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 ...
Definitely I’ll check all that out. Do you mind if I FReepmail you if I need a little direction?
It is easy to feed raw. And once you get the hang of it you can make large batches and freeze it.
Diatomaceous Earth with garlic, etc. is a popular form of fly control for horses. I wonder if it helps control fleas and ticks on dogs?
I was using that particular brand, at the time, to stop a diarrhea problem. Didn’t help at all.
The problem stems from melamine found in the rice protein concentrate. Natural balance, for instance, recently added Brown Rice Bran to their food and according to reports from some retailers that is the underlying cause of their latest recall... In addition the Monsanto GM corn is now starting to show liver failure in dogs eating food made from it.
I’m going to check out the links supplied here and see what else I can try. One kind of likes it the other eats it begrudgingly.
I feel badly about recommending Natural Balance. I had checked the ingredients which seemed safe. I also had fed it to my dogs in the past as a treat. I did not know it was manufactured by Diamond. That would have sent up red flags. Yep BARF is the way to go.
She eats the older dog’s poo, whom I suspect, like you said, is not digesting everything.
What is “raw”?
Onlynaturalpets.com carries it and they are very reliable in their shipping. I’ve purchased a lot of products from them and they only carry top grade products.
any time....
YES!!! and that reminds me.... several people on my cocker list who live in heavy heartworm areas as well as people on the jstsayno2vaccs list report that their pets on raw are not getting fleas and many have stopped giving heartworm because when they are not getting the grains (which turn to sugar and attract insects) they are no longer attractive to critters that cause so many health problems... but, DE is very good for our dogs...
According to this article, several foods aren’t safe for dogs or cats:
The veterinarian group also warned that many common foods are not safe for pets, including salt, garlic, onions, grapes and chocolate.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070404/ap_on_re_us/homemade_pet_food;_ylt=AjXwOQmDn7pRADsbWYs6Mbis0NUE
Fancy Feast canned (ground varieties only, no slices or chunks in gravy) and Purina One dry. Haven’t had any problems.
Started cooking dog food last week.
Mom’s happy, dogs are happy.
I feed it ground, many people feed it whole and breeders on my Natural Cocker list are weining their new puppies on whole raw -- slightly chopped.. makes for great teeth, much fewer vet visits and a lot healthier dogs and cats. Cats are more difficult to switch if they are older..
What do I feed? Beef, Goat, pork, rabbit, lamb, venison, etc., Green Tripe, steamed or purreed vegetables...the meat all has bone ground in along with organ meats and some tripe... the green tripe and some different things like tongue, spleen, pancreas, I get from Greentripe.com...
If you have a strong stomach -- I buy most of my meat from Hare-today.com in Pennsylvania.... check out their website... it's a raw-feeders paradise.
I agree on all but the garlic... you have to give a whole lot of garlic to cause problems and I’ve fed garlic for years to my dogs.
We also switched our dogs to Canidae after all of this recall madness started to dry food for overweight or older dogs.
Yes, it seems the amount is so miniscule. Out 80 pounder Lab-mix is on 2 1/2 cups a day and the mini Jack Russell is at 1/2 cup per day.
They are absolutely ravenous!
I give them a couple of raw carrots and find they are really soothed by very diluted, low sodium chicken broth that I heat slightly in the microwave. They lap it up!
I guess, for us, this is a good thing. My babies are getting in shape for better health and we are much more aware of what we are ALL eating. :)
You should subscribe to Whole Dog Journal and there is an excellent book I recommend called: The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care — by CJ PUotinen also the Nature of Animal Healing by Doctor Goldstein.
From another site:
Avoid chocolate, onions, eggplant or tomatoes as they are hard for your pet to digest and could potentially cause health risks.
Don’t add fillers (rice, wheat, corn, soy, grain, etc.) since your pet wouldn’t find these in the wild.
Avoid sharing your dinner with your pet, unless what you are eating is fresh and doesn’t include any dangerous ingredients.
http://www.insideedition.com/ourstories/inside_stories/story.aspx?storyid=726
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