Comments on: Chicago Woman Sues Over Pet Food Recall

Cat Owner Seeks Class Action Lawsuit Claiming Company Delayed Recall

[MarilynZach]

I have a dog that has been eating GREAT CHOISE and OL ROY his whole life, in December 06 I noticed his back legs were becoming week, then in January 07 he started to loose control of his peepee, now he can't stand up on his own we need to carry him out side to go for his peepee, he also pees himself when he is sleeping. I thought it was because he was getting old, and my heart was breaking thinking I was going to have to put him down. Now I find out it was the food he was eating, I want to sue these people for this the harm they have caused my pet and myself, I want my dogs health looked after, and I want my carpets replaced because of the dammage caused by him peepeeing on the carpets,(

[MarilynZach]

I have a dog that has been eating GREAT CHOISE and OL ROY his whole life, in December 06 I noticed his back legs were becoming week, then in January 07 he started to loose control of his peepee, now he can't stand up on his own we need to carry him out side to go for his peepee, he also pees himself when he is sleeping. I thought it was because he was getting old, and my heart was breaking thinking I was going to have to put him down. Now I find out it was the food he was eating, I want to sue these people for this the harm they have caused my pet and myself, I want my dogs health looked after, and I want my carpets replaced because of the dammage caused by him peepeeing on the carpets,(

[treesnakes]

Our cat is at the vets on dialysis for up to 12 days. He had been eating one pouch of Iams Select Bites a day for about 8 months. He now has a severe kidney irritation. I can't imagine what shape he would be in if we fed him the recommended dose on the box. He would probably be dead. I tried the telephone numbers listed online for Menu Foods and Iams for consumer information, but they were out of order. I went to the Iams web site and after about 15 minutes of searching, finally found another number to call. If you were feeding your cat Iams Seclect Bites in Pouches or Cat Slices and Flakes in Cans, here is that number: 1-800-675-3849. I heard that the University of Minnesota Veterinary School has said that the companies involved will pay the vet bills. The Iams representative did take all my information and asked me to send a pouch in along with our personal information. They will have their company vet contact our vet. We shall see what they actually will do for us. Meanwhile our cat seems to be doing better for now, thank goodness.

[pam7775]

I am so angry and disgusted about the whole ordeal i agree with the lady if there is a whole civil class action lawsuit case I do want to be part of it also! Because I had 2 dogs and 2 cats that died from eating the eukanaba(Iams) dog food and of course the Special Kitty cat food and all of my animals have since then passed away from that they were just babies. I have a 6 yr. old son who waited so long for a puppy and now his puppy is dead do you know how heartbreaking and heart wrenching it is to explain to your child that you can not bring your baby's puppy back to him and that you can not bring it back alive., That it is gone to heaven with Jesus. I want them to pay for the pain and suffering it has done to me and my medical bills for my pets and the pain it has caused for my child not just for one day but for alot of days and many days that we have faced. If anyone has any information or can help me please contact me at [e-mail] Please I would so greatly appreciate so very much. We need to make them be held liable and accountable for what they are doing not to our animals but to our families also. please some if you have any information on how to do anything or get any kind of compensation please let me know. thank you

pam tennesse resident
[e-mail]

[sbseiso]

Watching my beautiful 1 and half year old cat named Raven was one of the saddest things i've done. He was a beautiful black cat with green eyes. He was so healthy and fat. i used to call him my little black panther. Two months ago all of a sudden he became real sick and stopped eating. it went down hill from there. He would'nt eat, or drink, just laid around getting sicker and thinner. i tried to force him to at least drink and eat a little, opening up those deadly little pouches and even heating it for him just a bit. he would take a couple of sniffs and maybe a lick or two at first and then nothing. he lost so much weight so quickly it made me sick. i could do no more so i took him to my local vet. they pumped him full of fluids and gave him antibiotics. the doctor said his kidneys were badly damaged and shutting down.
Two days later i was heartbroken as i watched them put him to sleep. My children could'nt hold back there tears either when i had to tell them that there kitty had died. It makes me angry that we have had to suffer this terrible experience and it makes me even angrier that we now know that this company caused this out of neglect. Raven was a good and healthy cat that just suffered and wilted away and this is wrong. We miss him very much every day.

