Old Archives

I was a new blogger during the early days of the 2007 Pet Food Recall so I did not archive the Safe Pet Food Blog articles. What a shame, I was getting about 1300 unique visitors per day! Just going over the titles, man, they were pretty good, cutting edge!

But every once in awhile, I stumble across a Blogger resource that kept snippets of them. Here they are.

Pet Food Companies No Longer Sourcing From China
2007-05-20 22:42:01
USAToday reports that the following companies are “phasing out” imported products from China . Menu Foods Royal Canin C.J. Foods Chenango Valley Pet Foods Other pet food companies, such as the USA’s biggest, Nestle Purina PetCare, now screen for melamine. Note: See our related article noting that many veterinarians DO NOT BELIEVE that melamine was the culprit. Just a reminder that the ASPCA has called for all pet owners to check with their pet food companies on the source of ingredients and not use any where the protein sources come from China. Two of the foods recommended on this blog, HealthyPetNet and Canidae/Felidae (available in some specialty stores and online via PetFoodDirect), go a step further and note on their websites that they source only from within the United States. The Honest Kitchen is another one. Check on your pet food company’s website to see if source of ingredients is now listed, there are too many for The Safe Pet Food Blog to k
Read more: Companies

Experts don’t believe melamine was the real culprit in tainted pet food
2007-05-20 23:08:18
I picked up a copy of this month’s Animal Wellness Magazine to read an article that will completely shock you. “Neither melamine nor aminopterin are likely to be the real cause of the illness – the symptoms of toxicity don’t match either one,” says Dr. Jean Hofve, a nutritional expert and former advisor to the American Animal Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). “Toxicology data on melamine suggests that it can cause kidney stones and other chronic effects, but acute renal failure does not really accord with that. Some are calling
Read more: Experts , believe

