I imagine that everyone has heard about the pet food recall, but I wanted to make sure. With 3 cats and a dog of my own, and a feral cat colony I caretake, I was shocked when I read the list of recalled foods. Luckily, the canned food I feed my kitties is not on the list, and my dog only eats dry food. To see if your pet’s food is on the list, check here:

Menu Foods Recall List

A disturbing sidebar to this already disturbing story is that the FDA won’t release information about the suspect gluten supplier that is likely responsible for the contaminated food. On the other hand, experts are mystified at the kidney failures, since gluten is generally not thought to cause kidney failure (though heavy metal is). And pet owners who have suffered the loss of a pet due to kidney failure as a result of feeding this food have no legal recourse, because in the eyes of the law, a pet is nothing more than property. One woman is suing, claiming that Menu Foods knew of the problem and delayed the recall. Menu Foods received complaints about the food in February (the really creepy thing is that they then fed it to a test group of animals, a number of which subsequently died). Source

I think the death toll is going to be much, much higher. One of my cats died last year of kidney failure. Though the food I fed him was not on the list, it gives me pause.

It also makes me wonder how many other pet foods are filled with dangerous stuff. Some of the brands in the recall are so-called premium brands, while others are “supermarket” brands (which brings up another interesting question: how can the food can be packaged and priced in such a wide range for what is essentially the same product??)
LB Press-Telegram

This recall is having and will have a profound effect on pet owners and shelters across the country. Many shelters and rescue organizations are having to dispose of large quantities of food, which they cannot afford to do, as most operate on shoestring budgets and the kindness of donors.

Should the laws that identify pets as property be revised?

What recourse should be available to pet owners who suffer the loss of a pet in such a manner?

What could/should be done about pet food information labeling?

What recourse should be available to pet owners who suffer the loss of a pet in such a manner?
They should be able to recover the values of the pet ( and more ) from companies shown to have poisioned pets

What could/should be done about pet food information labeling?
Not sure. Lets remember this is food that is by definition “not fit for human consumption”.

I stopped giving my dog “dog food” after I read stories related to the last “Mad Cow” event in this country. What I learned is sick “downer” animals, including animals with cancer, tumors., etc., are all shipped directly to PET FOOD companies. Like it or not most “bad” or spoiled human food as well as fillers of all kinds are major ingredients of pet food.

What recourse should be available to pet owners who suffer the loss of a pet in such a manner?
All owners of pets who died as a result of this bad pet food should be able to file a class action lawsuit against the dog food companies involved. After one of my dogs had her gall bladder removed the vet told us she should only eat cooked brown rice and chicken breast. At the time I wondered "why no dogfood?", and now I know! One would think that the "premium" brands at least would be "fit for human consumption". Not so, apparently.

What could/should be done about pet food information labeling?
I really don't have a clue about this one!

Should the laws that identify pets as property be revised?
IMO the laws should be revised. Other than "property", another category should be found for pets/companions.

"Although a few courts have permitted pet owners to recover for the loss of their pet's companionship when the pet has been killed or injured, this is not the usual rule. More commonly, in suits for the negligent or purposeful infliction of harm to the animal, courts hold that it is the market value of the animal that counts."

"Under this view, the "sentimental attachment" of an owner to his or her pet has no place in the computation of damages for the animal's death or injury. Even the most beloved mutt or tabby is deemed virtually worthless: rescued from an animal shelter for a nominal fee, they can be "replaced" at the same expense."

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/mariner/20030217.html

I'm not sure this is an accurate assesment. It's an expensive endavour to render meats, bones and such into products that go into a food. Thus having few plants that make those ingredients is logical. Different companies have different 'recipes' as to what goes into their food, what ingredients and what percentages. A quick comparison of the top few ingredients in each food will highlight these differences.

I cook for my dog. Kibble/processed food is just not worth the money or the risk.

Should the laws that identify pets as property be revised?

Would this help manufacturing problems in the pet food industry?

What recourse should be available to pet owners who suffer the loss of a pet in such a manner?

That's difficult to say except it would be based on the value of the animal.

What could/should be done about pet food information labeling?

Do you mean should the label warn if rat poison is an ingredient?

Was the sarcasm meant for me? If so, please note that I started the topic well before it was discovered that rat poison was the source of the contamination. Plus, the point of the question is that should IAMS/Nutro/Pet Pride, etc. have something on their label, i.e. "a product of Menu Foods".

It looks like they still don't know how the poison got in the food.

