Pet Food Tracker

Dog Deaths and Illness from "Real Ham Bones" Pork Bone Treats, NO Recall

2010-03-15T10:03:00.006-06:00

The more things (don't) change, the more they stay the same. Many people have reported their dogs getting sick or dying from these 'treats', yet the company refuses to admit responsibility or pull their product from the market. And the FDA still doesn't have the authority to issue a recall on their own.

Thanks to ConsumerAffairs.com for staying on top of this issue. See full article here

A Missouri pet products company is under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amid reports that scores of dogs have became seriously ill or died after eating the manufacturer’s treats. The company at the heart of the probe is Dynamic Pet Products of Washington, Mo., an FDA spokesman told ConsumerAffairs.com today
...
ConsumerAffairs.com has received several complaints about one of the company's treats -- Real Ham Bones. Pet owners say the 8” hickory smoked pork femur bones -- sold as treats -- have splintered and caused their dogs to become violently ill or even die.“My dog ate the bone and died,” said pet owner Christina N. of Collierville, Tennessee. “The company denied my claim for vet bills. They said I chose to give my dog the bone. This was a very, very painful death for Buddy. Many dogs have died from this product. I had a necropsy done and still they claim it wasn't their product.”
...
An Indiana pet owner told us her dog had to undergo surgery after chewing one of Dynamic’s Real Ham Bones. The dog’s health problems, she said, surfaced ten minutes after it started chomping on the treat.

“I noticed it had broken apart, so I took it away from her (and) a short time later she was gravely ill, trying to vomit but couldn’t,” said Patti S. “She couldn’t even drink water.”

Patti rushed her dog to the vet. “They took X-rays and said she had splinters of the bone in her intestines and she had to go through surgery. Thank God I have a great vet because she is the reason my dog is still alive.”

Patti called Dynamic Pet Products about her dog’s experience. The company referred her case to its insurance carrier, which denied Patti’s claim.

“They would not pay a dime,” she said. “They (said) they were not at fault. They said I was for not monitoring my dog closely enough.
...

The FDA said pet owners can report any health problems their dogs experience with Dynamic Pet Products’ chew bones or treats to the agency’s Consumer Complaint Coordinator in their region.
Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/03/dynamic_pet_products.html#ixzz0iGIo7eXw

FDA Warns Dog Owners on Chicken Treats

2007-09-26T17:30:00.000-06:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092601983.html

WASHINGTON -- Chicken jerky treats may have sickened dozens of dogs, federal health officials warned Wednesday despite failing to find any trace of contamination.
The Food and Drug Administration said it's fielded more than 70 complaints, involving more than 95 dogs, from owners who believe their animals fell sick after eating the products, sold variously as chicken tenders, strips or treats. While most dogs appear to have recovered, an unspecified number died.

I have personally read and much more than 70 complaints - if your dog ate these treats and got sick and you believe it is related, you MUST call the FDA.

The FDA said it's conducted extensive chemical and microbial testing on the treats but has not identified any contaminant. The agency continues to investigate.

Separately, the FDA reported it's received preliminary information from Banfield, The Pet Hospital that suggests a link between dogs that ate chicken jerky products and signs of gastrointestinal illness, including vomiting and diarrhea. Banfield is a large veterinary hospital chain that's able to collect and analyze data about the large number of pets it treats.

The FDA cautions pet owners who feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch the animals for signs of decreased appetite or activity, increased water consumption and urination, and vomiting and/or diarrhea. Owners should consult a veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours.

Earlier this year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. pulled some chicken jerky dog treats from its shelves after company testing revealed the presence of the industrial chemical melamine. Subsequent FDA testing failed to find that or other contaminants.

Bravo! Recalls frozen Raw Pet Food

2007-09-19T13:59:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Therese at http://www.petsitusa.com/blog/ for the heads up...

http://www.bravorawdiet.com/recallinfo.html

Bravo! announces a voluntary recall of select tubes of three of its poultry products for cats and dogs. The pet food is being recalled because two of the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, while the other product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Both Salmonella and Listeria are organisms which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and if there is cross contamination, in people, especially small children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy people with Salmonella infection may only suffer short-term symptoms, such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Long term complications can include arthritis and other more serious ailments. Healthy people with Listeria infection may only suffer short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

The company has received no reports of illness in either people or animals associated with any of the three products.

The recalled products are distributed nationwide to distributors, retail stores, internet sales and directly to consumers, and they can be identified by the batch ID code located on the hang tag attached to the bottom of the plastic film tubes. The recalled products should not be sold or fed to pets. Pet owners should return unopened frozen tubes of food to the store where purchased for a full refund. Pet owners should dispose of opened tubes of product in a safe manner (example, a securely covered trash receptacle) and return the washed plastic batch ID tag to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Recalled Pet Food:

Product: Bravo Original Formula Chicken Blend frozen raw food
Product Numbers: 21-102, 21-105, 21-110
Sizes: 2 pound, 5 pound and 10 pound tubes
Batch ID code (on hang tag): 236
Reason for Recall: Salmonella, Listeria

Product: Bravo Original Formula Turkey Blend frozen raw food
Product Numbers: 31-102, 31-105, 31-110
Sizes: 2 pound, 5 pound and 10 pound tubes
Batch ID code (on hang tag): 236
Reason for Recall: Listeria

Product: Bravo Basic Formula Finely Ground Chicken frozen raw food
Product Number: 21-212
Size: 2 pound tube
Batch ID Code (on hang tag): 226
Reason for Recall: Salmonella, Listeria

Other Batch IDs for these same products are not involved in the recall.

Bravo! is issuing this action out of an abundance of caution and sincerely regrets any inconvenience to pet owners as a result of this announcement. This voluntary recall has been issued because the FDA detected the bacteria in samples during a recent review.

In an effort to prevent the transmission of Salmonella from pets to family members and care givers, the FDA recommends that everyone follow appropriate pet food handling guidelines when feeding their pets. A list of safe pet food handling tips can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/CVM_Updates/foodbornetips.htm.

People may risk Salmonella infection not only by handling these pet foods, but also by contact with pets or other surfaces exposed to these foods, so it is important that they thoroughly wash their hands with hot water and soap. Anyone who is experiencing the symptoms of Salmonella or Listeria infection after having handled the recalled product should seek medical attention. Consumers may report any complaints to FDA's local District Complaint Coordinator’s located on the FDA website: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.

Healthy cats and dogs rarely become sick from Salmonella. Animals ill with Salmonella will display symptoms similar to the ones listed above for humans. People who have concerns about whether their pet has Salmonella or not should contact their veterinarian.

For more information on the Bravo recall, please visit www.bravorawdiet.com , or call toll free (866) 922-9222

Smokehouse Brand Dog Treats Pulled by Petsmart

2007-09-15T08:17:00.000-06:00

From itchmo.com

As of this morning, PetSmart has pulled various Smokehouse Brand dog treats off of their shelves. There have been reports of pets becoming ill after eating the treats, and as a precaution, PetSmart has removed the products. There has been no formal recall as of yet.
Here is what the PetSmart corporate office released to the PetSmart stores:

“Today the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) issued a media alert warning some treat products from China may be a potential threat to pets due to ’several complaints from pet owners and veterinarians of illness in dogs.’ No deaths have been reported at this time. The symptoms of pets reported sick were vomiting, lethargy and anorexia. To date, testing by the FDA and PetSmart Techinical Services has ruled out melamine contamination that might be making pets sick.

For now, we’re going to take the precautionary measure to pull this product from the shelves and contain it in the backroom. Our experts will continue to monitor the situation, analyze samples for a variety of possible problems and ask the vendor to test additonal product. Because of the relatively small number of complaints at this point, we’re not issuing a recall. We’ll provide timely updates as more information becomes available.”

Here is the SKU list of the Smokehouse Brand dog treats that have been pulled off of PetSmart shelves:

7856525052 5108696 Chicken Chips 1lb.
7856525053 5108692 Chicken Chips 8oz.
7856525092 5108693 Chicken Poppers 8oz.
7856525093 5108698 Chicken Poppers 1lb.
7856525134 5108691 Chicken Tenders 8oz.
7856525137 5126536 Chicken Breast Tender Snacks 1lb.
7856525138 5126535 Chicken Tenders 2lb.
7856584255 5126702 Duck Breast Tenders 8oz.
7856584256 5126534 Duck Breast Tenders 1lb.
7856584257 5126532 Duck Chips 1lb.
7856584258 5126531 Duck and Sweet Potato 1lb.
7856585808 5108695 Chicken Tenders 1lb.

AVMA Warns about Jerky Dog Treats

2007-09-15T08:07:00.000-06:00

FINALLY someone says something. The AVMA weighs in on Jerky Treats Emphasis mine.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has recently been made aware of several complaints from pet owners and veterinarians that multiple brands of jerky treats manufactured in China have been making pets sick. Symptoms of illness have included vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. To our knowledge, no deaths have been reported.

Guess they don't read my blog.

The AVMA posted an alert on its Web site on September 13 to inform its members and the public about what was known. Today, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) issued a statement saying it also has become aware of an unusual number of dogs presenting similar symptoms and abnormal test results associated with consumption of some jerky treats. The ACVIM statement is available at www.acvim.org/uploadedFiles/Jerky_Treat_Info_September_14.doc.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently testing several products to see if a contaminant can be found. So far, they have ruled out melamine, one of the chemicals that led to the massive pet food recall this spring, but have yet to identify anything that might be making pets sick.

While a list of brand/product names of affected treats is not yet available, the AVMA has learned that all complaints have involved jerky treats from China. We recommend that pet owners use their best judgment in this matter.

Suspected cases should be reported to the FDA. To find the number for the FDA district office consumer complaint coordinator in your region, visit www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.

The AVMA is monitoring the situation and will provide updated information on our Web site (www.avma.org) as soon as it becomes available. Like all information on our Web site, we will only post information that is credible and has been confirmed.

Unlike the AVMA and FDA, I consider multiple anecdotal reports credible. So let me say it a little stronger. DON'T FEED YOUR DOG CHICKEN JERKY TREATS right now, especially if they're made in China.

See my earlier post for many reports by owners who believe their dogs got sick or died from these treats.
http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/08/many-online-reports-of-non-recalled-dog.html

I have more updates on jerky treats coming later today.

In memory of those we've lost

2007-09-11T00:19:00.000-06:00

A moment of silence today for all those we've lost, both two-legged and four-legged. We love and miss you all.

We will never forget.

Canidae Dry Dog Food tests positive for Acetaminophen in Private Test

2007-09-04T18:08:00.000-06:00

EDITED: The original dates posted were incorrect, showing July instead of June. Correct dates are below.

A composite of two different Canidae Dry Dog foods has tested positive for acetaminophen in tests done by Expertox. The food was sent in by a pet owner - samples from opened bags were sent to Expertox in ziploc bags. Additional tests on samples from sealed bags are expected to be done shortly. A copy of the test results can be found at http://www.petfoodrecallfacts.com/lab.html.

The two foods are:

Canidae All Life Stages Dry Dog Food
RM 6/7/07, use by 6/7/08
http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html

Canidae (All Life Stages) Lamb and Rice Formula Dry Dog Food
RM 6/6/07, use by 6/6/08
http://www.canidae.com/dogs/lamb-and-rice/dry.html

Both bags were purchased in early July, 2007. It is not known at this time whether one or both of these foods contain acetaminophen.

A total of 6 NON-recalled pet foods that we know about have tested positive for acetaminophen in tests done by Expertox, they include:

Innova Dry Dog Food
Hills Science Diet Light Adult Dry Cat Food
Hills Science Diet Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food
Pet Pride Turkey & Giblets Canned Cat Food

You can get more information on these results at http://www.petfoodrecallfacts.com/lab.html

Another non-recalled Dry Dog Food also tested positive for Acetaminophen, that company has NOT gone public with this information. (An earlier post on that is here)

You can see a summary list of all NON-Recalled foods that we know about that have tested positive for contaminants HERE. (This file has been added to the Download section at the top of this blog)

Why hasn't Bestro's Chicken Jerky been recalled?

2007-08-31T15:01:00.000-06:00

This post intentionally left blank because I have no answer.

FDA - do you?

Wal-Mart - do you?

Why are other stores still selling Bestro's? K-mart? Got an answer?

Many Online Reports of Non-Recalled Dog Treats Suspected of Causing Illness/Deaths

2007-08-30T06:36:00.000-06:00

8-30: Another dog died, believed due to chicken jerky. See #7 under Kingdom Pets below. I've again changed the date on this post.

8-29: This was originally posted last Tuesday, 8-21. I've changed the date of the post so it shows up at the top of the blog - because none of these treats have yet been recalled! I also changed the formatting to make it easier to read. It will also be easier to add new reports, since people are posting new ones daily.

If you haven't already, see these three posts for information on dog treats (Chicken Jerky Strips) that Wal-mart has pulled from the shelves but has not yet recalled.
First story 8/16 (Wal-Mart quietly pulls one dog treat)
Second story 8/21 (Wal-Mart actually pulled two dog treats 27 days ago)
Third story 8/21 (Wal-Mart announces melamine in dog treats)
Fourth Story - oh wait, there isn't one. Why the hell not????!!! Where'd the media go? Where'd the FDA go? Where'd Wal-Mart go??? been ~~a full week~~ 9 days - and nothing has happened. Unbelievable.

News Articles of Dog Treats causing illness/deaths (brief excerpt below links)

1.http://www.wpxi.com/news/13956580/detail.html

Jodi Zeremski said her Chihuahua, Taco, never had health problems until she bought chicken jerky dog treats from Wal-Mart in early July.

Soon after eating the treats, Taco reportedly became ill and had to be put down.

2.http://www.record-bee.com/local/ci_6695040

Vicki Stone of Cobb never knew that the dollars she hoped to save by purchasing her dog's favorite treat, Chicken Jerky Strips, at Wal-Mart in Clearlake could cost her favorite pet his life. "He's such a picky eater, but he loved the strips, he'd gulp them down," said Stone.

In July, Stone's husband saw a deal on chicken strips at Wal-Mart, so he picked up two packages. A week and a half later, their five-year old Shihtzu named Doc started having problems. They did everything possible, according to veterinarian Dr. Chris Holmes, but still the dog went into kidney failure and may not survive. If he does, his kidneys will only function at about 20 percent, and Doc will likely not live another two years.

3.http://www.delcotimes.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily;jsessionid=2QkkGDQJJhM9CKKZQLWdt3b1n4Hnfh22Q5yt48vB2lg1W5sVKtdw%211036499402?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FDCT%2FHome&r21.content=%2FDCT%2FHome%2FContentTab_Feature_586947

When Kate Collins took her Chihuahua, Bella, with her on vacation, she thought she was saving her youngest dog from the experience of boarding.

Two-year-old Bella was dead one week later.

4.http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=73508&provider=gnews

CUYAHOGA FALLS -- A Cuyahoga Falls woman says Wal-Mart should have pulled the Bestro Chicken Jerky Treats earlier than July 26th.

She directly blames the treats for her Yorkie's death.
While the local animal hospital can not confirm the treats triggered the dog's sudden kidney failure, her receipt clearly shows she purchased the now pulled tainted doggie treats

Online Reports of Non-Recalled Dog Treats Suspected of Causing Illness/Deaths

What follows are just a few of the comments that other people have posted on various websites, forums and blogs. I am providing links to them so you can check them out for yourself. In most cases I have posted a portion of the comment and you can click the link to read the rest. I've included links from different sites - there are multiple reports on each site, so if you follow one link you can see other similar experiences.

Note that I've left the Quote Marks off to make it easier to read. Everything under a link is from the original poster. Where there is a '...' it means I've edited some of the post. Again, click the links to see the full post.

Disclaimer: These are reports by people like yourself who posted online (or emailed me) that they believe a certain food made their pets sick. This information is simply for you to use as part of making an educated decision about what you feed your pet. None of these foods have been officially recalled (though Wal-Mart has 'quiety recalled' the Bestro's). These foods/treats may or may not be the cause of the illness/deaths you see reported here.

If your dog got sick from any of these treats, please report it to the company, the store you bought it from, and the FDA! Here's the link to find your FDA Complaint Coordinator. http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html

If you want your experience listed here email me at pft @ playingbig.com

Bestro's Chicken Jerky Strips/Treats(pulled by Wal-Mart but not recalled or announced)
1.http://www.itchmo.com/wal-mart-removes-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-after-dog-death-2321#comment-48370
[Posted 8-21, added here 8-28]On Auguest 14th, My dog Sugar was only a 5yrs old Yorkie and she eat the chichen strips to and died of kidney failure also plus am infection not know to the vet. It was so hard to see her vomiting and her poop was also green and yellow and then to blood. She lived only a week after I took her to the vet, They try everything to help her but we ended up putting her to sleep. I did call Wal Mart and I was told they will put me on a list and that was it. But I am not going to let it sit. I have the receipt that show I purchased the deadly chicken stripes. Sugar is a part of family. She didn’t ask for this!!!! Can any one HELP. Wal Mart needs to step up and take the plame.

2.http://www.itchmo.com/wal-mart-removes-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-after-dog-death-2321#comment-48297
[Posted 8-21, added here 8-28]My dog Annie loved the stupid strips. She ate 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening most times. We skipped them sometimes and I guess that was waht kept her alive longer. She had kidney failure. Panted heavy and got weak. I thought it was her age. She was 9 1/2. She vomited sometimes but she would go out and eat grass. Then she started going in the house. Her poop was runny and almost green. All this in about 2 weeks. She weighed 115 lbs so was hard to get her to a vet. They came to the house and all they could do was put her to sleep. My sisters dog ate them when I would take them over and also vomited but didn’t realize what it was. Thank goodness he is ok now.

3. http://www.itchmo.com/more-recalled-menu-foods-pet-food-found-in-wal-mart-2463#comment-50406
[Posted 8-25, Added here 8-28]Our pet Rosie, a 3 year old Chihuahua was poisoned from Chinese made Bestro’s Jerky Chicken Strips #77849 00006 1 We have this contaminated bag. We have three Chihuahuas and one of them died one month ago. She started with vomiting and dehydration and then we were told she may either have an obstruction or have been poisioned. Since our dogs are inside dogs and we are with them at all times outside we thought it was an obstruction. Finally the doctor said he was almost positive it was some kind of poisoning at Elwood Animal Clinic in Glendora, California. They were going to scope her but before that could happen she died July 21, at VCA in Fountain Valley, California. We gave our dogs Waggin train and Bestro’s Jerky Chicken Strips. Our Sweet Rosie (our chihuahua that passed) loved them and and she would eat all the treats we put down for the other dogs too. Up until today we never had any idea what happened but now with Wal Mart (I bought the treats there and at Sam’s) pulling this quietly from their selves. I truly believe that is why she died. We called Wal Mart and are getting a run around.

4.http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/08/tainted-treats-from-walmart-suspected.html#comment-2427434868641949551
[Posted 8-21] We had to put our 4 year old Lady down because of Kidney failure a month ago. She had no access to antifreeze. The vet and I were at a loss to explain it because she didn't eat any of the recalled food. UNTIL TODAY!! She loved those Chicken Strips and ate them every day. I call our vet and asked if this could have cause her death and he said YES! I can't tell you how upset and mad I am right now. This little girl we got from the shelter and she cowered because she had been so abused. She was my joy.

5.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~9#145254
[Posted 8-20] my neighbors two dogs just became criticall ill and the only thing new in their diet is bestro chicken jerky strips obtained at i think kmart. they both went into kidney failure and the vet said its definitly some toxic poisening. ...
these dogs just came home afer a week of IV's and they are still not out of the woods yet!

6.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~9#145603
[Posted 8-14] My puppy died last week and we just found out it was Bestro's Chicken Jerky Strips, which we recently purchased and was pulled as a recall from our local Penna. Walmart. (we from phila. area). She too died of toxic renal failure.

7.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~4#113711
[Posted 3-4] Maggie is sick from BESTROS CHICKEN JERKY STRIPS!!!!!!!!!
My dog has gotten very ill from these chicken strips. I bought them and only gave my dog 1 and 1/2 strips before I found out that they had made some dogs ill, and threw the rest of the bag away. She got sick the same night that she ate the treats, and is getting worse by the hour. She is throwing up anything that she tries to eat, and she has diarrhea. ...

8.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~11#146356
[Posted 8-21] $4,000+ in Vet Bills from Chicken Jerky Strips
Hi, this morning my husband sent me a news release on Yahoo news that Wal-mart quietly removed the Chicken Jerky and Chicken Jerky Strips from their shelves at the end of July. I am outraged that Wal-mart has continued to sell these "treats" even after they knew there was something wrong with them. I started giving them to my dog in September 2006.
She became ill in October, I thought she just had a bug because it went away. A week before Thanksgiving she stopped eating and by Thanksgiving weekend she was in the hospital and had to have surgery. Her stomach and esophogus was filled with ulcers and her intestines were inflamed. The doctors called in Inflammatory Bowel Disease but she hasn't had any inflammation since that time and she hasn't had any Chicken Jerky Strips either. We had to give her injections for about 2 weeks after she came home from the emergency room and all told we have spent over $4,000 on treatment. ...

9.http://www.epinions.com/msg/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~8#145247
[Posted 8-11] Our 2 1/2 year old cavalier is in the hospital right now being treated for kidney failure and will be there until at least Monday. Her test results on 8/9/07 were 97 for her blood, urea and nitrogen levels and her creatine level was 2.4. Today (8/11/07)her results are 37 blood, urea and nitrogen but the creatine is still 2.4. She had blood work done at the end of March and all her levels were fine. The only change in her diet is that we gave her 1 1/2 bags of Bestros Chicken Strips over the course of three weeks that were purchased at Walmart. Since then she has stopped eating, lost 3 pounds and has become lethargic. She was always very energentic and had a great appetite

10.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~12#146454
[Posted 8-22] RE: Bestro's Chicken Strips I need to know. On the dogs that have consumed these chicken strips, have any of them had any leg swelling? My best friend, my pit bull Reelia, has had these "treats" for about 2 months now. 1 month ago one of her hind legs started swelling for no reason. Then a week later the second hind leg. Then a week later one of her front legs. The Vet didn't know exactly what was wrong. After several hundred dollars of treatments, we had no choice but to put down our beloved dog so she wouldn't suffer anymore. She wasn't breathing right and she was becoming paralized. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? It just isn't fair. She had several more years that we could have enjoyed her company. Now all we have is a memory.

Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Tenders and/or Treats
1.[emailed 8-26, added here 8-28] I write this with so much guilt and a heavy heart. I just want other pet owners to hear our story so they can be on alert.

In the last eight months, our family lost our three dogs, a mother (age 12 at the time of death) and her two "puppies" (age 10 & 11 at their times of death). The first dog to pass away in November 2006 was Bear, at the age of 10. He had lost weight, was lethargic, and after several trips to the vet trying to stop dehydration and what was apparently internal bleeding, he passed away. Our wonderful vet opined that he more than likely had a tumor which was the cause of death. In the end, he would only eat hand-fed boiled chicken, rice and his Waggin' Train dog treats.

Then came all the warnings about the tainted dog food in Spring 2007, and we were very diligent about what our two remaining dogs ate. Then in April, the mother, Chilly, began exhibiting the same symptoms as Bear. She died not too long after and our last surviving dog, Screamer, died on July 10th. We did not have autopsies performed on any of our dogs, chalking up their deaths to heredity, old age and loneliness. We remain devastated to have lost them all in such a short period of time, but we were convinced at the time that they were a pack all their lives and the loss of one was unbearable for the others.

Then, on 8/22, my husband saw the report on CNN about Bestro treats, which we never purchased. After getting online and seeing other complaints, both he and I are absolutely convinced that the Waggin' Train treats killed our dogs. The dogs started eating them approx. last summer and prior to that our dogs were all relatively healthy, save one tumor removal from Chilly's leg in 2006 and one tumor removal from Screamer's ear in 2007.

Thank you for posting all of this information here. I will be making a complaint to the FDA, ADI and Wal-mart and my husband and I have vowed to never shop at Wal-mart again. I can only hope that other pet owners don't have to suffer what we've endured, burying three members of our family in less than a year.

2.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/p21#c428
[Posted 8-21, added here 8-28] My maltese has had intermittent periods of horrible bloody diarrhea and vomiting for the past 6 weeks. The vet checked her for worms which of course was negative. She put her on 2 different medications (one being an antibiotic) and told me to stop all treats and slowly introduce them back one by one.
Gracie had been getting the waggin train brand of chicken jerky tenders-probably up to 4 or more a day. Her symptoms did stop. I pray no damage has been done

3.http://www.topix.com/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/p19#c388
[Posted 8-21, added here 8-28] My baby passed this last Friday, the only treats she has ever eaten was the Waggin Trail Chicken Jerky Tenders, all her life she was happy and healthy, and in a matter of less than two weeks with several trips to the vet she could not be saved.
Imagine my horror to see that these all natural chicken treats she loved so much came from China, Please stop feeding your pets these treats, as I have not been able to stop crying over the loss of my toy Shih Tzu. I would hate for someone else to suffer the pain of feeling resposible for their loved ones death.

4.http://www.epinions.com/msg/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~8#144808
[Posted 8-8] RE: waggin Train chicken treats from ADI Pet
My dogs are bleeding from eating this product. I hope we have caught it in time. Wal Mart says it may take days to get it off the shelf because they need corporate approval. Adi Pet says in no uncertain terms that they intend to sell this brand of chicken jerky treats. I am appalled.

5.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~6#128191
[Posted 5-17] RE: waggintrain jerky tenders
I just got in from Vet. I have "Had " (2) 1 year old Female healthy german sheps. They got a hold of a whole bag of Wagon Train Jerky Tenders chicken flavor. This was Tuesday afternoon may 15th in the afternoon. I found several mounds of vomited food from the treats on may 16th at 630am, both girls were weak and slow. Thinking they had an upset stomache from eating to much I watched them. This morning may 17th at 9am I found one of my girls dead adn the other still clinging to life. i rushed her to Vet and they discovered the live girl had full blown kidney failure. There was no sign of anitfreeze poisioning in my yard. These girls are the only 2 dogs out of my 3 shepards that ate the treats. My male is 2 yrs old and doing good. Im trying to contact ADI foods to alert them, but no luck. ...

6.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~5#120310
[Posted 4-3] waggintrain jerky tenders
I have four Brussels Griffons and have been feeding the waggon train jerky treats to them for a couple of years. They absolutely love these treats. Several months ago, I began to have problems with all the dogs having diarrhea, sometimes together, sometimes only the younger dogs. I took them to the vet and they were put on antibiotics which cleared up the diarrhea. Last night, I gave them one small piece of chicken jerky and one of the younger dogs woke me up at 3:00 am crying like he needed to go out. Sure enough, diarrhea had set in. Going to the vet this am to have them cultured for salmonella. ...

7.http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/08/many-online-reports-of-non-recalled-dog.html#comment-8559400655185711348
[Posted 8-22, Added here 8-22, pulled up from comments] We have been feeding Waggin' Train brand chicken jerky strips from COSTCO to our two white toy poodles Barbie and Bailey.
Well that explains it, the health problems off and on over the years after feeding them these strips. The dogs would on occasion get sick, cry to go out, be anxious, want to eat grass after feeding this product. And we would only feed them one per day - thank god only a few times a week but still! In the past they have had bloody stools, diarrhea, vomiting and the Vets could not figure it out.
I looked on the package and its made in China. It says "Sterilized by Irradiation for Freshness & Health" ...

