Anna Owen said,

March 25, 2007 @ 3:24 pm · Edit
My dog got sick in Jan., loss of appetite, constantly drinking water, along with going out to urinate, throwing up, in that course of time I know I had givin him the new mighty dog wet food, they have new flavors, also I fed him a can of Eukanuba, he wasn’t eating much at all, so I probably threw more out than he ate, took him to the vet and they said probably a bug, put him on anti-biotics, this was all in Jan. I have been feeding him Mighty Dog “new flavors”, Sunday Mar. 18th, dog had a seizure, took him to the animal hospital, said he was healthy, put him on anti-biotics , said he had some blood in his urine, not seen by the naked eye, brought him home fed him mighty dog , hr later had a seizure, fed him later that night (might dog canned) few hrs later he had two more seizures, will not feed him mighty dog again, I don’t care what they say I am not taking any chances, he is now on medicine for seizures, was healthy before and now this all came out it makers you wonder. I will feed him people food.


Sheilagh said,

March 25, 2007 @ 3:49 pm · Edit
Tiki Foods looks promising, human grade meat, etc.
6 pages down to see the cat food, another few pages past that to see the dog food.


Ellen said,

March 25, 2007 @ 5:02 pm · Edit
I have registed for a teleseminar to be held the Wed, 3/28. The person who is being interviewed is Sandra Bailey, who has a website and has written a book about better food for your dog. I bought her book, and she really has good information. If you are interested in the teleseminar, you have to register at www.TheNaturallyDog.com/?id=28
Her website is www.TheNaturallyHealthyDog.com and her book is “Real Dog’s Don’t Eat Kibble!”
This has really been a scary incident and hopefully so new legislation can come out of this. How can we make the government understand that our pets are family members and are just as important and valuable as our children.


Raven said,

March 25, 2007 @ 6:53 pm · Edit
I called Fromm Family Foods to ask where they canned food is made and was shocked to learn that they outsource to CHINA!
When I asked why….she informed me to keep costs down.
Why would they outsource to a country that does not have any humane animals laws? Shame on them!


Gloria said,

March 25, 2007 @ 7:01 pm · Edit
Someone was inquiring regarding kitty litter made by these companies. Any concerns on this?


Raven said,

March 25, 2007 @ 7:03 pm · Edit
>>” Merrick is not associated with Menufoods, but has had issues in the past I was not aware of. […] ” Is there a link you can post on that?
Merrick has a recall hum…I think last year. They were using a Kosher slaughter house for the chicken wings. That slaughter house shipped them chix wings with metal tags attached. To my knowledge, no animal deaths occurred, but you may want to double check with Merrick on that.
When I spoke with them on Friday, they assured me that they no longer used that Kosher slaughter house.
I used to feed Merrick, but during that recall, I looked into the Kosher slaughter house and discovered it a horrible place to die. They have been fined many times for their cruelty. So, I stopped using Merricks and switched to Nature’s Variety Instinct. BUT…..I learned that NVI does have thier canned foods made by Menu and Menu does live animal testing.
I can not ethically support this. Which means…I again need to find another food to feed my dogs.


Johnna said,

March 25, 2007 @ 8:10 pm · Edit
Raven,
I think you answered your own question:
“Why would they outsource to a country that does not have any humane animals laws?”
It’s called MONEY and to some, apparently, it is more important than morals or a conscience….SAD!!!!!


Eskie Lover said,

March 25, 2007 @ 9:32 pm · Edit
From what I’ve heard they test for palatability.


Mary said,

March 25, 2007 @ 11:06 pm · Edit
I saw the post re: Hills Science Diet W/D. Certain numbers have been recalled. The numbers on on the bottom on the can and you can check here to see if they are on the recall list.
http://www.hillspet.com/menu_foods/Menu_Foods_en_US.htm
As for the rest of the comments I see, I agree. Why are we using Chinese wheat products here in the USA? WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT! This is really scarey and my extreme condolences to every single person and dog or cat that has been hurt by this. This is a case of GREED, corporate GREED. We need to REVOKE NAFTA and the WTO and take back America!
If the Chinese eat dogs and cats, why would they care what the animals eat?


cangirl said,

March 25, 2007 @ 11:13 pm · Edit
I feed Nutro and have feed it to all my animals for years. I have spoken to them and they assured me that they have their own plant to make thier dry foods but menu foods does make some of their wet. MY animals have been eaten the wet and are fine. They told me that they do use more premium ingredients even thou they are manufactured by the same plant. They have their own standards and they recalled their food just for safety reason because they are linked to menu foods and didn’t want to take any risk. Does anyone know of any pets that have gotten sick by Nutro.

