Nutro has announced a recall of some of their dry food today:
Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) — Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.
Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.
This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier. An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.
Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.
Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.
Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have more questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST
The news release and a list of recalled NUTRO cat foods is on the NUTRO website, as well as this press release which lists the recalled NUTRO cat food.
Technorati Tags: pet food recall, cat food recall, NUTRO
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Actually, I am not sure I used the word “heck” though….
Carol, that is completely unethical that your personal info was forwarded to Nutro without your consent. But then again we are talking about those in the pet food industry arent’ we? Their nutritionist most likely will not return and once again we will be left with numerous unanswered questions. The #1 question that is forfront in my mind is whether these premixes were used by any other companies and since people were advised to contact Trouw “for specific client information”, then Trouw should not be passing the buck back to Nutro.
5CatMom and Laurie are correct. While I want to see Nutro return and answer question,how they respond to consumers and problems is very important to me. I don’t deal with unethical companies in any way. Nutro/Mars/Masterfoods has been on that list for me for over 2 years. Trouw is now on it also. I guess we need to be saying upfront in phone calls that we are recording them and any information we give them is proprietary.
We will ALL be surprised to hear anything remotely resembling the truth from ANY pet food company, or actual answers, or common courtesy.
Until the news about the POISON pet food is as widely distributed by Nutro, by means of nationwide network and cable prime time TV, then any rep for Nutro who claims they are trying to warn pet owners is a liar. Step up or shut up.
Nutro can spin and lie, that is what they do.
Making non lethal pet food ? not so much.
I do not trust Nutro as far as I can swing a dead cat and thanks to Nutro, there are plenty of dead cats and dogs too, to be flinging. More will die, or suffer, from Nutro brand food that is being sold today, that has been sold for months, that contains POISON and they KNOW they are killing pets.
The only people who don’t know are the pet parents feeding POISON to their pets.
Until Nutro gets out in front of THAT, there is nothing they can say that I care to hear.
Feel free to waste all the time on pet food company lies that you like. Get on your knees to thank some flunkie spouting the company spin, who does a few hit and run posts, if you think that will buy you some answers. It won’t, but the pet food companies do enjoy watching consumers grovel while paying for the privilege. In money , in tears and suffering pets.
Not a price that I am willing to pay again.
Useful discussion is possible between pet owners and pet food companies.
Unlikely, as in, we will see the second coming first, but possible.
Instructions follow.
First get on the TV and say that you sold several boatloads of POISON pet food, that people should STOP feeding all your products and consult a vet at your expense.
Show up with a bag of our Nutro brand POISON and Nutro will foot the bill to check and treat your pet. Say it often. Mean it.
Then STOP poisoning pets.
Get teams to pull that POISON, clearly labeled as Nutro quality pet food . from any place it might harm a pet. Hire pet lovers to do it, a lot of them are STILL paying off the vet bills from the last mass poisoning of the pets and STILL have not been reimbursed, they could use the work.
Ask the pet parents here and other places on the net how to tighten up your non existent quality control, they have been TRYING to tell you how for several years now.
Listen more to pet owners and less to whoever told you that selling poison pet food is an ethical business plan.
Make better pet food.
Quit lying and spinning.
Simple.
None of this is going to happen.
That is my prediction and I am confident in that.
I will never be confidant enough to feed Nutro brand poison to a living animal.
Or listen to their lies.
That is not a prediction, it is a promise.
Trouw Nutrition’s VP of the companion animal division made a claim that they are the only companion animal pet food blending facility in the United States. If they own a monopoly in this country how many other brands at this moment need to test their products for this problem?
@You bet I’m mad. What a strange claim from Trouw. I’ve never heard of one company owning the whole market for pet food pre-mix blending in the United States. Just like there are multiple makers for the premium brands that are not large company owned like P&G, Mars, etc. I am going to check into that claim.
@all others – thank you for the information. I find that the issues management team of most firms will just spout a few talking points without much substance, deflect to other points to keep people from focusing on the issue at hand, like we are pet parents and consumers can be confident in our food….all in the same “voluntary recall” of pet food that, based on what I’ve read on the Nutro site, would have violated the AAFCO labeling requirements for food that meets the nutrient requirements for cats. Of course, they could be fined, but when you have a major player like Nutro/Mars, Dept of Ag doesn’t have the resources. Sort of like how the “sugar removed” part of the beet pulp seen on some other major player labels – not allowed by the AAFCO labeling, but the big guys can get buy with it – it happens to be the same product (beet pulp and beet pulp with sugar removed). Of course it is great for marketing – look, mine has the sugar removed! Great gimmick.
