Contaminated pet food - a PSA
Mar. 23rd, 2007 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vulgarweedShort version of the story: right now in the US there is a horrible scandal involving dogs and cats dying of kidney failure due to contaminants in many popular brands of pet food.
The latest info I've heard is that it is being blamed on a drug that used to be used in chemotherapy but is now banned in the US - however it is still used in China as a rat poison, and it appeared in wheat gluten shipped to the US to manufacturing plants in New Jersey and Kansas (and WTF is with importing Chinese wheat products to KANSAS? Don't we make anything in this country anymore?). Menu Foods is the manufacturer. The problem foods have been canned and pouched wet foods of the gravy-and-chunks type.
This blog has the best and most up-to-date info that I've found: http://2blackcats.wordpress.com/
There are vets posting and answering questions, and there is also info on the Class Action suit that's starting up. If you or anyone you know has a pet that became sick or, gods forbid, died because of this, PLEASE consider joining this suit. Save all vet bills and receipts, document everything, do NOT return food to the stores or hand it over to anyone; it's evidence. It's not about the money. It's about accountability, safety standards, and consequences. Run these sons-of-bitches out of business and warn others that nickel-and-diming our pets to death will not be tolerated. If $$ is all they understand, then that's where to hit 'em.
The latest info I've heard is that it is being blamed on a drug that used to be used in chemotherapy but is now banned in the US - however it is still used in China as a rat poison, and it appeared in wheat gluten shipped to the US to manufacturing plants in New Jersey and Kansas (and WTF is with importing Chinese wheat products to KANSAS? Don't we make anything in this country anymore?). Menu Foods is the manufacturer. The problem foods have been canned and pouched wet foods of the gravy-and-chunks type.
This blog has the best and most up-to-date info that I've found: http://2blackcats.wordpress.com/
There are vets posting and answering questions, and there is also info on the Class Action suit that's starting up. If you or anyone you know has a pet that became sick or, gods forbid, died because of this, PLEASE consider joining this suit. Save all vet bills and receipts, document everything, do NOT return food to the stores or hand it over to anyone; it's evidence. It's not about the money. It's about accountability, safety standards, and consequences. Run these sons-of-bitches out of business and warn others that nickel-and-diming our pets to death will not be tolerated. If $$ is all they understand, then that's where to hit 'em.
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 03:44 am (UTC)Another thing about wet foods... Why on earth does the stuff slop over with 'gravy'? It's entirely for the benefit of bogus human aesthetic sensibilities that it's made that way. Frankly, I think it looks like snot and wouldn't want my cats to touch it.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 03:49 am (UTC)We got lucky with Digory - he likes Fancy Feast, which is not on the list, although it's kind of junky. (He likes the smelly junk food, what can I say...hell, so do we!) And Iams dry food seems OK too.
But this makes me tempted to scratch it all. Over at DU people are posting a lot of recipes to make your own. Why the fuck would you feed cats wheat gluten in the first place? They don't eat that shit in the wild.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 04:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 04:56 am (UTC)More bothersome to me is this news that the wheat gluten was bought from China. I'll bet they thought they were getting a fabulous deal on some cheap wheat, but that it was dirt-cheap for a good reason.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 05:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 05:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-25 06:38 am (UTC)Science Diet dry and regular canned food isn't made by Menu Foods - it's unfortunate that people are assuming that it's the same crap. My vet told me years ago not to use Iams of any kind (it was already linked to kidney disease) - he uses Hill's Prescription & recommends Science Diet.
I actually did feed some of the 'cuts & gravy' type foods to my older cat, who died of kidney failure in February. However, he was 15, diabetic and had gone off his food in the first place, so I don't think it's related, and I'm pretty sure that it was Fancy Feast or Nine Lives. I wouldn't have bought either Iams or generic food under any circumstances. In any case, I think it happened before the contaminated food was sold. I don't know if a lawsuit is really appropriate in this case, unless Menu Foods knew about possible contamination and sold the food anyway.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 06:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 11:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 03:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 03:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 07:38 am (UTC)See this:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8NUCLFG0&show_article=1
Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Julie Zawisza said it is still too early to determine what could have affected the food. Zawisza added that even if wheat gluten is the source "it doesn't necessarily mean the wheat gluten per se. It could be another substance associated with the wheat gluten."
no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 01:02 pm (UTC)And I've got to mirror what
I switched to Hills Prescription Diet when Jacob had his surgery; now I'm wondering if I shouldn't go back to Wellness, just to be safe.