Tainted Pet Food Suit Settled For $24 Million. "Menu Foods, other pet food makers and retailers involved in last year's massive pet food recall will set up a $24 million cash fund to compensate pet owners, according to a proposed settlement filed Thursday in federal court.

Such a small victory for all of the pet owners that lost their precious kids and friends.  This is what is still so upsetting from the article posted:
"The FDA never identified how many pets were affected."

If truth be told, this settlement is more like $2 per pet in reality. If the FDA would have stepped up to the plate and investigated then admitted how many pets were lost (not to mention how many are STILL sick and/or going to die), the settlement could have been much greater.

Where's Don Earl from PFPSA been?  I'd like to see him back at the forums here.

THANK YOU Therese!

You'll like it even if you don't have pets and you may even decide you need one! 
   
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing. 
   
Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.   
   
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact, she was just sure it was fatal.
   
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky.  A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him.  The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death. 
   
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable. 
   
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom.  Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called.  It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed off. 
   
When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong.  She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!  While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.  He had covered her with his love.
 
Mary forgot about dying.  Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free.  Lucky?  He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.   
   
Remember.... live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most power, or the most posts.  They are the ones that care for us. 

Here's the latest post on Consumer Affairs website about problems with Nutro:

"Linda of Auburn NH (10/12/08)
PET FOOD PRODUCT SAFETY ALLIANCE DID TESTS ON TWO SAMPLES OF NUTRO FOOD AND POSTED ON AUGUST 14th, 2008. THE RESULTS WERE HIGH LEVELS OF COPPER AND ZINC. The symptoms are consistent with the majority of those reported by consumers suspecting problems believed to be associated with feeding Nutro dry dog food.

While Nutro may view a shiny coat as desirable on sick, dead or dying pets - whether well founded or not - the Pet Food Products Safety Alliance does not share that view There is no way to know which dogs will be affected immediately and or how long it will take for others to be affected. It's playing russian roulette with your animals lives by using Nutro."

To see the lab report referenced above by Pet Food Product Safety Alliance, visit:
http://www.pfpsa.org/news.html

Don Earl is the founder of PFPSA, and is a member here so I hope he returns to keep us up to date on what his organization is doing.

You're right, she doesn't look happy, she looks stunning!

good luck trying to dress a cat up

Oh yeah?

Just to clarify:  itchmo has "banned" certain long time members without any warning, no prior offenses, no explanation why and no responses when asked why.  Some mods at itchmo moderate according to who they like and who they don't like and do not follow their own rules for moderating.  That's what's really sad about itchmo, not the other way around that members are leaving itchmo on their own accord because they are unhappy there.

Check daily for information on human and pet products..

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.HTML

You can also sign up to be automatically emailed for any new recalls or alerts.  You can get the emailed alerts then instantly and not have to check the site.  See the link at the top of the page entitled Sign Up for Recall Email Updates.

Great idea, GG.  I'll try to round up the info on the side effects of Metacam on cats.  I have my 5 month old kitten, Prometheus, going to be neutered on Friday and I have already discussed the Metacam being a big no no on him.

Hahahahahahaha!  I want to see that chicken in a costume now!

I hope some of the members that haven't been active get a chance to post again as there's still bad pet food out there, or bad people food, or dangerous toys, or anything else made in China still causing concerns and more.

  She looks to me more like a little angel than a devil. I think her Meowmie needs to wear that thing on her head, LoL!

Oh, you're right.  Athena is a little angel.  Here's a picture of Athena the only time she's being good:

No animal was harmed in the production of this photo.  Maybe insulted, but not harmed.

Peg, so sorry to hear this heart-breaking story about your baby Rufus.  But I'm so happy to hear he's a little better this morning.  I'm glad you mentioned the Flagyl (Metronidazole).  Is he still on it?  I didn't realize all the side effects this drug can have if the exact proper dosage is not correctly determined.  I've used it in the past but didn't realize how toxic it can be. 

In fact, on another forum I belong to, Feline Assisted Feeding at Yahoo, yesterday and today there's been a long discussion on how toxic it can be as one member is treating her kitty for an overdose of it right now.

I suggest if you don't belong to this group, please join to read these latest topics on it.  Here's the group url:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/

These are the latest topics on it:
Mixed news on Mystery-metronidazole toxicity?
Mystery hospitalized at the vet school

Continued prayers and wishes to our guy Rufus.

Well, another mod quit yesterday at itchmo.  Not only quit, but deleted their account, too.  A week ago another mod quit as well.  So if the mods can't even get along, how do they expect the posters to get along?  These two mods that quit were only mods for a few weeks, too.  Sounds like the mods drive other mods away if they disagree with them just like they do with the members.