URGENT Pet food recall

[BCOrchidGuy]

There is a recall of most major brands of pet foods through Canada and the USA, from what I can see it's only Cans and Pouches but please take a look. The foods are being recalled because of a large number of illnesses including death of animals.

This link describes the nature of the recall

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/Press_Recall_03162007.htm

This link names the brands of the recalled Dog Foods

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html

This link names the brands of recalled Cat Foods

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_cat.html

Doug

[andsoitgoes]

Wow - Now this is crazy, and I swear is why I pay the extra for my dog and cat food. Thanks for posting this, Doug - great info.

[michika]

Many animals are suffering liver and kidney failure. Its terrible!

Just to let you know that some places will take back all your wet food products even if it is not numbered as the food that is contaminated.

[digital-audiophile]

I have to go through my cupboard but I don't think I have any of these for my cats. Seems like they are the gravy style.

What interest me though is I usually pay a premium to buy Iams or Eukanuba but it looks like they are produced in the same place as Presidents Choice?

[michika]

yup!

More disturbing is that Hill's Science Diet is often recommended for breeds or animals who are already at risk for kidney problems!

[deep6er]

Thats it im going holistic.

[Midknight]

On the news these say these are all the ones that are made in the states and not the Candian stuff.

[BCOrchidGuy]

Now after reading a press release the company that produces these dog foods says the complaints coincided with one of their product ingredients coming from a new supplier so this hasn't been an on-going issue.

I've been a big fan of the Nutro products but lately I've been searching alternatives to commercial dog/cat food. I went out to Costco and bought 18 chicken thighs (8oz each) for just over $12. I think I'll go back to feeding my Whippet a chicken thigh in the afternoon and 8oz of carrots/squash/lettuce for breakfast.

Doug

[EmilyB]

On the news these say these are all the ones that are made in the states and not the Candian stuff.


The pet food was sold throughout North America under both store and major brand labels at Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers.

I know someone who had some of these on her shelf.

[Osiris]

I checked all our foods since we have a diabetic cat. Thankfully we feed our cats get Wellness wet and Eukanuba dry. Our Dogs get Royal Canin Mini Dachshund and mini puppy. My sister had a cat die from massive kidney failure tho. :( Iams use to be a good brand but as the Vet said"If you can buy it where you buy clothing and other stuff it's not premium anymore"

[Ruth]

Now after reading a press release the company that produces these dog foods says the complaints coincided with one of their product ingredients coming from a new supplier so this hasn't been an on-going issue.

I've been a big fan of the Nutro products but lately I've been searching alternatives to commercial dog/cat food. I went out to Costco and bought 18 chicken thighs (8oz each) for just over $12. I think I'll go back to feeding my Whippet a chicken thigh in the afternoon and 8oz of carrots/squash/lettuce for breakfast.

Doug

I have a friend that has sled dogs (about 35 of them) and they feed them all chicken. They get their chicken from the local Hutterite commune and it is basically just older birds that are chopped up and frozen in big blocks which they use a band saw to cut into smaller blocks for feeding. She says that feeding this is cheaper than feeding prepared dog foods, way healthier as the chicken is organic, and provides the high quality protien that working animals need. I guess my point is that it might be worth your while to seek out a poultry operation that might be able to fill you needs cheaper than buying retail at Costco.

[michika]

All of my Iams puppy and adult canned food and packaged foods were part of the recall. Thankfully I hadn't fed any of it yet.

We were at the store today trying to replace the wet foods, and short of Merrick, everything the stores near us sell is on the list.

[Keana]

Here is a link to a CBC Newscast about the dog/cat food recall: http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/vsu/wmv-hi/stucki-petfood070319.wmv

This is why it is best to know your dog or cat's food producer.

Bye, Keana

[BCOrchidGuy]

Premium foods may still be premium foods, reading the press release by the company (Fund) in question they say they make their own and sell it for repackaging but they also make food to contract for other companies.

My only concern with feeding raw chicken is there is always the possibility of steroids being present plus antibiotics and other garbage we don't want. FWIW my brother had an issue almost a year ago, they are feeding their dog a food available ONLY through a vet, my brothers wife and dog both got ecoli from the dog food. I guess what I'm saying is, no matter how hard you we try to do the right thing for our pets there is always a risk of something going wrong.

