MORE PET FOOD RECALLS!
This list is growing.
Not that I'm surprised.
We can only hope it is wakeup call to consumers and manufacturers AND the government that is supposed to be overseeing this. :(
Recall -- Firm Press Release
FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market
withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the
media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the
product or the company. This listserv covers mainly Class I
(life-threatening) recalls. A complete listing of recalls can be found
in the FDA Enforcement Report at:
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/Enforce.html
Chenango Valley Pet Foods Expands Voluntary Nationwide Recall of
Certain Pet Foods Contact:
Dennis J. Bobita
(610) 821-0608
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- May 17, 2007 -- Chenango Valley Pet Foods
previously recalled dry pet foods manufactured with a shipment of rice
protein concentrate supplied by Wilbur-Ellis that possibly contained
melamine contamination. Chenango Valley Pet Foods is now expanding the
recall action to include those pet foods that do not contain rice
protein concentrate but were manufactured during periods when rice
protein concentrate formulas were processed. The recall of these
products is precautionary due to the possibility of
cross-contamination.
The following dry pet foods are involved in this recall action:
DOCTORS FOSTER & SMITH LAMB & BROWN RICE FORMULA ADULT DOG FOOD, NET
WT. 6 LBS. (UPC 25141 28244), 15 LBS. (25141 30074), and 30 LBS. (UPC
25141 06043); Date Codes: Best By Feb 09 09 and Best By Feb 26 09;
SHOP RITE REDI-MIXT DOG FOOD FOR DOGS, NET WT. 25 LB. (UPC 41190
00555), Date Code: Code C7107;
LICK YOUR CHOPS KITTEN & CAT FOOD, NET WEIGHT 4 LBS. (UPC 32976 25915),
and 18 LBS. (UPC 32976 25925); Date Code: Best Used By April 29 08;
SHEP chunk style dog food, NET WT. 20 LBS. (UPC 41498 14142); Date
Code: Best By March 14 08;
8 in 1 Ferret ULTRA-BLEND ADVANCED NUTRITION DIET, NET WT. 20 LBS, UPC
26851 00413, Code: C7072;
Bulk Lamb & Brown Rice Formula Dog Food, Date Code: Feb 09, 08, sold
to one consignee SmartPak.
Health Diet Cat Food Chicken & Rice Dinner NET WT. 1.81 kg/4 LB (UPC
78198 01594), 4 kg/8.8 LB (UPC 78198 01599), and 8 kg/17.6 LB (UPC
78198 01585); Code C7072;
EVOLVE KITTEN FORMULA, NET WT. 3 LBS. (UPC 73657 00250) and 7 LBS. (UPC
73657 00251); Date Code: Best Used By Sept 13 08. Evolve has recovered
99.5% of the product from its distributors and is working with dealers
to recover the remaining inventory.
No illnesses or injuries related to these products have been reported
to date.
Pet owners who have purchased the pet foods listed above should
immediately discontinue using the products and return them to the
place of purchase for full refund. Pet owners should consult with
a veterinarian if they have any health concerns with their pet.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-610-821-0608.
####
FDA's Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts Page:
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahatma Gandhi:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Forgot to add this from an earlier post:
An official class action lawsuit has started in the pet food deaths.
Might want to take a look or pass on to those directly affected.
http://www.mflegal.com/petfoodlawsuit
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't feel dumb!
It hasn't been confirmed, but the FDA suspects that melamine is the cause of all this nonsense. Melamine is used to produce plastic and as a fertilizer in other countries. It's been suspected that melamine was intentionally added to wheat gluten because it raises the nitrogen content of the food. Measuring nitrogen content is an indirect measure of the protein content of a food, so the melamine may have been added to make the exported wheat gluten to make it appear to be a superior product. Melamine is minimally toxic to humans. Scientists have found melamine in the urine of sick animals, so it's been suspected that that is the culprit.
Found this today. It's the ASPCA's pet food recall center site:
I give up. I'm tired of posting indivdual links as I find them. ::)
Since I've been automatically adding them to my page anyway, you can find the new links about the pet food recall here:
http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/2007/05/ferret-food-recall.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BENEFUL and others not on the FDA list now tested positive or under question:
http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/2007/05/ferret-food-recall.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
thanks for keeping us updated yogaferret!! crazy, scary, and sad how many there are and continue to be! :'(
thanks for keeping us updated yogaferret!! crazy, scary, and sad how many there are and continue to be! :'(
no problem.
Like I told barb, it makes me furious.
I had a sweet, little fuzzy-girl that suddenly died last summer. perfectly healthy then in a few days....
It would be the height of naievity to assume this supplementing is a recent occurance. You can reasonably assume it's been going on for as long as they've known about this little "trick" of adding a dangerous chemical just to mess with the nutritional values.
