Tracy said,
KumpiKat
is the same - human bakery type place and AWESOME!
Lacy said,
Really?
I will check out them too!
Jaycee said,
More
importantly, Michael, are ANY of your Back to Basics foods produced by
Menu Foods, regardless if they were or were not involved in the recall?
That
seems to be the one question many companies are seemingly avoiding.
Are
any of your foods produced by Menu?
Therese said,
Jaycee,
I talked to Michael Tuesday - he assured me they do not use Menu Foods.
Therese
Lori said,
I am
glad I found this site today! I am axiously awaiting the blood and urine
tests from my 2 beloved cats. I fed them 2 different Iams canned products
from the recall, as well as one of the Science Diet canned products. It’s
been at least 3-4 weeks since they could have eaten the recalled foods,
and they seem fine but I am nervous and need piece of mind. I emailed
Science Diet, and they told me “No other Hill’s products besides
the Savory Cuts “chunks and gravy” were manufactured with
Menu Foods” but I am still not trusting them now and am looking
for another brand.
The
Feline Spa Selects from Blue Buffalo looks very promising. I haven’t
checked to see the cost of the canned yet, but if anyone has anymore feedback
on them, I would appreciate it. My cats just live for that spoonful of
canned treat each day, so it would be nice to find a company I can trust.
I’m
not sure yet what to do about the dry food though…I am still feeding
them Science Diet. Does Menu Foods produce any dry foods, or just canned?
Mary Kelley said,
Lori,
Menu Foods has posted a questions and answers page, accesible by the link
at the top of this blog. They state “Menu Foods only manufactures
wet pet food in cans and foil pouches. Dry pet food is not part of the
Menu Foods recall.”
ml said,
i switched
my 2 dogs from nutro dry food to eagle pack dry food in january of 07.
i did this because one of my dogs began to have unexplained soft runny
stools, for no apparent reason, in december of 06 (these dogs had both
been on nutro for many years). it took riley about 4 weeks to get completely
adjusted to the switch, during this time i mixed the eagle pak with the
nutro about 1/2 and 1/2. since then riley has a normal stool and gus has
more energy.
eagle
pack costs more, but they have their own production facility, and no wheat
components. they have great ingredients including probiotics for digestion.
check out their web page. i feel much better about eagle pack then i do
about nutro, and i am glad i switched foods when i did. i feel i was duped
by nutro.
support
your local pet supplier - not the local mega store. you will find knowledgable
caring people there and better quality products not seen in petsmart,
walmart, etc. and check out dr. pitcairns book.
Lisa Moser said,
Lori
- I would get your pets off of all Science Diet food. In my opinion, it
is junk, plus I would be suspicious of it b/c of the recall. I just switched
my cats from Wellness to Spa Select b/c I learned Menu Foods makes Wellness
canned, so I don’t even trust them to eat thier dry food, although
they have done well on it for years-both the canned and dry. Anyway, my
cats like the Blue Buffalo Spa Select, both canned and dry. Blue Buffalo
also makes dog food-dry and canned. Ingredients in Blue Buffalo, both
cat & dog food looks really good. It is almost exclusively sold by
Pet Smart and is cheap. Can of cat food is $.69 cents. I’m leery
b/c it is soo cheap, much cheaper than I’m used to and sold at a
chain store. I’m also leery b/c according to this website, they
won’t disclose the manufacturer of their food; however, my cats
have been eating it for the past couple of days with no problem. I was
all psyched about Blue Buffalo(check out their website-i read every word
on it), but now unfortunately I have doubts b/c of their secretivness
about their manufacturer. I’m also supplementing the cats with Merrick
canned(they are not too thrilled with it) & Evangers(they like the
Braised Chicken & Pheasent flavors). My dogs are eating Innova dry(reportedly
manufactured by their own company, but their canned is produced by Menu),
& Merrick canned and Evangers canned. The only two brands I feel the
most confident with at this point is Merrick and Evangers-unfortunately
neither make a dry cat food. I’m hearing a lot of good stuff on
this site about Honest Kitchen, but isn’t this brand a Raw diet?
