# Alert .. Pet Food Recall



## JustBonee (Aug 16, 2013)

Got this in an email this morning:  

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recall/iams-eukanuba-dog-cat-food-recall/


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 16, 2013)

Thanks Bonnie, someone notified us about that on Pet Forums also.  I don't feed either of those brands.


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## That Guy (Aug 16, 2013)

Great.  Just great.  Isn't IAMS supposed to be just . . . great?  Can't even blame the Chinese.


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## Ozarkgal (Aug 16, 2013)

Thanks for posting that Boo's Mom..that's a good informational site.  I signed up for e-mail alerts a couple of years ago from them.

 When I got my first Gangsta years ago I started feeding Eukanuba. I seemed to be a good food, not cheap, and my dogs did fine on it. I began to notice over time that the dogs didn't do as well on it, coats were dull and energy levels were low. Then came the huge dog food recall of several major brands and in researching dog manufactures I found that the majority of them are all processed in the same plant, so cross contamination is easy. This gave me incentive to research the companies that made dog food and the process. I was pretty horrified at what I found overall.
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 I came up with a brand called Innova. It was a small family owned company that had their own processing plant and used human quality ingredients. I felt comfortable with this and began buying it. Because it was a small company with limited distribution, it was not easy to find off the shelf, so I ordered it online. It was a good food and the Ganstas did great on it....Then, they sold out to Proctor and Gamble and of course, they assured their customers that nothing would change. I was very skeptical, but continued to feed it until two of the Gangstas that were on it came up very sick. 

 The vet could find no specific reason for all the vomiting and diarrhea, and I suggested maybe the food since Ohno wasn't on it and he was fine.  He agreed I may have gotten a bad batch.  I called the company and sent back a sample, along with the lot number.  Of course, they disavowed there was anything wrong with it. 

 Back to the drawing board of searching out a replacement and I came up with a brand called Precise.  They are a small company in Nacadoches, Texas that  uses human grade ingredients.  Again, because of the small company and limited distribution, I have to buy it online.  That's really easier for me since it is automatically delivered to my doorstep every six weeks.

I feel compelled to research these dog food companies out because I feel like I dodged a bullet with that major recall.  Lesser recalls are happening constantly, and Boo's Mom's website keeps me alerted.  They do this not only for dog food, but cat food and treats as well.

Here is a good article, not for the squeamish though, about what actually goes into processed pet food:

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/shocking-truth-about-dog-food/

There are no easy answers to making sure commercial dog foods are safe to feed your pet, but short of becoming a canine or feline nutritional expert, buying ingredients and cooking meals for your pet, it's what we have to work with.  Quality dog food is not cheap, and there are no guarantees after doing all the research that your dog food will not end up on a recall list tomorrow.

 Also, I will add that there are many proponent of feeding a raw diet to dogs. I really don't know the if there is proven nutritional validity to this, but I do feel this is unsafe, both for the dog and the human handlers as salmonella and e-Coli can be spread on uncooked meats. It is very hard to maintain an environment disinfected from this when a dog is chewing raw bones and meat, and possibly getting it on the floor, paws, face, and wherever they may lick after eating. This can be especially dangerous for small children and people with compromised immune systems.

One other thing I will ad is that it is surprising how little vets actually know about dog nutrition.  They will push the brands they sell on the shelf because they get nice incentives from the dog food companies to do so, but they have little knowledge of how they are made, or what's actually it them.  Some of the high priced prescription diets sold exclusively by vets are the nutritionally worst on the market.


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## Jillaroo (Aug 16, 2013)

_A scientist friend of my daughter tested Eukanuba a while back and found that there is rubber preservative in it, and that was supposed to be the best brand, maybe we all need to go back to what we used to feed our pets years ago, all natural unprocessed food._


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 16, 2013)

I feed my dog Kirkland Chicken and Rice dry food, which has pretty good ingredients and a high rating.  They sell it at Costco, which is a 'club membership' that we belong to.  The cat gets Blue Buffalo that we just buy from local stores like Petsmart.  Dogfoodadvisor is a good site Ozarkgal, and I only started researching what was REALLY in dog food after I lost an 8 yr. old dog to cancer...made the switch then to higher quality foods.

