So the dry food recall begins... Royal Canin recalls dry foods

[Iceburg]

RECALL: Royal Canin recalls Sensible Choice & Kasco

PR Newswire is reporting that Royal Canin has issued a new recall. Information can also be found on the Royal Canin website.

Eight Sensible Choice Dry Dog Food Products, Seven Kasco Dry Dog and Cat Food Products Recalled Nationwide by Royal Canin USA Effective Today

Trace amounts of a melamine derivative identified in limited number of
recalled products

see http://petsitusa.com/blog/?p=320 and http://www.royalcanin.us/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So after weeks/months of denial that there was anything wrong with the dry food inspite of the growing body of complaints, the pet food manufacturers are now admitting there was problems with the dry food.

My dogs were vomitting translucent yellow-bile while on a diet of dry kibble (PC Nutrition 1st). I immediately switched to a home food diet and they have fully recovered. It is not a coincidence that both dogs ceased throwing up yellow bile (which had become a daily occurence) the day I switched them over to home made food.

I did contact the company (PC) 2 weeks ago by phone and they try to assure me that the dry foods were perfectly safe ... although they have yet to provide me with any details regarding lab tests by reputable labs. I will follow up with a written letter to PC. While I will never subject my dogs to commercial feed again, I think it is important that we do contact the food manufacturers/factories and hold them accountable.

More than 4800 dogs and cats are alleged to have died from ingesting the tainted feed. (See see http://www.petconnection.com/recall/ )
From PetConnection.com, a self-reporting, veterinarian sponsored website: Update May 11, 6:09 a.m. PT:
"4,867 pets (2,519 cats and 2,348 dogs) have been reported as deceased to our PetConnection database. Total number of affected pets reported: 14,646. These are self-reported numbers, and should be in no way be considered confirmed or "official." But if even a fraction could be confirmed, they show deaths far exceeding the FDA's count of 17 or 18 "confirmed" pet deaths, most of whom died in a manufacturer's feeding trial."

The FDA itself is now suggesting higher numbers. In an alert posted to the FDA's Web site on April 27 the FDA says:

"As of April 26, 2007, FDA had received over 17,000 consumer complaints relating to this outbreak, and those complaints included reports of approximately 1950 deaths of cats and 2200 deaths of dogs. " (http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia9929.html)

The law suits against the pet food manufacturers are piling up daily. see http://itchmoforums.com/index.php?topic=148.0

Now that Royal Canin has taken the lead on its dry food product line, I expect that others will follow. There is no question in my mind as to what was sickening my pets.

Links to earlier posts on my dogs experiences with commercial pet food:

Diet Induced Canine Hypothyroidism: A personal Story
http://www.ourdogsonline.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/105087/

Excess Iodine implicated in Thyroid disease: RDA's for Iodine in Dogs ...are they too high?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=243x25841#25917

Some additional links on iodine, hypothyroidism & testing
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=243x25841#25919

Excess doses of Vitamin D Kills
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2792684#2795253

A growing number of complaints about sick and dying animals who ate only dry food
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2792684#2796502

Why I chose to start home feeding...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2792684#2796452

[InvisibleTouch]

1. Good for you for making your own pet food...

...and not letting the misinformed scare-mongers drive you away from it! With a bit of research you can put together a much healthier diet for your pets than the commercial companies can, and you know exactly what's going into it. (Well, for the most part. We still may not be able to completely eliminate the growth hormones and antibiotics in meat, and the pesticides in grains and veggies - but there's only so much we can control for, at this point. You know at least that you're not getting the artificial colors, preservatives, and added chemicals in commercial kibble.)

[Sydnie]

2. I had a dead dog in my back yard a few weeks ago

It died in a place that I can't see from my house but my neighbor can see from their driveway. He came over and left a note on my door that there was a dead dog in my yard. I went out and had a look and it looked like it had been perfectly healthy to me before it passed away in my yard. It didn't have any outward signs of even having been hit by a car, no bleeding from the mouth or ears or nose ... just looked a bit swollen in it's belly (I hope it wasn't pregnant but I didn't check it out that closely to be honest). I called the animal control person but she was on vacation so they had our DPW come out and collect it while I was at work. I don't know if they bothered to test it or if they just dumped it but I would be curious about what killed a dog that I had never seen in the neighborhood before ... and how it came to die in my yard.

I continue to wonder if it had anything to do with the food it might have been being fed.