8.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/p20#c397
[Posted 8-21] I can only say that I recently bought a bag of Waggin Trails Brand Chicken Jerky Tender from Wal-Mart made in China. The second day after opeining the 32 oz. bag I gave Jacob, my minature dachsund, a treat. He got two of them, one each day. That very evening he had what I can only describe as a "Grand Mall" seizure. He lost control of his bladder and could not walk, besides his constant shaking for half an hour. These treats were from Lot # 94667. He has never had a seizure before and as you can imagine, he was absolutely terrified. He is only three years old. I am going to return the remaining product to Wal-Mart and let them know what happened....

9. http://www.diethelm.blogspot.com/
[posted 8-28, added here 8-29] My summary: Bought moldy Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Tenders (includes pictures!), and the company’s (form letter) response to being told about their moldy product. I just found out about all this after I started Googling for other articles about issues with Waggin Train brand and as a result of my attempt to contact them via e-mail.
I took photos of the package I returned to Wal-Mart yesterday (only thing I ever buy from Wal-Mart) and what was inside. You be the judge. I think all these treats should be recalled. I think Adi Pet is in defense mode and not owning up to issue. If their product is so squeaky clean then what I purchased should have never been on the shelf.

10.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/post580
I called Sams headquarters today and they were insistant that the Waggin Train was fine. I mentioned this site and the amount of complaints related to this treat and the person again insisted that there were NO PROBLEMS with the treats. I would urge all of you to call Sam's headquarters and register a complaint. Maybe they'll finally pull this stuff from the shelves.

By the way, I brought my dog home today and so far, no more seizures in a 48 hour period.

Target brand Chicken Jerky Treats
1.http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/08/tainted-treats-from-walmart-suspected.html#comment-3632736318195054753
[Posted 8-21] Hello All... these August dates of reported pet deaths due to chicken jerky strips are significant. I lost my 2-years old, long haired chihuahua, Gomez, August 17th. The brand? Pet Essentials from Target. The product name is uncannily the same as the Wal-Mart brand: Chicken Jerky Strips. ... PS...
I left details with the local FDA here in NYC. Apparently the Consumer Complaint Desk can only handle voice mail messages and not conversations. Regardless, since I have not been able to get through to Target, and find the managers at the Brooklyn location 'powerless' and clueless, I've turned to the FDA in the meantime. I am open to further suggestions.

Costco brand Chicken Jerky Treats (Kingdom Pet)
1.http://www.itchmo.com/fda-investigating-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-in-dogs-deaths-2350#comment-49883
[Posted 8-24, added here 8-28] 6 weeks ago I started feeding my very healthy 2 yr. old little beagle Kingdom chicken jerky purchased at Costco. For the past 3 weeks we and the vet have tried to figure out why he is now ill. Elevated liver enzymes and white count. After reading about the WalMart treats I checked the bag and see that it also is made in China. The vet said that now makes sense to his symptoms, it’s poison going in to him. Nothing else made sense as he has always been healthy until we made that mistake in buying these treats.
We are just waiting to see what the outcome is going to be, and sadly I think I know what it will be. He is not eating or drinking and just lays around with no energy.

2.http://www.itchmo.com/fda-investigating-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-in-dogs-deaths-2350#comment-50416
[Posted 8-25, added here 8-28] I purchased a bag of Kingdom chicken jerky strips for my chocolate labrador. Within an hour, she was throwing up the entire contents of her stomach. I e-mailed Costco and they wrote with a generic e-mail stating that I could get a return on my money. When I returned the jerky, they said that at present there were no recalls for their chicken strips. I just wanted to give them a heads up on what happened to my dog.

3.http://www.topix.net/forum/source/newsday/TPSS8QRGJM6D4MVVA/p22#c451
[Posted 8-22, added here 8-28]This is really interesting reading these comments. We started feeding our dog Kingdom's Pets original chicken jerky 2 months ago. 3 weeks ago he started getting sick, throwing up, diarrea, not eating. The DR sees high liver enzymes and high white count but can't figure what the problem is. This sounds like the problem. I agree I won't toss the treats, just keep them for proof, but my DR will be notified immediately.

4.http://petfoodtracker.blogspot.com/2007/04/american-nutrition-issues-recall-of.html#comment-8983432807521623394
[Posted 8-21] This latest recall on the Jerky treats is setting off alarm bells for me.
We purchased some similar treats from Costco about 3 months ago. Not long after my dog, Panda, had a seizure. (We threw the treats out after I noticed they were made in China) (any word from Costco about those?)
Blood tests revealed that his liver enzymes were high and there was a lot of bacteria in his blood.. Antibiotics have brought the numbers down some, but he will be having a liver biopsy next week to get a better idea of what is happening. ...

5.http://www.epinions.com/msg/sec_~forums/show_~threads/cat_id_~25/id_~5220/forum_id_~247/pp_~10#146205
[Posted 8-20] I've been feeding my dog the chicken jerky and duck jerky from Costco and Sams club for the past couple of years with no problem. However recently she has become ill and the vet bills just keep coming. Today as a matter of fact she is at the vet's office getting test ran.
She has had vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. I've had a healthy happy dog for the past 7 years and other than the normal check ups nothing major was wrong with her. I know it's from those treats. I will not feed my dog anymore of them.
After reading some of the posts I checked the bag and sure enough it says it is a product of China and not for Human Consumption. Even if you dogs have not shown signs of sickness yet I still would not feed them anymore of those treats.
Just a follow up on this posting. My dog passed away a day after I posted this. She had cancer of the pancreas, spleen, and liver. ...

6.http://www.itchmo.com/fda-investigating-bestro-chicken-jerky-strips-in-dogs-deaths-2350#comment-48535
[Posted 8-22, added here 8-22] ...We gave our weimaraner Kingdom Pets chicken jerky from Costco and she became ill with vomiting and dry heaves and had diarrhea for 5 days. We talked that the chicken jerky was the only difference in food that she had been given. I tried to email the site on the bag of chicken jerky in LA, but it wouldn’t come up, so I tried the phone # and their message box was full. Something is going on with this China made treat and I will be taking this bag back to Costco. Luckily this time, our girl seems to have recovered.

7. [via email on 8-29, added 8-30] I had to put my 4 year old Shih Tsu down today, because of total liver shut down. The item that made her sick was Chicken Jerky, from China. The brand is Kingdom Pets Original Chicken Jerky. It is sold through Costco stores. My neighbor's dog also got sick from these treats. She didn't have as many, so she is ok, now. I am going to get ahold of the FDA and Costco's main office.

Beefeaters Tasty Chicken Strips
1.http://itchmoforums.com/your-problems-with-pet-food/call-fda-w-chicken-strip-health-problems-t1756.0.html;msg22429#msg22429
[Posted 8-22, added here 8-28] I just called the FDA to complain about Beefeaters Tasty Strips which are chicken strips manufactured in China that I bought at BJ's. My dog developed severe diarreah from it. I answered a lot of questions and had the complaint submitted for investigation. I encourage everyone who has experienced the same problem to do the same. Apparently, this is the only way to make everyone aware of the potential health problems these products can cause in our pets. Don't put it off!!

Salmonella found in Mars Petcare plant goes back to 2006

2007-08-28T15:53:00.000-06:00

Updated 8-29 (see end of post)
Last week Mars PetCare recalled a tiny amount of dog food. See this post for details.

Now salmonella has been found in that manufacturing plant, and they believe it is responsible for 18 months of salmonella outbreaks in the area and in the country.

So... if I'm reading this right, the plant was contaminated with salmonella for 18 months??? What about all the dog food made during that time? The only other food recalled was by Doane Pet Care back in early June - Ol'Roy Dry Dog Food, and that was only ONE LOT. (FDA recall notice HERE)

When is the rest of it going to be recalled?!

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_524472.html

A salmonellosis outbreak that moved slowly through Pennsylvania and the country for 18 months only recently was connected to a Fayette County dog food plant, public health officials said Monday.
Pennsylvanians have been hardest hit, with 25 of the illnesses -- or 38 percent of the 66 cases reported nationwide -- occurring here, according to the state Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A Pittsburgh infant was among the victims.
For every reported case, the CDC estimates 30 or more illnesses go unreported.
The Mars Petcare U.S. manufacturing plant in Everson that made the two suspected dog foods linked to the outbreak is closed for inspection and cleaning, the Nashville-based company said in a news release yesterday.
The company last Tuesday recalled its 5-pound bags of Krasdale Gravy Dry Dog Food, and on Friday 50-pound bags of Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the same subtype of Salmonella Schwarzengrund linked to the outbreak, according to the company and FDA. Salmonella bacteria causes salmonellosis.
Mars Petcare officials declined to answer questions about the recall. In a statement, the company said "it is issuing this action out of an abundance of caution and it sincerely regrets any inconvenience to pet owners as a result of this announcement."
People in 18 states, including Ohio and New York, have been infected, said CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell. However, the Krasdale dog food was sold only in Pennsylvania and four other states, and the Red Flannel was sold only in Pennsylvania, according to the company.
More than half of the cases in Pennsylvania were in children younger than 3, said state Department of Health spokeswoman Claudine Battisti. The first person sickened in Pennsylvania with salmonellosis genetically linked to this outbreak was Jan. 13, 2006, and the most recent was Aug. 1, she said. No deaths have been linked to the outbreak.
"The cases were occurring very sporadically (less than one per month), so it wasn't apparent to us that there was a problem until we noticed a somewhat larger number of them in May and June," Battisti said in an e-mail. "That prompted us to review what information was available to us on these cases, and we noticed a number of them mentioned dogs in the home (more than we would expect). That's what got the investigation started in late June."
The only person in Allegheny County linked to the outbreak was a then-5-month-old Pittsburgh girl, who was hospitalized after becoming ill in June 2006, said Allegheny County Health Department spokesman Dave Zazac. The girl recovered, he said.
Her family did not have a dog, and it is believed that she did not come into contact with any, Zazac said.
No pet illnesses or deaths have been reported in this outbreak, said FDA spokesman Mike Herndon.
The CDC reported in May a growing number of multi-drug-resistant foodborne cases of Salmonella Schwarzengrund worldwide. The increase in the United States is linked to imported chicken, particularly products from Thailand, according to the report.
In June, potential salmonella contamination caused Mars Petcare to recall 55-pound bonus bags of Ol'Roy Complete Nutrition Dry Dog Food, which is sold by Wal-Mart. That food was made by Doane Pet Care Co. in Manassas, Va., according to the FDA.

More info from thepittsburghchannel.com
Emphasis in red is mine.

PITTSBURGH -- A western Pennsylvania dog food plant has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that crept across the country for 18 months, public health officials said.

The dog food was made by Nashville-based Mars Petcare US Inc. at its plant in Everson, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Tuesday.

Last week, the company recalled 5-pound bags of Krasdale Gravy Dry Dog Food and 50-pound bags of Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the same subtype of salmonella linked to the outbreak, according to the company and FDA.

Sixty-six people in 18 states have been infected since early 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Pennsylvania health officials. No one has died, nor have any pet illnesses or deaths been reported, officials said.

Mars Petcare officials declined to answer questions about the recall, but said in a statement that it initiated the recall "out of an abundance of caution." The plant, about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, was closed for inspection and cleaning, the company said in a news release Monday.

The FDA says salmonella can be transferred to humans who handle contaminated pet food. It advises people to wash thoroughly after handling pet food.

Pets with an infection could be lethargic and have diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps and vomiting. Even healthy animals with the infection can pass it to other animals or humans, who could have the same symptoms.

There were 25 salmonella cases in Pennsylvania linked to the pet food. More than half were in children younger than 3, said state Department of Health spokeswoman Claudine Battisti. The first person sickened in Pennsylvania was on Jan. 13, 2006, and the most recent was Aug. 1, she said.

Because the infections were occurring sporadically, the department didn't notice a problem until two to three months ago, when more cases were noticed, she said. The department then began investigating.

The CDC says the scope of salmonella outbreaks are likely far larger than what's reported. For every reported case, the centers estimate 30 or more are unreported.

Today's head-exploding update from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Locally produced brands of cat and dog food are linked to an ongoing salmonellosis outbreak, federal and state officials said Tuesday. Most people sickened nationwide had contact with dry cat and dog foods produced at the Mars Petcare U.S. plant in Everson, but not with the two dog foods recalled last week. The suspect brands have not been identified.

Translation: The food Mars recalled last week isn't the food that made people sick. That food is still out there.

"This is not information that is consistent with our information," said Mars Petcare spokeswoman Alice Nathanson, who declined further comment and refused to say how many brands of pet foods have been produced at the Everson plant.

Helpful, aren't they?

Last week, the company recalled 5-pound bags of Krasdale Gravy Dry Dog Food and 50-pound bags of Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food.
In the past 18 months, 66 people nationwide -- including 25 in Pennsylvania -- have been sickened by the Salmonella Schwarzengrund bacteria. Scientists connect victims to the food that causes illness by genetic testing.
Mars Petcare recalled the two brands after the Food and Drug Administration found the same strain of salmonella in those products.
However, none of the people sickened in Pennsylvania and 17 other states had contact with either of the recalled dog foods, said Ian Williams, head of the outbreak team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch, and Claudine Battisti, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
"The question is: Is there broader contamination of the foods here?" Williams said.

Um, yeah. Isn't it obvious? And while you all dither around people are touching it and their kids are touching it and they're feeding it to their pets and everyone is STILL getting sick from it.

The source of the Salmonella Schwarzengrund bacteria -- whether an ingredient or something at the plant -- has not been determined, according to Williams and Daniel McChesney, director of the FDA's Office of Surveillance and Compliance in the Center for Veterinary Medicine.

The FDA, which regulates pet food and conducts investigations to determine which products caused an outbreak, has finished its investigation and is not planning to test ingredients of the suspect pet foods unless the agency gets more information suggesting a potential source, McChesney said.

What? What??!

Pet foods contain some of the same ingredients used in human foods. Some of the people sickened in the outbreak have not come in contact with any pet foods, Williams said.
Asked if pet foods that haven't been recalled could be contaminated, he said, "I'm not allowed to make that supposition."

My head has exploded.

This is the first time human illnesses have been linked to pet food, Williams said. Three outbreaks -- one in the United States and Canada and two just in Canada -- have been linked to pet treats, he said.
The CDC is studying how people become infected from pet food, including where human and pet foods are prepared, hand-washing practices, where pets are fed and whether pets sleep in people's beds, Williams said.
Environmental testing by the Pennsylvania Department of Health found the same unusual strain of salmonella at the plant as the FDA found in lots of two dry dog foods made there, McChesney said.
The FDA previously tested the plant and foods made there and found no salmonella and no problems, he said. The company voluntarily closed the plant for cleaning after salmonella was found there earlier this month, McChesney said, and the FDA will inspect the plant after it reopens.

Wal-Mart using 'old' packages (update)

2007-08-24T11:23:00.000-06:00

Update 8-28:

Apparently, Menu Foods and Wal-Mart jointly decided to use old packaging in order to save money. So they just had new labels printed to put over the old UPC code and are stamping QA-OK on pouches made since the recall.

That might make some of you feel better, but not me. In my opinion it shows their continued lack of concern for pet owners, and their focus on costs to the exclusion of common sense.

These companies don’t even seem to be aware they need to regain consumer confidence!

If you buy anything and Wal-Mart or any pet food made by Menu Foods, it’s at your own risk.

And, um, by the way - if it’s just new labels and the food is good, why did 4 new cats get sick?

***************

From wsfa.com out of Montgomery, AL. Wal-Mart is still selling cat food recalled months ago. One story from today, one from yesterday. Emphasis mine.

More Pet Food on Recall List Found on Wal-Mart Shelves

We introduced you to Sheri McComber Wednesday. She says four of her cats got sick after eating Special Kitty brand cat food. She checked the labels on the food and found they were listed on the product recall. She said, "This was done on purpose."
We found dozens of the pouches just like the one's McComber had at the Clanton Wal-Mart. At first glance, the product code checks out as safe. If you peel it off, you'll find another product code. I compared those numbers to the ones on the recall list on the FDA'S Web site. Sure enough, it's on the list. With the stickers over the product code, the items went through. However, I left one on the stickers off. When the cashier scanned the label on the package, it said do not sell and she would not let me purchase it.
We put in several calls to Menu Foods and Wal-Mart pressing the issue: Why would they cover the old labels with new ones? Wal-Mart issued statement. It reads: "We have worked with our supplier to investigate the concerns raised by WSFA 12 News. Menu Foods, the manufacturer of Special Kitty products, assures us that the products currently available in Wal-Mart stores are, indeed, safe."
During our phone conversation, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart says the problem is with the packaging, not the prouduct. As to the problem with the packaging, Wal-Mart said we would have to ask Menu Foods about that. So far, we have been unable to get a comment from Menu Foods. The question still remains why would it cover the original labels. You can count on WSFA 12 News to continue to follow this story until we get answers.

Montgomery Woman Claims She Found Tainted Cat Food for Sale at Local Wal-Mart

Sheri McComber's cat Bubbles isn't his usual playful self. She says he's," weak and lethargic."

Three more of McCombers cats have the same symptoms. She says they got sick after eating Special Kitty cat food, one of the brands recalled.

"We have pulled the food," she said.

McComber bought the food, sold in pouches, at the Ann Street Wal-Mart. She says there was a warning sign when she purchased it. "One of the pouches would not scan. It said 'item not to be sold.' [The cashier] just picked up another one and scanned it twice," says McComber.

When her four cats became sick, she checked the labels on the food.

"I pulled back the sticker on the back and read the numbers. I checked the numbers with the recall list and it was the same," McComber said.

She hopes her story will keep other pets from getting sick and encourage owners to check their pet's food.

"I wonder if a lot of other people are taking their pets to the doctor because they don't know what's wrong with them either," said McComber

McComber's veterinarian has done blood work on the four cats. The results aren't back. So, they can't say for sure the food made the cats sick. We checked the Ann Street Wal-Mart to see if any of the tainted food was still on the shelves. It didn't have any Special Kitty pouches on the shelves.

Wal-Mart released a statement. It reads: "Pet food safety is a top priority at Wal-Mart, as we understand the important role that pets play in the lives of our customers. Since hearing from WSFA-TV , we began an investigation into the customer's concern."

FDA testing Dog Treats - More deaths - Other Retailers selling treats

2007-08-23T09:18:00.000-06:00

It's not clear from the comment in red below (my emphasis) whether they mean that other retailers are selling the same brand, or are selling the same product under a different name.

From the NY Times...

U.S. Is Checking Dog Treats Wal-Mart Says Are Tainted

The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it was checking dog treats recently withdrawn from Wal-Mart’s shelves but had not yet detected any chemical or biological contamination in the Chinese-made products.

A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Stores, the world’s largest retailer, said it was aware of other companies’ selling the suspect products to pet owners.
And China, on the defensive over the safety of its products, lashed out at the United States yesterday by claiming that American soybean exports contained pesticides, poisonous weeds and dirt.
Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., said this week that it had stopped selling Chicken Jerky Strips from the Import-Pingyang Pet Product Company and Chicken Jerky from Shanghai Bestro Trading in July, after customers said the products sickened their pets.
Wal-Mart said 17 tests showed trace levels of melamine, the same pesticide byproduct that led to a widespread pet food recall in March after an unknown number of dogs and cats died.
An F.D.A. spokeswoman, Kimberly Rawlings, said yesterday the agency was actively investigating Wal-Mart’s products in light of the store’s removal of the items from its shelves.
She also said in an e-mail message to The Associated Press that the agency had reviewed Wal-Mart’s lab report that mentioned 20 parts per million of melamine. “This level of melamine would not be expected to result in any animal illness,” she said.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman, Deisha Galberth, said that with such small amounts of melamine found, its laboratory recommended more testing.
Ms. Galberth said Wal-Mart was aware of other retailers that were selling the products, but she declined to identify hem.
More than 150 brands of pet food were recalled this year after American inspectors said wheat gluten from China that had been used to make the food was tainted with melamine. An unknown number of dogs and cats died.
Since then, other Chinese products, including tires, toothpaste, seafood, juice and toys decorated with lead paint have been recalled or come under scrutiny.

And an article from wxpi.com in Pittsburgh -Local Woman Says Wal-Mart Treats Killed Dog

PITTSBURGH -- A local woman said her dog died from eating tainted dog treats.On Wednesday, Wal-Mart announced two brands of dog treats sold at its stores contained the chemical melamine.Those products were pulled from store shelves in July, but have not been recalled.Jodi Zeremski said her Chihuahua, Taco, never had health problems until she bought chicken jerky dog treats from Wal-Mart in early July.Soon after eating the treats, Taco reportedly became ill and had to be put down.A veterinarian said he died of kidney failure."Those were the only treats we bought. That was the only other thing that dog ate,” Zeremski said.Gretchen Fieser, of the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, said, "Melamine typically causes kidney failure. Some of the signs of kidney failure are depression. They can become very lethargic, not having very much energy, lying around and vomiting."Wal-Mart has released a statement: "We will continue to work with the supplier to assure that the highest safety standards are met. Our thoughts are with anyone whose pet may have become ill."

And another one, from the record-bee.com -National Wal-Mart pet treat scare appears in Lake County (emphasis is mine)

LAKE COUNTY -- Vicki Stone of Cobb never knew that the dollars she hoped to save by purchasing her dog's favorite treat, Chicken Jerky Strips, at Wal-Mart in Clearlake could cost her favorite pet his life. "He's such a picky eater, but he loved the strips, he'd gulp them down," said Stone.
In July, Stone's husband saw a deal on chicken strips at Wal-Mart, so he picked up two packages. A week and a half later, their five-year old Shihtzu named Doc started having problems. They did everything possible, according to veterinarian Dr. Chris Holmes, but still the dog went into kidney failure and may not survive. If he does, his kidneys will only function at about 20 percent, and Doc will likely not live another two years.
The brand of food the Stone's fed Doc are one of two Chinese brands of dog treats sold at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the world's largest retailer, that the company claims they pulled off the shelves in July after customers said they made their dogs ill.
Tests on the products, Chicken Jerky Strips from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and from Shanghai Bestro Trading show traces of melamine, a chemical agent responsible for a previous massive pet food recall in March, a spokesperson told the AP Tuesday.
"We didn't know until today that Stone was feeding those treats, but when we did it immediately clicked," said Dr. Holmes on Wednesday from Wasson Memorial Veterinary Clinic in Lakeport.
"The dog is experiencing obvious kidney failure due to this melamine from the Bestro chicken strips, the same exact brand has been recalled before, and we have had problems with other animals being poisoned by melamine from a previous recall of pet food in March," said Dr. Holmes.
"Doc started having problems at the end of July, we did blood work which came back fine, and found mild elevations in the kidney parameters, then we sent him to an intro-medicine specialist who did an ultra-sound down in Rohnert Park," he said.
"We looked into all the causes of kidney failure and knew that it was some toxin other than anti-freeze, which is the most common. The dog got much worse so last week we put him on IV fluids for 48 hours and he's doing much better, but we don't know how long he has. We have to wait and see," said Dr. Holmes.
According to Dr. Holmes, three dogs under his care died from the recall in March. A biopsy of one of the dog's kidneys was conducted and it was confirmed the dog had died of melamine poisoning from the tainted dog food products.
"I know corporate Wal-Mart did a recall, and Vicki Stone said they pulled all the stuff off the shelves in Clearlake yesterday. We do have other animals that will be affected by this, but we haven't proven that it's melamine. That can only be proven in a biopsy of the kidney," said Dr. Holmes.
Stone said, "I'm very, very upset. They said they pulled the products off their shelves but I'm going to make a trip there to be sure. I have a burning desire to know why the public wasn't notified about this."
"If it had been baby food it would have been all over the papers and media. I think that if Wal-Mart knew about this, and they waited to pull it and inform people, how negligent is that? This whole thing is about lack of responsibility," she said.
"People's pets are getting killed by this product. It's not like this is some American brand that hasn't had problems, this brand has killed dogs before," said Stone, who plans to take the $6,000 vet bill to the store to demand reimbursement.
"I'm going to take this all the way because I think it's hurting people, especially in this area where people can't afford to shop in a fancy pet store," said Stone.
Dr. Holmes said, "We're going to be seeing lots of problems, this is here in Lake County. These are companies that have had problems in the past, and Wal-Mart is not doing the necessary testing. I would not buy any food product from them."
Clearlake Wal-Mart manager Will Bacon told the Record-Bee on Wednesday that he could make no comment. Phone calls placed to the corporate headquarters and regional spokespersons were not returned Wednesday.
Wal-Mart spokesperson Deisha Galberth told the AP on Tuesday that Wal-Mart stopped selling the products July 26. Galberth said customers should return the products to the store for a refund.

Dog Treats sold at Wal-Mart Contain Melamine

2007-08-21T22:04:00.000-06:00

From CNN...

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- Tests of two Chinese brands of dog treats sold at Wal-Mart stores found traces of melamine, a chemical agent that led to another massive pet food recall in March, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. quietly stopped selling Chicken Jerky Strips from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and Chicken Jerky from Shanghai Bestro Trading in July, after customers said the products sickened their pets.
No recall was announced at that time, but Wal-Mart said in a statement Tuesday that customers who bought one of the products should return it to the nearest store for a refund.
Company spokeswoman Deisha Galberth said 17 sets of tests done on the products found melamine, a contaminant that's a byproduct of several pesticides.
"There were very small amounts of melamine found," Galberth told The Associated Press. "The amounts were so small the laboratory recommended more testing."
Galberth had said late Monday that Wal-Mart pulled the products off store shelves based on the customer feedback but wanted to complete the testing before announcing anything publicly.
More than 150 brands of pet food were recalled earlier this year after U.S. inspectors said wheat gluten from China that was used to make the food was tainted with melamine. An unknown number of dogs and cats died.
Since then, other Chinese products including tires, toothpaste, seafood, juice, and toys decorated with lead paint have been recalled or have come under scrutiny.
Galberth said she couldn't say if the amount of melamine found in its dog treats would be enough to sicken or kill a dog that ate the suspect products. The Delaware County (Pennsylvania) Daily Times reported last week that a woman claimed her 2-year-old Chihuahua died after eating some of the products. According to the report, an autopsy found the dog died of an infection caused by toxic bacteria.
Wal-Mart's statement Tuesday said customers should be especially wary of jerky from Shanghai Bestro Trading with the UPC number 0087784900006 and item number 839751.
The Food and Drug Administration did not list the two Wal-Mart products on its recall Web site Tuesday. As recently as 2005, the FDA blocked some pet treat imports from Pingyang Pet Product Co. because of contamination with salmonella.
Galberth said she was not aware of the FDA's previous concerns with Pingyang but said the company was working with the FDA and manufacturers. She said she did not immediately know where the Chinese companies were based.
Bentonville-based Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, pulled the products from shelves July 26 and placed a computerized block on all cash registers to prevent workers from selling the products. Galberth said she did not know how many stores sold the treats.
"Generally, we won't do a pull-and-hold unless most stores are impacted," she said. "There's a high likelihood many of our stores would have been impacted by this one."