[gramsa]

Our 15 year old pet Shihtzu became ill about 6wks ago. We thought her end was near. We were trying to make her comfortable and nursing her with homeopathic remedies and herbs. On Saturday my mom told me about the recall. I went online and found Nutro Natural Choice was on the list. I called at 10:30PM and gave them the date and Id on bottom of can. The woman on the other end of the phone told me don't give her that food, that is one of the cans recalled, the scary part is that number wasn't on the list I had just printed online. I bought those cans back in January or late part of December,at Petsmart. She took my name and phone# said someone would be calling. No one has called. Our baby has been at the vets every day this week, she has kidney problems, her liver is very bad, has hepatitis, a bacterial infection and dehydrated. She can hardly walk we carry her outside, to her food (which I am making myself)to her water, carry her to her bed. I have been driving a hundred miles aday to take her to the vet. Today her blood test results were worst than on Monday. We will try what we have to, to save her she is our baby.

[cleanitup3]

RE: The FDA is stretched incredibly thin. Massive budget cuts for their department have led to a loss of many inspectors...
Posted by RandalDS at 02:10 AM : Mar 21, 2007
Well I propose more money allocated to FDA inspection and less to that war that is supposed to be protecting us and finding the ever elusive Bin Laden??? IF we don't watch out, he might just open some factory in the US and produce tainted human food that might easily get through that stretched thin FDA oversight. Better yet, perhaps Homeland security CAN PITCH IN AND DO SOME FOOD INSPECTION? During the recession in the 80's senior citizens were known to eat cat food.let's get to it. we need better oversight. Here. in north america.

[rglovesmm]

Just a letter to let everyone know about my cat Ebony. She only ate Iam's cat food all her life.I always would brag to all my friends to get Iam's food because it was so good for her. She was 19 when she became sick and went to the doctor on March 10,2007. Her kidneys had failed her. This is just before the recall. If the company would put the people and their pets before the CEO,s and the bottom line for the almighty dollar, then just maybe the recall would have been sooner. Ebony is at rest now because the doctor couldn't save her. I lost my husband of 30 years in 2003, so Ebony was all i had to come home to.And this i believe could have been controlled if the company had better ways to contol the testing of their products. I just can't explain the grief and sorrow that i am going thru. Only an animal lover can understand. And now on behave of Ebony I am telling everyone who will listen to me to NOT USE ANY OF IAM'S PRODUCTS!!!thank you

[angelzwarmth]

I have spent over $1000 on trying to save my cat who has been sick with renal failure for the past 4 months. She became sick on around December 6th and has gone extensive IV fluids and medications trying to help ulcers, naseau etc.

I would like to know if there is a nationwide lawsuit I can partake in. People can't afford these sort of vet bills because companies are negligent. I would like to see the company pay for all past, current and future vet bills that my baby girl "Brittiani's" kidney condition may require.

I'm very frustrated at the so many recalls of human and now animal foods over the past years. Companies are taking shortcuts to produce their products and cut costs. Unfortunately, sanitation, sterilization and safety procedures are either at a very minimum or being completely ignored.

It is time to stop putting our money on overseas endeavors and stupid wars and actually put the funds into agencies (MSHA, OSHA, etc) that are dedicated to making companies accountable for their negligence.

I'm frustrated further to find out that the government has cut the budgets of these agencies making it more difficult for them to do their jobs inspecting companies for possible health violations.