Rhonda said,

March 25, 2007 @ 11:32 pm · Edit
I will never use any of these products be they dry or wet food again. Don’t any of these so-called premium pet food distributors do quality control? Nutro and Iams are definitely off of my list. I will never trust them again.


Geff said,

March 26, 2007 @ 2:35 am · Edit
2 corrections: Some Wysong canned foods are made by menu.
Also. some Royal Canin Canned Foods are made by menu.
From Mub Bay Grainary:
“Menu has confirmed explicitly to Royal Canin that none of their products available in the market are involved in the recall.”
” * Wysong canned formulas are not part of the recall.
* The following cans have been made at Menu: Beef Au Jus, Chicken Au Jus, Turkey Au Jus, Duck Au Jus, Venison Au Jus, Beef Stew in Gravy and Chicken Stew in Gravy.
* Due to the way Wysong products are formulated, and the dates of manufacture, none of the Wysong formulas made by Menu are suspect or affected by the recall.
* The other Wysong canned formulas are not made by Menu.
* Some Wysong canned formulas contain wheat germ or wheat grass powder.”


Traci said,

March 26, 2007 @ 3:08 am · Edit
Sigh: read ingredients–even if it seems healthy and holistic and not made by Menu Foods:
“All Fresh Vegetarian Dinner
A canine and feline dinner of fresh potatoes, carrots, peas, tomatoes, avocados, blueberries, and cranberries from the market place with brown rice makes a flavorful and complete dinner. A healthy choice for pets susceptible to food allergies.
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
CRUDE PROTEIN MIN ……….8.0%
CRUDE FIBER MAX ……….3.0%
CRUDE FAT MIN ……… 3.0%
MOISTURE MAX ……..76.0%
INGREDIENTS: WATER SUFFICIENT FOR PROCESSING, POTATOES, CARROTS, OAT GROATS, SUNFLOWER OIL, PEAS, BROWN RICE, TOMATOES, AVOCADOS, BLUEBERRIES, CRANBERRIES, DRIED BREWERS YEAST, TAURINE, VITAMIN a ACETATE, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, ASCORBIC ACID, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, d-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, PYRIODOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, VITAMIN B12, SUPPLEMENT BIOTIN, FOLIC ACID, ZINC SULFATE, FERROUS SULFATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, COPPER SULFATE, CALCIUM IODATED AND SODIUM SELENITE. ”
That is from Evangers. The ingredients are for this specific dinner listed as vegetarian? A vegetarian formula for dogs AND CATS? How ludicrous. Also what the hell are “avacados” doing in it? Avacados are poisonous to dogs and cats, the contain a substance called persin–trust me, look it up.


Traci said,

March 26, 2007 @ 3:38 am · Edit
Anyone have any experience with Fromm Family pet foods? As opposed to how the ingredients look and how yummy the food looks on the website (my cats might have to fight me fur it!). It is inconvenient for me to get, the nearest pet store carrying it would be a perhaps annoying bus ride involving a transfer. It can be ordered over the internet which I might do for the convenience factor.
Raw is out for me (one commercial one that looks good, Feline Pride, is way out of cost range for me for two cats eating 10 pds each every 20 days as described)–making my own? Realistically I don’t even have a grinder and am not in a position to find a couple hundred dollars at the moment to purchase the kind of tough grinder to do the bone as well as the meat grinding although I found what looks like a good recipe if anyone else is set up for it:
http://www.catnutrition.org/foodmaking.html
http://www.catnutrition.org/recipes.html