As of today, still nothing on CNN, MSNBC or FOX news websites. IMHO, if Nutro really cared like they claim they would do more to get the word out to those cat parents that have nutrient deficient food in their house. But they are a business so IMHO the bottom line most likely rules.
Let their response to the issue be a lesson to everyone – and a question each person must ask – is this company the company you will trust your pet’s nutrition too?
Question to:
Dr. Tiffany Bierer
NUTRO Products, Inc
I cannot help but wonder how going around the internet and making posts like this affects the vet’s reputation and creds in the scientific community.
Are you paid to do this? I mean really -, pet parents have long been concerned about conflicts of interest between the pet food industry and the vets aka science studies. This surely supports concerns that the science is slanted to profit not companion animal health in some vet arenas.
Do you think perhaps you are undermining the Greenies move to the vets by doing this as it seems you are stepping into controversy without precise answers and providing no direct help to pet parents? Greenies sold by a vet have no more creds than those sold by stores, now, do they? Or are you all asking us to believe that a vet selling product means it’s good for the animal?
Dang, can’t help but see that negated by siding with a pet food company and not answering questions that are asked – side stepping, you all are good at…
Afterall, not even the pet food industry magazine folks are happy about posts on the internet
On an ingredient topic:
1) Why are you not telling us the levels of zinc which is “excess” in these recalled products?
2) Do you approve of Nutro buying rice from China?
How does the veterinary community view your participation in this media damage control crusade?
Regards,
Offy
See it before they take it down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4r37GFgscw&feature=channel_page
I wonder if there is an ethical committee or something, perhaps a state licensing board who would be interested in having a good long look at Dr. Bierer ? And the non answer posts.
Anyone who actually HAS a license to do something, say, to cut your toe nails , is not going to risk that license by shilling for a company that sells POISON.
Does not seem right to me, a nutritionist, saying poison is just fine and dandy to serve you pet. Makes me wonder.
Oh, it COULD be true, somebody has to graduate at the bottom and where are those bottom feeders to work, if not at a pet food company?
Certifying that a steers rectum is “quality” pet food, sounds about right.
Ethics, much like producing a quality product, does not seem to be a priority for Nutro.
Just saying…
Could be the receptionist who caught weekend duty, for all you know.
Truth is a flexible concept for pet food companies.
Trust NOTHING a pet food company says.
Nutro is right there at the bottom, sleaziest of the sleaze.
Remember MenuFoods and the paying the vet bills promise? THAT was a funny one, wasn’t it? Haha.
It came right after all the claims about quality control, just like this fast footwork Nutro is trying.
Death toll from this “silent” recall might not top a million, not with the FDA doing the non count.
Seeing any big news about the Nutro brand POISON PET FOOD ON TV?
Me neither.
They lie.
Nutro lies.
They sell POISON and they lie.
And Nutro sucks at making pet food.
Quit putting wax from China in the candy, give up on making pet food and we will all be happier. For sure fewer pets will vomit and die from eating lousy Nutro products.
Fewer pets will die when Nutro quits making pet food.
Yo, Nutro, do I need to mention your shills and the horses you all rode in on?
@Don Earl 05.23.09 at 10:51 pm
If Nutro spent as much money on quality control as they do on damage control, they wouldn’t have to spend any on damage control. Stupid, greedy, incompetent and dishonest is no way to run a company.
Stupid, greedy, incompetent and dishonest IS the PFI standard.
When Nutro improves, they will achieve that standard.
I have been using Max Cat for over 20 years. I have had 3 cats reach 22 years old. ! reached 19. I have 3 cats right now, one is 10 and 2 are one year old. I also have a 15 year old pug who is just now loosing his eyesight. I also have a 7-8 year old lab and a catahoula leopard dog. All of my animals have eaten Nutro since I got them. I do not need to take any of them to a vet. They get there shots at PetCo when the vet comes in.