I was feeding Ol' Roy food from Walmart...when I found out what was in it, I gave away a large bag and couple of cases of canned to a woman who was struggling to feed her dog, and wasn't concerned of the health concerns at the time.  Good thing was I made her aware of the ingredients, and she had some knowledge to make future choices.

I tried the completely grain-free foods, and had some rectal bleeding in my dogs, so that turned me off...don't know if the protein content was too high or what.  As far as canned, which I put a spoonful in with the dry, I've been using Canidae, and Chicken Soup brand with good luck.

One thing I know is not to overreact to pet food recalls, unless of course if it involves things like 'melamine' found in products from China.  Other than that, there are lots of recalls in human foods that we hear of all the time.  I personally think I'm immune from things like e-coli or salmonella, LOL.


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## JustBonee (Aug 18, 2013)

SeaBreeze said:


> One thing I know is not to overreact to pet food recalls, unless of course if it involves things like 'melamine' found in products from China.  Other than that, there are lots of recalls in human foods that we hear of all the time.  I personally think I'm immune from things like e-coli or salmonella, LOL.



I agree with that for sure.  *Everyday * something people or animal (food) is recalled.  I do think we are getting immune to the whole process of being on alert to bad products out there....  probably not a good thing.   
I like Blue cat & dog food too.  Get it on occasion.  I'm used to buying Purina Pro Plan mostly... Lamb or Chicken & Rice ... darn expensive though!  
I don't understand why Ol' Roy is still on the shelves at the store.  .. many animals died from eating it.  Did they revamp the ingredients or something?   I would never trust the Chinese  and whatever they claim.


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 18, 2013)

I doubt that Walmart revamped the formula, maybe the packaging over the years to make it seem more healthy and natural.  Truth is, that many people have little money to care for their pets, but they want pets nonetheless.  Those are the people who buy the cheapest food on the store shelves, because they have to pay bills and buy other things for their family.  When I was young, I did try to get deals when it came to pet food, and I didn't have the knowledge I have today to read an ingredient label, and know the bad stuff from the good.  When I started to become aware of the foods that I was eating, and did the same with my pets...all for the better.

When I was feeding the canned Ol' Roy, many times there was a foul odor when opening the can, I just figured that's what dog food was like.  I also recall a couple of times seeing something gray and hairy looking in the can, but never threw it out, didn't think too much about it.  Now, all the canned foods I feed my dog and cat smell great, they're not off-putting at all, and smell like something I could eat if I had to.

Of course, people used to say that the old, poor people would eat cat food instead of people food...nowadays, it's less expensive to buy the people food, lol.


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## Ozarkgal (Aug 18, 2013)

The truth is just about every major brand has experienced recalls over the past few years. It doesn't matter how much you pay for your dog food, it's just as susceptible to bacterial or other contamination as Ol' Roy. In fact, in the 2007 major recall there were well over 100 brands recalled, including some prescription diet ones. There were over 8500 deaths reported as a result of the contamination.

The problem comes in when the majority of dogs foods are processed at a few plants, using the same ingredients. Formulas may be different, but the ingredients aren't.  This includes pet food, from the low end brand such as Ol' Roy to the premium brands, some of which were mentioned on here. If one brand gets contaminated, the chances for numerous other brands to also be contaminated is great.

 This is a very concise and educational article about dog food ingredients and manufacturing if anyone is interested in knowing more about what goes into the making and marketing of your pet food and why salmonella is so common. http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=359

Innova, the high end the food I used to feed, that Proctor and Gamble bought out, had four major recalls last year after the buyout. This is why I seek out small indy companies that do their own processing, using human grade ingredients.  After Innova sold out and they started processing the food in industrial plants the problems started.

