Thursday, May 24, 2007

Nutro Dry Products blamed by Pet Owners for Illnesses

Updated 6-3 12pm

There are links below this article to more reports of illnesses and deaths that are suspected due to Nutro Dry Foods. I am continuing to add more links to this post. New reports/links are added at the end of the post.

Pet Owners Blame Nutro Products for their Dogs' Illnesses
A California pet owner is furious that Nutro Products continues to claim its dry dog foods are safe.That company’s senior dry food, she says, nearly killed her two dogs.

...

“I cannot even begin to describe the hell our pets have gone through,” Cynthia H. of West Hills, California, says of her six-year-old Pomeranian, Killer, and her nine-year-old American Eskimo-Sheltie mix, Juliet. “This has been weeks of vomiting and diarrhea and illness -- skin infections, bladder infections, not eating, lethargy -- basically, they were poisoned by this bad food.”

Cynthia says she’d just started feeding her dogs Nutro Max’s Senior Dry food around the first of this month, and chose that brand because it wasn’t included in the nationwide recall of more than 60 million containers of pet foods.

“That’s the irony of the whole thing. This food was something new that I started feeding them because of the pet food recall. I was being very careful not to give things on that recall list.”

Since March, 18 companies have recalled more than 5,600 pet food products. That action came after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed two ingredients used to make the products -- wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate -- were tainted with melamine and melamine-related compounds.

...

In Cynthia’s case, her dogs became sick shortly after they started eating Nutro Max’s dry food. And their symptoms mirror those in pets that have eaten the tainted -- and recalled -- foods.

“Juliet got sick first,” Cynthia says, adding she bought the Nutro Max dry food in April, but didn’t start feeding it to her dogs until May. “And she has been very ill for nearly three weeks. She’s had bloody diarrhea, repeated vomiting, and her system also started shutting down, resulting in a bad bladder infection. She has also been on two different types of medications.”

Cynthia’s Pomeranian experienced similar problems.

“He has vomited and had severe diarrhea for more than a week. His system started to shut down, and he ended up with a serious skin infection. He’s still on antibiotics and is not yet well.”

Both dogs, she says, were also extremely lethargic.

“I was down at the vets office with both of them and I didn’t think they’d come back. They’ve been through hell.”

Is it possible that anything besides of the food made the dogs sick?

No way, Cynthia says.

“My dogs have been incredibly healthy dogs. They’re indoors dogs and only go outside with me supervising them. There’s nothing else they could have gotten into; there’s nothing else that could have done this to them.”

She adds: “I just know it happened because of the food.”

Her vet agrees. “She concurred with me that I should stop feeding them Nutro Max.”

Contacted FDA

To protect other dogs from getting sick, Cynthia contacted the FDA and Nutro Products with her concerns about the dry food.

“I filed a compliant with the FDA, but they’re being very unresponsive. I called the Los Angeles office in Orange County and got a call back from someone in Arizona. Apparently, Los Angeles got a lot of bad pet food and there are a massive amount of people calling the FDA office in Orange County.

“Orange County’s FDA office wanted samples of the food and they were going to send someone over to my house to pick it up,” she adds. “But they haven’t called me in three weeks. I thought there should be some urgency because this stuff is still on the shelves.”

Deaf Ears

How did Nutro Products respond?

“My concerns fell on deaf ears,” Cynthia says. “I did speak to someone in their corporate office and they kept saying that they feel their dry food is safe. They are also refusing to do anything for anyone. And I’m out $500 in vet bills.”

Cynthia isn’t the only pet owner who has contacted ConsumerAffairs.com with concerns about Nutro’s dry food.

Consider some of the similar complaints we’ve received in the past few months:

• Kevin S. of Roseville, California, wrote: “I have to put down my dog of six years today as she has the same symptoms as the other animals that have eaten contaminated foods. I realize that there has been no official recall of dry dog food, but my dog has only eaten two products in her life, Nutro Max dry dog food and Purina Beggin’ Strips. Please stop this nightmare and help keep other animals safe for this tragic event. I have spent over two thousand dollars attempting to save my dog. Today is her last day as she is being put to sleep this afternoon.”

• Bonita L. Wachs of Germantown, Wisconsin, told us: “My three-year-old Shih Tzu became very ill in the fall of 2006. She was extremely thirsty, drank excessively, lost her appetite, lost weight, had diarrhea and vomiting, was lethargic, and was very ill. She refused to eat her food, but, as many owners did, we forced her to eat the food she didn't want. She developed a high level of glucose in her urine and a urinary tract infection.

"The vet was stumped with her condition. I had asked if it could be her dry dog food -- Nutro Max. The vet said that was a good brand and did not think so. In the spring, when the pet food scare was in full force, I called the service line and reported my dog’s illness to the company. They said they had not had any problems with the dry food or Nutro treats, but would document my complaint. I switched to Purina dog food back in January, and now my dog is clear of glucose in her urine. The vet is still stumped, but happy she is well. Molly had a rough few months, and we have a few hundred dollars in vet bills. We pray there is no physical damage to her kidneys.”

• Angelique of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, told us: “My dog (only four-years-old) died within 4 days of me buying a new bag of Nutro Max dry dog food. This is not on the list of recalled foods, but this was the only major change in his diet and he was never out of my sight. He was fine on Sunday until 2 a.m. when he started having diarrhea,vomiting, lethargy, bloody diarrhea, and by the time I took him to the hospital at 1 p.m. the next day he was in shock. His system shut down and he died at around 4:30 p.m. This needs to be stopped. The company refuses to acknowledge there is a problem, but if you search on the Internet you will find many people saying the exact same thing happened to them. This food needs to be recalled now.”