I'm too pissed and too tired to say more than this is bullshit - how long have they known this and why are they just announcing it now? Dogs died needlessly! See my other posts about these deadly treats...

2 Brands of Mars Petcare Dry Dog Food Recalled - Krasdale Gravy and Red Flannel

2007-08-21T21:50:00.000-06:00

Mars Petcare recalls two brands of dry dog food - Krasdale Gravy dry dog food and Red Flannel Large Greed Adult Formula dry dog food (thanks for the heads up Therese)

http://www.marspetcare.com/safety/index.html

Affected Products

Product: Krasdale Gravy dry dog food
Size: 5 pound bag
UPC Code: 7513062596
Best By Date: July 16 & 17, 2008
Best By Date Location: Back of bag
Affected Stores: Various stores located in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Product: Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food
Size: 50 pound bag
UPC Code: 4286900062
Best By Date: July 12, 2008
Best By Date Location: Back of bag
Affected Stores: The stores are located in Reedsville, PA and Richlandtown, PA

Select Krasdale Gravy Dry Dog Food 5lb Bags
Voluntarily Recalled in Five States
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Mars Petcare US, Inc. today announces a voluntary recall of select five pound bags of Krasdale Gravy dry dog food sold in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The pet food is being recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination, in people, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised
immune systems.

Select Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula Dry Dog Food 50lb
Bags Voluntarily Recalled in Pennsylvania
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Mars Petcare US, Inc. today announces a voluntary recall of select 50 lb bags of Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food sold in two stores in Pennsylvania.
Only three bags of product were actually sold, with only one bag still unaccounted for. The pet food is being recalled because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination, in people, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems.

Wal-Mart pulled 2nd Dog Treat 27 days ago - STILL no announcement

2007-08-21T13:28:00.000-06:00

From the Washington Post, we find out that Wal-Mart quietly recalled two brands of dog treats, not just one as posted here last week. (Thanks Therese at petsitusa.com for the heads up)

LITTLE ROCK -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. quietly stopped selling two brands of dog treats in July, after customers voiced concerns that the Chinese products may have caused their pets to fall ill, but no recall has been announced, a company spokeswoman confirmed.
The world's largest retailer started pulling Chicken Jerky Strips from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and Chicken Jerky from Shanghai Bestro Trading on July 26, spokeswoman Deisha Galberth said late Monday.

Okay, let's count, shall we? 27 days since then that people who bought this product have continued to feed it to their dogs at home. How many sick dogs does that translate to? How many other dead dogs? WHY WHY WHY has this not been announced? 27 days! 27 days in which dogs could have gone to the vet, and received treatment if necessary. 27 days!

And even when the story broke last week, we only knew of the Shanghai Bestro brand, not the Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co brand. (Gee, wonder where these were made?)

Wal-Mart also placed a computerized block on all cash registers to prevent workers from selling the products, Galberth said.

Right, we saw how well this worked during the initial recall back in March, April, May, etc. (If you're new - it didn't work at all. And an FDA investigation into Wal-Mart found numerous stores still selling recalled products months after the recall began.)

"When we took it off shelves at the end of July, we pulled it based on the customer feedback so we could do testing prior to announcing anything publicly," Galberth said. "That's why did not make a public announcement _ it was still going through the testing process."

Unbelievable. And inexcusable. Listen up people - this shows - yet again - their lack of concern for you and your pets. What you do with your money is your concern, but I will never spend a penny in that store, ever.

Wal-Mart's action follows a massive pet food recall in March, when retailers began pulling products made in China that included the chemical melamine _ a contaminant that's a byproduct of several pesticides.
Galberth said she did not know what the specific customer complaints were about the dog treats, nor when the testing would be complete.

Uh huh. Wal-mart offers the woman whose dog died $2,000 for her loss, but yet claims not to know what the complaints were.

Galberth said she did not immediately know if the treats were sold at every Wal-Mart store.
"We are diligently testing this product," she said.

At which lab? How long does it take to get results? I doubt it takes 27 days.

Philadelphia television station WPVI reported last week that a woman claimed her 2-year-old Chihuahua died after eating Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips. The station reported that an autopsy found the dog died of an infection caused by toxic bacteria.

Yeah, I'm pissed. This just infuriates me. It's unbelievable, inexcusable, and it just boggles my mind. And of course it breaks my heart. And it keeps happening. Over and over these companies show their total lack of regard for us and for our pets. Over and over. Yet we still give them the benefit of the doubt. Why? It's time to take that away. Don't trust them. Don't believe them. Don't put your pet's lives in their hands. They don't deserve your trust. Not anymore.

To see the original post/story, click here

Added 4:31pm MT: I just read through some messages on the epinions.com message board. There are multiple reports of problems from 2006 through today.

And Pingyang had other dog treats refused by the FDA back in JUNE due to salmonella, see here .

And they also had numerous products refused in September 2006 due to Salmonella. See the FDA report here

USA Today is now working on this story, see HERE.

Bone Meal contaminated with Melamine recalled months ago - with no public notice

2007-08-17T08:43:00.000-06:00

So now we find out that a quiet, unannounced recall of bone meal contaminated with melamine happened back in APRIL. Yeah, that April, the month right after March - when the recall was first announced. Wonder what they're hiding?

This from the FDA Enforcement Report in July, as far as I can tell this is the *only* place this information has been reported.

FDA Enforcement Report July 2007
RECALLS AND FIELD CORRECTIONS: VETERINARY MEDICINE - CLASS II

__________________________________
PRODUCT
Dry rendered tankage (DRT), also known as Crax, Recall # V-047-2007
CODE
23899, 23911, and 544044;
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Recalling Firm: Darling International, Inc., Irving, TX, by telephone on April 20, 2007, e-mail dated April 23, 2007, and by letter dated April 24, 2007.
Manufacturer: Darling National LLC, Wichita, KS. Firm initiated recall is complete.
REASON
Product contains melamine.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
682,600 lbs.
DISTRIBUTION
KS and NE

RECALLS AND FIELD CORRECTIONS: VETERINARY MEDICINE - CLASS III

__________________________________
PRODUCT
Dry rendered tankage (DRT), also known as Crax, Recall # V-048-2007
CODE
23897, 23953, 23973, and 23937
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Recalling Firm: Darling International, Inc., Irving, TX, by telephone on April 20, 2007, e-mail dated April 23, 2007, and by letter dated April 24, 2007.
Manufacturer: Darling National LLC, Wichita, KS. Firm initiated recall is complete.
REASON
Product contains melamine.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
682,600 lbs.
DISTRIBUTION
KS and NE

What exactly is "Dry-Rendered Tankage"?

From Wiki under Rendering

Materials that for aesthetic or sanitary reasons are not suitable for human food are the feedstocks for inedible rendering processes. Much of the inedible raw material is rendered using the "dry" method. This may be a batch or a continuous process in which the material is heated in a steam jacketed vessel to drive off the moisture and simultaneously release the fat from the fat cells. The material is first ground, then heated to release the fat and drive off the moisture, percolated to drain off the free fat, and then more fat is pressed out of the solids, which at this stage are called "cracklings" or "dry-rendered tankage". The cracklings are further ground to make meat and bone meal.

A variation on a dry process involves finely chopping the material, fluidizing it with hot fat, and then evaporating the mixture in one or more evaporator stages. Some inedible rendering is done using a wet process, which is generally a continuous process similar in some ways to that used for edible materials. The material is heated with added steam and then pressed to remove a water-fat mixture which is then separated into fat, water and fine solids by stages of centrifuging and/or evaporation. The solids from the press are dried and then ground into meat and bone meal. Most independent renderers process only inedible material.

Bone meal is a mixture of crushed and coarsely ground bones that is used as an organic fertilizer for plants and in animal feed. As a fertilizer, bone meal is primarily used as a source of phosphorus.

Bone meal once was often used as a dietary calcium supplement. Research in the 1980s found that many bone meal preparations were contaminated with lead and other toxic metals, and it is no longer recommended as a calcium source.
In the 1990s, bone meal was identified as a vector for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease") among livestock. It is believed that bone meal produced in the 1970s from the corpses of sheep bearing scrapie caused BSE in cattle when it was fed to them.

As Don Earl points out on petfoodrecallfacts.com,

Darling International recalled 1.4 million pounds of meat and bone meal adulterated with melamine at the end of April 2007. As most of us will remember, this was at the height of the melamine from China hype. So, why did the FDA wait over 3 months to add the recall to its site? Also, if melamine in pet food is a Class I recall, why is melamine in the meat and bone meal used for pet food a Class III recall? Inquiring minds would like to know. (37)

I'd like to know too Don.

Strangely, the FDA CVM (Center for Veterinary Medicine) newsletter mentions the Darling recall, but makes no mention of melamine.
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FDAVet2007VolXXIINo1.htm

A Class II recall is ongoing by Darling National LLC of Omaha, NE, involving 1.36 million pounds of its Bulk Darling’s 85% Blood Meal, Flash Dried, distributed in totes and 1-lb. bags. Distribution took place in Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee, Nebraska, Colorado, and Minnesota. The product is being recalled because some of the exempt bovine blood meal was cross-contaminated with prohibited bovine meat and bone meal that had been manufactured on common equipment, and the labeling did not bear the cautionary BSE statement that it should not be fed to ruminants.

Again, all of this begs the question... what don't we know that we should know? What else is out there killing our pets?

Cat Owner Files Legal Action Against FDA in Pet Food Deaths

2007-08-17T08:27:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Therese at www.petsitusa.com for letting us know about this, it's one of the most important things that has happened in this pet food fiasco. I've included most of the article below because it's so important, to read the rest of it go to consumeraffairs.com Don Earl's website is at petfoodrecallfacts.com. Emphasis below is mine.

A grieving cat owner has filed action in federal court to force the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “perform its duty” and investigate other toxins -- besides melamine -- as the culprit in this year’s massive pet food recall.
Don Earl of Port Townsend, Washington, also wants the court to order the FDA to stop what he considers “all activities (by the agency) involving the destruction of critical pet food evidence.”
...
Earl says he’s exhausted all other avenues to make the FDA investigate contaminates besides melamine for the kidney problems and deaths of thousands of pets nationwide that ate the tainted food.
In March, Menu Foods recalled 60 million containers of pet food. The FDA said the imported ingredients used to make the food -- wheat gluten and rice protein -- were tainted with the chemical melamine.

FDA officials said they traced the source of that melamine-contamination to two now-defunct companies in China.

But Earl, whose cat died in January after eating some of Menu’s pet food, says the FDA has ignored other likely causes for the pet food contamination.

“The five-month investigation by the FDA into circumstances surrounding the March 16, 2007 pet food recall, to date, may only be described as whimsical,” Earl writes in his petition. He is representing himself in this action.

“From the beginning, the FDA appears to be following a predetermined script, which is based exclusively on unsupportable theories related to melamine from China. Not only does the ‘melamine from China’ theory fail in the face of all available evidence, the FDA has moved aggressively to discount credible evidence which not only refutes the ‘melamine from China’ theories, but which have every indication, if properly investigated, of uncovering the true source of toxins responsible for the deaths of thousands of companion animals across the entire United States,” he argued.

One of those toxins is acetaminophen, Earl says.

And he has lab reports that support his conviction.

In May, Earl hired a private laboratory in Texas, ExperTox, to analyze samples of Menu’s Pet Pride “Turkey and Giblets” and “Mixed Grill” cat food. That’s the brand of food his beloved cat, Chuckles, ate before she suffered kidney problems and died.

Earl says he took this action because the FDA refused to accept samples of Chuckles pet food.

“Based upon the FDA’s refusal to investigate and apparent dereliction of its investigative duties…the Petitioner began an effort to independently investigate the matter,” he states in his petition.

Earl said ExperTox tested the same styles and lot numbers of Pet Pride cat food that he fed Chuckles.

And those tests detected the popular pain killer, acetaminophen, in the food, ConsumerAffairs.com confirmed.

The tests also uncovered another chemical in the food: cyanuric acid, which is commonly used in pool chlorination.

No Melamine

But they did not detect the chemical that triggered the largest pet food recall in U.S. history – melamine.

That didn’t surprise Earl.

“Melamine has impressed me as being a red herring since day one,” he said. “The substance has been the subject of credible scientific tests and studies for decades. Nothing supports the theory it could be lethal even in amounts 10 times the highest reported to be present in the food.”

Earl says the FDA has turned a blind eye to those scientific facts -- even ones reported by the agency’s experts -- and made contradictory statements about the source of the contamination.

The agency, he says, also disregarded scientific reports that revealed other toxins contaminated the pet food.

Earl cites several examples in his petition, including:

• This comment made by the FDA’s expert, Dr. Donald Smith, during a March 30 press conference: “We have not been able to match melamine or the crystals of melamine in terms of the morphology with the identification we’re seeing visually in the clinically affected cat. I want to state once again that there’s no evidence yet to tie in the melamine;”

• This statement made by the FDA’s Dr. Steven Sundlof during the March 30 press conference that contradicts Dr. Smith: “. . . at this time, none of the independent laboratories, whether it’s the Cornell laboratory or the FDA laboratory -- have been able to confirm the presence of aminopterin (a rat poison and cancer drug) in those samples. And therefore, we are focusing now on melamine;”

• The FDA’s repeated denials of the presence of acetaminophen in samples of Pet Pride’s food, which refute ExperTox’s findings. Earl quotes FDA spokespersons who said: “We cannot validate their (ExperTox’s) findings,” and “At this point, the FDA sees no compelling need to analyze anymore samples of acetaminophen.” Earl’s petitions also points out that ConsumerAffairs.com learned the FDA only tested a handful of samples for acetaminophen and could not confirm it analyzed the same samples in which ExperTox detected the pain killer.

Evidence Destroyed

Earl’s petition also alleges the FDA “systematically destroyed” crucial evidence during the pet food investigation.

“In this case destruction would be the appropriate disposition,” he quotes the FDA’s Dr. David Elder as saying when asked about the destruction of the recalled food.

The FDA’s Web site also stated “all tainted pet food…continues to be recalled and destroyed,” Earl writes in his petition.

He adds: “That critical evidence is being systematically destroyed in an investigation of this nature and scope is unheard of.”

It’s also illegal, Earl alleges.

“…with pending civil litigation and an ongoing federal investigation in progress, this spoliation of critical evidence is a criminal offense,” his petition states. “A court order is required before such destruction may be commenced.”

Earl’s petition further alleges that the FDA’s derelict actions have failed to ensure “foods are safe, wholesome and sanitary” and protect pets and their grieving owners.

“In addition to public safety issues, the deceptive manner in which the FDA has controlled, withheld, and otherwise manipulated critical information, and destroyed essential evidence, is to the detriment of a large class of pet owners who suffered damages caused by the poisoned pet food epidemic,” his petition states.

No Comment

ConsumerAffairs.com contacted the FDA about Earl’s petition. The agency, however, did not respond.

This is the second legal action Earl has taken in the wake of the pet food recall.

In July, he filed a $72,000 lawsuit against Menu Foods and Kroger for emotional and financial damages.

The lawsuit, filed in Washington Superior Court, alleges his cat died because her food contained acetaminophen.

“According to documents and studies published by the (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) ASPCA, due to their body chemistries, cats are unable to tolerate acetaminophen and no amount of acetaminophen is safe for cats,” the lawsuit states.

Tainted Treats from Walmart Suspected in Dog's Death - NOT Recalled , FDA Unaware

2007-08-16T22:05:00.001-06:00

I've got a lot of posts started but not finished, this one can't wait. My heartfelt apologies for not posting much lately - reading thousands of your stories of sick and dying pets finally got to me, and I had to take an unplanned break. Now I'm right back into it, and with this article we see again that it's like it never happened, and it's like nothing has changed.

Thanks to ABC Action News out of Philadelphia for this... as always, the emphasis is mine. The product involved is Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips.

August 15, 2007 - A Delaware County woman says her dog died after eating dog treats made in China.

Wal-Mart has quietly pulled a made in China dog treat from its shelves. However, there has been no public announcement, and there's no telling how many contaminated bags of treats may still be out there.
Kate Collins of Aston still finds it hard to talk about. She loves her Chihuahuas. She has two now, but her youngest is gone. Two-year-old Bella died suddenly last month after eating Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips.
Bella was dead within a week. The other dogs didn't get the same treats and they're fine.
The animal hospital did an autopsy and found that Bella died of an infection caused by toxic bacteria.
Kate bought the treats at the Wal-Mart store in Boothwyn. She said it took her days to find a manager willing to talk to her.
Wal-Mart would not say how many complaints it has gotten, but an Internet search shows similar incidents across the country.
The company has issued a statement saying it cares about people and their pets, and ordered the treats removed from the shelves of all stores. Wal-Mart has since offered to reimburse Collins for up to $2,000, which, she said, doesn't come close to covering her loss. She also said it's not about the money. She just wants to get the word out.
The Food and Drug Administration is apparently unaware of this latest problem with pet food from China. A recall has not been issued. They failed to respond to our inquiries. Wal-Mart said if you have the Bestro Chicken Jerky Strips at home, you can return them for a full refund.

More on this, and other things, soon. Very soon.

Natural Balance Eatables Canned Dog food recalled due to botulism

2007-07-23T11:25:00.000-06:00

Note that the recalled pet food gets what amounts to a p.s. below, and that's it. Mind boggling.

In addition, the following canned Natural Balance brand pet food products, which Castleberry’s co-packs for Natural Balance, are being recalled. These include:

Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs Irish Stew With Beef, Potatoes & Carrots, 15 oz can (UPC 2363359860)
Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs Chinese Take Out With Sauce With Vegetables and Chicken, 15 oz can (UPC 2363359861)
Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs HOBO Chili With Chicken & Pasta, 15 oz can (UPC 2363359863)
Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs Southern Style Dumplings With Chicken & Vegetables, 15 oz can (UPC 2363359862)

Castleberry’s Expands Voluntary Recall of Hot Dog Chili Sauce and Canned Meat Products

Contact:
Doug McGraw, Fleishman-Hillard
(212) 453-2202

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --AUGUSTA, Ga. – July 21, 2007 – Castleberry’s Food Company today announced that it is taking extra steps to ensure public safety by voluntarily expanding its recall originally announced on July 18 due to the risk ofbotulinum toxin, a bacterium which can cause botulism.

Botulism can cause the following symptoms: general weakness, dizziness, double-vision and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

The recall originally announced on July 18 affected only 10 products with ‘best by’ dates from APR30 2009 through MAY22 2009. The extended recall now includes the following canned products in the following sizes with all ‘best by’ and code dates:

Austex Onion Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 3030097101)
Austex Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 3030099533)
Austex Beef Stew, 15 oz can (UPC 3030090815)
Austex Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030091015)
Austex Chili With Beans, 19 oz can (UPC 3030092519)
Austex Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030097715)
Austex Chili No Beans, 19 oz can (UPC 3030097719)
Best Yet Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 4217841082)
Best Yet Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 4218740842)
Big Y Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 1889480424)
Big Y Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 1889480225)
Big Y Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 1889480425)
Black Rock Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030001715)
Bloom Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 2543992448)
Bryan Hot Dog Chili Sauce With Beef, 10 oz can (UPC 5340030010)
Bryan Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 5340030110)
Bryan Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 5340030200)
Bryan Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 5340030205)
Bryan Chili No Beans, 10 oz can (UPC 5340035264)
Bunker Hill Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 7526604152)
Bunker Hill Chili No Beans, 10 oz can (UPC 7526604112)
Bunker Hill Spicier Chili No Beans, 10 oz can (UPC 7526604224)
Castleberry’s Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 3030000101)
Castleberry’s Onion Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 3030007101)
Castleberry’s Brunswick Stew Chicken & Beef, 15 oz can (UPC 3030000315)
Castleberry’s Barbecue Pork, 10 oz can (UPC 3030000402)
Castleberry’s Barbecue Pork, 14.5 oz can (UPC 3030000415)
Castleberry’s Barbecue Beef, 10 oz can (UPC 3030000602)
Castleberry’s Beef Stew, 15 oz can (UPC 3030000815)
Castleberry’s Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 3030000915)
Castleberry’s Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030001015)
Castleberry’s Sausage Gravy, 10 oz can (UPC 3030005130)
Castleberry’s Creamed Chip Beef Gravy, 10 oz can (UPC 3030005150)
Castleberry’s Hot Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030007217)
Castleberry’s Chili No Beans, 10 oz can (UPC 3030007701)
Castleberry’s Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030007715)
Castleberry’s Georgia Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 3030000215)
Cattle Drive Beef Stew, 15 oz can (UPC 3030001530)
Cattle Drive Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030001520)
Cattle Drive Chicken Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030001525)
Cattle Drive Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030001515)
Firefighters Chicken Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 7372500413)
Firefighters Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 737250041)
Firefighters Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 7372500412)
Food Club Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 3680080204)
Food Club Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3680080404)
Food Club Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3680080504)
Food Lion Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 3582606911)
Goldstar Original Chili, 10oz can (UPC 2457500001)
Goldstar Chili, 15oz can (UPC 2457500005)
Goldstar Tex-Mex Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 2457500008)
Great Value Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 8113179994)
Great Value Hot Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 8113179995)
Kroger Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 1111083942)
Kroger Beef Stew, 15oz can (UPC 1111083928)
Kroger Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 1111083930)
Kroger Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 1111083908)
Lowes Foods Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 4164301092)
Lowes Foods Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 4164301094)
Lowes Foods Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 4164301097)
Meijer Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 4125085862)
Meijer Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 4125095220)
Meijer Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 4125095221)
Meijer Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 4125095229)
Morton House Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 7526665829)
Morton House Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 7526665830)
Morton House Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 7526665993)
Paramount Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 7526600510)
Paramount Chili for Hot Dogs, 15 oz can (UPC 7526600526)
Paramount Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 7526600731)
Paramount Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 7526600732)
Piggly Wiggly Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 4129037252)
Piggly Wiggly Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 4129037354)
Piggly Wiggly Chili No Beans, 10 oz can (UPC 4129037355)
Piggly Wiggly Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 4129037357)
Prudence Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 4114100015)
Southern Home Chili No Beans, 10 oz can (UPC 3825948713)
Southern Home Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 0788015340)
Southern Home Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 0788015341)
Southern Home Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (UPC 0788015359)
Steak n Shake Chili With Beans, 10 oz can (UPC 5184400120)
Thrifty Maid Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz can (UPC 2114021367)
Thrifty Maid Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (2114021370)
Thrifty Maid Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz can (2114021375)
Triple Bar Ranch Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030005801)
Triple Bar Ranch Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030005804)
Triple Bar Ranch Chili No Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 3030005805)
Value Time Beef and Chicken Chili With Beans, 15 oz can (UPC 1122542159)

In addition, the following canned Natural Balance brand pet food products, which Castleberry’s co-packs for Natural Balance, are being recalled. These include:

Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs Irish Stew With Beef, Potatoes & Carrots, 15 oz can (UPC 2363359860)
Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs Chinese Take Out With Sauce With Vegetables and Chicken, 15 oz can (UPC 2363359861)
Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs HOBO Chili With Chicken & Pasta, 15 oz can (UPC 2363359863)
Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs Southern Style Dumplings With Chicken & Vegetables, 15 oz can (UPC 2363359862)

Consumers should not use these products even if they do not look or smell spoiled. Consumers with these products should dispose of them by double bagging in plastic bags that are tightly closed before being placed in a trash receptacle for non-recyclable trash outside of the home, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Additional instructions for safe disposal can be found at www.cdc.gov/botulism/botulism_faq.htm.

“There is nothing more important to us than the health of those who use our products every day,” said Steve Mavity, SVP Technical Services/Quality Assurance for Castleberry’s. “We are taking every step necessary, and are working hand in hand with health officials around the clock to ensure the safety of consumers.”

Mavity said, “We believe we have isolated the issue to a situation of under-processing on one line of our production facility. As an extra precaution to the recall we announced on Wednesday, we have shut down this line altogether and are recalling all products produced on it.”

Castleberry’s is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate possible contamination of these products.

Castleberry’s was notified by the FDA of two confirmed botulism cases and two potential botulism cases involving individuals who ate Hot Dog Chili Sauce products. No new cases have been reported since the recall was announced on July 18.

There have been no reported illnesses linked to Natural Balance canned pet food, but Castleberry’s recommends that all these products should be discarded. While botulism can affect some pets, dogs and cats are inherently resistant. The disease has only been seen occasionally in dogs and has not been reported in cats. Ferrets are highly susceptible to botulinum toxin. The incubation period can be two hours to two weeks; in most cases, the symptoms appear after 12 to 24 hours. Botulism is characterized by progressive motor paralysis. Typical clinical signs may include muscle paralysis, difficulty breathing, chewing and swallowing, visual disturbances and generalized weakness may also occur. Death usually results from paralysis of the respiratory or cardiac muscles. Pet owners who have used these products and whose pets have these symptoms should contact their veterinarian immediately.

Consumers with any questions should visit Castleberry’s Web site (www.castleberrys.com). A toll-free hotline is also available for consumer questions at 1-800-203-4412 or 1-888-203-8446.

####

FDA's Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts Page: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html

Challenging the FDA

2007-06-15T07:24:00.000-06:00

I'm a little late in posting this, as I've been sick the past two days. That's the downside of living alone, if I don't do it, it doesn't get done. Which is also why the cats are out of food (cooking for them is great, but I really need to build up the freezer stash!) , the dishes haven't been done, and if I hadn't dragged myself out last night none of us would be eating today either. (Also known as the 'lose-weight-because-you-have-no-food-in-the-house-diet').

Alright, on with the information. I'm stalling a bit, because I have mixed feelings about some of what I'm going to post here. There is so much information, so I'm going to give you a bunch of links - I really hope you'll go read full posts.

Because not only is the FDA denying FACTS, we've got reports (via an exceptional survey and the comments on the melamine risk assessment) from FDA scientists that confirm that there are serious problems within that organization. And they confirm that what we are told is not necessarily the truth. (I'm being generous with that last statement.)

And yeah, I'm being a bit more chatty today. I just can't keep doing this unless I get more personal in these posts. It's been mostly 'business' until now (here anyway) - but you know what? I'm NOT a reporter. I'm NOT a journalist. I'm a blogger. And until this food recall started I'd only been blogging for a month, so I'm barely that. What I am is one pissed off pet guardian/owner/parent, just like you. And I need to 'chat' more, or I'm going to lose my mind. We're at the 3 month mark tomorrow, with no end in site.

Anyway, on to the 'news'. The FDA says acetaminophen wasn't found in pet food. Um, okay. Sure. Whatever you say. See the post at petconnection and the comments. http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/06/13/fda-rules-out-acetaminaphen-findings/

In response to that ridiculous statement by the FDA, see Don Earl's update - and his Challenge to the FDA. I join him in that challenge. Go read the rest of his page, at this link:
http://www.petfoodrecallfacts.com/lab.html

...
June 13, 2007: In the news today, with hundreds of pet owners across the country reporting acetaminophen poisoning like symptoms in their dead or dying pets, the FDA announces their official position is to stand down. Who didn't know that? Perhaps it would be best to disband the FDA. It would save tax payers several billion dollars a year. The savings to corporate America on lobbyists and the usuals could be passed on to consumers. And, the lack of oversight would be the same as it is now, with private citizens bearing the burden of testing the safety of products at their own expense as you see here.
...
FDA ACETAMINOPHEN CHALLENGE
As amazing as it may seem, after the announced FDA stand down on testing for acetaminophen, the FDA then snuck over to ExperTox to try to glom onto samples. I and at least 4 others I am aware of were contacted for permission to release samples to the FDA.