Now if there was a reason to take them to the vet, I would. No question. I was a groomer for 12 years and a vet tech for 5 years.
I have never had any uti (urinary tract infection). Max cat was made to prevent that. I have not fed any canned food. First cat to reach 22 was a female, all others were male.
I am going to continue using Nutro for all of my animals , as I believe this will never happen again. Things can only get better. Sometimes it takes a bad thing to happedn to make things better. Look at all the better safety NASCAR has since the death of Dale #3
Ok. How many times do pet food companies need to have a “bad thing happedn” before they get it right? If you are one of the few people who’s animals have not gotten ill or died because of mistakes made by a pet food company then consider yourself very lucky. I prefer not to put my pets health at risk with a company who has gotten it wrong way too many times.
Cattailz, This is the second time (that we know if) in less than 3 years that Nutro has had major troubles and both times it has been with a supplier of an ingredient..that means they did not test the “ingredient” either before, during or after processing. I am glad you have had good luck with healthy pets. I think luck has alot to do with that. You do think this won’t happen.. again but I suggest you read “Pet Food Politics” by Dr. Marion Nestle…she says it will….just a matter of time…If testing of all ingredients does not happen with strict QC, it could be the food you have chosen to buy and feed…and believe me as I did that with poisoned food in 2007, it is something you will never forget…
Cattailz,
Very glad your fur kids are OK, but you may on borrowed time. Nutro was bought by Mars, you know, and Mars has quite a recall history.
Here’s some recall info and related articles for Effem/Mars/Nutro
March 2004 – Pedigree Recalled in Asia http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDP/is_2004_March_15/ai_114410165/
Reference:
Cathy Brown article – 2004 Recall was due to melamine/cyanuric acid
http://jvdi.org/cgi/content/full/19/5/525
March 2007 – Cat Food Recall
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/brand_list.cfm?brand=Nutro%20Products&pet=Cat
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/brand_list.cfm?brand=Nutro%20Natural%20Choice&pet=Cat
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/brand_list.cfm?brand=Nutro%20Max%20Gourmet%20Classics&pet=Cat
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/brand_list.cfm?brand=Nutro%20Max%20Cat%20Gourmet%20Classics&pet=Cat
August 2007 – Red Flannel & Krasdale Dog Food Recalled due to Potential Salmonella
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/mars208_07.html
August 2008 – Pedigree Recalled due to Potential Salmonella
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/marspetcare08_08.html
September 2008 – Everson, PA Plant Contaminated with Salmonella, Dry Food Recalled
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/marspetcare09_08.html
Reference:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/584489_print
October 2008 – Special Kitty Recall (Potential Salmonella)
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/mars10_08.html
April/May 2009 – Greenies Recall
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/05/nutro_greenies.html
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/NUTRO+Pulls+Greenies+Dental+Chews+from+Supermarkets-a01611860931
May 2009 – Nutro Dry Cat Food Recall (Excess Zinc, Deficient Potassium)
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/nutro05_09.html
References:
Hundreds of Consumers Complain About Nutro
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html
PFPSA Tests Food
http://www.pfpsa.org/news.html
http://www.pfpsa.org/nutro1.pdf
http://www.pfpsa.org/nutro2.pdf
High Levels of Zinc and Copper in Nutro Products?
http://www.petfoodindustry.com/ViewContent.aspx?id=22724
Lot’s of discussion on Itchmo, too:
http://itchmoforums.com/news-recall-related/nutro-recall-cat-food-t8383.0.html
Cattailz- I had 2 friends who felt the same way. No matter how many times I showed them all the problems with Nutro or Mars they felt safe with it. Until they got a bad batch too. After a yellow lab almost had to be put down due to so many problems [which have all improved on a different food] & a kitten blocked with crystals [got to the vet in time TG]. Now they believe & neither use any Mars foods.I hope for your pets sake that you don’t find out the same way. My brother found out in 2006 in a horrible way. He woke up in the middle of the night when his cat Lucifer was screaming in agony from crystals. Lucifer died before they could get to the emergency vet. It wasn’t until months into the recall that Nutro admitted problems with the food Lucifer ate in Nov 2006.