No Response

ConsumerAffairs.com tried to reach Nutro Products, but the company did not return our calls.

A press release on the company’s Web site, however, states: “Nutro wishes to reassure its customers that Nutro's dry dog and cat foods are safe to feed their pets…and none of Nutro's dry pet foods are involved in the latest dry pet food recall announcements involving contaminated rice protein from China.”

The press release also states: “None of Nutro's dry dog or cat foods have been involved in any of the melamine related recalls…and an independent testing laboratory has tested the rice protein used in Nutro's dry pet foods and no melamine was detected.

“In the current environment, we want to communicate frequently with our customers about Nutro's products and reassure you that our dry dog and cat foods are safe.”

Cynthia vehemently disagrees. And she plans to continue warning other pet owners about Nutro’s dry dog food.

“This food was supposed to be safe and it isn’t…it nearly killed our two dogs.”

...

More comments about Nutro Dry Food can be found at the links below. (Note: Nutro dry CAT food reports have also been received.

http://www.voy.com/211161/
http://hubpages.com/hub/PET_FOOD_RECALL_NUTRO_DRY_DOG_FOOD
http://hubpages.com/hub/PET_FOOD_RECALL_NUTRO_NATURAL_CHOICE_DRY_DOG_FOOD

Some of the comments on the NutrA Nuggets post at itchmo.com include problems with NutrO - you can find those here. Lots more over at itchmo that I will post direct links to later. http://www.itchmo.com/read/dry-dog-food-nutra-nuggets-not-on-recall-list-test-positive-for-melamine_20070522

Update 6-3: I am continuing to add to this post. I have a lot more to add.

Nutro Dry CAT food
From Helen, posting over at itchmo.com:
Kim: Yes you have permission to cross-post my comments about Nutro. My cat DID know there was something wrong with it. She had eaten it all her life and suddenly didn’t like it anymore. She ate very little of it, but got sick anyway: vomiting, which she had never done much before, lethargy, drinking extra water, extra urination, suddenly looking like “an old lady cat”, difficulty jumping. She continued to have good appetite for the other foods she was eating. I had attributed the above symptoms to her age (until the recalls started), but she is fine now. She is completely herself again. I feel like it is just dumb luck I still have her with me, and if you want to use my comments to help inform other people who are trying to keep their pets safe, please go ahead. As far as I know I am the only “Helen” posting here, and I have made several past comments about this, which you are free to copy.

Nutro Max Dry Dog
From Deb G, posting over at itchmo.com:
Kim you totally have my permission to use my post on this tread with reference to Nutro Max Dry which sickened my Shih Tzu several months ago. Still have those (2) 25lbs bags I will never use. I thank you for gathering this info and doing something about it. Please keep us posted and let us know if we can do anything to help.

Nutro Dry Dog
From Barbara, on Dry Dog (corrected) food, posting over at itchmo.com:
I have posted here about Brewski’s decline in health this past winter. Seemed to age very rapidly and expeienced an acute illness on March 6th after eating from a new bag of Nutro Natural Choice Dry Senior the night before.. He experienced symptoms smiliar to Helen’s cat. If you do not have my post. I can give you more details. Brew has made a remarkable recovery. I am feeding him Canidae and adding chicken and ground beef on occasion.
Our vet couldn’t believe the change in his health status on a recheck visit...

And from comments posted previously on this blog:
Anonymous said...

I HAVE FRIENDS ALL OVER N.E WHO USED NUTRO LARGE BREED -----ALL THE DOGS ARE SICK -----WE HAVE INFORMED THE CO.THE DENIED ANY PROBLEM! THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE OCT OF LAST YEAR ...THIS IS DRY PRODUCT DOGS ARE VOMITING ALL OVER FROM DRY FOOD!

April 30, 2007 7:42 AM
Anonymous said...

I think there might be something with the Nutro Large breed. My dogs eat it (Australian Shepard and Chihuahua), and occasionally the Australian Shepard pukes a vile up, yellow in color. The Vet said it had to do with him being intolerant to lipids... but after this .... The little guy seems to be just fine. The big guy rarely throws anything up any more, it seems to have past. I do worry though.

May 4, 2007 4:23 PM
Carolyn Damon said...

I notice others have had a problem with Nutro. I had a problem with Nutro, at least it would seem so. I lost my 41/2 years old energetic Brittany in Feb. of 2004. She had all the symptoms that the dogs poisoned by melamine had. She was sick three weeks, and unfortunately an incompetent bunch of veterinarians didn't help.


Added 6-3
Nutro dry cat food http://www.itchmo.com/read/several-unconfirmed-reports-of-iams-dry-food-causing-illness_20070323#comment-659
My healthy, seven-year-old, completely indoor male cat died of acute renal failure March 21. The only change in his diet was dry Nutro food purchased in late January, which I began feeding him in early February when my dry Science Diet (purchased weeks before) ran out. ...

Nutro Max Cat Chicken dry cat food
http://www.itchmo.com/read/several-unconfirmed-reports-of-iams-dry-food-causing-illness_20070323#comment-427

...PURCHASED LATE DEC. WITHIN DAYS CAT DEVELOPED PROJECTILE VOMITING, STOPPED EATING COMPLETELY AND HAD DIFFICULTY URINATING. AT THE TIME, VET SAID CYSTITIS BUT I QUESTIONED A BAD BATCH OF FOOD AND SURE ENOUGH, WHEN I STOPPED THE FOOD THE PROBLEM STOPPED....