<”New Resources at The Safe Pet Food Blog
2007-05-20 23:30:32
If you haven’t actually visited the website of The Safe Pet Food Blog, RUN, don’t walk, to check it out! Best viewed in the Firefox Browser, The Safe Pet Food Blog is not just about links to the latest FDA pet food recall list. We now have a number of new pet health and pet care resources for you. If there’s a discount or a top pet product site out there, we’ve found it for you. Want to keep up with Animal health issues? Check out Animal Wellness Magazine, the Number One Health Magazine for Animals. Order a subscription for your grooming or clinic waiting room. Need to purchase safe pet foods via mail order because travel to a big city with natural pet food stores is not possible? Order via PetFoodDirect. Click through using the Coupon links to take advantage of special discounts. By the way, enter their Free Pet Food for a Year contest before it’s over! Seeking discounted pet meds? We have them here. Great for breeders and multi-pet households (
Read more: Resources<”Wholesale Pet Food
2007-05-21 00:06:57
Searches landing on The Safe Pet Food Blog show that people are looking for discounted or wholesale SAFE pet foods. Many are seeking breeder, kennel, shelter, and rescue programs. Well, that is EXACTLY how I found my preferred holistic pet food, HealthyPetNet. I have between 12-20 cats in my household because I assist with rescue through a friend’s clinic. I am not a great fan of the foods they carry in the clinic because each one is grain-based and contains by-products. ICK. So I was trying to cut my $400-600 dollar per month pet food bill. I googled on “wholesale pet food” and up popped HealthyPetNet. Retail is about the same as a Science Diet or Felidae and much less than an Iams, Solid Gold, Wysong, or Kumpi. Quality is excellent and they have never used corn, wheat, or soy. All ingredients come from trusted U.S. Suppliers. So it fit all of my criteria for safe pet food (my kitties and I have been into natural foods for many years, after having
Read more: Wholesale<”California Vet Alerts to Possible Contaminated Pet Food (Nutra Nuggets) From Costco
2007-05-22 07:22:27
From KSEE24 News in California : May 21, 2007 – Dog owners are being warned about a batch of possibly contaminated food, sold at a Visalia Costco around mid-April, after at least four dogs fell ill. Two of the dogs who became sick, a nine-year-old chocolate lab named Bob and his 1 1/2-year-old adopted sister, Pearl, have been staying at the Lone Oak Pet Clinic in Visalia, since May 11, after they began throwing up. “We took them in… and her kidney was 80 percent shutdown,” said owner Ken Womack. The dogs are being fed through intravenous tubes and are regaining their strength, but their struggle doesn’t seem to be isolated. Two other dogs apparently came in earlier with the same symptoms. Veterinarian Dr. Matt Humason says “We began asking questions…we found the dogs all ate the same food from the same store at the same time… so we sent a sample to get it tested and it came back positive with melamine.” All four dogs ate Nutra Nuggets brand food. A
Read more: Possible , Contaminated<”Why I Care About Safe Pet Foods
2007-05-22 08:17:40
I want you to see why I care about safe pet foods. Years ago, one kitty fell into acute kidney failure after a roommate bought her a cheap discount store brand. I switched to expensive veterinary clinic brands. A few years later, after switching to a so-called natural brand sold at the clinic, I had to have two kitties put to sleep within a couple of weeks of eating the new food. The vet told me the CORN in the food was the culprit. So I became VERY selective about my pet foods. Call me crazy but I never want my babies to go through that suffering again. I did my homework and absolutely DO NOT feed anything with by-products, corn, wheat, or soy. I spend about $400 on mail order, holistic pet food every month and the sick kitties get supplements like fish oil and Transfer Factor and the Immune Support by HealthyPetNet. Most of these kitties are rescued and go for adoption through a friend’s clinic. By the way, YOUR pet food bill won’t be this high! A bag of Life&rsqu
Read more: Foods<”Lick Your Chops Kitten and Cat Dry Food Recalled by Chenango Valley
2007-05-18 14:52:02
In conjunction with our dry pet food supplier and the FDA, as a precautionary measure we have decided to initiate a voluntary recall of our Lick Your Chops Kitten & Cat dry food in the 4# and 18# bags with a Best By date of 4/29/08, due to the remote possibility this product may have been cross-contaminated. Although the Lick Your Chops Kitten & Cat food does not contain any Wheat, Rice or Corn Gluten protein, it was produced around the same time there may have been other products manufactured that contained rice gluten, even though tests on these products did not indicate any presence of contamination. Although all equipment is thoroughly cleaned at our manufacturer between production runs, to be on the safe side we are initiating this recall with your cat’s best interest at heart. There have been no occurrences of cats getting sick from this product. We had previously initiated a voluntary recall on our Lamb meal, rice and egg cat dry cat food with a Best By date of 4/2
Read more: Valley<”How to Get Many Brands of Safe Pet Foods Online At A Discount
2007-05-18 15:36:05
As the host of The Safe Pet Food Blog, people ask me all the time about safe pet foods. I am an independent rep for HealthyPetNet but this is not about money for me, it’s about helping people keep their pets healthy, so I help educate on ALL kinds of safe pet foods. Most links on this website go to other reps, not to me. And I help you find where to get other safe pet foods. I am personally becoming a great fan of mail order pet foods for ONE reason. They at least have the mechanism to email you, call you, and/or write to you if the pet food you order from them is recalled. And honestly, it’s been two months and brands are STILL issuing recalls. Now it’s corn products and cross-contamination. So I think you will WANT the protection of having your pet food company know your name via your order. PetFoodDirect PetFoodDirect (the link is in the far right colum on my blog, if the link above doesn’t come through) offers over a dozen of the brands I have recommend
Read more: Brands , Foods , Discount<”My three favorite natural pet health supplements
2007-05-19 14:51:29
I had a great “atta girl” yesterday. My sister-in-law, who thinks I should be married and has lots to say about my cooking and my housekeeping, called for my advice on pets! I am not a veterinarian but I am organic and holistic in my own life, and am well known for giving dead-on advice about natural human and pet health. I maintain a number of natural health blogs and my focus is on the medical research. Yesterday morning, my sister-in-law called in desperation because a favorite old cat is just miserable with arthritis. She tries to jump on low chairs and half the time, she misses and falls back on the floor. So I sent her to my vet for a physical and the vet gave the kitty some meloxicam (feline anti-inflammatory) and some cat treats with glucosamine. (Wheat and by-product based cat treats, yikes!) The meloxicam will just make her more comfortable while we give the glucosamine a chance to kick in. I went over in the evening with my three favorite natural, holisti
Read more: supplements<”Pet Food Reverse 911 – An Email Alert System
2007-05-14 05:09:30
Pet Food Manufacturers Implementing Email Alert System s I was checking the websites of the companies who had recalled pet food and found something quite unexpected. Many of the finer companies either have in place an email notification system or are implementing them. Outstanding! Sort of a Pet Food Reverse 911. My own preferred pet food, which is not recalled and sources only from US growers and suppliers, is delivered through mail order so it already has such a system in place. But after this biggest pet food recall in history, it seems especially good to work with a company who will move heaven and earth to notify you if there should ever be a problem again. Imagine being able to reach every person who purchases your product without being dependent on newspapers, TV news, and the Internet. I have one of the PetSmart Customers cards and they sent emails alerting me of recalled pet foods. As an IT Project Manager, I think it’s scathingly brilliant. Listed below are links<”Can You Say “Hot Zone”? Pesticide Use in China
2007-05-14 06:26:25
The Washington Post reports that Chinese farmers have an unholy arsenal of toxic fertilizers and pesticides in their hands, chemicals which are banned in the United States and many other countries. I don’t know why we are importing animal and human food products from China when the use of these chemicals is well known. The message needs to be sent, through the pocketbook and through U.S. Trade Sanctions, that if you want to play in the world marketplace, SAFETY comes FIRST. (And, by the way, honesty and integrity form the foundation). China’s farmers overuse pesticides, skip protective clothing and have at their fingertips an array of banned and counterfeit products, raising another area of concern in the country’s fragile food chain. Spraying chemicals on crops improperly or using products that may be fake or banned risks the health of China’s hundreds of millions of farmers and could lead to unsafe levels of residues in fruits and vegetables, experts say. &l<”The “Catkins” Diet – No Corn for Your Cat!
2007-05-15 04:17:18
I rescue cats who get adopted out through a friend’s clinic. At any point in time, I have between 12-20 cats in my household. If you want to see what dinnertime is like with that many happy little kitties, check out the Funny Videos link on The Safe Pet Food Blog. If I were just starting out, had to stick to a budget, and had to prioritize which foods to avoid (besides the contaminated foods that had to be recalled), I would NEVER feed my kitties something with by-products. That’s a topic for a separate post. But the second thing I would NEVER feed them is CORN. You’ll see why in a minute. Can kitties who are fed corn-based pet foods live happily into their twenties? Of course they can.Will their kidneys last a long time? Will they thrive? Will they avoid diabetes? Could they live a lot longer than 20? That’s the debate. The veterinary community is divided on whether or not corn should be included in a cat’s diet. But I have yet to find a holisti<”A Succint Lesson: How To Know If YOUR Brand is Safe
2007-05-12 15:00:41
Step One: Learn what’s in your CURRENT pet food. Grab your bag or your can and read the first five ingredients. a. Does it contain gluten or rice protein concentrate? If yes, check the recall list as those ingredients are suspect. b. Does it contain corn, wheat, soy, or by-products? Long before the recall, nutrition-minded veterinarians preached “no corn, wheat, soy, and by-products” as they are low-quality protein sources, highly indigestible. c. Does your brand’s website indicate the source of their raw materials? The ASPCA says the crisis is not over, use only US protein sources. As we learn of holistic (that’s no corn, wheat, soy, by-products) companies stating their source, we will list them here. d. And last, because of cross-contamination, check the FDA recall list, anyway, to be sure your pet food has not been tainted. Step Two: Learn About Healthy Pet Foods a. Watch the free online movie, Do You Know What’s In Your Pet’s Food? b.
Read more: Brand<”Royal Canin USA Issues Another Recall
2007-05-12 15:04:45
Eight Sensible Choice Dry Dog Food Products, Seven Kasco Dry Dog and Cat Food Products Recalled Nationwide by Royal Canin USA Effective Today Trace amounts of a melamine derivative identified in limited number of recalled products 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 limite
Read more: Issues<”Walmart Reports Less Sales In Pet Food
2007-05-12 15:19:34
The product recalls by several manufacturers in the dog and cat food category contributed to a slowdown in pet supply sales during the April reporting period. The Company is resuming shipments of selected pet food products this week and expects a turnaround in the category sales by the end of May. Source: WalMart April Sales Press Release They also noted that consumers were increasingly worried about gas prices. In Wal-Mart’s monthly national survey among discount store consumers, concern about the rise in gas prices has increased steadily since January of this year. For March, the latest data available, the top three concerns among discount store consumers, as well as regular Wal-Mart shoppers, were money/income/finances, the cost of living and gas prices. To which we’ll go way off topic and alert you of one safe, natural, non-toxic, non-petroleum fuel product that is making waves in the news. Watch the news reports, especially the one from FOX News in Dallas. This prod
Read more: Walmart<”How Many Cups Per Pound?
2007-05-12 23:11:12
When planning your safe pet food purchase, note that each manufacturer lists a daily feeding requirement on the dry dog food or cat food package. The higher protein foods will generally require less food. Here are some typical cups in standard sizes: 26.4 cups for 6.6 # 32 cups for 8# 66 cups for 16.6# 80 cups for 20# 160 cups for 40# ### The Safe Pet Food Blog http://safepetfood.wordpress.com Learn more about our preferred, all natural, US ingredient, mail order pet food here.
Read more: Pound<”It’s Not About The Money – Hawaiian Pet Owners Sue Menu Foods
2007-05-12 23:23:45
The Star Bulletin in Honolulu reports that 2,000 consumers have joined class action lawsuits seeking compensation for the pet food and for the veterinary bills. In the first lawsuits in Hawaii since a March nationwide pet food recall, about 2,000 consumers sued a Canadian company yesterday for allegedly producing contaminated food that killed or severely sickened at least eight pets. Honolulu attorneys Emily A. Gardner and Thomas Grande filed two suits yesterday in Circuit Court — about 50 have been filed so far in the United States — against Menu Foods , the largest manufacturer of dog and cat food in North America. Menu Foods’ products contained wheat flour that was allegedly contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical used in fertilizers and manufacturing of plastics. Coffee farmer David Pang said his family dog Kuma, a “devoted companion and protector … died a horrible death.” While the lawsuit seeks damages, Pang, 68, whose dog Kuma died
Read more: Money , Hawaiian , Owners<”Why Your Cat Needs A Fish Oil Supplement
2007-05-13 20:24:25
Hopefully, recall excitement is slowing down, your babies are okay, you’ve found a safe pet food, and The Safe Pet Food Blog can get back to teaching you about dog and cat nutrition, in general. Today, let’s learn about why cats need a fish oil supplement or fish oil in their high grade pet food and why flaxseed will not work for felines. There is an excellent, foundation-principle article in the October 2001 issue of Nutrition Science News. It’s pretty technical so I will excerpt and interpret. The Essential PUFA Guide For Dogs And Cats Oils cats and dogs need for healthy skin and coats First, what is PUFA? Polyunsaturated fatty acids And what are polyunsaturated fatty acids? Polyunsaturated means a fatty acid has two or more double bonds in its chain of carbon atoms. In contrast, saturated fatty acids have no double bonds, and monounsaturated fats have just one double bond. All mammals produce their own saturated and monounsaturated fats, but not PUFAs. Which PUFA
Read more: Needs , Supplement , Fish Oil<”An ASPCA Vet Talks About Pre-Recall Contamination and Cross-Contamination
2007-05-08 14:47:30
What a story! PetConnection, the blog collecting all the stories of pet deaths and illness, received a fascinating email from a top-ranked veterinarian regarding how melamine may have been in pet foods long before the recall. She also poignantly covers cross-contamination and the sadly unresponsive attention given by the pet food companies when presented with the evidence. PetConnection says: Dr. Louise Murray, DVM DACVIM, the Director of Medicine at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City, wrote recently to our own Dr. Marty Becker, and gave us permission to share her thoughts and experiences with treating animals affected by the pet food recall. Dr. Murray took the loss of one cat particularly hard: “Scooby was 6 months old, a beautiful big purry healthy guy. When the recall began, his mom, who is a physician, went over the lists with a fine-toothed comb and continued to do so throughout the recall. He became acutely ill April 10, well into the recall. She w
Read more: Cross<”USAToday: Poison Pet Food Hits Cats Harder
2007-05-08 14:59:18
Now that the University of Guelph has discovered what combination of contaminants caused the melamine crystals found in sick animals’ kidneys, USAToday explains why it was worse for cats. Cats are at highest risk because they evolved in the north African desert, Murray said. “They have the unique ability to highly concentrate their urine, unlike a person or a dog. They didn’t drink water; they got all their water from their prey.” The kidneys of all animals concentrate waste products so they can be excreted in the urine. But cats’ kidneys are less well adapted to filtering potentially dangerous waste, one reason they’re more susceptible to kidney damage. “It’s chemistry,” Murray said. “You can’t dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a teaspoon of water. Because cats have so little water in their kidneys, it means they can’t dissolve the crystals.” Dogs, on the other hand, drink more and urinate more, so their bodies
Read more: Poison , Harder<”No-Kill Shelter Finds Way to Raise Funds and Feed Safe Pet Food
2007-05-10 14:31:26
Pet Food Profits Go to Kindred Spirits Animal Network, Inc., of Mazomanie, Wisconsin FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2007 Aurora, Colorado Fund-raising is the lifeblood of any charity. But with no-kill shelters and animal rescues, donations often come in the form of bagged pet food. The pet food crisis of the last eight weeks has hit animal charities hard. Many had to throw out donated food as the recall list keeps getting longer and longer (The official FDA list is now 196 pages long). One no-kill shelter, Kindred Spirits Animal Network, Inc. of Mazomanie, Wisconsin, found the perfect solution both to the donated food crisis and their constant need for funds. Offer Healthy Pet Food to their supporters. Working with Teresa Holladay and Judy Bishop, independent Trilogy HealthyPetNet representatives, Kindred Spirits activated a little-known feature of one holistic pet food company. It’s the HealthyPetNet Win-Win-Win program. Offered just to registered 501(c)(3) organizations
Read more: Shelter , Funds<”The Entire Industry is Bloodied
2007-05-10 15:29:38
USAToday reports on how pet food companies got taken and how they are ratcheting up inspections of their manufacturing locations. They focus on one of the no-wheat, no by-products companies that I used to recommend for people who shopped at PetSmart, Blue Buffalo. “The entire industry is bloodied,” says Mark Witriol, co-owner of Pet Food Express, which has 31 San Francisco-area locations. “Consumer trust is completely broken.” The recall has also relentlessly mowed down companies which at first thought they were safe. One is the high-end Blue Buffalo, which calls customers “pet parents” and sells some cans for almost $2 a pop. A week after the first recalls, when contaminated wheat gluten was the suspect, Blue Buffalo ran a full-page newspaper ad touting the healthfulness of its products and pointing out — in large type — that they didn’t include wheat gluten. “You love them like family. So feed them like family,” the ad said<”Changes In Pets from Grain-Based Brand to Holistic Pet Food
2007-05-10 15:35:54
I just received this note. This lovely customer-now-rep is a long-time cancer survivor, having undergone the lengthiest chemotherapy treatment I’ve ever heard of (years). She is now on adjunct therapies and is very sensitive to chemical changes in her environment. She also adores her six kitties. I dare say, loving and being loved by them helped her through many a rough treatment day. Note: I had to remove the name of the pet food, wasn’t sure it would meet my company’s compliance rules. It was a grocery store brand, heavily grain and by-product based, but was not on the recall lists. “Some observations since I started my babies on this food… “I noticed yesterday or the day before that my babies would eat the wet food only on one side of the kitchen. It turns out, I had not had a chance to really clean up after taking them off the [other food]. Once I cleaned up the old [pet food] on the floor, they don’t have a single problem with e
Read more: Grain , Brand , Holistic<”It’s Just A Dog
2007-05-06 15:20:18
I’m not sure what disappoints me the most — The revelations of careless attitudes among the U.S. pet food industry and lawmakers or the attitude of some pet owners regarding their own family pets. Only one person, out of all the dozens that I see every day, cares about the pet food recall, keeps up with any news on it. Their ignorance on the matter is astounding. Some have said to me, oh, it was only the fish flavor, mine is okay. Others say, I can only afford that [cheap brand]. If my cat dies, it dies. Some of my friends — not reps but just happy customers — have discussed the pet food recall with their neighbors and friends. They passionately describe their new pet food and how well their pets are doing on it. To which the response is often: ==> Oh, come on, it’s only a dog. ==> That food is wayyy too expensive, you don’t need to be feeding them THAT. ==> Oh, cats have nine lives, they won’t die from this. ==> You spoil your<”Mail Order Pet Foods: HealthyPetNet, Artemis, Felidae, Flint River, Ameri-Pet
2007-05-07 01:05:45
I happened across a new, all natural pet food this morning, available via home distributors just like HealthyPetNet, and thought it might be useful to give you a partial listing of holistic or all natural pet foods that were available via mail order so that you could continue to choose healthy foods for your pets. I haven’t seen a simple listing of “Mail Order Pet Foods ” so this may be a first! I, alone, am responsible for the content. My opinions may not necessarily reflect the opinion or judgment of the company for which I am an independent pet food distributor. First, a definition. What is “holistic”? Holistic is an approach to the whole creature, vs. just an approach to the symptoms or the disease. A holistic veterinarian or a holistic physician will explore diet as a foundation to health. For example, looking at a cat that has chronic constipation, they will start by feeding the cat a proper, balanced, meat-based diet and get away from the grain-b
Read more: Flint , River<”Which Pet Food Companies Source From U.S. Suppliers Only?
2007-05-07 01:48:19
As I find them, I’ll list the pet food companies who have officially stated on their Corporate websites that their pet foods come from U.S. sources only. If you know of any, please let me know via the Comments function. As I reported in an earlier post, the ASPCA is now recommending that until the crisis is past, you select pet foods where the pet food company assures that it’s ingredients only come from within the United States. Canidae/Felidae “..all ingredients are of US origin, meaning proudly raised and grown in the USA.“ HealthyPetNet “Our foods, treats and supplements include only human-quality ingredients sourced from trusted U.S. suppliers.” The Honest Kitchen (Dehydrated Raw Dog Food) “All of the ingredients in our products are of US origin, and everything is USDA inspected, human edible. Our meats are hormone and antibiotic free. In addition, all the fruits and vegetables
Read more: Companies , Source , Suppliers<”Bloggers, Earn Money with Online Pet Food and Pet Supplies Affiliates
2007-05-07 02:49:12
If you have a pet-related website or blog, remember that you can generate income by including links to pet ecommerce sites. They’re completely free to join and take just a few minutes to set up on your blog. Links and banners are provided for you! I don’t mind doing these because they often meet the needs of those pet people who are reading our blogs and don’t know where to look for things like safe online pet foods and discounted pet medicines. LinkConnector First , sign up with LinkConnector… Then browse through their long list of free affiliate programs and see which ones make sense to advertise on your site. Oh My Dog is a good one. Oh My Dog via LinkConnector LinkShare Then, sign up with LinkShare. Once in, you can sign up for some really neat affiliate programs, like 1-800-PetMeds! http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=H1yEV2dMkZM&offerid=7097.10000054&subid=0&type=4 1-800-PetMeds For some reason, this blog can’t handle the
Read more: Money , Affiliates<”Free Healthy Pet Newsletter
2007-05-07 12:22:30
Did you know that a common diet food ingredient is poisonous to dogs? And that it’s found in toothpaste? You would know that if you were subscribed to the monthly HealthyPetNet™ Newsletter. Each issue contains: Helpful Pet Information Interesting Stories Nutritional Advice Insight From Our Veterinarian Formulator Dr. Jane Bicks. The monthly newsletter also includes a current schedule of our “Ask Dr. Jane” phone calls. These calls give you an opportunity to speak directly with Dr. Jane Bicks about any of HealthyPetNet products. The HealthyPetNet Newsletters are ABSOLUTELY FREE! To view a sample of the information in our newsletters Click Here! You can sign up for the newsletter here. Your email will not be shared or sold and they do not send you marketing materials. It’s just a monthly newsletter. Nice! ### <”Chinese firm dodged inspection of pet food, U.S. says
2007-05-03 17:44:58
A Chinese company accused of selling contaminated wheat gluten to pet food suppliers in the United States failed to disclose to China’s export authorities that it was shipping food or feed to the United States, thereby avoiding having its goods inspected, according to U.S. regulators. ### Folks, the way to prevent this situation in the future is to place a ban on ALL imports for a short period of time. Chinese government and exporters have to be motivated to police themselves. It’s like this: When you have children who argue on the way to the movies, you turn the car around. Nobody gets to go. It is a “group thing”, it’s not a “he started it” kind of thing. It takes all of us to behave. To let all Chinese exporters continue to operate and profit, ignoring their own internal problems and hoping that the U.S. will “fix it”, will continue to be ineffective. They MUST step up to the plate and police each other LONG before it get<”Liveblogging: The Knowledgeable Consumer is Our Consumer
2007-05-04 04:31:28
One of my most popular blog articles was a recap of a Question and Answer call with the formulator of HealthyPetNet’s Life’s Abundance and Instinctive Choice, Dr. Jane Bicks, DVM. I was on a call again tonight with her where she answered questions from customers so I will share a few highlights. There were very specific questions about hepatitis and kidney problems. Dr. Jane does not practice medicine over the phone and I don’t want to do it here. She just gives good foundational principles and says whether or not that animal can be on our food. 1. How should you switch a pet over to a new food? Dr. Jane recommends going by the textbook, which is to literally take 7-9 days. Put just a couple of new kibble in with the old food. If there are no loose stools or diarrhea, add another couple the next day. Check the stool. If all is well, double the kibble. Continue this process until the pet is entirely switched over. She pointed out that the AVMA says <”ASPCA Says Avoid All Non-US Protein Sources “Crisis Not Over”
2007-05-04 04:46:40
 The American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) issued a press release on May 3 advising pet parents to avoid all non-US protein sources. “Given the fact that there is new evidence of cross-contamination in ingredients that may have been considered safe prior to this news, we need to be much more aware of where the ingredients in our pets’ food are coming from,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, a board-certified toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), located in its Midwest Office in Urbana, Ill. “We are strongly recommending that pet parents immediately investigate, via their pet food manufacturer’s Web site or by calling them directly, where the ingredients—specifically protein supplements—are sourced from” Given the current situation and until this crisis is resolved, the ASPCA is recommending pets be fed products containing U. S.-sourced protein supplements only. It was an exce
Read more: Avoid , Crisis<”Pet Food Company HealthyPetNet Issues Statement Regarding Its Food Safety
2007-05-04 20:47:50
