Juniper tincture and put a few drops in my cats water once a day.
They were on Pro Plan (Purina) but with all the recalls, I got suspicious of it because it has plenty of grains etc. I tried samples at the Healthy Pet Food Pantry (local in S. CA only), I put a post-it on it and rated their reactions with stars, my thoughts on it with stars, and wrote down any ingredients that were good :) or not so Good :( or :S undecided or confused. This helped me narrow the field to the Evo for cats and kittens. THEY EAT A LOT LESS of it. Instead of 3/4 to 1 cup twice a day for each, I am feeding 1/4 cup twice a day, and they are very pleased with it. Hope this helps.
May 12th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
By the way. Bought lean hamburger to mix with rice for my dogs - the hamburger I bought is part of an e-coli recall in Minnesota. I kid you not.
May 12th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I’m no longer feeding my chi royal canin last month. I was feeding him the mini puppy 33, but since they have been importing vegetable proteins from china, I stopped buying their products. When I spoke to them on several occasions, they claimed the rest of their pets food were tested and safe. However I had a bad feeling about them, and switched to another premium brand. My puppy was having the symptoms of drinking excess amounts of water, frequent urination, little appetite, low energy. I feed buffalo, or venison with no fillers, and his symptoms have decreased some, and I hope there won’t be any long term damage. I’m afraid all the chicken royal canin will be bad, due to “cross contamination”, or due to the chickens eating tainted feed. I don’t think they are as concerned about peoples pets, as they claim. I think it’s such a massive contamination of their products, they don’t want to recall it all. If I were you, and your still feeding your fur baby royal canin, I would keep what you have in a sealed container ( for later evidence), and switch to another food. There is NO Excuse for royal canin , or any company for that matter, to wait this long to recall their products. The “Cross contamination” story is total BS. They should have known better. Remember royal canin admitted use of cyanuric acid, so Melamine and god knows what else is in their pet food. They are only working within the FDA’s limitations, even though royal canin knows they should recall all their pet foods, and start over. They won’t do this, untill the FDA tells them to. So if royal canin, and all the other pet food companies want to continue to use the “cross contamination excuse” I say go ahead then, and RECALL all your pet food products. They are ALL Contaminated!
Boycott royal canin…
May 12th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
I make my own dog food. Sometimes I buy it already ground with the bone so that the calcium ratio is correct or if I feed without the bone I add 1/4tsp ground eggshell per 1/2lb meat (I rinse out organic egg shells and leave to dry and then grind in Braun coffee/nut mill). I add the raw meat to some well soaked/cooked brown rice and vegetables (today acorn squash, tomorrow sweet potato and some raw crushed leafy greens). Dog looks great and needs the extra carbs as he tends to be thin otherwise wouldn’t give grains. The cat I take chicken necks/wings/gizzards and put thru my Maverick grinder, portion out and freeze in baggies. Sometimes both cat and dog get canned salmon instead of meat (I buy cheapest pink salmon on sale and rinse off salt, same with sardines in water). When I see a roast on sale I buy it and cut it up but add the eggshells to balance the calcium. I usually add some salmon oil and occasional cod liver oil to their food. If I buy cat food its Innova canned of Petguard. I never feed the grocery store crap and am so regretful of the days that I did feed it to a cat we had, its full of garbage and now I will never trust any of the dog food companies again either.
anneh
May 12th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Stray Baby — My cats had that re-action to Trader Joe’s ( a “gourmet” food store). Well, Menu Foods makes it too!! In fact they tried to cover it up like a pile sometimes. When they both did it, I left the food for a while and then threw it out. To make a long story short, Purr-Purr died last July 16th of cat renal failure :> Z .
May 12th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Phyllis,
“”I cannot believe your vet said that!”"
Do you mean suggest Purina One, a store brand (omg), when I said NO to the rx’d brands?? If that is what you’re referring to it could have been because I was nicely VERY adamant against his SD &/or Purina brands. Told him I’d chatted with way too many people that had dead or sickened pets from SD & Purina. Still hard for me to believe I know more about nutrition than he does. I’m no brainiac but I guess I have more time to communicate on and read the internet.
Are you saying that because EVO is well balanced, it is less likely to cause crystals? I just want to be clear on that. My sick cat really likes it and I would like to continue with it. By what Jessica posted earlier today and what you’re saying, I feel much more comfortable in cracking open the EVO bag.
Also, about the juniper tincture - did you have trouble with your cats drinking their water? I know juniper berries have a stong smell, which I love, but wondering if there is a smell or taste issue with the tincture that might deter the cats from the water.
Thanks for posting to me. Keep ‘em coming my way.
May 12th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
05/12/2007
Funny about the date changes on the Sensible Choice products. I lost my wonderful friend Shade ( my chocolate lab ) to a brain tumor last fall (2006) approximately two months after starting her on Sensible Choice which was recalled. Obviously, the brain tumor was not cause by the food…..or was it? I will not feed anything even remotely associated with Nutro or Natural Balance or Menu Foods. Or anything with any kind of wheat or corn or any gluten products. Rick
May 12th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Genny,
Check your email. I sent you that kahlua balls recipe.
May 12th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Debbie4747,
Always the recipes, never the goods. ) ;
I have. Thanks!!!!!! I gotta run for a bit. Will be back here and there later.
May 12th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Oh no not again. I am so much meds. since this whole thing atarted I don’t know which way is up? Or is there a way up? I’ve lost way too much weight because i don’t dare to eat, been to the Drs. for pills, etc. anyway, I have 4 dogs and lots of cats. I do rescue , but not right now. i have already lost 3 cats. I heard last night on here that Beneful was not a good dog food. so I had just bought it and now gotten rid of it. i went out and bought Pedigree and Purina One for the dogs and cats. Now, i hear that both are not good to feed. i’m way out in the middle of nowhere, so i just don’t know what else to do. Do You think will be willing to pay My bills? What do I do now? HELP!!!!!!
May 12th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
My dogs have been switched over to Canidae dry and are not only loving it but doing quite well on it. For the 8 month old pup, I’ve added one meal a day of canned Natural Variety. The Canidae wasn’t that much more expensive than other brands I’ve fed in the past (can’t say that though about the N.V.). I did try Innova EVO and both dogs hated it and flat out refused it after a couple days. So I returned it.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Kristi, Recalled hamburger?! thump! {picking self up}
For crying out loud! This is all like a REAL Bad soap opera!
Was it from IBP? Like East Moline, Il. or somewhere up there?
Lordy I hope you find what you need and it’s safe.
As if we don’t go through enough. sigh.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Sorry Genny to answer later rather than sooner, but I had to go walk.
I am not surprised you know more about nutrition than your vet. I know more than most doctors and all I did was study Andrew Weil’s works.
No, I am NOT suggesting Purina One. Quite the opposite since it is full of grains — they may be pure (i doubt it) but the white rice has been found to pre-dispose pets to diabetes, and many are sensitive or allergic to corn etc.
Yes I believe EVO to be a good food,because it has no grains, thus no coal processing traces, aka Melamine and Cyanuric Acid, it is FAR less likely to cause crystals in the urine.
The common juniper (juniperus communis) I am recommending is VERY MILD. It is made from the cold pressed young shoots, not the berries or adult leaves etc. Depending on the size of the cat, the severity of symptoms etc. I put in 1 to 5 drops in a cup of water once a day, and they both drink that. I also add Fig Tree (ficus carica) made from the buds for bowel tone and to discourage parasites. Otherwise I use fresh water.
Sometimes I buy locally here in S. CA or from my doctor Marcus Greaves, or from Windmill Farms. It is about $11 a bottle, but it is 2 oz which is about 4800 drops!!
You can learn a lot about Gemmotherapy on the web, but Dr. Blake at
http://www.thepetwhisperer.com/
has recommendations for various conditions. If you write to them, they will answer you. [I try to keep it very simple and direct so they will read the whole thing.]
I wrote Dr. Blake and told him I was using common juniper for detox and asked what he would recommend. He agreed and said not more than 6 weeks. (I posted that on the Itchmo Natural Balance recall blog.)
May 12th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Genny - PS - my cats did not seem to mind until I added another one for her allergies and feline herpes virus eyes. But she had access to a jug that automatically dispenses untreated water as they drink. So she could get all the water she really wants.
Well, the jug goes “glug, glug” and she uses the medicated water up first before she drinks the from it :>D
May 12th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Genny, they make GIN from the berries :-) Juniper it’s a interesting plant.
I like to use the berries {dried} in winter poultry or beef meals. It’s an ‘old fashion’ seasoning or herb.
I can’t even Stand the smell of Gin tho :-P
May 12th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
TO KRISTI
If you’re still there and I hope you are. My cat died early January and his autopsy and subsequent Michigan Labs anticoag report came back for Diphacinono - rat poison. I have been arguing ever since because I don’t have any rat poison and Oscar wasn’t an outdoor cat - at all. Can you give me more information? If we do not continue this thread my email address is janet.ross@hotmail.com
May 12th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Phyllis,
Ha ha. So much gets lost in translation when I try to type. I meant were you surprised that the “VET” suggested Purina One, the store brand, when I refused the vet brand?
I would be surprised to see someone on this blog suggest Purina One as a good food to feed but it could happen.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Mandy, all of the food is garbage. From everything I have read, cats and dogs do not digest grains well. Dry food is the absolute worst. I used to think friskies was the best of the processed poison. Whiskas, just shake the can, it is mush and the odor horrific. Moist pouches, forget about it.