Nutro Max Cat Senior dry
http://www.itchmo.com/read/several-unconfirmed-reports-of-iams-dry-food-causing-illness_20070323#comment-7316
Lost my 10 yr old male cat 4/19/07. He was an indoor cat & was on Nutro max cat senior dry. Very healthy when examined last september & behaving quite normally 4/15 and morning of 4/16. Started showing weakness evening of 4/16, congestion morning of 4/17, vomiting evening of 4/17. Took him to the vet on 4/18 & ... had low temp ...but urinalysis showed some signs of kidney problems...By evening of 4/18...Xrays showed complete organ failure - fluid in lungs, fluid around heart, liver damage, kidney failure, even stomach & colon were enlarged. The vet said she’d never seen anything like it. This came on too hard and fast to be anything but environmental. ...
Nutro Max Puppy Dry
http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/05/10/pet-food-recall-transcript-news-and-open-thread/#comment-61284

I have talked to Nutro at corporate several times, was informed they did not check the dry food – Nutro Max Puppy for contaminants but are checking the new food only being manufactured of dry food. ...had one of our dogs get sick, excessive bloating, vomiting, slightly enlarged heart, slight congestion in the lungs, temp 104, immediately was taken to ... vet.... Looked like blood and crystals in the urine, await the lab results. ... 4 of them had been on NutroMax. Two of the 4, were sick the first part of April, one had a staph infection – ... The other dog had started vomiting and not eating, another trip to the vet with a urine sample showed Mild Struvite crystalluria – Triple 3-A,M,P, treated with meds. ...Called the FDA, if I want the food checked will have to send to a laboratory myself, as they will have to send out also and will cost them money, so will have to do it ourselves. A...

Nutro Ultra Dry Dog
http://hubpages.com/hub/Pet_Food_Recall_What_About_Our_Dead_Pets_And_Vet_BillS
C.... in Massachusetts says:10 weeks agoMy 5 year old doberman is in the hospital with kidney failure... he was admitted on March 10th. We have consistently feed him NUTRO ULTRA DRY DOG FOOD. ...It may be too late for my baby, the doctor thinks his kidney's may be too badly damaged but we are hoping and praying for a miracle. ... We have already spent almost $5,000.00 and he still may not make it.
Also, numerous reports of dogs vomiting bile while on Nutro foods can be found here
http://www.rateitall.com/i-24984-nutro.aspx
Posted by at

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I use to feed my two labs Nutro Large breed dry food. Both dogs were always vomiting and drinking large amounts of water daily. Subsequently the two year old female was having at least two accident a week in the house. Once the recall hit, despite the fact that the dry food was not on the recall list I was so outraged that the dog food I was buying, which I considered a premium food was using the same ingredients as Walmart and other generic brands. I researched and began a new daily diet for both dogs. I threw away the dry food and began making a chicken stew for them. I alternate with a raw diet for both dogs at least four times a week. I cannot believe the difference in both dogs. The 6 year old acts like he's two again. He's as energetic and fit as he was when he was two. I supplement their diet with a Nupro which provides many nutrients and the ever important glucosamine. The powder, which I mix with their yummy chicken stew once a day makes a gravy when mixed with water that they go nuts over. http://www.nuprosupplements.com/

Please read up on and consider a raw diet for your pets, aptly named the B.A.R.F. diet (Biogically Appropriate Raw Food)http://www.barfworld.com/

While making dog food is a bit time consuming (I make it once a week and store in the fridge) the payoff is healthier, happier dogs which to me is well worth the time it takes to prepare. Besides you won't see them turning down a feast of chicken. Please remember to use all natural or organic meat as traditional meat with antibiotics and growth hormones isn't good for any of us including the dogs.

June 5, 2007 at 2:25 PM
Anonymous said...

My wonderful Boxer was almost 9 when he passed and we did not think it was the Nutro dry dog food, but now think it might have been. He started drinking water excessively and started throwing up the food. We took him to the vet numerous times and they came to the conclusion he had cancer...
Now we are not sure what caused his death and had to deal with a great loss. Before this happened, he acted like a puppy...going for 2 mile walk/runs daily and playing with toys. Then all the sudden that stopped in the middle of all this crap. I would love for someone to pay for what they did to us and our great dog. He was such a joy to our lives and he was not ready to die!

June 5, 2007 at 3:29 PM
BouvAire - nuts about dogs said...

Our Bouvier was a Nutro poison victim, too.

I too am in Ft. Lauderdale (I saw a post by another Ft. Laud. person who sadly lost her dog due to the poisoned Nutro food). Sadly, my heart goes out to all who have lost their beloved dogs (cats, too).

Even tho our 7 yr. old Bouvier "Zork" had been in remission (for 18 mos!) following chemo for lymphoma, I now FIRMLY believe that his 4-day, incredibly rapid decline in health this April was caused by the Nutro Ultra dry food we fed to him - new bag purchased on 4/7/07. He went downhill so incredibly fast, that we put him down
on 4/14 - at the time believing his illness & sudden condition was caused entirely by his cancer returning - so we never even explored a food-poison or toxicity issue, having stupidly believed what we'd read as “safe” statements & press-releases provided & posted by the Nutro company.