 Apart from the major recall of 2007, which was contributed melamine tainted vegetable proteins, most recalls involve salmonella and some e-coli, a few with antibiotics, and some with vitamin and mineral imbalances. 

Apart from salmonella causing severe digestive tract problems, it can effect some humans and pets in this manner. This was put out by the Center for Disease Control:
*
Are there Long-Term Consequences to a Salmonella Infection?*

_Persons with diarrhea usually recover completely, although it may be several months before their bowel habits are entirely normal. A small number of persons with Salmonella develop pain in their joints, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. This is called reactive arthritis. It can last for months or years, and can lead to chronic arthritis which is difficult to treat. Antibiotic treatment does not make a difference in whether or not the person develops arthritis.

_Given the ingredients they are allowed to process for pet food and the sometimes fatal consequences for both animal and humans, I won't be taking recalls lightly. As with the 2007 recalls it took quite some time to figure out what was actually causing the deaths. I worked in a vet clinic during this time and saw several well loved pets of our clients die from this horrific situation.

Ask me what I think of the Chinese and their total reckless disregard for life as long as they can make money.


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## JustBonee (Aug 19, 2013)

Ozarkgal said:


> Innova, the high end the food I used to feed, that Proctor and Gamble bought out, had four major recalls last year after the buyout. This is why I seek out small indy companies that do their own processing, using human grade ingredients.  After Innova sold out and they started processing the food in industrial plants the problems started.



Who are the companies using human grade ingredients? 

The best thing I've thought to do, and I usually do this once a week or so,  is make up a batch of Minute Brown Rice.  I throw a bunch of popcorn chicken, or something along that line, in the oven .... then  break it into small pieces and mix it into the rice.  I keep a large bowl of this mixture in the frig., and mix a little in the dog bowls on a regular basis.  It stretches out their Purina Pro Plan  food a lot, and saves me money.  And I hope stretches out their little lives.   But I really don't know.  
I started this practice last March, when I didn't have my husband to cook for anymore.   And it just became "someone" to cook for ...


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 19, 2013)

According to this site, Canidae, Eagle Pack Holistic Select, Flint River and Wellness are a few that are using human grade ingredients...http://dogs.about.com/od/nutrition/tp/Natural-and-Holistic-Dog-Foods.htm


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## JustBonee (Aug 19, 2013)

My poor doggies ... they will either have to be happy with what they've got .. OR go out and get part time jobs.layful:
Their budget for food and treats is already way over mine. ..hehe


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## Ozarkgal (Aug 19, 2013)

Boo's Mom..very sweet that you get satisfaction for cooking for your dog face kids, and I'm sure they look forward to that treat also. I have to do the rice and boneless/skinless chicken thing too to help supplement. Cost is a big consideration for feeding my boys too. It cost me as much to feed my crew every month, because of Ohno's special diet, as it would to feed one horse.

 Ohno is on a prescription diet and at $64.00 for 24 cans, a month's worth, plus his prescription dry food, $17.00 for 7 pound bag, canned pumpkin for fiber and greek yogurt for his touchy tummy, he breaks my budget every month.

In addition, Ohno will not drink water...his motto is "No water will pass my lips." Because of this he ended up with bladder stones, so now in order to entice him to drink I have to boil a boneless skinless chicken breast in water, puree it until it's mush and mix it in two gallons of water. This he will drink, so he get a nice big bowl of soup with his meals. 

Ohno is on a completely different diet from Rooney and Squiggy. They are on Precise Holistic Senior, at $54.00 for a 30 pound bag, which lasts two dogs 6-7 weeks.  They get their Greek yogurt also, and they all get a fish oil cap everyday. 

 What won't we do for these critters! I wish I could cook all meals for the Gangstas, but in researching it, I found it would be very expensive, time consuming and you   almost need to be a dog nutritionist to develop a good formulation that includes all the protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals in the right combination...to much for my brain and energy level these days.


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