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Bigger than you think: The story behind the pet food recall
SF Gate ^ | April 3, 2007 | Christie Keith

Posted on 04/03/2007 4:34:03 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn

The March 16 recall of 91 pet food products manufactured by Menu Foods wasn't big news at first. Early coverage reported only 10-15 cats and dogs dying after eating canned and pouched foods manufactured by Menu. The foods were recalled -- among them some of the country's best-known and biggest-selling brands -- and while it was certainly a sad story, and maybe even a bit of a wake-up call about some aspects of pet food manufacturing, that was about it.

At first, that was it for me, too. But I'm a contributing editor for a nationally syndicated pet feature, Universal Press Syndicate's Pet Connection, and all of us there have close ties to the veterinary profession

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Food; Health/Medicine; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: dogfood; doggieping; fda; menufoods; recall
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To: Ditto

I haven’t read the whole thread, but this is regarding the HUMAN foods...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/03/business/pets.php


101 posted on 04/03/2007 8:45:56 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma (DUNCAN HUNTER FOR PRESIDENT! http://www.gohunter08.com/Home.aspx)
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To: pollyg107

Thanks for that. I’ll start looking at the labels. I’ve never added gluten to my homemade chicken noodle soup, so why should they.


102 posted on 04/03/2007 8:46:28 PM PDT by gotribe ( I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution... - Grover Cleveland.)
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To: Ditto

I don’t see a big, bloated bureaucracy as the answer to this. Prosecution maybe and a suspension of food stuffs from wherever this wheat gluton came from.

Someone mentions China and I remember more then a decade ago 60 Minutes did a report on China intentionally sending diluted or bad medicine to some impoverished country.

If we had a government capable of doing it’s job we wouldn’t have to worry about poisons coming in from China or Mexico. But we just keep giving them more power...and they keep doing exactly what we tell them we don’t want them to do.


103 posted on 04/03/2007 8:47:47 PM PDT by Duke Nukum (Linux: More of a cult then an OS. Mac: Beyond a Cult. A joyless Jihad.)
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To: Arizona Carolyn

Yesterday, there was a recall of dog treats, made by Dole foods. Is Dole related to Menu, or did they just buy the wheat product from the same source? How many other dog foods are suspect, that we just haven’t heard about yet?


104 posted on 04/03/2007 8:48:48 PM PDT by Eva
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To: Brad's Gramma
Thanks for the link (I'm still mad this was moved to chat -- this stuff is important) -- this last paragraph was interesting:

Underscoring the U.S. love affair with cats and dogs, the agency said it has received 9,400 complaints about pet food since the controversy began - nearly double the number of complaints for all topics last year. In an "unprecedented" show of force, the agency assigned 400 employees to track down the suspect shipments, field calls from worried pet owners and test 430 samples of potentially contaminated wet and dry food, said Michael Rogers, who directs the agency's field investigations.

105 posted on 04/03/2007 8:48:49 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: Arizona Carolyn; Slings and Arrows; Glenn; republicangel; Bahbah; Beaker; BADROTOFINGER; etabeta; ..
Ping!


106 posted on 04/03/2007 8:48:55 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows ("By the way... who is Ben Dayho?" --60Gunner)
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To: Arizona Carolyn

107 posted on 04/03/2007 8:51:31 PM PDT by Kitten Festival
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To: Eva

I think it was a separate plant, same with the treats recalled for salmonella. Right now there is two places I trust to purcahse treats for my dogs: Sitstay.com and onlynaturalpet. Hare-today.com dehydrates some of their products to sell as treats and once in a while greentripe.com has dehydrated treats. I read all labels as it is and since I don’t feed any grains to my dogs I rule out anything with rice, wheat, corm sugar, etc...


108 posted on 04/03/2007 8:51:36 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: conservativegranny

No offense taken, really. I can understand, now that I read your comments, how one would be cautious about believing this until proven.

I suppose in this “get rick quick, sue someone” society we live in, added to the rumors spread on the internet, it would be best to be cautious.

The call to the vet yesterday really panicked me, since I did feed my pets some of the food on the recall lists before. I also remember the Diamond Food recall and deaths from a year or so ago, so that added to my panic.

I’m not a DUer, hope I don’t come across as such. I am fanatical about my pets, they are my family, I love them, and get protective about them, as they would for me.

Hope I didn’t offend you, I apologize if I did.