I am hesitant to feed my animals raw b/c my cat has kidney disease and
my dog had an immune problem a couple of years ago. Any further comments
on honest kitchen is appreciated. I would cook for them, but I’m
worried that I wouldn’t get the exact amount of vitamins, minerals
into their food, which is essential for cats/dogs to have-they can die
without these proper nutrients, which is the only reason I even buy pet
food, otherwise I would buy them human food, but human food does not have
the correct balance of nutrients specifically needed for pets. Of course
I’m just as confused as everyone else. It would be helpful to everyone
if we could get a list together of all foods not produced by Menu, company’s
who are willing to disclose thier manufacturer, foods with no corn, no
wheat gluten, so far I can only narrow that down to Evangers and Merrick….Comments
anyone?
Sarah said,
Regarding
Natual Balance….I’m confused! It seems there was some confusion
as to whether Diamond or American processed their foods and how, but is
either Diamond or American actually involved with the recall? I can’t
find that they are, but I’m concerned since it’s been discussed
so much. Thank you!!
jaime said,
I have
used nutro natural choice packets for years for my 6 year old cat and
he is in severe kidney failure. I want even feed him the dry food. I am
so disgusted with this whole thing I don’t know what to try. I got
365 at whole foods and after seeing this board I will be returning that
because I want nothing to do with menu foods. I am not trying Merrick
foods. Hopefully Colby will continue to get better. His kidney failures
have decreased and is starting to act more like himself. Do not use Nutro
Products!!!
Lisa Moser said,
Sarah
- Diamond & American is not involved in the current recall. Diamond
had some problems and was involved in a recall a year or more ago b/c
of some kind of mold in their food, but currently not involved in the
current recall. I would probaly trust Diamond at this point, hopefully
they learned their lesson from past problems. I have not heard anything
negative about American.
Evy said,
Anyone
who would like to understand a bit more about the pet food industry, I’d
invite you to check out this post on Itchmo:
As
President of Kumpi Pet Foods, I wanted to go on record that the corn used
in Kumpi dog food is specifically NON-gmo.
We
are working hard to keep pertinent links up on our website and appreciate
the work of howl911, itchmo and petsitusa. The more people we can help
direct to their work, the more consumers can educate themselves.
This
is a unique time in the petfood industry when the consumer is actually
empowered. Take advantage of the wealth of information that is being labored
for by these wonderful websites.
I can’t
tell you how many times I’ve broken into tears since this catastrophe
has happened. I wish there was something anyone could do for those having
to go home to food bowls that may be empty for awhile. Warm hugs to those
who have suffered a loss.
catlover said,
For
anyone who wants to make their own cat food, this site is a must read.
It’s by a lady vet who really knows her stuff when it comes to cat
nutrition.
Nancy Kerns said,
Someone
commented that Kumpi foods have been approved by Whole Dog Journal. I’m
the editor of WDJ, and I’d just like to say that this is not true.
Kumpi foods contain “meat and bone meal”, which we would never
approve.
Nancy
Kerns
Lacy said,
Lisa
Moser, I am very interested in The Honest Kitchen too. I was concerned
about raw, but I read this on their website
“Our fruits and vegetables are harvested at the peak of their ripeness, cleaned and trimmed, then gently dried below 104 degrees so they are still considered raw after dehydration is complete. Our meat and egg ingredients are dehydrated at a high enough temperature to kill any pathogenic bacteria that may be present, and the required temperature for this is above 120 degrees F. This makes them safe for human consumption–a requirement for entry into the human food facility where our products are made.”
I am going to call tomorrow but it looks like the dehydration process kills the bacteria. I ordered a sample yesterday! Also, C.J. Foods makes Blue Buffalo. American Nutrition makes their wet. They were giving out that info last week. Im not sure why anymore.