I have been boiling a little chicken, some raw organic chop meat, people tuna, mackeral, beef stew they like the best. and canned people chicken. That is the safest thing to do for now and if we can add supplements that’s great. They loved caster and Pollux garlic and yeast tablets and hugs and kisses vitamins by warren eckstein. I need backup cause I can’t always cook for them so I buy Paul Newman”s organic canned food, Merricks and Wellness they do not have any grain in them. But I still worry about cross contamination. I cooked them fish but stopped since I heard they feed the farmed fish Melamine!! It is sickening. You can make them scrambled eggs. Good book to read is Dr. Pitcairn”s Natural Health for dogs and cats. He has recipes in there. I know they are quite fussy but we must for their health. Also go to www.onlynaturalpet.com for food, advice, homeopathic, vitamins, vitamin b Liquid is very good.
We must stop buying the canned food because anyday you can rest assured that what you are giving them will be recalled. Maybe if everybody stopped buying this garbage and demand sticter regulations and quality food for our pets we might get results. If Paul Neuman can do it, so can they,.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
I went to one of the big local retail pet stores today (wont name names). You know who they are. There are only 2 big ones.
While wondering around looking at the bags of dog food, the clerk came up and said “if you have any questions about the food I can answer any questions you have, I feed my dogs that” as he pointed at a particular brand. “COUPONS EVERYWHERE ON THE PRODUCT” Buy 2 get 1 free etc.
He raved on and on about how great this product was that it had all the perfect ingredients. I actually thought he was ready to shove some of it down my throat.
I said: “That stuff is made by Menu Foods” - He said: “No it’s not”, “Yes it is”, “No it’s not, it will be on the can if it’s made by Menu”. I said: “No it wont”, “Yes it will”. (It wasn’t on the can)
I said hang on, I have a list of the foods made by Menu in my car. He said he had one there. As he looked up the product, he said “Oh, yeah it is made by Menu but that cross contamination they are talking about isnt true, it cant happen.
My reason for this post is DON’T BELIEVE WHAT A CLERK MAY TELL YOU IS SAFE. They don’t have a clue. They are pumping products that’s all! DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!!!
As I left the store with nothing, I suggested he may want to take the Sensible Choice sign down. He said they pulled the product this morning.
Guess they forgot the sign as they were probably pumping Sensible Choice last week.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Ya Ya,
Yep, they sure do. Also heard about soaking raisins for an arthritus treatment. I liked Gin, one night long ago, a little too much. What a nasty hangover.
Pass the KAHLUA, please.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Trudy — Somewhere here on itchmo they have a list of financial help with medical care for animals. See if you can find it.
Gemmotherapy is inexpensive and natural. See my post to Genny above. I highly recommend you pet parents looking into natural detoxification for these poor animals.
I have been using the Gemmotherapy for about 3 1/2 years. I am not associated with either of the companies in anyway. My experience is personal: I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer in Aug 2003. The head doctor gave me six to eighteen months to live. I started with LOTS of prayer from many denominations, found a naturopath with the Lord’s help and started using gemmotherapy before adding chemo.
I used several products to de-tox and then added others to fight the cancerous lessions in the liver :o D. Later, I added stuff to build the liver, re-build the blood and work on some other health issues. I am very healthy now.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Martin,
Hump! Sounds like some doctors and vets I know and heard of. Did you just want to slap the sh*t out of him?
May 12th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
**Humph** I think that’s what I meant.
May 12th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
One more thought comes to mind. Ya ya is mentioning Gin and the gemmotherapy is preserved with a bit of alcohol and vegetable
glycerin . Here is what I do as per Dr. Greaves recommendations: I put the open bottles in water and bring to a simmer (NOT a boil) and simmer for five minutes. Then I set it aside until cool enough to handle, take them out, put the lids back on and press the labels on if they came loose. This takes the alcohol down from 39% to about 20%.
I am a teetotaler, and never use alcoholic drinks. Also, I was taking 50 drops of each of about 9 or more three times a day when sick, so this was a big deal for me.
However, since you would be giving the animals a few drops in water you do not need to do this. But, if you want to put it directly in the mouth you probably should get the alcohol lower. :>)
May 12th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Genny,
It was all I could do not to slap the s*** out of him! Wonder if he is feeding his dogs the same thing after HE NOW is aware it’s made by Menu?
May 12th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Martin — I have previously posted on this site about Trader Joe’s being made by Menu Foods. I wrote them and said I will not buy any.
That is what finsihed off my dear cat Purr-Purr.
When they restocked the shelves, they also claimed it was not tainted, and the clerk even said Menu Foods does not make it!! Well, I re-asked a manager and got an honest one that agreed, yes it is made by Menu foods. : o (
May 12th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
TRUDY JACKSON
I have talked to my vet (I have used him for MANY years) he has seen no problems with FancyFeast wet or dry nor any problems from Purina dry or Pedigree wet .I continue to feed my 15 yr old cat FF and Purina senior dry –my 2 dogs eat Pedigree wet and different Purina dry blends I also am feeding ferals 9 lives wet and dry So far everyone is doing fine. I have also spoken with all of these companies several times -they have responded with assurances by phone and e mails I would stop useing these foods if my kids became ill — or if those foods are recalled but not untill then. I will admit my vet prefers Science Diet but NO ONE will eat it! as i said before in my posts I would not attempt to tell any pet parent what to feed I just wanted to share the above hoping it will help ease your worries
May 12th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Phyllis,
I’m wondering if they get special a special bonus if they sell so much a particular product. It seems they focus on one or two in the store.
It’s a good thing I dont work in one of those stores! I’d be fired!
DONT BUY THAT CRAP - DONT BUY THAT CRAP EITHER - NO!!! NOT THAT ONE! THAT’S CRAP TOO!!!
May 12th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Janet Ross, I just wanted to also suggest for you, that Kristi’s name is “highlighted” here, I think that means that, she is Registerd and Email available in the ItchmoForums. Maybe you could check there? Just FYI.
I’m so sorry about your Cat and think Yes you two should compare notes!
I swear this Contamination is begining to sound like, a Witches BREW.
The Chinese plants must dump whatever is laying around to fill-out the bags. Maybe for weight purposes too???
{I’d love a pet food plant “tour” right about now and see how the ingredients come in and are mixed etc!}
One Lab in the begining said Rat Poison. Then Another said Aminoptrine. Then the Melamine, then the cynauric acid, and there were more. I can not remember right now. And yet more deleted suspect chemicals from FDA lists. etc.
I think ALL of them Have Been and ARE in the Food ingredients. In un-measured amounts. {just dumped in}
And inconsistantly “mixed” through each bag or batch. Thus the one died here another was sick but lived there, issue.
And as I’ve said I do Not think it is ONLY “Proteins” that should be checked IMHO.
These are ALL *Impurities*!!! HELLO
And that is What they should be looking for.
Just the one being called commonly used “*SCRAP* melamine” IS DISGUSTING!
Please keep Us posted on the progress there will you?
Sorry, I get Very angry thinking about all of the losses and sad and sadder more still stories.
And then, ‘just in time’ another Recall comes out even Now. Months later.
Of course these are as always, simply my own opinions. :-)
May 12th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Martin,
Another PET_______ , Inc. employee spared the wrath of angry but tolerant customer. He doesn’t know how lucky he was. Yep, probably still feeding poor ol’ Fido the same crap…..sure he gets the employee discount.
Phyllis,
GOOD for YOU - fighting cancer the holistic way and living to tell the story. I got very involved with herbs and alternative ways when my mother developed lung cancer, years ago. Saddly, she was one who believed much of what the medical field told her. ) ;
I will keep you in my prayers!!!
May 12th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Judy, thank you so much, Trudy
May 12th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
“”DONT BUY THAT CRAP - DONT BUY THAT CRAP EITHER - NO!!! NOT THAT ONE! THAT’S CRAP TOO!!!”"
LMAO at Martin.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Genny,
I almost want to get a part time job just to do that! I wouldnt be employed long!!! A few hours would be my guess.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Also Genny and Phyllis, my Homeopathic MD recommened, Vodka to use for the alcohol, in making any of my Remedies I’d use.
{I also make Bach Flower Remedies when the situation calls for them} I have the concentrates and then use them, to make a seperate bottle to USE from.
The vodka has very little scent or taste for animals and yes, leave the lid/dropper off for a while lets the alcohol% drop.
The alcohol is also a Good preservative.
For humans it’s used “sub-lingually” {under the tongue}, for animals it’s drops in the water bowl.
No more than 6 or 7 “rememdies” variations used per day tho.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Mandy — I am still working my way down the blog and saw your prayer. Thank you so much for all of us.
I fed Purr-Purr Whiskas quite a bit, and she really loved it and did not seem to have any problem with it. I am sure it was the garbage Trader joe’s (menu) that killed her. But I just was not putting two and two together correctly. I thought she was diabetic because of the peeing and drinking lots of water! It never occurred to me I was poisoning her.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
On Yahoo right now is a story about China and under the story a lot more about china. China_mao_vandal_dc I hope this comes out right.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Martin — Boy our economic culture is so messed up.
You are likely right.
I was listening to a tape by Joel Wallach the other day. (It is from the late 90s) He claims that doctors were getting $421 paid to them directly every time they ordered someone to get a CT scan!!!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRR.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
YaYa — where did I read that they found one shipment at 6.6% melamine ! That is horrible. That is not a trace. I also saw a post about a container being 20%. Somewhere here on itchmo is a link to view a picture of the contaminated product. YOU CAN SEE IT WITH THE NAKED EYE in the latter case.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
YaYa do you have a website or where could I look up what you do? Since my illness, I have really gotten into homeopathics and diet. I have been wanting to learn to make my own just in case.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Martin,
Probably need to go with a “Pssst….read this b/4 you buy that Brand X crap” subtle approach while slipping them an info sheet with Itchmo and safer food websites. Might at least get your lunch break that way.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
YaYa
Thank you for the post. I have been living this since way before the recall and the only thing I would say to you and all others if you have lost or sick pets is - we all need to take a deep breath because this is not over. Everything happens for a reason and in this particular case I believe it is to raise our consciousness (and our conscience) relative to what we are putting into our, and our pets’ bodies.