Doug

[wetcoast]

I purchased some cat food about a month back and immediately my cat vomitted. I held onto the receipt and tried feeding him the same food a couple days later, and then a couple days later. He has done this before, however not as frequent and usually because he ate too much at once. I took it back shortly there after claiming there was something wrong with it - as he was able to digest another type of food without issue.. This recall does not surprise me! I hope all your canines and felines are ok!

[demon666]

my dry food is not on the list.... we feed benefuil dry and ol'roy caned and pouched foods.... yes ol'roy is on the list but not the specific type i feed....... and we get our dog food at walmart and superstore

[Skimmerking]

That is why i pay top dollar for our little pooch and he also recieves fresh chicken breast along with cook lean ground beef. he gets that stuff we eat. only the best for our FRODO Baggins....


even if he only hits the scale at a whooping 5 lbs with no man parts and alot of attitude....:lol:


mike

[i have crabs]

my wife called the hotline number to check on some food we have,wasnt on the list but the person on the phone said thier is gonna be a lot more brands added posibly and not all of the affected foods are on the list if thier are smaller side brands.they said you should not feed any soft foods for the next while untill they know all the affected foods.i know friskies wasnt on the list but it is affected,thank goodnes none of my foods where affected but im still not feeding any soft food for a while.

[Ruth]

Premium foods may still be premium foods, reading the press release by the company (Fund) in question they say they make their own and sell it for repackaging but they also make food to contract for other companies.

My only concern with feeding raw chicken is there is always the possibility of steroids being present plus antibiotics and other garbage we don't want. FWIW my brother had an issue almost a year ago, they are feeding their dog a food available ONLY through a vet, my brothers wife and dog both got ecoli from the dog food. I guess what I'm saying is, no matter how hard you we try to do the right thing for our pets there is always a risk of something going wrong.

Doug

Whether you buy it direct from the seller or retail from Costco/Safeway etc. those same things are likely to be in any retail meat/chicken. That is why they go to the Hutterite colony for organic. I am going to go that route for my pooches this spring when they do another cull.

[Doug]

I've been a big fan of the Nutro products
Doug

Sheez, I just switched our 10yr. old large dog to it{dry food}, from Pedigree. However, from what I can find its only wet foods effected so far?

And as for feeding a top quality brand at more cost for your pets being safe, well many of these listed brands are just that. So it can happen to any I guess.

[Doug]

Our Dogs get Royal Canin Mini Dachshund and mini puppy.

How do they like that. We are thinking of switching our 6month old weiner to it. He is a reg. though, so larger and is still on a puppy food.

[michika]

If you are looking for a good non contaminated food I would highly recommend Acana or Orijin. Its made in Morinville, Alberta, so no worries about contamination, it came recommended to us from the Edmonton Humane Society and it was also recommended by our vet.

[BCOrchidGuy]

Thanks Michika, I'll look into that stuff. Sadly there are no Hutterite communities that I am aware of around here and I doubt I'd find a listing in the phone book (joke).

My personal observations with my Whippet are, when I feed a premium food he has about half to a quarter of the stool he has when fed food from Costco/Walmart/Safeway etc... When I fed him raw chicken and a veggie mix in the morning his stool was looser but if I didn't clean it up with in a couple of days it would turn solid and when I did try to pick it up it would crumble into dust. In the summer his stool would be white by the next day and again turn to powder. Even with premium dry food his stool lasts for a long time and it's stinky and messy to clean up.

With my dog being a Whippet he doesn't like the winters, he's not fond of autumn or early spring either. When I feed him raw chicken he likes to play with it a bit, drop it on the ground/floor etc... I can't feed it to him indoors or he'd get raw chicken all over the carpets so I have to feed it to him outside. I'm thinking I'll build him a dog house this spring, maybe he'd take it in there to eat it when the weather turns ugly.

If anyone does want to try the raw food recipes do a google search on alternative dog food or cat food. Raw Meaty Bones (RMB) is another good search. One thing I found is that apple cider vinegar added to the chicken makes the bones rubbery PLUS it is an excellent healthy addition to most dog and cats diets.

http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/acvfordogs.html

Of the 22 minerals essential for health, apple cider vinegar contains 19 in exactly the right amounts. *Some* of these minerals are potassium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, sulphur, iron, copper, silicon and pectin. ACV also contains natural malic and tartaric acids which are important in fighting body toxins and inhibiting unfriendly bacteria.