Just to note, I have lived here over 20 years and have NEVER found a dead dog in my yard before. Even the dead cats that I have found in the road near my house have mostly been my own pets (over the course of many years in a rural area where they would occasionally roam to the other side of the street to prowl the golf course). Finding a dead dog that, from all outward appearances looked healthy, was a bizarre thing for sure.

[Bjornsdotter]

3. Yesterday

...at our local Petsmart, all of the Royal Canin foods were on sale. These were the ones that haven't been recalled yet....:eyes:

They should just pull them all instead of releasing info in bits and drabs.

Thanks for the links.

Cheers

[tibbiit]

4. Great, our cat was on science diet md dry food

which was of course the only dry food for cats recalled. Her cretin in her blood is elevated (suposed to be .4 to .9 and hers was over 2.0)
We have one dog already on kidney diet for kidney failure that started two years ago. (out of the blue?)
Our other dogs (4) eat sensible choice.
thats just fucking great.
tib

[Iceburg]

5. Tib, sorry to hear about your pets ...

have you considered a home made diet. I won't say it is easy nor cheap but the rewards -- healthy pets and peace of mind far outweigh the cons.

The most time consuming aspect was the initial research. However, if you hire a pet nutritionist you can save your self some time. I did not go that route because I had lost too much faith and felt that I had to do the ground work -- only then would I be comfortable with the direction, options and choices I would inevitably have to make.

[ellie]

6. I just just knew

that it was a matter of time before this happened.

[lovuian]

8. yep

they are gradually letting out the news

piece by piece
because it is bad news

[Iceburg]

13. ...and always released late on Friday n/t

[ellie]

7. Dupe and deleted

Computer hiccup.

[KT2000]

9. If it wasn't for DU

and diligent posters like you - I would have missed this one.
Thank you!

[DKRC]

10. We've had no problem with the food we give

We feed our cats (ages 13+) Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Senior. It's dry kibble.
Here's the link if you want to check it out:
Nutro Products

They've been confused with Natural Balance in some reports.

[Critters2]

15. Some Nutro Natural Choice canned was recalled though

I don't trust any company that's had any food recalled. It means they don't monitor manufacturing and supply lines closely enough.

[Iceburg]

17. I agree ... come Monday there will be a lot of "me too's" following

Royal Canin's announcement of it's dry food recall late Friday.

The failures in the industry to provide nutricious and more importantly "safe" food in the past several years should lead everyone to question what exactly they are feeding their best friends.

[Mrs. Overall]

11. Think about switching to Pet Promise--here's an excerpt from their website:

http://www.petpromiseinc.com/

May 11, 2007

Pet Promise is NOT Part of Pet Food Recall

Our hearts go out to anyone affected by the pet food recall. Pet Promise was founded on a Promise of Purity to you and your Pet:

No Animal by-products
No Rendered Meat or Chicken Meals
No Factory Farm Meat or Chicken
No Antibiotic-fed Protein Sources
No Added Growth Hormones
No Artificial Flavors, Colors or Preservatives
Rest assured, Pet Promise can be fed with complete confidence:

Pet Promise does NOT use rice protein concentrate or wheat gluten.
Pet Promise foods are made in our own factories.
Pet Promise uses chickens raised on U.S. Family Farms that are fed on strict vegetarian diets, and are not fed any leftover pet foods.

Thanks to all our consumers and retail partners for your continued support.

Join the Movement. Receive information about sustainability, U.S. Family Farmers and special offers & information on Pet Promise.

[Iceburg]

12. With all due respect ...

Take a look at Pet Promise's adult dog food INGREDIENTS:
Whole foods?: Chicken, brewers rice, corn gluten meal, oat groats, pearled barley,

Non-whole food/supplements/chems?:vegetable oil preserved with mixed-tocopherols, egg product, soy flour, dicalcium phosphate, natural flavor, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, salt, vitamins (Vitamin E supplement, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), choline chloride, minerals , ascorbic acid (source of Vitamin C).

[Critters2]

16. My two healthy cats eat this, along with Wysong.

I have friends in Iowa who raise bison that's sold to Pet Promise. So I REALLY know where their ingredients come from.

[Iceburg]

14. Kick for the night shift /nt

[politicat]

18. We're keeping ours on Felidae (Canidae is the dog version.)

American sourced ingredients, no glutens, corn, wheat, or soy. Human-grade chicken, rice, vegetables and herbs. And the kitties do fine on it - no tummy problems. (They don't like homemade food. Not terribly fond of canned, either.)

It's good stuff.