Evy said,
Jaycee
~
I
have been careful to avoid being redundant in what I have posted. I
address one issue one time and leave the post to speak for itself.
I
am really sorry if you feel that this thread is being abused by pet
food industry folkd. Would it make sense to you that if we read maligning
comments or misinformed comments that we would like to set the record
straight?
The
industry has suffered too long from deception aimed at the consumer
and those of us here representing the industry are merely trying to
give apologetics for the misinformation that we have endured seeing
posted online by amateur opinions and we seek to bring both logic and
reason.
You
will notice that it isn’t the major companys posting - it is the
smaller companies who have long dealt with unfairly misrepresented perceptions.
It is our chance to set some myths to rest and a chance for us to defend
the choices we have made that run against the grain of popularly held
beliefs that are not scientifically validated.
We
are merely taking the opportunity to clarify issues that have confused
consumers.
Trying
to educate people while there is a catastrophic event in the industry
where the potential of thousands of animals dying stabs the heart of
a small company who doesn’t blow smoke and work hard to comply
with regulations that are often violated by the larger companies - we
are trying to disspell the fear mongering.
I
have been careful to post in response to comments. And I feel that Back
to Basics is following the same integrity.
People
need truth in an industry that has very large skirts to hide behind.
Those of us who operate ethically to our own hurt just want the consumer
to see both sides of the story.
Jaycee,
I am sorry if this offends you. But if one consumer grasps a better
understanding of science and truth, it means that maybe one pet wll
have a better chance at a better life.
I
hope you can see that we feel the need to set the records straight for
the consumer who is utterly confused. I could name ten companies whose
web sites have false claims and promises that keep the smaller companies
who do not post such things at an unfair disadvantage.
I
have had people email me about this blog and the dialogue from various
companies is part of what they have enjoyed learning from.
You
will find posts only from those of us who represent a tiny fraction
of the industry who are David’s against a Goliath. That reveals
a lot about the industry, especially when you take into account the
rolling changes of statements from a larger company like Natural Balance.
Ask
Therese about that. It’s a good snapshot into the reality of what
we have to deal with on a daily basis and for years.
Again,
I truly am sorry this is of offense to you. So far, I do not see any
pissing matches and I look forward to Back to Basics bringing more light
to the use of corn in food. It has been wrongly bashed by larger companies
(see their comments about how many have said ‘they’ don’t
use corn in their products.)
Those of us who do need to let the consumer see the science of our world.
Those of us who do need to let the consumer see the science of our world.
It’s
hard not to be a bit defensive when we daily need to explain year after
year, phone call by phone call, the choices we have made that cut against
current consumer perception.
I
appreciate your post and am glad you brought that up!
Evy
Pres
Kumpi Pet Foods
Pres
Kumpi Pet Foods
Taeki's Friend said,
Just
my two cents worth: Our cat Taeki passed away on 3/16. He was an indoor
only cat, and was fed only a mix of Hills Prescription Diet M/D and
Hill’s Prescription Diet W/D (both dry), with treats from Walmart
- Pounce Cat Treats.
None
of these is on the recall list, but Taeki exhibited the ARF symptoms
before passing away.
We
don’t have any other pets, but I wouldn’t be feeding them
anything but homemade food if we did. Besides, it’d probably be
cheaper anyway! The Hills food was costing about $4/#…for poison.
Sondra T. said,
Has
anyone heard back from PetGuard yet as to where and by whom their canned
food is produced ? It’s been 5 days since I spoke with them and
they said they would call me back. I am still waiting… My cats
refused to eat the last can I gave them. Do you think they are trying
to tell me something???
Sarah said,
Lisa
Moser, thank you for the info! I’m switching foods, again, because
of all this and don’t want to make a bad choice & have to
do it again!
Herb April said,
While
surfing the internet about this subject, I found the following article
which mentioned PEDIGREE “dry” dog food. I am told that
many dogs died because of this particular “contamination,”
and that the “problem” was supposedly tracked down to contamination
of manufacturing equipment. Still, it is ominous that the “contamination
caused renal failure in dogs, and, ominously, it occured in “dry”
dog food.
Article
follows:
Pedigree
dry dog food taken off Thai shelves
Singapore
Straits Times, 10 March 2004
BANGKOK - Exports of Pedigree dry dog food made in Thailand and shipped to South-east Asia have been suspended over concerns that it could be linked to kidney disease, officials said yesterday.
BANGKOK - Exports of Pedigree dry dog food made in Thailand and shipped to South-east Asia have been suspended over concerns that it could be linked to kidney disease, officials said yesterday.
United
States-based multinational Effem Foods said the product will also be
withdrawn from stores in Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines after
reports of a sharp rise in dogs falling ill with renal problems.
‘We’ve
been doing extensive tests, working with our own scientists, veterinarians,
government agencies and animal health experts around the world to solve
the mystery,’ said Effem’s regional general manager, Mr
Calvin Schmidt.