Nine-year-old holistic pet food company HealthyPetNet (owned by Trilogy) issued a statement regarding the safety of its pet food line. It says, in part, that all ingredients come from trusted United States suppliers, and that it has never used any of the types of inferior ingredients that are contaminated. The ASPCA recently issued a warning to pet parents that they should check with their pet food manufacturers to ascertain the source of the ingredients, and to stick with U.S. ingredients. Trilogy-HealthyPetNet is one of the first pet food companies to declare sourcing, which we think is outstanding. Clicking on the “Read More” link will take you to the HealthyPetNet website and statement. If you choose to order, remember that Autoship gets you 20% off and that shipping costs per item go down if you order more than one item at a time. Autoship can be cancelled at any time through your distributor. HealthyPetNet products are only available via home distributors or online
Read more: Issues , Safety
<”Pet Food Recall List As Of 5/4/2007
2007-05-05 14:50:04
Last week, the official FDA brands and lot numbers list was 79 pages. This week, it’s 196 pages. These lists are current as of the news that came out yesterday. Get the official FDA RECALL LIST, searchable by lot and brand Print the FDA Lot and Brand Recall List (196 Pages as of 5/4/07) If you access this post and it is more than 24 hours old, go to the Recalled Brands List on the Safe Pet Food Blog to be sure you have the most recent information. There is one website that is keeping up with the news quite well, they are one of my resources and credits for this post go to them: ITCHMO.  You will still want to subscribe to The Safe Pet Food Blog because it presents different news and pet food topics, but in terms of the latest and greatest recall list, these are your guys. Cross contamination This week, the recalls have to do with cross-contamination. Apparently, it’s a standard industry practice not to thoroughly clean the equipment in between production runs of di<”Kaiyuan Protein Feed: We’ve been running melamine feed business for years
2007-05-01 03:48:15
One Chinese animal feed company told the Associated Press, “”We’ve been running the melamine feed business for about 15 years and receiving positive responses from our customers.” — CNN, 4/30/07 To which one can only ask: Why? It adds no food value. It is intentionally deceptive. Why are you getting positive reponses from your customers? Do they KNOW you are cheating them? Or are they just thrilled to be getting what looks like a high protein content and you’re actually undernourishing their livestock? Don’t tell us your animals aren’t dying. Even in the U.S., the actual death rate is very low. Banfield estimated that it was only 3 in 1,000. It’s just that you’re not paying attention. The Safe Pet Food Blog IsYourPetFoodSafe.com <”Protein in Pet Food — The real kind, not the melamine kind
2007-05-01 04:52:01
“If you don’t believe that dogs and cats are primarily meat eaters, you might as well click away now because you certainly won’t believe what follows.” — PetCenter.com, an Internet Animal Hospital Questions have come in to me about protein in dog and cat food. People are just now seeing the importance of reading their pet food labels and are questioning the use of corn and wheat in the first five ingredients. They are also trying to understand those protein percentages. I am not a veterinarian so I cannot advise but I can certainly share with you some great information. FIRST, let me say, if you have an animal with special medical needs, you MUST run your food choices by your veterinarian. MOST of those special needs pets cannot eat regular pet foods, not even the holistic pet foods. I’m sorry, they simply cannot. The protein, phosphorus, and even the fat content for many is way too high. This includes kidney problems, pancreatitis, and someti
Read more: melamine<”These Just Crack Me Up
2007-05-01 06:13:41
If you’re recall-fatigued and news-challenged, take a breather and laugh your head off at these funny cat and dog videos (and I think there’s a penguin and a polar bear in there, too). I added a “Funny Videos” page to The Safe Pet Food Blog. These are the funniest videos on YouTube. And there’s a video about my own kitties and the doorbell (25 seconds long, it totally cracks me up)… One just to have a record of what dinner with The Committee looks like at my house… And one that is a bit of a personal commercial about safe pet foods and my own preferred brand. I haven’t seen any videos on YouTube that have more than just a couple of kitties in them so if you are a cat person, you will really like The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee videos! Funny Videos Have fun for a change! Teresa Holladay The Safe Pet Food Blog IsYourPetFoodSafe.com
Read more: Crack<”How Melamine Made Our Pets Sick
2007-05-02 14:44:52
In today’s hard-to-find news, The University of Guelph in Canada believes they have the answer. It was a combination of cyanuric acid (one of the other contaminants found in tainted pet foods) and melamine. The combination of these two chemicals which SHOULD NOT BE in food products, anyway, creates crystals which block kidney function. Last week, a chemist at the Agriculture and Food Laboratory in Guelph decided to test the reaction between the two compounds in a setting similar to that of an animal’s kidney. “Our research had taken a number of turns, and so we decided to take a look at the two substances implicated by the FDA,” said Melichercik. The experiment resulted in the formation of a precipitate in a crystal-like form. Analysis of the crystal determined that it had a chemical fingerprint matching that of crystals found in the urine and tissues of animals that died of renal failure. “We overlayed the two scans, and they were a very good match,&rdq<”More on Fish Oil for Humans And Pets — And How It Saved Randall McCloy, the Sago Mine Survivor
2007-05-02 15:05:20
For those whose pets cannot be on the holistic pet foods because of medical conditions that require specialized diets, we recommended checking with your vet about the use of human grade fish oil. Fish oil has been shown in many studies to reduce the inflammation associated with kidney disease, pancreatitis, diabetes, etc. I promised further information and here it is. Like I said, I am a vegetarian and resisted the concept of fish oil for a long time. But after reading articles like these, especially the ones related to how fish oil helped to overcome all of the organ damage associated with lack of oxygen in that lone Sago Mine survivor, Randall McCloy, I became a believer. My kitties now get fish oil on a daily basis. Not only is it included in their foods, but it is in the treats provided by HealthyPetNet and it is also in the Human Grade Fish Oil that their parent company offers. If you plan to use it for pets, get the liquid vs. the capsules. It’s not messy! Omega 3 Fis<”Menu Foods Expands Wet Food Recall List due to cross-contamination
2007-05-03 05:25:21
May 2, 2007 Menu Foods Adds to Recall List TORONTO, ONTARIO–(May 2, 2007) – Menu Foods Attention Business/Financial Editors Menu Foods has previously recalled wet cat and dog food produced with adulterated wheat gluten supplied by ChemNutra Inc. Menu Foods is now expanding the recall to include cuts and gravy and select other products which do not include ChemNutra wheat gluten but which were manufactured at any of Menu Foods’ plants during the period that ChemNutra wheat gluten was used at that plant, to the extent they have not already been subject to a recall, due to the possibility of cross-contamination. Menu Foods has received a report from a customer and has received study results, both of which indicate cross-contamination. As a result, Menu advises the public: – Additional items in the United States and Canada have been added to the recall list as shown below. A further two varieties for Europe have been added to the recall list. – The recall dates of those<”One in Six Pet Owners Affected By The Recall
2007-05-03 05:50:19
Fed up with worrying, many pet owners are switching to holistic brands, paying up to three times what they used to pay. The Washington Post reports that a “poll of 1,000 American adults, conducted by GfK Custom Research North America after the food recall began, found that 66 percent of pet owners sometimes buy premium brands and 40 percent do so regularly. Of the 1 in 6 whose brands were recalled, the survey found, nearly half said they did not plan to return to their old brand, even after the crisis has passed”. The adulterated wheat gluten from China cost up to 30 percent less than U.S. wheat gluten, a fact that some analysts said should have raised eyebrows. If there is one player that may benefit from the still-spreading disaster — federal officials said yesterday that millions of chickens that ate the contaminated food were sold for human consumption — it is the U.S. wheat gluten industry, which has been struggling for years to compete against cheaper Chin
Read more: Owners<”Pet Food Additive *IS* a Hazard to Humans
2007-05-03 06:31:37
In other hard-to-find news, a veterinary pathologist in South Africa says this melamine-cyanuric acid contamination *is* a big deal. Worse, he says governments are not giving it the attention it deserves. Fred Reyers, a veterinary pathologist now in private practice, made the remarks after reports released on Monday indicated that Chinese food producers regularly add melamine to animal feed and have done so for years. Melamine alone is not believed to be toxic. But a study by Brent Hoff, of the University of Guelph in Canada, has shown that the chemical was being mixed with cyanuric acid, another nitrogen-rich compound that spikes protein content, with deadly results. “They are both essentially non-toxic, but they combine in the kidneys, where they form a compound called melamine cyanurate. “And melamine cyanurate is bad news because it forms big crystals, it destroys the kidneys and kills the animals,” Reyers said. “It took us a long time to catch on becaus
Read more: Hazard<”Salt Lake Tribune: A Fetching Diet, Veterinary Recipes for Safe Pet Food
2007-04-28 15:22:41
I am not fond of homemade diets because they are not practical for most people and you can inadvertently cause health problems like pancreatitis or malnourishment. Veterinarians say “I’ve made my pet’s food for years and they’re in great shape” and I think, Of course, you’re a VET. You know what to feed and what to avoid. However, conscientious pet parents who do their homework will do fine. If this is the route you choose, the Salt Lake Tribune (my home town) published some veterinary-formulated recipes which I’ve listed below. Remember that cats need taurine, which gets cooked out of meats. Note: If you DO choose to make your own pet food, please consider a canine or feline vitamin supplement [HealthyPetNet is one holistic pet food company that makes excellent supplements]. We humans see the need to take vitamins to meet our various needs and diet insufficiencies, let’s not leave our pets out. And human-quality fish oil for
Read more: Veterinary , Recipes<”The Latest Pet Food Recall List dated 4/27/07
2007-04-29 13:49:57
This listing comes from howl911 Shared with Readers of The Safe Pet Food Blog PET FOOD BRANDS & LABELS RECALLED Updated April 27, 2007, 12:01 p.m. PDT MENU FOODS EXPANDS LIST OF RECALLED FOODS (March 24, 2007) Menu Foods expanded its recall to include all 95 brands of the “cuts and gravy” style food, regardless of when they were produced. April 5, 2007: Menu Foods updated recall list to include foods containing wheat gluten produced as far back as Nov. 8, 2006. April 10, 2005: Menu Foods again expanded the recall list, this time to include several brands and varieties of 3 oz canned cat food. April 11, 2007: Menu Foods updated the cat food listing for Pet Pride products. The company also said it would take responsibility for pet medical expenses incurred as a result of the food. Recalled Foods Source: http://www.menufoods.com and http://www.fda.gov ▼ MENU FOODS MANUFACTURED MAJOR LABELSS & STORE BRANDS ▼ Iams (Procter & Gamble<”Why You Want a Holistic Pet Food, Or, My Safe Pet Food List of 3/24/07 Is Still Good
2007-04-29 14:51:16
On 3/24/07 I issued a list of “safe pet foods”, holistic brands that did not use wheat or wheat gluten. Since that time, we know that “rice protein concentrate” is suspect, and they are looking at corn gluten.What is the status of that safe list? In my mind, if you switched or were using these pet foods, you could have slept through the last several weeks with no fears about poisoning your pet. Does that still hold true? I am glad to say that my Top Five are not remotely close to a recall. I had reluctantly added, in that first post, some pet department store brands just because people wanted that price and availability — Each of those brands has experienced some level of recall. So my instincts and education on what constitutes a safe pet food and my research into the integrity of the company holds up. THESE are your guys. 1. Life’s Abundance by HealthyPetNet (Internet or Phone Order only, not in stores, nice for convenience and if you live f
Read more: Holistic<”What Happened to Integrity?
2007-04-29 15:02:04
It’s Sunday morning just before 7 a.m. MDT and I am not finished with an important post, What Happened to Integrity . My blog postings are about to be automatically distributed. So come back to The Safe Pet Food Blog in a few hours to read the finished post. The pet food crisis was one huge disappointment after another, ranging from what looks like intentional adulteration by the Chinese suppliers to make a buck to one pet food company fraudulently altering the formulations without the knowledge or approval of their clients. And we find that similar adulterations happened 30 years ago in the U.S. HUMAN food industry. Come back to find out the details and see what can be done to restore trust in the industry. Teresa Holladay The Safe Pet Food Blog IsYourPetFoodSafe.com <”Trilogy HealthyPetNet Home Business Opportunity
2007-04-29 17:59:48
My stats this morning show that people are searching on “trilogy pet food as a home business”. So, with permission, I lifted some information from a top sponsor’s website to share with you. I found HealthyPetNet a year and a half ago when I was googling for “wholesale healthy pet food” to find a company that offered bulk discounts for rescuers. I was quite surprised to discover that this top quality food was sold through home distributors much like Avon or Tupperware or Candle Light. In fact, this nine-year-old company is among the top 50 home-based businesses and is the only company on that Top 50 list that markets pet products. I had no idea! I would never want to do “sales”, however, this is more like being an advisor. I, personally, do not do home parties or group meetings. I answer questions and follow up to be sure people got their order… and… during the crisis, I carried pet food in the trunk of my car to meet t
Read more: Trilogy , Business , Opportunity , Home Business<”Dinner with the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee
2007-04-30 02:20:00
I had to do something fun this weekend. The pet food recall news is too vast and too heavy. So if you wonder what I feed my 20 cats, watch! I bet you never see this many cats on YouTube videos! I think I might be the only one. And I made it as sort of a “commercial” to show you about HealthyPetNet and how I use it in real life. So, enjoy! Here’s the link to YouTube if the video below doesn’t show up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJJSxnLPSPk Teresa Holladay The Safe Pet Food Blog IsYourPetFoodSafe.com
Read more: Dinner , Kitty , Committee<”China did WHAT? Melamine contamination has been going on for years
2007-04-30 14:50:38
I didn’t think it was new. Ten years ago, one of my kitties went into sudden, acute kidney failure after eating a new food. I never thought it was one field, one farmer, one gluten producer, one time. I never even thought it was just animal feed. And frankly, I don’t think it’s just China . I was hugely disappointed to learn last week that the first adulteration of grains [with UREA, not melamine] happened with two guys right here in the U.S. 30 years ago. Just as with this current contamination, adulteration wasn’t done to IMPROVE protein content. It was done to make it LOOK like protein was better, to cut costs and make more MONEY. The New York Times and International Herald are reporting very big news this morning. ZHANGQIU, China: As American food safety regulators head to China to investigate how a chemical made from coal found its way into pet food that killed dogs and cats in the United States, workers in this heavily polluted northern city openly adm<”American Nutrition Hits the Fan
2007-04-30 15:28:52
We did not see this kind of anger and posturing from vendors after the Menu Foods recall. Menu Foods had some integrity in at least not changing the recipes that they had contracted to formulate. I am personally appalled. I was born and raised in Utah and I am very angry that a Utah company was “getting away with it” for the almighty dollar. Worse, that American Nutrition themselves is saying that their own brands are FINE and it’s the OTHER guys they made food for who have been recalled. Hello, those recalls are VOLUNTARY. If you don’t have someone threatening you, will you honestly recall your own cheap pet foods? Check out what American Nutrition’s customers are saying… Blue Buffalo has all but shut down their website. They have posted a letter that states, in part: Due to a product tampering incident, I regret to inform you that we are recalling all BLUE dog can products, Spa Select cat can products, and all BLUE health bars effectiv<”Tainted Pet Food Found in Hogs In Several States
2007-04-25 15:32:25
TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) — Contaminated pet food, the focus of a massive nationwide recall last month, has been fed to hogs in at least five states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday. Forbes.com reports that ten pet food manufacturers sent unusable dog and cat food containing the toxic chemical melamine to hog producers in California, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and possibly Ohio, FDA officials announced during a late afternoon press conference. Contaminated pet food was also sent to one chicken farm in Missouri, the officials added. “Hogs that have been fed salvage pet food in North Carolina, South Carolina and California were tested, and levels of melamine were detected in their urine,” Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, FDA’s director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine, told reporters at the teleconference. Whether any of the contaminated meat has entered the U.S. food supply isn’t known, Sundlof added. But all
Read more: Tainted , States<”Outstanding Q&A on Pet Food Recall, Melamine
2007-04-26 06:01:22
The Associated Press put together an outstanding list of Questions and Answers, some of which I’ve excerpted here: Q: What chemical tainted the food? A: Traces of melamine, a nitrogen-rich chemical used in a variety of industrial processes, were found in the pet food. Its most common use is to make resins, which in turn can be molded into products like countertops and kitchen utensils, including plastic dinnerware sold as Melmac. It also is both a contaminant and byproduct of several pesticides, including cyromazine, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Q: Is melamine toxic to animals? A: Melamine appears to have caused acute kidney failure in animals that have died or been sickened after eating foods laced with the chemical. Previously, the only known risk was to rodents. When fed to male rats in high doses, melamine indirectly caused tumors by forming stones that irritated the lining of the bladder, according to a 2002 United Nations Environmental Program report. T<”Breeders and Kennels: What’s the Best Way to Sample Healthy Pet Food?
2007-04-26 06:24:18
Many companies are offering samples, including our favorite, HealthyPetNet. You should know that these samples are not even enough for a full meal and while many just dive right into it, some dogs and cats need to transition over a week or two. We recommend starting out with a bag that would feed your entire kennel for at least one day, maybe two or three days (and asking for whatever free samples the companies offer. Share good pet health with your friends!) Save the packaging materials and receipts as with most companies there is a satisfaction guarantee. If you are a breeder or a kennel, HealthyPetNet has an outstanding — and I do mean, OUTSTANDING — discount program. You must sign as a distributor, first (it’s a whoppin’ $19.95 fee plus applicable tax and S&H). Then you fax in your paperwork with your breeder or kennel license. These special prices are not available on the Internet, you must phone or fax them in. You will get 40-lb. bags for just
Read more: Sample<”The Great Pet Food Scandal – How one supplier caused a huge crisis, and why it’s just the tip of the iceberg
2007-04-26 14:45:41
Macleans.ca notes that 889 separate items by over 100 pet food companies have been recalled, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Wheat gluten from China — essentially destarched flour dough — cost 20 cents per pound less than wheat gluten from the U.S. Whatever the savings Menu realized, however, could not possibly have been worth what followed. By Feb. 22, according to timelines provided by the company, Menu was receiving warnings from consumers that its food was sickening pets. On Feb. 27, routine taste tests of its own products resulted in the deaths of at least two and, by some accounts, as many as 10 animals. Still, it took Menu until March 8 to notify ChemNutra, the Las Vegas-based distributer of the Chinese product, that it was investigating the possibility the gluten was causing illness. The recall, however, wouldn’t come for another eight days. The contempt implicit in this tardiness infuriates pet owners. Jody Tomlinson of Coquitlam, B.C., lost his jo
Read more: Great , Scandal<”The Spin Doctors at Diamond Foods
2007-04-26 15:03:38
I am not one to invoke negative press but the spin that Diamond Foods is putting on the salvage materials sent to hogs sounds an awful lot like the spin the rendering industry puts on “salvaging” our euthanized cats and dogs, i.e., they’re doing us a great favor. Furthermore, they seem to be suggesting that there is a lot of misinformation out there and that bad pet food shouldn’t be getting all the blame for acute kidney failures. No waste of energy or landfill space The DiamondPet home page contains a huge alert about the contaminated feed “pet food salvage” sold to local farmers. It is a common regulated practice for animal food facilities to provide salvage product to farms with non-ruminant animals. This regulated practice is mindful of the environment as it does not waste energy (food) and saves valuable landfill space. It should be noted that only Dick Van Patten’s two varieties of Natural Balance were part of a voluntary recall. None
Read more: Doctors<”Drs. Foster & Smith Issue Precautionary Recall Due to Rice Protein Concentrate
2007-04-26 15:13:09
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/general.cfm?gid=568 Rice protein concentrate has been indicated as a possible source of melamine recently found in pet food products. As a precautionary measure Wilbur-Ellis company, the supplier of rice protein concentrate, is voluntarily recalling all lots of rice protein concentrate. We received notification from the manufacturer today, April 25, 2007, suggesting we issue a precautionary recall. Two of our products: Adult Lite Dry Dog (Item #’s 14178, 14179, 14180, 14262, 14263) and Adult Lite Dry Cat foods (Item #’s 12855, 12856, 13864, 13865) contain rice protein concentrate. Only the Adult Lite Dry Dog and Adult Lite Dry Cat foods contain rice protein concentrate. Preliminary test results for melamine contamination have been negative. Final test results from the FDA are expected within two weeks. Please check the Adult Lite Dry Dog food or the Adult Lite Dry Cat food product pages on the DrsFoster Smith .com website for any updates. If <”Spiked Wheat in 1990 – Melamine not the first contaminant – Urea was first
2007-04-26 20:18:50
Read the article from FDA Consumer Magazine 1990 that tells how two U.S. citizens spike wheat flour with UREA to boost the protein content and command a higher price. This food for for HUMAN consumption. They were fined $250K each but netted $250K on the deal. It’s horrifying enough to learn that China did it to our pets, but to learn THIS … Spiked wheat – Schuler Grain Co. uses additive to artificially boost the protein content of its wheat FDA Consumer, Dec, 1990 by Judy Folkenberg, Richard Nelson, Sharon Snider Spiked Wheat A tip from a disgruntled former employee of a large Minnesota grain company led to court-ordered heavy fines and probation for the owners last February. Schuler Grain Co. in Breckenridge, Minn., was using an additive to artificially boost the protein content of its wheat and thereby increases the price it brought on the market. Ultimately, the Schulers’ profit came out of the consumer’s pocket–for higher-priced baked goods a<”Blue Buffalo Canned and Treats, Ooh, And Can You Say Criminal Charges and Lawsuit?
2007-04-27 14:07:01
Blue Buffalo just announced another expansion of the recall covering: All Blue brand can dog foods All Spa Select brand can cat foods All Blue Health Bar treats. The release indicates that rice protein was added without their knowledge to these products. Blue Buffalo attributes this to “tampering” by their contract manufacturer American Nutrition, who was connected to several other recalls on Thursday. Full release after the jump: Blue Buffalo Recalls Can and Biscuit Products Due To Tampering By American Nutrition Inc. Contact: Consumer Inquiries: 1-800-919-2833 Media Inquiries: David Petrie 1-203-762-9751 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—Wilton, Connecticut, April 26, 2007. We at the Blue Buffalo Company have just learned that American Nutrition Inc. (ANI), the manufacturer of all our cans and biscuits, has been adding rice protein concentrate to our can formulas without our knowledge and without our approval. This is product tampering, and it apparently has been going on for some time.
Read more: Canned , Criminal , Lawsuit<”Natural Balance Expands Recall To Canned Foods
2007-04-27 14:11:13
Natural Balance recalls more products — this time canned. Same ingredient (rice protein concentrate) different manufacturer (American Nutrition). However “rice protein”, or any variation there of, is not listed in the ingredients for any of these recalled products. Products recalled are: Chicken Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz Lamb Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz Beef Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz Ocean Fish Formula Canned Cat Food 3 oz & 6 oz Full release after the jump. Breaking Recall News: Thursday, April 26th, 2007 Our canned manufacturer, American Nutrition, from Ogden Utah just informed us that they are recalling all canned products made in their plant that contain rice protein concentrate. American Nutrition continued by telling us that they added this ingredient to four of our canned products without informing us. The four products involved are: Chicken Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz Lamb Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz Beef Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz Ocean Fish Fo
Read more: Natural , Foods<”Diamond Brand and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Recalled
2007-04-27 14:13:48
Due to American Nutrition’s recall, the following Diamond Pet Food can formulations are being recalled: Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Kitten Formula cans Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Puppy Formula cans Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula cans UPDATE: Currently, none of the ingredients for the above Diamond products list rice protein concentrate. Diamond’s homepage still claims “WHEAT GLUTEN OR RICE PROTEIN CONCENTRATE IS NOT USED in any of our dry, canned or treat products.” Full Release and ingredients list after the jump. (Thanks to many readers) Diamond Pet Foods has announced it is withdrawing a limited number of canned products manufactured by American Nutrition. This action is limited to three specific canned products: Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Kitten Formula 5.5 oz. cans, and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Puppy Formula 13 oz. cans, and Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula for Dogs 13 oz. cans. Diamond Pet Foods has not received
Read more: Brand<”American Nutrition – Big Trouble – Mislabelling, Adding Rice Protein Concentrate Without Telling Their Customers, oh, Bad
2007-04-27 14:19:42
