Pet Food Co. Knew Of Problem Last Month

In Tests Of Food After Complaints, As Many As 1 In 6 Animals Died; Cause Still A Mystery

(CBS/AP)  As many as one in six animals died in tests of suspect dog and cat food by the manufacturer last month after complaints the products were poisoning pets around the country, the government said Monday.

"That's a huge number, considering when you feed pet food no animal should die," says CBS News The Early Show veterinarian Dr. Debbye Turner.

A federal investigation is focusing on wheat gluten as the likely source of contamination that sparked a recall last Friday of 60 million cans and pouches of the suspect food, said Stephen F. Sundlof, the Food and Drug Administration's top veterinarian.

"I'm certain someone's going to figure this out because there are a lot of pet foods involved, a lot of pets involved and a lot of veterinarians who are upset," Dr. Ann Hohenhaus of New York's Animal Medical Center told CBS News.

Wheat gluten, a protein source, is commonly used as filler.

Agency investigators are looking at other ingredients as well. The wet-style pet food was made by Menu Foods, an Ontario, Canada-based company. The FDA on Monday had investigators at Menu plants in Emporia, Kan., and Pennsauken, N.J.

Menu Foods told the FDA it received the first complaints of kidney failure and deaths among cats and dogs from pet owners on Feb. 20. It began new tests on Feb. 27.

During those tests, the company fed its product to 40 to 50 dogs and cats and seven animals — the mix of species was not immediately known — died, Sundlof said. The contamination appeared more deadly to cats than to dogs, he said.

"Cats seem to be more susceptible to acute renal failure, what which is what this toxin is causing," Turner told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.

The recall now covers dog food sold throughout North America under 51 brands and cat food sold under 40 brands, including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba. The food was sold under both store and major brand labels at Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers.

The FDA has yet to tally how many reports it has received of cats and dogs suffering kidney failure or death. The company has reported just 10 deaths, of nine cats and a single dog.

"We are still trying to find out what the true picture is out there of animals. We're talking about 1 percent of the pet food (supply) and it's really just impossible to extrapolate at this point," Sundlof said.

Menu Foods spokeswoman Sarah Tuite told Associated Press Radio the company was "still trying to figure out the cause."

"We're testing and testing, but we can't identify the problem in the product," Tuite said.

Other companies — Nestle Purina PetCare Co., Procter & Gamble and Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. — said that as a precaution they were voluntarily recalling some products made by Menu Foods.

A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was available from the Menu Foods Web site. The company also designated a phone number that pet owners could call for information — [phone]. The lines have been swamped by callers.

Tuite said the company has added more people and lines to cope with the calls. Callers who get a recording saying the line is out of order should try again, she added.

Concerned pet owners are calling veterinarians, too.

"All morning we've been getting phone calls," said one.

The company became aware of a potential problem after it received an undisclosed number of owner complaints that dogs and cats were vomiting and suffering kidney failure after eating its products.

Tuite told AP earlier the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, which has since been dropped.

The FDA hasn't confirmed the identity of that company, but its Web site suggests it supplies only animal feed manufacturers, Sundlof said.

Wheat gluten itself wouldn't cause kidney failure, leading FDA investigators to suspect contamination by other substances, including heavy metals like cadmium and lead or fungal toxins. Aflatoxin, a corn fungus, sparked a 2005 dog food recall.

"In this case, we've just got renal failure and there are probably dozens of environmental contaminants, toxins, bacteria that might provoke an episode of renal failure," said Hohenhaus. "I don't think anyone has an idea right now."

The new recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches from Dec. 3 to March 6.

The company said it makes pet food for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies.

Meanwhile, the inability of customers to get through to Menu Foods was proving frustrating on Monday.

Michael Ritter, 38, of Washington, Pa., met a busy signal countless times over the weekend after learning about the recall from local news reports. He wonders if pouches of Special Kitty-brand food from the local Wal-Mart were to blame for the kidney failure and death of his 3-year-old cat Cosmo.

Ritter's voice started to break as he described the loss of his cat a week before. "You get attached to them. You really do," Ritter said.

He said he was tired of trying to reach Menu Foods, and was going to contact someone else: a lawyer.

Laura Iskowitz, 33, of Monroe Township, N.J., was equally frustrated, saying she had called the information line "a hundred times" over the weekend.

She believed packages of Iams, Companion and Nutro-brand wet food were possibly to blame for the kidney-failure death of her 3-year-old dog Angel, a Labrador retriever mix.