Hi all, I’m dead. I died in Nov ’06 after eating Nutro Max Cat pouched food, well before Nutro admitted to poisoning their food. My little kidneys got blocked with crystals from the poison in the food. It didn’t take very long for my kidneys to fail. One day my tests showed I was fine, ten days later I was in the ER with total kidney failure. The doctor kept me for 3 days flushing out my kidneys, and I got a lot better and went home. My poor mommy didn’t know it was the Nutro food that was poisoning me, and fed it to me again. This time just 3 days later my poor kidneys had enough. I went into such violent seizures that my poor mommy had to put her entire body over me to hold me down on the floor so I wouldn’t crash into the walls ten feet away. Can you just picture that? My mommy rushed me to the vet, but she didn’t know I was already dead because my body was still convulsing.
Yes, Carol, you never forget.
If we can spare ONE pet the awful death that no one spared our pets, our many THOUSANDS of pets who died, in agony, from the last time we trusted the lying pet food companies and the lying FDA, it will be good.
Nutro is giving no thought at all to sparing any pets from death FROM THEIR PRODUCTS.
Nutro sells death and plenty of it.
If we can spare ONE pet lover the staggering guilt of finding out, just a little too late that the pet food is A DEADLY POISON, it will be more mercy than Nutro, or any other pet food company, has ever shown.
Nutro is covering their butt, MOST posters here are trying to save pets, point made, game over.
Because the pet owners who got a real expensive education in just how awful the pet food industry is, we are not playing games and we are not going to forget!
So many deaths. So much pain. Such hateful treatment to pet owners already burdened by sick and dying pets and vet bills that are causing hardship TODAY-STILL.
It never ended really and now Nutro wants to start MORE crap with pet owners?
Be aware, there are shills from Nutro on twitter too, making Nutro look even more nasty, if that is possible. There is no excuse for this company to still be in business.
Angel Persephone, RIP.
You’re story is powerful.
‘Fraid my keyboard is all wet, now. And my spelling stinks, too.
Yea…my keyboard was a bit wet after reading that too! And, knowing there are so many, many more similar stories is still so hard to believe.
Angel Persephone, rest in peace, dear one. Just so you know, there are many of us who are trying to fight for you and others like my sweet kitty who also died due to unsuspectingly feeding food we thought was safe.
Reading how Persephone died such a horrible death from poisoned food makes me so sad and angry all over again. It is in her honor along with all the thousands of others whose lives were stolen and/or affected that we must continue the crusade for safe food. RIP Sweet Angels. You will be remembered always.
Remember to contact all your local vets & petfood stores & feed stores tomorrow. A lot of them were cloed over the long weekend & may not know.
Rest in Peace Persephone
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/05/nutro_foia06.html
New story up today…
Carol,
Thanks for posting that. It’s time to stand up and cheer!
It totally irks me that according to that article Trouw didn’t respond to Consumer Affairs.
I emailed Hooper and a couple of others at Trouw asking the levels of zinc and what form of zinc… still no answer.
Does Trouw or Nutro even know those answers ?????
http://www.trouw-nutritionusa.com/displaypage.asp?page_key=912
I hope you remembered to say your contact info was private,look what happened to Carol ! As far as how badly off the minerals were,it must be very bad or they would say how much it was off.
AP is now running this story thanks to Sandi K who called them today!!!!
The AP story is the pet food company announcement, line for line, worse, the AP story tells pet owners to return the bags– to GIVE AWAY EVIDENCE !
Comment everywhere you can and make this point. Giving the poisoner back the poison is not good.
A lot of us learned that the hard way, we can tell people all about it.
Bags, lot numbers, receipts, samples, vet bills, save it all.
Might not save your pet but 5 or 6 years down the road a coupon might escape from the greedy sell out class action lawyers grasp.
More than two years now and that MenuFoods is sure STILL screwing over the pets and pet people, huh?
Nutro will do the same. They ARE doing it already.
They are calling pet owners with sick and dead pets LIARS??
Say they have received NO complaints?
I hope the posters on consumeraffairs come out swinging on that issue!
Those people should do a press release and go on talk shows. A big pet food company sold poison that sickened and killed the pets and then insulted the pet owners!
Looks really bad. Is bad.
Sandi did a great job, not her fault AP is so incompetent, sold out , whatever.