I posted all morning and half of the afternoon on this thread and then signed off to go hack my horse. Afer a stellar ride, I rode back to the barn in time to witness my daughter’s jumping lesson in the front ring and realized something was very wrong. The pony was refusing jumps, dropping his shoulder and after five minutes of observation began trying to drop to his knees. Long story short, the vet observed he was having a neurological reaction to his West Nile vaccination (or maybe the host of others he had last Wednesday). He’s on steroids to reduce the swelling in his spinal column and perhaps his brain. I wonder what the probability of him getting West Nile is - and why I assumed a vaccination was necessary.
All this to say we’re all out there, vaccinating, feeding, supplementing and otherwise trying to care for our babies/horses/pets as best we can on the advice of qualified individuals and in accordance to our personal budgets. There is no way most of us are not going to do what the vet tells us (yes - we’re posting here and we’re mad but what percentage are we compared to the rest of the pet people out there who are not?). Most of us are intimidated by what the professionals are telling us.
The old maxim is “stay close to the earth”. That means the soul in particular as well as the food we eat (and I need to remember to breathe). I will keep you posted - all of you - because I will not let this go. I have learned many invaluable things over these last few months (including acceptance, and “the vet only knows what the vet is told by the food companies”). I am trying to channel this disaster into something more positive and I will keep researching and helping out all that I can.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Genny, Sorry…no I don’t know. I know the below 1% phosphorus is needed for impaired kidney function. I don’t know if that also applies to crystals. I do know there are a couple of different types of crystals, and that if the ph of the urine is related to both. See if your vet knows or if your vet can recommend someone to talk to or refer to who understands the science of the crystal formation? I know the crap prescription brands formulate their corn,beaks, feet, feathers and chemical diets to achieve a particular ph level in the urine.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
JLR — There is a yahoo group to study up on the vaccination issues. It is the TruthAboutVaccines yahoo group. They may know of some treatments to help your horse. Don’t forget prayer. God loves ALL his creatures.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Kristi: Re, the rat poison symptoms. You are definitely not alone in that, and it seems neither vets nor pet food companies, nor the FDA have the least interest in examining it because they are hung up on kidneys. Maybe it would help for someone who has had this problem to start a thread in the forums for people to report liver and bleeding issues specifically. I have read too many times that the vet said rat poison, and the pet parent said there is no way my pet had access to it. And this is all in the same time frame as all the kidney failure. They have already said melamine and cyanuric acid are not the only contaminants found, and they don’t know what the toxins alone or in combination will do. There is also that some batches are more contaminated than others, higher melamine, so there may be some batches with very high concentrations of cyanuric acid or other contaminant that is not being examined. I hope your dog is OK.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Wonder how many dead rats they find daily in those melamine factory hell holes? Some autopsies on the rats would be interesting.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
Pet Promise Is PURINA
go to register.com and on the bottom menu bar to the far right, click on WHO IS
enter petpromiseinc.com
and TADAH
Be ware of foods that have gluten meals in them for protein anyways. I live in Denver and it was in the Denver Business Journal how Pet Promise was backed by the “deep pockets of Purina”.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
I read this on a post:
“I believe Menu makes some Wellness products as well”
I just checked out a couple of web sites and it does confirmed it.
WOW That got me to thinking.
My Tabby cat 11 years 8 months was diagnose with bladder crystals August 2003. He had been on Wellness and a few treats. The Vet changed his diet to Hill’s x/d and we only gave him 4-6 tartar control treats a day.
He was due for his yearly shots 1st of March. Seeing he was 15 years and 2 months did blood work.
“His protein levels are up old cats get renal problems” Aw Nuts!
He stayed at the Vets for 4 days, fluid therapy and another blood work. “He’s responding to fluid therapy, could you continue at home?”
Well I got about 2/3 of the fluid in him, and the rest on him, me and the rest of the house. I know he was feeling better
May 12th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
She is fine now - had whole blood series, urine tested etc. Sick Jan-Feb. Seemed afraid of her food. We do need to look into liver/bleeding problems. She had all the symptoms of some kind of poisoning - twice - no kidney involvement. It was so obviously her food/treats I threw everything out! Got different food, no treats. Recent news, the E coli recalled hamburger that I bought last week to feed my dogs something SAFE was from PM Beef, Windom, MN. I cooked the heck out of it luckily. Can anyone say Farmers Market organic and local from now on? No recalls until poisoning occurs - people are hospitalized from this hamburger. The grocery store web site urges buyers to return or “destroy” it.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
To JLR,
The following website may be of interest. Dr. Michael W. Fox has an interesting theory involving the rat poison and the pet food recall.
www.doctormwfox.org (See “Largest Pet Food Recall Ever”)
His site also has info on vaccinations.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Martin: re: “It’s a good thing I dont work in one of those stores! I’d be fired!
DONT BUY THAT CRAP - DONT BUY THAT CRAP EITHER - NO!!! NOT THAT ONE! THAT’S CRAP TOO!!!”
Wow, thanks for the great laugh. I would get fired too! I went to one of the chains yesterday to see what they were up to, and there was a Nutro representative right there in the store standing by his table full of food! Coupons galore. All brands of crappy food on sale CHEAP! It was surreal and would have been funny if it weren’t so scary. This store is stocking more of the brands Itchmo posters are feeding than they were a few weeks ago, and that was good to see.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Phyllis you are Sweet! :-)
No, no website or anything like that. This is All from many many personal experiences over many years {I started young, with an unusual illiness and was ignored by the Main-stream.}
And the thing of it is that, I myself have a medical background {not MD!} :-P {I retired a while back due to the illness, it’s been an experience. I’m what most say is rather young :-) }
I learned by watching and doing. And having it done to me, for me.
The Remedies began with a Homeopathic MD in Wisconsin years ago. There is an actual Homeopathic Pharmacy in Madison.
She’d order some {actually by prescription ones} and then, taught me to make a sort of “kit” to make others and different ones for what comes ‘up’.
And through a very good nutritionist, I learn about Bach Flowers too and have them for a kit as well.
{I use Bach for animals alot for various reasons.}
I lived in the country and there was ALWAYS and animal in trouble :-) And they all “came to me” or were brought to me :-)
I could tame just about anything. I worked well with Foals too when they were needing to be “socialzed” and taught their first simple “manners”.
I brought out an Animal Chiropractor for a colt Arabian horse friends, were going to be putting down due to a very bad “gumpy” hip, from a momma’s kick after birth. Saved the Colt and he grew up Beautiful and normal. I worked for months with him. They’d spent alot of money in breeding. They were convinced:-)
I strive to the next level in healing. In almost anything. Tho it’s not helped much personally.
I Have simply Learned. And now I pass on what I know and might help to others. {a bad habit! LOL}
I have an Excellent Immunologist now {took me years to find him too, after many Idiots!} and we “maintain” my health.
Bach Flowers is easy to find for a Search in google or msn etc. With wonderful instructions and descriptions.
I recommend doing some reading. Maybe order a book and you can find the Bach Flowers in higher end Health food stores, who usually have a Nutritionist on duty.
I’ll see if I can hunt up the website for the Homeopathic Pharmacy in Madison and post it later.
They have a catalog. {but they also do RX’s too for physicians and compounding medications.}
Now I live in a different state and near the city.
Tho my Horse who is my Best medicine, is in the country at a Stables.
Homeopathy is nearer to the Earth, like Janet mentions. And I too believe tho we aren’t Perfect, we strive for it in health and need to re-think how we do that; begining with our “walk” on the earth and our bodies.
This is SO dangerous what we’ve all been sucked into.
The food chain is now involved. Perhaps when, and I’m sad to say it, MORE happens, the World or at least the USA will Wake up.
And I KNOW that, these Factories who sent that “Food” over here, KNOW just *exactly* WHAT, they are doing and doing to US and those we Love. Exactly.
There are Records and Repors of this çRAP going on to animals and humans in China for ***YEARS***!
What so now, the Ocean magically stops it from happening HERE, despite sending/shipping it Here??? They wish so Now! Or soon will.
Sorry, I’m rambling!
May 12th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
I switched our Dog to Innova by Natura after the first Royal Canin recalls. I researched their company and it looked really good. They use all human grade food made in the usa. Our dog was eating one of the Royal Canin blends that were not on the first recall list, but I switched him just in case and I guess it was a good thing cause his food just got recalled. Dirty Bastards.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Phyllis,
What is Trader Joes? I have never heard of it.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
so, if you don’t have a receipt or a bag, how and where can you return the product, just in case- thanks:)
May 12th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Sorry, hit the submit button by accident, I just repost and continue ;P
I read this on a post:
“I believe Menu makes some Wellness products as wellâ€
I just checked out a couple of web sites and it does confirmed it.
WOW That got me to thinking.
My Tabby cat 11 years 8 months was diagnose with bladder crystals August 2003. He had been on Wellness and a few treats. The Vet changed his diet to Hill’s x/d and we only gave him 4-6 tartar control treats a day.
I wonder if something was going on back then.
He was due for his yearly shots 1st of March. Seeing he was 15 years and 2 months did blood work.
“His protein levels are up old cats get renal problems†Aw Nuts!
He stayed at the Vets for 4 days, fluid therapy and another blood work. “He’s responding to fluid therapy, could you continue at home?â€
Well I got about 2/3 of the fluid in him, and the rest on him, me and the rest of the house. I know he was starting to feel better, before he left the Vet’s he was giving the tech’s a run for their money. It took two weeks in March, after coming home from the Vet’s, before he got back into his old routine again. Looking out the window early morning, getting on my bed when I got up. Pacing for his 4 o’clock treats. Meowing during the night, etc.
The Vet sent him home with RC kidney diet, “he like it cold here” well he wouldn’t touch it. Well the stress of being at the Vet and all, I figured. Gave him a little of the old x/d. After 2 days I called the Vet. We got Hills k/d, he ate that can that night like he was starving.