And I hope to read more of your comments, you obviously know what you are talking about.


109 posted on 04/03/2007 8:56:08 PM PDT by girlangler (Fish Fear Me)
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To: browardchad

I just remembered the brand name of the food I was feeding her. It was PRIORITY, a new line being marketed at VONs. She was eating WHISKAS for quite a while before that, seemed to do okay, but WHISKAS canned food was phased out of all supermarkets a few months ago.

Well, 3-4 weeks ago, her behavior really changed. She barely moved, was very droopy but still eating. This was about 1-1/2 weeks after she started on PRIORITY, but I didn’t make the food connection.

THANKFULLY, a friend here I mentioned that to alerted me to the first “Breaking News” article posted on the subject. I IMMEDIATELY discontinued the canned stuff even before product names were given and there it was.

I started cooking chicken breast for her. So, she gets it cut up fine and mixed with the broth. As for kibble, I shall take a closer look at the ingredients. She likes the blend of IAMS senior and Purina Naturals.

She is doing MUCH, MUCH better now... playing with toys and everything and she is 15-1/2 years.


110 posted on 04/03/2007 8:57:53 PM PDT by La Enchiladita (Blessed is He who comes in the name of The Lord; Hosannah in the Highest)
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To: Shyla; All
Here is another thread that includes some stern warnings re raw foods for pets:

Home Cooked Pet Food Not Always Safe

111 posted on 04/03/2007 9:01:20 PM PDT by La Enchiladita (Blessed is He who comes in the name of The Lord; Hosannah in the Highest)
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To: Arizona Carolyn

My daughter had bought two big boxes of the Dole jerky treats for our dog at Costco, the lamb and rice flavors aren’t on the list, but I am still going to throw them away. What a wast of money! Oh, well. I think that I will find out where the vet buys the dried liver treats that he gives the dogs, and go with them.


112 posted on 04/03/2007 9:04:06 PM PDT by Eva
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To: Arizona Carolyn
Yes, I watched the show on CNN. There wasn't really anything new -- at least if you've been reading these threads on FreeRepublic and Pet Connection. They did point out, though, that it hasn't been ruled out by the FDA that some of this product is in human food. They are still investigating, according to CNN.

By the way, there is another thread on homemade pet food that is on the regular forum -- not in chat. I just don't get it.

113 posted on 04/03/2007 9:05:01 PM PDT by pollyg107
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To: Eva; Arizona Carolyn; All
If you're interested, this is an interesting theory about the contamination that I read on Itchmo.com. I have no idea whether it is just "tinfoil" talk or should be taken seriously, but I am fascinated.

http://www.itchmo.com/read/breaking-wheat-gluten-importer-identified_20070403

114 posted on 04/03/2007 9:08:06 PM PDT by pollyg107
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To: La Enchiladita
Hi there ---- good to see you here.

I've fed raw to my dogs for 9 years, no problems at all and they literally never have to see a vet. Vets get all of two weeks training in nutrition and a lot of money for scholarships from Hills and Purina, they know about as much as my big toe about feeding (unfortunately).

They do hate that there is a growing number of us out there no longer buying the stuff in their clinics for our pets. What is a shame is they don't seem to realize they are selling crap full of BHA, BHT and Ethioxin.

115 posted on 04/03/2007 9:08:46 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: Eva

You can save a lot of money and buy them yourself from Sitstay.com or onlynaturalpet.com..... very good quality and my dogs love them. They love the Salmon treats.... I usually make a huge treat buy about every six months.


116 posted on 04/03/2007 9:10:44 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: conservativegranny

Great post, conservativegranny. Keep up the good work. Voices of reason are few and far between on FR these days.


117 posted on 04/03/2007 9:11:32 PM PDT by La Enchiladita (Blessed is He who comes in the name of The Lord; Hosannah in the Highest)
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To: pollyg107

I think someone who go upset that she referred to Rosie at the end of the article took exception and complained, that is the only explanation I can come up with.


118 posted on 04/03/2007 9:11:39 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: pollyg107

It sounds plausible. I’m not sure that we will ever find the true source. I guess that it is time to end all grain subsidies, so the manufacturers don’t have to buy the grain products from China.


119 posted on 04/03/2007 9:38:39 PM PDT by Eva
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To: Arizona Carolyn

Thanks, I’ll check it out.


120 posted on 04/03/2007 9:40:17 PM PDT by Eva
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