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 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!