"She truly was my best friend. And because of this food I don't have her anymore," Iskowitz, who has lived alone since Angel was euthanized on Jan. 30, told CBS News.

[tropikbreze]

On February 24th I rushed my 2 1/2 year old cat to the vet with vomiting with uncontrollable urination with blood. Loss of appetite for a few days. I had to put her down as she was diagnosed with severe renal failure. I fed her a couple different brands. I called the vet office yesterday to inquire about the coincidence of these new findings. I was told I would need an open can with the food she ate to be tested. Why would I have an open can 3 weeks after she passed away? She was only 2 1/2 - that was a short time to be with my little friend. It makes me sick that she suffered so and I wasn't able to help her get better. Our gov't. is a joke! P.S. Animals were put here on earth to balance nature and pets are for companionship. I am sorry that there are people that don't understand that.

[lambofgoth]

y0wmama has spoken...
It's too bad *it* used a keyboard to do so. *It* clearly has no concept of how to punctuate or use correct grammar.

[cgesualdo]

Yo Mama - take it easy. No need to be so insensitive to someone who just lost a pet. A lot of people think of their pets as children these days and no, they're not losers. There are a lot of reasons why her cat could have been her best friend - she just moved and didn't know anyone yet; her people friends have moved away (or died); or yeah, maybe she has poor social skills. So what? Lots of people do. Lots of people have trouble making friends because they're shy. Her cat helped her cope with that. And now the cat is gone. I'm lucky enough to have a partner I really care about and who really cares about me, but if my dogs die because of this tainted food, I'm going to be just as upset as Ms. Iskowitz. Does that make me a loser too?

[shannonzippy]

People are overreacting to the limits of our government - specifically the FDA. Human food and pet food are generally safe. These instances of toxic food are rare and they should be expected to happen because we are all human. My deepest sympathies to those that lost their "children" though.

It's insane to think the FDA should have the resources to test more than 1% of the food in the marketplace. What company would want to market poisonous food? No one, it's bad for business.

[realwillow]

Good grief people. Get a grip. This issue has nothing to do with the government.

The company is at fault. They can be held responsible for this problem.


You guys get upset with the Patriot act and then expect the government to police your pet food? What is wrong with you?

You can't have it both ways.

The real Willowreed

[nggslayer]

Don't try to rationalize with y0wmama ... please just don't. He's obviously a sucker. The dude can't even string a sentence together. Probably lives in the ghetto like all the other suckers who are tools used by Corporate America. Bling bling Richie! *POW* Another one bites the dust.

[jimkat3]

my cat died two days after we took him to the vet. has been eating special kitty packets for six years, come on washington trying to cover this one up also ? get the numbers right 10 cats dead,my A*#

[maxtsunami]

My dog became very ill after eating Iams lamb and rice dog food. He vomited and became lethargic. He also suffered from terrible gas.I suspected the food and didn't feed him anymore. I am concerned about the long term effects now.It is criminal to be aware of a problem for a month and continue to sell a product!The lack and total disregard for the consumer and their families in the United States is a major issue. The only thing these executives of large companies understand is the almighty dollar.The only way to get through to these avaricious companies is boycott their products.How could they care about the well being of your pet if there willing to test on animals and kill them? I feed my dog science diet dry kibble and supplement with wet. I wont use any menufoods products ever again.The Hill's company was easy to get a hold of and concerned about my dog.

[nggslayer]

Corporations are too big and too greedy. They get away with stuff because consequences are minimal. It's a well known fact that many corporations figure in things like lawsuits as part of their expenses. It's only a bump in the road to them. As consumers we're idiots. Just like as a people, we are divided and have no common ground to stand on. One person lives in denial of wrongs being done to them, another is outraged. Henceforth, we spend time bickering back and forth on useless forums like this... and nothing gets done so we all lose. The reality is this. Modern society is still a battle ground. Nothing has changed. People will still argue that we need to be law abiding and civil, but we are quickly losing that ability. Some people have the ability to go to battle with dollars... some don't. In the end the people will have to utilize what powers they do have, or continue to be used as we do today.

[kathkeane]

Hah -- I have bought that beef and broth dog food at the dollar store for years and every time my dogs puked it up. This has been going on for years, just no one matched it up. BOTH my dogs got sick on the stuff both times I bought it. That was two years ago.