WTH am I paying taxes for if my government isn't doing the job they're getting paid to do??
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
didn't put on my own page *a little off focus*, but Barb looked into the culprits of this incident MELAMINE AND CYANURIC ACID.
Not surprised, but the FDA is knee-deep in sharing the responsibilty on both ends here:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-QanJVsYzeKevvCXwpLAi9JYjD9eU?p=644
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many of us here feed a natural diet so I thought I would post this notice too.
It is also recommended that if YOU USE WHOLE PREY, contact your supplier and inquiry into the status of what they are feeding their rabbits/quail/mice. Has their food been cleared or are they feeding contaminated food to the prey animals that you are buying??
When you think about it,it seems obvious, but I think many people (including me) overlooked it.
BTW, RodentPro has responded to inquires with this statement:
Thanks for the email though the contaminated feed did not affect our supplies at all.
You can feed our products without any worries. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to be of assistance.
Thanks,
Casey Willoughby
Sales Manager
RodentPro.com
P 812-867-7598
F 812-867-6058
cwilloughby at rodentpro. com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Human and Pet Food Safety Act of 2007 by the American Humane Society
Help protect humans and pets from contaminated food
The House of Representatives is considering a bill that would reform safety measures to protect the nation’s food supply for humans and pets.
visit the usual place for the link for the petition!
http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/2007/05/ferret-food-recall.html
I have some more updates for people like me who also use Wysong and AFS here:
http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/2007/05/respones-from-wholenatural-food.html
If anyone has info from their whole prey suppliers, please pass it on!
~Yes, we don't know how much impact second'hand' contamination has, BUT it might give suppliers in general a boost to ensure higher standards if they too are forced to start looking more into what they're purchasing/doing/where everything is coming from down the line.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Man, this is really terrible. I hate to think of all the pets that got sick on this.
I don't feed my dog commercial pet foods, so I don't worry about it. But ... I can't believe all these companies have contaminated foods! It's insane. Where have all the ethical companies with HIGH standards gone? Is there really no dependable company around any longer? This whole pet food recall thing is getting so ridiculous.
Man, this is really terrible. I hate to think of all the pets that got sick on this.
I don't feed my dog commercial pet foods, so I don't worry about it. But ... I can't believe all these companies have contaminated foods! It's insane. Where have all the ethical companies with HIGH standards gone? Is there really no dependable company around any longer?
You are assuming they were there in the first place??
But,seriously, I know what you mean/how you feel. :'( :'( :'(
There's no limit to man's self-interest and greed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahatma Gandhi:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
You best source is the FDA direct link in the earlier post, but here's another site,easy to use, that has info in list form a bout pet food recalls:
http://itchmo.com/recalled-pet-food-list-cats-dogs-and-other-pets/?source=badge_sm
Notice, from the link:
"Even Innova, whose EVO brand I've been feeding and recommending, has had some issues with their regular dog food having acetamenophen and cyanuric acid in them."
Pics of contaminated Natura food also in the following link:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-QanJVsYzeKevvCXwpLAi9JYjD9eU?p=813
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It isn't better to feel joy than to feel grief. It is certainly more fun to feel joy--but it isn't better. If something good is happening, it is appropriate to be joyful. If you have experienced loss, it is equally appropriate to be sad."
-LIFE AFTER LOSS, Bob Deits
I just hope it wasn't on purpose. :'(
I just hope it wasn't on purpose. :'(
The one actually probably was even though they will deny it tooth and nail.
If you look at the previous article in this thread there's a link to a BLog where cyanuric acid is analyzed. The FDA approves its use in animal feed AND Chinese buyers actually seek it out for it's quality being able to disguise actual protein content in pet food by making lower levels register has higher in chemical test.
>:(
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It isn't better to feel joy than to feel grief. It is certainly more fun to feel joy--but it isn't better. If something good is happening, it is appropriate to be joyful. If you have experienced loss, it is equally appropriate to be sad."
-LIFE AFTER LOSS, Bob Deits
I strongly encourage anyone who can stand to do it to cook for their pet. Yes, you may want to supplement that with professionally made pet food or a pet vitamin, but you know exactly what goes into them that way. Or find a high-quality pet food supplier. It's expensive, yes, but oh, so worth it.
yogaferret,
I had article sent to me via an email from one of the animal rescue people I know. It's from Animal Wellness magazine. It's a great source of reading material and information for those of you interested in a holistic approach to taking care of their pets (or that already follow that path).
http://animalwellnessmagazine.com/art/aV93_62.htm
I found this part most interesting (regarding GMO foods being fed to pets):
“Neither melamine nor aminopterin are likely to be the real cause of the illness – the symptoms of toxicity don’t match either one,” says Dr. Hofve. “Toxicology data on melamine suggests that it can cause kidney stones and other chronic effects, but acute renal failure does not really accord with that. Some are calling melamine a ‘marker’ for something else that hasn’t yet been determined.” Theories abound as to how melamine got into the wheat gluten. Federal Drug Administration veterinarian Stephen Sundlof told CNN that it could have been added as a “cheap filler”. But according to Michael W. Fox, B. Vet. Med, Ph.D., D.Sc., M.R.C.V.S, melamine is “not cheap” and costs about 50% more than wheat gluten. “I believe the China contaminant is the tip of the iceberg, and could become the scapegoat,” says Dr. Fox. In fact, he speculates that the Chinese wheat was genetically engineered or modified (GMO), and this is the source of the problem.
