What's Killing Our Pets

[5CatMom]

The oldest food I have is from 2003 when one of my kitties was at the emergency hospital, diagnosed with renal cancer.  I think the food is Science Diet.

Would be interesting to have it tested.  Back then, I didn't know that food could be lethal.  Duh?

I've always wondered if the cancer diagnosis was correct.

That's as far back as my memory goes.  Wonder if there were even earlier problems?

Just wanted to add that in the years 1998 and 2000, a few brands of dog foods, including Nutro (in 1998), were found by the FDA to contain pentobarbital residue. The cause of which has never been determined.   http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/DFappend.htm                                                         http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/dfchart.htm

I am sure there were 5cat. But unfortunately there is no way to know for certain.     That is unless you or someone else is able to dig something up.

[5CatMom]

Hi there Cato and Hannie .

You guys jump in here and help us brainstorm.

My little pea brain feels like it's been in a storm.  Haven't done much posting today, but I did get to town and stopped by a local indie retailer.  You guys remember Clark Stride from Champion?  He chatted with us about the irradiation problem.  He and the distributor were visiting the retailer today, so I sort of, uh, invited myself to the party.

The retailer didn't sell Orijen, and I've been bugging her to get it.

Happily, she decided to sell it today, so I was her first customer.  I don't feed a lot of kibble, but the fur kids like an occasional snack.

Clark is nice, and clearly proud of Champion and their products.    

[5CatMom]

Ha, Ha.  That Kaffe is a cutie. 

May I contribute to this thread, 5Cat? 

Permission to post?  Kaffe, am I missing something here?

[5CatMom]

Wonder if any of the vet groups have info on companion animal mortality?

It makes me think the problems have been there all along.

[5CatMom]

Hi Perseus,

Do you use twitter?  Just wondering 'cause I was searching there and thought I saw you.  

Twitter is fun, but a bit odd.

Looks like unwanted advertisements could be an issue.

Ha, ha, someone referred to the Nutro folks as "tweet-zombies".  Too funny.

[kaffe]

There was a study done to see if pentobarbital was indeed in petfood and indeed it was.  And then it was conjectured that the drug residue must come frm euthenized animals - including cats and dogs.  So, several brands of petfood were tested for cat and dog DNA, but none was found (of course).     I would really love to see another independent test done on this dog and cat DNA and this time, not on the finnished products, which have been treated under very high heat temperatures (thus denaturing proteins, including DNA) - but on the raw rendered animal meats made into kibble and canned petfood. 

See, the animal feed and petfood industry is the perfect answer to "what to we do about all the remains of slaughtered animals that people cannot eat?"  On the one hand, I see the logical economy of the enterprise; but on the other hand, I see the horrors of the actual application: 4-D animals, roadkills, euthenized pet, cancerous tissues of othewise USDA inspected farm animals...  Surely, in this day of high tech and wonders, a system can be found and set in place that can make use of healthy animal tissues that people don't eat (bec of culture - in some cultures, they eat everything) and without the use of so many noxious and toxic chemicals.

[GreyGhost]

They really tried to dismiss the phenobarbital issue. We all know better. I'm sure that is what is going on here. Try to dismiss everything. It really is beginning to get on my nerves.

As for Orijen. There is no way I would ever feed that food to my pets after what I seen and been through. Too many problems and not enough action.

[Perseus]

Hi Perseus,

Do you use twitter?  Just wondering 'cause I was searching there and thought I saw you.  

Twitter is fun, but a bit odd.

Looks like unwanted advertisements could be an issue.

Ha, ha, someone referred to the Nutro folks as "tweet-zombies".  Too funny.

Hi 5Cat, Yes, I *tweet* but not as Perseus and mostly for business under my company.  And then only because I'm working on a certification in social media marketing. Otherwise, I found it annoying to be frank about it.  But I still enjoy a good fight now and then with those in the wrong, so if you can supply any names for Nutro on twitter I'd be happy to join in.

[5CatMom]

TWO new cat deaths.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html

Please join Twitter and help spread the word.

Nutro shills are “tired” of hearing about the recall.

Search “nutro recall” to get names of who's reporting.

Need LOTs of help.

[kaffe]

But... I don't know anything about "twitter" or "twittering"... 

[lesliek]

Neither do I,so join and I won't be the only 1 floundering there !

[5CatMom]

Twitter's fun, but it won't replace good forums like this one.  Therese does a wonderful job, that's for sure.

LOL, lots of strange stuff on Twitter.  Have to block the weirdo's.

And the "twitter zombies" are a hoot! They don't concern themselves with hard questions and real facts, just "happy" comments, IMHO.    

Sad to see many "tweeple" are unaware of the co-packer relationships.  Some seem to believe that each "brand" is made by it's own manufacturing plant, and we know there are only a handful of manufacturers.

(FYI, there's a "Twello", I believe.  It's a Twitter yellow pages.  So maybe watch those screen names, and profile info)    

Might be useful to compile a list of what Mars makes for others.  LOL, lady said she wasn't using Nutro, she was using Royal Canin.

Last time I checked Mars was making (some?) Royal Canin in the plant they bought from Menu.  I don't know.  It's hard to keep everything straight.

That Nutro! They don't seem to care about testing their food, but they care about their PR, IMHO.  Thought the two things were related.

I'll never understand a business whose strategy (or lack of it) allows it's customers to be killed off.  

Here's a good place to post a comment.  Both Consumer Affairs and Nutro are watching this one, I believe.

http://www.businesspundit.com/nutro-dog-food-issue-dates-mars-pr-approach/comment-page-1/#comment-14795

Comments are moderated, so it may take a while to post.  Don't see mine yet, and it's been a while.

Furry hugs.

[5CatMom]

What are those little red thingys on top of the folder icon for this thread?

[Bonkers]

  They mean that this thread is a "Very Hot Topic" as it has had more that 25 replies. I did not know either and had to look it up. 

[Bonkers]

    It seems that back in 2004 Effem/Mars had recalled Pedigree and Whiskas, which were manufactured in Taiwan, "after toxins produced by mold at the plant were found to be the likely cause of a recent rise in canine renal illness in Southeast Asia and Korea." The full story can be viewed here. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/detail.asp?ID=49768&GRP=B