Doug

[Keana]

Good posts here..... Making your own food is an excellent idea. You can best trust the quality of the food you produce above all others.

I find that if a dog on raw has consistently loose or very dry stools it is likely the amount of bone/calcium. Loose would need more bone and dry/dust would need less. However it can also be linked to organ meat content.

A basic recipe that works well for dogs or cats is:
Beef roast
Beef liver, kidney, & heart. Green tripe if you can get it.
Fruit & veg puree.
Ground bone, chicken carcass works very well.

For dogs, 75% to 85% Meat (20% to 30% of this volume is organ meats) & 25% to 15% fruit & veg puree.

For cats, 95% to 100% Meat (20% to 30% of this volume is organ meats) & 5% to none fruit & veg puree.

Cut up beef and organs, add 20% to 30% ground bone, appropriate amount of fruit & veg puree. Not hard but can be a little time consuming to do it the proper way. Many types of meats can be used and the wider verity of organ meats the better. If no organ meat is available you need to add other vitamins and such.

Evey animal is an individual and so it is a great idea to make their food for them and learn what works for them and what does not.

Cooked recipes can be found on the net just as easily as many other raw food recipes. Cooked recipes require a lot more additives to replace what is lost in the cooking.

Keana

[BCOrchidGuy]

Keana, one additional note to this thread, some veggies inhibit the uptake of calcium, broccoli is one of the worst and sadly my dog goes nutty over broccoli stalks.

Doug

[EmilyB]

I think you have to be careful when trying to concoct a diet for your dog. This should be left to experts in dog nutrition. I recall being given a recipe from a vet once for a short term homemade dog diet food, and there were several ingredients (vitamins, minerals, etc) that I had to obtain from various sources to ensure this diet was balanced.

I've been using Deli-Fresh for my moist feedings, for a while now, not cheap, but certainly worth having the balancing act done for me. That along with Canidae dry has made an amazing difference in my dog's coat.

[Keana]

Broccoli is toxic to cats and dogs and they should never have it... It is toxic in about the same about as chocolate. To add to that list, garlic, onions, raisins or grapes, or mushrooms.

Bye, Keana

[Ruth]

I have been feeding one of my dogs food from this Canadian manufacturer for about 6 weeks now and am quite pleased with it. http://pets1st.ca/pets1st.asp
My other doggie is on a special diet because she has problem with her liver and has to be monitored quite closely.
I am thinking about switching my 2 cats to the Pets 1st brand as well.

[BCOrchidGuy]

Keana, I'll look into that, I've never heard that garlic or broccoli are toxic, onions grapes and raisins yes ( apple seeds are toxic as well). Thanks, I just have to say there is a ton of good information on this thread.

Doug

[Keana]

The list of what is generally toxic to dogs and cats is long.... Garlic is often given to dogs and cats because people think it helps keep fleas away and has other benefits. From what I have seen it does nothing for fleas but it may well have some other benefits. A healthy dog or cat does not easily get fleas. Fleas will try and host on a sick animal of possible. There are many safe ways to deal with fleas that do not involve garlic. This is why I leave it out of our food.... Broccoli is toxic to dogs and cats in the same amount as chocolate, roughly 10% of animals body weight. Give a dog or cat some broccoli, give them some chocolate, almost the same thing. One of my friends cats Momo loves broccoli...! She still feeds it to him and he is still alive. I don't advocate it but then again I don't advocate feeding overly commercialized and heavily processed dog and cat foods also.... It's a personal decision we make for ourselves and our loved ones. I guess thats all we can do. We make the best choices we can, provide a loving home, care for them when they are sick, baby them like they are our babies. Everyone here clearly loves their companion animals.

Bye, Keana

[Raf]

great thread!

Has anyone ever heard or tried Go Natural for their cat or dog? It came highly reccomended to us for picky eaters like our min pin Kio.

thoughts?

:)

[Raf]

Guys, just to make extra sure since I don't see these cat foods on the list:

Purina Friskies canned pate

and

No Name brand canned pate

I assume these are in the clear?