Sincerely,

Charlette (Oregon Resident)
[e-mail]

[robinm1966]

I am so OUTRAGED at this pet food recall.I have a 3 yr old ******/poodle mix,she has been healthy her whole life.She has been eating 2 of the recalled brands for 2 yrs now.She eats the foil pouches.All of a sudden last month,she had 2 seizures the vet has given her seizure medication.When I noticed on the news about the recall,I checked her food,she had 1 pouch left that she hadn't ate yet.I checked the upc code and expiration date with the recalled ones,it matched.I also found a old receipt which has on it 9 pouches that I bought,of the 9, 4 were on the list of recalled ones.She had already ate those and many,many more before that.I took her back to vet yesterday and had a full panel of blood work done,waiting on results.I also consulted a lawyer.I will sue.I am ANGRY because we had trust in those who should have reported a problem as soon as they were aware,but they didn't.We put our pets lives in other peoples hands and we had no control over it.I am most ANGRY because some people out there think our pets are not family members,but possesions.That is SO NOT TRUE.They live,they breathe,they bleed,they have compassion,they have anger,they give us love.THEY ARE MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILIES,I'M SURE EVERY PET OWNER WILL AGREE WITH ME...GOD BLESS ALL THOSE WHO ARE GONE AND ILL. COCO'S MOTHER

[nothappyatall]

Recycling dead pets and wildlife into animal food is "a very small part
of the business that we don't like to advertise," Valley Proteins'
president J. J. Smith told City Paper. The plant processes these
animals
as a "public service, not for profit," Smith said, since ''there is not
a lot of protein and fat [on pets], just a lot of hair you have to deal with somehow."

According to the City Paper, Valley Proteins "sells inedible animal
parts and rendered material to Alpo, Heinz and Ralston-Purina." Valley
Proteins insists that it does not sell "dead-pet byproducts" to pet
food
firms since "they are all very sensitive to the recycled pet
potential."
Valley Proteins maintains two production lines -- one for clean meat
and
bones and a second line for dead pets and wildlife. However, Smith
reported, "the protein material is a mix from both production lines.
Thus the meat and bone meal made at the plant includes materials from
pets and wildlife, and about five percent of that product goes to dry-pet-food manufacturers."

[nothappyatall]

When City Paper reporter Van Smith visited Baltimore's Valley Proteins rendering plant last summer, he found that the "hoggers" (the large
vats used to grind and filter animal tissues prior to deep-fat frying) held an eclectic mix of body parts ranging from "dead dogs, cats, raccoons,
possums, deer, foxes [and] snakes" to a "baby circus elephant'' and the remains of Bozeman, a Police Department quarterhorse that "died in the
line of duty."

In an average month, Baltimore's pound hands over 1,824 dead animals to
Valley Proteins. Last year, the plant transformed 150 millions pounds
of
decaying flesh and kitchen grease into 80 million pounds of commercial
meat and bone meal, tallow and yellow grease. Thirty years ago, most of
the renderer's wastes came from small markets and slaughterhouses.
Today, thanks to the proliferation of fast-food restaurants, nearly
half the "raw material" is kitchen grease and frying oil.

[nothappyatall]

A Look Inside a Rendering Plant

When City Paper reporter Van Smith visited Baltimore's Valley Proteins rendering plant last summer, he found that the "hoggers" (the large ...
groups.google.com.sg/group/OrganicLife/msg/d5cd78e63f194320

petfood
In a September, 1995 article titled What's Cooking , Baltimore City Paper takes their readers through Valley Proteins, Baltimore's only rendering plant with
www.homestead.com/VonHapsburg/petfood.html

[nothappyatall]

"The pet food manufacturers get animal meal from rendering plants but what is in the animal meal?? Are there chemicals from putting down diseased animals in the meal??"

I can tell you exactly what goes in it, a newspaper article a number of years ago ran a big story on a rendering plant who had two "lines" one was used for processing meats, the other was used as a service to render road kills, euthanized pets from local animal shelters, grease and rancid oils and fats from fast food restaurant diposals. WHile the company said they had two lines, they admitted that rendered meal from BOTH does wind up in the ingredients that goes into pet food;

How Dead Pets, Bad Brains, and Free Speech Landed Me in Amarillo ...
I visited Earl Watson, then the director of the Baltimore City Animal Shelter, and discovered that the city pays Valley Proteins, a rendering company with a

http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=3727

Baltimore City Paper: Van Smith
Since the original publication of this article in 1995, the Valley Proteins rendering plant in Curtis Bay, Baltimore, has become somewhat famous. ...
www.citypaper.com/about/vansmith.asp

Cats and rendered pet food
"Each year in the US, 286 rendering plants quietly dispose of more than 12500000 tons of dead animals, fat and meat wasts Baltimore's Valley Proteins
www.mad-cow.org/~tom/cats_bse_rend.html

[nothappyatall]

"By the way I will never use Iam's, speciall kitty or any wet food again unless it is organic!!!!"