‘At
this time, we have no evidence of anything wrong with our product, but
we have announced a voluntary and temporary withdrawal of Pedigree dry
products from Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines.’
Mr
Schmidt said investigators were looking into possible product contamination,
local environmental issues such as water quality and disease among the
animals.
‘Basically
we’re not going to stop until we understand it,’ he said.
He
said Effem began receiving the reports over the past week, but could
not give a figure for the number of dogs affected.
Effem
also produces well-known pet food brands such as Whiskas. — AFP
Anna said,
Evy
said, “That reveals a lot about the industry, especially when
you take into account the rolling changes of statements from a larger
company like Natural Balance.”
Evy,
since you named Natural Balance can you document what you are saying
or give an explanation? As this is one of the companies I am considering
I would like to know what you are really saying so I can make an informed
decision.
Thank
you.
Lori said,
I
am seeing reports now on CNN that there was yet another chemical, this
one used to make plastics, found in the samples. Dry food is now also
being mentioned. This is just scary.
Gen said,
Jaycee,
What’s your problem? We’re all here trying to learn everything we can to protect our dear pets. The more information we get, the better…whether it’s repeated or not….there’s no harm done. I’ll bet some people don’t read through the entire posts.
What’s your problem? We’re all here trying to learn everything we can to protect our dear pets. The more information we get, the better…whether it’s repeated or not….there’s no harm done. I’ll bet some people don’t read through the entire posts.
Evy,
please keep posting and educating us!
Therese said,
A
word or two about civility…
As
you can tell by reading the posts, I’m not into censoring what’s
said here. I definitely believe in the freedom of speech, but I would
like to ask that everyone read their posts before hitting the submit
button.
This
recall is a very emotional, personal, and earth-shattering series of
events for many people. And in light of the FDA’s announcement
this morning about possible dry dog food contamination, people are likely
to be even more emotional. Remember that there are other people out
there just like you, and attacking each other isn’t going to help
matters at all. Disagreements are fine…that’s how we learn,
but please be civil.
Thank
you,
Therese Kopiwoda
Therese Kopiwoda
Evy said,
Anna,
If
you go up to Natural Balance on this very site you will see Therese
has a “see post” comment next to their name.
Basically
from what I read, I see the first answer as blatantly deceptive - that
they make their own food and have it canned and bagged by another facility.
Then
Natural Balance recanted from that, indicating that the food is made
at the respective facilities but only by THEIR own employees and equipment.
That was their second response.
Their
third response…..well just go have a read.
Therese
called the respective companies - Diamond said they manufacture Natural
Balance dry pet food. American Nutrition manufactures and cans Natural
Balances wet pet food products.
I
know the bullets they were trying to dodge - both are companies that
have dealt with recalls. Diamond went through one about a year and a
half ago and American Nutrition (under OTHER ownership than the current
one) had a recall of Nature’s Recipe due to mycotoxins in wheat.
If
they would have been honest and explained the new ownership at AN and
not tried to dance around Diamond’s production of their food I
think it would have expressed more integrity.
But
remember, fear is not ONLY running high in the consumer - this page
of information has sent some pet food companies into a tail spin where
the exposure of facts has left them somewhat vulnerable.
Anna said,
Thanks
Evy. I didn’t even notice that Therese had made a separate post
or the notation here.
So
much to think about. I’m very frustrated right now.
Anna
Sue said,
Regarding
Petguard, I also called the company 5 days ago and was told someone
would call me back. I’ve received no call. I know that they probably
have been inundated with calls, but you’d think someone would
have received a call back by now.
Therese,
have you done any checking with Petguard on your own? The list of foods
above only lists Petguard Organics not the natural.
Jaycee said,
I
think it’s great that there are pet food companies who ARE interested
in helping people understand the truth about many commercial pet foods.
I don’t have a problem with them posting on this site.
But
it does become a very fine line and can be easy to mislead other posters
who may be new, perhaps they haven’t read the entire thread. It
should be stated after every post, if you are affiliated or you represent
a pet food company. I was not personally offended by anybody’s
post in particular, just the fact that some information about what is
put into other brands of dog food was given out by a representative
of another brand.
It
is a very sensitive time right now for many, and while people really
want to feed the right food, now is not the time to push a personal
agenda *as hard* in light of this tragedy. It’s one thing to make
it known that you have a great food. But personally, I feel like it
is very easy to mislead many people right now. Again, it’s a fine
line, and people should not be taken advantage of.
I
hope that makes sense. I am not, nor was I ever, offended by anyone’s
statements. My comment earlier was a statement to please not let this
awesome blog in information TURN into a negative experience.
Please,
if you represent a pet food, please disclose that information after
*every* post, to be fair.
I
really think this site, as well as Pet Connection, are the real forces
in keeping this tragedy from being swept under the rug. We can only
hope that more pet food companies are reading this and taking action
to change their food for the better.