Zork was remarkably fine up until 3 days after I started feeding him from that new bag of food. I've spoken with 3 of his vets (they agree with me) and today read many of the sad reports and posts RE: Nutro dry and the symptoms each dog experienced. I am so sorry to learn that we are all now in this terrible “club” having shared the experience of feeding Nutro, and our dogs dying as a result.

Both my husband and I are again reliving the devastation of losing our dear Zork – in a sad, new light - now believing he went in to/experiencing toxic shock, and his system shut down due to the poison in the food in a matter of 4 days!

I thank God that our other dog (an Airedale, with a new litter sired by Zork - yes...it was a major, unplanned accidental breeding) was not on Nutro at all - she has been (always) on OMH Wellness Super 5 dry food (I tried 4 times to feed that to "Zork", but he was a very picky eater). The Airedale, during her pregnancy & the litter nursing period, was fed OMH Wellness Puppy food, too. Even tho a litter of 8 (whelped on 3/20/07) and the home-activity that goes along with a litter may surely have stressed Zork a bit, he was still bouncy, shiny, bright-eyed, happy and really active - and beginning to get very bonded with their pups, too. Then suddenly (in a matter of just 2 days, on April 12) he couldn't get up on his own, stand for long or walk very far at all, his hair began to come out in
clumps, he became remarkably (suddenly) lethargic a day later, and his tongue became so 'strange-looking' on his last day, that I cannot tactfully describe it here.

I am sure that the Nutro food is responsible for doing him in – and that his sudden decline was NOT due to a reaction from his cancer returning.

I'm joining in on the online 'steamroller-bandwagon' regarding this food issue... something must be done to at least give all of us who have lost our beloved pets due to their poisoned food and blatant LACK of caring!

Andrea In Ft. Lauderdale

June 12, 2007 at 9:48 AM
Anonymous said...

My dog has been on Nutro Natural Choice Chicken and Rice with Oatmeal for sensitive stomachs for over a year. This last bag purchased the end of April and opened the beginning of May has suddenly caused problems in our 1 yr. 8 mos. Keeshond. In June she had a night of throwing up every 2-3 hours. Three weeks later began almost 3 full weeks of treating looseness and diarrhea. She also was beginning to have very itchy skin. Several approaches were tried to solve the mystery why the food she had eaten for a month and a half began to cause her problems. I had put her on boiled skinless boneless chicken breasts and chicken, plus some Immodium AD after each loose stool. I gradually tried to reintroduce the Nutro food. 1 1/2 days after eating the Nutro she was back to diarrhea. I put her back on the chicken and rice protocol (recommended by my dad who retired from vet practice in 1992)to be able to take her in to our vet for a check-up and a firmer stool sample to check for worms. Our vet was convinced it couldn't be the food and told me to put her back on her food with an antibiotic. I continued the chicken and rice for a few more days because it was the weekend with a number of commitments and I wasn't going to chance it. Wouldn't you know after 3 days back on the Nutro she began diarrhea again! I called our vet because no way was I putting her in the car with diarrhea problems. He still insisted to pick up more antibiotics and continue the Nutro for one more week to be sure. After hanging up I decided the heck with that, went back to chicken and rice and Immodium AD and had a person to person appointment w/o dog with a different vet. I showed him all my documentation day by day since July 15 of everytime she had diarrhea, what she ate, etc. He said it seemed clear to him that it was the food, so he put her on Iams Nutitional Intestinal Formula Low-Residue Adult food. She had a cup of it last night and a cup of it this morning. So far no blow-outs!!! This is day 20 of this fiasco! He suggested that we try this food for three weeks. If all goes well then maybe ease into a cheaper food. If she continues to have problems, then it could be a much more serious issue requiring blood work and maybe a colonoscopy.
I am praying that it was just the food. I'd be willing to pay the higher price if it meant not living through this hell again!

August 3, 2007 at 8:59 AM
Anonymous said...

I HAVE BEEN FEEDING NUTRO DRIED FOOD COMPLETE CARE FOR KITTENS AND ADULT CHICKEN FOR YEARS... THIS YEAR AND AS RECENTLY AS TODAY I HAVE 5 ADULT CATS THAT ARE WOBBLY IN THE HIND QUARTERS AND WALK LEANING A BIT TO ONE SIDE. MOST RECENTLY THIS MORNING I HAVE A YOUNG STUD IN HOSPITAL FOR COMPLETE BLOOD WORK UP. THEN A FRIEND GAVE ME THIS LINK. NUTRO HAD ASSURED MY MONTHS AGO THAT THEIR FOOD WAS NOT AFFECTED AND IT WAS ONLY WET FOOD NOT DRY. IF THE FOOD IS THE CULPRIT I AM ABOUT READY TO KILL SOMEBODY... THE EXPENSE AND SORROW HAS BEEN HORRIFIC.

August 21, 2007 at 1:38 AM
Anonymous said...

I fed my cat Nutro Natural Choice for years thinking it was a premium natural food. I feel like a complete idiot for being duped by these unscrupulous manufacturers whose main concern is turning a buck. In early July, I noticed that my cat was eating less and less and spending more time hiding under the bed. This was completely unlike her normal behavior. I rushed her to the vet on the day she stopped eating and drinking entirely. It occurred to me that she had just started eating a new bag of Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Senior. Her kidneys failed and the vet didn't think she would last another week. Nutro dry wasn't on the recall list so I thought it was safe. I was so distraught, I just did as much research as I could. Boy, did that open up a whole new world about the dangers of pet food ingredients. Even the Hills Prescription k/d food that vet recommended contained gluten, grains and by products (and their brands were recalled as well). I just decided to take a chance and find another food for my cat, one that didn't contain grain proteins but human-grade meat protein instead (why feed a sick animal more toxins while it is trying to recover). I fed her Wellness brand dry food because it met most of the requirements and because the dry food wasn't made at the Menu plant. She is now slowly getting better but I think the damage to her kidneys is permanent. I was too stressed out while my cat was sick to take any action against Nutro, but now reading of these other stories, I will file complaints with the relevant agencies. I hope that this whole fiasco forces the pet food industry to improve the ingredients and that all those responsible for the tainted food go out of business.