Next day I got more of the canned k/d and dry. He ate the dry but not the canned, it had a different colored cover.
Called the company, what he ate before was Chicken, so took the regular back and got the chicken. Seems some cat’s won’t eat the regular. He has been on this since March and seems like his old self again. Will be going to the Vet to check the blood work to see how he’s doing next week.
Funny thing this grain & gluten business, I’m wheat & gluten sensitive, close to Celiac. I have been more strict with my diet since 2004, I was cheating too much and lost 16 lbs, not good, I’m thin to begin with. In March I notice a reaction I was starting to have, eating wheat free gluten free toaster waffles, so I started to make my own like my pancakes. No more problem and a slight discomfort I had on my lower left side has gone. Only thing about those toaster waffles they were made with rice & soy. I wonder if I’m getting an intolerance to soy or could it be releated?
May 12th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Genny, they probably just toss all the dead rats in the pet food to raise the protein level.
May 12th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Oh Yeah…blah blah blah yada yada yada, My Own opinions :-þ
I forgot!
May 12th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Homeopathy is powerful and unless my guts would be sitting in the middle of the streets, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere traditional medicine. Getting saliva and urine tested and all the different ways they have of working with your body in both science and the intuitiveness of the body is how I stay healthy. Parasitic and colon cleanses are part of my maintenance. And I agree about staying close to the earth. We eat far too many things we don’t need, just want. The whole pet food debacle is opening our eyes to many things and the vitamin industry is just the same. Cranking out pills for companys who know how to market. So many times, just the same garbage.
This is so much like watching New Orleans unfold and thinking #%$# this is my country?!?!? They have been left in the lurch in many ways but I’m hoping with this affecting the entire country the ground surge will make a difference. The ONLY good thing about these companys holding back on their recalls is that is keeps the issues fresh and harder to ignore. I’m sure there will be more. I’m just so sorry to the pet parents whose friends were the martyrs to help many in the future.
Keep printing out itchmo to share - good idea to just leave the sheets sitting on top of food at the larger pet food department store places and hope someone finds and uses them. We can still that can’t we? I was talking to a grocery cashier yesterday who thought it was still only 16 animals. Boy, did we talk!!
May 12th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Helen,
So twisted but hilarious….and probably true. Hey, their profit margins go up with free additives.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Genny, they probably leave the door open at night so they can collect free rats to poison and toss in the food.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Helen,
STOP IT !!!! ( ;
May 12th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Melamine seems to be a big issue (AND IT IS) however, the Cyanuric Acid appears to be found in higher levels.
http://www.avma.org/press/rele.....recall.asp
Analysis of the crystals in the kidneys of affected animals have revealed that they are approximately 70 percent cyanuric acid and 30 percent melamine, and are extremely insoluble. Furthermore, tests mixing melamine and cyanuric acid in samples of cat urine resulted in almost immediate formation of crystals that were identical to crystals found in the kidneys of affected animals. Two other melamine- related substances—ammelide and ammeline—may also play roles and are under investigation.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Genny, =:O Sorry. I keep thinking I am being sarcastic and then realize every icky thing I think up is already in the pet food. >:(
May 12th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Martin:
I worked in animal industry and know for a fact that some companies, like Science Diet, give prizes to doctors for selling the most product. Walthams used to do the same but I’m not sure if they still do. I also worked at a place that did a food study on a group of dogs for a pet food company that I’d rather not name. It wasn’t anything horrible like you see on Iamscruelty.com but it was the pet food company’s way of writing a check for the work to be done on someone else’s animals. Point is, it’s all shady and unless your vet is a close friend I wouldn’t trust them too much.
Everyone should go with their gut and do regular blood work or urinalysis to make sure they’ re on the right path.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
Helen,
A cynical sense of humor is a good thing. I try to laugh to keep from crying.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Hi April, I’ve done it before some with and without receipts. Just take in the food where you purchase it. And, explain niely that ue to the Recalls {or if your pet is having food issues nw} you’d like to return the unused portion and have your money back.
Tell them no amount of attempted convincing will change your mind. That, You can not trust commercial foods right now.
Many companies have a “guarentee” on the bags or cans. Do you see any? If it there then point that out to the store clercks. IF the clercks are a problem, ask for the manager or owner.
Right now, stores ARE taking foods back. And giving money back DUE To the recalls. They want your “future” business. :-P
IF that Fails. Call the Food company and ask them for a Refund and how to get it. Heck, ask THEM to Call the store and issue a refund by order from them.
Remember: No amount of convincing will work.! :-)
Hope that helps.
May 12th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
To Rose RE: Life’s Abundance
The food you’re recommending is HealthyPetNet’s Life’s Abundance. I have just ordered this food for my cat. I won’t order their wet food because it is made in a Menu plant. The dry looks good (and my cat gobbled up the sample), however, I still have concerns about this company. I sent them an e-mail asking if their ingredients were grown/raised in the US. They sent me back a ridiculous marketing form letter. I have e-mailed again, being very forthright about my concerns. Their manufacturer of dry food, Ohio Pet Foods, says on their website that all grains are grown in the US. I have asked HPN if they use OPF’s inventory of ingredients, or do they use their own suppliers. When I get a response, I’ll post the thread here. I want to like this company, but if they are going to hide behind marketing letters citing “proprietary info” I’m not going to continue with them.
May 13th, 2007 at 1:41 am
I have grace concerns re the recalls as many of the foods here in Australia are imported from the USA They are mainly sold by the vets and nothing has been done to inform the public of the probability of the likelyhood of contaminated food being sold for their much loved pets We also do not know if any of the ingredient with the false protein level has made its way to Australia The American companies should let us know if any of the foods have been exported to other countries
I thank Itchmo for keeping us informed
May 13th, 2007 at 2:12 am
I read this article about how cats NEED moisture with their food and feeding them dry food actually isn’t the best for them. Wet food is. Of course what you do feed your cats is up to you, but this article is VERY imformative so I thought I’d put the link up here for you all to read.
I have two cats though and one is addicted to dry food and she’s getting old so I don’t really want to stress her out by trying to get her to eat wet food. It’s hard enough trying to wean her off of Purina to Whiskas.
I just thought you all would like to read the article anyway, since so many of you are asking for information. Here is the link.
http://www.catinfo.org/#Learn_.....ient_Label
I myself will NOT feed my cats raw meat. Even the ASPCA doesn’t recommend it. There are some parasites and diseases they can get from it.
Again this is only my opinion. What you feed your cat is up to you. Just trying to keep up with the information giving.
Whiskers is a very picky eater herself, so I know the horrors of trying to get a kitty to eat good food when all they want is the junk. It’s really hard!
May 13th, 2007 at 2:19 am
Genny I think it is Karen who owes me the apology. She was trying to get me to go to the store, return the food I have, then go out and buy the food she recommended, and then acted like I didn’t care about my cats if I didn’t do so. She was extremely forceful which I did not appreciate, and even when I was obviously getting upset, she kept going. I think that can count as harrassment.
You are entitled to your opinion, as I am entitled to mine. I do not have to talk or listen to anyone I do not wish to.
May 13th, 2007 at 2:21 am
By the way it was to Karen I didn’t want to talk to anymore Genny, and I will not get into this with you. I have my rights.
May 13th, 2007 at 5:37 am
Mandy,
**IMO** you are displaying a very immature and nasty attitude towards people who are truly only TRYING to offer suggestions to help you. NOWHERE did Karen say you did not love your cats. NOWHERE was she MANDATING that you feed a certain food. NOWHERE was she saying you ABSOLUTELY MUST return the cat food.
Please go back and read her posts. Then read them again until you “get it”. She was merely offering you suggestions because you were whining about all your problems and what to safely feed your cats. If reading helpful infomation upsets you so terribly perhaps you shouldn’t be reading any of these blogs.
Since *YOU* stated your concern about products from China (isn’t that why we are all here?) and Karen told you Whiskas used them, again trying to be helpful and enlighten you to the fact that it’s mostly junk - same as the most others - you copped an ugly attitude towards her. No, Sweetie, I don’t think she owes you any appology. If anything, you should THANK HER for TRYING to help you with all her suggestions since you she obviously want get an appology out of you.
If you think what Karen did, offering helpful suggestions, “can count as harrassment” (oh, puh-leaze!) it’s no mystery why you have no friends.
……just my entitled opinion.
May 13th, 2007 at 5:42 am
Genny you and Karen are the only two people I have had any problems with on Itchmo whatsoever. I am choosing to ignore anything else you have to say. You are being insulting for no reason whatsoever and I will not take that. You do not have to insult someone to try to get your point across.
If anyone is being immature and having a nasty attitude here, it is you. So this is goodbye to you from me. To everyone else, hello and good morning.
May 13th, 2007 at 5:42 am
Mandy,
I’ve been following your conversations in this thread and just decided to speak up.
You certainly do have a right to pick and choose whose ideas you will follow up on. But
from where I sit, Karen was only trying to help, not trying to *force* you into anything.
Take Karen’s help or ignore it - that is your right, but please stop saying Karen was trying
to *force* something upon you. I just don’t see it that way.
May 13th, 2007 at 5:47 am
Mary Smith, when someone continues to try to get you to see things their way, that is trying to force them. That is all I am going to say about it. Period.
May 13th, 2007 at 5:49 am
Mandy = IGNORE
Mary Smith - Thank you. Exactly. I don’t know Karen but I can’t sit by and read Mandy be so rude to someone who is only trying to be helpful. Pitiful.
May 13th, 2007 at 5:49 am
Mandy, you were upset because I DIDN’T AGREE WITH YOU!!
There is a difference. I don’t let my problems drag me down. I’ve dug myself out of homelessness, w/o car, and managed to obtain apartment, car - while having various medical conditions - all while maintaining my cats (I payed someone from my disability to take care of the cats while I was homeless for 5 months - but I had regular visitations).