[closeout52]

anyone who is incensetive to pets or feels that mistakes happen "oh well" will be faced with a rude awaking some day! Someone has to always be held accountable, other wise their is no justice.
Corporations that are so big that sell to so many other companies and dont have some kind of restictions or controlls and is not held responsible some way would be an out-right shame on our goverment.
p.s. yOmamma get a life!

[kikibooboo]

Do some reading up on dog food and what is in it, and stop feeding anything with corn or wheat in it. It is BAD for dogs, anyway! Causes lots of allergies, and skin/coat problems.
Take a look at canidae. It is quality dog food, and hasn't been involved in any of these recalls. Their website is canidae.com. It can be ordered from petfooddirect or thru amazon or your local quality feedstores/upper end pet stores might have it. It actually isn't more expensive to feed even though the food is more per bag, because the amount you feed is so much less. No fillers (which means less *** to have to pick up) Plus, healthier pets!

[ritarey8]

to all those who don't have any idea of how much we love our pets kick rocks ---holes you don't know ---t you go feed this to your loved ones idiots

[ginan6886]

The best thing to do is feed your dog what you eat vegetables, lean cuts meat -do you know whats in pet food- possible road kill and euthanized pets from shelters. Thats poison and are pets cant handle those poisons, What we need and have needed is someone to do a very thourough investigation of what actually is in there.And for us consumers to read labels..

[ivan4365]

FOOD CORPORATIONS NEED QUICK, STEADY PROFITS FOR THEIR SHAREHOLDERS THAT CAN ONLY COME FROM CONTINUALLY CHEAPENING INGREDIENTS AND ADDING CHEMICALS TO MAKE YOUR PET (AND YOU) EAT MORE THAN YOU REALLY SHOULD. IT SEEMS THAT YOUR PET LIKES THE FOOD BUT IN REALITY ITS THE ADDICTIVE COMPOUNDS THAT DRIVE EATING. GOOD FOR BUSINESS. IF THE MEAT INDUSTRY WON'T PROPERLY TEST HUMAN CONSUMPTION MEAT (ONLY .2% OF THE MEAT IN THE SUPPLY GETS TESTED) WHY DO YOU THINK FOOD CO'S WILL TEST PET FOOD ANY MORE?

Pet food manufacturers have become masters at inducing companion animals to eat things cat and dogs would normally spurn. Pet food scientists have learned that it's possible to take a mixture of inedible scraps, fortify it with artificial vitamins and minerals, preserve it so that it can sit on the shelf for more than a year, add dyes to make it attractive, and then extrude it into whimsical shapes that appeal to the human consumer. For this, pet food companies can expect to earn BILLIONS in sales.

For years, many care givers have tried to avoid feeding their companion animals people food leftovers, having been warned by veterinarians about the heath problems they can cause. Yet much scrap material from the human food industry is ending up in dogs and cats dinner bowls. What the consumer purchases and what the manufacturer advertises are often two entirely different products, and this difference threatens the animals health.

[debbraminer]

I am shocked that Menu foods knew of this problem so long before announcing the recall. And, then, they test it on more animals to see if they would die. I personally will no longer purchase any of the brands involved in the recall. Animal testing is becoming a thing of the past and it no longer being tolerated. The senseless killing of more animals is criminal. To have fed this tainted product to apx. 50 more animals show the bottom line for these companies is money.

[initaread]

we feed our dogs the old roy gravy dog food from wal-mart because they were out of the pedigree choice gravy cuts and they are now both dead. Charlie became sick first and would not eat any more we thought her was being finicky but then he started throwing up and became really weak and we became very worried and he could hardly walk. We took him to the vet and they did not know what to do but recommended that we put him out of his misery. We were devestated. Then a couple of days later our other dog which we have had for 13 years who was in good health stopped eating and was showing the same symptoms we thought she was upset about losing her companion we never thought to check the food. We came home from church to find her dead in fromt of the door and she had thrown up blood. My children were the ones to find her first it has been a horrible experience and now we have no more dogs. Don't they run tests on the food before they sell it. It is not fair

[andersde]

Speaking of losers y0wmama to make a post like that on a website such as this is about as good a way for anybody to prove them self a loser if you ask me. People really get attached to their pets and always have, why because they give you nothing but unconditional love and don't ask for anything in return other than to be cared for.