The one thing we know for sure at this point is the 5 samples the FDA earlier claimed to have tested for acetaminophen, were NOT those tested by ExperTox.

Several others, along with myself, refused permission for the FDA to take the samples off ExperTox premises. We did however agree to allow the FDA to test the samples under the supervision of ExperTox at the ExperTox lab.

So, here’s the challenge:

* Let the FDA rent the ExperTox facilities for one day to duplicate the ExperTox results on those samples which tested negative for melamine, but positive for cyanuric acid and/or acetaminophen.

* Let the FDA bring in the experts of its choice to participate in the tests.

* Let ExperTox personnel act in a supervisory and oversight capacity to make sure everything is done according to Hoyle.

* Let the media bring in as many camera crews as it is possible to squeeze into the room without interfering with the work.

* Let the games begin.

Added 11:45am: ConsumerAffairs.com on the subject…

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/06/pet_food_recall57.html

…
ConsumerAffairs.com contacted the manufacturer of the confirmed pet food that tested positive for acetaminophen -- Menu Foods of Canada. That company makes Pet Pride food.

A spokeswoman for Menu Food said the company had no comment on ExperTox’s findings. But spokeswoman Sarah Tuite told us: “The Pet Food Institute (PFI) has provided comment.”

That organization represents the makers of 98 percent of all dog and cat food produced in the United States, and calls itself “the voice of U.S. pet food manufacturers.”

“I can assure you that this industry takes the issue of the safety of pet food products with the utmost seriousness,” PFI’s spokesman Kurt Gallagher said Tuesday.

Gallagher said his industry and the FDA are investigating ExperTox’s findings. But he cast doubts about the laboratory — and its test results.

“Through our contacts in Texas, which is where the lab is located that conducted the analysis, we have learned there is genuine concern among key toxicological and analytical experts about the lab and the actual test results,” Gallagher said.

The Lab Manager for ExperTox told us today that her company stands by its finding.

What Experts?

Expertox’s Donna Coneley also said she doesn’t have any idea what Texas experts Gallagher and PFI are talking about.

“They never name the experts they’re working with,” Coneley said. “When someone says ‘people I know say this,’ it sounds to me like they’re trying to say there are experts who have looked into this and don’t agree with the findings. But I don’t believe there are.

“To me, it sounds like they’re talking about imaginary experts,” Coneley said.

Coneley said the only experts her lab has worked with about the findings are those with the FDA. In fact, she told us she had the FDA on another line during our interview today.

“The pet food manufacturing companies have had ten-minute discussions with us about how we did our tests,” she said. “But they’re not experts.

“The (scientists at the) FDA are the only people we’ve been talking to about our findings.”

Coneley said her lab tested about 100 to 150 samples of food.

When asked if she was surprised the lab didn’t detect melamine in the samples of Pet Pride it tested, she said: “We did find that (chemical) in other samples. I don’t have my paperwork in front of me to tell you how many samples, but I can tell you we did find melamine in some. We also found melamine and cyanuric acid in some samples.”

But ExperTox did not find the rat poison and cancer drug, Aminopterin, in any of the pet food it tested, Coneley said.

Note: A poster at petconnection provided an update

Scientists at the New York State Department of Agriculture discovered that toxin in some samples of pet food it tested shortly after Menu Foods announced its recall in March.

Don't Look, Don't Find

In the meantime, pet owner Earl wonders why the country’s leading laboratories aren’t imitating ExperTox’s tests.

“They're using a protocol to quickly scan for thousands of substances. Once having identified a substance using that method, they are then able to run more specific tests to confirm the results.

“The question that comes to my mind is with so many people affected, and so many people needing hard answers to how this happened, why the nation’s top labs are limiting their tests to what they read in the morning's paper? You won't find what you don't look for.”

And from Christie over on PetConnection.com - an exceptional post that you must read, showing exactly how FDA documents can mislead:
Scientists review FDA conclusions on melamine, other contaminants in human food

On May 24, the FDA asked six scientists to review the process the agency used to conclude that melamine and related compounds posed no health risk to people eating the meat of animals given contaminated feed. The document submitted for review was the Interim Melamine and Analogues Safety/Risk Assessment, in which the concept of the “dilution effect” was laid out.
...
In a study released on June 7, the FDA concluded:

Overall, there was consensus from the peer reviewers that the conclusions of the S/RA were appropriate. In addition, recognizing the time-sensitive context in which the S/RA was developed and the time-sensitive need for the S/RA results, the peer reviewers concurred that the methodology, data, assumptions, and exposure scenarios used were appropriate.

Translation:

The FDA was working with limitations of what they knew and the timeframe in which they had to make an evaluation, and within those limitations, their conclusions, choices, and assumptions were appropriate. They are not saying they were correct, however.

After the jump, I’ll include some of the actual comments made by the scientists. If you want to review the document itself, it’s here.

Christie then continues to tear the above conclusion to shreds, by taking the reviewer comments and translating them to the truth. Please read the full post, it really is exceptional work.

Added 11:45am: And now for results of a survey - done of FDA scientists.
http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/interference/fda-scientists-survey-summary.html

In 2006, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) distributed a 38-question survey to 5,918 FDA scientists to examine the state of science at the FDA. The results paint a picture of a troubled agency: hundreds of scientists reported significant interference with the FDA's scientific work, compromising the agency's ability to fulfill its mission of protecting public health and safety.

And you HAVE to read the Survey Summary brochure. It's a pdf file at the top of the page under “related links”. A few excerpts...

Almost one in five (18 percent) responded, “I have been
asked, for non-scientific reasons, to inappropriately
exclude or alter technical information or my conclusions
in an FDA scientific document.”

More than three in five (61 percent) knew of cases in
which “Department of Health and Human Services or
FDA political appointees have inappropriately injected
themselves into FDA determinations or actions.”
Three in five (60 percent) also knew of cases “where commercial
interests have inappropriately induced or
attempted to induce the reversal, withdrawal or modification
of FDA determinations or actions.” Fifty percent also
felt that non-governmental interests (such as advocacy
groups) had induced or attempted to induce such changes.

And that’s just the beginning. Not a surprise given what we know now, but, still, stunning.

Then make sure to read 'Selected essay responses”

http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/scientific_integrity/Final-Essay-Summary.pdf

Just a few comments from 21 pages of comments from FDA Scientists:

“We use or are mandated to use ancient scientific methods and it’s almost impossible to update.”

“It is obvious that looking at 1-4% of imported products regulated by FDA is dangerously low and there are not enough field personnel to consistently be thorough in examinations due to the high volume individuals are required to complete daily.”

“Consumers no longer trust FDA decisions or personnel as they know we no longer
enforce the regulations but rather protect regulated industry/big business to the detriment of the consumers.”

“We are so short staffed there is no way FDA can protect the public. It’s just a disaster waiting to happen.”

“I believe it takes serious illness of the public and/or deaths in order to get FDA to do anything (Vioxx as an example). The attorneys for FDA seem to find reasons to turn down cases. It seems as if they are protecting industry not the consumer.”

“The problem at FDA is not the structure of the organization, but the quality and
character of persons in managerial positions. Persons who are ‘yes-men’, who suppress information, minimize risks to patients and place industry’s priorities above those of patients and the public are routinely promoted to positions of authority. There needs to be a better system of a) allowing reviewers the ability to discuss issues IN PUBLIC e.g. in publications without suppression or ‘clearance’ from upper management b) accountability of upper management to their superiors as well as the public c) a change in culture within the Agency to promote scientific discussion, academic achievement, and internal research results…”

“Allowing staff to publish scientific information without censorship by management.”

“Too often, political pressure restricts FDA from providing information to the public.”

“Sunshine! We have many restrictions on what we can say and publish that are
politically, not legally, based. In the past several years final approval to publish or speak is moving to higher and higher levels; lower management is more and more afraid to make decisions…We have trouble getting permission to say that medical products have safety problems. Staff outrage is pervasive.”

“Bullying-I was pressured to recommend to approve a device I thought unsafe.”

And there's more at the links above...

Itchmo has learned Lab finds Cyanuric Acid in Unopened Unrecalled Canned Dog Food

2007-06-12T07:20:00.000-06:00

Itchmo.com breaks another one! Thanks to an itchmo.com reader for this one

http://www.itchmo.com/read/lab-find-toxin-in-unopened-unrecalled-pet-food_20070612

The same Texas lab that has reported acetaminophen in pet food, has reported finding cyanuric acid after receiving an unopened container of Hills Science Diet Light Adult canned dog formula. ...

Science Diet Light Adult formula has not been recalled by the manufacturer.

See this previous post for reports by people that believe other non-recalled Hills Science Diet products (mostly dry foods) harmed their pets.

The lab report from Expertox obtained by Itchmo states that the tested product had a best before date of 01 2009 and had the lot number T0520917 7048. Cyanuric acid was reportedly found in concentrations of more than 400 ug/g — that’s micrograms/gram.

Hill’s representatives declined to be interviewed over the phone and emailed questions were not returned in time for this deadline.

An Itchmo reader tested the food based on veterinary tests on a dog. The reader’s email is after the jump. It has been edited to remove personal information.

Reader’s email:

I received today the test results on the canned food from the case lot my 4-year old Shih Tzu was eating from when her blood work indicated that she was in kidney failure. We did IV for 4 days, antibiotics for one month, and now fluid therapy once a week. She is still alive, eating home cooked food, has a good appetite, but I don’t know where her kidney levels are at present. Her BUN was 160 before the IV therapy. The BUN came down following 4 days on IV, but was still high when I brought her home.

The reader also said that another dog that did not eat the canned food had normal blood tests.

Reports of Illness/Deaths suspected from Non-Recalled Hill's Science Diet foods

2007-06-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

I've put the Hill's Prescription and Hill's Science Diet information into this separate post, as we now have THREE different foods from this company that tested postive for toxins in private tests. See items in red below.

Science Diet Light Canned Dog Food - Cyanuric Acid (details here and here)
Science Diet Light Dry Cat Food - Cyanuric Acid and Acetaminophen (details here and here)
Science Diet Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food - Acetaminophen (details here and here)

I have seen hundreds of reports of pets who got sick or died - from eating (mostly dry) food that has not been recalled - posted on various sites online. Many of us have been told by FDA officials that they have also received numerous reports of other unrecalled foods causing illness. However, the foods which people keep complaining about have not been recalled. So I'll be doing what I can to 'shine a light' on these reports and complaints, in the fervent hope that as more people become aware of the problem it will be addressed.

These foods need to be thoroughly tested for all possible contaminants (Melamine and the Melamine Compounds including Cyanuric Acid, as well as excess Vitamin D, Aflatoxin, Aminopterin and Acetominophen) - and the results must be made public.

Recently, there was an article about Nutro dry foods (see here), and an entry about Iams (see here). Other brands are here. Reports/comments for those brands are listed in those posts.

This post is for Hill's Prescription and Science Diet foods that people have been reporting. I've been reading these online for many weeks now, and since it seems like many people only look on one or two sites for their information, I'm posting them here to increase awareness, and so that the full scope of the issue is understood better. There are foods out there that still need to be recalled!

These are just a few of the comments that other people have posted online, on other websites, forums and blogs. I am providing links to them so you can check them out for yourself. In most cases I have posted a portion of the comment and you can click the link to read the rest. I've tried to include links from different sites - in most cases there are multiple stories on the same site.

Disclaimer: These are reports by people like yourself who posted online (or emailed me) that they believe a certain food made their pets sick. This information is simply for you to use as part of making an educated difference about what products you purchase - both for yourself and your pet. None of these foods have been recalled, and the problems reported may have nothing to do with the current round of recalls! If your pet has eaten any of these foods and got sick, please report it to the company and FDA! Some people have been told that the FDA will only test additional foods when they receive enough complaints about it. So if you have a complaint, please contact your local FDA office. http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html

And please, feel free to add your own story in the comment section, or email me with it. (I still have a bunch of emails to work my way through, so it might take me a while to respond but I will get back to you.)

I will post any additional private test results of these foods if/when they become available.

Hill’s Prescription dry c/d Dry Cat Food
http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/03/pet-food-recall-we-read-the-news-today-oh-boy/#comment-22678Our cat died after eating Hill’s Prescription dry c/d which contains corn gluten

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/02/pet-food-recall-cheap-leashes-and-picking-pet-foods/#comment-21462
I also have a cat who went into unexplained acute renal failure in February, on a diet of dry Hill’s C/D (she was healthy and ate the C/D only because it was prescribed for her brother and two vets assured me that it was fine for her also. ...

Hills Prescription s/d Cat Food
http://cats.about.com/b/a/257812.htm#comment-10886
My cat died and I’m sure it was due to Prescription Diet S/D. This product has not be recalled but ... had all the symptoms - jaundiced gums, vomiting, fatigue, frequent urination, extreme thirst. The vet had no idea what was wrong as this all occurred on March 12th, before we really knew about the problems with food. ...

Hill's Prescription z/d Cat Food
http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/06/01/friday-night-follies-fda-food-safety-and-more/#comment-76743
I had 3 cats die between last year and just before the recall. I think Hills Z/D is what killed them. Some of my cats wouldn’t touch it. some ate it.

Hill's Prescription i/d Cat Food (added 6-9 1pm, brought up from the comments on previous post)
My cat was eating Prescription Diet i/d exclusively and when I opened and started a new bag of it in late March, he became sick. He died on April 02,2007 and I am absolutely positive that the Prescription i/d killed him -- it contains "corn gluten". He was poisioned to death!!!!!

Hills Prescription Diet ID Dry Dog
http://www.itchmo.com/read/several-unconfirmed-reports-of-iams-dry-food-causing-illness_20070323#comment-699
My schnauzer and westie have been sick every time I bring home a bag of dry Science Diet ID from the vet sinece last June. ... It was particularly bad in November thru January requiring a couple of emergency room visits as well as sub-q fluids and and shots for nausea and vomiting. Vet thought my schnauzer had Pancreatitis. She does have a very sensitive stomach and is prone to GI bleed if her diet is not maintained, but the episides almost monthly came after each new bag was opened for her and my westie. .... I have mentioned it to my vet repeatedly. all he says is to phone Hill’s. Did that too. All they did was send me a five dollar coupon toward my next purchase.

Science Diet Indoor Dry Cat Food
http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=232979>1=9145&BoardsParam=Page%3D17
We lost our sweet 9 year-old cat last week of acute kidney failure. She ate dry food only ( science diet, indoor cat... ... She had never been sick before. Our nightmare included hospitalization, iv antibiotics and a week of home-administered ringer's lactate infusions, before she succumbed. ...

Science Diet Light Dry Cat Food
http://www.gothamist.com/2007/03/17/pet_food_recall.php#comment-1057854
I put ...our twelve-year old black cat to sleep on Monday, March 19, 2007. He and another cat only ate Hills Science Diet light dry food. ... He had kidney failure and was severely dehydrated. ... I emailed Hills about my ...to have it on record. I have not received a returned phone call from the Texas FDA yet. ...

Science Diet Light Dry Cat Food (Added 6-9)
This food tested positive for Cyanuric Acid and Acetaminophen after a sample from an open bag was sent to a private lab. See here for details

Science Diet Hairball Light Formula Dry Cat Food
http://www.gothamist.com/2007/03/17/pet_food_recall.php#comment-1064711
My cat became extremely sick about three weeks ago. He stopped eating, but we thought it was because he was upset with our move...After a week I took him to the vet. He is only 6 and up to this point has always been in perfect health. He was suffering from severe Renal Failure. ... We had been feeding him Hill's Science Diet Hairball Light Formula...

Science Diet Sensitive Stomach Dry Cat Food (Added 6-9)
This food tested positive in private tests for acetaminophen. See here for details.

Science Diet Dry Dog Food
http://www.itchmo.com/read/several-unconfirmed-reports-of-iams-dry-food-causing-illness_20070323#comment-606
I have fed my dog Science Diet Dry Dog Food for 7 years. I bought a new bag at ... and when I opened the bag it had a strange smell and the food looked darker then usual. I gave it to my dog and she ate some and that night she started vomiting. She was sick for two days, and would not eat any more of the food.

http://www.itchmo.com/read/several-unconfirmed-reports-of-iams-dry-food-causing-illness_20070323#comment-656
I stopped feeding Science Diet Dry Food. Since I bought a bag Jan? Feb?my dog hasn’t wanted to eat it ,the few times he did he would lay spread out on his tummy as if he had a tummy ache.

Science Diet Light Canned Dog Food (added 6-12)
This food tested positive for Cyanuric Acid after an unopened can was sent to a private lab. Read more here.

Read more on Hill's here (including correspondence with other pet owners in the response section) Added 6-4 9am
http://catmanager.wordpress.com/2007/03/27/mail-from-hills/

Recalled Food Still on Shelves

2007-06-10T09:38:00.000-06:00

More disturbing news, from The Modesto Bee.

Please folks, don't assume that the food on the shelves is safe. Know what foods are on the list. You can print out a 7 page summary at the top of this page, in the "Files to Download" section. The Summary is #1 "The Master List of all Brands Recalled Pet Food Summary". This is something you can take to the store with you.

If you want to check online, the FDA site lets you search by brand name, here: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html Click on "Search combined list of recalled pet food products"

And if you want to check stores near you, see the "Volunteers help get food off shelves" section at the bottom of this page. (It's at the bottom of every page on this site, so if you click on an individual post, you can always find it by scrolling down.)

Cat survives eating recalled food, so far

Months after a nationwide recall, Andy Tonetti bought tainted cat food from the Save Mart in Angels Camp.
After eating only six pouches of Iams Select Bites, 14-year-old Rasputin was hiding in dark spaces, gagging and losing weight from dehydration.
Six days after Tonetti's purchase on May 29, a veterinarian said the family pet had acute renal failure, the ailment the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned about at the time of the recall.
"I saw a sale, thought 'Good, we'll get that,'" Tonetti said, noting that his wife had sent him to get Fancy Feast. "Geez, we got the death box."
Ten days later, Save Mart could not explain why a single box of recalled pet food was on the shelf, especially after so much publicity about an industrial chemical that had been added to Chinese wheat gluten used by pet food manufacturers.
...
"We will do whatever we need to do to make it right, or as right as we can make it, given the situation," Alicia Rockwell, Save Mart's communications manager, said Friday afternoon. "We are so sorry."
...
But the only change in the indoor cat's life was his food, so the culprit seemed clear. After a bit of research, the Tonettis learned that the Iams pouches Andy Tonetti bought had been out of circulation for weeks.
Their veterinarian urged them to save the cat, and faxed documentation to the pet food company, which is expected to pay Rasputin's bills.
"Iams told me I'm the first one to call after the recall," said Heidi Tonetti, adding that the company seemed eager to take care of the situation.
Kurt Iverson, a spokesman for Proctor & Gamble Pet Care, which makes Iams pet foods, declined to comment on the Tonettis' claim.
The Tonettis assumed other cats, and perhaps some dogs, might be in danger as well. They said the manager at Save Mart seemed to think they were crazy, but passed their complaint along to corporate headquarters.
...
She said Save Mart took their complaint seriously and performed a computerized check of its sales, determining that one recalled box of Iams Select Bites was sold May 29.
She said all Save Marts, including the store in Angels Camp, pulled pet food off their shelves when recalls of more than 150brands were announced March 15, leaving large gaps in their inventory.
Save Mart will take steps to make sure recalled items don't get past cashiers in the future, perhaps by adjusting computerized scanning systems, Rockwell said.
She could only speculate on how the single box of Iams ended up on the shelf. Perhaps it was misplaced in another part of the store, she said, then was returned to the shelf by a stock clerk.
"The product has been out of the distribution channel for over 10 weeks and there is none left at the warehouse or at the manufacturer," Rockwell said.
Andy Tonetti, a winemaker at Ironstone Vineyards, recalled seeing only one box of Iams on the shelf. He said he chose it because it was marked down. He did not have a receipt, but recalled paying about $4.
...
The black and white cat is purring again, they said, but will need regular checkups and a special diet.
"He's going to be damaged," Heidi Tonetti said.

Added 10:45am: Moved up from the comments

This item saddens me tremendously. The same think happened to a friend of my daughter, except the cat died. The vet said the cat's kidneys were "choked" with crystals. Same product. Iams Select Bites, bought in May in an upscale supermarket. These stores need to be so much more careful.

June 10, 2007 10:40 AM

Itchmo reports: Lab Reports Melamine In Unrecalled Dry Pet Food Exported From US

2007-06-09T13:09:00.000-06:00

http://www.itchmo.com/read/melamine-reported-in-exported-dry-food_20070608

A lab report provided by a reader indicates that a sample of Country Value Puppy formula exported from the US contained melamine. The report obtained and translated by Itchmo states that the sample was tested by a South Korean university’s veterinary research center. This report has not been verified in the US. Country Value is also sold in the US, but has not been recalled.

This is also the first report of a lab — besides Expertox in Texas — reporting on possible contamination of unrecalled pet food.

Jim Fallon, a spokesman for Diamond Pet Foods, said that the food with the best by date of March 2008 was made in September 2006 at their South Carolina plant.

The lab reported finding melamine concentrations of 346.21 parts per million, a number that is higher than the amounts typically found through cross contamination according to the manufacturer Diamond Pet Food. Fallon also said that they have received no calls regarding Country Value through their recall hotlines. Diamond is working on pulling the retained samples and will test them for melamine and says they will pursue this “aggressively and cautiously.”

Diamond has recalled several products in recent months due to melamine contamination. The Itchmo reader also wrote that the importer denied that the food was contaminated.
...(see the rest at the link above)

ASPCA issues alert on Acetaminophen in Pet Food

2007-06-06T17:10:00.000-06:00

From petconnection.com

The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center has just issued a warning following the reports of acetaminophen in pet food:
With reports that acetaminophen has been found in brands of cat and dog food not included on the Menu Foods recall list, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today reminded pet parents that vigilance is the key to keeping their pets safe and healthy—coupled with a strong dose of common sense.

“Though reports of dogs and cats poisoned from the Menu Foods recall seem to have abated, this news is extremely worrying,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, a board-certified toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), located in its Midwest Office in Urbana, Ill.

“Our data show that if an average-sized cat ingests as little as one extra-strength acetaminophen pain-reliever caplet and is not treated in time, it can suffer fatal consequences,” continued Dr. Hansen. “Depending on the amount ingested, clinical effects can include a condition called ‘methemoglobinemia,’ which affects the ability of blood cells to deliver oxygen to vital organs, or even liver damage.”

“At this point, we have very little information as to the actual level and concentration of this reported contamination, so it’s extremely important to be able to recognize any potential warning signs of this kind of poisoning.” However, early information on this contamination suggests that concentration levels are not high enough to have an adverse effect on most dogs; cats are more at-risk.

Dr. Louise Murray, director of medicine at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital (BMAH) in New York City, and a board-certified internist, elaborates further. “Cats are especially sensitive to acetaminophen toxicity for two reasons. First, they don’t have enough of a specific enzyme that enables the body to metabolize the drug well. Second, cats are typically more susceptible to red blood cell damage than certain other species of animals. Put these together with a high dose of acetaminophen, and you have a potentially deadly combination.”

The most common effects of acetaminophen poisoning in cats include swelling of the face and paws; depression; weakness; and difficulty in breathing. “We also see a condition called ‘cyanosis,’” said Dr. Hansen, “which is literally when their gums and tongue start turning a muddy color due to the lack of oxygen.”

In 2006, the APCC received more than 78,000 calls to its hotline involving common human drugs such as painkillers, cold medications, antidepressants and dietary supplements—a 69 percent increase over 2005.

Until more information is provided by the U. S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the ASPCA urges pet parents to keep an eye out for any signs of illness in their pets, and also report any changes in dietary consumption or behavior to their veterinarian immediately. Those considering a home-cooked diet for their pets should do so in consultation with their veterinarian, or visit the ASPCA’s Web site for more information.

“It is important to remember to never give any medication to your pet without first talking to your veterinarian, and always store potentially poisonous substances in a secure cabinet above the countertop and out of the reach of pets,” said Dr. Hansen. “If you think your pet has ingested a poisonous substance, you should take her to your veterinarian immediately.”

The ASPCA continues to monitor the pet food recall situation, and is providing regular updates and advice for pet parents, at its Pet Food Recall Resource Center at www.aspca.org/recall .

The release is not yet up on the A’s Web site. Will link when it is.

Some Ol' Roy (Walmart Brand) Dry Dog Food Recalled due to Salmonella

2007-06-06T13:34:00.000-06:00

http://www.doanepetcare.com/

Single Lot of 55lb Bags of Ol’Roy Complete Nutrition Dry Dog Food Voluntarily Recalled In Select Stores by Doane Pet Care

Manassas, Virginia – Doane Pet Care is announcing today a voluntary recall on a specific single lot of 55 pound bonus bags of Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition dry dog food. This product was produced at one facility in Manassas, VA and was distributed exclusively by some Wal-Mart Stores. Please note that no other Ol’ Roy products are affected, and that this recall is not related to the Menu Foods recall (and other recent recalls) of pet food due to tainted Chinese vegetable proteins.

This product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. People handling this pet food can become exposed to Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with this pet food or any surfaces exposed to this product. Consumers who have the dry dog food bearing the code “04 0735 1” with a “Best By Apr 13 08” should not feed it to their pets.

This voluntary recall has been issued because FDA detected Salmonella in the product. Doane Pet Care has not confirmed the presence of Salmonella, despite extensive independent testing of duplicate samples. Nonetheless, the company is issuing this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution. The company regrets any inconvenience to pet owners. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this product, or any product produced at this facility.

Product: Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition dry dog food
Size: 55 pound bonus bag
UPC Code: 6 05388 72076 4
Lot Number: 04 0735 1
Best Buy Date: Apr 13 ‘08
Best Buy Date Location: Back of bag
Affected Stores: Only 69 Wal-Mart Stores potentially received this product from 2 distribution warehouses in Virginia. The 69 stores are located in Maryland (4 stores), North Carolina (10), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (3), Virginia (40) and West Virginia (11).

A full listing of the affected stores is available by clicking this link: www.doanepetcare.com/recall/stores. This product UPC has been blocked from retail sale at these 69 locations.

Any remaining product should not be fed to pets. Dispose of product in a safe manner (example, a securely covered trash receptacle) and return the empty bag to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Pet owners who have questions about the voluntary recall of this 55 lb bonus bag of Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition dry dog food products should call 800-624-7387, or visit the web site listed above.

Thanks for the heads up Mike!

Added: The Master List of All Brands Recalled has been updated to include this recall. Download it at the top of the page.

Acetaminophen Update - in at least 6 foods

2007-06-05T22:20:00.000-06:00

It sounds like the manufacturer who sent food in to be tested and was told it was positive for acetominophen weeks ago is NOT one of the companies that currently has food recalled - it is a new/different company. This from a transcript from Call4Action out of Pittsburgh:

The following is a transcript of a report by reporter Aaron Saykin that first aired June 5, 2007, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.