A lot of companies that use AP need to be made aware of how inaccurate and biased AP is, give them a chance to wriggle out of paying AP for the substandard service.
Can’t hurt.
Sorry, hit the button too quick.
Meant to say that it can’t hurt pets if AP goes under or loses money. They suck anyway.
I SINCERELY hope that getting angry phone calls, emails , letters from pet owners HURTS AP , hurts them a lot.
Or
They could do a press release from pet owners, giving our side. And apologize, nicley, in public.
Failing that, AP looks like a pet food company shill to me.
I shall treat them accordingly.
The AP thing is curious.
I called FDA and the “press release” posted on their site is provided to them by the company (Nutro). FDA doesn’t provide press releases to the media, they rely on the company to notify the media WHEN SUCH NOTIFICATION IS REQUIRED.
Media notification is only required for Class I recalls.
Nutro’s recall wasn’t Class I.
So, could be that Nutro didn’t notify AP.
If anyone has more facts on what happened, please post.
Otherwise, will work on this tomorrow.
Re: Nutro/FDA/AP Communication
This is still developing, but here’s an update:
The New Orleans FDA recall coordinator (not the complaint coordinator) who is “responsible” (not clear exactly what that means) for the Nutro recall just returned my phone call (that is a fact, but some may call it “hearsay”).
She said that Nutro contacted PR Newswire, and PR Newswire “released” the story.
Sure enough, here it is:
http://www.prnewswire.com/
I don’t see a date, but maybe it’s there somewhere.
More later.
(My previous post included what my Midwest (not New Orleans) FDA recall coordinator said. In hindsight, I’m not sure all of it was accurate. Still working on it).
Furry hugs.
Per Trouw’s Director of Marketing:
“We only make the premix portion of Nutro’s Cat Food products, we do
not know the exact levels of zinc in the finished Nutro Cat food products.
You will need to discuss this with Nutro as we do not have this
information.”
“As to the type of Zinc, if you will please look on the bag of the product
you are feeding it will show you what form or forms of zinc was utilized.
Again, since we only provide the premix we do not know if any or other
forms of zinc may be present in the finished Nutro Cat Food Products listed
in the recall.”
“The Cat pre-mix and Cat base mix Trouw supplied to Nutro is not
and was not supplied to any other Trouw customer the prooduct Trouw
supplied is completely unique to Nutro.”
Twitter folks,
ReneeATNutro appears to be a hired shill for Nutro and maybe not a NUTRITIONIST like she’s telling everyone. How DISHONEST!
http://reneemahoney.com/reneemahoney.com/home.html
I do recommend calling Nutro and try using option #2 (not the one for the recall info (#1) & make sure the person answering from opt#2 works for Effem/Mars/Nutro directly)
Ask them the range of zinc levels in the recalled foods.
(From 2007 pet food scandal we know the test results on levels of adulterants varied from batch/can/bag tested)
Nutro/Mar/Effem do know the low/high ranges of zinc in the foods.
If you ask “how much zinc” you could be told that they don’t know the “exact” amounts…
Ask the range, low level.. high level of zinc (or potassium if you want that)…..
Please cross post the below to your other forums, blogs, sites.
Especially DOG ones, also Itchmo. I got PC already. Very concerned that this may (repeat [u]MAY[/u]) become rolling recalls like we saw in 2007.
I don’t do DOG sites. Dog folks need to be contacting FTC, too. More complaints, the better, as that’s what determines priority and when investigator will work on.
TKS very much.
Cross post the following:
———————————————————————-
FTC says that pet owners should go to consumer complaint page and submit a complaint form. Here is link to the page:
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/cmplanding.shtm
I couldn’t access the form online, so I called and submitted my complaint over the phone.
(202) 326-2222
The FTC representative said to call and report the problem; the more complaints, the higher the priority, and the faster they’ll take a look at it.
Here’re the issues:
1. Consumer Affairs website has 800, or so, complaints of dog/cat illness and death.
2. Only some cat food has been recalled (so what’s causing the dog complaints).
3 Nutro is saying “No complaints”.
4. Recalled food is still on shelves and being sold.
5. Vets have not been informed of the recall.
6. When you call Nutro, they give you a number.
7. When you call FDA, no one answers, no one returns calls.
8. The media isn’t covering the story well (who cares about cat food?), so people are still using the food.
Cross posted on petconnection. Shortly to be removed and my butt banned, probably.