“Our fruits and vegetables are harvested at the peak of their ripeness, cleaned and trimmed, then gently dried below 104 degrees so they are still considered raw after dehydration is complete. Our meat and egg ingredients are dehydrated at a high enough temperature to kill any pathogenic bacteria that may be present, and the required temperature for this is above 120 degrees F. This makes them safe for human consumption–a requirement for entry into the human food facility where our products are made.”
I am going to call tomorrow but it looks like the dehydration process kills the bacteria. I ordered a sample yesterday! Also, C.J. Foods makes Blue Buffalo. American Nutrition makes their wet. They were giving out that info last week. Im not sure why anymore.
Lisa Moser said,
Lacy
- thanks for the info on Honest Kitchen…I’m going to order
some as well.
Crystal said,
For
anyone who is concerned about pets with upset tummies due to food switching
(NOT due to possible contamination) I’d like to suggest “NOW
Probiotic Defense.” I just found it last year. I wanted to pay less,
but any lower priced probiotics didn’t ever work for me. (I was
having problems again and the doc told me to try probiotics. I told him
they didn’t work for me, so he told me a few specifics to look for.)
I asked the clerk what she’s recommend and she said this was their
number one seller. I decided what the heck, nothing else has worked. I’m
happy to say that I’m 100% pleased. It has worked for me and the
dogs. I use one every now and then if I’ve eaten something I’m
sensitive to. I gave it to the new dog after she was picked up from the
pound. (After we had her examined by a vet of course.) She has gotten
since twice since then and both times it helped.
Back to Basics said,
Hey
again,
I’m
just checking the forum again before hitting the hay, and I’ll be
back tommorrow with an update to our listing for Therese and some more
detailed information about Back to Basics.
Before
I call it a night I did just want to clarify a few things and add a note
of credential now that I see Nancy Kerns (Hi! I’ve yet to speak
with you personally, but we love WDJ and love that you love us! 
Beowulf
Natural Feeds, Inc. makes ONLY Back to Basics and neither our product
nor company are affiliated with anyone else. BNF was founded by English
Mastiff breeder Susann Everett and the company name stems from her kennel:
Beowulf Mastiffs… check out our dogs at www.beowulfmastiffs.com
. Our foods are exclusively manufactured by Chenango Valley Pet Foods
in Sherburne, NY. We do not use any other manufacturer.
Back
to Basics has been listed in the Whole Dog Journal’s best dry pet
foods for the last 10 consecutive years! (maybe 11 actually, but don’t
want to overshoot) and Nancy can back me up
Back
to Basics uses only non-GMO Ground Corn. I’ll write up some more
about corn tommorrow as I absolutely LOVE fighting the stigma.
And
one final thing: I’m an employee at Back to Basics, outside of family
I am the longest standing employee of the company (over 6 years). I love
my job and am proud of what I do and the product I represent. I am NOT
a PR guy and my primary function is international sales (#1 selling holistic
food in the Pacific Rim! Whoo). I am writing here without any expressed
intent by my boss and am doing it only because I feel I have a good grasp
of the pet food industry and would love to share the extent of my knowledge
with those who are interested. I am a passionate person and when I look
at my dog Logan and think of what people are going through right now with
the misfortune of their own pets, I feel a responsibility to share what
I truly believe to be a healthy alternative to most commercial pet foods.
I’d
like to remain a member of this community even if I am told not to promote
our product, but as long as you are willing to hear it so long as I can
back it up, I will shamelessly recommend Back to Basics because it works
for me and everyone I know who uses it and the facts just make sense.
G’night
and Thank you
Michael Weed
Director of International Sales
Beowulf Natural Feeds, Inc.
Back to Basics
Michael Weed
Director of International Sales
Beowulf Natural Feeds, Inc.
Back to Basics
Crystal said,
Ok,
I don’t know if the site is just lagging or what, but I never had
a post not show right away, so I’m sorry if this is a double post.
