Natural Balance Has Contacted My Vet

[JoAnn Kromfols]

My 10 Month old Mini Schnauzer became very ill and was on a diet of Natural Balance foods (dry Venison and Brown Rice was one).  After I contacted them they got in touch with my vet and called for Lucky's records and send me a fedex mailing envelop to send them a sample of the food he was eating.

Has anyone worked with a Pet Food Co on this issue?  Any advise?

[willyagogo]

JoAnn.....

My dogs were not affected (Thank God!.......at least accutely ayways!) by foods eaten around the time of the recalls.

However.....I'm curious, are you filing a claim of any kind for reimbursment? Myself, and I speak only for me....I would make sure that they first supply you with some claim forms. Then, if at all possible, make sure that you get a sample of the food tested INDEPENDANTLY.....

When you have the results back (which only takes 5-7 days I hear)....then....make copies of the results and THEN send a sample of the food along with the results from the independant testing Lab (try Accutrace) and your FILLED out Claim forms!

But...very important...before you send ANYTHING....make sure you have copies of EVERYTHING as the Petfood Co.s don't  seem to be very organized these days and have been losing things!....And should that happen. you will have ready at your disposal copies from your vet reports, your filled out Claim forms, testing results of the food .....you'll just need to send some more of their garbage food back to them!

Good luck to you!....I don't know your situation, but a little legal councelling would be helpful too, before you send ANYTHING to them!

Once again, best of luck to you!......

[TAZ]

If I were affected like this, I believe I would keep all original documents, and forward only copies of those originals (for all kinds of reasons). If that didn't satisfy the company, then a "certified true copy" would be the best I would provide.

I would also agree with willyagogo, have a sample of the suspect food tested independently first....then send a food sample with a copy (only) of test results to the pet food company.....by registered mail!

Also, as was said, know what you are signing......it may be that you will be asked to sign a release form, which could mean that you might not be able to make any claims later......we know, for example, that CRF will require ongoing checkups, treatment etc. and that there will be ongoing out-of-pocket expenses that a pet parent will have to deal with.

As well, some release forms will exclude you from being able to sue /join class action lawsuits........there's a lot to consider before going to the dotted line!

[willyagogo]

TAZ.....

Excellent advice!!!........Now that you mention it, I would indeed keep the original copies.

And...sending by registered mail will also work in your favour, as the receipts that you get by sending it registered may also come in handy as they will be proof that you DID send the info to them......and it will also have the date sent on the receipt!!

Some legal counsel....maybe JoAnn has a friend with this expertise.....would be helpful if she is not sure about what she is signing! Never sign anything if you are in any doubt EVER!!!!

Good luck!!!

[judyM]

As for sending registered mail, make sure you send it registered/return receipt, so that you will get the green return receipt card back indicating the day it was received and who signed for it!   

[gyngham2]

TAZ.....

Excellent advice!!!........Now that you mention it, I would indeed keep the original copies.

And...sending by registered mail will also work in your favour, as the receipts that you get by sending it registered may also come in handy as they will be proof that you DID send the info to them......and it will also have the date sent on the receipt!!

Some legal counsel....maybe JoAnn has a friend with this expertise.....would be helpful if she is not sure about what she is signing! Never sign anything if you are in any doubt EVER!!!!

I also contacted NB and finally got the forms.  My little almost 3 yr. old Westie was on NB, Venison ( canned, dry), Veg, and the Potato Duck ( canned , dry) for over 2 years.  I hope your pet is recovering well. Nik is doing better though its been a long journey.  He is on alot of meds, but I m more worried about his immune system which my specialist says triggered the allergies that most Westies deal with.

I am keeping a copy of all documents. Luckily, I have receipts from about a year ago to prove I did indeed feed my dog that garbage.  I was told the insurance company was sending the forms... though I m sure this is going to be a long, long process.   Mia

[JC]

Joann-I hope you come back to this post and read it again!

I lost 2 dogs to NB venison and brown rice food recall.  Both became ill almost immediately after eating the food and we lost one of them 5 days after eating the food and the other one 8 days after.

So far, my experience with Natural Balance has been very good.  I have spoken personally with Joey Herrick (president), the vet on staff (can't remember her name)and Jennifer Freeman (vet tech on staff).  They have each called me...not me calling them...and have Fedex'ed me all the paper work to get my vet bills reimbursed.  I am expecting a check this week. 

I will let the forums know what happens from here.  Money will never bring my babies back but that was one extremely expensive vet bill.

I hope your dog is well and that you get what you need from NB.

[sammie]

My cat got extremely sick from NB dry food.  She entered the hospital on 4-24-07, coming home to vomit all over the home.  My vet said her condition was grave, did not expect her to live.  She also had secondary diabetes as a result.  The numbers for her kidneys, etc, were the worst he has ever seen. The whole office worked so hard to keep her with us, and I spent hours laying in her cage, then going home to my 3 dogs, one with cancer.   She spend a week there, and is now called the miracle cat.  She has been there 5 times so far, a few sleepovers, trying to get her insulin in check.  NB has sent me forms to fill, but now I am not sure how to handle it.  I bought food at Centinela Feed back in March and April, when they were on the "ok list"  Three days after she got so ill, my sister found the news about their food.  My vet, by the end of the first week, felt this was definately from the food, and would write a letter as such.  My problem, I did not keep any receipts or the bags.  I dump the food in a storage bin, and toss the bags.  I did buy 4-7-07 one bag of NB from my groomer, which she said she would duplicate for me.  I bought the purple bag (Venison) as well as the pink bag.  (Adult)  Any suggestions how to handle, since I do not have any of the food.  Thanks.  I am so sorry for those of you who lost your babies.  I am still a basket case over this.  Cindy

[Davis]

My sympathies to all of you who have been affected by this food.  What is so unfortunate about this is that some people switched to this food after the recalls began, in order to protect their pets, thinking that this was a safe food. What a sad thing.

[Geff]

It really is sad. Our local health food pet food chain in Washington was pushing NB at the beginning of the recall also as a safe alternative. My guy ate 2 sample packs, but other then clearly letting me know his opinion of the flavor (yuch!) he was ok. Thank God he didn't like it, or he'd likely be dead.

He did get very sick off a few bites of Solid Gold, which though made by Diamond (the evil empire), has not been part of any recall that I'm aware of. Fortunately I caught it rweally quickly & all is ok now - this was also near the beginning of the recall.

I agree with the other posters, no matter how nice they seem, DON'T TRUST CORPORATIONS. I guarantee that even if they're nice people, they're manipulating your paperwork to their advantage. Protect yourself & do the same or at least speak with an attorney. I suspect their are attorneys who would take these cases on a contingency if you don't have the financial ability to hire one. I've found that just having a competent attorney can be a huge wake up call to a corporation.

[sammie]

I have been in contact with natural balance as well.  I am picking up a letter tomorrow and will send all info, bills, etc .  They also have been great about calling me.  Taz, hope you got my message today.  I could not figure out how to get a personal message.  Thanks for all the great advice. Hope I hear back from you.  It is difficult times for all of us.  My heart goes out to all of you.  Cindy