American Nutrition is finally recalling their foods containing rice protein concentrate. The recall covers Costco’s Kirkland Signature Super Premium Canned Food, item # 38436, best buy dates of Aug. 21 08 to April 15 of 09. I identified this company last week on other forums because they were the only pet food company out of Utah and ChemNutra had said one of the five companies they sold RCP to was in Utah. But oh, is American Nutrition in trouble. I predict they will not be able to recover from this one. ANYTHING made by them is going to be suspect. UPDATE: The ingredient is listed as “rice flour”. Pet Connection has details on how Costco’s recall started. Itchmo has learned that the recall covers two formulations sold in a single case: Kirkland Signature Super Premium Chicken and Rice Canned food for Dogs Kirkland Signature Super Premium Lamb and Rice Canned food for Dogs American Nutrition says that their products were tested by them, FDA and state officials and mela
Read more: American , Trouble , Telling
<”Good News For A Change – Fish Oil As A Veterinary Supplement for CRF Kidney Disease and other Inflammatory Problems
2007-04-27 14:55:41
I have been wanting to write this post for quite some time but there has been too much recall news to keep up with. So I’m just MAKING myself write it. After reading this, you will want all of your pets, especially if they have illnesses, to be on fish oil. I am a vegetarian and after learning about the broad health benefits of fish oil, I became a believer so yes, now I take a daily fish oil supplement. [I read an article about how it was used to help the Sago Mine survivor, which I will post this weekend for you — Wow — Written by the doctor who helped him]. But this post is about veterinary use! Holistic foods often do not make special needs medical diets, and unfortunately, animals with kidney problems, diabetes, and pancreatitis CANNOT eat the holistic brands because they have too much protein and phosphorus. The veterinary brands get their protein sources from grains and in that case, it’s what is needed for our poor babies. But there is a lot of vet
Read more: Change , Veterinary , Supplement , Kidney , Good News , Fish Oil<”What Do People Know About the Recall – A Personal Observation
2007-04-22 04:04:55
It was a beautiful day in Colorado. I was able to mow the lawn, do a little gardening, plant some lovely bulbs. My tulips and grape hyacinths are, as my little neighbor says, “gorgeous beyond words”. I’ve done so many news articles, I just really wanted to slow down and tell you the REALLY interesting stuff. The Safe Pet Food Blog quite often sees 1,000 different visitors per day. Many of them leave comments or send me an email. What do people know about the recall? Well, it ranges from the ridiculous to the sublime. First, at a veterinary clinic… All that is posted is the Menu Foods list. They were aware of Royal Canin, Natural Balance, and Blue Buffalo but had not updated their list and did not know of the various pet treats that had recalls unrelated to melamine. They are very traditional and do not discuss or recommend “natural” or “holistic” foods with pet parents. After all, pets have lived up to 20 years on the food
Read more: Personal , Observation<”FDA Update on Tainted Pet Food
2007-04-22 16:20:46
This listserv covers mainly Class I (life-threatening) recalls. A complete listing of recalls can be found in the FDA Enforcement Report at: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/Enforce.html April 22, 2007 Media Inquiries: 301-827-6242 Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA FDA’s Update on Tainted Pet Food The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating an imported shipment of rice protein concentrate which has been found to contain melamine. The rice protein concentrate may have been used as an ingredient in some pet foods. FDA’s investigation of the rice protein is being carried out by specialists in FDA headquarters and in eight FDA district offices. Thus far, the following has been established: The suspect shipment of rice protein concentrate was imported and offloaded during the week of April 2, 2007 by Wilbur-Ellis, an importer and distributor of agricultural products, including rice protein concentrate, with headquarters in San Francisco, CA. Th<”A Listing of Ingredients from a Bad, Bad Pet Food
2007-04-22 17:18:39
Someone brought me a kitty for adoption last week. They brought the empty litter box, litter, and the leftover bag of cat food. I just want you to see the list of ingredients. If you are reading this blog, you are already aware of safe pet foods vs. unsafe pet foods. Still, it was shocking. I won’t tell you the manufacturer or the brand name. If you avoid buying pet foods at the extreme low cost dollar-type stores, you will be fine. Just giving you the top listed ingredients: ground yellow corn soybean meal wheat middlings ground wheat chicken by-product meal corn gluten meal meat and bone meal animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid) calcium carbonate salt animal digest (chicken, fish, and milk flavors) No wonder this beautiful kitty tore into her bowl of Life’s Abundance and sleeps at my feet when I’m on the computer. She was SAVED! This stuff is going in the trash. I don’t even want the alley cats and squirrels to get hold of it. I feel b
Read more: Ingredients<”Royal Canin Canada Recalls Additional Products – New contaminant
2007-04-22 19:27:58
Due to contaminated rice protein concentrate, Royal Canin has recalled the following cat and dog products from Canada on Friday, This is not a melamine contamination – this is a new contaminant, cyanuric acid, which is chemically related to but distinct from melamine. * Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine EARLY CARDIAC * Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine SENSITIVITY RC (Rice and Catfish) * Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine SKIN SUPPORT * Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline HYPOALLERGENIC HP * Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Feline SENSITIVITY RD (Rice and Duck) These differ from the products pulled from the US. Two products, Feline Sensitivity RD and Canine Sensitivity RC are not currently recalled in the US.
Read more: Products<”How to Transition Cats to New (Dry or Canned) Foods
2007-04-23 13:57:45
The following excerpt comes from Dr. Lisa Pierson, a holistic vet very interested in cat nutrition. She is not associated with HealthyPetNet but her article helps you transition your cat to a decent food. I very rarely hear of kitties who won’t eat Life’s Abundance or the canned, all meat Instinctive Choice, but it does happen occasionally. See what Dr. Lisa has to say. Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food This is the hard part. Cats, like children, often resist what is best for them. The two most frequent comments that I hear from people when trying to convince them to feed their cats a healthier diet are “my cat won’t eat canned food” and “but my cat really likes his dry food.” Children really like potato chips and ice cream but that certainly does not mean those food items constitute optimal nutrition. The transition process often involves much more than just plunking down a ne
Read more: Foods<”Royal Canin US Recalls Several Brands Due to Possible Contamination
2007-04-20 14:34:36
Royal Canin is recalling several formulations due to contaminated rice protein concentrate. No illnesses are confirmed in relation to these items. Royal Canin also recently recalled pet food in South Africa due to melamine found in corn gluten. The Royal Canin website says: Which products are being recalled? ROYAL CANIN SENSIBLE CHOICE® (available in pet specialty stores nationwide) Dry Dog Food – Chicken Meal & Rice Formula Senior – Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Puppy – Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Adult – Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Senior – Rice & Catfish Meal Formula Adult ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET™ (available in veterinary clinics) Dry Dog Food – Canine Early Cardiac EC 22™ – Canine Skin Support SS21™ Dry Cat Food – Feline Hypoallergenic HP23™ Should I keep feeding these diets to my pet? Pet owners should immediately stop feeding the recalled diets. What should I do if I am concerned about my pet’s health? Pet owners who are concerned about their pet’s healt
Read more: Royal , Brands , Possible<”A Visit with Dr. Jane Bicks, DVM, Formulator of HealthyPetNet
2007-04-20 16:18:54
This blog has been filled with a spate of recall news as first Natural Balance, then Blue Buffalo, then Royal Canin — all very fine brands — reacted with voluntary, cautionary recalls. The culprit for these foods was a cheaper form of protein, “rice protein concentrate”. I sat in on a conference call last night with Dr. Jane Bicks, who is the veterinarian formulator of Life’s Abundance and Instinctive Choice, the holistic pet foods offered by HealthyPetNet. Let me tell you what she said and just share some of my thoughts: Very sick pets and Life’s Abundance Everyone whose pet has been sickened by these contaminants wants to switch to holistic pet foods, including ours. We are very sorry to say that because meat has so much phosphorus, fat, or protein, pets with kidney problems, diabetes, and even pancreatitis these sick pets generally cannot be on our foods. (Thyroid, Feline Lower Urinary Tract Syndrome FLUTS, and some other conditions may be exc<”What’s the best thing to do with contaminated food? Return it for burning.
2007-04-20 18:14:14
No U.S. news service is carrying this story, yet… but South Africa has the answer. What should be done with all of this contaminated food? It should be burned. Hopefully, these pet stores and grocery stores will catch on to this. DO NOT PUT IT INTO DUMPSTERS. We do not want Melamine to contaminate water or to kill animals who may forage. Brought to you by The Safe Pet Food Blog: http://safepetfood.wordpress.com Our favorite safe, holistic, all natural pet food: http://teresaholladay.com/recommends/samples/?burn read more | digg story
Read more: Return<”It’s Official – HealthyPetNet Confirms Use of Only Human-Quality Ingredients From U.S. Sources
2007-04-20 22:38:38
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Dear Trilogy / HealthyPetNet Field Representative, As many of you already know, a new wave of recalls has been announced in the last 24 hours. Evidence suggesting that a shipment of the ingredient “Rice Protein Concentrate” contained melamine has come to light. Natural Balance, Royal Canin and Blue Buffalo have all announced recalls of their products containing this ingredient. We have had several inquiries regarding our foods, since Life’s Abundance contains “whole brown rice”. Some consumers are confused, as the newly recalled Natural Balance foods include “brown rice” in their names. However, the contaminated ingredient is not brown rice; instead, it is “Rice Protein Concentrate”. None of our products include this ingredient. Additionally, it is believed that this contaminated ingredient, like the wheat gluten involved in prior recalls, was imported from China. We use only human-quality ingredients from U.S. sources in our foods. There is no c
Read more: Official , Quality , Ingredients<”Menu Foods’ Future Clouded by Recall
2007-04-21 17:48:29
The Toronto Star reports on the little-known business history of Menu Foods . Pet food in America is a $15.5 billion dollar a year industry, and Menu Foods has 90% of the $3.2 billion dollar wet food segment. The recalls have hit competitors, Del Monte and Nestle Purina. Small natural or organic companies will grow but can’t handle the volume. For what it’s worth, I’m not down on Menu Foods. They have done a fine job for 35 years and were victims of conniving on the part of Chinese brokers and U.S. middle-men who accepted a food certificate without doing due diligence. And I’m actually GRATEFUL that they had absorbed other large food companies in recent years. If they HADN’T, there is no telling how long the poisoning of our pet food by foreign suppliers would have slipped under the radar. It was the sheer SIZE of this one that got people’s attention… and honestly… people were rather complacent until the LATER recalls. It was the
Read more: Future<”Yes, it’s true — Melamine has made it’s way into hog food
2007-04-21 21:09:23
The Sacramento Bee is reporting that the chemical linked to cat and dog deaths on two continents has made it into pig feed and perhaps onto California tables, with state agricultural officials announcing late Thursday they’ve quarantined a Ceres hog farm where lab tests showed melamine in pig urine. The hog feed apparently came from a pet food plant which had rejected the materials. Here’s one more dirty secret of the pet food industry. Grains that aren’t considered good enough for household pets go to hogs ’cause they’ll eat anything. Even Melamine. Lucky for the hogs, they appear to be perfectly healthy, according to State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer. Unluckily for the hogs, nobody’s going to want to buy them because nobody knows, yet, what happens when humans consume products that contain melamine. It should be noted that so far, only one pig farm has been identified as having been exposed to this ever-widing circle of melamine contami<”$2.1 Billion Dollars in Trade, Why Does China Continue to Block FDA Investigators?
2007-04-21 21:26:36
The Boston Globe reports that the Chinese government continues to block federal investigators from visiting the country to confirm the source of melamine. Even though reporters were able to quickly travel to China and determine that at least one supplier there openly shopped for melamine to artificially boost the protein content of its wheat gluten, FDA investigators still lack visas needed to inspect Chinese plants. In addition to wheat gluten and rice-protein concentrate that the FDA confirmed contained melamine, the agency has been alerted to a third protein-based ingredient — corn gluten — that also included melamine and was shipped from China to South Africa. For now, there is no indication the corn gluten was sent to the United States, Sundlof said. The current theory is that Chinese suppliers intentionally added melamine to ingredients that were low in protein to ensure they would test high enough to allow them to be labeled as protein supplements and command the prices of w
Read more: Trade , Continue<”Safe Pet Food For Non-Profits, Rescue Groups, Trap Neuter Release (TNR)
2007-04-21 22:43:54
I have spoken with a number of rescue organizations who have had to throw out all kinds of donated food because much of it was recalled. But not only do they need to feed healthy food to their fosters, but they continually need to raise funds to care for them. HealthyPetNet has an amazing program for non-profits — and I mean, not just non-profits who deal with pets. ALL 501(c)(3) organizations can get in on this. Let me explain it here and then you can contact me to learn more. The Notice below was intended to highlight the fundraising. But let me also tell you, there is a significant discount on the 40-lb bags of cat and dog food. SIGNIFICANT. (Write to me and I’ll tell you what it is). This program will enable your contributors to donate high quality food to you, for you to purchase it yourself at a steep discount, and to raise funds for your organization. – Teresa Holladay, The Safe Pet Food Blog, http://IsYourPetFoodSafe.com NON-PROFIT 501c3 ORGANIZATIONS EA
Read more: Rescue , Groups , Neuter , Release<”HealthyPetNet and OhioPet – Domestic grains, No wheat, no rice gluten
2007-04-19 15:41:05
With the latest pet food recall involving a holistic brand, many people are wondering what pet food is safe. Let me just tell you that Life’s Abundance by HealthyPetNet is manufactured by Ohio Pet. Ohio Pet’s website states that they do not use wheat gluten, no rice gluten or rice protein concentrate, and they only purchase domestically grown grain. Life’s Abundance dry dog and puppy food, cat and kitten food, contains brown rice. The rice contains no gluten and is U.S. sourced (i.e., domestically grown). It is not used as a protein source, rather, only enough is used to bind the kibble together. This blog contains other information on HealthyPetNet: http://safepetfood.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/free-organic-pet-food-samples-no-wheat-corn-or-by-products/ http://safepetfood.wordpress.com/2007/04/07/ingredients-in-lifes-abundance-dry-cat-food-by-healthypetnet/ http://safepetfood.wordpress.com/2007/04/07/ingredients-in-lifes-abundance-dry-dog-food-by-healthypetnet/ Tech
Read more: Domestic<”Pet food recall expanded to all Rice Protein Concentrate by Wilbur-Ellis
2007-04-19 18:10:48
Wilbur-Ellis , who supplied Natural Balance with melamine-tainted rice gluten or rice protein concentrate, said it is urging all pet food manufacturers using rice protein concentrate supplied by it to recall any pet food that may be on supermarket shelves. They shipped to manufacturers in Utah, New York, Kansas, and Missouri. Watch for updates. Posted by The Safe Pet Food Blog: http://IsYourPetFoodSafe.com Get samples of our favorite recommended holistic, no wheat, no rice gluten or protein concentrate safe pet food: http://teresaholladay.com/recommends/samples/?blogwilbur read more | digg story <”South African Pet Food Companies Report Melamine Found In Corn Gluten
2007-04-19 20:46:06
While this is not a US Problem, YET, tests have confirmed that Vets Choice and Royal Canin dog and cat dry pet-food products contained corn gluten contaminated with melamine, says the manufacturer. The contaminated corn gluten was delivered to Royal Canin by a South African third-party supplier and appears to have originated from China. Posted on The Safe Pet Food Blog at http://safepetfood.wordpress.com Our recommended no corn, no wheat, no soy, no gluten holistic favorite: http://teresaholladay.com/recommends/samples/?diggsa read more | digg story
Read more: Companies , Gluten<”Blue Buffalo Pet Food Announces Recall of Spa Select with Rice Protein Conc
2007-04-20 00:29:11
Due to the melamine found in the Wilbur-Ellis rice protein, Blue Buffalo has recalled one production run of their Spa Select Kitten dry food marked “Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B.” They were alerted quickly enough to prevent most of 4,752 bags from entering the market. read more | digg story <”FDA Statement on Natural Balance (dry) – Voluntary Recall
2007-04-17 03:40:03
FDA Statement on Natural Balance FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company. This listserv covers mainly Class I (life-threatening) recalls. A complete listing of recalls can be found in the FDA Enforcement Report at: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/Enforce.html Statement April 16, 2007 Media Inquiries: 301-827-6242 Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA Information on Natural Balance The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) was informed today, April 16, 2007, that Natural Balance Pet Foods has received consumer complaints regarding the Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food, and Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Foods. The company does not know the cause of the problems, but has received reports of animals vomiting and experiencing kidney problems. Although the company is stating th
Read more: Voluntary<”Top 50 Network Marketing Companies Week 41
2007-04-17 03:52:36
The Top 50 Network Marketing Companies are ranked by Internet popularity on Alexa.com – number of visitors to the company websites averaged over 3 months. Top recommended holistic pet food company, HealthyPetNet, a nine-year-old company, rose from 44 (Dec 06) to 27 (Apr 07) and is the ONLY pet food provider on the list. read more | digg story Posted by The Safe Pet Food Blog http://IsYourPetFoodSafe.com <”Tainted Food Kills 2 Dogs In Puerto Rico
2007-04-17 04:35:05
Two dogs in Puerto Rico died of kidney failure after eating dog biscuits that were among the 100-plus brands of pet foods and treats contaminated with an industrial chemical, a veterinarians’ group said Saturday. The Ol’Roy dog biscuits were purchased at Amigo, a supermarket chain owned by Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Two dogs in Puerto Rico died of kidney failure after eating dog biscuits that were among the 100-plus brands of pet foods and treats contaminated with an industrial chemical, a veterinarians’ group said Saturday. The Ol’Roy dog biscuits were purchased at Amigo, a supermarket chain owned by Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to Victor Collazo, chief of Puerto Rico’s Veterinary Medical Association. The deaths of the miniature schnauzers were the first in the U.S. Caribbean territory stemming from the contaminated pet food, Collazo said in a statement. Testing has revealed that wheat gl
Read more: Tainted , Kills<”Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM Rebuttal to the Pet Food Industry [Recall] 4/12/07
2007-04-17 04:43:36
They have failed many times in the past, at least 3 times in the past 18 months. To say they are responsible for doing something is quite different from saying they are ACTUALLY doing it. The facts speak for themselves on this point. The pet food industry has breached the FDA’s mandate of them because they are self-regulated! read more | digg story Posted by The Safe Pet Food Blog http://IsYourPetFoodSafe.com
Read more: Elizabeth<”T.W. Enterprises Issues Nationwide Recall of Dog Chews Due to Salmonella Contamination
2007-04-18 00:10:29
Recall — Firm Press Release FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company. This listserv covers mainly Class I (life-threatening) recalls. A complete listing of recalls can be found in the FDA Enforcement Report at: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/Enforce.html T.W. Enterprises Issues Nationwide Recall of Dog Chews Due to Salmonella Contamination Contact: T.W. Enterprises (360) 366-0408 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Ferndale, WA — April 16, 2007 — T.W. Enterprises of Ferndale, WA today alerted consumers that it is recalling certain dog chews it markets because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. Samples tested by FDA of the product indicate that the dog chew products manufactured by T.W. Enterprises may be contaminated. People handling these treats can become infected with Salmonella, especia<”BREAKING NEWS: Natural Balance Recall Expands to Canned Food and Treats
2007-04-18 01:47:59
BREAKING NEWS: Natural Balance Recall Expands to Canned Food and Treats April 17th, 2007 Itchmo has confirmed with Natural Balance that their recall has expanded and now covers the following items for all dates: * Venison and Brown Rice Treats for Dogs (New today) * Venison and Brown Rice Canned Formula for Dogs (New today) * Venison and Brown Rice Dry Food for Dogs (Reported Sunday) * Venison and Green Pea Dry Food for Cats (Reported Sunday) The problem stems from melamine found in the rice gluten used by Natural Balance. The ingredient was produced by a US vendor, according to Natural Balance. See more on this story at USAToday. The initial report was wrong — this rice was imported from China and it was a new vendor. Wilbur-Ellis CEO John Thacher said his company sold the concentrate to five pet-food makers, but that most of it went to two firms. One of the primary companies was Diamond Pet Foods, which packs some of the Natural Balance product but doesn’t use the conce
Read more: BREAKING NEWS<”Insider Tip Says Corn Gluten and Rice Gluten May Also Contain Melamine
2007-04-18 02:49:27
Breaking, breaking news… A top holistic brand, Natural Balance, just voluntarily recalled four products and confirmed that they found melamine in a US-supplied rice gluten. I’m guessing corn, wheat, and rice gluten providers have long known a “dirty industry secret” of making protein content appear higher and just finally got caught. read more | digg story Brought to you by The Safe Pet Food Blog, http://IsYourPetFoodSafe.com Comparison of ingredients and pricing of 11 brands: http://teresaholladay.com/recommends/compare
Read more: Gluten , Insider<”Brown rice vs. rice gluten
2007-04-18 04:07:33
The Natural Balance recall, along with news of possible future recalls of corn gluten and rice gluten products, has people nervous. I’ve already seen it in other forums and on this blog. Folks, holistic vets definitely say no corn or wheat, but they have been fine with BROWN RICE. And brown rice is not the same thing as rice gluten. Rice gluten is a way-down-the-manufacturing-process end product. I am not a nutritionist but I’m a pretty good researcher. Here is what I am finding… A website commenting on AAFCO labelling says this: *Rice Gluten (Glue) AAFCO – Rice Gluten Meal is the dried residue from rice after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of rice starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm. Natura does not use Rice Gluten Meal, a poor quality protein filler. The ‘Crude Protein’ analysis on pet food labels is only a m
Read more: Brown<”Top Holistic Vet on Rice and Gluten
2007-04-18 04:32:08
One of my favorite online vets, known as “Dogtorj“, advocates gluten-free diets for humans and pets. He, himself, has recovered from celiac disease and is an authority on this condition in pets. Here are some quotes from his paper, Gluten Intolerance in Dogs and Cats. Note that he praises rice, especially brown rice. It’s that rice by-product, gluten, that is to be avoided. Having read this article, it is significant that DogtorJ — who is NOT affiliated with any pet food manufacturer or distributor and who does not market any of the foods on his Recommended Pet Food Handout — ranks HealthyPetNet in the top three Premium Mail Order Foods, the “Cadillac” of pet foods. Gluten is GLUE There are three food ingredients that adhere to the villi of the duodenum and induce the change that is characteristic of celiac disease known as villous atrophy. These three substances are gluten (from the grains), casein (from cow milk products), and soy protei
Read more: Holistic<”A Call for Pet Food Recall Stories – Tell Us Yours
2007-04-15 16:32:28
I think we are past the denial and shock and anger stages. We now need to grieve. And maybe our grieving publicly will provoke further action and awareness. I’d like your audio stories. I have a toll-free message line, I’ll set it up with a special area for you to tell me your stories. Be brief, be truthful, don’t use profanity… but do tell us your experience. 1. Tell us your first name only and where you live 2. Tell us how many animals you have and what type 3. Tell us what happened. The toll-free number stories number is: 1-800-609-9006 x1684 If you have a question for me about the HealthyPetNet food or business, leave it on my message line at: 888-416-2224. More stories can be found at: MenuFoodsVictims Blog Flickr Pet Food Recall Photo Gallery Other questions or comments, feel free to post on this blog! Thanks! Copyright 2007 Teresa Holladay The Safe Pet Food Blog http://safepetfood.wordpress.com For those running their own websites and blo
Read more: Stories , Yours<”Stormy v. Menu Foods, Update 4/13/07
2007-04-16 01:56:39
This story was DIGGED from Gather.com by Briane P. April 13, 2007 09:44 AM EDT This is a timely day for an update, as it’s Stormy’s birthday. (That’s not something I remember; I was reminded of it by the family.) We took Stormy, and Herman and Scruffy, in for checkups yesterday. The local news, WMTV, came and reported on that. You can see the video here. The good news is that Herman and Scruffy have no symptoms at all. The bad news is that Stormy will probably need ongoing checkups for the rest of her life. This morning, I took the vet bill and forwarded it to the lead counsel for the defense. Three of the four defendants have been served, and two of them (the retailers, Woodman’s and Wal-Mart) have tendered the defense to Iams. (”Tendering the defense” is the act of telling someone further down the line of liability — usually an insurer but not always — that they have to handle the case and keep you from harm.) I’ve spok
Read more: Foods , UpdateFor Those Who Keep Saying The Recall Was Only Of Wet Pet Food
2007-04-16 02:25:04
22 Brands of Dog Biscuits Are Added to Pet Food Recall New York Times By KATIE ZEZIMA Published: April 6, 2007 A recall of pet food tainted with melamine, a chemical used to make plastic products, has been widened to include 22 types of dog biscuits, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday. The biscuits, made by Sunshine Mills Inc., contain wheat gluten imported from China that contained melamine, said Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the F.D.A. Sunshine Mills, of Red Bay, Ala., manufactures branded and private label dry pet food and biscuits. The recalled biscuits include Nurture Chicken and Rice Biscuit, Ol’ Roy Peanut Butter Biscuit and Pet Life Large Biscuit. Conrad Pitts, a lawyer for Sunshine Mills, said 80 percent of the tainted biscuits were sold by Wal-Mart, under the Ol’ Roy brand. Mr. Pitts said that the company had produced about 24 truckloads of biscuits with the contaminated gluten, and that the majority of the product was