I post on many forums - Cingular, EBays Discussion Forums (stay away from the Paypal and T&S boards - you would definitely be under stress then ;-). People disagree. Its not a crime, I was just pointing out better alternatives (I found a way - I was hoping to just enlighten a little bit).
You have a good day.
May 13th, 2007 at 5:59 am
Karen, I was upset because I am not going to dump the food I have and run out to buy everything everyone suggests I buy. Karen it was obvious I was getting upset but you kept trying to press your point anyway. The only reason I even said so much about my life is because I was trying to point out to you the difficulty I would have trying to always get something new. I told you to back off because you just would NOT stop.
You can all be immature and insult and ignore me if you wish. I don’t care. It is more rude to keep going at someone then for a person to tell you to back off when that person is obviously getting very upset.
Ganging up on a person with depression problems? How juvenile. If I have to I will simply go to a different thread.
Now I no longer wish to talk about this. You can all keep bringing it up if you wish, but I’m done. My opinion is different from yours. I see things the way I see it, and I am not changing my mind. I do not take being ganged up on, and people have e-mailed ME to apologize about YOUR behavior.
May 13th, 2007 at 6:06 am
This is a discussion thread. Its not a group meeting, with therapist. It is not a substitute for life. You’re the one that keeps insulting me, I haven’t called you a single name. No Juvenile (and yes, I have depression from 24 years of a neurologic disorder).
What I will say, is that you are using your condition as an excuse for everything. I don’t. I try to do. I didn’t even call you a whiner (okay, this has got to stop). You seem to want to goad me - but I will not be thrashed continuously at 47 by a yungin with the need for adaptation.
May 13th, 2007 at 6:17 am
Karen,
What a wonderful story! I’m so happy you managed to pull youself out of a very depressing and surely frightful situation. What you must have sacrificed for your cats and how you must have missed not having them with you to comfort you through that journey. What we do for them!
I knew there was a reason I felt strongly compelled to cheer you on before. I just didn’t know what that reason was.
That’s no joke about Ebay’s Paypal Discussion Boards, eh. Pretty scary stuff on that one.
You have a wonderful Mother’s Day!
May 13th, 2007 at 6:21 am
*Just ignores Karen and will from now on.*
Everyone I apologize for all the arguing. I am stopping it right now. If anyone else wants to argue, they can argue with themselves. Moving on.
Did anyone ever find the safe food list that the ASPCA approved of? If so, I’d be very greatful if they could post the link. I know other people were trying to find it too.
May 13th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Okay, you may ignore.
But here is the list that everyone is talking about (it is not on the ASPCA site - the Pet Food FAQ is sponsored by Iams, so they can’t objectively compile a list without stepping on some toes).
The food is in three lists: The Red lists companies with Recalls, the black not. They include manufacturers, etc.
http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/
May 13th, 2007 at 7:13 am
This is a little bit long, but I’m just trying to find a good safe wholesome food for my 3 Dobermans. I am looking at Orijen. I can have it shipped to me. I have listed all ingredients, what do you think????? Please I need feedback as I don’t know which way to turn at this point……..
Instead of grain, ORIJEN contains a full complement of regional fruits and vegetables (minimum 30%) that supply important natural antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Chicken, flax, sunflower, salmon and anchovy oils provide the essential fatty acids that dogs cannot produce themselves (including DHA and EPA) and are so important to nutritionally support the development of cell membranes, immune systems and a vibrant skin and hair coat.
Bridging the gap between good nutrition and total physical well-being, ORIJEN Adult contains native botanicals that include marshmallow, burdock and chicory root, stinging nettle and milk thistle,— all of which replicate the natural canine diet and help to soothe, nourish and tone the digestive tract, strengthen the liver and control insulin levels.
Check our ingredients and we think you’ll agree: Biologically Appropriate ORIJEN is a natural and delicious way to ensure the health and vitality of your Adult dog - no matter what his breed, age or size.
Ingredients:
Fresh Regional Ingredients - Fresh chicken meat, chicken meal (low ash), turkey meal, steamed russet potato, fresh-caught Northern Whitefish, chicken fat, fresh whole eggs, salmon meal, salmon and anchovy oils, tapioca, chicken broth, sunflower oil, flaxseed, Atlantic kelp, steamed carrots, spinach, peas and tomatoes, sun-cured alfalfa, apple fiber, psyllium seed, rosemary extract, yeast extract (MOS), glucosamine HCl, cranberries, black currants, chondroitin sulfate.
Tonic Herbs and Botanicals - Chicory, burdock and marshmallow root (FOS), rosehips, stinging nettle, marigold flowers, L-carnitine, fennel seed, chamomile flowers, milk thistle, chickweed, summer savory.
Organic Minerals - Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.
Probiotic Microorganisms - Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium (B. bifidus), Saccharomyces (S. boulardii).
Premium Vitamins - Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, pyridoxine (source of vitamin B6).
Guaranteed Analysis
Protein 40.0% (min.)
Fat 16.0% (max.)
Carbohydrate 16.0% (min.)
Moisture 10.0% (max.)
Fiber 3.0% (max.)
Calcium 1.6% (min.)
Phosphorus 1.4% (min.)
Omega-6 2.0% (min.)
Omega-3 0.7% (min.)
Glucosamine 500 mg/kg (min.)
Chondroitin 150 mg/kg (min.)
Microorganisms 40M cfu/kg Botanical Inclusions
Marshmallow root 500 mg/kg
Chicory root 500 mg/kg
Stinging nettle 400 mg/kg
Burdock root 350 mg/kg
Fennel seed 300 mg/kg
Marigold flowers 300 mg/kg
Chamomile flowers 300 mg/kg
Milk thistle 200 mg/kg
Summer savory 150 mg/kg
Chickweed 150 mg/kg
May 13th, 2007 at 7:46 am
IS PURINIA DRY CAT FOOD IS IT SAFE FOR MY FOUR SWEET CATS?
IS PURNIA DRY DOG FOOD SAFE FOR MY DOG?
PLEAS ANWERS MY QUESTION.
May 13th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Chloe - here is the Purina link. USA has had some recalls; not Canada it seems. Not sure where you live.
http://purina.com/
May 13th, 2007 at 8:16 am
A lot of people have been saying that Purina made their pets sick, even the ones not on the recall. I took my cats off Purina because it was making one of them throw up regularly, and I got worried. I do know though, that not all pets react the same to the same foods.
I can’t honestly tell you if it’s safe or not, I’m sorry. I just know that it isn’t right for MY cats.
Sometimes pets are allergic to an ingredient in the food, or something. Sometimes the food might just be bad. I don’t know. I DO know that people have said when their pets got sick, they called Purina and were given evasive answers, and that Purina buys grains from China to put in their foods.
I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful than that. Really no matter what anyone says in the end we all have to make the choice what we feed our fur babies. It’s a very scary time for pet owners right now.
May 13th, 2007 at 8:47 am
Good Morning!! This recall situation is nerve racking to say the lease for two reasons: 1. Just when you think its over, they roll out another recall, so there fore it leads one two believe nothing on the “non-recalled” list is safe. 2. Everyone feels that what they are feeding is better, safer, etc, which leads to more confusion. These people are correct. People have done their research, found out what is safe, and what their pets like, and food ABC is working for them. I have had bad experiences with Purina which I fed for years. Doggybling and howl911 have more info on that. The best we can all do is research the foods and call the companies the besgt that we can. Then see which of their foods your animal will eat. Becasue if they aren’t going to eat it, whay buy it. If you have a cat like mine, make an administrative decision and disguise it under tuna flakes until she gets used to it. Hope this helps…
May 13th, 2007 at 9:03 am
I have been watching this thread and notice a post referring to liver failure.
I had a part Siamese kitten die in January due to her liver failing. She was barely a year old.
Her diet was Purina One Kitten and Whiskas in the pouch. (I didn’t know about the grains being so bad for cats at the time.) The vet assumed she had feline leukemia…didn’t do the test and gave her a week to live… that was in early November. She was kept inside and not exposed to other cats. If it was leukemia it had to be passed from the mother.
I started her on herbs for her liver. Dandelion root, Milk thistle, Burdock root, Artichoke, Kelp, and Peppermint. It is a compound called Liver Blend from Solaray for people. Some of the time I only used the pure Milk thistle, which is great for liver problems.
She really started to turn around, her appetite improved…(it was a hard to get her to eat anything) and she started to play again. The vet couldn’t believe the results.
I had started buying all types of wet food hoping to find something she would like and later found out about the recall.
In January the end was near. Within days her blue eyes turned bright yellow and she felt bad. Severe jaundice. I took her in and had her put to sleep. I will never know for sure if it was the food and I should have insisted the test for leukemia have been done. I am sure the food played a roll in her death.
Thanks to all the people that have posted about cat nutrition! I have learned so much about foods for cats. I will never feed cats the same as before.
Thanks to Itchmo for doing such a great job of informing all of us.
May 13th, 2007 at 9:24 am
chloe,
Here is a link to Itchmo’s forum where Purina is discussed. You may find the information you want in that thread or you can post your questions there.
itchmoforums.com > Pet Health Questions > Your Problems with
Pet Food > Purina Friskies and Fancy Feast
http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?topic=200.0
May 13th, 2007 at 9:32 am
chloe,
My post just went off to who knows where - here is the link to a thread at Itchmo’s forums that discusses Purinia:
Purina Friskies and Fancy Feast
http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?topic=200.0
May 13th, 2007 at 11:26 am
I have been watching this thread and notice a post referring to liver failure.
I had a part Siamese kitten die in January due to her liver failing. She was barely a year old.
Her diet was Purina One Kitten and Whiskas in the pouch. (I didn’t know about the grains being so bad for cats at the time.) The vet assumed she had feline leukemia…didn’t do the test and gave her a week to live… that was in early November.
