Cat deaths linked to Orijen

[raggiesrule]

Thank you all so much for what you are doing - it is so much appreciated.

I have forwarded the information onto my vet about the Hyperbaric treatment - thank you for that research too.

Kitties seem to be doing a bit better over the last few days and I think it is to do with the cooler temperatures which we are all very grateful of - unfortunately they are suppose to be starting to climb again soon. Still a lot of summer to go.

Jo

[raggiesrule]

My vet got back to me she said to say thank you for the hyperbaric information and she is doing more research.

Jo

[GreyGhost]

That is great news. Keep us posted.

[kaffe]

My vet got back to me she said to say thank you for the hyperbaric information and she is doing more research.

Jo

Oh... I soooo HOPE that something of this therapy would help the kitties!

[raggiesrule]

Will certainly let you know what happens.

Jo

[Perseus]

Cross posted with permission of the pet parent of Gus and Maurice, two of the affected kitties in Australia.

Gus, 4 year old birman, wobbly legs Christmas week declined to dragging hind legs, now is having trouble using front legs, depressed and spooked by noise or movement but eating well.

Maurice, 1 year old birman, wobbly legs, falling over 18th December, hard to to stay upright over Christmas/New Year week. Started to improve back to normal, then 23 Jan has started to slide out and drag rear feet.

Two most beautiful kitties that are suffering from the poisoned Orijen cat food:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-78h1pa-ug&feature=channel_page 

[Bonkers]

  I cannot hold back my tears as I watch these heartwrenching videos. There are just no words to describe how I feel about Champion.     

[GreyGhost]

Its the saddest thing I have ever seen. I like you can hold back the tears. I have many words for what I feel for Champion but they would not be appropriate on an open forum.

[kaffe]

    Champion Foods did this to these beautiful creatures. It shall not be forgotten or left un-addressed.

[maxymia]

Hi all. This is my first post here and yes, I am another parent of two beautiful 1 year old cats, Max & Mia affected by horrorjen. I spoke to the Veterinary Neurologist taking care of most cases and has confirmed that my cats are showing signs of spinal cord damage, brain damage and spasticity.

Firstly I would like to say a massive heartfelt thank you to you all. The support & care you have been showing and the work you have all been doing for us is amazing. You are truly a bunch of fantastic people. We really do need help in getting this information out there so from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Secondly, I would like to shed more light on the post that prompted some to think there is an angel amongst a certain company. The reply (from D) was one of the replies that I have received from numerous emails I have sent them. I agree that the reply, on its own, sounds sincere and heartfelt, but this could not be further from the truth. The email I sent, that prompted this response, also contained valid questions that have been ignored and unanswered still to this day, as has my reply. If they really are so sorry and understand, why have we (as a group) not received a formal apology, at a time when there is so much devastation going on in our country. Where is a statement from this company saying that the email some of us received was incorrect. It seems they have backed into their shells again thinking that if they do not say anything we will go away.

I have also sent very lengthy & detailed emails to this person to let them know all the non-veterinary costs involved with caring for our cats in order to keep them safe and comfortable whilst they hopefully recover. I included people's stories on what they are having to do to care for there cats and parts of a document pointing out negligence.This was in hope that they would make the right and moral decision to pay for all costs incurred to treat our cats. In one of the responses I got this 'lovely' paragraph about how what a small percentage the Australian market was, how they export to over 50 countries resulting in healthy cats blah blah blah. Talk about kicking a person when they are down. I cried when I read this.  I felt like this person was more concerned about trying to put the sell on how wonderful their product is than the devastation this has caused my two wonderful and beautiful furry kids. My emails were ignored, they came back with the pathetic offer that was worse than their first. All they have really done is reduced the payment for veterinary costs by $200AUD. It should be renamed 'The Compassionless Fund'

Lastly, in my eyes, an angel would not continue to work for and support a company that, as now it seems, has contributed on three occasions to panic, devastation and/or death amongst our beautiful, sweet animals. All due to greed and utter negligence. I know that I could not even consider for 1 second to work for a company like that.

Honestly, how on earth can you blast food with irradiation and then advertise it as biologically appropriate. This whole situation is just wrong in so many ways and now we and our cats are suffering because of their greedy decisions.

Please do not think I am having a go at you, I am not. I am just trying to give you the bigger picture. I said I agree that it does sound lovely. I have had a few of these responses. But trust me, they are only words with absolutely no actions. If they did feel so strongly about this situation they would be doing something about it not telling me how wonderful their product is in the rest of the world on 2 separate occasions. Champions? I think not. More like B########S.