Where’s the Beef? Top Five Ingredients in Major Pet Food Brands
2007-04-16 03:58:24
For those who are wondering how to choose a safe pet food, the Safe Pet Food Blog provides holistic criteria suggested by top veterinarians. There is no need to be fearful or to give up on trusting the entire pet food industry. If you will learn to read the label, you will be in a much better position to choose a safe food for your pet. The primary source should come from quality animal protein, not vegetable protein or grain. Foods that list 2 or more grains in the first 5 ingredients may have more vegetable protein than animal protein. Quality animal proteins are the specified animal (beef, poultry, fish), NOT by-products which are body parts the animal wouldn’t eat in nature (beaks, features, chicken feet) and especially not ANIMAL by-products where they couldn’t specify the animal. Two or more grains listed in the first 5 ingredients means your food may have more vegetable protein than anim
Read more: Ingredients , Major , Brands , Top Five

Product Recalls: Informing and Educating at a Crucial Time
2007-04-16 06:06:35
Google CPG Blog reports: When we published the weekly Google Zeitgeist for March 18-24, it was the first time in 6 years that a product recall has placed in the #1 and #2 positions in our top gaining searches. Clearly the pet food recall has sparked a tremendous interest in finding information online through search, more so than any other recall. Thursday, April 12, 2007 Posted By: Jen Bradburn, Senior Account Planner When we published the weekly Google Zeitgeist for March 18-24, it was the first time in 6 years that a product recall has placed in the #1 and #2 positions in our top gaining searches. Clearly the pet food recall has sparked a tremendous interest in finding information online through search, more so than any other recall seen to date: We have learned some valuable lessons as a result of the many recent recalls. Here are a few of our top findings: 1. Breaking news fuels online searches This surge in online activity around the pet food recall is not surprising. Those