Traci said,

March 26, 2007 @ 5:16 am · Edit
Just found this
http://www.healthypetproducts.com/catfood.htm
? Anyone have any experience with them?
“Life’s Abundance Premium Cat Food contains only fresh, natural, wholesome ingredients. It provides 100% complete nutrition in accordance with AAFCO feeding protocols.
This premium cat food is a high antioxidant formula and contains 5 sources of superior protein … chicken meal, egg, chicken liver meal, fish meal and turkey meal.
There is no corn, wheat, dairy, by-products, artificial colors or flavors in Lifes Abundance.
Our manufacturing facility is a USDA certified APHIS (Animal Plant Health Inspection Service) plant. APHIS certification allows the sale a of finished product to the International market, including the European market, which has extremely high standards on ingredient sources.”
also, ingredients list:
“INGREDIENTS: Organic Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Broth, Turkey, Chicken Meal (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Shrimp, Fish Oil, Ground Agropyron Repens Grass, Calcium Sulfate, Guar Gum, Minerals (Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Choline Chloride, Sea Salt, Taurine, Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, D3, B12 Supplements, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Inulin, Rosemary, L-Carnitine.
Calorie Content (Calculated): 1,370 Kcal/Kg Or 116 Kcal/Can (3 Oz).”


Traci said,

March 26, 2007 @ 5:17 am · Edit
I now see it’s listed up top, but I found them curious about some freeze dried chicken heart treats.


Traci said,

March 26, 2007 @ 5:19 am · Edit
and now I post again to say I am confused, this may be a different one than in the blog list… anyway looks interesting, going back to their website.


meryl zucker said,

March 26, 2007 @ 8:56 am · Edit
does anyone know if the kirkland brand dry food thru costco is a problem? i do not see it listed?
thanks so much meryl

chris russo said,

March 26, 2007 @ 10:16 am · Edit
First, this is a great site. Next my 13 year old dog has been deathly ill 3 times since Dec. and has been diagnosed with kidney failure. Same symptons as with the Menu Foods dog food annouoncement. Only thing is the food is not yet on the list. I know of 4 other dogs just in my local area that have had the same issues with the same food bought from PetSmart from Dec through current. The food is ProPlan but has not yet been reported. Where do we go to get this escalated to warn other people??? We have spent over 2,000 in hospital bills to try and save our dog. She has been in the hospital twice and we do not know the final outcome yet. All of the pet owner can report the same situation. I am so concerned that others will be suffering as well and still be feeding their pets ProPlan. I do not think it is a coincidence that all 4, plus 3 puppies of one of the female dogs, have the exact same condition. These are black, bloody diareahhea, kidney and liver failure, vomiting, lethargy, dehydration.


Therese
said,

March 26, 2007 @ 10:26 am · Edit
I received this from Bryan Niemann, whose family owns Fromme Family Foods. He asked me to post it for him…
Raven,
My name is Bryan Nieman and my family owns Fromm Family Foods (my great grandmother was Erna Fromm.) I am not sure who you spoke with in the office but our reasoning for making our product in China was definitely NOT to cut down costs. It is not cheaper to make our product in China. The reality is it is not possible for us to make our product in the USA. We searched for a plant for 2 years before we looked outside of the country.
Our canned products are made in a human food plant which means every single ingredient allowed in the vicinity of the plant must be certified for human consumption. In the US only 1 plant would agree to produce our pet food in their human food plant in the quantities that we could deal with (we are a very small family owned company and cannot order millions of cans at a time.) We had test runs done at that 1 plant and were not completely satisfied with the results so we had to look outside of the country.
Our biochemist Rich Marino (the first person ever to have pet food produced in a human food plant- Active Life) traveled around the world to find a place that would adhere to our standards. We finally settled on a incredible plant in China which hand cuts all of the meats and vegetables all while wearing protective clothing, masks, and boots to make sure everything is completely sterile. This type of environment is non existent in the pet food plants we toured.
Sorry, this is getting a little long winded but I wanted to make sure you heard the straight story. We produce our own dry food at our plant in Wisconsin which gives us complete control over quality. We wanted to make cans for years but we will only release a product we are 100% satisfied with and the plants here in the US were not able to live up to our quality standards.
Every time we produce our cans in China Rich is there to supervise the operation and to make sure all of our expectations are met. We are continually looking for opportunities here in the USA to produce our product and down the road we would like to have our OWN cannery, but until this is possible we will do whatever we have to to ensure our quality standards are met.
If you have any more questions I would be happy to answer them just send me an email to my attention through our contact page at http://www.frommfamily.com/contact.php . My dad is the president of the company and he puts his heart and soul into every aspect of it. I believe this is strikingly apparent every time you open any one of our products.
Take care!
Bryan Nieman
Fromm Family Foods


Diane Huizenga said,

March 26, 2007 @ 10:56 am · Edit
I have always fed my 2 cats Iams dry food. Does anyone know if it is safe to feed the dry food to my cats?