August 28, 2007 at 1:28 AM
Unknown said...

I forgot to mention in the above post that Wellness brand dry cat food is in no way the best food. I know their wet brands are made by Menu. It was the only food I could find that had low a enough phosphorus / protein / sodium combo for Mindy's failing kidneys and still contain gluten-free ingredients that she would actually eat as her appetite was totally gone. After fours hours of researching the guaranteed analysis and ingredient list of tons of food, I could only come up with four "safe" brands. How sad is that?

August 28, 2007 at 1:46 AM
Chic Jean said...

I chose Nutro because it is supposedly one of the better foods, but my poor cat Vladimir has been incredibly sick since I switched him and his brother from Purina to Nutro. He was projectile vomiting, being very lethargic, and had a very low appetite...usually he loves to eat. He spent several days in the hospital last week; the vets thought it might be an obstuction, but after numerous tests, nothing came up. My boys are indoors, I use natural cleansers and I'm with them almost all of the time, so I knew he hadn't gotten into poison or rotten food. They gave me Hill's Perscription i/d to feed him and told me to wean him back to his normal diet. He was recovering smoothly until he started eating the Nutro again. The vomiting, lethargy and pain all started full-force. He's now back on the Hill's, and when I wean him, it'll be to Evolution, the food I really trust the most (and his vet approves of it). It's a bit pricy and I have to have it shipped, but that's better than losing my boy (and better than the $3200 I spent this last week on vet's bills). His brother hasn't shown any symptoms, but if the problem is with salmonella, I've read that animals may be infected without showing symptoms. That food is in the trash. Thanks so much to Kim for running this blog...I had no idea that this was more than Vladi's reaction to Nutro.

September 3, 2007 at 1:58 AM
Anonymous said...

I just started feeding my 1 year old doberman Mollie Nurto Natural. After about 3 days on the food, she developed gas, vomitting, scratching and diarrhea. Thinking it was a possibly a piece of steak I fed her, I stopped all food for 24 hours. Then I tried again and her symptoms came back. I decided to try another food, Nature's Recipe Farmer's Stand Selects. Immediately she started acting like her self again and the symptoms stopped. Something needs to be done with this company and to think the pet store actually recommended it as being a better quality dog food.

September 20, 2007 at 9:20 PM
Anonymous said...

This dog food company has to be stopped! I am a dog breeder and strongly believe that it is no coincidence that when I weaned two litters of puppies on Nutro Natural that they started dying. Let me first say, that I usually feed my dogs and puppies Purina Pro Plan but when I went to buy food they were out and the Pet Store strongly recommended Nutro Natural. I bought it not only for my puppies but my adult dogs. I soaked the Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice Dry Puppy Food and they ate that for 2 days. I was running low on this bag and bought a new bag of the Nutro Natural Chicken, Oatmeal, and Rice. I fed them in the morning like normal and by that afternoon my one little guy was clinging to life. I did everything I could think of to save his life but I lost him in the night. Suspecting it might be the food I changed borrowed some from my mom and changed them. I left the Nutro in my fridge (to be tested) and soaked them some new food. My husband was helping me feed the puppies and got the foods mixed up and continued to feed them the Nutro. Needless, to say in the next 2 weeks I lost the other four babies. I have taken all of the puppies for necropsies and I am having the food tested also. When I called Nutro (I got the phone number off of their website that under the recall info.) I told them I had a complaint and asked who I needed to speak with. I was told that they could handle my complaint until I started with my complaint. Then I was told I would have to transfered to the corporate office. When I asked for the phone number to corporate just in case we got disconnected he gave me a number and told me it was the only other number he had. I left a message at corporate (you get a direct answering machine) and I called back the number I was given. Guess what, it is the phone number for their breeders program. I called back and was again told I would have to be transfered. This time when I asked for the number I was told it was all automated and they did not have the number. So I asked for a supervisor. She told me that they have no number for corporate. I asked her for the address. No address information either! I asked just what the number I called could do for me and she said they are a call center that can answer any questions you might have about Nutro products. I told her I had a question alright how many puppies had they killed with their food. She told me none to her knowledge and hung up on me. No wonder no one has any knowlege of problems with the food because you can not get through to anyone to tell them your concerns. What kind of company hides behind a customer call center and will not give you their address or their corporate office? Please Please Please do not use this food! It has caused my family (I have 3 kids that this has deeply affected) so much pain and anguish that I would not wish on anyone. I always believe that you should follow your first instinct and there is no doubt in my mind that this food killed my babies!

October 2, 2007 at 9:26 PM
Anonymous said...

my cat died last saterday due to UTI/blockage from crystals..i'm so upset and am in disbelief he is gone..i can't believe my cat that wasn't even 4 years old developed this problem..i've been feeding my cat Nutro since he's been born along with his sister..i want to know if this caused my cats death!..i however went to a health show and picked up a package of happy tails and gave that to my cat to try..i noticed him sick around this time..i don't know..my baby is gone and i want some kind of explaination as to what caused this.