So enjoy while you can.
This was in response to yet another “make the pet people fear” piece of crap article, with ONE lonely comment, until I got honest with them. There may be several comments protesting my comment. Yawn.
Traffic on petconnection went down the drain a while ago, they should be grateful for the controversy but I doubt the pet food corporate “masters” will like the truth.
Cut and paste copy,
I worried more about poisons in pet food, when I still had living pets, than anything in my garden. Nothing I ever grew killed or harmed a single pet, the “Premium Pet Food” I shelled out good money to buy, THAT killed several. Some of it was bought at a veterinarians office, who instructed me to force feed it to my suffering pets.
Vet got their blood money and I got dead pets.
More melamine was just the ticket too, their kidneys died very fast.
I could have fed them hemlock and they would have suffered less.
Perhaps a helpful article on the hazards of home cooking for pets would be of more use to the pet food sponsors of this site?
Just to jack up the fear level for pet owners.
There are plenty of “dreadful ends” for pets these days and a lot of them are for sale in any pet supplies store near you! No need at all to plant toxins or poison, it comes in a bag or can now, for your convenience.
Along with shiny collars for the new “replacement” pet. And “books by experts”, can’t forget that. Maybe a new “dog friendly ” car purchase too.
Don’t neglect the yearly, expensive, blood tests for that “new” pet either.
Along with a trip to the doggie park for your pet to contract a resistant infection or parasites, that is a MUST do for the responsible pet owner.
A list of safe plants, that was not an option for an article, huh?
Thought not.
End copy and paste.
I no longer have a living dog. And I would not buy a car that petconnection shilled even if I did have a dog still living.
The ashes need no “dog friendly car” and I sure as heck am tired of
articles ” about things pet owners need to worry about”.
Because I refuse to give a dime to the pet food industry that MURDERED my pets.
Or those that help them kill more.
I don’t much care for the shilling.
Someone had to say it.
My Cat has been vomitting ever since the last bag I purchased and prior to that. Now I know why, but now I can’t find anything else she will eat. I feel I should get a free bag of food when this is cleared up for all the trips to Petco. i just bought the nutro senior and she sorta nibbled but she doesn’t like it. HELP!!!!! I am leaving for a week tomorrow and I just know the PETCO people are going to give me the stink eye. I even tried the Royal Canine finiky eaters blend to no avail.
All of us might consider asking ALL of our pet food retailers to be pro-active.
See Pet Food Express regarding Nutro dry cat food products:
http://www.petfoodexpress.com/petfood/default.asp?pageid=99&Section=About
Quote
As a precaution, PFE has pulled all Nutro dry cat products off of our shelves. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause but we are not willing to take any chances with pets’ health. We are asking for safety certifications on replacement products from Nutro in order to restock them , which we expect will take 6-8 weeks.
PFE has also consulted Nutro directly and with local veterinarians regarding the risk posed by excessive zinc and/or deficient potassium. From what we can gather, they are most likely to pose long term risks such as copper, iron, or calcium deficiencies; anemia; or lethargy. This will depend on how long the pet was on the unbalanced food, what else it may have been eating, and its overall health, age, and status (i.e. pregnant or lactating).
End quote
I just found out about the Nutro recall last night through my sister, and I’m upset and furious.
One of my 3 cats, Camo, has been losing weight and fur for the past month or so. At first I thought she was just shedding a lot or that maybe she was just older than we had predicted(she used to be a stray). Then I decided to make her a vet appointment to make sure she was okay. In the meantime, there has been an unusual frequency in me finding vomit around the house. I don’t know which of my cats or if all of them are vomiting. I thought it was hairballs so I’ve been giving them treats and brushing them a lot.
I know that the last 20# bag of Nutro I bought was bad because it was within the date range of the recall, but how many of the bags I’ve bought before that have been poisoning my cats??? I cannot believe this wasn’t made more public—-I could have stopped feeding them that shit much sooner. Thankfully my sis informed me or I’d stiil be giving it to them. Now I need to bring my babies into the vet to make sure they’ll be okay. I feel terrrible that they’ve had to go through this.