Though, since the stuff is banned in the US, it seems likely that the tainted wheat came from another country (China?) who isn't so picky. Should pet owners be aware that their food contains products from countries that don't have the kinds of controls the US does? I think they should.

Another bit of sarcasm? How would anyone be able to put a dollar value on an animal that may have been a companion for a decade or more?

BTW: I feed the two avatar demons a weight control food sold as a prescription by vets. It's $40.00 for 18 pounds, but well worth it.

They were about four pounds overweight when they were one year old. They've lost a little.

I agree - the worth of my furry friends can't be measured in dollars. This whole thing is so infuriating because there is that subset of people that are like: so what, it's just an animal. Sure, Remy, Bogart, Punkin and Ziggy may "only" be a dog and cats, but they give me more unconditional love, laughter, and companionship than any of the humans in my life.

Update

It now appears that a chemical called “melamine” was found in the contaminated pet food - not rat poison.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17870750/

BoF, I thought the melamine was in addition to the rat poison?

Man, the bad news for animals just keeps on coming. There's a woman in Ohio who was passing herself off as a "rescuer", when in reality she was killing the animals given to her by drowning them in a trash can. They say she's killed 650 animals. In my home town, a woman who ran a "shelter" is on trial for animal abuse and neglect.

Poor critters can't get a break.

I agree. The treatment of animals is horrible.

I am glad though that after a week this story still has legs. It hasn't gone away because the victims were "just animals."

Maybe something good will come of this in the way of pet food regulation.

As an aside, I don't believe the Genesis account of creation., but if it were true, it would have been cool being Adam and naming all the animals.

I love "them" furry creatures.

Here is the latest

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,262690,00.html

It seems – now that they are looking – that there are a host of bad things in Pet food. So IMO the lax oversight has lead to companies pouring just about anything into pet food.

I sure am glad I stopped feeding my dog this crap!

Do the recalls cover dry cat food? I have three bags (different flavors) of Purina One. The lists I've browsed have recalled wet food but I haven't seen one for dry food. Funny thing is when I bought the bags I almost got a new wet food packet (treats). I'm glad I didn't.

I heard a report on TV that said it did not cover dry food.

So far, Hills Pet Nutrition, Inc. is the only company that has recalled any dry food, but it is their prescription cat food, which I think is important to note.

It never ends. Now, they have added several treats to the recall.

I'm fed up. I'm calling my vet and asking about cooking for my pets. I don't even know who to trust anymore. When a freakin' prescription food that you have to buy at a vet's office is tainted, what does that say for quality control??

I read an article that said pet cookbook sales are up tremendously. In fact, Amazon now has a waiting list for their most popular one. It used to be people who cooked their pets' food were cranks...now they look like the most sane among us.

Whoo, boy, here are some more:

Thanks Cyan.

My vet quit dealing with Hills about a year ago. She now gets her prescription food from Puina.

I need to buy some Purina OM now. I'm someone what concerned and plan to ask her if she's been in contact with Purina.

I started cooking my own dog's food (he died a couple of years ago of old age) about five years ago for a skin ailment. Before it was PC, I guess (I was one of those cranks). Every morning I steamed rice and chicken for him. Initially, the lamb and rice company formula worked for his skin ailment, but it stopped working. I am convinced, and have always been convinced, that the (very expensive) formula catered towards pet skin problems was full of impurities once the company was outsourced to China.

I believe that this is a very bad sign of things to come. My father-in-law recently installed all-copper (or bronze, whatever is the most expensive) pipes in his home. He did this because he knows that copper (bronze?) plumbing lasts forever....well, reputedly but not in this case. Just as pet food from China is compromised with rat poison, copper pipes from China (purchased unknowingly at Home Depot) are compromised with impurities. It's more of the same thing. His pipes started leaking after only two years' installation. As long as we rely on China, the cheap country with no quality control whatsoever, we will see these problems. Pet food/plumbing/Doc Martin shoes are the beginning there is more to come. What is the answer? I wouldn't mind paying more for something better, but that requires a real alternative.

Oh, crap. I just had all the plumbing in my house replaced with copper from - you guessed it - Home Depot. Since HD has priced nearly all smaller companies out of business, it's no wonder all we're getting is cheap junk from China. <sigh>

As for pet food, I've been doing some research, and I think I am going to start feeding Innova (first two ingredients are turkey and chicken, and 3rd and 4th are chicken and turkey meal, and there are also egg and veggies). Castor & Pollux also look good, but for the small difference in price, I'm going with Innova.