A Texas laboratory has confirmed that traces of a human painkiller have been found in some pet food. ...

Traces of acetaminophen were detected in dog food that was tested by a Texas lab called Exper-Tox.

The lab would not name the type of food contaminated or the company that distributes it but said the company is not among the 150 others involved in the pet food recalls over the past three months.

Not a surprise, in fact I assumed this to be the case - but it's good to have confirmation. This means there is a company out there who KNOWS their food tested positive for acetominophen, and they did not recall it. Can't wait to find out who it is - so I know who to boycott forever.

And from ABC in Houston (Thanks Therese!)

(6/05/07 - KTRK/DEER PARK, TX) - ...A Houston doctor says he's uncovered pet food contaminated with pain medication.

The doctor who runs the lab believes the problems with pet food are far from over. His finding has sparked a new federal investigation.
Just one little acetaminophen pill is enough to kill a cat. But according to the lab, this drug was found in at least a half dozen pet food samples.
Technicians at EperTox in Deer Park test all kinds of samples. For the past few months more than a thousand of those samples have been different types of pet food. The results are troubling.
"We don't really how big and how involved this problem is right now. We are only uncovering the beginning of it," said Dr. Ernest Lykissa.
What Dr. Lykissa says he uncovered in his lab is more contaminated pet food. In more than two dozen samples Dr. Lykissa says either cyanuric acid or acetaminophen were found.
...
ExperTox lab manager Donna Coneley was so troubled by the results that she verified the tests.
"We were questioning that," she admitted. "We took that same sample and did an extraction."
Due to a confidentiality agreement, the lab can not reveal which pet food samples tested positive for the drugs. At least one sample was Pet Pride cat food. All test results were reported to the pet food makers, which should have been reported to the FDA.
It may be up to owners to police pet food because, according to the lab manager, no one from the FDA has investigated their positive findings. In fact, to date not a single government inspector has asked to look at one of the tainted pet food samples tested in this laboratory.
Late this afternoon, an FDA spokesperson says the agency is trying to get those samples. For now Dr. Lykissa considers the quality of pet food questionable.
He said, "The FDA has to become a lot more vigilant, because if we're finding those things who knows what we're not finding."
The tests were conducted over the past month. An FDA spokesperson says the agency wants to test the samples independently to determine the levels of contaminants.
The makers of Pet Pride food said court order prevents them from commenting on our story.

Note that Pet Pride is made by Menu Foods, and is a Kroger brand. Fortunately, Kroger stepped up early on and pulled ALL products made by Menu Foods on March 23rd. Thank you Kroger. http://kroger.com/recall_menufoods.htm

On Friday, March 23, our concern for pets and their well-being prompted Kroger to expand the recall to include all wet pet food manufactured by Menu Foods in cans and pouches, including Pet Pride and IAMS brands in pouches and cans, and Mighty Dog pouches.

Kroger's decision to recall all wet pet food produced by Menu Foods goes beyond the initial recall announced by Menu Foods. Kroger has taken this additional step as an extra precaution until we are satisfied that Menu Foods can assure our customers that these specific products are safe for consumption by your pets. Again, this elective recall does not include dry dog food products.

Texas lab finds pain medicine in pet food - Manufactuer Told - FDA Investigating

2007-06-05T08:04:00.000-06:00

Another great piece from Karen Roebuck at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. (Thanks Karen for covering this story from the beginning - and not letting go - you're saving lives and we appreciate it!) Emphasis in red is mine.

At least five dog and cat food samples submitted by worried pet owners and pet food manufacturers contained varying levels of the pain reliever...
...
The highest level of acetaminophen was found in a dog food sample submitted by a manufacturer, she said. Coneley declined to identify the company but said its officials were given the results "well over a month ago."

(rest below)

Unbelievable.

Also see my previous post on acetominophen being found. And there are 3 posts on other (mostly dry) foods that haven't been recalled but that folks have reported has made their pets sick.
Nutro
Iams
Others (Hills / Science Diet, Purina and Beneful so far)

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_510984.html

By Karen Roebuck
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, June 5, 2007

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating a Texas laboratory's finding of acetaminophen in dog and cat food, an agency spokesman said Monday.
"We're very interested in being able to test these samples ourselves to determine the levels of those contaminants," said FDA spokesman Doug Arbesfeld. "What's significant is these things are there. They don't belong there."
The pain medication is the fifth contaminant found in pet foods during the past 2 1/2 months and can be toxic or lethal to pets, especially cats. It is not known if any animals became sick with acetaminophen poisoning, or died from it.
"We were looking for cyanuric acid and melamine, and the acetaminophen just popped up," Donna Coneley, lab operations manager for ExperTox Inc. in Deer Park, Texas, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review yesterday. "It definitely was a surprise to find that in several samples."
At least five dog and cat food samples submitted by worried pet owners and pet food manufacturers contained varying levels of the pain reliever, she said. Only the food, not individual ingredients, were tested.
The medication was found most often with cyanuric acid, a chemical used in pool chlorination, Coneley said. Varying levels of melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, also were found among the hundreds of samples ExperTox tested, she said.
The contaminants were found in foods that are not among the more than 150 brands recalled since March 16, Coneley said. The highest level of acetaminophen was found in a dog food sample submitted by a manufacturer, she said. Coneley declined to identify the company but said its officials were given the results "well over a month ago."
That company should have -- but did not -- notify the FDA, which first learned of the acetaminophen findings after pet owners posted lab reports on the Internet, Arbesfeld said.
"With any poison, it's the amount that matters." said Dr. Wilson Rumbeiha, a Michigan State University pathologist who is working with the FDA on the pet food contamination investigation. His lab has screened for acetaminophen but found none, he said.
The highest level of acetaminophen found by the Texas lab -- 2 milligrams per gram of dog food -- is a large amount, Rumbeiha said. That is eight times what a 10-pound cat could safely consume, he said.
However, a 20-pound dog would have to eat more than 6.5 pounds of food in 24 hours to be poisoned, unless it ate the same contaminated food daily, Rumbeiha said.
A still-unmeasured amount of acetaminophen and cyanuric acid were found in cat food submitted by Don Earl, 52, of Port Townsend, Wash., whose 6-year-old cat, Chuckles, died in January.
He said he was suspicious of two flavors of Chuckles' Pet Pride food because his other two cats refused to eat it and because Chuckles, strictly an indoor girl, had been healthy.

Non-Recalled (mostly dry) Foods Causing Illness/Deaths - Many Unconfirmed Reports

2007-06-03T11:56:00.000-06:00

Update 6-12: I've put the Hill's Prescription and Hill's Science Diet reports and information into a separate post, as we now have THREE different foods from them that tested postive for toxins in private tests.

I have seen hundreds of reports of pets who got sick or died - from eating (mostly dry) food that has not been recalled - posted on various sites online. Many of us have been told by FDA officials that they have also received numerous reports of other unrecalled foods causing illness. However, the foods which people keep complaining about have not been recalled. So I'll be doing what I can to 'shine a light' on these reports and complaints, in the fervent hope that as more people become aware of the problem it will be addressed.

None of these foods have been recalled, and the problems reported may very well have been temporary, and/or may have nothing to do with the current round of recalls.

And, I do think these foods need to be thoroughly tested for all possible contaminants (Melamine and the Melamine Compounds including Cyanuric Acid, as well as excess Vitamin D, Aflatoxin, Aminopterin and Acetominophen) - and the results must be made public.

Recently, there was an article about Nutro dry foods (see here), and an entry about Iams (see here). Reports/comments for those brands are listed in those posts.

This post is for the other foods that people have been reporting. I've been reading these online for many weeks now, and since it seems like many people only look on one or two sites for their information, I'm posting them here to increase awareness, and so that the full scope of the issue is understood better. There are foods out there that still need to be recalled!

In no particular order... (more coming soon)

************************************************************************************

Purina Pro-Plan Dry Dog Food
http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?threadid=232979>1=9145&boardsparam=Page%3D24
Last month my one-year-old Yorkie became violently ill with bloody diarrhea after eating from a new bag of Purina Pro-Plan dry dog food. The vet put him on antibiotics and a diet of hamburger and rice. The diarrhea immediately stopped. After 7 days, I reintroduced the dog food by mixing in a small amount with the hamburger/rice. The bloody diarrhea started again. I discontinued the dog food and continued the antibiotics and hamburger/rice for 3 more days. I purchased a NEW bag of Purina Pro Plan and this time my Yorkie was fine. I was convinced that the original bag of dog food was contaminated, so I contacted Purina. Their insurance carrier contacted me 2 days later and sent me a check for my vet bill and medicine.

Purina One Dry Dog Food
http://hubpages.com/hub/Pet_Food_Recall_What_About_Our_Dead_Pets_And_Vet_BillS
I lost my dog on saturday of kidney failure. SHe was a healthy 8 yr old papillion. She ate Purina one dry dog food. ... IT was horrible and came on so sudden. My other dog ate the same food and seems to be okay, however she is much larger. I have spent almost 3 thousand dollars in 3 days and I have no answers. ...

http://www.itchmo.com/read/voluntary-dry-food-reports_20070328#comment-8629
I fed my dogs Purina One dry dog food and in November, within a few days of each other, my 2 beautiful babies were both being treated for kidney failure. Our vet could not explain it, as they had both been healthy. After multiple hospital visits and treatments, November 27th I lost my beautiful .... Early Christmas morning, my once strong ...made his last visit to the emergency hospital. ...

More Purina reports here (the post is originally from the 2005 Purina recall, but the comments are from the past few months) http://www.doggienews.com/2005/02/purina-recalls-pet-food.htm

Beneful Dry Dog Food
Numerous reports at this site: http://quikonnex.com/channel/item/26035
And even more reports here: http://quikonnex.com/channel/item/26568
Attempts to get Beneful recalled here: http://www.doggybling.com/newsarticle.php?id=1110
More info here: http://www.doggybling.com/newsarticle.php?id=1099

California Natural (Natura Pet) (Added 6-9 1pm Email to PetFoodTracker)
I contacted them on March 22 to ask them if they had changed their formula for California Natural (Chicken and Rice) Dry Dog food. I have 3 golden retrievers and after opening a new bag one by one, all of them had diarrhea and 2 had vomiting. The 2 with the vomiting required vet care and the vet said it was something that they ate. I switched them all over to real chicken and rice and they were ok. I bought another bag of California Natural and when they all started to have diarrhea again, I pulled them off the California Natural and they are getting real chicken and rice.

More foods, comments and links will be posted as I have time...

Added: Looking for 'safe' foods? Check out www.thepetfoodlist.com .

Acetaminophen Allegedly found in private test results of 3 unrecalled pet foods, by 2 different labs, sent in by 3 people

2007-06-02T10:42:00.000-06:00

See these new post - this is no longer unconfirmed:

Texas lab finds pain medicine in pet food - Manufactuer Told - FDA Investigating

The highest level of acetaminophen was found in a dog food sample submitted by a manufacturer, she said. Coneley declined to identify the company but said its officials were given the results "well over a month ago."

also see: Acetaminophen Update - in at least 6 foods

(post modified slightly 6-4 10:30pm)
Why am I saying allegedly and unconfirmed? Because I am posting links to what others have already posted online. Because I haven't seen the original lab results (though all 3 are now posted online). And because two of samples did not come from unopened food with the necessary 'chain of custody' forms. And, the companies haven't confirmed them.

I cannot stress this point enough: These are independent tests performed on small samples of each food. We do not know if this is an isolated case of contamination before or after manufacturing, or if it is widespread.

So, with all these caveats, why am I posting these? Because, after a lot of soul searching, it felt like the right thing to do, for the following reasons:

First, they have been posted on other sites, so the information is already out there, I'm simply drawing your attention to it.
Second, so you know that 3 different pet foods have tested positive for something that shouldn't be in them, in this case acetominophen. Acetominophen is poisonous to pets. 2 of the samples also tested positive for cyanuric acid.
Third, because - IF this is true and widespread- this may be (part of) the answer to why pets continue to get sick from foods that have tested negative for melamine, as melamine was NOT found in any of these foods.
Fourth, because if I received a positive result from a food I had privately tested, I'd want someone to post it so others would become aware of it.
Fifth, so I can sleep at night.
Sixth, and the most important reason - because it might save a pets life.

Again, these are reports that other people have posted online, on other sites. I am providing links to them so you can check them out for yourself. If additional reports become available, I will post them here.

First, from Don, who has a new website www.petfoodrecallfacts.com, he will be posting additional lab results as they become available. (Note that Pet Pride has had some food recalled by Menu Foods, but these flavors/varieties have NOT been recalled.) The following report is at http://www.petfoodrecallfacts.com/lab.html

Added 6-4 11:45pm: Note that Don's samples were submitted as factory sealed cans, and received by the lab in untampered condition.

LAB REPORT ON ACETAMIONPHEN AND CYANURIC ACID

Test results conducted by ExperTox, a fully accredited lab, confirmed the presence of acetamionphen and cyanuric acid in a mixture of Pet Pride "Turkey and Giblets Dinner" lot number APR 24 09, and Pet Pride "Mixed Grill" lot number SEP07 09.

Additional tests have been requested to determine which variety, or if both, are adulterated with the substances. It is significant that melamine was not detected in the samples, as melamine is the marker for the Chinese grain products.

...(see link for the rest)

Second, from Steve M:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/voluntary-dry-food-reports_20070328#comment-20770
Reposted in full with permission

Steve M. Says:
May 21st, 2007 at 11:00 pm
The first week of April both of my cats became ill. We had recently opened a new bag of Hills Science Diet Sensitive Stomach, the same brand the cats had been eating for sometime. After a couple days of watching our cats conditions (vomiting, lethargy, apparent weight loss, etc.) worsen we made the trip to the Vet. After observation and blood and urine tests it was determined that both cats were in Acute Renal Failure. My male cat was in such poor condition at that point that the Vet recommended euthanizing him, which we ultimately did. My female cat was fairing a little better even though her diagnosis also found she was anemic as well. We started on a long regimen of IV’s and medications that continue to this day. She has recently shown signs of improvement but it has been costly both in a monetary and emotional sense.

Already being familiar with the pet food recall in the news I asked my Vet to order a Histopathology on my deceased cats internal organs so as to try and determine if he was poisoned. I also immediately contacted the FDA, which after me leaving numerous messages finally contacted me 10 days after my initial call. I also spoke with Hill’s, and to be honest I felt like they were really not very interested in my story. Hill’s ended up sending an application for me to request reimbursement for my Vet bills, even though my cats food was not and still to this day is not on the recall list. My deceased cats histopathology results came back and they did indicate poisoning. There was a crystalline feature in the kidneys that was indicative of this. At this point I contacted the FDA and Hill’s again to report the results. I asked Hill’s if they would like me to send them some of the cat food to test. To my amazement they declined and reitterated that I could ask for reimbursement for my Vet expenses. At this point I decided if I was going to find out what killed my cat I would have to do it myself. This I could not believe, because by this point in time we were about 6 weeks into this pet food crisis. I guess the experts already had everything figured out!

I sent a sample of the Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach formula food, from the bag my cats had been eating from when they became ill, to Accutrace in Arlington, Texas. For $144 they agreed to test for the suspected pet food toxins (Melamine, Cyanuric Acid, Aminopterin, etc.) as well as other common toxins to pets. I received a call from the Lab today with the results of their analysis. To my surprise they did not find any of the suspected pet food toxins. But they did find something that is very toxic to cats in the food, Acetaminophen. If you are not familiar, acetaminophen is a pain reliever, marketed under the most common name as Tylenol. A little research will tell you that it doesn’t take much of this stuff to poison a cat.

This is not a case of my cats got into a tylenol capsule that was dropped on the floor or someone came into my house and spiked my open bag of cat food. This is a case of a known toxin to cats coming packaged in a bag of cat food from the store.

This is my story to date. I just wanted to share with others because I truly believe there is more to this story than is being told. Don’t trust the FDA or the pet food manufacturer’s, they are just looking for a quick and convenient way to put this story to rest IMO. I will post again after more of my personal story unfolds. Best to all!

Followup from Steve M.:

May 25th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Kim,

I spoke with ... today. I haved e-mailed him the Toxicology Report I received from Accutrace indicating Acetaminophen is present in the sample.

Feel free to post my story on your blog. I would not be posting this information if there was any doubt in my mind that this toxin came from anywhere other than the bag of food I purchased. I can think of no way this food could have been contaminated after I opened it. This leaves me with the conclusion that the acetaminophen was in the factory sealed bag when I purchased it on March 15, 2007. This being the case I feel it is important to get the information out to others.

I spoke with Hills today concerning the test results and needless to say they are at a loss to explain this situation. I encourage anyone who feeds or has fed their pet any Hills Science Diet dry pet food with an unexplained illness to have their food tested for not only the toxins that have been in the news (i.e. Melamine, Cyanuric Acid, etc.) but also for unknown chemicals and toxins.

ADDED 6-3 11:47am
Don has Steve's lab results posted

Don's added another positive lab result to his site

ACETAMINOPHEN AND CYANURIC ACID TEST POSITIVE IN REPORT SUBMITTED BY SHARON
This sample is believed to have come from a bag of Hill's Science Diet Light Adult. The test results show both acetaminophen and cyanuric acid was found in the food.

Note that this makes the second positive acetominophen result for Hill's Science Diet dry food, different varieties.

Again, I cannot stress this point enough: These are independent tests performed on small samples of each food. We do not know if this is an isolated case of contamination before or after manufacturing, or if it is widespread.

FDA - Avoid Toothpaste from China - some found to contain DEG, a poison

2007-06-01T16:58:00.001-06:00

Note that contaminated shipment has already been found in a distribution center and a retail store, here in the United States.

FDA Advises Consumers to Avoid Toothpaste From China Containing Harmful Chemical
FDA Detains One Contaminated Shipment, Issues Import Alert

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers to avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled as made in China, and issued an import alert to prevent toothpaste containing the poisonous chemical diethylene glycol (DEG) from entering the United States.

DEG is used in antifreeze and as a solvent.

Consumers should examine toothpaste products for labeling that says the product is made in China. Out of an abundance of caution, FDA suggests that consumers throw away toothpaste with that labeling. FDA is concerned that these products may contain "diethylene glycol," also known as "diglycol" or "diglycol stearate."

FDA is not aware of any U.S. reports of poisonings from toothpaste containing DEG. However, the agency is concerned about potential risks from chronic exposure to DEG and exposure to DEG in certain populations, such as children and individuals with kidney or liver disease. DEG in toothpaste has a low but meaningful risk of toxicity and injury to these populations. Toothpaste is not intended to be swallowed, but FDA is concerned about unintentional swallowing or ingestion of toothpaste containing DEG.

FDA has identified the following brands of toothpaste from China that contain DEG and are included in the import alert:
Cooldent Fluoride;
Cooldent Spearmint;
Cooldent ICE;
Dr. Cool,
Everfresh Toothpaste;
Superdent Toothpaste;
Clean Rite Toothpaste;
Oralmax Extreme;
Oral Bright Fresh Spearmint Flavor;
Bright Max Peppermint Flavor; and
ShiR Fresh Mint Fluoride Paste.
Manufacturers of these products are: Goldcredit International Enterprises Limited; Goldcredit International Trading Company Limited; and Suzhou City Jinmao Daily Chemicals Company Limited. The products typically are sold at low-cost, "bargain" retail outlets.

Based on reports of contaminated toothpaste from China found in several countries, including Panama, FDA increased its scrutiny and began sampling toothpaste and other dental products manufactured in China that were imported into the United States.

FDA inspectors identified and detained one shipment of toothpaste at the U.S. border, containing about 3 percent DEG by weight. In addition, FDA inspectors found and tested toothpaste products from China located at a distribution center and a retail store. The highest level found was between 3-4 percent by weight. The product at the retail store was not labeled as containing DEG but was found to contain the substance.

DEG poisoning is an important public safety issue. The agency is aware of reports of patient deaths and injuries in other countries over the past several years from ingesting DEG-contaminated pharmaceutical preparations, such as cough syrups and acetaminophen syrup. FDA recently issued a guidance document to urge U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers to be vigilant in assuring that glycerin, a sweetener commonly used worldwide in liquid over-the-counter and prescription drug products, is not contaminated with DEG.

FDA continues to investigate this problem. If FDA identifies other brands of toothpaste products containing DEG, FDA will take appropriate actions, including adding products and their manufacturers to the import alert to prevent them from entering the United States.

Consumers can report adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of these products to FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program:
www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
(800) 332-1088

The latest in head-exploding news...

2007-05-30T20:12:00.000-06:00

From Friday (I couldn't stand to look at it long enough to post it until now) Menu Foods lied when they said they couldn't talk to people that had claims... see this for the truth

Court: Menu Foods harassed pet owners

By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

The pet food company that recalled 60 million cans of contaminated dog and cat food repeatedly made harassing phone calls to pet owners who had lawyers and said they didn't want to talk, even after a judge ordered the firm to leave them alone, court records show.

Lawyers from six firms representing clients who claim their pets were harmed by Menu's pet food asked a federal judge in New Jersey Wednesday to stop Menu from "bullying" people who had called the company since the recall was announced March 16, according to their court filing.

U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman in Camden, N.J., agreed with the plaintiffs, describing the calls as "aggressive," according to a transcript of the hearing obtained by USA TODAY.
...

On the good news side, see this, about how much this will be costing good 'ol Menu Foods

TORONTO, May 30 (Reuters) - A huge recall of contaminated pet food is likely to cost Canada's Menu Foods Income Fund (MEW_u.TO: Quote, Profile , Research) at least C$45 million ($42 million), even without taking a slump in sales into account, the company said on Wednesday.
...
Menu Foods said second-quarter sales and results would also be affected by the recall. Its largest customer, a customer that accounted for 11 percent of 2006 sales, has already put future orders on hold, and other orders were also in doubt.
"Management cannot predict the extent to which sales to other customers will return to pre-recall levels, or the timeframe over which this will happen," it said.
The company declined to estimate other likely costs, including legal costs, but warned of a number of risks, including a heavy dependence on key customers and the lack of long-term sales contracts.

Added: On the "are they out of their fricking heads" side - Menu Foods said this in their report of quarterly earnings.

Notwithstanding the significant costs of the recall, I am proud of the
timely and professional manner in which management of the Fund dealt
with this situation. Menu was the first manufacturer to act, with its
recall initiated weeks ahead of other manufacturers. Our proactive
action in recalling suspicious product, despite the fact that it tested
clean for all known toxins, undoubtedly saved the lives of many cats
and dogs.

Lies lies lies and more lies. Unbelievable. Their CFO sells his stock, then they delay the recall at least another 3 weeks after that, killing thousands of pets because of the delay.

As reader/contributor Mike points out -

And Menu Foods is the reason why the `Human and Pet Food Safety Act of 2007' provides for mandatory recall authority, deadlines, and penalties........

And then, from our friends at the FDA, who claimed when they canceled all further media briefings last Monday that there was nothing further to report, well, turns out, the Friday before they said that, they learned that there was in fact more to report - that melamine had been put into cattle and fish feed by - get this - a US company.

No, you're not crazy - it is in fact illegal to put melamine in cattle/fish food - but they did it anyway. Here's the story...as presented better than I ever could by Christie at petconnection.com - who also liveblogged it.

During the media conference I just liveblogged, it was announced that Tembec, an Ohio-based company, has been adding melamine and related compounds to an ingredient used to make fish, shrimp, cattle, sheep, and goat feed. These products have been sold internationally as well as domestically.

...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting livestock and fish/shrimp feed manufacturers about a voluntary recall of products used in feed production because several have been found to contain melamine and related compounds.

The feed ingredients were made by Tembec BTLSR Inc. of Toledo, Ohio and Uniscope, Inc. of Johnstown, Colo.

Tembec, a contract manufacturer for Uniscope, makes AquaBond and Aqua-Tec II, which it distributes for Uniscope. Uniscope makes Xtra-Bond using ingredients supplied by Tembec. All of the products are binding agents that are used to make pelleted feed for cattle, sheep, and goats, or fish and shrimp.

The companies have confirmed that Tempec added melamine as part of the formulation of the products to improve the binding properties of pelleted feed. Melamine is not approved as an additive for animal or fish/shrimp feed.

The companies have stopped adding melamine to the feed products.

Full release here.

So, I’m curious.

On May 22, the FDA suspended its until-then twice-weekly media conferences on the melamine contamination investigation, saying there was nothing new to report and they’d let us know when there was.

The night before they suspended the media conferences because there was nothing new to report, UC Davis had found melamine in a previously unrecalled pet food. FDA did subsequently issue a recall notice for this food, although they had not at the time they canceled the media conferences.

On the very day they canceled the media conferences because there was nothing new to report, a news story broke that the FDA’s own labs found melamine in catfish submitted by the state of Arkansas for testing, which was meant for human consumption. That catfish had been imported from China.

This was the first time melamine was detected in food meant for human consumption, but there still has been almost zero coverage of this in the mainstream media. Would there have been if the media conferences hadn’t been canceled?

Now we find out that four days before canceling the ongoing press conferences because there was nothing new to report, on May 18, FDA learned that a US company had been adding melamine to its binding agent, which is used to make commercial fish and shrimp feed as well as livestock feed for cattle, goats, and sheep — not only in the US, but we’ve been exporting this stuff.
...

CORN Gluten intercepted in Canada postive for Melamine and Cyanuric Acid

2007-05-25T15:53:00.000-06:00

If this is true, and I have no reason to believe it's not, this is HUGE. This is the first instance of CORN GLUTEN in North America being tainted by melamine and/or cyanuric acid.

The only other instance we’ve been told about is in South Africa. The Royal Canin food recalled in South Africa is the ONLY recall attributed to corn gluten.

This is so big it makes my stomach hurt. (Thanks to Mike and Therese for the article. And for ruining my Friday.)

Food watchdog blocks melamine-tainted gluten from entering Canada

Last Updated: Friday, May 25, 2007 | 3:59 PM ET
CBC News

Canada's food watchdog said Friday it has intercepted one shipment of corn gluten imported from China that tested positive for melamine and cyanuric acid.

Melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers, was found in more than 100 brands of contaminated pet food that were recalled from the marketplace in Canada and the United States in mid-March. The manufacturers had used tainted wheat flour imported from China.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has tested 32 samples of wheat, rice, soy and corn gluten and protein concentrates coming into the country from China. The federal agency is also testing imports that entered the country over the past year.

"Shipments are being tested for both melamine and cyanuric acid since, although neither substance is believed to be particularly toxic by itself, their potency appears to be increased when they are present together," the federal agency said in a statement.

One in every five samples is also screened for other substances.

China's food and drug safety record has come under scrutiny in recent months, with investigators suggesting that Chinese companies are using potentially harmful ingredients in their products.
...

US asks China to monitor exports & CPSC Powerless

2007-05-24T17:26:00.000-06:00

My vote for quote-of-the-week goes to Senator Durbin, for the following:

"There is a harsh reality here: When it comes to food, ’Made in China’ is now a warning label in the United States"

I couldn't agree more. Here's the rest... bold and red emphasis is mine. (Thanks to Mike for both China articles!) Note that Monkfish from China has now been recalled too.