October 26, 2007 at 11:10 AM
Anonymous said...

Follow up from comment 21st Aug 2007. My stud cat was PTS in order to try to save 4 of my breeding girls and I now have the girls improving following treatment with antioxidants Denosyl for one and the others on VIT A & E detoxification. I have since found out about a little indoor adult cat in the northern part of Brisbane who has had the same debilitating symptoms my cats had and still have but are improving. We stopped feeding Nutro as soon as the boy got sick and showed hind limb ataxia, wobbling and falling over. No other cats of mine have displayed symptoms since stopping Nutro dried food. I am still battling with Nutro about the cause of the cats becoming "crippled" and having nerve damage some worse than others. The boy and one female were addicted to this food. I believe it is very telling that the girls are recovering after about 6-7 months approx and being given antioxidants. I was a huge customer for Nutro dried food but my faith in the company is now destroyed and the cost to my breeding program is enormous. The boy cannot be replaced and was at his prime. One girl may never be fully recovered. It has been heartbreaking.

October 30, 2007 at 1:59 AM
Unknown said...

I'll add to this list.

My lab/akita mix has been on nutro for about two 40lbs bags. The most recent lamb and rice and that is when things went downhill. Lethargy, copious water drinking, constant urination, constant skin problems, and a decline in interest in the dog food.

Yesterday he vomited, urinated, and defecated all over the house. I thought he just ate something bad in the back yard. This morning he died. The evidence was all there in front of me. I killed my own dog by feeding it supposed high quality dog food.

November 28, 2007 at 3:27 PM
Kim said...

Susanne, Anonymous, Ryan, and everyone else...

I'm SOOO sorry for your loss. {{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}

My cat Woody is at the vet's right now getting IV fluids because his kidneys got much worse.

His kidney problems began after I switched him and my other cats to Nutro 4 years ago. 3 other cats have already died, I'm praying I don't lose him now too.

I haven't updated this blog in awhile - I got a new job that left me without the time/energy to work on this. But now I'm pissed all over again, so I will somehow make time... you're all right, this company must be stopped.

My heart goes out to all of you,

Kim

November 28, 2007 at 5:07 PM
Anonymous said...

recently I adopted a 2 year old female pit bull. her previous "foster parent" fed her NUTRO MAX (large breed, purple label). I proceeded to feed her dog the same to prevent any digestive issues & because NUTRO is supposedly a very reputable & health conscious product.
We ran out & purchased a NEW bag July 9th for Miley. On the morning of July 11, Miley was found unable to move, having difficulty breathing & white gums. she had also defecated where she slept. We rushed her to the vet, thinking she would die. on the way, Miley could not control her bloody, mucusy diarrhea. the vet doctors did not think there was any hope for survival. during this time it was discovered that the Mileys liver was badly damaged & her blood wasn't clotting well. but miraculously, her health did slowly improve over the course of 6 days, while she was hospitalized. She was given iv fliuds since she was vomiting and had uncontroable diarrhea. And antiboitics and steriods. coincidentally she was not eating her regular NUTRO food, while in the doctor's care. she improved so much, that she was able to go home Wednesday. We were soo excited to finally get her home! She was sent home on baytril(an antibiotci) Denosyl( for her liver) and vitamin K( for the probelms with her blood not clotting). She was acting normal, still a little groggy. We fed her small amounts of nutro that night, so it didnt' upset her stomach. We woke up the next morning and found her dead! Our hearts are BROKEN!!!! We spent $1,300 to save our dog!!! And she didn't make it!!!! We would have spend all our money if we had to! I don't want this to happen to anyone elses pets!!!! When we found her dead that morning we connected the link that all she ate when she came home was her food, no treats nothing but Nurto. We went online and saw all these SAME stories!!! We need to get the word out!!!! The vet sent some of the food out for testing and we still have the rest at home! Im going to do more research and find out if there is anything we can do. And anymore tests we should do on the food! I miss my dog more than you can imagine!!!! She was only 2, we rescued her from a horrible owner who tied her outside just because she was deaf and was getting beat up by the other dogs cause she couldnt' hear them growl at her when she went too close to their toys, when one would attack her they would all attack her! If anyone has any advice on what else we can do please e-mail me! JPSS08@yahoo.com thank you

July 18, 2008 at 2:46 PM
Anonymous said...

recently I adopted a 2 year old female pit bull. her previous "foster parent" fed her NUTRO MAX (large breed, purple label). I proceeded to feed her dog the same to prevent any digestive issues & because NUTRO is supposedly a very reputable & health conscious product.
We ran out & purchased a NEW bag July 9th for Miley. On the morning of July 11, Miley was found unable to move, having difficulty breathing & white gums. she had also defecated where she slept. We rushed her to the vet, thinking she would die. on the way, Miley could not control her bloody, mucusy diarrhea. the vet doctors did not think there was any hope for survival. during this time it was discovered that the Mileys liver was badly damaged & her blood wasn't clotting well. but miraculously, her health did slowly improve over the course of 6 days, while she was hospitalized. She was given iv fliuds since she was vomiting and had uncontroable diarrhea. And antiboitics and steriods. coincidentally she was not eating her regular NUTRO food, while in the doctor's care. she improved so much, that she was able to go home Wednesday. We were soo excited to finally get her home! She was sent home on baytril(an antibiotci) Denosyl( for her liver) and vitamin K( for the probelms with her blood not clotting). She was acting normal, still a little groggy. We fed her small amounts of nutro that night, so it didnt' upset her stomach. We woke up the next morning and found her dead! Our hearts are BROKEN!!!! We spent $1,300 to save our dog!!! And she didn't make it!!!! We would have spend all our money if we had to! I don't want this to happen to anyone elses pets!!!! When we found her dead that morning we connected the link that all she ate when she came home was her food, no treats nothing but Nurto. We went online and saw all these SAME stories!!! We need to get the word out!!!! The vet sent some of the food out for testing and we still have the rest at home! Im going to do more research and find out if there is anything we can do. And anymore tests we should do on the food! I miss my dog more than you can imagine!!!! She was only 2, we rescued her from a horrible owner who tied her outside just because she was deaf and was getting beat up by the other dogs cause she couldnt' hear them growl at her when she went too close to their toys, when one would attack her they would all attack her! If anyone has any advice on what else we can do please e-mail me! JPSS08@yahoo.com thank you