[lyndaschat]

I'm beyond shocked that they tested food that they already suspected was contaminated to more dogs/cats as their test. I just can't believe it, have been crying since I read this. Believe me, I will never forget to be sure not to buy anything made by Menu foods. I don't have words any words that would be allowed in print to say how I feel about them!
Linda Reinhardt

[googlehead-2009]

i think it is terrible that this could happen and i am an animal lover. it is a disgrace to see that someone can be so careless as to not take care of this matter. i hope this will never happen again.

[snoball07]

We lost our pet cat of 14 years on Feb. 17th, he was a healthy cat, and a few days later we had to put him to sleep. He was unable to stand up, had lost 2 lbs from the month before, his blood count was down to 10, and his kidneys were so far gone, the vet said there would be nothing they could do to save him. Tests had been run to rule out normal cat diseases, but his cat food never had entered our minds. It makes me angry that we had actually contributed to his death by feeding him this food.

[tropikbreze]

I am astounded at the number of pets that have passed away seemingly from the dog/cat foods. After reading all of your messages, I want to know along with the rest of you- who is going to take responsibility? My cat plus all these other pets- I wish there were a way to tally them up. I would send the tally from this post alone onto Menu Foods- along with a copy of my vet bill! There's no way to bring our pets back- but there has to be a way to be sure other pets do not have to suffer.

[delpane]

First off if you lost a pet due to this food CONTACT THE FDA!! It is important that the FDA gets the true scope of the number of animals affected or killed by this food. Just go to http://www.fda.gov and look under the report a problem with a product link. A direct link to report pet food problem is at :

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html#emerg

Let your food company know that you don't appreciate them using cheap filler and you'll be switching to a new brand. Look for foods that do not contain wheat or corn. (Most pet food recalls are due to contaminants in wheat or corn.) Ask for food recommendations at your pet store that do not contain By-Products or grains. There are a lot of good companies out there like Wysong, Prairie, Wellness, and many more that are committed to the health of your pet and not just a quick buck.

[cassidydakot]

A friend alerted me to the pet food problem abd I did have Ultra Nutro senior and weight management with a date on the bottom just one month off. I am disgusted that the information from the companies was so slow. I will no longer purchase any products from pet food providers who are supplied by Menu. My decision is prompted by the discovery that additional cats and dogs were subjected to the possible poisoning in test organized by Menu.Shame on Menu. I will alert other activist and groups.

[ellsbells1]

How do we know this pet food incident hasn't been known by the company fo longer then a month. I had 2 cats die in 2006. One in July from renal failure and the other (who was same age) in November from heart failure. they were brothers. I had fed them alot of the same foods on that list. Please can someone tell me? Lost and lonely

[ellsbells1]

Oh BTW my 2 cats I were only 5 years old.

[redbailey2]

The pet food industry is a Billion Dollare a year industry. Pet food didn't come into existenance until around 1938. Until then the familt pet ate what they ate. I have 2 dogs, a Silkie terrier and a mix. They are both on the raw food diet. Riley has been on the diet since she was 6 months old. I went thru at least 15 differnet kinds of dog food wet and dry. She wouldn't eat any of them, I was so concerned I took her to the vet. He suggested the raw food diet, so I did some research, works for my 2. Haven't quite got to the raw chicken yet. My dogs just had their yearly wellness check up and are in good shape. This is horrible, people are loosing a very dear and special companion. This is so devestating to trust a food that you are giving you companion and then find out that you were killing them. This company needs to held accountable. Maybe it's time for the pet food industry to be regulated by the same standards that the food for human consumption is( which could also improve). Table scraps which are left overs should not be given. The food should be the same as your plate.
Remember if you won't eat it don't give it to you companion.

[rbrophy115]

I just left my toy poodle at the hospital because her kidney level was down and she was dehydrated. They are going to flush out her kidneys and hopefully there will be no more problems in the future. I am very upset, to leave her there having to have her go through this procedure. I will no longer buy any package wet dog food.

[scott4261]

I own two cats that seem to still be healthy. I have regularly purchased Iams wet food (cuts and gravy) in packets and the dry food. I have eliminated the wet foods and I am currently looking for an alternate brand not made by Menu Foods. I just hope and pray that my pets are OK, but I will make an appointment with the vet to make sure they are really healthy.

I will I can understand that accidents happen and recalls are understandable, but for this company to have knowledge of this problem and to keep a lid on it is unconscionable.
My heart goes out to the pet owners here who have lost pets and those who have sick pets due to the negligence of Menu Foods.