Organic food is subject to the SAME fungus and bacterial problems! it's not whether the food is organic or not, it's the specific ingredients- usually wheat gluten and corn are the ones affected by a toxic mold, buy a formula that has NEITHER and you will be safe.

[nothappyatall]

"By the way I will never use Iam's, speciall kitty or any wet food again unless it is organic!!!!"

Organic food is subject to the SAME fungus and bacterial problems! it's not whether the food is organic or not, it's the specific ingredients- usually wheat gluten and corn are the ones affected by a toxic mold, buy a formula that has NEITHER and you will be safe.

[terrycat66]

I think it's terrible that a manufacturer can cause so much pain to so many pet lovers and then attempt to absolve themselves of responsibility by stating they were unaware of the danger of tainted food. First of all, my cat is sick..has vomitted 7 times in 9 days and the two days he appears to have stopped vomitting is when I took him off wet food. I fed him nutro max, special kitty, and iams wet foods daily for treats. Even though my UPC codes don't match my cat is still weak, very thirsty, and vomitting. Phewy and MEOW. By the way I will never use Iam's, speciall kitty or any wet food again unless it is organic!!!! How do we know the cans on the shelves that are supposedly safe are still safe?! I'm not willing to ever take antoher chance.
We go to the vet in the AM...!!!

[tiobucky]

Dawn or anyone else out there. Losing one's cat or any other animal is a tragic and life-altering event. Anyone who knows this understands why cats are not simply property. Some people consider them children, companions, familiars, or all kinds of relationships, including loved ones.

When I lost my boy due to what was probably old age and just giving the ghost, I was destroyed. But I cannot imagine what would happen to me if I was the one who fed the food that caused that.

I want everyone to find this book, it tells a bit of the story of one's relation to one's cat (and by analogy one's dog, ferret, horse, pig, etc. etc.)

My Cat Saved My Life.
by Phillip Schreibman (by coincidence a Canadian author).
{http://www.mycatsavedmylife.com/} His site.

Anyway, $50 million, yes, why not? To me, my chicken cat was no different than my child, my mate, my friend. See? The law needs to be changed on this matter.

Best,

Tio

[sclaires]

I wonder just what is put in dog food that is not listed on the labels! The pet food manufacturers get animal meal from rendering plants but what is in the animal meal?? What animals are used to make the animal meal and how healthy are they?? Are there chemicals from putting down diseased animals in the meal?? You know that what is listed on the labels is what the pet food manufacturers put in the food and not what is added at other plants!! It is about time that the FDA make sure that our pets get the most wholesome food that we are paying for. After all, pets are part of the family and the majority of people care for their pets the same way they care for their children and other family members. Let us put some pressure on the FDA to make sure our pets are fed the most pure food that is available.

[naivasna]

There are a number of points to be made here:

1.) Whether the animal had been to the vet or not does not matter if the animal is healthy. Shots can be easily administered at home. The woman DID take her animal to the vet when she noted health problems, regardless of her financial situation.

2.) It doesn't matter if she has a basis. Others who have stronger cases will join the suit.

3.) The FDA, by law, has no culpability in this. There is almost no moderation of pet foods. If an ingredient has been tested and is considered GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by a panel of scientists (which are not even necessarily FDA scientists), the ingredient is thereby accepted and generally never tested again. It's right on the FDA website under pet foods.

The company should be held accountable for this entire thing, and held accountable for all of the extensive damage it's done, not just for reimbursement of the recalled foods, especially since the company has known for over a month that there was an issue. The ten "reported" cases were their test group. Ten out of 40-50 animals tested died. That's 1/4 or 1/5 or.. 20-25 percent that died, not to mention got sick.