Pet Food Recall
March 22nd, 2007 by Nancy ClevelandI’m a dog owner…a cat owner, bird owner, (with multiples of all of them) and proud of it. Truth be told, they seem to own me rather than I ‘own’ them. For my ’crew’ I’m not worried about the current pet food scare but I AM concerned and appalled that a company with such a huge manufacturing/distributorship took as long as they did to notify the public about the problem with some of their product. The dates listed were from Dec. to March 6. They went public on March 16?? Ten dogs didn’t die that day, I’m sure…nor did many, many more suddenly, on that day, develop kidney failure or it’s symptoms. And the fact that they suspect it was caused by wheat gluten?
First and foremost, we should all be checking the ingredients on the foods we provide our pets, just as we do for ourselves, and if wheat, corn, grains of any sort are the first listed, avoid that food anyway. Many animal allergies are caused by such ingredients for one thing. For another, mostly the only value they have is filler and surely they don’t have to be the first or primary ingredient. Many people believe…because they are usually “advised†that human table food is not good for pets, specifically dogs. Why not…if you, yourself, follow a healthy diet? I wouldn’t feed mine burgers, fries, fried chicken but, then again, those are indulgences I rarely allow myself…for obvious reasons.
Not long ago there was another company had a recall of their pet food. It wasn’t done at the last minute, they covered vet fees for any pet which may have become sick as a result, the pet supply stores were all notified in a very timely manner and the problem was rectified immediately. Should be interesting to see what Menu Foods will do…a much bigger corporation. Rest assured, your local pet suppliers have taken this in hand, been removing anything that could be construed as suspect. But, in the meantime, there’s nothing wrong with buying liver, kidney, heart, tripe and making your own “stew†for Rover…even fish as long as you carefully check for and remove any and every bone. Give them bones (marrow or otherwise) for a treat….raw, not nuked, roasted or boiled.
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It was interesting to note one caller to Jared Morris’s show this morning said she cooked for her dog. Even more interesting was a follow-up to that call mocking those who would cook for their pets, figuring that such pet people were probably also the type who wouldn’t beat a dog but call for corporal punishment’s return to the school systems. Yeah? Well…I’m exactly one of “those peopleâ€. No…I don’t hit a dog. I spritz with water…though I’ve never tried to do that with a child and, if I did, I’d probably end up in family court for abuse. I cook meals for my dogs, even mix good veggies and some fruits in their casseroles and THEY will EAT them…(which is more than most kids will do)! I’d rather do that than give my animals commercially produced foods made with euthanized animals, or other dubious ingredients including chicken beaks, claws, feathers, chemicals. Our pets are chosen with care…or should be…and the reality that they will be with us from ten to eighteen years plus. For some they are the only “children†they will have, for many the only companionship they enjoy. Pets don’t give a damn who you are, what you look like, how much…or how little…material possessions you claim, they don’t need iPods, Nikes, or demand a car upon graduation from Obedience School. If we are going to invest our lives with any other living creature…including animals…we owe it to them and ourselves to do the best we can for them and if that means corporal punishment when necessary to keep our kids on the right and safe path or cooking meals, spending a bit extra to give our animals safe food and better health…so be it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or make a Hitler to want either.
Whether a dog owner or one who thinks dog owners are a bit “over the top†when it comes cooking meals for them,or researching the current foods available, do us all a favour and get a copy of “Food Pets Die For†by Ann Martin. You may just view things differently.
March 22nd, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Well ,Nancy, your most inciteful post, once again, got upstaged by another John Atkins post, however, it made me wonder. Does Atkins have a dog or cat? Does he hit them? Does he drink and drive with them? Makes you wonder though.
March 24th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
I had heard the WGMD web site had changed a lot but I was not ready for this. I listen all the time and was a registered user of the forum, not sure I care for the blog, but I will give it a try. On to the topic…
Nancy, it seems we are like minded where our animal friends are concerned. When the announcement was made that they did not know what was in the food causing the illness’ and deaths, I had a horrible feeling that this could be a terrorist threat of some kind. I should say I am not a conspiracy theorist in any way or rather try not to be in this day and time. Now that we have been told the ingredient is rat poison. Rat poison that is illegal here in America, well that makes it really hard to think otherwise. Maybe I have seen one too many episodes of Fox’s 24 but its too easy to imagine that if someone wanted to make a threat of some kind this could be it. Kind of a “see what we were able to do to your pets food supply, if (insert a crazy demand of some kind) your peoples will be next!” The only positive is that this way of thinking could make the current crisis more important to people who might be dismissing it because its only about pets. Who knows?
A good site for everyone to check out is http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org Take care and here’s hoping this mess is cleared up quickly. Would like to see a category for pets on the blog. How bout it?
March 25th, 2007 at 7:08 am
That’s a very worthy cause and site, FirstState. Unfortunately, along with the general ill-treatment of animals and regardless of whether this has been a case of carelessness, idiocy, mismanagment of production areas or a hidden threat with the food recall, you don’t miss the mark with “dismissing it because it’s only about pets”. I’d just take it a short step further and say that many…too many…dismiss or are simply very cavalier towards any problem raised in the care and welfare of animals, be they pets or those of the wild. In my view, if one cannot or will not give a jot about any animal, regardless of domesticated or wild, chances are they care about as little for their fellow man.
March 26th, 2007 at 9:05 am
I advise that all pet owners just read what the package says. And to all the greiving petowners that have lost their pet to these petfoods, SUE THE COMPANY. Do it while you can. Your pets do not deserve to be treated with disrespect and cruel stature. Don’t forget to first of all if possible to get an autopsy. Put the pet food company where there money is and get what is yours. Can you believe that the news said that if you have lost your pet that you could get what you paid for the pet. I would throw that money in their face, if I had a pet, I would sue for the emotional distress that these companies have caused. If you bought a prescription medicine from maybe Astra-Zeneca, and your mom was killed from the effects of the medicine, wouldn’t you sue for the loss? Your pet is worth the same as your mother. Get what you want!