For
those of you concerned with pets having upset tummies from switching foods
(NOT from possibly contaminated foods) I’d like to suggest “NOW
Probiotic Defense.” I never had probiotics work for me before, but
when something cropped up my doctor recommended I try them. I mentioned
them not working and he gave me a few specifics to look for. When I got
to the store I asked the clerk what she’d recommend. She said this
was their best seller. I didn’t want to pay such a high price, but
the lower priced ones had never worked so I figured what the heck. I’m
happy to say I’m 100% satisfied. I take them when ever I’ve
eaten something I’m sensitive to. I also used them with the dog
when we got it from the pound. (After having it examined by a veterinarian
of course.) She’s gotten sick twice since then and the probiotics
have helped both times. (Haven’t needed them for her in a few months
though.)
* *
* * *
Also
want to mention http://www.felinefuture.com
and http://www.knowbetterdogfood.com/
for those that are thinking of feeding raw but are uneasy about possible
unbalanced nutrition. I haven’t tried them though. I just found
them when I was doing research on garlic. (Which I’m now a firm
believer in using… except for with cats and elderly dogs.)
I’d
recommend Wysong’s supplement, but my dogs got the runs from it.
(Even though as the directions stated, using less didn’t help.)
Good ingredients in it… but… .
Evy said,
“Also,
in my research, I looked at the Kumpi website. I have a grave concern
about the ingredient “dried beet pulp”. I had been informed by my vet
and my dog trainer that dried beet pulp is a stool hardener (it makes
the feces a nice, firm shape that appeals to humans) and to avoid all
food including it. The reason? If a dog needs to have diarrhea because
they have eaten something that needs to leave their system quickly, the
dried beet pulp can delay this from happening.”
I would
like to tell you that dried beet pulp is not a stool hardener, rather
it is part of the process when the stool is wicking out moisture in the
intestine as it is preparing to become the stool produced from the anus.
Ok, sorry to be so graphic, but this is important. NO amount of dried
beet pulp will keep any dog from having diarrhea. I will gladly put your
veterinarian in direct touch with my nutritionist (of 35 years) and allow
him to truly understand the science of nutrition.
Too
little dried beet pulp makes for runny stools, and too much dried beet
pulp is what produces those tiny little rock like stools that give the
customer that satisfied feeling that the stool is so little because the
dog digested more of the food. Just another game the industry can play
with us.
I really
have appreciated the opportunity to read what people are being told about
pet food and nutrition.
Please,
please call me and I will answer all that I can from a scientific point
of view and will put any professional in touch with my nutritionist. He
is always!! happy to help them understand.
Thanks!
Evy
Pres
Kumpi Pet Foods
303.693.6533
Pres
Kumpi Pet Foods
303.693.6533
Evy said,
WOW!!
Sorry
to post two times so close together but JACKPOT!!!! Nancy Kerns statement
gives me the chance to address ‘meat and bone meal’ as an
ingredient.
If
you were a pet food company and had these two choices:
1)
list beef meal as an ingredient and IF the highest grade of beed is NOT
available when your product is being manufactured, just use a lower grade
of beef
or
2)
list meat and bone meal, stay legal, and always be able to use the highest
grades of meat possible - there are times when pork will be used in the
formula and still keep us to specs
AND
you
didn’t think of this. I have to buy the bags my food go into by
huge volumes to afford them. My ingredient label in on that bag.
AND
If
BSE ever hits the pet food supply chain I can readily switch to another
meat source and not have to ‘eat’ the expense of all the bags
I bought. It’s one of the down sides to being such a small company.
I glaldly
suffer the indignity of a label that isn’t approved of, since I
can state that Kumpi Dog Food is AS FED BY:
The
United Nations Ambassador Security K9 Detail
The New York State Canine Handling Unit
The Metro Transit Authority Canine Handling Unit of New York City
The New York State Canine Handling Unit
The Metro Transit Authority Canine Handling Unit of New York City
They
have trusted me for years and haven’t had to lose one wink of sleep
through this recall.
If
you take the time to thoroughly read through this piece, you will understand
why they never will have to worry.
Jaycee said,
I hope
this thread doesn’t turn into a pissing match by Dog Food Industry
people…
Please,
Industry folk, some of you have already said what you needed to say the
first time. Please don’t abuse this thread!