And P.S. pet lovers: I know it%u2019s hard to deal with certain trolls here who make insensitive comments (especially if you have suffered a loss of a pet). But please just ignore them. We regulars here already do.

[stevedk3]

I, too, am horrified to read that the manufacturer of this tainted pet food chose to test the danger simply by means of feeding the stuff to 40 animals to see how many would die. That is unspeakably cruel. What kind of people would do such a thing?

Further, I am disillusioned to learn that the premium brand of food (Iams) that I have been buying at a premium price for 20 years comes from the same manufacturer and ingredients as dozens of other less expensive brands - and is no better or safer. What a flim-flam job Iams has done on me.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. You won't fool me again, Iams.

[seabass6251]

Hate to scare anyone, but we lost 2 out of 10 dogs, and nearly a 3rd, in the end of February while feeding DRY food from a major brand. We've been requested to send samples and the UPC/manufacturing codes to the company, which we are doing. I've called and talked to them several times since the end of February. Once I heard of this, I called them again today because our dogs died of the same causes as what have been listed as far as I can tell. They say there's no connection. What do you think? This brand is not currently listed on Menu Foods recall list and remember, we were feeding dry food when our dogs died not the wet food types listed. Of the dogs we lost, one was a strong pup about 6 months old and the other a hunt-all-day 2 1/2 year old male. The dogs were at two separate locations, but fed DRY food from 2 bags bought off the same shipping skid. The company really is working with us well, but everyone may be better to feed table scraps for awhile.

[canyoutellme-2009]

I got lucky. I've been using Friskies and Fancy Feast canned food (along with their Iams dry food). Neither Friskies nor Fancy Feast are affected by this recall thank goodness!

Unbelieveable they'd test this some more on live animals to see how many would die. UNBELIEVEABLE. There are other ways to test for harmful ingredients and what they might do.

[concerned50]

Dear seabass6251,

PLEASE tell us what brand of dry food you are feeding your dogs. If dry dog food is determined to be tainted sometime in the future, I want to change brands NOW if I am feeding my dogs the same brand that you were feeding.

Thanks.

[delpane]

First off if you lost a pet due to this food CONTACT THE FDA!! It is important that the FDA gets the true scope of the number of animals affected or killed by this food. Just go to http://www.fda.gov and look under the report a problem with a product link. A direct link to report pet food problem is at :

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html#emerg

Let your food company know that you don't appreciate them using cheap filler and you'll be switching to a new brand. Look for foods that do not contain wheat or corn. (Most pet food recalls are due to contaminants in wheat or corn.) Ask for food recommendations at your pet store that do not contain By-Products or grains. There are a lot of good companies out there like Wysong, Prairie, Wellness, and many more that are committed to the health of your pet and not just a quick buck.

[auntnay1-2009]

Our hearts are completely broken. We lost our 2 Beloved dogs on Monday due to the contaminated Dog Food. They both died from Kidney Failure according to the Vet. We have had Trudy for 16 Beautiful Years and despite her age there was not one thing wrong with her, now she is gone due to Kidney Failure. Our other poodle Cocoa was 7 years old and she had to be put down Monday because she was in complete Renal Failure. We have had both since they were puppies and they filled our house with Joy, now they are gone. I am still numb but I know eventually the anger will come. These company's should feel nothing but SHAME for putting out this food. It is Heartless & Cruel. You have Truly Broken our Hearts......

[blueladythings]

It was discovered that my dog had a large amount of blood in his urine several months ago, by a routine 6 month check up. Thank god my Vet is so thorough! He was on Beneful dry dog food. I did a search and found out that Beneful was suspected to have mold a few months back. Though my little guy will never be 100 percent, he is still with us and maintaining. After the news hit this past week of all the other dogfoods that are tainted,I have made the decision to make his own food from now on. I won't be buying commercial dogfood ever again. Thankfully the food he has been on these past few monthes is NOT on the list.

[seabass6251]

Concerned 50:
The company is working with me and without having the dead dogs checked by a vet to exactly determine the cause of death, I can't tell you the company because of personal liability. I first called the company to make them aware there might be a problem and even declined to make a claim against them for the dogs I lost. After hearing of this recall, I did however submit a claim this morning to encourage them to speed the review/testing process up as they wouldn't return my calls recently because they're so busy with the Menu Foods recall. I should receive the necessary equipment to send in food samples tomorrow. The have assured me that my dogs on DRY food and other dogs lost from wet food from Menu Foods are not related. I personally don't believe in coincidences, and the time frame, animals behavior, etc. are too much of a coincidence for me.
I'm sorry, but I told the company I wouldn't mention their name.

