Corn is not pet food, it's for cattle. At the very least, dogs fed corn develop a sort of "beefy" look. Not good.
My dog gets Nutro Senior, made with chicken and oatmeal along with some real meat that I simmer for her. Rice is OK too.
Reference bump. Thanks! ,-)
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/122305/dog.food.html
Diamond Pet Food thought to be cause of Sparta kennel deaths
MOUNT VERNON - Jobe Porter of Sparta is ticked. He has a kennel, USA Bulldogs, and, recently lost three dogs, after they mysteriously fell ill. Yesterday, he learned that Diamond Pet Food has a contacted distributors and recommended to hold the sale of products manufactured at its facility in Gaston, South Carolina.
Ohio is one of the 22 states serviced by the facility. Porter said his dogs got really lethargic and did not want to eat. It happened a few weeks ago, and, at the time, he had no idea why they got sick. He said he has fed his dogs Diamond Pet Food for years. Also, he said he knows of several other people whose dogs are dying.
“I think they need to be replacing peoples’ dogs,” Porter said. “I know mistakes happen but when it starts killing animals, someone needs to be held liable.”
He said he has tried to call everyone he knows who feeds their dog food from Diamond Pet Food.
According to a press release from Diamond Pet Food, the culprit is aflatoxin, a naturally occuring toxic chemical by-product from the growth of the fungus, Aspergillus flavus, on corn and other crops.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have notified our distributors and recommended they hold the sale of all Diamond Pet Food products formulated with corn that were produced out of our Gaston facility,” the release reads.
As dogs die, tainted pet food worries veterinarians
They fear many owners haven't heard about recall of Diamond
Donna Jackel
Staff writer
(December 31, 2005) — A week before Christmas, breeder Ann Bliss noticed that her cocker spaniels weren't eating. By Christmas Day, five were dead and two were struggling for their lives at Cornell University's Hospital for Animals in Ithaca.
Bliss, who lives in Marion, Wayne County, had fed her animals Diamond Pet Food's premium dog food with good results for many years, but the trusted brand turned deadly this month.
"Every morning, I wake up crying," said Bliss, 66, who refers to her dogs as her "grandpups." "I've never experienced anything like this. I can't find words to describe it."
On Dec. 20, Missouri-based Diamond Pet Food recalled batches of dog and cat food made at its Gaston, S.C., plant. Lab tests confirmed that some contained high quantities of aflatoxin, a chemical naturally produced by growth of the fungus, Aspergillus flavus, on corn or other crops. As yet, no cases have been confirmed in cats, but some cat food samples tested positive for the fast-acting toxin, which destroys liver function.
Two local veterinarians, Stuart Gluckman and Sara Sanders of Mendon Village Animal Hospital, first realized that several dogs being treated for liver problems were all eating Diamond food. Their quick actions — they sent food samples for testing by both Cornell University and Diamond — sparked a recall in 22 states on the Eastern Seaboard. The food was also exported to several European Union countries, which have been notified.
But Sanders fears that news of the recall has not reached the larger public. So does Dr. Sharon Center of Cornell, which admitted three more dogs with aflatoxin Friday. Center has been contacted by pet owners from across the country.
"We are still talking to people who didn't seem to know the food is toxic," she said.
One was an Alabama basset hound breeder who lost more than 12 dogs.
Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning include bloody vomiting or diarrhea, lethargy, loss of appetite, increased water consumption and urination, jaundice or yellowing of the whites of the eyes or gums. But Center and Sanders say owners who have been feeding pets Diamond food from the Gaston facility should not wait for symptoms to take their pet to the vet — by then, it might be too late.
"Even apparently healthy dogs can have liver damage," Sanders said. But aflatoxin exposure is not necessarily a death sentence, she said, noting that some of the dogs treated at Cornell have recovered sufficiently to go home.
In the last stages of the disease, the dogs develop a clotting problem and bleed into their gastrointestinal tracts.
The Food and Drug Administration said so far, 23 animal deaths have been linked to the pet food. At least 11 local dogs have died, according to veterinary offices. Mark Brinkmann, Diamond's general manager, said he did not know yet how many dogs have been affected. The first day that Diamond established a consumer hotline, it received about 1,500 calls. About half were from people concerned that their dogs had been sickened by dog food, he said.
Diamond has been posting information at www.diamondpetfood.com. Company officials have also notified store owners about the recall by fax or registered mail.
Diamond officials pledged that the company will help pay veterinary bills for customers who can prove aflatoxin contamination.
Since Dec. 20, state Department of Agriculture and Markets inspectors have checked New York retailers who carry Diamond to ensure the food was off the shelves. The state also notified veterinarians via a mass e-mailing, said spokeswoman Jessica Chittenden.
Diamond officials were aware that this year's corn crop had a particularly heavy presence of aflatoxin because of a drought in June and July, followed by wet weather in August, Brinkmann said. Each truckload of corn is tested for aflatoxin before it's made into pet food, he said.
"We have stringent procedures in place," he said. "We will investigate what happened. Right now, we are trying to save as many animals as we can."
In 1995, a company called Nature's Recipe pulled thousands of tons of dog food off the shelf after consumers complained that their dogs were vomiting and losing their appetite. Nature's Recipe's loss amounted to $20 million. In this case, mold from aflatoxin-contaminated wheat.
Lori Hewett, 26, of Honeoye Falls, a receptionist at Mendon Village Animal Hospital, began feeding her dogs Diamond several years ago because it was the chosen food of many breeders and had a good reputation. Now, Sparta, a border collie mix, is ill at Cornell and a second dog has signs of liver damage.
"I'm prepared that Sparta probably won't make it out of this, but we're not giving up on her. Everyone says not to feel guilty, but I can't help but think that I was putting food down that had poison in it. These were young, healthy dogs."
DJACKEL@DemocratandChronicle.com
Includes reporting by The Associated Press.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1549635/posts
23 Dog Deaths Linked To Contaminated Food (Apparently cat food as well - Diamond Pet Food)
Daughter lives in Mendon...will notify her now!
Thanks
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1555295/posts
Dogs Keep Dying: Many Owners Unaware Of Toxic Dog Food
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1555699/posts
Important Dog Food Recall (over 100 dogs have died since Diamond Pet Food recall began in Dec)