Menu Foods and ChemNutra, take a lesson from jetBlue
2007-04-16 06:26:53
When jetBlue passengers were stranded on the tarmac at JFK, frustrated customers who were stranded at terminals decided to post their own video accounts on YouTube. jetBlue’s founder, David Neeleman, responded by posting an apology on YouTube, which quickly became one of the top ten most viewed videos of the week. His apology received more than 85,000 views in 48 hours, and has had 276,000 total views to date. Hey, Menu Foods and ChemNutra and that company in China and any of the Pet Food or Supply Chain participants… Here’s the take-home message. According to Google , YouTube and video ads can act as a powerful additional broadcast outlet – you should consider making official statements, interviews, important information, and most especially, apologies, available in video format. The Safe Pet Food Blog http://safepetfood.wordpress.com
Read more: lesson

Putting a Face to the 39,000 Pets: YouTube Memorial To A Special Love Dog Lost
2007-04-16 06:38:57
My Love Dog Got Very Sick – Dr Said Kidney Failure I was just giving him a special food to show him how much I loved him… Warning: Don’t watch these at work. If you are an animal lover, they will break your heart. Thank you so much for sharing. I wept for your sweet Chuckie and for your loss and your great sensitivity in putting this together for us. It took you seven takes to read it. I can’t even look at the screenshot without breaking down. “His eyes like a trusting puppy he laid down and left me.” You speak to where we all are right now… past the shock, past the denial, past the anger, past the activism… fully into the grief. God bless you. Your little Chuckie doesn’t blame you. He doesn’t blame anybody. He’s got that little toy ball and will meet you someday to continue playing on the other side. ============================= A Tribute by online fantasy blogger and vocalist Venetian Princess… ======
Read more: Putting , YouTube , Memorial , Special

