Pet Food Recall

[Al]

It will be interesting and sad to see the number of lawsuits and litigation that come up over this boondoggle. Menu Foods is obviously going bankrupt. But what about all the sub brands and retailers that handled this brand subpackaged? You have Nestle's Purina and then all of the stores that distributed it....KMart, Walmart, etc.

We'll see what kind of punitive damage/pain and suffering/class action suits result. I am wondering if this will lead to the value of a pet over the current market cost of the pet. Could the loss of a dog/cat be in the thousnds, 10's of thousands, millions? Who will define the value? How about a pet goldfish, mouse, cockroach?

Will it lead to lawsuits if you run over a dog/cat? I won't be surprised with the answers.

 

[Crashbox]

No surprise to me, either. The U.S. has become so @*&$%^!! and #$@!&*+& litigious it's indescribable.

 

[Pablo]

Quote:

---

The investigation has traced the melamine to wheat gluten that Menu Foods, Nestle Purina PetCare Co. and Hill's Pet Nutrition bought from an unnamed U.S. supplier. The latter two companies have recalled a limited number of products since Friday. The wheat gluten, a protein source, was imported from China.

---

We export wheat to China.....but we buy the gluten back??? All messed up, I tell you.

 

[MarkC]

Dogs and cats aren't supposed to eat wheat, gluten, or corn in the first place.

 

[1sttruck]

I started buying dog food with no 'byproducts', Authority seemed to one of the few common brands with no byproducts, but it's on the recall list too. Now I'm buying dog food at 'natural' food stores, for not much more than what I was buying elsewhere. We just mix a bit of wet food into the dry food in the evening, and keep a bowl of dry food out for the rest of the day.

Keeping a bowl of food out was a problem for a pug that we use to dogsit once in awhile, we'd wonder where he was at as he usually runs around snorting or yapping, and he'd wallow in really stuffed, eating the food that we'd feed our 90lb dog. The little guys would probably eat themselves to death.

 

[moribundman]

I wonder if any of the old people who can't afford something better than pet food will also get sick. But I guess they get what they paid for. ;-)

 

[Mystic]

This pet food recall could have an affect on people. There have been stories about elderly people buying various kinds of pet food (such as tuna) and eating it themselves because it was cheaper than the tuna intended for human consumption.

If a lot of pets are killed by these pet foods you can bet there is going to be a major investigiation. Quite obviously nobody was keeping an eye on what was in the pet food. A lot of the tainted pet food is coming from China so we better wise up to the quality (or rather lack of quality) of Chinese imports into this country.

 

[oilyriser]

Gluten is an additive in all kids of foods prepared for people.

 

[simple_gifts]

It was brought to my attention that "trusted suppliers of pet foods" with "years of history" actually produce the junkiest food for animals. I'm currently feeding the girls (cats) Old Mother Hubbard and Nature's Variety, both US companies.

The Natures Variety has about 20 lines of ingredients, ranging from Kelp, Apples, Cottage cheese, cranberries, cider vinegar, Pheasant eggs, clove, sage, chicken etc etc etc; I may have to give it a try myself.

 

[road_rascal]

Actually, I've seen a few bags of dog food in our local pet store that are labeled for human consumption. I'm not going to try it. Let's get Mikey!

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

I've always wanted to feed the local dog-who-won't-stop-yiping a bowl of TNT...Tuna 'N Toluene. Perhaps just giving it canned food will do the trick?

 

[HardbodyLoyalist]

I wonder how many people who've been paying through the nose for Science Diet will be shocked to learn that Science Diet is made from the exact same base stock as store-brand food.

 

[K-Man]

For that matter, Iams. That's the priciest pet food sold in most stores.

This is a wakeup call. The culprits in the gluten are both a type of rat poison and melamine, a substance used to make a plastic of the same name. Dinnerware of that type of plastic used to be common decades ago. Melamine is apparently particularly toxic to cats. There would seem to be absolutely no reason to add either to wheat or gluten.

Could the presence of both poisons have been a deliberate attempt at the origin or by some third-party handler to poison North Americans, foiled by use of the wheat gluten in pet food instead? The mind boggles. Remember, China isn't exactly our friend, and this fact might be starting to come home to roost.

 

[oilyriser]

It's probably some grain processor trying to save a buck, buying used bags and not cleaning them, or not cleaning out containers, trucks, tankers and so on.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Quote:

---

I wonder how many people who've been paying through the nose for Science Diet will be shocked to learn that Science Diet is made from the exact same base stock as store-brand food.

---

Science Diet has alleviated shedding and added a shiny coat to our Fox Terrier. Prior to that, I tried several house brands that couldn't come close.

So there's more to superior dog food like Science Diet - than just base stock label comparisons with store brand names. Not only are the additives better, but I suspect the whole meat and vegetable percentages are greater with Science Diet also.

 

[Pablo]

China probably didn't deliberately try to poison us....but unless standards can be put in place and constant independent verification is implemented, there is absolutely NO reason to trust food sources for animals or house plants or humans from stinking China!

And they howl like stuck pigs when we mention tariffs on coated paper products. X we are in deep!

 

[Mystic]

I don't have a pet right now but if I do get another dog I will have to remember the American made Old Mother Hubbard and Nature's Variety. Thanks for letting me know about them. I used to always have at least 1 pet dog but now it has been a while. I like dogs. I have never got along too well with cats.

 

[dwendt44]

"Actually, I've seen a few bags of dog food in our local pet store that are labeled for human consumption. I'm not going to try it. Let's get Mikey! "

Actually, aside from this pet food problem, cat and dog food is likely more nutritious for humans that much of what we eat.

 

[sprintman]

Stinking China?? Thought you liked the place. We use Royal Canin from U.S which their web site says is clear of Menu Foods problems

 

[Shannow]

Dogs are omnivorous to a large degree, but grain eaters they certainly are not.

Besides, feeding them naturally is cheaper.

http://www.drianbillinghurst.com/

(yes, he used to be my local vet)