HAS EVERYONE HAD ENOUGH ????

[Mary K]

I guess this forum is a good place to start. I try to keep my normally level head cool. I am sure I am speaking for thousands, here. For the last 3 weeks I have spent my entire life on-line watching all the blogs and forums. I can't sleep, my diet is awful and my nerves are shot. This AM I finally had a 'meltdown' which was much needed.     Meanwhile my 3 cats, the basis for all of this concern (and your cats and dogs, too) are not getting much attention. I rarely play with them these days. They are hungry because I cut off their canned food supply, only get rations of potentially tainted dry food and break down and eat my awful cooking when they can't stand their hunger. They keep hoping I will give in and give them their junk-diet back. A month ago I had a life, while putting out gobs of Science Diet wet and dry and all 4 of us were happy as larks! That is no longer an option-when will this fact sink in??? Convenience with our pets just doesn't cut it any more! Right now I am so sick of this recall-aren't you?  As someone said a few weeks ago "I just want to play with my cats". I have recently read more scientific, nutritional and shopping information on pets than in my whole life. I have read all the bitching about and touting of this and that brand. I have watched while seemingly everyone switched over to Natural Balance by default and this AM that is being pulled off the shelves! Yes, I believe changes must be made with human food, importing, and the pet food arena especially. But in the meantime I do not want one more needless pet death to occur!! It is a very difficult decision for anyone to change their lifestyle and that of their pets. I have been trying to do it for 3 weeks. You have too! And don't think/hope this whole thing will some day 'blow over' and you can go back to feeling safe feeding commercial. The problems have just begun!! I think it is time to stop trying to find the "ultimate pet food" and invest a bit of time learning how to make our own; we all can do it!! This group of pet activists is one of the most intelligent I have met. And forget about openly sharing our secrets on blogs, where marketing masters wait with baited breath to see what we will buy next. (Didn't I read this AM that Purina bought out Gerber ? ...see what I mean??) If you do your homework now (plot out some time to accomplish this) and then stop buying the awful commercial pet food, you won't have to check on-line every AM, PM, and 24 times in-between to make sure what you are feeding isn't being recalled!  You can sleep again, watch your pets grow healthy and know that you made a massive consumer revolt. Then get back to playing with those cats and dogs. That's what it's all about, now, isn't it?

[Geff]

Mary, I can relate to your feelings. I've been having a minor melt down myself since hearing of the NB recall last night. I've also been through similar to a good portion of what you describe in the last week. I think my cat is getting sick of watching me type about him on the pc! I also wish this would go away. I'm afraid that it's not going to for awhile, & hopefully our vigilence will keep our loved ones alive.

One bit of good news, my cat seems to react really quickly to food issues & he's really sensitive to foods. We started Natura California Natural Chicken & Rice Dry about 5 days ago & all has been well; in fact a life long spinal sensitivity has cleared up almost completely for the first time ever, & so far he hasn't thrown up at all (he usually throws up 2-5 times per week).  I spoke with Natura by phone today, they stated they they make their own dry food in their own factory.

As my vet's become fond of saying, there's no problems with it YET, but that's more then i can say about 99% of the pet food out there at the moment.

[willyagogo]

Mary and Geff....I hear you! I've been on the computer so much lately (still not savvy though!)....but at least I'm not worried about my fur-babies as I am home-cooking for them and have been keeping a daily diary since starting to do so....I'll be showing it to our Vet (who also home-feeds!) and getting assistance from him as I need it!......I consider myself so very lucky!! I am so relieved to not have to worry about what I NOW feed them. I also make their treats and cookies....the extra time doing it.....can't be any worse than all the extra time spent in front of a monitor!.....Although I have been checking in quite frequently to check up on the recalls etc......not as much as before!

I guess my "melt-down" came earlier on....right before I decided to home-cook....and I guarantee you...I'll never go commercial feeding again.....I lost faith in the industry a while back! JMO though!

[Loren]

Thanks to some very knowledgeable people ...I have been feeding my boy a raw diet now pretty much from the beginning.  When I first got my pup..I had absolutely NO CLUE on what to feed.  After starting with the worst..i worked my way up the kibble rank to the supposedly "human grade" ones with still not such a healthy boy.  Now...on raw food...he is in picture perfect shape...Who would have ever thought that RAW food would be the best option...at least for me! 