Hopefully, the finicky little felines will eat it.

Oh, BoF, check Purina labels - some of them have corn gluten, and others wheat gluten (Purina ONE). Better safe than sorry.

Oh my.


You know, this is casual conversation, and I don't want to turn this into a hot economic debate, but it seems to me that, should gradma drop dead from poison, her passing isn't going to speak well of globalization, or lowering quality/standards for economic efficiency.

I read that, too. If grandma did keel over from contaminated food, you can bet your sweet bippy the FDA and all the consumer advocates would be all over this.

P.S. This is Current Events - I think a discussion on lowered standards of lack of adequate controls are valid topics of discussion.

Maybe a glimmer of light

Animals, I think, have a 6th sense. They know when something belongs to them. When I bring a new bag of food home, they know it's theirs even before I open it. Too bad they can't sense when something is harmful. The very thought that I might be bringing something home that could kill them is overpowering.

I bought an 18 lb. bag of Purina OM today from my vet. Wheat flour as well as corn are listed as ingredients but no glutens of any type.

To make sure, I asked my vet. Her staff said that several customers had been asking questions. She said that "doc" had been in contact with Purina and nothing in OM had come from suppliers of contaminated sources.

"Doc" has a cat that's 19-years-old.

Should the laws that identify pets as property be revised?

That was tried here in Colorado, but don't think the law went through. It would have increased the liability for animal abuse, if I remember correctly. Selling poison as food would come under the category of animal abuse -- so was this risk well known among certain production circles? It's one of those nagging questions about the strong resistance against raising the status of animals to near-human.

We already know that eating food meant for human consumption is risky, especially in an era of lax inspections due to weakened regulatory agencies. Caveat emptor falls flat when we're talking about dying from a fast-food burger.

So I'm not for raising the status of animals, but I am for stricter monitoring of our food sources, including food meant for x-ine consumption.

What recourse should be available to pet owners who suffer the loss of a pet in such a manner?

The present laws are sufficient, and the bad press is working to pull away pet owners from lax food suppliers. The sting at the bottom line will likely make the manufacturers more careful, such as doing chemical analysis of ingredients and final product.

What could/should be done about pet food information labeling?

If I were the CEO of Purina et al., I'd be hiring chemists and insist that before importation, the contract would be clear that any tainted ingredients would carry with them heavy penalties, such as no payment, billing for disposal, and no further business. I would put that information on the labels.

I'd also test domestic ingredients. Seems like common sense to me, that the caveat emptor burden lies with the manufacturer/supplier and not the consumer. You know, if the business is supposed to be legit.

BTW, I refuse to cook the mice and occassional bird the cats bring home. Fortunately, I not only don't I have to feed the deer, it's illegal. Forget about the rare bear that comes on through the neighborhood. But I can see a cookbook coming to me somewhere down the line.

Gee, thanks a LOT, Purina et al.!

I believe that most of the problems are with the “wet” foods made by Menu and sold under various brand names.

The dry food, I thought, was pretty much ok. In any case most vets will give you food recipes for your dog or cat. The cost to the canned food is about the same and you don’t have to worry about killing your animal.

IMO even when the food is not contaminated with deadly chemicals as this food was it is really garbage. Made from ingredients that include sick and/or dead animals and various scraps and waste from the food processing industry, including animals killed by cancer, etc. There is no real standard for quality except that it not contain poison or deadly bacteria.

The days and weeks go by and it continues getting worse. More food has been added to the recall list, and Menu has expanded their timeline to include another month earlier. There’s talk that the melamine contamination may have been deliberate. A Senate hearing was held to question the FDA and the Pet Food Institute (a really rough transcript is available here and I believe CSPAN aired the hearing as well). Some retailers are still being lax about removing the contaminated food from their shelves.



So, more food has been added to the list. Please check that your pet food isn’t on it. From some of the statements made during the Senate meeting, cross-"contamination" of different types of food is possible (where one brand gets into another brand packaging).

I admit this was a wake-up call for me. I’ve always resisted feeding the super premium pet food because of expense. As long as my pets were thriving, it wasn't a concern. The tainted food made me research pet foods in depth. And since my pets mean the world to me, I even considered cooking my own pet food. What I found is that it is difficult to get the right blend of nutrients into homemade diets. And I learned there are more excellent organic pet foods out there than I ever realized. Once you get out of the typical grocery store or giant pet chain, there are many stores, both online and brick and mortar that carry healthy, nutritious pet foods.