Imported Food Rarely Inspected
2007-04-16 20:41:09
Tainted food list makes you sick… [from China] frozen catfish tainted with illegal veterinary drugs, fresh ginger polluted with pesticides, melon seeds contaminated with a cancer-causing toxin and filthy dried dates, beans from Belgium, jalapenos from Peru, blackberries from Guatemala, baked goods from Canada, India and the Philippines read more | digg story

Her Dog Vomited Blood After Eating Non-Recalled Pet Food
2007-04-14 05:30:37
Another heart-breaking story… This woman left me the comment and then called to explain that a man she knew had a dog who ate this food, it vomited blood, and died. But he didn’t tell everyone he knew, this was after the recall… so she fed her dog this food, as usual, and here is her story… I’ve been on a quest for answers since my dog, Angel Lady vomited blood, lots, about three hours after having eaten half a can of Alpo Prime cuts and whining and refusing any more. She ended up in our local veterinary hospital two days later. She is home and finally acting back to normal. Another family told me their dog had eaten Alpo Prime Cuts, vomited blood and was dead two days later. I am grateful I still have my dog, but called local radio station this morning after reading a blog and decided to see how many other pets were vomiting blood and what they had eaten earlier. I’m blog challenged, so please let me know at my email address if you have any stats on th
Read more: Blood

Most Americans Would Rather Sit Than Switch
2007-04-14 06:01:04
Marketing Daily says that 95% of Americans know of the pet food recall but only 11% switched foods and 2% switched stores. Considering that non-wheat, holistic brands represent only $400* million dollars of a $15* billion dollar industry, most people stayed on the same, wheat-included foods. Why? Because here’s what most people believe: In a pet-crazed country that spends $16 billion a year on pet food, that’s not dramatic behavior modification. “It’s been a big scare, but maybe overblown. After all, fewer than 20 pets have died,” says Tom Mularz, senior vice president at Synovate E-Nation. “For the most part, people feel their pets were unaffected by the recall.” Has Mr. Mularz read the Banfield numbers? (39,000 dead or sickened). Or stopped by PetConnection.com (4,000 plus dead). Now, the Banfield numbers are 3 in 1000 of the pets they see. That’s not very many. So if you don’t actually know someone whose pet was affected, y
Read more: Rather

Pet Food Confirmed Safe by the FDA — Oh Really?
2007-04-10 08:52:35
What does that mean, “confirmed safe by the FDA”? I was searching the Internet for the latest stories for my blog and noticed a number of Google Ads… PEDIGREE® is SAFE. The PEDIGREE® Brand Is Not Part of Recall. Confirmed Safe by the FDA. SHEBA® Pet Food. SHEBA® Food for Cats. Approved by the FDA. Visit the Official Site WHISKAS® Food For Cats The WHISKAS® Brand is not part of he Recall. Confirmed Safe by FDA. CESAR® Confirmed Safe by the FDA. Learn why Our Products Were Not Recalled. I wondered what that meant… “Confirmed Safe by the FDA”. So I went to the PEDIGREE® website. They said: We would like you to know that PEDIGREE Food For Dogs is not a part of the recent nationwide pet food recall initiated by Menu Foods and other companies. The safety of products not involved in the recall was validated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 23, 2007. According to the FDA, pet owners should feel confident feeding unrecalled