And Catfish tested positive for melamine - making the first time it's been found in the flesh of something that ate it, that we know of anyway.

U.S. Asks China to Monitor Exports

U.S. officials asked their Chinese counterparts to increase oversight of food and drug exports Thursday as the list of potentially deadly products reaching U.S. shores kept growing.

The U.S. asked China to require exporters to register with the government, amid other measures meant to provide greater assurance of the safety of their products. The requests came amid ongoing problems with Chinese exports, including chemically spiked pet food ingredients and, as of Thursday, potentially poisonous toothpaste and toxic fish.

"The Chinese understand very well that any nation that does not create an atmosphere of trust with consumers and customers, they will be disadvantaged quickly on the world market," Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt told reporters.

A Chinese Embassy spokeswoman declined to comment other than to refer a reporter to previous statements made by government officials. Earlier this week, Vice Premier Wu Yi, in Washington for high-level economic talks, warned against politicizing economic and trade issues.

...

The problems don’t stop at pet food. For April, China was No. 1 in countries whose imports were stopped at the border by the Food and Drug Administration. The list includes filthy mushrooms, drug-laced frozen eel and juice made with unsafe color additives.

"Obviously, there is a problem in China. It keeps getting bigger and we keep seeing more problems in different realms," said Chris Waldrop of the Consumer Federation of America.

On Thursday, even more potential problems were disclosed: The FDA said it was stopping all imports of Chinese toothpaste to test for a deadly chemical reportedly found in tubes sold elsewhere in the world. The testing will look for diethylene glycol, a chemical commonly used in antifreeze and brake fluid, spokesman Doug Arbesfeld said. The imports will be released only if they test negative for the chemical. The announcement came following reports that tainted Chinese toothpaste was sold in Australia, the Dominican Republic and Panama.

The FDA also announced an importer was recalling 282 22-pound boxes labeled as Chinese monkfish that it distributed to three states. Two Chicago-area people became ill after eating the fish, which FDA testing later revealed contained life-threatening levels of tetrodotoxin, a sometimes deadly toxin. Importer Hong Chang Corp., of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., believes the fish may actually be pufferfish, which can contain tetrodotoxin.

"There is a harsh reality here: When it comes to food, ’Made in China’ is now a warning label in the United States," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who earlier this month exacted a promise from FDA commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach and Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong that they would work toward a mutual agreement to improve inspections and the overall safety of food products and drugs traded between the two nations.

When asked Thursday if consumers could trust the safety of food imported from China, von Eschenbach told The AP: "This is one area where we have an ongoing opportunity for continuous improvement and that’s what we are going to pursue."

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chairwoman of the House Appropriations’ agriculture subcommittee, pledged to hold a hearing to examine Chinese imports.

"This is becoming a day-by-day event. We got monkfish _ poisonous pufferfish _ as just yet another example. And they’re investigating toxic toothpaste imported from China. This is truly out of control," said DeLauro, who criticized the administration’s food and drug safety requests to the Chinese as nonbinding.

And something I hadn't heard of until today. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently powerless - they have NO ability to perform regulatory activities.

The CPSC needs at least three commissioners to perform regulatory activities and to levy fines. The commission has not had three commissioners since former chairman Hal Stratton, another Bush appointee, abruptly resigned July 15, 2006 to become a lobbyist.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Act, which created and governs the CPSC, the two remaining commissioners can continue their regulatory activities for six months after a vacancy has been created. After those six months, their powers are stripped until the President fills the vacancy and as of Jan. 15, 2007, that has been the case.

Here's the rest:
Bush Pick to Head Safety Agency Withdraws

By Joseph S. Enoch
ConsumerAffairs.Com

President Bush’s pick to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission succumbed to pressure from Democratic Senators and consumer advocates who vehemently apposed having an industry lobbyist head the consumer agency.
Just one day before the Senate Commerce Committee was set to vote on Bush’s controversial pick, Michael Baroody, the executive vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers withdrew.

“It became clear that he wasn’t going to get the vote, so I think he realized there just wasn’t any point in going forward,” Hank Cox, NAM spokesman and Baroody’s self-described “close friend,” said somberly.

Bush’s nomination drew so much heat because Baroody has virtually built his career around fighting against consumers' rights for the benefit of industry.

“His nomination to this critical post was astoundingly inappropriate and would have put American families at further risk because of his interest in weakening safeguards against potentially dangerous products,” Joan Claybrook, president of the nonprofit consumer watchdog group Public Citizen, said in a prepared statement.

Within days of Bush’s nomination, Democratic Senators showed dismay that Bush would pick someone with Baroody’s background.

Even an ex-CPSC commissioner couldn’t believe it. “This had shock and awe written all over it,” Ann Brown, who chaired the commission from 1994 to 2001 said. “He was the worst possible choice to lead the CPSC.”
...
In a prepared statement, the White House said it is reluctantly accepting Baroody’s withdrawal.

“We are disappointed he will not have the opportunity to strengthen the CPSC's ability to protect American consumers,” according to the statement.

In the likely event Baroody would not have won the vote before the Commerce Committee, Bush still would have had the opportunity sneak Baroody in through a recess appointment. Recess appointments are generally reserved for emergencies. However, Bush has frequently relied on it to get controversial nominations into high level posts.

Cox said Baroody did not want it to come to that.

“Mike Baroody has been in town (Washington, D.C.) almost 40 years and he is a man of dignity and character.”

Consumer advocates are pleased with the outcome, but are concerned about the future of the commission.

No Quorum

“The good news is that the Bush administration’s candidate has been withdrawn,” Consumer Federation of America spokesman Jack Gillis said. “The bad news is that this agency remains leaderless and without a quorum of commissioners.”

The CPSC needs at least three commissioners to perform regulatory activities and to levy fines. The commission has not had three commissioners since former chairman Hal Stratton, another Bush appointee, abruptly resigned July 15, 2006 to become a lobbyist.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Act, which created and governs the CPSC, the two remaining commissioners can continue their regulatory activities for six months after a vacancy has been created. After those six months, their powers are stripped until the President fills the vacancy and as of Jan. 15, 2007, that has been the case.

If Bush takes as long as he did last time to find a replacement, the commission will remain powerless for another six months.

Regardless, Consumer advocates and Brown are still hailing this a success.

“Not having a quorum is definitely better,” Brown said. “Not that we want to be down a commissioner, but who knows how long he would’ve been in there. Possibly well into the next administration.”

“The Baroody nomination drew attention to the important mandate of the CPSC to be the nation’s strongest advocate for consumers and the safety of their products,” Sally Greenburg, senior product safety counsel for the Consumers Union wrote in an e-mail. “We urge the administration to look for a candidate with the qualifications to further that mission.”

“Now there needs to be some pressure on the White House to nominate a qualified candidate,” Brown said.

For months, CPSC spokespeople have assured ConsumerAffairs.Com that no new regulations were being held up by the lack of a quorum. But CPSC spokesperson Julie Vallese changed her tune today.

“The time is coming where the lack of a quorum may start holding things up,” she said.

Vallese said nothing is being held up currently, but “that’s not going to last forever. … In the coming months, things are going to come up for a vote.”

Vallese wouldn’t say what regulation is soon to be pending a vote, however, the agency is currently working on:

• A rule that would limit the percent of lead found in children’s jewelry.
• Legislation that would make upholstered furniture less flammable.
• Updated design legislation for portable generators.
• Safety standards for all-terrain vehicles.

Is there no end to the ways the current administration is screwing things up?

For more of what's going on in China, see this article:

Do bananas spread Sars? China gripped by health scare

By Clifford Coonan in Beijing
Published: 25 May 2007

The word on the streets of China's cities is that bananas from the southern island of Hainan can cause Sars. And that Magician brand instant noodles poisons you because they use oil extracted from human corpses provided by funeral homes.
China is in the grip of a food safety scare, and although it has generated a number of bizarre rumours circulating in frantic text messages, the issue poses a serious potential threat to international trade.

Late last year, Hong Kong government chemists detected in salted duck eggs the Sudan II industrial dye, which was fed to the birds to make the yolk in their eggs extraordinarily red, a colour Chinese consumers see as a sign of high quality.

The Chinese government has pledged to get to the bottom of the scandal - and introducing standardised practices when it comes to food safety has become a major issue.
In Beijing, the city authorities have also announced plans to better monitor food products entering the capital after several food safety scandals emerged. Such is the mood there that some people are now saying that bad food, rather than lobbying about controversial issues such as Tibet, could be the main risk to the Olympic Games in the city next year.

Billions of pounds worth of counterfeit and substandard goods, from snack bars to fake liquor and medicines, to face creams, are produced every year in China.

Counterfeiting often extends to branded foods and you have to read the labels carefully in shops to make sure that you are getting the right food. Alcoholic drinks are particularly prone to copying and it is important to check to see if your beer or your breakfast cereal is the real thing.

China revealed in 2004, in one of its most highly publicised health scandals, that 13 babies had died from malnutrition in the eastern province of Anhui after being fed fake baby milk powder. But the problem is going global, spreading way beyond China's borders.

Chinese-made food products which are exported are being examined for toxins after safety breaches involving poisons in dog food and toothpaste, following reports of tainted products arriving in the Dominican Republic and Panama.

The Dominican Republic authorities said they had removed 10,000 tubes of the Chinese toothpaste brands Excel and Mr Cool from shelves after learning they contained diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze and brake fluid.

During talks this week between Washington and Beijing, the United States said food quality from China was a "top concern" and called on Beijing to improve food safety standards. The Americans want China to make food regulation more transparent, and to allow their audit teams to travel to China to examine the food factories and farms.

The Chinese government has launched investigations into the use of melamine - a non-food-related, industrial additive that found its way into the food chain and caused at least 16 pets to die in the US - and the companies exporting toothpaste containing the lethal chemical.

Meanwhile, the company which makes instant noodles under the "Magician" brand has had to take out newspaper advertisements to publicise the findings of scientific research showing that their products were not made from human body oils.

The manufacturers believe their competitors started the rumour, but everyone is suffering as sales of instant noodles, which are to Chinese cuisine what fish and chips are to British food, are dropping sharply.

A mass outbreak of food poisoning could be extremely damaging for the image of the Olympic Games, which begin in August next year. One scenario being thought through is if a team of top athletes came down with Beijing Belly just before a race.

To avoid that nightmare, the city is planning to increase rewards for uncovering unlawful production methods from 10,000 yuan (£660) to 50,000 yuan, the Beijing News reported.
(See the rest at the link above)

For even more, see my previous post "Stop all Chinese Imports"

Iams Dry Food - Lab Reports Cyanuric Acid In Unrecalled Dry Food

2007-05-24T11:41:00.000-06:00

Updated June 3rd, 6pm: I have added (and will continue to add) reports at the bottom of this post of suspected illnesses and deaths due to Iams Dry food. These are reports that other people have posted online, on other sites. I am providing links to them so you can check them out for yourself.

http://www.itchmo.com/read/lab-reports-cyanuric-acid-in-dry-food_20070524

Itchmo has learned that a toxicology test reported the presence of cyanuric acid in an opened bag of what is alleged to be Iams Large Breed dry dog food.
According to the report obtained by Itchmo, the results have been certified by a forensic toxicologist. The testing method detects concentrations in excess of 0.1%. We have obtained a copy of the toxicology report and you can see for yourself. We have remove personal information for privacy reasons and a correct lot number was obtained.

We have contacted Iams and we’re waiting on their response. Iams Large Breed does not list rice protein concentrate or wheat gluten as ingredients.

We cannot stress this point enough: This test was performed on a sample from an opened bag. We do not know if this is an isolated case of contamination before or after the sale, or if it is widespread.
...

Note: Like with the Nutro Dry, there are many reports posted online suspecting illnesses and deaths due to Iams Dry food. Check out these links and read the comments posted by people like yourselves.
http://www.itchmo.com/read/several-unconfirmed-reports-of-iams-dry-food-causing-illness_20070323

http://www.itchmo.com/read/voluntary-dry-food-reports_20070328

And let's not forget this from back in March (posted over at itchmo.com) FDA Issues Warning Against Iams Dry and Wet Foods

FDA has warned the Iams company in January against using an untested “dietary supplement” in its cat and dog weight control formula wet and dry foods. “The FDA considers chromium tripicolinate to be genotoxic, meaning it can damage DNA and cause mutations and tumors.” Amazingly, the FDA posted the letter only today.
No word yet if Iams has complied with the warning to remove the ingredient chromium tripicolinate. We’ve read several posts concerning the removal of weight control formulas from stores.

...We have several articles that suggest a link between this substance and chronic as well as acute renal failure below...
(click link above for the full posting, including the full Warning Letter and links to articles mentioned)

************************************************************************************

Updated June 3rd, 10pm: I have added (and will continue to add) reports here of suspected illnesses and deaths due to Iams Dry food. None of these foods have been recalled.

These are just a few of the comments that other people have posted online, on other websites, forums and blogs. I am providing links to them so you can check them out for yourself. If I have received permission to repost then I have included the comments in full, otherwise I have posted a small portion of the comment and you can click the link to read the rest. I've tried to include links from different sites - in most cases there are multiple stories on the same site.

Iams Dry Cat Food - unspecified type/flavor

http://www.itchmo.com/read/voluntary-dry-food-reports_20070328#comment-6078

...my cat died Monday evening after being fed from a bag of Iams dry food. She was 8 years old, healthy and lively... I bought the bag of dry food Sunday and fed her from it that day. Monday evening when I got home from work, she was obviously sick, with diarrhea, vomiting, excessive drool and she was lethargic. I took her to the emergency vet, who, because dry food is not on the recall list, said it “must be a tummy ache from something she ate” asked for thousands to run tests and for “fluids”, and because I did not have the funds, sent her home insteads with some pain medicine for her stomach and droplets to start the next day. My cat died of Acute Renal Failure that night. ...

http://www.newwest.net/index.php/city/article/pet_food_recall_strikes_fear_into_central_oregon/C509/L509/

... story about my indoor tortoise cat. She is 10 and has never been fed anything but Iams dry food. She had bloodwork done the end of 12/06 prior to a dental cleaning and her bloodwork was perfectly normal....no sign of kidney disease. Suddenly on 3/7/07 after eating from a newly opened bag of Iams, she started vomiting violently and refused to eat anything, which she had never done before. ... 3/9/07 ... I was told she had acute renal failure, and her bloodwork verified this ...

Iams Dry Multicat

http://www.rateitall.com/r-2247278.aspx

...This food nearly killed my cat. He weighed 16 pounds before i put him on this last march. By the end of May he weighed 9.5 lbs and was losing 1/2 lbs every 2 weeks. I spent over $500 in vet bills on xrays & pills. The xrays revealed that his intestines were inflammed. The vet vet thought he might have an irritable bowel syndrome. When the pills did not work it was assumed that it was probably intestinal cancer. I did not expect him to live past the end of June. at that time time I switched back to what I had been feeding him, and today he is back up to his full weight and he seems healhty and happy

Iams Dry Hairball and Iams Indoor Weight Control Cat
http://www.itchmo.com/read/lab-reports-cyanuric-acid-in-dry-food_20070524#comment-22471

LorieVA Says:
May 25th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Kim
Double posting to make sure you see this:
this is for your IAMS spreadsheet not sure if you saw post from way back that my 2 cats last spring had issuse with IAMS hairball formula and indoor wt control they ate the two mixed together,
Geisha had bloody runny stool and develop a UTI with perm crystal problem vet said she at some bacteria, she is an indoor cat of a very parinoid cat owner MOI who makes everyone remove shoes, no plants etc……..
Topaz would vomit yellow bile and then foamy stuff in about 20 piles at a time all over the house upstairs in down, vet said she had sensitive stomach issues from turning seven
Switched food to Eukanuba sensitive stomach for Topaz no more vomiting till new problems with FF this past March
Switched Geisha to Science Diet RX C/D no more problems till FF this past March

Iams Dry Dog Food
http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=232979&GT1=9145&BoardsParam=Page%3D19
I have 2 friends in NE Ohio who have dogs that died of kidney failure in the last month. Both ate IAMS dry dog food and both were otherwise healthy 4 year old Labs. ...

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/merrick-ny/T58EI5N4QJOEB9FKP
...My 7 year old dog Angel was fed the Iams dry dog food from January 5th to the 25th of January and died that night. She had a very high fever, was vomiting profusely, and couldn't hold her bladder. She couldn't stand up It was almost like she was having a stroke. ...Our precious little angel passed away that night.

http://www.itchmo.com/read/several-unconfirmed-reports-of-iams-dry-food-causing-illness_20070323#comment-560
I had three cats, all of which ate primarily Iams Multicat dry food. We had to put our 17 year old, Buttercup, to sleep in late December due to kidney failure. In early January we took our 13 year old, ..., to the vet for a check-up. He had lost a few pounds in the last few months .... His bloodwork showed he was severely Anemic. ... the vet was never able to determine the cause of the anemia. ...They also did protein tests and x-rays to look for possible cancerous tumors, and nothing. In the midst of this we switched his food to PetGuard canned food, in hopes to curb his weight loss. With no medication except for Pet-Tinic (a vitamin), his HCT is now magically up to 36. The only change in his life was the food, and I am convinced that was the cause of his anemia. ...

Iams Dry Dog Food Green Bag
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MenuFoodsClassAction/message/994
(You may need to be a member of this Yahoo Group to read the post. If so, the same gentleman has posted other places about his dog's death, including here:
Our Dear Abby Gayle Died last night at 10:05 pm with my wife, sons and daughter at her side. Almost 4 years old, purbred Airedale Terrier, picture perfect health record, She died of kidney failure due to eating tainted, contamiated, IAMS Dry, Green Bag, purchased from Walmart. ... If I was warned before my dear Abby got sick, I would have fed her anything, steak, chicken, rice or anything other than the poisons they are selling us. I have called the FDA and are shipping the suspected bad food to Cornell University for tests. ... Opened a new bag of food on thursday, she would not eat saturday but was active enough to not alarm me or my family. Monday am she was in the back yard having trouble walking, called vet, walked her in the garage, she layed down on warm pad and we started fluids. Vet said, bring her in in the morning if she makes it through the night. She did not.

Iams Dry Dog Food Mini Chunks

http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=232979>1=9145&BoardsParam=Page%3D23

...our family had to put are japanese chin bruce to sleep he was in full renal failure was fine on friday saturday was just a little wobbly sunday got sick a few times monday morning took him to doctors and had to have him put to sleep doctor said can not save him when he was wobbling on sat it was already to late feed him iams mini chunk dry food does not get any wet vet said either food or antifreeze he is an inside dog only goes out to go to the bathroom in a fenced yard he is not replicable it was a great loss ...

http://www.gothamist.com/2007/03/17/pet_food_recall.php#comment-1068205

My pet dog age 6. Died March 11,07 before the recalls came out. She only ate dry IAM's mini chunks, dog bones and tartar treats.
I reported it to IAM's but they didn't sound to concerned since its only about the wet food. Same with FDA. ...

http://jules4265-menufoodrecall.blogspot.com/index.html

On Feb. 19, 2007, we lost our beloved 5 year old dog Allie to Iams dry mini chuncks. She died in less than 3 days after eating a new bag.

Nutro Dry Products blamed by Pet Owners for Illnesses

2007-05-24T09:25:00.000-06:00

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

Nutra Nuggets Dry Dog Food Recalled by Diamond Pet Foods

2007-05-23T18:49:00.000-06:00

Diamond Pet Foods Recalls Nutra Nuggets Lamb Meal and Rice Formula Dry Dog Food in 40 Lb. Bags Due to Melamine Cross Contamination

Meta, Mo. (May 23, 2007) – Diamond Pet Foods announced that it has recalled a limited quantity of Nutra Nuggets Lamb Meal and Rice Formula dry dog food in 40 lb. bags because of melamine cross contamination. To date, no animal deaths have been reported.

This action is limited to Nutra Nuggets Lamb Meal and Rice Formula dry dog food in 40 lb. bags with production codes of NLR0404A2SL or NLR0404B2SL, “Best Before” Oct. 9, 2008. The recalled product was manufactured at the company’s Lathrop, Calif. facility and sold through retailers in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada. No other Nutra Nuggets products are affected.

The recalled product was manufactured at the same facility following production of other products that contained rice protein concentrate later found to be tainted with melamine, which is not an approved food substance. Pets who may have consumed the affected product should be monitored closely. Affected pets will usually drink a lot of water and will vomit within 24 hours after eating the food. Affected pets may exhibit the following symptoms, including but not limited to loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting. Consult your local veterinarian if your pet is exhibiting these symptoms.

Consumers who purchased Nutra Nuggets Lamb Meal and Rice Formula dry dog food in 40 lb. bags with production codes of NLR0404A2SL or NLR0404B2SL, “Best Before” Oct. 9, 2008, should stop using the product immediately and return unused portions to their retailer for a full refund. Consumers may also contact the Diamond Pet Foods Customer Information Center toll free at 1-866-214-6945 for further information. The Center, which is staffed by veterinarians, is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CDT.

Stop all Chinese Imports (and a bunch of links)

2007-05-22T11:52:00.000-06:00

Are we in a cross-contaminated episode of "24" and "The Twilight Zone"? A bunch of things to make you go "oh-my-god-what-the-hell-are-we-doing?" (Thanks to Mike for most of the articles!)

Contaminated toothpaste from China from The New York Times (thanks Therese)

Making China clean up its act from a Washington Post reporter in The Star-Telegram

China trade reveals gaps in FDA system from The Chicago Tribune

From OpEdNews.com

“Mom! This food tastes funny…”

“Eat your poisoned food from China Tommy; it’s good for… um… the economy”.

As the story slowly unravels from the sluggish, mostly quiescent US press it turns out that China has been shipping toxic food products to the United States for years, and over-worked, under-funded federal inspectors have known all about it.
...
So all of you out there who are arguing in favor of libertarians and further deregulation, beware of what you wish for, you might just get a mouthful of toxins, with love, from China.

Our cats' and dogs' health could have been compromised long before tainted pet food was recalled. From The Wichita Eagle

China grapples with food contamination credibility crisis from International Herald Tribune

Weeks after tainted Chinese pet food ingredients killed and sickened thousands of dogs and cats in the United States, China faced growing international pressure to prove that its food exports were safe to eat.
But simmering beneath the surface is a thornier problem that worries Chinese officials: how do they assure the world that this is not a nation of counterfeits and that "Made in China" means well-made?
...
"We're now learning some of the dirty secrets behind this fast-growing economy"
...

"Still, doubts remain about the ability of Beijing to tackle what many experts see as rampant fraud in its booming economy, and a culture of counterfeiting."
...

"China is also pressing the United States and the European Union to accept imports of Chinese poultry products...." [yeah, just what we want, send more....]

Former China drug regulator on trial from the Prescott Herald

China‘s former top drug regulator went on trial Wednesday accused of taking bribes to approve untested medicine, including an antibiotic that killed at least 10 patients last year before it was taken off the market.
Dozens of people have died in Panama after taking medicine contaminated with a chemical traced to a Chinese company

The Good News - Some companies ARE paying attention:

Mission Foods and Tyson say NO to ingredients from Tyson

From The LA Times

As the recall of tainted pet food mushroomed into an international scandal, two of the largest U.S. food manufacturers put out a blanket order to their American suppliers: No more ingredients from China.

Chinese Imports nixed by key firms by USA Today

Menu Foods, North America's biggest maker of wet pet foods and the company that launched the pet food recall, is phasing out ingredients from China.

(Note: Royal Canin and The South African pet food institute already swore off Chinese imports - weeks ago.)

What else is being done:

Bayh asks Bush, FDA to restrict Chinese food, medicine imports (added 5:45pm)

The United States should yank away the “welcome” sign for many Chinese food and medicine ingredients, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., told President Bush and the head of the Food and Drug Administration in letters he sent Monday.

A proposal to consolidate federal food safety agencies is not as headline-driven as it may seem. From the LA Times

Lawmakers push for change in food safety oversight from cnn.com

Bill Allowing Civil Actions For Harm Caused By Tainted Pet Food Advances

ChemNutra Calls for Pet Food Ingredients Safety Summit July in Las Vegas (Okay, but we'd rather you not import food at all)

And finally, who not to believe:

The Pet Food Institute - read their latest at PR Week

...
Bush: What's your opinion of the media's handling of the situation?
Ekedahl: There were specific articles that were troublesome and bloggers who were off the charts.

[I'm proud to be one of those off-the-charts bloggers - if not for us lots more pets would be dead. So screw you Mr. Ekedahl.]

Want something to do? Per reader/contributor Mike's request - Email The Pet Food Institute - info@petfoodinstitute.org , feel free to copy Mike's words: Mr Ekedahl: Take a lesson from the courageous Pet Food Industry of South Africa and little Royal Canin -- 'swear off' the use of suspect ingredients from cheap foreign suppliers...

Nutra Nuggets Dry Dog Food (Not On Recall List)Test Positive For Melamine

2007-05-22T08:29:00.000-06:00

Itchmo breaks it, PetSitUSA (owner of The Pet Food List) adds more information (see below).
[Um, what does the FDA do?]

More information about this from ConsumerAffairs.com (added 6pm)

Dog owners warned about potentially contaminated food

May 21, 2007 - Dog owners are being warned about a batch of possibly contaminated food, sold at a Visalia Costco around mid-April, after at least four dogs fell ill.

Two of the dogs who became sick, a nine-year-old chocolate lab named Bob and his 1 1/2-year-old adopted sister, Pearl, have been staying at the Lone Oak Pet Clinic in Visalia, since May 11, after they began throwing up.

"We took them in... and her kidney was 80 percent shutdown,” said owner Ken Womack.

The dogs are being fed through intravenous tubes and are regaining their strength, but their struggle doesn’t seem to be isolated.

Two other dogs apparently came in earlier with the same symptoms.

Veterinarian Dr. Matt Humason says “We began asking questions...we found the dogs all ate the same food from the same store at the same time... so we sent a sample to get it tested and it came back positive with melamine."

All four dogs ate Nutra Nuggets brand food.

A sample was sent to a lab at UC Davis and Womack's fears were confirmed. "All I'm trying to get people to do is notify the people and let them know we may have problem. Unfortunately I feel Costco has been very hesitant to do that."

That's because Womack and the owner of the other sick dogs threw out the bags once they took the pet food home.

They're working with the distributor to track down the specific batch number. A Costco representative tells KSEE 24 news once it's been tracked, they will immediately yank the product in question.

Until then, there are a lot of sleepless nights ahead for Womack,"I feel bad we fed them the food. They'd eat anything. In essence, it's our fault giving them the good, really it is. I feel responsible."

Dr. Humason offers some tips to keep your pet safe:

- watch the recall list
- monitor your animal
- If your pet is:
lethargic
vomiting
or has diarrhea, you are urged to call the vet immediately

From PetsitUSA

As seen in my last post, UC Davis has reported melamine in Nutra Nuggets. I’ve just spoken with Diamond Pet Food, the manufacturer, and have more info…

The product in question is Nutra Nuggets 40 lb. Lamb & Rice
Product code: NLR0404, with a best by Oct 9 & 10, 2008
The Nutra Nuggets product in question was sold at Costco in CA, WA, OR, AZ, NV.
It was not sold in Fred Meyer or Smart and Final

Diamond is still waiting on confirmation from the testing. I’ll update as soon as I have more info.