[Therese]

I can certainly relate, Mary! I normally spend quite a bit of time in front of the computer, but lately I pretty much live here. My dogs have been complaining a bit too, but just a little while ago we all went for a walk, which all of us needed!

Like you, I don't think the recall is going to 'blow over.' I think it's going to change the way a lot of people feed their pets.

And yes, I have had enough!!! And for now, I'm going to go be a couch potato with my dogs and try to find something good on TV.

[Davis]

I can relate too.  My time has been limited due to other committments in my life, and yet this still has dominated every single spare second I have.  My cat spends a great deal of time in front of the computer with me, but I'm sure he would rather be elsewhere...with me...doing something more interesting.  Of course he does not know that we are on the computer to help him.

I have thought a lot about the passion that pet owners have for this subject, and it comes down to this -- our pets are just like our children and most species will fight to the death to protect their children.  I'm reminded of a story I heard a while back about a man that was having a violent argument with a visitor in his high story apartment building.  The guest got so angry that he picked up the man's cat and threw it out the window to it's death as a punishment to the man.  The man then kiiled the guest with his bare hands.  According to the rest of the story, the jury let the man off and he was not convicted of murder.  I don't know if this is an urban legend or not, but I distinctly recall that someone who had seen this on the news had told me about it.  Anyway, it proves the point that our pets are one of the dearest and most loved things in our lives.  Which is why we are all here online,  day and night.  When or if this recall fades, I hope this forum stays active and we can continue to discuss foods and our pets.  There is always a need for that, recalls or not.   

[alek0]

I've had a melt-down last night over NB recall. I used to feed NB, Solid Gold and Felidae or Innova, supposedly good foods, right? Now I feed only Timberwolf Serengeti as dry (this has been the case for past 2 weeks) and I keep thinking back for the last couple of months, re-examining every hairball and every throiqwng up incident, worrying over every tiny change in cats routine, they must think I've gone totally crazy since I just hold them and cry instead of playing with them.

[willyagogo]

Like you, I don't think the recall is going to 'blow over.' I think it's going to change the way a lot of people feed their pets.

Therese......In the long run, this is what I and most of us truly HOPE for! I have been one of the lucky pet owners who has not lost a pet.....or is watching their pet struggle through a petfood related illness.

BUT....I have encountered some that have....and it's truly heartbreaking! As animal lovers...we absolutely CANNOT let this blow over....for the love of our pets, and most importantly, for all the wonderful pets who have paid dearly with their lives and the pet owners who have struggled through this. The fight and the sharing of information must continue........it just has to!......

[Mary K]

Thank you all for your comments and support! I took a break from blogs for 24 hours and went 'into town' to pick up more supplies for my home-made diet. I have not deserted you! I still think about the group when I am away. My cats are fine, and putting up with my strange new patterns and feedings. I guess it doesn't matter if we share our secrets or not; the market tells the story, doesn't it? I am so happy your pets are doing ok. I am very happy so many agree with me; I really thought I had gone crazy yesterday. It sure helps to have support. Thank you, again,  everyone!! I am feeding cooked chicken, turkey and cornish hens to the kids. I am using Hartz vitamins and going to get human-grade bone meal today, as well as invest in lots of books about cat nutrition. I totally deleted the commercial food 2 days ago. I no longer feel I am playing Russian Roulette with their food; I am no longer a pawn of the commercial industry! It feels wonderful! Cats are so forgiving and adaptable-if I were them, I would hate me right now!!    It is challenging because my female likes to snack all AM, and the other 2 eat everything in sight, so making sure they each get a vitamin and a share of the food is a new game! I am sending out warm fuzzies to you all!

[Meltdown]

I know how you feel.  I even chose the name Meltdown last week when I signed up for this forum.     I just wish we could get good information.  It seems like it takes the FDA and the manufactures days to tell us anything. 

[willyagogo]

I have to say.....just coming off from reading some comments over at "Itchmo" (whom I greatly admire as well...I needed to say that!).....I'm so pissed off at some of the comments from SOME that are upset and say that people are paranoid, and are upset at the "NB bashing that they feel is taking place! They say that NB has taken presidence and that we have all but forgotten the "big" companies that are poisoning our pets!