“It most probably was,” he states, “since it was not imported for human consumption, and was possibly an experimental crop with anti-fungus blight and viral disease genetic insertions that could have gone haywire as a result of ‘overexpression’. Melamine, the parent chemical for a potent insecticide cyromazine, could possibly have been manufactured within the wheat plants themselves as a genetically engineered pesticide.” Alternatively, the culprit could be glyphosate, says Dr. Fox, an herbicide that is absorbed by crops that are genetically engineered so that they escape harm while the weeds in the field around them die.
That is upsetting to once again have tainted pet foods. We've luckily not had 'pedigree' on the list as of yet. To think of what they put in animal foods :( I remember when I found out there was bone meal in one brand I was using, it's sick.
yogaferret,
I had article sent to me via an email from one of the animal rescue people I know. It's from Animal Wellness magazine. It's a great source of reading material and information for those of you interested in a holistic approach to taking care of their pets (or that already follow that path).
http://animalwellnessmagazine.com/art/aV93_62.htm
I found this part most interesting (regarding GMO foods being fed to pets):
Thanks Dave, I'd like to read more. (And I'm definitely going to try and get my hands on a subscription.)
It is known that cyanuric acid and melanine by themselves do not create a problem.
However, the AVMA and FDA separately showed earlier that cyanuric acid and melanine in combination cause acute kidney failure by blocking kidney function.
http://www.avma.org/press/releases/070501_petfoodrecall.asp
"Tests conducted on contaminated pet food and necropsies from affected animals have resulted in a new theory to explain how animals are being adversely affected by contaminated pet foods. A chemical reaction between melamine and cyanuric acid is suspected of forming crystals and blocking kidney function."
Of course any unnatural additive is not going to help either.
Here's PFI's (aka "Voice of the Pet Food Industry" ) stance on the use of wheat gluten in pet food: http://www.petfoodinstitute.org/wheatgluten_melamine_info.htm
:P
Which brings us back round to a quote from your same article:
"People also question why products such as wheat gluten are used at all. Surely, our dogs and cats don’t care what their food looks like. But mass market pet food companies use wheat gluten to create “cuts and gravy” types of food that simulate a beef stew like “mom used to make” at a fraction of the price. “Certainly there’s no particular need for pet foods that look like meat chunks, but there is demand,” says Dr. Hovfe. “And where there’s a demand, someone will supply it, and that someone will make a lot of money in the process."
Again, :P
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It isn't better to feel joy than to feel grief. It is certainly more fun to feel joy--but it isn't better. If something good is happening, it is appropriate to be joyful. If you have experienced loss, it is equally appropriate to be sad."
-LIFE AFTER LOSS, Bob Deits
I strongly encourage anyone who can stand to do it to cook for their pet. Yes, you may want to supplement that with professionally made pet food or a pet vitamin, but you know exactly what goes into them that way. Or find a high-quality pet food supplier. It's expensive, yes, but oh, so worth it.
On the one hand, the AVMA does not support this because "pet nutrition is very complicated and unique to species and individual animals." .
On the other hand, there is this:
"If you are certain you wish to cook for your pet, the AVMA does recommend you first consult with your veterinarian and do some research on appropriate diets for your pet. A pet owner should only consider recipes for pet food that are developed for dogs or cats by veterinarians or trained professionals in animal nutrition.
Dr. Tony Buffington, DVM, Ph.D., an Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine professor of clinical sciences and a member of the AVMA, agrees that preparing food for your pet can be tricky. In the event a pet owner is determined to make pet food at home, he recommends Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative by Dr. Donald Strombeck as a good cookbook for pets. Dr. Buffington also recommends http://www.petdiets.com/ as one the best Web sites on home-cooked pet diets. "
Full article here: http://www.avma.org/press/releases/070404_homemade_diets.asp
Wysong and AFS are other safe products you can use in liu of home-cooking:
http://www.animalfood.com/
http://www.wysong.net/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It isn't better to feel joy than to feel grief. It is certainly more fun to feel joy--but it isn't better. If something good is happening, it is appropriate to be joyful. If you have experienced loss, it is equally appropriate to be sad."
-LIFE AFTER LOSS, Bob Deits