If anything can be described as “good” to come out of this tragedy, it’s that pet owners are educating themselves as to what’s in their pet’s food, and the regulatory agencies responsible for ensuring stuff like this doesn’t happen are being held accountable. Kudos to Dick Durbin, Bob Bennett and all the other Senators who participated!

IMO there are no “super premium” pet foods. Organic or not they use dead animals, scraps, and food form wherever. Rather than use any “pet food” just make your own. There are lots of easy recipies out there and pets like it better. Even hot dogs (the cheapest you can find) are devoured by most pets and you can buy dried vitamins and bone meal to add to the meals you make – or to leftovers.

Bottom line is it is cheaper and easier to feed pets “real food” and not take a chance.

Not true. In order to carry the “organic” label, the ingredients must meet human food requirements.

As for hot dogs? I wouldn’t even eat them. Talk about being full of gross stuff!

Well 95% is just 5% less than 100 in my book and the balance can be "not fit for human consumption". Dead animals are "organic".

Most humans do eat dead animals, Ted.

I was thinking about this recently, and remembered that my own child used to eat the occasional kibble when he was crawling around and I forgot to pick up the dog's food dish (before I started giving him rice and chicken only). I wonder if there have been any cases of poisoning from human consumption of the stuff? Particularly toddlers, who put anything and everything into their mouths. I'm kind of surprised that we haven't heard of such cases, unless I've missed them.

In regards to the first two questions, pet owners should definitely be entitled to due process through our legal system and financial compensation. I'm not certain that reclassifying them is absolutely necessary. Can't you sue for emotional angst and what not? If you bought a $300.00 pug, I think it would be more than plausible that you could sue for that amount plus court costs. That also isn't to mention the more expensive breeds that are around.

The last question is something that is very important. Obviously, federal oversight is needed. When looking to cut corners increase profits, companies will roll the dice every time rather than go the safe route. So they tested it on a few animals and found a few died-and still we have this stuff on the shelves. Perhaps more thorough testing should be carried out before ceratin blends are allowed on the shelves. That, or perhaps they need to look to increase the quality of the ingredients that they use. The simple fact is this-without federal oversight, corporations will kill you, your pets, your family, and your grandmother if they determine a recall is too "costly."

No, since the law regards pets as property, people aren't entitled to any emotional damages due to a loss of the pet. Whether your pet was poisoned or you had your stereo stolen - it's all the same to the law. The only reimbursement a person could hope for is the "cost" of the pet. I don't know how they address the multitude of people who adopted rathater than purchased. I guess in the eyes of the law, that makes the pet worthless.

And yeah, even now, with all the news stories, there are still some stores out there with that poison still on the shelves.

When I said “dead animals” I meant dead for a long period of time as from Mad Cow, cancer, etc. These “downers” are taken (dead and rotting) from slaughter houses directly to pet food factories. They go primarily in the “wet” food. The dry food is less potentially harmful IMO.

I have a dog who loves meat and will eat all types of it with relish. When we did feed him wet “dog food” that claimed to be heavy with “real meat” I noticed that often he would just not eat it. He would smell it and walk away – esp. the food with “beef” in it. Pet food IMO is crap. Pure and simple. See below on the Mad Cow scare.


We have for you tonight Dr. John Clifford -- he's our chief veterinarian here at APHIS -- and he's going to provide you with some updated information on our epidemiological investigation into the second case of BSE in the United States. (BSE is Mad Cow disesase)

DNA test results have confirmed that we have identified the source herd of the animal determined last week to be positive for BSE. Based on information we have received from the owner, the cow was born and raised in a herd in Texas and was approximately 12 years old. It was sent to a 3D/4D pet food plant in Texas and was selected for sampling on arrival.

QUESTION: Wall Street Journal. I'll follow up on Steve Kay's question and ask another one. One is: Can you identify -- can you tell us what town in Texas this ranch is located, the birth herd, is located?
Number two: Has the owner explained to you folks what made the animal a downer, or whether it was injured somehow or if it looked like it was suffering from some kind of sickness?
DR. CLIFFORD: " Basically the information that we have thus far is that we know that the animal was in poor condition at that time. So the -- any other specific information as far as the condition we'll be wanting to verify with the owner. The animal was reported to us in our initial investigation by the plant as being a downer at that facility. The -- was there another question there, sir?"

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome?co...005/06/0235.xml

So an approved ingredient in “pet food” is sick or dead (from disease) animals. Real appetizing don’t you think?