[mnelsonix]

Like EllsBell1, I had two cats. They were brothers. One died but the other lived. I do not know if it was the food or not, but it was tough. I'm getting a new cat so the one that lived will have a buddy.

I hope we get to the bottom of this. This sucks.

[mjones917]

Approximately two weeks ago, my 8 month of Shih Tzu puppy, Sweetie, became gravely ill after eating Natural Choice by Nutro. Initially, there was a lot of vomiting and Sweetie refused to eat or drink anything. She eventually became very dehydrated and extremely lethargic. She worsened and could barely walk or lift her little head. I rushed her to the animal emergency room and she was there for two days. They x-rayed her again and again and still could not find anything foreign in her stomach. Sweetie was hydrated via IV and numerous tests were conducted. The vets were extremely perplexed as to what could be wrong with Sweetie and concluded that perhaps she had an intestinal virus. They suggested having her see a specialist; however, I ended up bringing Sweetie home with me after the emergency care bill climbed close to $2,000.00. After a few days at home Sweetie slowly began to eat again but she was being fed baby food from the jar and I fed her Pedialyte from a syringe. I am happy to report that she is doing better but she has not eaten the Natural Choice since becoming ill.

[thee0racle]

if it happens to animals it can happen to people. Where is our government right now?

[claira1]

My,well what name can you come up with or title for someone who is family, he was a brother and bestfriend and when I got home late my Dad. Duke was a wonderful, smart, loving and very proud german shephard. I had him for several years. He found me I didn't find him and he just adopted me and my daughter in 1996. He passed Jan. 28, 2004. He was vomitting, couldn't control his bowles (which really upset him, to urinate or poop in the house was discusting to him).I fed him Purina (dry only), however the vet and I couldn't decide on age and he was loosing his appetite, vomitting. So I switched to wet food. We tried them all, iams, ol'roy, paws, nutro, eukanuba (which was highly recommended by our vet) and so many more. He just kept throwing up, getting thinner, more dehydrated. Yes he was no spring chicken. We knew that he was to be around 6 years old when he first found me. I know the life time of German Shephard (average). However I had him put back together piece by piece after he was brutally beaten and almost killed by his previouse owner. Did all I could to help strengthen his bones and teeth and watched him take his first steps after his legs healed. Then run! In May of 2002 not one vet could believe how healthy he was, how vibrant. They were amazed. He was like a pup.
By late 2003 (winter) that changed.
Before the snow could melt in 2004, he was gone.

[simonis22]

It's time to wake up!! It's been known that iams is testing their food on dogs and cats in their labs.That's disgusting and cruel and not necessary.I don't buy iams or eukanuba because of that.My 3 dogs are so healthy and have no allergies anymore since i put them on "natural balance,*** van pattern's premium dog food" which contains no wheat,corn,soy or any artificial anything.the sad thing is we all want the best for our "best friends" and don't know that we are killing them with commercial pet food.back to nature is the answer,homecooked food and fresh ingredients.hopefully we all learn something from that scandal...

[nothappyatall]

"It's been known that iams is testing their food on dogs and cats in their labs.That's disgusting and cruel and not necessary.I don't buy iams or eukanuba because of tha"

Feeding trials are necessary, it's either feeding trials on a handful of dogs in a laboratory or field testing on YOUR dogs- take your pick.

I have fed IAMS for 20 years, I buy 400# worth every 3 months and have seen the animal rights nuts attack this company (and all others) because they don't like the connection to Proctor and Gambel- the parent company and are trying every which way they can thru lies and half-truths to shut them down.
IAMS does not test on dogs and cats, and as is typical an animal rights nut applied for a job using false credentials and was not doing her job she was paid to do and was instead filming the "terrible" conditions mostly created by her not doing her job!
See: www.iamstruth.com/

Look on the lower right corner for "get the facts"

[candojj1]

They knew of the problem in January, If one looks at the trading of their MEW.UN (TSX) beginning on 1/15 someone sold 100,000 units as the price dropped. On 1/18 someone sold another 166,000 unit as the price dropped again. On 2/8 another 400,000 units were sold as the price dropped again. So anyway, the management of this mutual fund partnership knew of the problem knew of the problem as far back as January 15th, which is two months ago. And since two years ago menu foods had a disastrous year with major loses, and last year they only had a small gain, they could ill afford to let this news out. To Menu Foods search Google and Peta and see how cruel they are to animals and you might rethink ever buying your pet food product from them anyway.