I might also add that she was strictly an inside cat and if she had leukemia it must have come from her mother.
I started her on herbs for her liver. Dandelion root, Milk thistle, Burdock root, Artichoke, Kelp, and Peppermint. It is a compound called Liver Blend from Solaray for people. Some of the time I only used the pure Milk thistle, which is great for liver problems.
She really started to turn around, her appetite improved…(it was a hard to get her to eat anything) and she started to play again. The vet couldn’t believe the results.
I had started buying all types of wet food hoping to find something she would like and later found out about the recall.
In January the end was near. Within days her blue eyes turned bright yellow and she felt bad. Severe jaundice. I took her in and had her put to sleep. I will never know for sure if it was the food and I should have insisted the test for leukemia have been done. I am sure the food played a roll in her death.
Thanks to all the people that have posted about cat nutrition! I have learned so much about foods for cats. I will never feed cats the same as before.
Thanks to Itchmo for doing such a great job of informing all of us.
May 13th, 2007 at 11:47 am
petslave & martin,
Thank you for your input. It’s very helpful.
I bought Life’s Abundance for my cats. They really don’t like the can food. They did taste it, but only one will eat it and yes I do know it’s my menu food & that made me nervous but I was looking at the ing. 3 out of 4 love the dry food. I have just gotten Innova, Evo and calif. natural. I’m having a hard time trying to switch them over.
phyllis,
Thanks for web site again. Yeaterday I was able to find the Common Juniper at a natural pet food shop. I’m trying it for my fuzzy kids.
Ann,
Thanks for the advise. I’ll try that today. I hope this helps them to eat it.
May 13th, 2007 at 11:47 am
kidney failure is linked to melemine & cyanuric acid. I see many posts about liver failure. Is there something else in these foods that would cause liver problems?
May 13th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Jessica,
I’ll try your idea about the oils also. Thanks for the ideas folks!
Martin,
I’ve been reading the same thing. I’m surprised that didn’t show up sooner. The kidneys should take out toxins, but I guess if it’s too much the kidneys can’t handle it and problems come up . I can see how that happens. Kidneys can only do so much.
May 13th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Martin,
I believe that the problems with the pet food are for many and varied reasons. They are not the same for every food that has and has not been recalled. Some blame it to wheat gluten that came from genetically engineered/transgenic/GM plants.
Who really knows! I just wish that the government would give the power and money to someone so that this food crisis could be a thing of the past.
May 13th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Martin: What I know about this is that every few days someone pops up and says their pet had liver failure rather than kidney failure after having eaten either recalled food or food that has not been recalled but has received excessive complaints. If these chemical cocktails in the food are causing liver failure and internal bleeding, similar to rat poison, the exact cause has not been found and to my knowledge is not even being looked at. We know melamine & cyanuric acid combine to form lethal crystals in the kidneys, but we do not know what other effects these chemicals are producing. The FDA is all about obsessing on the melamine and pretty much seeming to ignore the other contaminants found. I worry that when all the lawsuits get in high gear, the people whose pets died of liver failure or became very ill from it will be ignored in their complaints it was from the food. I still think the pet parents with a liver diagnosis should start a thread in the forum for liver effects and see what the response is. Since it got pretty adamant in this thread, I am hoping more people who have pets with liver problems and suspect the food will continue to speak up and talk to each other.
May 13th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
helen I started using emu oil after I ended up on IV antibiotics from diverticulitis. I was told one more major episode and they remove part of my colon. So I searched the net for anything to help. Saw someone using emu oil to control Crohn’s disease because it is anti inflammatory.
Then I researched people who sell emu on the internet. There are so many resellers I settled on one that raises emus and refines his own oil. Simply out of fear of getting the big intestinal infection I decided refined was safest. lbemu also gave a detailed history described how they started refining, and their process and shows a picture of the facilities and shows some studies comparing refined to unrefined
Unrefined might be just as good but I am ultra careful because of my condition. Other sellers might be as good but since I haven’t had an infection with lbemu I don’t rock the boat.
The emu helps me a lot. I gave it to my kitties on a whim. It was so good calming them I kept doing it for the nutrition. All this time they were getting recalled IAMs, Nutro. When I ran out of emu my guy had his first attack in a long time. Back on emu he cleared up. Run out again and in a week he was in pain.
I still owe big bucks for the big guy’s vet bills so I never miss a dose
Emu is similar to fish oils. The Himi craves it. She eats it off my hands. The other two tolerate it. I cut the tough capsule with scissors and squirt it into their mouths.
Was the emu treating the blockage or interfering with melamine in their food from forming crystals? That is a good question to consider as I look at my vet bills
May 13th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Hello all.
I have a request for opinions or ideas only. Please dont direct me to websites or recipes because i’ve read them all trust me.
I’m on the fence right now between trying Merrik, evangers and frozen raw from the heath store, or making my own(ive already made a small fresh fish batch with powdered egshells that is going over pretty well. my one cat wont touch the fancy feast now after just 2 days of the fish mix my other wants his ff but im working on him.
I had a hard time finding a butcher who would help me out but i did, 45 mins away.
i just want to know how this sounds to the raw feeders who visit this site.
I’ll make my own fish flavors since i can pound eggshells in a ziplock bag into powder no problem, i also added 1 egg and one yolk to a big bowl of salmon, sole and cod fillets( all wild caught, bought months ago in vacum packed freezer fillets) i hand shredded. i powdered the 2 eggshells into the mix and just a handful of kibble to soak up the fish broth and eggs . Fish and eggs are both high in taurine so i wasnt worried about that in the fish mix.
For the meat i can have a few batches ground with bone and organ meat at the butcher and frezze portions out. 1 beef mix with organ meats, one poultry, chix, turkey or whatever else they may have , and one game type like lamb and whatever else they have. as long as they have the bonemeal in it and organ meat it should be fine, right? and since they will get plenty of omega 3 fatty fish as well they should be balanced i think.
If this isn’t an ok way to home feed i’ll have to go canned. i dont have a food processor and cannot afford the kind that will ground bones. I also dont want to use a bunch of supplements since i don’t trust them and the whole home chemist thing scares me. i’m afraid i’ll od them or they will still get fillers that way.
what do you all think?
May 13th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
I feed my cat Artemis Feline Fresh Mix. She is very picky with her dry food, so even before all this recall crap, I was constantly trying to find something healthy, that she would eat. Nothing from Artemis is on the recall list, and she LOVES it! Holistic food, no animal testing either! The store I get all my pet food from has been doing a lot of research, and only sells the best food. I picked the Artemis after trying so many she wouldn’t eat. The owners of the store told me they have recommended it to anyone who’s cat was a picky eater, and never once had a bag returned! They took ALL the Natural Balance off the shelves after a few were added to the recall list. My dogs get Wellness. Another good food not on any recall list.
http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/
http://www.artemiscompany.com/index.asp?kind=cat
May 13th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
e wem, Thank you for restating your story. My memory is getting overloaded trying to keep track of who contributed what and when, and I really do try to keep reminding of anything that has shown to help. I’m going to get some for my cat to help protect her from future food problems. I hope it works. Thanks also for the info on your source. Finding a safe source of anything on the internet is very difficult, as shown by the pet food manufacturers’ websites.
May 13th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Here is an article talking about LIVER and KIDNEY problems relating to genetically modified corn. Food for thought. Yikes.
http://www.organicconsumers.or.....e_4790.cfm
May 13th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
i switched to canidae and felidae after alot of research- good stuff check it out!
http://canidae.com/
May 13th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Any word on the Royal Canin brand cat food? I am feeding my cats the Persian. Is this still safe to feed, as far as we know at this particular moment?
May 13th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Well since this recall started, I’ve been doing some serious thinking. I’ve tried to feed my pets & family healthy but with so much coming out about additives in our food that we didn’t know about, I don’t think I can feed any of us healthy with commercial foods. I spent the afternoon doing a little local research. I found a local farm that sells fresh organic veggies and eggs and a place within driving distance that has grass-fed beef, pork and poultry. The farm makes up boxes weekly of assorted veggie that they have that particular week plus a dozen eggs. They have a waiting list so I called today and got on it. Tomorrow I plan to call and order meat. It will be more expensive than running to my local grocery store but I’ll be supporting local grower and I’ll have the peace of mind that I’m not feeding my family unknown poisons from who knows where. Big business only understands money and I plan to start spending mine on American products.
May 13th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Lee Evans: Who knows if it is safe. RC waited so long to issue their current recalls, I wouldn’t trust any of their food right now. Who knows if they will recall some more of it next Friday night? Just my opinion. Hope your cats don’t get sick.
May 13th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Hi Kellie, I think that sounds like a Good diet for them. I’d make just one suggestion and maybe it’s just me, but I’d recommend getting or using a small electric coffee grinder, for the egg shells. It would do a much better and faster job than, the bag and pounding method. Would make an absolute ‘powder’. Better digestive absorption.
I use an Electric coffee grinder for my herbs and such and a Different one for my Coffee.
You might also for variety, try some cooked Lamb or Turkey some time.
Just thought I’d pass along my thoughts on you questions.
Sounds like you’ve done a Good job!
May 13th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
When doing research with various medical studies on Kidney Failure in Humans (this was about 5 days before they came out with the additional substances of cyanuric acid, etc. - which were all meltdown by-products of melamine - also the Urea used to create Melamine).
Anyway, found out the part of the chemical combo here is related to (if you follow the wiki links, and understand biochemistry - it helps ;-) a byproduct of amnitriptomen - which explained why they found it originally - noone was looking for melamine at the time.
I think on the whole, if the kidneys didn’t get you, the liver would (depending on the cocktail described above). In this scenario, dogs would more likely be affected than cats.