NOTE:
Have you sent pet food out for testing? Email me and let me know!

Do you suspect other pet food not on the recall list has made your pet sick? Email me and let me know.

I've heard from some of you - thanks! - and will get out an interim list as soon as I can, hopefully later today.

And, I **really** apologize for the delays - I've been dealing with some chronic pain issues made worse by too much computer time and so it's been slow going. More info on that and my history with 'but-the-FDA-said-this-medicine-was-safe' another time. (Just stopped taking Oxycontin and other RX pain meds a few weeks ago because of the side-effects, and I'm adjusting slowly. )

Chenango Valley Expands Recall - NEW BRANDS and Ferret food

2007-05-18T08:51:00.000-06:00

I have no words... updated recall lists will be available in a few minutes.

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 &amp; 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.

Chenango Valley / Lick Your Chops recalls Dry Kitten and Cat Food

2007-05-17T20:48:00.000-06:00

Therese at The Pet Food List found a mention of a new recall buried in a New York Times article, and tracked down a new recall...

Meanwhile, Chenango Valley Pet Foods said it is expanding its pet food recall to include foods that do not contain the suspect rice protein concentrate but were manufactured during periods when the formulas were being processed. The company said the recall is precautionary, due to the possibility of cross contamination.

http://healthypetfoodsinc.com/newletter.cfm

May 17, 2007

To Our Valued Customers,

In conjunction with our dry pet food supplier and the FDA, as a precautionary measure we have decided to initiate a voluntary recall of our Lick Your Chops Kitten & Cat dry food in the 4# and 18# bags with a Best By date of 4/29/08, due to the remote possibility this product may have been cross-contaminated.

Although the Lick Your Chops Kitten & Cat food does not contain any Wheat, Rice or Corn Gluten protein, it was produced around the same time there may have been other products manufactured that contained rice gluten, even though tests on these products did not indicate any presence of contamination. Although all equipment is thoroughly cleaned at our manufacturer between production runs, to be on the safe side we are initiating this recall with your cat's best interest at heart. There have been no occurrences of cats getting sick from this product.

We had previously initiated a voluntary recall on our Lamb meal, rice and egg cat dry cat food with a Best By date of 4/29/08. This was the only dry pet food we make containing rice gluten and this recall was also initiated as a precautionary measure. Since the recall we have removed the rice gluten from the Lamb meal, rice and egg dry cat food.

Again, the voluntary recall on the Lick Your Chops Kitten & Cat Food with a Best By Date of 4/29/08 is a precautionary measure we are taking with the FDA and our supplier. All other date codes on the Kitten & Cat dry food, including the most recent production run with a Best By date of 7/25/08 are safe to feed.

The Lick Your Chops brand has been on the market for over 20 years and is one of the original natural pet foods offering consumers an alternative to the chemical preservatives, by-products and other inferior ingredients commonly found in commercial brand pet foods. We will continue to strive to make only the healthiest, natural products for pets.

If you have purchased a 4# or 18# bag of Kitten & Cat dry with the Best By date of 4/29/08 please discontinue use and return to the place of purchase. If you have any questions regarding this recall please send an e-mail to healthypetfoods1@aol.com or call us at 1-800-542-4677. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Michael Gagliardi
President

Lax FDA allows us to be food guinea pigs

2007-05-13T11:04:00.000-06:00

Great piece by the Contra Costa Times (thanks Mike!) (Bolding and red are mine.)

(Make sure to add Milk Protein Concentrate to your 'things to avoid' list)

By John E. Peck
COMMENTARY

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION needs to take a serious look at our food supply.
Late last month, federal officials were doing another round of damage control, this time contacting pork and poultry producers in nine states about melamine-tainted feedstock and culling suspected animals.
Unfortunately, some livestock could not be recalled because they were already on their way to your plate.
The Federal Drug Administration's response? Not to worry, there is no scientific evidence that eating melamine is bad for humans, so no grocery recall is necessary.
Consumers have now unwittingly joined their pets as subjects in a massive food-safety experiment.
Melamine is a plastic coal derivative used in the manufacture of fertilizer. It has never been tested or approved for animal or human consumption. And yet there is a large underground market in China selling melamine scrap for livestock feed as a cheap filler, boosting nitrogen levels and creating the appearance of higher protein content, according to the New York Times.
This is hardly the first case of an illegal byproduct getting dumped into the U.S. food system with the tacit approval of the FDA.
Milk protein concentrate, which enters the United States as an industrial-grade ingredient to make adhesives and which has never been subject to consumer-safety testing or given Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) status by the FDA, is now found in hundreds of adulterated cheese products, candies, chips, nutritional drinks and other processed junk foods.
For powerful corporations like Kraft, it is much more lucrative to import milk protein concentrate to make Velveeta, Mac n' Cheese or Kraft Singles and hope pliant FDA officials turn a blind eye than to pay U.S. family dairy farmers a fair price for real domestic milk.
Responsibility for this latest food scandal lies with runaway globalization, as well as the corrupting influence of corporate agribusiness on government oversight.
As U.S. trade barriers came down and imports skyrocketed, corporations raked in unprecedented profits and consumers were left fearing the old Latin adage: "caveat emptor," or buyer beware.
The FDA, with barely 1,700 inspectors, checks only about 2 percent of all U.S. food imports.
In the wake of last year's E. coli spinach outbreak and this year's melamine pet food scandal, citizens should demand greater accountability from such agencies as the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Country of Origin Labeling, which was mandated in the last farm bill but has been applied only to seafood, should be fully implemented for all imported food immediately.
Without this type of labeling, consumers and farmers don't have the choice to avoid products from those countries that have proved to be dangerous free-trade partners.
Something as essential as food deserves at least as much truth in labeling as clothing. And it deserves more serious government regulation -- not less.
Peck is executive director of Family Farm Defenders, a grass-roots organization that works on issues of sustainable agriculture, fair trade, consumer safety, labor rights, animal welfare, rural justice and food sovereignty.

Additional Royal Canin Recalls - 8 Sensible Choice Dry Dog Food and 7 Kasco Dry Dog and Cat Food

2007-05-11T21:28:00.000-06:00

Eight Sensible Choice Dry Dog Food Products, Seven Kasco Dry Dog and Cat Food Products Recalled Nationwide by Royal Canin USA Effective Today
(Thanks for the quick notice Mike!)
ADDED: Both Recall Lists have been updated to include this information, download them above.
ADDED 5-11 12:30pm : Royal Canin has changed affected product dates

The dates in the press release that Royal Canin quietly slipped out last night are off by a year.

The original release says “with date codes between July 28, 2006 to April 30, 2007.” According to a Royal Canin rep who spoke with our food co-op, those dates are off by a year. The dates now shown on their web site are the current ones:

“products with Best By date codes between July 28, 2007 to April 30, 2008”

The current release also specifies that the dates are “best by” dates, not production dates. See the new statement at: http://www.royalcanin.us/

Note that my assumption earlier today that they received rice protein from Cereal Byproducts is now confirmed.

Royal Canin USA is announcing today the voluntary nationwide recall of eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products.

This announcement is based on the company's ongoing extensive review of its manufacturing and quality assurance testing procedures, which identified trace amounts of a melamine derivative from tainted Chinese rice protein concentrate provided to the company by domestic ingredient supplier Cereal Byproducts, headquartered in Illinois.

"We deeply regret the concern and anxiety this announcement today will cause our loyal customers and the entire pet community," Olivier Amice, President and CEO of Royal Canin USA, said. "While a very limited number of Sensible Choice and Kasco products in this recall tested positive for trace levels of a melamine derivative, Royal Canin USA is voluntarily withdrawing these products out of an abundance of caution and because we are fully committed to the welfare of our customers' pets."

Royal Canin USA has no confirmed cases of melamine related illness in pets eating Sensible Choice and Kasco products affected by this recall.

Last month, Royal Canin USA announced it will no longer use any Chinese vegetable protein suppliers.

The following eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products with date codes between July 28, 2006 to April 30, 2007 are being voluntarily recalled:
SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Adult (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Lamb and Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Large Breed Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) NATURAL BLEND Adult (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) NATURAL BLEND Senior (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) NATURAL BLEND Puppy (Dry Dog Food)

KASCO(R) (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)
-- KASCO(R) Chunks (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Hi Energy (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Maintenance (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Mealettes (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Mini Chunks (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Cat (Dry Cat Food)
Based on today's announcement, pet owners should stop feeding their pets the eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products, seven Kasco dry dog and dry cat food products listed. Pet owners should consult with a veterinarian if they are concerned about the health of their pet.

The safety and nutritional quality of Royal Canin USA pet food is our company's top priority because we understand that the health of pets comes first. Pet owners who have questions about the voluntary recall of Sensible Choice and Kasco dry pet food products and other Royal Canin USA products should call 1-800-513-0041 or visit our web site at http://www.royalcanin.us.

All Sensible Choice and Kasco products have a satisfaction guarantee and the company will refund or replace the diets that are part of this recall announcement.

2nd Rice Protein Distributor -Refuses to name companies & Summary of Who got What

2007-05-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

I've said it before, I'll say it again. It is UNACCEPTABLE to not name the pet food companies that received poisonous rice protein.

Some good news though - in this article from the Chicago Tribune, we at least have an explanation for something else. We couldn't figure out the discrepancies as far as which companies got the rice protein - because they'd all mentioned Wilbur-Ellis. This explains it. Wilbur-Ellis sold it to Cereal Byproducts, who then resold it. Read the rest of the article below.

The contaminated products were imported by ChemNutra Inc. and Wilbur-Ellis Co. They were more widely distributed by Menu Foods, a pet food manufacturer, and Cereal Byproducts.

Here's my summary of Who Got What (originally posted April 26th), updated to reflect this new information. Based on deduction and something I found on google that was apparently deleted from the article below (see quotes just under this), I've assumed that Royal Canin is one of the companies that received RPC directly from Cereal Byproducts. (Added: I left a message for Royal Canin asking for confirmation, I'll update this when I hear back from them.) UPDATE: Royal Canin just recalled more food, and confirmed that Cereal Byproducts was their supplier. See my latest post for more.

From my Google search of "royal canine cereal byproducts" (yes, Royal Canin is mispelled). This content is no longer in the article.

Chicago-area company implicated in tainted pet food | Chicago Tribune
A congressional source familiar with the pet food contamination issue said that Cereal Byproducts shipped tainted rice protein to Royal Canine, which issued ...
www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-070510food,1,2765210.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed - May 10, 2007 -

*******

Who got What Protein (Updated May 11th 10am)

Wheat Gluten (4):
1. Menu Foods (countless wet cat and dog foods)
2. Del Monte (Pet Treats, wet dog food)
3. Sunshine Mills (dog biscuits)
4. Hill's Pet Nutrition (dry cat food)

Rice Protein (5)
(Received by distributor Wilbur-Ellis, who said that 5 pet food manufacturers received the product - in Kansas, Missouri, Missouri, New York and Utah)

1. Diamond -plant in Missouri
- Natural Balance (DRY food)

2. CJ Foods, plant in Kansas
- Blue Buffalo

3. Cereal Byproducts in Missouri
- Royal Canin - plant in Missouri (formerly listed as receiving it directly from W-E)
- UNKNOWN Company
- UNKNOWN Company

4. Chenango Valley Pet Foods -plant in New York
- SmartPak/LiveSmart
- Drs Foster and Smith
- Lick Your Chops (*just announced today*)

5. American Nutrition – in Utah
- Natural Balance WET food
- Kirkland (Costco Brand) WET food (*announced today*)
- Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Kitten and Puppy canned food
- Diamond canned dog food
- Blue Buffalo canned dog and cat food and treats

Corn Gluten (1)
- Royal Canin South Africa

******************
The rest of the article mentioned above...

Chicago-area firm recalls rice products

By Stephen J. Hedges
Washington Bureau
Published May 11, 2007, 12:46 AM CDT

WASHINGTON -- A Chicago-area feed supply company is the latest U.S. business to find itself implicated in the distribution of tainted rice protein from China, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed Thursday, raising the specter that customers of the firm may have unwittingly spread the contaminant melamine in pet food.

Cereal Byproducts Co., which has plants in five states and a headquarters in Mt. Prospect, issued a recall for the rice protein products on May 4. The company's products went to three pet food manufacturers.
Word that yet another company has been implicated two months into the pet food contamination scare suggests that the scope of the problem is expanding, despite an FDA investigation. Since the first discovery of tainted pet food after numerous reports of cat and dog illnesses and deaths in early March, the FDA has determined that the same contaminated ingredients from China have also been used in chicken, hog and fish feed.

That raises the possibility that more of the contamination has found its way into human food.

So far, FDA officials said, there have been no reports of human illness, and they have suggested that the levels of melamine, a compound found in plastics, would be greatly diluted by the time the compound reached human food.

Michael Kirwan, Cereal Byproducts' treasurer, declined to discuss the recall at length, and would not name the companies that received the tainted rice protein. He said that his company has not distributed the tainted rice protein to manufacturers of human food.

Cereal Byproducts has established a Web site to explain the recall at riceproteinrecall.com, Kirwan said.

The contaminated products were imported by ChemNutra Inc. and Wilbur-Ellis Co. They were more widely distributed by Menu Foods, a pet food manufacturer, and Cereal Byproducts. So far, the pet food recall includes more than 100 brands, which are listed on the FDA's Web site.

The Chinese companies involved are Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co., which sold products labeled as wheat gluten, and Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., which sold Wilbur-Ellis and Cereal Byproducts the products labeled as rice protein.

...

Latest News and Info... and Coming Soon from PetFoodTracker

2007-05-10T09:10:00.000-06:00

Rather than do separate entries I'm going to put a bunch of links in this one.

1. Transcript from Tuesday night's chat here (with itchmo, thepetfoodlist, Gina, and Christie over on PetHobbyist.com - it was an amazing chat - thanks to the other panelists and everyone who came! (We'll do it again soon.)

Which brings me to my focus for the next little while - I'm working on a list of "Foods that have NOT been recalled but which people are reporting have caused illness/death in their pets".

I don't want to do this, and I kept wishing I didn't need to do this, but the chat on Tuesday really pointed out the urgency, so I'm gonna do it. So you'll see less posting/head bashing from me as I track down the various reports I've seen online.

I'll also (in the same list or in a separate list) keep track of what foods YOU have sent out for testing - so please email me if you have sent food out, or if you know of posts online where people are talking about foods they've sent out for testing.

(Note: I'm *way* behind on responding to emails right now, I will do my best to catch up in the next few days. But I have chronic neck/arm/elbow/wrist problems, all made worse by typing... so please have patience.)

Okay, on with the news.

2. Pet Food Express (a great retailer who has been on top of this from Day 1) posted test results for some of the products they carry.

3. USA Today has another great article, read it. It starts:

Even some pet-food companies say they don't always know what's really in the food they sell. Or where the ingredients come from.

4. House Agriculture Committee, FDA, more. See Christie's post over at petconnection.com

5. FDA Issues melamine warning to employees. Itchmo has learned that the FDA has issued a surveillance order for Chinese vegetable proteins on May 1 — including corn gluten and wheat products — based on melamine contamination. Therese at petsitusa said it well...

Let me get this straight…if you’re an FDA employee melamine may be harmful, but if you’re not an FDA employee there’s nothing to worry about? So…does that mean I can eat all the melamine tainted food I want as long as I don’t get a job with the FDA?

6. Gina's post‘Unusual spikes of inexplicable illness’ edition (does head-exploding count?) is another must read.

7. Melamine found in fish food at an Oregon hatchery. But it's safe to eat. Yeah, right.

Other blogs have posted a bunch of articles repeating the FDA/USDA's statements that our food and pet food are safe. I've decided not to post them, because it's all a bunch of crap anyway. If your blood pressure isn't high enough, and your head hasn't exploded, you can find those articles over at petconnection.com, posted earlier in the week.

Listen. I don't care what the FDA or USDA says. You can find all the information you need on their websites. Our pet food is not safe. Our food is not safe.

And no, I don't know what the hell is safe to eat either. I'm trying to buy local, and certified organic. Trader Joe's has some of the lowest prices on certified organic products, so I'm doing a lot of shopping there. (That's not a recommendation, but based on their quick action in pulling and testing their pet food I trust them more than other retailers.)

And, it goes without saying, if it's made in China - I'm not touching it.

Pet Connection posted on Tuesday that the FDA mentioned there might be more recalls. While I've been expecting more recalls, I have no idea which companies/products they might be. The cross-contamination / it's not wheat gluten it's wheat / additional rice protein supplier stories are all filled with conflicting information, so at this point I don't believe any of it.

My guess? More recalls will happen when individuals begin getting back test results from private labs and going public with the results.

ADDED: Want to get your own pet food tested? Go here
http://www.accutracetesting.com/poison_testing.php

FDA - We make FEMA look good

2007-05-07T10:04:00.000-06:00

Okay, first, go here for items that say "FDA... we make FEMA look good"
Buy a few - I think we'll be needing them for awhile. And send one to me while you're at it. ;-)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.foodczar05may05,0,6717023.story?coll=bal-health-headlines

Food imports called safe FDA czar urges new strategy to inspect, protect supply line

By Jonathan D. Rockoff Sun Reporter Originally published May 5, 2007 WASHINGTON // Federal investigators believe they have now traced all of the sources of contaminated food supplies from China, according to the nation's new food safety czar, who said yesterday that the U.S. government needs to move in new directions to protect food supplies.

Despite publicity about tainted shipments from overseas, Dr. David W.K. Acheson said Americans shouldn't fear eating imported foods.

What??! Are you out of your bloody mind?? Okay folks, I've been reading these things every day for weeks, it's your turn. What follows are links to some FDA Import Alerts that detail what is on our imported foods, both human and pet. (I read some yesterday that started a whole new thread of scary stuff in my mind, I'll post them when I can.)

OASIS Refusals by Industry for March 2007 (Note: This is for 1 month only!)

Here's a link to the violation code translation


 02-Whole Grain/Milled Grain Prod/Starch                                10
 03-Bakery Prod/Dough/Mix/Icing                                         42
 04-Macaroni/Noodle Prod                                                 8
 05-Cereal Prep/Breakfast Food                                           2
 07-Snack Food Item                                                     59
 09-Milk/Butter/Dried Milk Prod                                          9
 12-Cheese/Cheese Prod                                                   8
 13-Ice Cream Prod                                                       2
 16-Fishery/Seafood Prod                                               159
 17-Meat, Meat Products and Poultry                                      1
 18-Vegetable Protein Prod                                               1
 20-Fruit/Fruit Prod                                                    31
 21-Fruit/Fruit Prod                                                    71
 22-Fruit/Fruit Prod                                                     4
 23-Nuts/Edible Seed                                                    24
 24-Vegetables/Vegetable Products                                      140
 25-Vegetables/Vegetable Products                                       45
 26-Vegetable Oils                                                       2
 27-Dressing/Condiment                                                   7
 28-Spices, Flavors And Salts                                           79
 29-Soft Drink/Water                                                    24
 30-Beverage Bases/Conc/Nectar                                           3
 31-Coffee/Tea                                                           7
 33-Candy W/O Choc/Special/Chew Gum                                     35
 34-Choc/Cocoa Prod                                                     28
 35-Gelatin/Rennet/Pudding Mix/Pie Filling                               3
 36-Food Sweeteners (Nutritive)                                          8
 37-Mult Food Dinner/Grav/Sauce/Special                                 30
 38-Soup                                                                 6
 41-Dietary Conv Food/Meal Replacements                                  5
 45-Food Additives (Human Use)                                           1
 50-Color Additiv Food/Drug/Cosmetic                                     5
 52-Miscellaneous Food Related Items                                    13
 53-Cosmetics                                                          156
 54-Vit/Min/Prot/Unconv Diet(Human/Animal)                              46
 55-Pharm Necess & Ctnr For Drug/Bio                                     4
 56-Antibiotics (Human/Animal)                                           8
 57-Bio & Licensed In-Vivo & In-Vitro Diag                               3
 60-Human and Animal Drugs                                              33
 61-Human and Animal Drugs                                              33
 62-Human and Animal Drugs                                              40
 63-Human and Animal Drugs                                              27
 64-Human and Animal Drugs                                              32
 65-Human and Animal Drugs                                              25
 66-Human and Animal Drugs                                             135
 73-Anesthesiology                                                       4
 74-Cardiovascular                                                       2
 75-Chemistry                                                            4
 76-Dental                                                              15
 78-Gastroenterological & Urological                                     3
 79-General & Plastic Surgery                                           18
 80-General Hospital/Personal Use                                       27
 81-Hematology                                                           1
 82-Immunology                                                           2
 84-Neurological                                                         1
 85-Obstetrical & Gynecological                                         27
 86-Ophthalmic                                                          13
 87-Orthopedic                                                           4
 88-Pathology                                                            4
 89-Physical Medicine                                                    9
 90-Radiological                                                         7
 94-Ionizing Non-Medical Devices and Components                          7
 95-Light Emitting Non-Device Products                                  16

And here's a list of the CURRENT, active Import Alerts

And check this page out:

Pesticides, Metals, Chemical Contaminants & Natural Toxins

The rest of the don't-worry-be-happy article is below - as posted by Christie over at PetConnection late Saturday night. Yeah, I'm late posting it - it made me so angry yesterday I started, but couldn't finish, this post.

Okay, now that we’ve gone… er, let’s see… 24 hours without a recall… guess what? YES! It’s all over! The crisis is behind us. Our pets’ food is safe. And so is ours. We can move on.

How do I know? The FDA said so. Now, let me say that I’m abandoning all efforts at journalistic objectivity here and frankly confessing this article made my head explode, and it wasn’t pretty. Here, feel my pain:

Despite publicity about tainted shipments from overseas, Dr. David W.K. Acheson said Americans shouldn’t fear eating imported foods.

“Consumers should be reassured that the international situation is under control,” he said in an interview. “We’re now getting on with this proactive strategy.”

Acheson, who was named this week to the newly created post of assistant FDA commissioner for food protection, said investigators have made significant progress in tracing the tainted ingredient from China that is believed to have killed cats and dogs in this country and entered other animal feed products.

Note the language: “Believed to have.” As if it hadn’t been actually physically discovered in the gluten and rice protein, in the food, and in the urine and kidneys of the dead pets. Also, note the use of the phrase “despite publicity,” implying this is a hysterical over-reaction to something, rather than a something on its own. How about, “Despite there having been melamine and cyanuric acid in foods imported into this country, people shouldn’t fear eating them.”

Moving on:

He said that Americans should not worry about serving pet food to their dogs and cats. Over the past seven weeks, the contamination prompted the recall of 150 brands of pet food, forced the quarantine of more than 100,000 hogs and chickens that may have been fed tainted feed and prompted the Chinese to detain one food company’s executive.

I feel so reassured.

Acheson said he has begun developing new plans for protecting the nation’s food supply from contamination, either through commercial transactions or terrorist acts.

He said the FDA needs more sophisticated computer systems and, perhaps, additional scientists to identify foods that might be at risk for contamination and in need of stricter inspection.

He said he is also studying whether the FDA needs to ask Congress for expanded legal authority, new regulations and more inspectors - potential changes that lawmakers are already considering.

So, these are things that might happen, but haven’t yet. So why is it safe now?

“Globalization of food is here. It’s here to stay. We need to acknowledge that and make sure food coming to the United States is as safe as we can make it,” Acheson said in a telephone interview, one of the first he has conducted since taking on the new post on Tuesday.

I have an idea. I don’t want the food coming into our country to be “as safe as we can make it,” I want it to be safe. Call me crazy.

Investigators suspect that Chinese suppliers of two pet food ingredients, wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate, spiked them with melamine in order to boost their value. Investigators also believe that the industrial chemical, not approved for use in food, killed at least 16 pets by working in combination with melamine-related compounds.

First of all, those weren’t “pets,” they were dogs and cats in Menu Foods’ test labs. Since anyone paying even remote attention can see there are thousands of dead pets, let’s at least go with the AP’s “unknown numbers” of dead pets.

Here’s where my head exploded:

Acheson said the search for the pet food contaminant is “virtually closed” and investigators have a “very good handle” on its distribution. Government officials say the threat to humans is extremely low.

See? I told you, it’s all over.

Inspectors are redirecting their efforts into checking all vegetable protein shipments from China and visiting American importers to test ingredients and make sure the firms know who made them.

But why? It’s all over. Everything’s safe!

Acheson said hiring more inspectors might help prevent future scares, but the FDA will never have enough manpower to examine all food supplied by 150,000 registered food makers from abroad.

“Right now, we inspect 1 percent of food imports. If we were to inspect 2 percent, would that problem go away? I don’t think so,” he said.

Nothing like a positive attitude going in. And remember: your cats and dogs were killed and sickened by a scare. A scare that is costing Americans between $2 and $20 MILLION DOLLARS in vet bills.

The government attempts to target the riskiest foods for close monitoring, but the failure to identify wheat gluten for attention suggests that more needs to be done to find the right targets, Acheson said.

Ya think?

Acheson said the FDA wasn’t planning to establish a database for collecting reports of injuries to pets, a demand of pet owners that Acheson said veterinarians are considering.

He also questioned whether it would be beneficial to create a system for monitoring the safety of fresh vegetables, similar to one that ground beef producers established after an E. coli outbreak at Jack in the Box restaurants in 1993.

Instead, he said, more research is needed to identify points in the food production cycle where contamination is most likely to occur. Then, methods could be developed to prevent problems from arising.

Of course. Good. Don’t do anything constructive or proactive or useful. Instead, let’s do more research. Excellent.

Invitation to panel discussion of the pet recall crisis

2007-05-07T07:46:00.000-06:00

PetHobbyist.com invites you to attend a special panel discussion of the pet recall crisis, on Tuesday, May 8 at 10 PM Eastern Time.

When Menu Foods, back on March 16, announced its first recall of pet foods due to melamine contamination, the mainstream media was only briefly interested.

To a small group of bloggers, it was apparent from the first days that this story was much larger than most people thought. They began compiling data, comparing information, collecting personal stories, and digging for facts. Since then, there have been dozens of additional recalls, threats to the human health supply, a re-evaluation of international food safety standards, and a rising wave of frightened and angry pet owners.

PetHobbyist.com, on behalf of founder Jeff Barringer and its DogHobbyist.com, CatHobbyist.com, and PetSupport.net communities, invites you to attend an online panel discussion with the bloggers who have been following the pet food crisis from the beginning, to discuss the story behind the recall, what's likely to happen next, and what pet owners can do to protect their pets now and in the future.

Joining us will be:

Gina Spadafori and Christie Keith of PetConnection.com

Ben Huh of Itchmo.com

Therese Kopiwoda of PetSitUSA.com and ThePetFoodList.com

Kim Duke of PetFoodTracker

The chat will be held on Tuesday, May 8 at 10 PM Eastern Time in the Auditorium. To receive a free email reminder of the special chat, sign up here.

More information, and complete information on how to attend the chat, is here, or, if your email program does not read HTML:

http://www.pethobbyist.com/sitenews/index.php?/archives/50-Online-Panel-about-Pet-Food-Recall-May-8.html

We definitely give permission to cross post - in fact, ask you to share this announcement with anyone you think might be interested. The chat is free, you don't need to register for the site to attend, and there is nothing to download or install.