I foolishly brought the bad food back to the store today, but I plan to go dumpster diving so I can get the UPC code to report this.
Any other suggestions for how I can help my cats or make a big stink about this would be appreciated.
Diane
Also, I did email Nutro last nightto report my cats’ ilnesses and asked them to reply, which I doubt they will.
From a friend:
“TEST RESULTS BACK: Nutro Recall food tested, & zinc level found to be 2100 ppm. http://tinyurl.com/nzgoyw.
Some of the other levels (potassium) not great, either.”
Diane,
Glad you got off the bad food. Maybe post a complaint at Consumer Affairs website, and also scroll up a few comments to my comment about contacting the Federal Trade Commission.
Call Anthony at k9 Cuisine for help with food choices. Lots of bad food out there, so it’s good to get help.
i bought my cats another brand of food and only one of them is somewhat interested in it. does anyone have any suggestions of something that would taste similar to the nutro complete care?
Diane- If you have an independant food or feed store,they may be able to recommend something similar. Just an FYI Nature’s Variety,Natural Balance & Evangers also have current problems. Hope your kitties are ok !
Diane,
We use Orijen kibble (orange & black bag), and homemade wet.
Orijen is made in Canada, so no links to the USA pet food industry. You can order it online from k9cusine.com. Call Anthony at 866/919-2415.
Orijen’s not cheap, but we save money on vet bills.
thank you, 5catmom and lesliek for your help.
i am bringing camo into the vet today. I hope she will be okay. I’ll see how it goes and decide what to do about my other two cats who don’t seem to have such severe symptoms.
i called the store that i brought the recalled food back to, and they gave me the UPC numbers. i know that for an FDA claim they want the packaging too, but i do have a sizable sample of the food for testing because i keep the cats’ food in a big tupperware container. hopefully that is sufficient.
tonight i gave my cats chicken since they haven’t liked their new food. camo ate a pretty good portion of it. sammy and furley weren’t as interested. i plan to buy 2 different new kinds of food today to see if i can get them to eat something. i’m worried.
Diane, Please share the test results with your vet..He or she may not know… It is a good thing you have some food for testing…FDA or the same organization that the link is from may help you…Keep that food safe! Good luck today…fingers and paws crossed for your gang..
http://tinyurl.com/nzgoyw
New article up…Dr Hansen a toxicologist from ASPCA is quoted…
http://tinyurl.com/n7o72b
Carol, thanks for the advice and links.
i am absolutely sickened the more i find out about this. the Oregon Vetrinary Association website recommends that anyone who has pets that have eaten recalled food should retain samples for analysis. i hope this means that they will help me have it tested if the FDA(i’ve heard are not helpful) or the PFPSA from your link doesn’t pan out. The PFPSA organization seems like they will be helpful.
my cat Camo’s vet visit went well today- her weight and everything was normal. the vet did take blood and urine samples and the results will be in on monday.
i am really hoping there won’t be any kidney, liver, or other issues. i am waiting for those results before i contact any of these organizations and the nutro people. i will document and make copies of everything.
My Becky passed away two days ago after 5 trips to the vet, who checked blood levels, pulled a tooth, perscribed antibiotics, Liver and B12 shots, and finally, hydration. She was never sick until 2 months ago when she stopped eating! I’ve had her since Dec. 1998! Nutro Chicken and Salmon have been her favorite for years! Because she NEVER threw-up, the vet and I never realized her GI tract and stomach were being POISONED. Blood tests (full range), at the onset of her feeling badly, showed normal red and white blood cells counts, normal liver and kidneys. I thought she was “anorexic”, although I had never heard of such a thing in a cat before this happened. I fed her with a dropper for 4 weeks, made all sorts of recommended meals, but her gagging at the sight of a plate of freshly made chicken or tuna was misinterperted. I didn’t know it was the stomach and intestines that were inflamed and causing her such pain. Pet owners -BEWARE! She never vomited – not once! “May it was her time” is not an proper explanation for a 12 year old cat who has only been fed what I thought was the “Best” cat food on the market. She was NEVER sick, not once, before this fiasco. Nutro execs don’t seem concerned. WE ARE. Two recalls in two years – I’m glad the FDA is investigating.This isn’t over!
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