For those who think this is merely a pet food issue, the FDA has discovered a good portion of the crap...er, I mean, grain products imported from China are contaminated. It seems the addition of melamine to animal feed is a fairly common practice in China. It reaffirms my belief there is something other than melamine in the contaminated pet food that killed all the cats and dogs (rat poison, as originally stated, mayhaps?).

I would assume the Chinese have been putting the stuff into their grain exports for quite some time. And I have no doubt it is in the human supply chain. And since the FDA doesn't have a clue as to the effects of melamine on humans, it's hard to say what sort of ailments or diseases might be caused or exacerbated by it. I just know there's no way I'd find a ground up piece of cheap dinnerware in any way appetizing.
(Gotta wonder what that "other substance is" )

I would assume the Chinese have been putting the stuff into their grain exports for quite some time. And I have no doubt it is in the human supply chain. And since the FDA doesn't have a clue as to the effects of melamine on humans, it's hard to say what sort of ailments or diseases might be caused or exacerbated by it. I just know there's no way I'd find a ground up piece of cheap dinnerware in any way appetizing.

QUOTE



Kinda makes one wonder what the FDA actually does to check food from abroad. I would hope that all food products from China are stopped cold and we look at everything – but this would be expecting a lot from the FDA.

From the OMGLOL Department:


Time to grow our own chickens.


Oh what a relief. People don't drink rBGH directly, either. Good thing Stephen F. Sundlof planned for the future and admitted he wasn't 100% sure about contaminated gluten in human food. And Ted:


Your dog's health may be too important to feed him dog food, but your health is another matter!

There is a difference between eating the contaminated feed (or dog food) directly and eating an animal like a chicken that has eaten the feed. Although I still don’t like it!

Time to go vegetarian and grow our own food - period!

Looks like the Chinese are tripping all over themselves in an effort to look like they are concerned about this (with a caveat, of course).

Suuuuure, we believe you're concerned. Riiiiight.

I wonder if they have the luxury of continuing wasteful manufacturing processes thanks to U.S. debt. I don't see them refining their processes for the sake of their own people, let alone foreign consumers.

Hey I know what China can do to help. STOP sending your crappy food here!!!

Well, there's plenty of precedent for contaminated animal food having a deleterious effect on humans who ingest those animals. Mad cow anyone? Obviously China will not stop shipping the stuff to us as long as we are buying it. Do we buy chickens from China? That kind of surprises me. I think we should stop buying any meat whatsoever from that country.

This is a classic case of low price v power and control. I would rather pay more and have the food under our control and the providers under our legal jurisdiction.

It seems today if some act will make more money, we "MUST" do it; morals, ethics, health and welfare be damned. I'd be happy to trade some standard of living to buy US-made cars, electronics, food, etc., that employ our people, keep patents, manuf tech and skills, and profits here (so we do not have to borrow back our own money to fund our trade deficit), that permit us to have recourse against the manuf and designers in our own courts, etc.

Life is not really about money, but is about power and control. Money is but one part of that.

Mrs. P, the chickens weren't from China. The contaminated feed that was shipped to the pet food manufacturers got shipped on to the chicken farms (Indiana was one of the states) for chicken feed.

It's disturbing to realize just how much food product we get from China.

ALL food that comes into the US is under our control. The FDA. Of course that does not mean they check everything that comes in. You can bet that China imports will be looked at carefully for some time.

I wanted to add an update to the pet food recall issue. Wow, China doesn't mess around!

In addition to causing the deaths of US pets, this guy also caused the deaths of "dozens" of Chinese citizens through counterfeit drugs and/or bad food products, and several babies died from malnutrition after drinking formula made with a fake milk product that had "no nutritional value". A real prince, that Zheng.

Thanks for the update grl – the guy should get death!

This scandal will cost China Billions in lost US trade and I am sure this was part of the anger of the Chinese government.

Lets hope our FDA is watching food products from China.

The FDA cannot find all needles in a haystack; food grown here is under our control, our ethical views, our cultural melieu, etc., and not JUST subject to FDA inspection. The Chinese since Mao took over in the late 1940s have killed some 100 million of their own citizens, killed millions of female babies, tortured who-knows-how-many millions, etc. Their respect for life leaves me unimpressed with their cultural norms, which norms are the best protection against problems like this.

The FDA cannot check every incoming food product but they can look at samples over time and then concentrate on those products (and the places they are made) when a problem is uncovered as in this pet food scandal.


You can bet that more scrutiny of food products from China is being done and will continue to be.

And yes “life is cheap” in China now as in the passed.