Posted on 04/18/2007 7:59:23 PM PDT by nmh
...
The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
Previously, the chemical was found to contaminate wheat gluten used by at least six other pet food and treat manufacturers.
Both ingredients were imported from China, though by different companies and from different manufacturers.
A lawmaker said Wednesday the Chinese have refused to grant visas to FDA inspectors seeking to visit the plants where the ingredients were made. An FDA spokesman later said the visas were not refused but that the agency had not received the necessary invitation letter to get visas.
"It troubles me greatly the Chinese are making it more difficult to understand what led to this pet food crisis," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told The Associated Press after meeting with the FDA commissioner, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach.
A message left Wednesday with the Chinese Embassy in Washington was not immediately returned.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I am afraid of every pet food right now, have 4 dogs and am a breeder & have been cooking homemade food for our dogs for weeks now!
which is why Inova is now making EVO and Nature's Variety is making Raw Instinct and Natures Logic is making three different grain-free foods and Honest Kitchen is making two different grain-free foods...
The problem in this growing recall is grains, not the meats. The foods I mentioned use organic ingredients...
Check out onlynaturalpets.com to learn more about all these different foods. I feed raw, but if I was going to feed kibble, it's only the kibble's mentioned I would even consider. None of my three dogs have eaten any grains and they are fit and trim and muscular, no fat.
At this point I would home cook, but now the talking heads are warning against it because most pet owners don't know how to balance the diet. We buy dog food manufactured in our state (SC) but now I'm wondering if they get their base products from China. I'll check out your link, thanks for that.
you name is appropriate to your post — I hear crickets sounding rather than Peta.
I had been feeding my dogs the Alpo dry treats & every one of them has vomitted (more than just once) in the past few weeks. I don't feed them but maybe one each when I am going somewhere & leaving them, so maybe they aren't getting enough of the poison, but I quit feeding the treats & they now get fresh carrots for treats.
Good grief!
Would it be that much trouble to identify which dry foods may be affected?
We feed our dog Canidae - the statement on their webpage is that there are no glutens in the food and they do not import ingredients from China. All I know is that she had problems with ear infections in the past, and the food change really helped.
Natural Balance foods are the “good guys” when it comes to dog food. My dogs love it. If you read the labels they have just regular food in them. Just so happened that the rice they bought from China was contaminated.
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/canned.html
You’ll notice they say read our ingredient panel...and when you do you just read good ingredients, not byproducts.
Wonder how much of our food has Chinese products in it. Sooner or later we’re going to see something similar with human food.
On the other hand, we’ve got enough contamination of our own with salmonella, etc.
I used to think something was wrong with Daisy (fed raw from 12 weeks) because she was unlike any puppy I'd ever had before -- very calm... all three of my cockers are like that and the groomer always comments how much easier they are to groom than most of the other cockers she grooms.
Before raw, I home-cooked.
Exactly... when I read the “what is really in pet food” article years ago I was stunned.
Links everyone might want to read. Helps to know before you buy:
I guess now I’m not so upset at the youngest dog for eating poo. It retrospect, it’s probably safer for her.
This is troubling...
Which "dry" Alpo treats specifically? The ones in the foil packet? The ones I use specifically are labeled "ALPO Al's Grill".
About a week or two before the pet food story exploded, I noticed my dog was vomiting randomly, every few days. Didn't think anything of it at the time...
He is still doing so.
She said oh, I feed Science Diet... I explained it has BHA, BHT and Ethioxin in it and not to mentione wheat Gluten and Rice .... she says: My vet says it's fine to feed --- and you could tell she cared less as long as her vet (who gets all of two weeks nutritional training during school and gets scholarships from Hills and Purina to go to school in return for selling their stuff -- oh, and gets paid for treating all the dogs who get sick on crappy diet and too many vaccinations) said it was okay....
Thanks - it’s their VENISON dry and canned food
I’m going to start feed him carrots too, BTW!
I bought some Pro Plan crunchies, Chicken and Rice from Purina and something else from Purina ... Purina One crunchies. They didn’t like Pro Plan moist food. Firskies moist is not a hit either. I tried to stay with products ONLY made in the U.S..
Last fall I had an issue with Diamond Foods - CHicken Noodles Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul - great ingredients but that was part of a recall back then. I will not buy anything made from Diamond - they’re on the recall list again.
dont be so sure
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1818505/posts
To: Flavius; EagleUSA; vetvetdoug
An older article; it’s probably happening now.
Why the chicken crossed the ocean — twice:
A new government rule will soon allow American chicken meat to be exported to China to be processed, then shipped back.
The Department of Agriculture (in April, 2006) certified China as eligible to export processed chicken meat to the United States — but with one caveat. The chicken has to be American.
In other words, American chicken will travel across the ocean once and return cooked and canned - to be sent on its way to a supermarket shelf near you.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/19/news/international/china_chickendeal/index.htm
My Bengal LOVES to eat. Debbie wears the pants when it comes to eating. Thomas backs off - he’s such a marshmallow. Love em both!
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