More on Pet Food recalls, some info...

Ok, we all know from the 2007 pet food recalls just how scary they can be. We all went through that time wondering just what was left to feed our pets? And if we fed it to them, were we still unintentionally poisoning them? Many of us watched the news very closely, we found online forums and blogs to stay updated on, we taught ourselves which foods were produced by Menu Foods and tried to avoid them like the plague. Some of us made food for our companions from fresh ingredients for people. Some of us went back to feeding the way nature might have intended them to be and fed raw, in fact alot of cat owners did go to feeding raw. At one point some of us who were/are members on the Feline Diabetes forum who feed raw, including Dr. Lisa Pierson DVM were interviewed for an article in one of the big papers, I forget now which one, about raw feeding. However, when the article came out we were dismayed and angry that he completely misrepresented us and our reasons for feeding raw.

That aside, the point to this is we are still very, very gun shy about our pet foods and the word "RECALL" still strikes terror in our hearts. I personally do my best to watch for new recalls of not only foods, but any pet associated product. I do my best to avoid buying any products from the company, because if they had one type of food with problems, the likelihood of one of the others having problems is too great for me.

The FDA tries to regulate the pet food industry, however, we all know they are way understaffed and unable to keep an eye on everything. But they are a good source to get recall info on from 2006 to present. And you can subscribe to alerts that come to your email box. The Animal and Veterinary page is where to start, there is a link to subscribe to email alerts, and you can select what alerts you want to receive. They also have links to file a complaint about a food that you or your veterinarian feel might have a problem that is making your pet sick. While they might not have all the truth there, they are about the most consistent, and one can confirm or deny rumors on the site.

While it might seem to be a hassle to some of you to check on all this information before you buy food for your companion. Wouldn't it be worth it in the long run? I mean what if you didn't check and your pet became suddenly, fatally ill, and it might have been prevented if you'd fed the better food? And remember, just because it costs more doesn't mean it's any safer. You do the best for yourself, why wouldn't you for your pet?

Pet food and product warnings and recalls

It seems that the pet food companies still cannot get their quality control fixed and stop killing or endangering our pets. Didn't they learn anything from the massive recalls in 2007 from Menu Foods? Didn't we learn anything from those same recalls? I know I did, and I certainly try not to use or feed any brand that was part of that recall. I just don't think it's worth the risk to my beloved pets.

Here are some recent ones:

Nutro is still on the hot seat with numerous consumer complaints on their dog and cat foods, here are two links to read more on the Nutro problems, especially about the puppy food that may contain plastic.

Consumer Complaints on Nutro

Article on Nutro pulls some puppy food

Nutro Cat food and zinc poisoning

If you read these articles above, you will find links other links on the pages for other pet food product problems.

Also Diamond pet food products has recalled the following date codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball Cat with codes of RAF0501A22X (18-lb. bag), RAF0501A2X (6-lb. bag), RAH0501A22X (18-lb. bag) and RAH0501A2X (6-lb. bag).

The petfood in question is low in thiamine, which can cause neurological symptoms and brain damage. More than a dozen cases have been confirmed.

It is recommended that pet owners whose cats have eaten the food specified below contact their veterinarian. Diamond is also asking consumers to return the potentially tainted food.The calls from pet owners or veterinarians regarding this issue! have been centered in the Rochester, NY area. Diamond says t! hat all retail outlets shipped the above lots were contacted, asking them to pull the product from the store shelves; and to contact their customers to have them to check the date code of the food. If you or anyone you know has these date codes of Premium Edge cat food, Diamond is asking you to return them to the retailer (presumably for a refund).

And now one of the scary problems found with Advantage spot on flea product. Seems it's gluing itself and the pet to anything plastic. Read the article HERE .

The Humane Society is a good resource for recalls and product warnings.

It seems that anywhere you go these days, we still have problems and companies who aren't fully disclosing those problems. While I can understand the pet owner's plight to make some care products simpler or more convenient, not all of these wonderful gadgets or foods are good for our furkids. If you really do love and care for your pet, please research and learn about their needs and what truly is best for them before you purchase. And in my humble opinion, while we rely on our veterinarians to provide us trustworthy information and to know what's best, not all of them do. Many believe the sales pitch of the sales rep from the companies they buy their presecription diets or other products through. In many veterinary schools nutrtion is taught by someone from the pet food industry, not someone who knows the digestive system, or endocrine systems in our pets. Take the time to be an informed pet owner, be an advocate for your pet, learn about proper nutrition and such for them. Once you do and then compare labels with the prescription diets in your vet's office. You'll be surprised actually that even some foods off the store shelves are better made than the Rx diets, and are cheaper too.

I know this is one of my favorite rants, but if we were more informed, fed our pets better and proper foods, they would be healthier, live longer and happier lives, and the vet bills would be a whole lot less expensive. And..... when you feed correctly, there is less poo to pick up because your pet is using all of his food as intended and so there is less waste. If you're feeding your pet a food with lots of grain fillers in it, lots of by products, etc., then you will have A LOT of poop to clean up. When you have A LOT of poop, it means that your pet is actually getting very little nutrition from their food and you are feeding more than you would with a proper food. It just makes sense!