After Recall, Organic Pet Food Sales Up Sharply
2007-04-11 06:25:05
According to a survey by the Organic Trade Association taken PRIOR to the Great Pet Food Recall of 2007, organic pet food sales totaled $30 million in 2005, a 46 percent increase from the previous year. Sales were expected to grow by about 36 percent in 2006, and at least 25 percent each year until 2010, the group said. All bets are off, now. I sat in on a conference call tonight for my own organic pet food company, HealthyPetNet. While most organic pet food companies are fairly small, this is one of the larger ones. I could have told you sales were up, I see it in my own stats. One of my new team mates added 40 customers in two days and is just getting his feet wet. My company expects to more than double reps, from 135,000 to over 300,000 by the end of the month. (And, to their credit, throughout the crisis, orders were going out within 48 hours and as of tomorrow, will go out on the same day the order was placed if it is in by the cut-off). The New York Times is reporting the num

Pet Food Recall To Include Canadian Brands
2007-04-11 06:42:04
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pet food recall expanded further Tuesday to include products made at a Canadian factory recently found to have used an ingredient tainted by an industrial chemical. Menu Foods previously had recalled only cat and dog food made at its plants in New Jersey and Kansas, saying they were its only facilities to have taken delivery of imported wheat gluten later found contaminated with melamine. However, Menu Foods discovered Monday that some of the tainted wheat gluten had made it to Canada. It was prompted to account for the ingredient by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which told the company that tests had detected the chemical in pet foods made at its Streetsville, Ontario, plant. Menu spokesman Sam Bornstein said the amount accounted for just 1% of the adulterated Chinese wheat gluten purchased by Menu Foods. It was used in pet foods made in December and January. Among the products covered by the expanded recall is Royal Canin Canada’s Medi-Cal Feline
Read more: Brands

Free Organic Pet Food Samples – No Wheat or Wheat Gluten
2007-04-11 13:52:45
Have you seen this? HealthyPetNet is offering FREE SAMPLES of Life’s Abundance Dog or Cat Food and Instinctive Choice Canned Cat Food From the Trilogy/HealthyPetNet site Life’s Abundance Premium Cat Food and Dog Food is made using only fresh, human-quality ingredients. It is a nutrient dense food with high quality meat proteins and NO by-products, corn, wheat, gluten or soy. NO artificial flavors, colors, sugars or chemical preservatives. Life’s Abundance Dog Sample Pack Your price: $0.00 Your pet deserves the advantages of total nutrition. The free Life’s Abundance Dog Pack contains a sample of a complete and nourishing diet: a natural, nutrient rich food, a comprehensive dietary supplement and a healthy, low-fat treat. Your free sample pack will include: Life’s Abundance Premium Dog Food Advanced Daily Supplement For Dogs Wholesome Hearts Low Fat Treat Limit 2 per order. Small shipping charge applies. $2.9
Read more: Organic , Gluten , Samples

Menu Foods Voluntarily Recalls Additional Pet Food made with ChemNutra Wheat Gluten
2007-04-11 16:51:54
Recall — Firm Press Release FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company. Menu Foods Voluntarily Recalls Additional Pet Food made with ChemNutra Wheat Gluten Contact: Menu Foods 1-866-895-2708 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — TORONTO, April 10, 2007 — Prompted by reports from the US Food and Drug Administration as to the presence of melamine in cans of cuts and gravy pet food produced in Menu Foods’ Canadian production facility, Menu Foods undertook an accounting of all recalled wheat gluten supplied by ChemNutra Inc. to Menu Foods in the United States. As the result of that review, Menu Foods has identified a single interplant transfer of the ChemNutra supplied wheat gluten, shipped from Menu Foods’ plant in Emporia, Kansas, to

Chinese Wheat Gluten Firm Actively Seeking Melamine Purchases on Internet — Why???
2007-04-12 06:28:59
…In recent months, Xuzhou Anying appears to have posted several requests on online trading sites seeking to purchase large quantities of melamine. Clues to pet food recall traced to Chinese city By David Barboza Wednesday, April 11, 2007 Brought to you first by the International Herald Tribune XUZHOU, China: U.S. investigators looking into the tainted pet food that killed at least 16 cats and dogs, sickened thousands of pets and led to a recall in North America have traced the problem to this bustling eastern city. Xuzhou is the home of Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development, a small agricultural products trader that U.S. regulators say was the source of the wheat gluten, distributed to major pet food suppliers in North America, that was at some point adulterated with a toxic chemical that sickened or killed the animals. Although U.S. and Chinese regulators are still investigating the matter, this city is already yielding clues about how th
Read more: Gluten , Seeking , Internet

Cats and Dogs are Big Business
2007-04-12 12:58:22
How big? More money is spent on pet sales than in the Toy and Baby Food Industries combined. Here are some statistics you may find interesting, especially if you are wondering how many people will never forget this pet food recall. How many pet cats and dogs are in the United States? There are 90 Million Owned Cats and 73 Million Owned Dogs in the United States – Humane Society of the United States, January 5, 2007 75% of all Americans own a pet. 83% would be likely to risk their lives to save their pet 87% take their pets to veterinarians for regular checkups, vaccinations and teeth cleanings. 82% buy premium pet food 77% have their pets groomed People spend more time reading nutritional labels on pet food (41%) than their own food (37%) Four in ten cats (44%) receive a Christmas gift How many animals are in every household? The following statistics were compiled from the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) 2005-2006 National Pet Owners Survey. Dogs The
Read more: Business , Big Business

Pet Industry Trends in 2007
2007-04-12 13:20:47
I wonder how these trends will change based on the dramatic shift from commercial pet foods to organic, wheat-free pet foods. I think these trends show that American pet owners do NOT consider their pets “property”, they consider them as family. The commercial pet food industry should not underestimate how angry pet parents are at the recent never-ending recall news. They will never forget and will prove it by shifting their loyalties to companies and products who reflect exceptionally high and immediate concern for their pets. 1. Growth in unique pet goods. The American Pet Products Manufacturers’ Association (APPMA) estimates that pet goods and medicines spending will grow 6.9% to reach $9.3 billion in 2006 (out of a total of $38.4 billion in overall pet industry expenditures). Much of the growth continues to come from the newer pet items such as pet deli snacks, toys, luxury items, and convenience accessories such as programmable feeding and watering stations, warmi
Read more: Trends

Mistake’ caused delay in latest pet-food recall
2007-04-12 13:34:15
By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY Menu Foods said Wednesday that a “clerical error” caused the company to overlook that it shipped potentially contaminated wheat gluten from one of its U.S. plants to one in Canada. That apparently delayed the recall of some Canadian-made cat foods. “Humans are not perfect. Someone made a mistake,” spokesman Sam Bornstein said in an e-mailed response to questions from USA TODAY. “We were shocked.” Menu Foods, which recalled more than 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food on March 16, revealed the shipment Tuesday and recalled additional products from 12 brands made in the Canadian plant. Bornstein says Menu confirmed on Monday that the shipment had been made from its plant in Kansas to Ontario, Canada. The discovery was prompted by reports from the Food and Drug Administration that Menu’s Canadian-made pet food contained melamine, the chemical found in the U.S.-made food and in the wheat gluten used in the f
Read more: Mistake

Why We Need Menu Foods
2007-04-12 14:03:01
After looking at statistics and hearing people say they couldn’t afford to pay more than $7 per bag for the low-end store brands, I took a look at who is Menu Foods . And do you know what? They’ve had not a good track record, but a great track record. And they have a huge market share, 90% of the canned pet food market, including many organic brands that do not use wheat gluten. While the FDA and the pet food industry need a HUGE overhaul (and the Chinese wheat gluten suppliers a more-than-serious kick in the butt), and Menu Foods needs a breakup like with AT&T in the 70’s (can you say “monopoly”), I think we need them. There are over 150 million companion cats and dogs in the United States. The organic pet food companies, with their itty-bitty market share, and the other manufacturers simply don’t have the production capacity. And as long as wheat doesn’t IMMEDIATELY KILL, there is a huge population who can’t afford high end orga

Safe Pet Foods: No Wheat, No Corn, No By-Products, Organic
2007-04-12 15:53:56
I know you want some truly safe, wheat-free choices so I’ll tell you what I would feed my kitties if I could not get HealthyPetNet, which is available only online, via telephone order, or through independent distributors. (HealthyPetNet and Flint River Ranch are the only two I know of that do mail order, nice for people who don’t live near big cities. Note: Flint River Ranch DOES carry some foods made with wheat gluten so read the label). My criteria is no wheat, no corn, no soy, no by-products, no articial colors or flavors, no chemical preservatives, and human quality and/or organic meats and raw materials. These are available in natural grocers (like Whole Foods , Wild Oats, Vitamin Cottage). I really can’t personally recommend any that are in the big pet food store chains, even though a few of them do not contain wheat. I’ve seen how my cats thrive on the truly organic foods and so that’s where I’m focused. They are not that much more expens
Read more: Products , Organic

Pet Food Recall Reaches Into South Africa – Vets Choice Voluntary Recall
2007-04-13 04:15:50
A South Africa n news service is reporting that Royal Canin just voluntarily recalled a premium dog food product sold only in veterinary clinics. It is not clear to me whether or not this brand, Vets Choice , is sold only in South Africa. Royal Canin deserves kudos for this one. They immediately issued the recall just on the suspicion of trouble. Royal Canin, as you know, just recalled a prescription canned cat food sold only through veterinary clinics in Canada because a connection was made to the melamine-tainted wheat. Dog food: Company warns owners 12/04/2007 16:23 – (SA) Johannesburg – The makers of Vets Choice dog food have advised pet owners to stop feeding their animals the product and to consult their vets if they are concerned about the health of their pets. This comes after the company, Royal Canin, received calls from consumers and veterinarians who have advised the company of 19 cases of dogs becoming ill. Gregory Watine, MD of Royal Canin SA said: “W
Read more: Voluntary

Pet Food Recall in South Africa — For Cryin’ Out Loud, Are We THERE, Yet?
2007-04-13 04:56:20
Folks, it’s not about whether or not your cat food or dog food was on the recall list. It’s about WHEAT. The news last week was, well, looks like we didn’t get it all. Expand the dates a little more, then a little more. Oops, take ALL of those products off the shelves. The news this week says, hey, Royal Canin, just when you thought you were safe, oops, a little melamine wheat got into your Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Diet. And, oh, oops, there are way too many cases of acute kidney failure in Vets Choice in South Africa , of all places, better do a recall. South Africa , for cryin’ out loud! Are we there, yet? Is there an end to the pet foods contaminated by this company in China who seeks out cheap melamine on the Internet and claims that they do no manufacturing, they are just the broker? Oh – My – Gosh. I truly do not care which no-wheat brand you choose. I just WISH that for a month or two, you would switch to a holistic, natural brand that do

5 Dead pets from August 2006 to December 2006 PRIOR to the Recall
2007-04-13 15:07:53
The wheat or wheat gluten contamination is more than far-reaching. This snippet from a comment made on one of yesterday’s posts was so important, I want to bring it up to the front page so you can see it. It was made by EelKat I agree with your post here… I myself have started reading the ingrediants and am buying non-wheat containing pet food, just to be on the safe side… 5 dead pets, from August 2006 to December 2006, all dead from what the vet said was toxins in he kidneys and liver… toxins that the vet believes must have gotten there from the pet food, in spite of the fact that the recall claims the contamination started in November 2006 not August 2006… 5 dead pets, I’m not taking any chances with the ones I’ve got left. I read another post on another news forum where the person lost NINE, count them, NINE hunting dogs within a week of each other. This is nothing to kid about. Don’t sleep on it. 11 recalls in the last 12 years, 3 major recalls in th

Safe Pet Food Blog posts for the weekend…
2007-04-13 15:26:23
Send me a comment via this post and let me know what topics concern you. I usually do my research on the weekend and queue up a dozen posts . This week, we had big news… Royal Canin’s recall extends into Cana and South Africa… The Chinese wheat supplier purchasing melamine… People are searching on “safe pet foods”… The beginning of the Senate hearings on Pet Food… What is on your mind, tell me and I’ll try to cover it.