We hope to see you there.

Additional Drs Foster and Smith DRY DOG Food Recalled

2007-05-04T18:16:00.000-06:00

Like the new SmartPak recall this morning, these foods were made at Chenango, and are being recalled due to the possibility of cross-contamination.

For Immediate Release: 05/04/07
Drs. Foster & Smith Press Release
DRY DOG FOOD RECALL EXPANDED
Only 1,174 customers affected - all contacted immediately by email, phone, or USPS
In a precautionary measure, Chenango Valley has expanded its recall list to include additional foods - even formulas with no wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate - that may have been processed utilizing the same equipment as previously-recalled products.
We have been informed today by Chenango Valley that two production lots of Drs. Foster & Smith Dry Adult Dog Food Lamb & Brown Rice Formula^TM (see below) may have been processed sequentially after another product that has since tested positive for Melamine. Even though manufacturing equipment is thoroughly cleaned between production runs, and Drs. Foster & Smith Dry Adult Dog Foods do NOT contain ANY wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate, we are participating in this precautionary recall with your dog's best health at heart.

We know these are upsetting times for pet owners. Please rest assured that no confirmed illness or death has been reported from feeding Drs. Foster & Smith brad foods during any precautionary recall to date.

The products affected by this expanded precautionary recall are:
Drs. Foster & Smith Dry Adult Dog Food Lamb & Brown Rice Formula^TM
6lb (#12965), 15lb (#12966)
with a "BEST BY" date of FEB 09 09

Drs. Foster & Smith Dry Adult Dog Food Lamb & Brown Rice Formula^TM
6lb (#12965), 15lb (#12966), 30lb (#12967),
30lb Case Pack 2-bag (#13870), 30lb Case Pack 4-bag (#13871)
with a "BEST BY" date of FEB 26 09

If any of your bags of Lamb & Brown Rice Formula match the descriptions above, please discontinue feeding and contact us for a replacement bag at no charge for product or shipping. (To identify the "BEST BY" expiration date, please inspect the top right of the back label.)
Please call our Customer Care Team between 9am - 7pm CST at 1-800-239-7121 or email us at CustomerService@DrsFosterSmtih.com if you have any questions.
We are directly contacting all 1174 customers affected by this precautionary recall by email, phone or USPS. If your pet has consumed any of the recalled food listed above and shows signs of illness (such as loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting), you should consult with your veterinarian immediately.
While the levels of contact with melamine may be low, or non-existent, we will err on the side of caution and recall Drs. Foster & Smith Dry Adult Dog Food Lamb & Brown Rice Formula^TM as the amount and mechanism of melamine - and the health risk associated with melamine - is not known.

USDA: 20 million chickens on farms may have had bad feed

2007-05-04T17:53:00.000-06:00

Added 7:30pm (thanks Mike!) - another article on this with more information.

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Federal officials on Friday placed a hold on 20 million chickens raised for market in several states because their feed was mixed with pet food containing an industrial chemical.
Three government agencies - the Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency - are overseeing a risk assessment to determine whether the chickens would pose a threat to human health if eaten, USDA spokesman Keith Williams said. The assessment may be completed as early as Monday.
The 20 million chickens represent a tiny fraction of the 9 billion chickens raised each year in the United States. Meat from the birds can't go into commercial use without the USDA's inspection seal, which is being withheld until the risk assessment is completed, Williams said.
Which states have chicken producers affected by the hold will be announced later, Williams said. State agriculture officials as well as chicken manufacturers were being contacted as the agencies determine the extent of the problem, he said, adding that many farms in several states probably were involved.
Investigators found last week that about 5 percent of feed used at some smaller chicken production operations came from pet food tainted with the chemical melamine, Williams said. Larger manufacturers, because they usually use special feed for the chickens they raise or contract for raising, are unlikely to have exposed their animals to large amounts of the tainted pet products, he said.
As of Friday, no melamine had been detected in the feed used by larger manufacturers, Williams said. However, because investigators know some of the tainted pet food was used in that feed, officials still placed a hold on the birds, he said.
"Absent the risk assessment in this particular situation, USDA will not put the seal of inspection on this meat," he said.
Since March 16, more than 100 brands of pet food have been recalled because they were contaminated with melamine. An unknown number of dogs and cats have been sickened or died after eating pet food tainted with the chemical.
The Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Thursday that no evidence indicated any harm to humans from chicken or pork that had entered the market after having eaten melamine-contaminated feed.
Federal investigators have been trying to determine how much of the tainted pet food had been used in feed for hogs and chickens. Hog farms in at least six states may have received tainted pet food for use in feed. Those animals also have been barred from market.
The USDA and FDA said this week that chicken feed in some farms in Indiana contained byproducts from pet food manufactured with contaminated wheat gluten imported from China.
At the time, the agencies estimated that 30 broiler poultry farms and eight breeder poultry farms in Indiana had received contaminated feed in early February. More farms probably received contaminated feed, the agencies said.
Williams said Friday that the risk assessment for chickens that had eaten feed with melamine would involve four aspects:
-The absence of melamine in feed used by large commercial producers.
-The dilution of the pet food with larger amounts of other ingredients in the feed.
-The healthy state of chickens that ate the feed.
-The lack of evidence of harm to humans by trace amounts of melamine because of the varied human diet and other factors.
Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., the chairwoman of the House Appropriations' agriculture subcommittee and co-chairwoman of the Congressional Food Safety Caucus, said the link between the tainted pet food and chicken feed "highlights the egregious holes in our food safety system."
"It is time to grant the FDA and other food safety agencies clear mandatory recall and inspection authority," she said in a statement. "These initial steps would help create a modern, comprehensive food safety agency that will be capable of protecting our food supply and restoring consumer confidence."
Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he agrees that the chickens should be held while risk to humans is assessed.
"This news proves how quickly a food safety concern can grow - it warrants great care and further proves why we need an audit of the nation's food safety system," Harkin, D-Iowa, said in a statement.

So, what's everyone eating for dinner tonight?

From Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Friday as many as 20 million chickens currently on U.S. farms in several states may have been fed contaminated feed.

A USDA official said the birds must be held until the government can complete a risk assessment to determine if they can be processed. The results could come as early as Monday.

The birds were among those believed to have been given contaminated feed with pet food containing melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizer. It is uncertain how many chickens have been processed.

ASPCA Warns Crisis Not Over: More Cases May Be Seen

2007-05-04T13:32:00.000-06:00

Note that all emphasis (in bold) is theirs!

As Pet Food Recall Expands, ASPCA Warns Crisis Not Over: More Cases May Be Seen
Urges Veterinarians to Continue Aggressive Fluid Therapy to Treat Pet Food Recall Cases

NEW YORK, May 3, 2007—With Menu Foods yesterday greatly expanding its recall of pet food products due to new evidence of cross-contamination, the ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) today warned pet parents that this crisis is far from over, and urged them to watch their pets closely for any symptoms that may be related to the recall.

“Given the fact that there is new evidence of cross-contamination in ingredients that may have been considered safe prior to this news, we need to be much more aware of where the ingredients in our pets’ food are coming from,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, a board-certified toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), located in its Midwest Office in Urbana, Ill.

“We are strongly recommending that pet parents immediately investigate, via their pet food manufacturer’s Web site or by calling them directly, where the ingredients—specifically protein supplements—are sourced from.”

Given the current situation and until this crisis is resolved, the ASPCA is recommending pets be fed products containing U. S.-sourced protein supplements only.

“The continued expansion of the recall is extremely worrying,” said Dr. Louise Murray, director of medicine at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital (BMAH) in New York City, and a board-certified internist. “The magnitude of this crisis leaves us frustrated as to how to best protect pets and prevent any more illnesses or deaths.”

However, recent media reports that laboratory experiments on the interaction of melamine and cyanuric acid in cat urine showed the formation of crystals, are not surprising to ASPCA experts, and offer a glimmer of hope to veterinarians who have been worrying about how to save sick animals who have ingested the contaminated food.

“The fact that we have started to learn how the presence of melamine may be impacting these animals, gives us a small glimmer of hope—that at least we know we are on the right track when it comes to treating the animals affected,” said Dr. Hansen. “These findings really start putting everything else we have seen into perspective.”

In a study that was done several years ago on dogs and rats, the presence of melamine in their systems was found to only lead to the development of crystals in urine, but there were no further adverse effects—and nothing that showed a direct link between the chemical mechanism of melamine and the renal failure recently seen in the affected animals.

“Now that we see that crystals are formed when melamine and cyanuric acid are combined in cat urine, it may be that the cause of renal failure is somehow related to the obstruction caused by these crystals,” continued Dr. Hansen.

This also explains why animals whose symptoms were detected early enough, and who were rushed to their veterinarians and put on aggressive fluid therapy—as the ASPCA has been recommending—survived; since this treatment may help to prevent additional crystals from forming, and aid in flushing out the existing crystals from the animals’ urinary tracts, thus relieving the obstruction and reversing the effects of renal failure.

“Patience is the key,” said Dr. Murray, who has successfully treated several animals thus-affected with aggressive fluid therapy at BMAH. “We now understand that we have to bathe these crystals in fluid for as long as possible. With other causes of kidney failure, if there is no improvement in the animal’s condition after a day or two, the prognosis is usually not encouraging.

“In this case, however, when treating animals who have been sickened by eating the contaminated foods, longer-term intravenous fluids may be required —so we would strongly recommend that all veterinarians treating such cases be patient and continue administering fluids longer than they might otherwise, because they can really be life-saving.”

Unofficial estimates, including by those in the veterinary community, suggest the number of recall-related deaths may be in the thousands. The pet food recall crisis continues to unfold, with new developments appearing daily, and ramifications at the international trade, business and human health levels. As recently as yesterday, Menu Foods greatly expanded its recall list because of evidence of cross-contamination at plants where the contaminated ingredients were in use.

The ASPCA continues to warn pet parents to stay extremely alert to the situation. “Please stay abreast of recall news, which you can do via our Pet Food Recall Resource Center on our website, and remain extremely vigilant to your pets’ wellbeing. If they have eaten any of the recalled foods or show any of the signs generally attributed to kidney failure—or illness in general—please take them to your veterinarian immediately,” urged Dr. Murray.

The ASPCA continues to monitor the situation, and is providing regular updates and advice for pet parents at its Pet Food Recall Resource Center at www.aspca.org/recall.

Added 1:48pm: On the 7 week anniversary of the initial recall announcement, I turn to Judi McLeod of the Canada Free Press again, who says it well. Emphasis (bold or italics) is mine.

Welcome to Pet Cemetery 2007

When the latest contaminated pet food scare is over, thousands of hearts will have been broken. Pet people love their pets. What could possibly be worse than knowing a pet died from the very food you have fed it?
Shame on the FDA for consistently claiming the number 16 for dead pets in the latest wave of dead pets from poison masquerading as commercial pet food; the latest because the massive Menu Food recall is only the deadliest recall to date. Some of the same pet food manufacturers whose products are on current recall have made recalls for other contaminanted products as recently as 2006.

"In the most deadly recall of 2006, 4 prescription canned dog and cat foods were recalled by Royal Canin (owned by Mars). The culprit was a serious overdose of Vitamin D that causes calcium deficiency and kidney disease." (www.api4animals.org).

"Consumers have reported the deaths of as many as 8,500 dogs and cats as a result of tainted pet food, federal officials said Thursday. ( www.latimes.com, May 4, 2007). "In the two months since reports of a few pet deaths led to a massive U.S. pet food recall, the Food and Drug Administration said about half of the calls to its hot line were from owners of deceased cats and dogs."

"Officials said the agency had not confirmed those reports but added that the numbers of allegations were likely to rise as it caught up with a backlog of calls reporting sick or dead animals."

Notice how quickly FDA bureaucrats resort to the use of the word "allegations".

The numbers FDA is reporting could be flawed for a couple of practical reasons. Emotionally wrought owners don't necessarily take their time from dead pet grief to check in with the FDA hotline. Countless pet owners have no confidence in the FDA as a protector of food safety in either the animal or human kind.

The long awaited statistics indicating an 8,500 dead pet toll were admitted even as the FDA tried to reassure nervous consumers that their food supply was safe, a necessity now that tainted pet food has been fed to both hogs and chickens.

Some two months after the first Menu Food recall, food safety agents are being dispatched to U.S. food manufacturers for inspections. Chinese authorities, which detained the head of a Chinese company suspected of shipping contaminated wheat gluten to U.S. pet food suppliers, were in the news.

Detaining a single shipper is not too likely to bolster public confidence when Chinese suppliers boast that melamine and other agents to boost protein levels in commercial pet food has been in use for years.

Authorities seem to have marginalized brokenhearted pet owners and only made a show of response when the contaminated pet food entered the human food chain.

"New food safety czar David Acheson said he wanted to assure consumers that the human food supply was safe. "It is very unlikely that there is a human health effect here," he said." (latimes.com).

Government agents are doing too little too late by beginning to visit domestic food makers to "raise awareness" and test Chinese ingredients.

Some of the tainted pet foods were sold as "salvage" and fed to 6,00 hogs and nearly 3 million chickens destined for human consumption.

Why are Chinese police remaining mum about confirming the arrest of Mao Lijun, the general manager of Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co--the company Las Vegas-based ChemNutra said it imported its melamine-laced wheat gluten from?

Meanwhile, just as countless pet owners suspected in the first place, the toll of dead animals in the most recent contaminated pet food tragedy is in the thousands and growing.

With apologies to author Stephen King, it's Pet Cemetery 2007.

Folks, whatever your beliefs - take a moment today to say a prayer for all the wonderful pets affected by this tragedy. You gave us unconditional love and we love you more than words could ever say. Our hearts will be broken until we see you again on the other side. But we will not let your deaths be in vain.

And a personal note to my angel in fur: Buckwheat - I miss you so much. I can't believe it's been 7 years tomorrow, it feels like it was just yesterday. I'm so sorry for everything you went through, I wish *so* much that I had known then what I know now. If I had you'd still be alive. I love you sweetie.

Additional SmartPak Canine Recall - DRY food - Cross Contamination at another company suspected

2007-05-04T08:27:00.000-06:00

Cross contamination at another manufacturer? This makes me expect more recalls (like I wasn't already)

Added 8:36am: Foods previously recalled that were made at Chenango include Lick Your Chops, Doctors Foster and Smith, and SmartPak. See my previous blog entry here.

And note: the SmartPak website does NOT list this new recall. And the FDA took 48 hours to send out the release. Both of which really piss me off because I've been checking these sites for 2 days to make sure nothing new was added. (Added: They did add it to their website, but you have to scroll down to see that something new has been added. That's not good enough. Try putting it at the top. In RED. Or something.)

Here's what they have on their site: (you have to scroll down to see it)

LiveSmart Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Recall

On May 2, 2007 we initiated a voluntary recall of all orders of LiveSmart Adult Lamb and Brown Rice. This product tested positive for presence of melamine in a test received earlier in the day.

In our last message regarding the dog food recall situation, we described that one of our dog food brands, LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice, contained rice protein concentrate sourced from Wilbur Ellis, and that we had voluntarily recalled the product to reduce the chance of harm to dogs due to potential for melamine contamination. As part of our efforts to understand and prevent further issues, we sent all the LiveSmart brand dog foods out for melamine testing the day after we initiated our recall.

Those tests came back today, May 2, 2007, and LiveSmart Adult Lamb and Brown Rice showed presence of Melamine. This was unexpected, since the formula does not contain rice protein concentrate, wheat gluten, or any of the ingredients on FDA’s import watch list. All the ingredients in the formula with the exception of the lamb and lamb meal originate from United States sources. The lamb and lamb meal we use in the formula is sourced from New Zealand. (Our manufacturing partner, Chenango Valley Pet Food, sources that ingredient from New Zealand because the lamb are raised free range and the New Zealand government is known for stringent rules on use of antibiotics.)

Once we received these test results this morning, we immediately suspended production of SmartPaks containing LiveSmart Lamb. We pulled the product off the website. We notified UPS to redirect all packages destined for our customer’s homes. And we initiated a complete recall of all lots of the product after discussing the situation with the FDA.

Since the food is only sold in portion-paks shipped straight to the consumer’s home each month, the focus of the recall is informing affected customers via telephone, email, and letter. There are no bags of potentially affected product on store shelves anywhere in the country.

Test results for the LiveSmart Weight reduction formula—the subject of our original recall—did not have any melamine detectable in the sample. Nor was there any melamine detected in samples of LiveSmart Adult Chicken and Brown Rice, LiveSmart Puppy and Brown Rice, or LiveSmart Senior and Brown Rice.

SmartPak recommends that dogs who have been fed LiveSmart Lamb and show signs of kidney illness (loss of appetite, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea) be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

We are all very upset to have exposed our customers and their dogs to this situation. We and other responsible members of the pet community will be working hard over the next several months to learn from this situation and to re-earn your trust. We will continue to update our website as more information becomes available.

SmartPak Canine Voluntarily Recalls LiveSmart Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Formula

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Plymouth, MA – May 3, 2007 –On 5/02/07, SmartPak Canine executed a voluntary nationwide recall on all lots of LiveSmart Adult Lamb and Brown Rice food. This product tested positive for presence of melamine in a test received earlier in the day.

The LiveSmart Lamb formula is only sold in portion-paks shipped straight to the consumer's home each month, so there are no bags of potentially affected product on store shelves anywhere in the country. The focus of the recall has been informing affected customers via telephone, email, and letter. Ninety-nine percent of the roughly 220 pet owners feeding LiveSmart Adult Lamb via its portion pak pet food subscription service were contacted by live phone contact or message, and/or email. The company has had live contact with the majority of affected pet owners, and is continuing an aggressive outreach program to ensure that the notification has been received. To reduce likelihood of pet owners continuing to feed the food, replacement product is being shipped to affected customers free of charge.

At the time the recall was initiated, there had not been any ill effects reported in dogs. Through the efforts to reach out to all customers, the company has become aware of two instances of vomiting and learned that a 10 year old Rottweiler had passed away two weeks previous to the recall. These reports have been forwarded to FDA and are being investigated by the company's Medical Director to determine if they are connected with the LiveSmart Adult Lamb formula. The company has asked that any dogs showing signs of kidney illness (loss of appetite, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst) be seen by their veterinarian.

The company is presently investigating the source of the contamination in conjunction with its contract manufacturer, Chenango Valley Pet Food. The LiveSmart Adult Lamb formula does not contain rice protein concentrate nor wheat gluten. All the meat and vegetable matter, with the exception of New Zealand lamb, is of US origin. It appears that the product may have been cross contaminated at the Chenango plant by a prior batch of food unassociated with SmartPak that contained an ingredient that had been contaminated with melamine.

SmartPak has also tested each of its other four brands for melamine contamination, and there was no melamine detected in the samples of these foods. Those brands are LiveSmart Adult Chicken and Brown Rice, LiveSmart Senior Chicken and Brown Rice, and LiveSmart Puppy Chicken and Brown Rice.

Questions regarding this recall may be directed to Paal Gisholt, the company's president and CEO, who may be reached at 800 461-8898. Affected customers are asked to call the company's toll free customer service number at 800 461-8898, which is available 24/7. Additional information will be reported on the company's website as it becomes available.

Consumers with questions about the pet food they use should visit the FDA Web site at www.fda.gov.

Reports say pet food death toll exceeds 8,000

2007-05-03T22:44:00.000-06:00

Just a few days into this nightmare I projected that the number of pet deaths would reach 10,000. It won't be much longer before the FDA's numbers back up that projection. I really hate being right about this, especially since so many pets will have died and not been counted for one reason or another. (Including countless feral cats being fed recalled food, who would have just stopped showing up one day.)

From The Los Angeles Times

By Abigail Goldman and Don Lee, Times Staff Writer
7:22 PM PDT, May 3, 2007

Consumers have reported the deaths of as many as 8,500 dogs and cats as a result of tainted pet food, federal officials said Thursday.

In the two months since dead pets led to a massive U.S. pet food recall, the Food and Drug Administration said about half of the calls to its hotline were from owners of deceased cats and dogs.

Officials said the agency has not confirmed those reports, but added that the numbers of allegations likely will increase as it catches up with a backlog of calls reporting sick or dead animals.

The statistics came as the FDA tried to reassure consumers about the food supply for both pets and humans: The pet food recall was expanded; food safety agents were dispatched to U.S. food manufacturers for inspections; and Chinese authorities reportedly detained the head of a Chinese company suspected of shipping contaminated wheat gluten to U.S. pet food suppliers.

Canada-based Menu Foods Income Fund, which first identified a health risk in its products in March, expanded its recall list late Wednesday to include 3 million more cans and pouches of pet food.

That new list, adding to the company's previously announced recalls of more than 60 million products, includes foods that may have been tainted by cross-contamination, Menu Foods said.

Federal officials traced the initial problem to protein concentrates imported from China that were tainted with melamine and other chemicals.

On Thursday's call, new food safety czar David Acheson said he wanted to assure consumers that the human food supply was safe. "It is very unlikely that there is a human health effect here," Acheson said.

In addition to tightening import rules for similar food ingredients from China, the FDA said it has begun visiting domestic food manufacturers to "raise awareness" and test Chinese ingredients.

Some of the tainted pet foods were sold for use in feed for 6,000 hogs and nearly 3 million chickens destined for human consumption.

Chinese authorities have detained the head of a Chinese company suspected of shipping melamine-contaminated wheat gluten to pet food suppliers in the U.S., according to news reports Thursday.

The arrest of Mao Lijun comes after he repeatedly denied in interviews that his company exported wheat gluten, The New York Times reported. Mao is the general manager of Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co., based in Jiangsu Province, north of Shanghai.

Until a few days ago, Xuzhou Anying's Web site stated that its products include wheat gluten and ESB Protein Powder, an additive for animal feed that artificially boosts the protein content. The company, founded in 1995, said that its "latest researched, developed and produced" ESB powder was "a new way to solve the problem of shortage of protein resource."

"Don't be fooled by those names. Whatever they call it, NPN, ESB ... no matter how good they boast their products are ... they are all the same, it's still melamine," said Zhang Huimin, president of Hebei Haojia Husbandry Co. in Handan city.

Goldman reported from Los Angeles and Lee from Shanghai.

And from The New York Times (thanks Mike!)

Pet Food Tracker

Dog Deaths and Illness from "Real Ham Bones" Pork Bone Treats, NO Recall

FDA Warns Dog Owners on Chicken Treats

Bravo! Recalls frozen Raw Pet Food

Smokehouse Brand Dog Treats Pulled by Petsmart

AVMA Warns about Jerky Dog Treats

In memory of those we've lost

Canidae Dry Dog Food tests positive for Acetaminophen in Private Test

Why hasn't Bestro's Chicken Jerky been recalled?

Many Online Reports of Non-Recalled Dog Treats Suspected of Causing Illness/Deaths

Salmonella found in Mars Petcare plant goes back to 2006

Wal-Mart using 'old' packages (update)

FDA testing Dog Treats - More deaths - Other Retailers selling treats

Dog Treats sold at Wal-Mart Contain Melamine

2 Brands of Mars Petcare Dry Dog Food Recalled - Krasdale Gravy and Red Flannel

Wal-Mart pulled 2nd Dog Treat 27 days ago - STILL no announcement

Bone Meal contaminated with Melamine recalled months ago - with no public notice

FDA Enforcement Report July 2007

RECALLS AND FIELD CORRECTIONS: VETERINARY MEDICINE - CLASS II

RECALLS AND FIELD CORRECTIONS: VETERINARY MEDICINE - CLASS III

Cat Owner Files Legal Action Against FDA in Pet Food Deaths

No Melamine

Evidence Destroyed

No Comment

Tainted Treats from Walmart Suspected in Dog's Death - NOT Recalled , FDA Unaware

Natural Balance Eatables Canned Dog food recalled due to botulism

Castleberry’s Expands Voluntary Recall of Hot Dog Chili Sauce and Canned Meat Products

Challenging the FDA

What Experts?

Don't Look, Don't Find

Itchmo has learned Lab finds Cyanuric Acid in Unopened Unrecalled Canned Dog Food

Reports of Illness/Deaths suspected from Non-Recalled Hill's Science Diet foods

Recalled Food Still on Shelves

Itchmo reports: Lab Reports Melamine In Unrecalled Dry Pet Food Exported From US

ASPCA issues alert on Acetaminophen in Pet Food

Some Ol' Roy (Walmart Brand) Dry Dog Food Recalled due to Salmonella

Acetaminophen Update - in at least 6 foods

Texas lab finds pain medicine in pet food - Manufactuer Told - FDA Investigating

Non-Recalled (mostly dry) Foods Causing Illness/Deaths - Many Unconfirmed Reports

Acetaminophen Allegedly found in private test results of 3 unrecalled pet foods, by 2 different labs, sent in by 3 people

Texas lab finds pain medicine in pet food - Manufactuer Told - FDA Investigating

FDA - Avoid Toothpaste from China - some found to contain DEG, a poison

FDA Advises Consumers to Avoid Toothpaste From China Containing Harmful ChemicalFDA Detains One Contaminated Shipment, Issues Import Alert

The latest in head-exploding news...

CORN Gluten intercepted in Canada postive for Melamine and Cyanuric Acid

CBC News

US asks China to monitor exports & CPSC Powerless

No Quorum

Iams Dry Food - Lab Reports Cyanuric Acid In Unrecalled Dry Food

Nutro Dry Products blamed by Pet Owners for Illnesses

Contacted FDA

Deaf Ears

No Response

Nutra Nuggets Dry Dog Food Recalled by Diamond Pet Foods

Stop all Chinese Imports (and a bunch of links)

Nutra Nuggets Dry Dog Food (Not On Recall List)Test Positive For Melamine

Chenango Valley Expands Recall - NEW BRANDS and Ferret food

Chenango Valley Pet Foods Expands Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Certain Pet Foods

Chenango Valley / Lick Your Chops recalls Dry Kitten and Cat Food

Lax FDA allows us to be food guinea pigs

Additional Royal Canin Recalls - 8 Sensible Choice Dry Dog Food and 7 Kasco Dry Dog and Cat Food

2nd Rice Protein Distributor -Refuses to name companies & Summary of Who got What

Chicago-area company implicated in tainted pet food | Chicago Tribune

Latest News and Info... and Coming Soon from PetFoodTracker

FDA - We make FEMA look good

OASIS Refusals by Industry for March 2007 (Note: This is for 1 month only!)

Pesticides, Metals, Chemical Contaminants & Natural Toxins

Invitation to panel discussion of the pet recall crisis

Additional Drs Foster and Smith DRY DOG Food Recalled

USDA: 20 million chickens on farms may have had bad feed

ASPCA Warns Crisis Not Over: More Cases May Be Seen

Additional SmartPak Canine Recall - DRY food - Cross Contamination at another company suspected

SmartPak Canine Voluntarily Recalls LiveSmart Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Formula

Reports say pet food death toll exceeds 8,000

FDA Advises Consumers to Avoid Toothpaste From China Containing Harmful Chemical
FDA Detains One Contaminated Shipment, Issues Import Alert