Once again thank you to all of you for your support, Your care and concern is helping us get through this tough time.

Big cuddles and kisses to all your fluffy kids

[Perseus]

Welcome to The Pet Food List forums maxymia and I know how difficult it is for you to post here about your fur babies.  This forum doesn't get hundreds of posts a week but it gets a lot of views from people just "lurking", so we are hoping to get the word out more and more in the U.S. about how Champion PetFoods poisoned your kitties.

It's good to hear first hand from the affected pet parents in Australia on how devious and heartless Champion has treated you. I am hoping that the U.S. Orijen feeders reading this can understand how devastated you are in Australia and realize the true company they are supporting by purchasing Champion's food.  Until their markets are devastated the same way you are, will there be any change.  Until then they will continue to hide behind the nice emails thinking you are so stupid that this is all that's needed to soothe the wounds.

Hugs and kisses to Max and Mia with big hopes for a quick recovery.

[The Cats Mother]

Quite frankly I'm bloody sick of this.

I've emailed this to Peter Muhlenfeld of Champion Petfoods today after seeing all the Youtube videos.

And I'm working through all the people at the Australian Quarantine, Biosecurity Australia and CSIRO sending them the link as well.

You can cross post and blog this letter wherever you like.

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Attn: Peter Muhlenfeld, Champion Pet Foods, Morinville, Alberta, Canada
 
Peter,
 
This is what your Orijen pet food has done to our cats in Australia
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEaXvEbLTVg&feature=channel
 
 
Many other video clips linked on that page as well.
 
 
Three cats have died of seizures, one of a spinal tumour. Fifteen have been euthanised.
 
My cat is totally paralysed, incontinent and cannot drink or feed herself nor defaecate without enemas.
 
Your lack of due diligence before entering this market, admitted by you during our telephone conversation of 19 December 2008, and your failure to stay fully informed of what your importer was doing at all times in signing authorities to gamma irradiate not on one shipment, as you claimed in our telephone conversaton, not on two shipments as Michelle Grainger claimed but on THREE SHIPMENTS has caused this devastation among Australian cats.
 
Both your importer and you knew something was wrong in September/October of 2008 when vets first spotted a link between the syndrome and Orijen cat food. It took you until almost the end of November before a recall was announced and even then many of the retailers were not given a full explanation so they could not tell their customers who were still feeding their cats from recently purchased bags.
 
 
A highly restrictive Compassionless Underfund of $100 for supplements and $100 for ancillaries  doesn't even come close. And given that standard veterinary consultations, treatments and prescriptions do not apply, once diagnosis has been made and paid for that saves you the bulk of the $1800 doesn't it? Australians have a phrase for that kind of thing - "Mean and tricky".
 
 
It is NOT your place to tell us how much our cats' lives are worth, WE'LL tell YOU what we feel is appropriate since we are the ones left dealing with it.
 
 
Your company is liable and we demand full compensation, a flat compensation payout per cat with no restrictions on how we spend the money to keep our cats clean, fed and comfortable, our furniture and carpets protected from urine and faeces, and try to alleviate their symptoms by whatever treatments we deem might help.
 
Let's start negotiating at $10,000 per affected cat (given that I am only two months into this and have already spent $1500 and cats are taking 6-8 months at least to make some recovery - and we have no idea what awaits them down the track)
 
Either directly or via 3rd party mediation appointed by us, your choice.
 
One way or another there is a very angry and determined group of people in this country and in North America that will see that you pay.
 
 
T C

[Frosty]

Good write up, TC. I will be printing it out and passing it on to those who need to know in my corner of the world. That includes places where Orijen is sold. Pet stores need to know how the companies that they buy food from treat their customers when something goes wrong.

[kaffe]

Sometimes I wonder if the problem with Orijen is truly restricted only to Australia becuase I find stories of cats in other countries showing all the symptoms of orijen-poisoned Aussie cats.  Take this one example from the UK: the cat was fed Orijen and within a few months, developed wobbly legs then deteriorated rapidly and had to be PTS within a month of showing symptoms:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3018164

strangely, the owner feels that the cat's sudden paralysis is not food related even though the problem started at exactly the same time frame the problem surfaced in Australia  

[Perseus]

kaffe, that's quite a find there on that forum.  The owner also said he spoke directly with Champion, and stated:
"they think the problem is with the irradiation the bags go through when they are imported into Australia - the irradiation releases toxins from the packaging into the food, apparently."

This is the first time I'm reading that toxins from the packaging were released into the food during the irradiation process.  Hard to verify though since this is really second hand information from a forum but still interesting to note if it were true he was told that.