I posted this info on the Animal Board on EBay (one of the many threads on the subject that has fallen off). What I did say is the research took me about 6 hours on the web. My comment was - why the H**L was it taking these guys so long to figure it out?
And of course, they will not mention all the side effects other than the acute Renal Failure - but there has got to be some. You can’t cause a biochemical reaction in an animal without something going awry.
May 13th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Today, while in another town to take my mother out to brunch, I stopped at a pet store near her home. They had a limited selection of cat food, but all were what would be considered premium brands. The only two that interested me were the Felidae dry and Serengeti (Timberwolf Organics). Another woman was looking at the cat food and had chosen a bag of Royal Canin. I updated her on the pet food recall, and she put the bag back. We both left with a bag of Serengeti. The info I have read about them on their website and on thepetfoodlist.com is impressive. Has anyone here fed the Serengeti to their cats?
May 13th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Helen: Royal Canin says they haven’t had any illness or deaths from their foods, and voluntarily withdrew it when traces of melamine (don’t they make plastic dinnerware out of that stuff??) were found. The Chairman of the Board says he is not buying any veggies from China any longer. So I feel they waited so long because they had no reason to act more quickly — you don’t remove food from the market unless you have reason to believe it is tainted.
May 13th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
YaYa, thanks for responding with links and for the welcome!
Sharon, the who-makes-what link info was incredibly helpful, thank you. It’s also comforting to know that I’m not the only one feeding a product from this manufacturer.
>>Hi CJL, I have heard of Bench and Fields dog food. I feed my 3 dogs Eagle Pack, and found that Bench and Fields dry dog food is made by them. I found www.petsitusa.com very helpful in determining who makes what - hope that helps.
May 13th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
I fed a bag of Serengeti earlier in the year. I’ve been feeding all the no-grain formulas for my cats for a year up until the recall. It seemed OK & the cats ate it, but weren’t terribly enthusiastic. It’s along the lines of Innova EVO, but with many more of the ‘goodie’ ingredients like blueberries & such.
I think a lot of that stuff is added to attract us to the product. I worry about having sooo many of those pretty specialty ingredients because if your pet is having any kind of food allergies, it’s hard to figure out which of the 1000 ingredients it is. Probably not as much of a concern with cats, but I fed my dogs 2 bags of their dog food & they had some of the allergies flare up a little on them, so quit using it for them.
I opted not to buy the Serengeti again for the cats because I had to drive over an hour for the nearest store that carries it, & the Evo & Nature’s Recipe were more locally available. Also didn’t see any difference in my cats’ health between it & Evo. Now I don’t think I would feed it because their food is supposedly made in the Chenango plant in the NE, which had the cross contamination issues recently. They don’t state that plant as the one they use, but they do say a private company in the NE makes their food on the website (or they did a few months ago). Diamond used to make their dry but they switched a while back after some Diamond disaster.
At my house, the world of commercial pet food is currently constricted all the way down to canned Felidae/Canidae, with home feeding in between.
May 13th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHOSE CAT OR DOG IS SICK OR DECEASED AND LIVER FAILURE/BLEEDOUT (INTERNAL HEMORRHAGE) IS/WAS DIAGNOSED:
I am trying to gather information on this subject for all animals presenting these symptoms between last November and now in relation to the pet food recall situation. Please email me (janet.ross@hotmail.com) with your history if applicable.
Many thanks. Sorry I was not posting today. Reading all now…
May 13th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Re: liver failure in cats.
The reason it becomes an emergency when cats go off their food for just a day or so, REGARDLESS of cause, is because they rapidly go into fatty liver syndrome as the liver tries to convert fat to make up for the lack of food and gets clogged with fat cells. Especially if the cat is overweight at all, even just a pound, like my Miaka was. Chances are it failed in the cats like mine because the cats stopped eating because of kidney problems, and the vets didn’t look beyond the liver failure for cause of death. Not to say that there probably ARE cats who died from their liver being poisoned, just putting forth that its a common happening.
I’ve had two cats die from it, the other being Miaka’s kitten who died at 2.5 years.
May 13th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Moony
So sorry for your loss - I believe that is why this particular problem is more prevalent in dogs than cats. 2.5 years is still a baby.
May 13th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Note: Shop.com advertising (they will be hard to block?) Royal Canin.
May 13th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Thanks Karen. Her kitten actually had something wrong with his backend for his entire life, but the vet never figured out exactly what (short of expensive tests). He went from tiny tiny kitten (with tiny mom), to 15+ pound butt-heavy lap slammer who’d get his front end on my lap but not his back end and usually leave me screaming as he tried to haul himself up with his giant claws. We went through two weeks of round the clock hell with him - stomach tube feeding and medication every 3 hours - and still lost him, and I didn’t want to put Miaka through that. Aside from the fact I couldn’t afford it, either. My Spike is still kicking, tho, despite apparent kidney damage.
May 13th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Martin –
Trader Joe’s is a gourmet food store that started in CA. They are now in various areas — even here in VA where I am visiting this week. Most of their products are healthier than the average, i.e. few items wih hydrogenated oils, fresh pesticide free produce, organic items etc. But I still read the labels!
May 13th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
YaYa — thanks for your post. I am interested in the homeopathic pharmacy site.
Norris — if you want we will send you some links for gluten free recipes to make yourself. I have a grandson and daughter with the disorder. She has learned a lot about eating and cooking gluten free. She even knows what restaruants have a gluten free menu. :o )
People who are sensitive to wheat often have problems with soy too, and with dairy. Dogs and cats are best off without soy. Soy blocks the action of the thyroid if you are hypothyroid. :o(
May 13th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
To the person with the rat poisoned cat/dog:
Sorry, I’ve read too many posts at once and can’t remember details. Didn’t you think it was Royal Canin food but you’d thrown away the leftovers? Check out Boot’s post above with the Dr Michael Fox web-site: he says RC recalled Rx food in early 2006 for toxic levels of vitamin D3, which acts in the body like rat poison!
May 14th, 2007 at 1:11 am
I’ll post some of the things I’ve found today, at least links AND the Homeopathy links too, Tomorrow. Thing is tomorrow it will probably be in a different thread :-O
This one has gotten Huge LOL
And will probably get bumped to the archived ones.
So probably post under something for dated the 14th.
I’ve been reading-up on something on how the liver handles “anticoagulants”, at least in dogs. It’s very interesting.
One thing right now I’ll post about this is: that it can take up to 6 months for the action of an anticoagulant to cease in the Liver of dogs.
You know so many breeds have things unique to them. For instance, I was told to Never give my SharPei aspirin. They can lose their Wrinkles if you do.
It made me think, that for some ‘reactions’ to these poisons that our pets have gotten in the foods; perhaps there might be something “breed specific” as to why, some were hit harder than another. Not only the Amount of poison they got. {it’s just a thought}
More tomorrow.
I hope you all had a Good Mother’s Day.
May 14th, 2007 at 8:08 am
I just finished reading the Vancouver Sun link (Monday 14th) regarding questionable pet food imported fm China. Tri-Natural in Ontario appears to distribute the Active Life wetfood I just started feeding my cats and was recommending in this very thread a few days ago. Tri-Natural’s president feels pet parents are subject to “hysteria”. Who wouldn’t be if they found out they were feeding their animals DDD-origin meat containing the avian flu, anthrax, hoof-in-mouth disease or mad cow fever? Wow.
May 14th, 2007 at 9:09 am
To Lynn u asked about the orijen dry food….i switched my 4 labs to it a few weeks ago..the are doing well on it..shinny coats, energy….no problems getting them to eat it they love it…but u should cut the amount back by 25% due to the high protein content…….and lanie if your out there thanks for the info on halo doggie stew, found out it is made not far from me and i checked the ingredients lists , watched the videos, made a call, bought it and my dogs totally love it
May 14th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Lee Evans: My own experience makes me doubt. I was told by pet food company “X” that their food was perfectly safe after I contacted them to tell them it made my cat sick. They did not accept my complaint, and they have still not recalled their food, and I have read numerous reports of same food making many pets sick or dead. They know their food is apparently causing serious harm and won’t recall it. Many people have had similar responses from other pet food companies. I only made that comment, not to scare you, but to point out that these pet food companies are being far less than honest with us.
May 14th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Mandy, We have fed our three kitties Whiskas dry for a long time and they are okay so far. We are now also feeding Innova dry. We offer them two or three choices all the time. I think that has saved us so far–I know of several instances where a kitty suddenly started rejecting a food she had liked, and it later was recalled. Any food ours reject is removed–and they have a choice.
May 14th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
since the pet food recall ( first story in early March )
i have stopped feeding my dogs “any pet food” regardless of list, or product. i learned from the top breeders in Europe who always said pet food is nothing but “crap” that we do not use for human consumption, so why would we feed our pets this stuff.?
i feed my own home cooked pet food, and just came back from my vet who was giving my dogs the yearly shots. He commented that my dogs teeth are fabulous ( never clean them, just feed them natural home cooked food ) and they do not have weight problem, or fleas,,,,,and i do not give them any products to keep fleas off, other than my own home remedy,,,,lots of fresh garlic.
not only are my dogs the healthiest that they have ever been, it is cheaper, safer, and most of all, its food Us Humans can eat, and therefore, my dogs are in the same leaque as Humans in my house, and the pet food products out there, they can send it to ” all the Ceo”s of the industry to eat,,,,”
i will never buy another pet food product again.
i would suggest that all pet owners do the same, this is the best response we can give the industry.
Kindest Regards
Leslie
May 14th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Helen,
What was the pet food company you were referring to?
May 14th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Yes Helen, we name names here - that’s why they hate us! :D
May 14th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I think the short answer is as someone else suggested a few days ago.
Only buy products that are manufactured in the corporate owned factory, not outsourced to a third party.
However, how we establish that for certain?
Who knows - it seems like a lot of these companies are very very economical with the truth.