July 18, 2008 at 2:48 PM
Anonymous said...

OMG. Last October, my previously very healthy cat(5 years old at the time)who was eating Nutro dry cat food began vomiting constantly. She had started to be fussy about the dry food prior to this (I also feed a small amount of canned--which she ate) then stopped eating it suddenly and began to vomit yellow liquid. The emergency vet said it could be a blockage and wanted to do a very expensive set of ultrasound images (not affordable)which we did not have done, but agreed to keep her two days on IV with antibiotics--in the hope that it was pancreatitis. Well, low and behold--all better in a few hours, and no longer eating Nutro, she got well. She's been on Hill's Prescription wet and a HIGH quality dry food (NOT NUTRO) since and is fine. Looking back, I missed the lethargy and some of the other signs that might have given me a clue that she was starting to become ill from the food. I've been laboring under the delusion that she just had pancreatitis. Now, I'm not so sure.After reading these horror stories, NUTRO is a NO NO in my house.

July 19, 2008 at 3:32 PM
Anonymous said...

For many pet owners a well-balanced nutritional diet for the pet is as important as a balance nutritional diet for their families. Using only holistic ingredients in their products, Nutro dog food offers the protein needed for a dog while staying away from additives and artificial ingredients that have no positive effect on the animal’s health.

For more information about dog food visit Janes(Nutro dog food) link

July 29, 2008 at 12:37 AM
Catsofmany said...

Nutro has been around for years and has always been an excellent product. But I remember opening a new bag of food and the color was darker. The Nutro rep told me they had made changes to the ingredients. That was a few months ago and it seems to be about the time the complaints started.

We have 30 rescued cats (20 ferals) and 4 dogs. We started using Nutro last fall for both the dogs and cats.

We took several cats in for annual exams this year and they'd lost a couple pounds. Our vet was happy because they were on the porky side and needed to lose a little. But Nemo, one of the ferals has been steadily losing weight and we were going to have blood work done on him to see what was wrong. We had been finding bloody stools in the litter pan and thought it might be him. It started to worry me when we took a couple cats in that didn't need to lose weight and they, too, had lost a couple pounds. We also had several cats that were losing the shine to their fur. And our cats were no longer were running to the food bowls when it was feeding time. I found I was throwing food out at the end of the day because they just weren't eating it!

Well, amazingly, the cats acted like starving strays when I switched to Eukanuba! No more bloody stool in the litter pans, fur shiny again, and Nemo is eating like he hasn't eaten in months! He's already filling out!

The problem with our cats and dogs is we were seeing different symptoms in them that appeared to be other conditions so we didn't connect it to the food. Max, our Pit Bull, was very ill for 2 weeks after we tried Nutro's Lamb and Rice. Our vet said it was gastritis caused by something he got into and we put him on meds and boiled hamburg and rice. When we started the Nutro Lamb again, he immediately started with vomiting and diarrhea. We took Max off the food thinking he just couldn't handle the lamb. The other dogs were fine so we didn't realize it was the food until Tazz, our German Shepherd, became very sick after Max recovered. We switched to Nutro's Large Breed.

They seemed to be ok on that formula. But Max started having stool problems. Soft, then hard, then soft. Our vet thought because of his age that he might need meds if it continued. Kaiser, another German Shepherd, was having to urinate 10 times a night. If we didn't get to the door fast enough, he'd urinate in the kitchen. We were going to get him in for tests. Tazz started to act disorientated and very unsteady on her feet. Tazz has arthritis and we know we're on borrowed time with her but she acted drunk. Jada, another German Shepherd, and Tazz started eating grass. And they all were drinking lots of water especially the dogs after they ate.

We switched to Eukanuba dog food. The first night after changing food - Kaiser slept all night instead of whining and pacing! When the
other dogs went out, I had to wake him up to go! Tazz is brighter and though she's stiff when she gets up, she's not acting drunk! Max is having normal stools! Jada has stopped eating grass! AND they're drinking normal amounts of water now - not guzzling water like they were dying of thirst. No more vomiting, no more diarrhea, fur is shiny again.

When there is weight loss in EVERY animal in a household, then something is wrong! We've been off Nutro for two weeks and every symptom we were seeing is GONE! I thank God we switched before we lost any of our precious babies!

It breaks my heart to read these stories of lost pets. Something is wrong and we all need answers! The stories I've read on http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html have alarmed me terribly! I will never use Nutro again!

August 9, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Catsofmany said...