For Christ sakes!!!....since when did the sharing of info become a bashing game? Are they so biased that they think that certain petfood companies (organic or other) deserve any less attention...just because of their PAST reputations? I think that most will agree that ALL petfoods are suspect at this point and if NB is the news of the day...then so be it! But I just hope that EVERYONE having problems with ANY petfoods will continue to share their experiences and not be intimidated by negative comments calling them "hysterical, paranoid bashers" of new recalls or concerns of recent petfoods!

This sharing of news is what's instrumental in saving the future lives of many of our dear pets! How can they think that just because NB is the focus....people are now running out to buy Menufoods products? That's just ridiculous!!! A lot of us that are reading and/or exchanging comments are still busy handing out flyers and trying to inform the public and doing what we can to "make noise" about the petfood industry "AS A WHOLE!"......

Now that I have that off my chest, I encourage EVERYONE, share what ever problems they have with ANY petfoods....PLEASE!!!

Now, I shall take my 2 "lovies" out for a nice long walk.....so they can exercise......and so I can "cool down" and compose myself before coming back on the computer!!

I thank you all for your "patience" during the reading of this post!....

[Geff]

Hi Willy - I agree. I made a post similar to yours on the blog earlier today. I also suspect that "Debbie" on Itchmo may be the same person as "Jenna" who used to post here on the blog.

[willyagogo]

Hi Geff!!...Btw, you may call me Deanna! My 2 shelties are named Willy and GoGo..hence the name!...

I commend "Debbie" for all the work she has done in the name of "animal welfare" as we need more people like that. BUT.....I think she crossed the line with some of her comments...and not only that....you get other people siding with her....which is not what people want to hear as a whole....people want info and hear the latest experiences...whether recalled or not! Can you imagine losing a pet...and then coming on to make a comment that warns others.......and then be rewarded or "comforted" by comments like her's?

Negative comments such as those will only serve to put a rift between people and cause confrontations.....when the soul purpose is to share information and also comfort those who do have the fortitude to do so.

Anyways, as you can probably tell......me and the Doggies still need to go for that much needed walk!... ......I just find it so damn hard to get away from the computer these days!!!

[Geff]

Hi Deanna - I do understand. I think I'm at the point that if anything goes wrong with the Cal Natural Sylvester is on now, I'm going to have to learn how to home cook & to be honest I dread that.

I do think the only thing that matters right now is keeping our fur friends safe. I can't imagine dealing with this in the days before the internet. While not everything posted is true or accurate (lol), it sure beats the alternative of the corporations controlling our flow of information. I would have been lost without the original petsit blog, Therese's list & Itchmo when this first started.

It sure would be nice to know just what the real cause is so we could take appropriate action. 

[SandyC]

I'm so stressed over this pet food mess that my best friend told me this morning that I'm obsessing. And I suppose I am but the food that I know killed my dog hasn't made it to the recall list and I'm upset over it.  I have always fed raw and homemade food to my pets but in Dec I became the caretaker for my husband's elderly parents which put a major crunch on my time.

We had gotten a sample of Beneful (yes yes I know its junk food) and they liked it. Having always had fresh and raw, they turned their noses up to most commercial foods but they would eat Beneful so I bought a large bag of it. About 2 weeks after starting them on it, I found my large mixed breed dog. He had collapsed and was unresponsive. He died before I could get him to the vet.  During the time they had been eating this food, my small dog had been occasionally vomiting up bile but she sometimes has spring time allergies and since we'd had a warm spell, I thought that was the cause. Then she began to have seizures. She's 5 and has always been a healthy, happy bouncy dog. She didn't want to play, she didn't bounce and the seizures were getting more frequent. The vet could find no cause. I started thinking and thinking what possibly could cause this change in my dog??? Then it dawned on me...I had put them on commercial dog food...Beneful!  I stopped giving it to her that day. She has not had another seizure, she hasn't been vomiting up bile. She bounces when she sees me again.  I now have no doubt this food killed my one dog and almost killed my other dog. I keep watching for it to be recalled or at least to see other people say they've had problems with it. I KNOW this made my dogs sick why is it still on the shelves!?