Jen said,

March 26, 2007 @ 11:12 am · Edit
What do you think about the ethics of Canidae and Felidae. We have been feeding Innova, which I really did like, but I will not support a company that does business with companies like Menu who promote animal suffering through testing.
I am so disgusted with the whole thing. Ethics are extremely important to me and while my cats and dog have thrived on Innova, I will “vote with my wallet” until they can clean up their act.


Tanks Mom said,

March 26, 2007 @ 11:13 am · Edit
to: Diane Huizenga
My mom had both Iam dry and moist (for dogs), when this recall hit. She checked the numbers on both products, they were identical and matched the recall numbers.
In other words, although the recall currently is for moist only, with certain plant and lot #’s. Why did her bag of dry have the same exact numbers?
She threw it out! Why take chances with cross contamination?


Caninecare.org
said,

March 26, 2007 @ 12:06 pm · Edit
I just tried calling Newman’s and they must be using MENU FOODS as they will not give out info. To me that is bad if any company will not give out info. I’m going to stop using all their products and tell people on our website not to use them. I also heard a ‘rumor’ that FROMM is manufatured in CHINA. I would worry about that. I’m trying to find out more. At this point it’s cooking or using something like the HONEST KITCHEN. I Have also used BY NATURE DRY which seems OK but I want to make sure they manufature at a human grade plant at this point. Can’t find anything else I can trust.

Joy Turner said,

March 26, 2007 @ 12:08 pm · Edit
I had 2 healthy dogs and both went into acute kidney failure last week. They have been feed Alpo gravy and beef dog food for many years. The chance of both going down at the same time with “acute” kidney failure that came on suddenly is almost impossible. I have tried to contact Alpo but have not been successful. My vet really didn’t even want to report this to the proper officials. It is frightening to think how many other dogs are sick or dead because of this. I am now $4000 dollars poorer and have lost 1 dog and the other is sick. Please Help!


Caninecare.org
said,

March 26, 2007 @ 12:19 pm · Edit
What is terrible is that so many people have never known what crap is in most commercial foods. I hope something good comes out of this tragedy in that people know there are choices and there are human grade products though now you have to make sure they are all produced in the USA and manufactured by a company better than MENU! I’m also sick of VETS pushing that crap IAMS; HILLS and EUKANUBA _ they all must get kickbacks or are invested in the company. People sadly cannot believe most vets. Look how they push vaccines which are proven now to be bad! They make all their money with yearly shots that aren’t needed (see vaccine info on caninecare.org or just Google “dangers of yearly pet vaccinations’. You can’t trust them. They are all out to make money.

Glenda said,

March 26, 2007 @ 12:57 pm · Edit
Thank you!! I do not want any products manufactured through Menu Foods. I just don’t trust them.


Caninecare.org
said,

March 26, 2007 @ 3:03 pm · Edit
Since people are taking this time to learn about pet foods, please make a note to read labels- do not use product- treats and food- (many organics included) that have: BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin & propylene glycol, corn syrups, sugar; or menadione aka dimethylprimidinol sulfate READ YOUR LABELS! REMEMBER NATURAL or ORGANIC doesn’t mean it’s HUMAN GRADE or even HEALTHY for your cat or dog! Some have ‘organic sugar/organic corn syrup’ as an ingredient- NEVER use ANY product with CORN SYRUP or SUGAR as an ingredient- even if organic. For more google these products or visit www.caninecare.org - specific info listed on this site.


Atomische
said,

March 26, 2007 @ 4:08 pm · Edit
To me, the details of what is ON the list and what IS NOT on the list is pretty irrelevant. The issue is that what we thought were reputable brands turned out to be relabeled product from a shoddy company.
Although none of the Science Diet product in my cupboard was on the list — it all gets thrown out, because now it’s obvious that the “Science” is actually marketing science, not food science.