AUGUST 14, 2008-
I wanted to add an update to the nightmare we went through with all of our animals. To reiterate, we have 30 rescued cats (20 feral) and 4 dogs. Our cats are all inside cats - our dogs are in a fenced in back yard with no possible contaminants. Tazz, one of our German Shepherds, will be 12 in November. She was fine when we switched to Nutro last fall. She did have some arthritis started that basically bothered her in rainy weather. It wasn't until early summer 2008 that we started seeing her legs become weaker. July is when we saw her steadily go down hill. She acted confused, couldn't get up without help, would stumble and fall and need help to walk through the house. We would wrap a towel under her belly and bring it up on both sides of her so we could support her as she walked. We bought area carpets to help her with traction on some of the floors. We all were devastated that age was taking its toll on our beloved Tazz. It was obvious her legs were giving out and we worried that winter in NH would be too much for her. We had Rimadyl for those rainy days and started to give it to her more frequently. It didn't help. We knew we had to talk to our vet but we were all afraid. Sadly, we assumed it was age related.

A friend emailed me that she had read some disturbing stories about Nutro on www.consumeraffairs.com. I logged on and started reading. When I read the stories about other dogs with the same symptoms, it gave me chills. We didn't want to get our hopes up because it seemed unlikely this was what was happening to Tazz. Too much to hope for. BUT the stories and symptoms of other animals were too much of a coincidence so I immediately took all our Nutro back and bought Eukanuba. I still have cat food that I planned on throwing out. Now I want to have it tested if I can find out where and how to do this. I desperately want answers and want this serious problem dealt with. We were one of the lucky ones but we're still worried about any residual damage with all of our pets.

As I stated in my last letter, the symptoms are gone from EVERYONE! As I sit here and write this I can't help the tears that are filling my eyes because Tazz has recovered back to the point where she might be a little stiff on a rainy day! She's playing with the other dogs, running around the back yard, slower like a senior citizen but she's not falling, she's not disorientated, she doesn't need help getting up and she's got that bright look in her eyes once again! She was dying! If we hadn't taken heed of the stories that many are blowing off - we would have lost our beloved Tazz. We no longer feel we're on "borrowed time" with Tazz. We feel strongly with the way she's acting now that she's going to be with us at least several more years! That's a far cry from thinking we would be putting her down this fall!

August 14, 2008 at 5:22 PM
Anonymous said...

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December 19, 2009 at 1:08 AM
jane said...

Nutro nearly killed my dog in November 2008.

I am in the UK and for a time that autumn Nutro was difficult to come by. In short supply I was advised. When I finally managed to get some again a few weeks later the food Chicken and rice for sensitive stomachs looked and smelt different to normal. I began feeding it. Molly had been on Nutro for several years and although the stores had run out I had enough to keep me going until the new batch arrived. Within a day of feeding it Molly who suffers from moderate collitis developed profuse and putrid sickness and diahorrea. I had to take time off work because she was vomitting or needing to go out for diahorrea about every half an hour. I was back and forth to the vet and eventually she was hospitalised having not responded to any treatment. A scan and colonoscopy showed that she had healed ulcers in her colon but nothing else. I discussed the food with my vet and took in an unopened bag. We opened this together and he was sure that this was not chicken and rice it smelt and looked different. I took her off the food imediately on his advice and contacted Nutro. They requested a food sample which I sent them having returned the new bag to the supplier and recieved a refund. I heard nothing and when I chased them they said that the food was exactly as it always was and told me that the sample I had sent was not large enough. They requested another. I said no because I only had a small amount and wanted to keep this for an independent report if necessary. I still have the food! I never got the report as I took Molly off Nutro and on to another brand. She within a few days reverted to normal and has had no problems since. Having read these posts I am now tempted to have this sample analysed for toxicology if only for the sake of other pet owners.

December 28, 2009 at 7:23 AM

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Volunteers Needed! Get food off shelves...

howl911.com, itchmo.com, thepetfoodlist.com, petconnection.com, petfoodtracker.com and spockosbrain.com have joined together to ask for your help.
Update 6-10: Recalled food was purchased from a California store on 5-29th – this stuff is still out there!
We need Volunteers to help get recalled food off store shelves. Read this post at Spocko’s Brain for instructions. Print a list (or two) on this site. Visit stores, then report safe stores here at Itchmo.com.

Printing Information:
1. Print the main FDA Pet Food Recall page http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html – this will be handy to show retailers who haven’t heard anything about the recall. (3 pages)

2. Print the list of 14 Major National Brands - it includes flavors and date information where applicable so you can tell if specific products for these brands have been recalled. The brands are: Alpo Prime Cuts, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Doctors Foster and Smith, Eukanuba, Gravy Train, Hill’s Science Diet, Iams, Jerky Treats, Lick Your Chops, Mighty Dog Pouches, Natural Balance, Nutro, Pounce, Royal Canin. (It’s 7 pages and includes FDA contact information.)

3. Print the List of All Brands – it will remind you what products have been recalled - but it does not give you date and flavor information, there is just too much to put in one document. (7 pages, but the 7th page is links to more detailed information so you don’t need to print it)

If you want, and are going to a store that you know has store brands that have been recalled (such as Walmart), go to that recall information at the links on the summary or at the FDA site and print it out. Some of the information is formatted in ways that make it difficult to read (one of the main reasons for this site), but it’s better than nothing.

Note: The FDA is the official source for all recall information and recalled products. This is an unofficial volunteer effort to help get the word out and get recalled foods off of shelves. We’re doing the best we can but can’t guarantee these lists are completely accurate. Again, here is the official recall site: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html