May 14th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Re the problems with soy—- does anyone know WHY all the chunk tuna in water now is actually packed in SOY broth instead of water???? Makes no sense to me!! The labels all still say tuna in water but if you read the ingredients the soy is revealed.
May 14th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Kellie, just read your post about your home-made cat food. May I ask, what do you add the eggshells for? I mean, what nutrient is added to the food from egg shells? I’m curious, I’ve never seen it in a cat food recipe before. Thanks! (PS - I always see bone meal tablets listed; where in the world do you buy them…?)
May 14th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Judy N, Moony: I have named the name repeatedly, though it was not part of my point on that post. I wasn’t trying to get everyone not to trust Company X, I wanted not trusting anything any of them have to say. By the way, it was Nutro dry food. Will never buy another product of theirs again even if they are 100% organic grown right here using human grade whatever. Nothing they could ever do will ever win be back because they denied my complaint and lied to me. They will not get another opportunity to do the same. (Oh yeah, and they made my cat sick, but say they didn’t)
May 14th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
EGB: The soy broth is probably just a cheap local source of canning salt for the location of the cannery. There are still many brands that don’t have it, Crown Prince being one, Natural Sea being another. Natural Sea claims wild caught, water and salt only. Costs an extra dollar a can and is packed in Thailand. Tastes good too. :) These brands are harder to find, and I will always check labels, as I never noticed when the soy appeared in the first place, and then I was of course livid.
May 14th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Thanks Phyllis (May 13th, 2007 at 10:02 pm)
Sorry to hear about the grand kids. I’ve learned a lot about eating and trying to cook gluten free, somethings results vary. But I still eat it ;P
I’d would like to know what restaurants have a gluten free menu. :o )
Interesting about problems with soy and that dogs and cats are best off it.
My 15 1/2 year old Orange and White Striped Tabby has been surely eating well. He’s waiting for is soft stuff now.
May 14th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Hi Norris
– I will have some information in a few minutes, my daughter is on the phone right now.
May 14th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Norris
Some Restaurants — PF Changs, McDonalds, Wendys,
e-mail me at pheephee35@yahoo.com and i will send you information on gluten free for humans. she is becoming an expert at it.
May 14th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
A topic we were discussing the other day was Innova Evo and whether it was safe for cats who had been dealing with crystals. I checked in with my friend who has been a vet for many, many years and I asked why my cats haven’t had a single urinary or crystal problem since I began Evo. She said, “Innova Evo is a mostly meat diet so he should have acid urine and the struvite crystals would dissolve… At least in the past we have always tried to make the urine acidic.” Now, my friend doesn’t see too many cats anymore, she sticks to dogs, but she goes to several confrences a year and is very up to date on treatments for all ailments. We are talking about struvite crystals here. I don’t know anything about oxalate.
May 14th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
SKL,
Egg shells are a natural source of calcium.
May 15th, 2007 at 8:05 am
Thanks, Jessica!
May 16th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
YaYa,
Was scanning thru everybody’s comments and I don’t know what I missed but I am so very interested in homeopathic and bach remedies and you seem so full of knowledge and so willing to share what you know. I tried a homeopathic vet two years ago for two of my cats and one remedy was arsenicum and another was phosphorous. I had to go to the vitamin shoppe to purchase because he said it would be cheaper. My bill was over a thousand dollars and he then informed me future calls to him regarding Topsy and Redhead would be $35.00 per half hour. I had to give him up. Unfortunately he is the only one around. The examination consisted looking at them and of his asking me questions re their likes and dislikes. The next day after much deliberation he told me the remedies to use. Topsy passed away from kidney failure and redhead did pick up slightly but he died recently of kidney failure also.
I do believe if I was able to afford him and he wasn’t so stingy with his info and money hungry I would have continued with him.. He did say I should give them ORganic chicken and meat and also olive oil every day and Vitamin B.drops. I keep buying books but I need to know the proper dosages and length of time they should be given.Homeopathy is easy to administer, but everything else impossible. I tried to read all the messages but way too many. Any info you can give me would be so appreciated.
Also you told Kellie to put eggshells in the food she is making?? Is that right?
Dr. Fox suggest bonemeal but never mentioned taurine. Dr. Martin Goldstein believes in Vit c, and he cooks for his dogs and cats and eats same thing with them. I followed dr. fox’s recipe with rice - my cats hated it and I threw it out. Tried veggies, etc per Dr. goldstein - I threw it out. Now I just boil the ground turkey with some parsley or spinach in organic chicken or vegetable broth and what they like the best is beef stew and then I shred the chunks and cut a litle more, but had to stop with the rice and veggies.
I do keep some cans they are not too happy with - Wellness, Paul Neuman, Merrick (pure mush_ and now pet promise and someone said Purina was involved. I called them and they said they needed purina’s facilities because they are a small company./farm and are expandng now. I know purina had a dog kibble recalled. supposedly friskies and fancy feast are not made at menu but still garbage.
I give very little dry for a snack. Wellness I find are too big but I give it to them and Trader Joe sells benchfield. Who know they say they use real chicken humanely farmed. and there is another I tried “chicken soup”?
Anyway, could you tell me a little more about homeopathy and eggshells and herbs. Thanks a million.
May 16th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Dorothy –
I dont have much time tonite but I will tell you what I can. My cat died of CRF failure last summer, but the common juniper tincture and fig tree seemed to help her a lot. I actually consulted my naturopath first about detoxifying the kidneys (common juniper by Dolisos — it is clear, and made from the young shoots only), and then I wrote to Dr. Blake at thepetwhisperer.com.
I wrote:
Hi Dr Blake
I have used Gemmotherapy for several years so am familiar with the products and the good they can do.
What do you recommend for de-toxifying the kidneys in light of the present pet food recall?
My trwo cats are taking common juniper 5 drops a day in their water, and fig tree (same) and Rowan Tree — the last is for icky eyes.
Phyllis Shamoon
Here is what he said:
This is a good choice but no more than 6 weeks at one time. OAO Dr Blake
All I ask in return is you share my web site with three other people or lists and ask them to do the same.
He actually lists my naturopath on his site! Any way, the program is called Gemmotherapy and Dolisos (now owned by Boiron) and Unda make these.
I suggest you look up gemmotherapy online (oligotherapy is with trace minerals) and also read what is on thepetwhisperer.com.
I agree your homeopathic vet sounds expensive, but most homeopaths spend more time with you than a regular doctor or vet, so when you figure he could be seeing 8 patients an hour instead of 2, maybe it is not so much. I am low income, so could not afford a vet .
May 16th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
PS Writing to Dr. Blake is free. He is in San Diego, CA.
May 16th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Trader Joe’s canned cat food is made by Menu Foods. I told them I will never buy it while they use them.
May 16th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Hi All.
Like many of you, this whole thing has turned my life upside down. I have 3 beautufil, adoring, loving kitties who will all be 2 years old this August, having been adoped from a non-profit shelter associated with the humane society, only after our 16 year old beloved Meow-Meow passed away in October of 2005.
Once this hit the media, I immediately pulled ALL my Nature’s Nutro pouches and DRY from my pantry and returned for refund. Did my share of research, have lost sleep, gotten stomache aches, head aches, suffered anxiety and stress and tried COUNTLESS varieties of “heatlhy” substitutes, INCLUDING Healthy Balance for a while, THANK GOD I didn’t feed them either the dry Venison or canned ocean fish.
NOW I have them on Solid Gold dry and one of the 3 on Solid Gold canned Tuna, however, the other 2 have proven to be very picky and difficult in eating ANYTHING remotely healthy, so to keep them from going into Organ shut-down, I had previously tried Purina Pro Plan canned Turkey and Chicken flavors and they devoured, so I am now feeding them both Pro Plan and Solid Gold, (the 2 won’t TOUCH the Solid Gold). I even tried Solid Gold chicken, TO NO AVAIL.
I have been searching endlessly for an answer as to the safety of this Pro Plan. Now I KNOW it is definitely not the healthiest food I can give them, but they will EAT it and if it is SAFE, I’m okay with that. I too am on a very limited income, and home feeding just isn’t an option for me.
I love my babies more than anything on this planet along with my husband and family, and I want them to be with me for decades to come, and I want them to be happy and healthy.
Please don’t scold me for the Pro Plan, I can’t stand by and watch them NOT EAT and go into ORGAN FAILURE, I have to feed them SOMETHING.
Can anyone comment on Purina Pro Plan please?
Thank you so much.
May 16th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
P.S.
They’ve been eating the Pro Plan now for probably a month, and I have not seen any adverse affects, I haven’t seen any symptoms of anything remotely negative, and it is not on the recall list.
My vet told me that if there were going to be problems/symptoms, that they would show up within 2 weeks, and it’s been longer than that.
Thanks.
May 17th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Phylis,
Thank you so much, Frankly I never heard of Gemmotherapy. Do I just go to the Bioron site and purchase common juniper and fig tree to detoxify the kidneys? A few drops in water is easy, except I keep water all over the house and constantly change it. I went to Dr. Blake. He is wonderful and I will email him to ask if he gives phone consultations.
Do you know what to give your pets on your own from studying and is your naturopath for pets. And what do you mean by the program? I would like to detoxify all of my cats with a few drops rather than try by mouth.
I am having a difficult time trying to find out who urinated what appears to be bloody urine in an empty litter box and I am very worried. So I would like to try this program as soon as I can.
Thank you Phyllis. I appreciate your advice.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:09 pm
they seriously need to figure this stuff out. im scared to even feed my cat and dog!(i do feed them dont worry). if this gets too out of hand ill just feed them rice and meat and things like that. they really need to sort this thing out
May 29th, 2007 at 11:39 am
I am tired of researching, can anyone guide me the 1 source for updated list of dog food recalled list? =)
Thanks alot
May 29th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
oh..this is the site. =p
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