[nothappyatall]

"There are a lot of good companies

that are committed to the health of your pet and not just a quick buck"

ALL companies are in business for a quick buck, and pet food companies are no different. It doesn't matter what you feed there is risk in everything, even human food is full of salmonella, E-coli, meat is full of bacteria and all kinds of other nasty bugs that always hits the news with people sick and dead, kidney and liver failurethis is no different with petfood
Peanut butter was contaminated with salmonella, fresh vegetables have been contaminated by E-coli sickening and killing people as well, this is not confined to just pet food but mass production of food itself is the problem.

Also, by "testing" on animals I was referring to LD 50 kill trials, pouring chemicals in Rabbit eyes etc, feeding trials are different.
IAMS does not do LD50 or chemicals in the eyes or vivisection experiments, they do feeding trials to see the dogs are gaining weight, have healthy skin, coats, breed and whelp normally etc.

[random_radar]

"if it happens to animals it can happen to people. Where is our government right now?
Posted by thee0racle at 01:12 PM : Mar 20, 2007"

They are busy killing people in Iraq right now. Be patient and wait your turn--I am sure they will get around to killing you soon.

[kikibooboo]

Do some reading up on dog food and what is in STOP FEEDING ANYTHING WITH CORN OR WHEAT IN IT! It is BAD for dogs, anyway! Causes lots of allergies, and skin/coat problems. Dogs and cats are carnivores. We all know that...why do we think they should eat a mostly grain diet? When mine need roughage, they chomp a few mouthfuls of grass (which is RARE)

Take a look at CANIDAE and their product for cats, FELIDAE. It is quality food, and hasn't been involved in any of these recalls. Their website is canidae.com. It can be ordered from petfooddirect or thru amazon or your local quality feedstores/upper end pet stores might have it. It actually isn't more expensive to feed even though the food is more per bag, because the amount you feed is so much less. No fillers, (which means less poop to have to pick up) no corn, no wheat or soy, no meat by-products, and only human grade meat, brown rice, and is preserved with vitamin E.Plus, healthier pets!

[nothappyatall]

Cancer, kidney and liver failure are the 3 top killers of dogs and any of them can strike at any age- some is genetic, some is congenital and some is induced by OTHER things such as chemicals in carpets (formaldehyde) smoke, poisonous flea killers and so much more. To atribute any specific death to food without specific tests is irresponsible and foolhardy that flea spray or dip comes with a POISON warning to wear rubber gloves, not to inhale the fumes etc and that's ok to apply over a dog's entire body?

They have as of yet not found a specific CAUSE or problem in any dog food, the recalls are precautionary.

I will agree corn and wheat are not the best diet for dog. The first ingredient in IAMS chunks is Chicken, I've fed it 20 years to multiple dogs with no problems. It costs close to $30 a bag but since you feed less of it it winds up costing less per kilocalorie and when comparing costs per day to feed you use the kilocalorie per pound of feed to cost per pound of product A to B comparisons. Therefore, cheap foods like "Ol Roy" and Purina are not as cheap as they seem when you have to feed twice as much. Feeding all that bulk also means more work for the digestive system and more material going thru it which increases the risks of cancers, illnesses and so on.

[stevedk3]

Regarding testing the tainted food on animals: It is one thing to test the QUALITY of food prior to sending to market.

It is quite another thing to test the LETHALITY of food by feeding it to more animals after many have already died.

[kikibooboo]

dear newster1--

do some research on your IAMS. Just because the first ingredient listed is chicken doesn't mean there is more meat in the food than anything else. look at the next 2 ingredients....Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum are it. So....if 25% of the food is chicken and then 20% is corn meal and 20% is ground whole grain sorghum, your food is 40% corn/grains. There is a walmart Maxximum food out there that lists "fresh chicken" as the first ingredient...but the next 4 ingredients are all grains (wheat/corn/soy). Plus, when the "fresh chicken" gets done having the 70% of it that is water removed in the preparation process, that isn't much chicken. Meat "meal" is actually a better ingredient to see on the package than a fresh meat. You also do not want foods preserved with BHT or BHA.