Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
April 4, 2007
Pets …

You have pets? I currently don’t but I succumbed to two cats over the
last years. Recently the neighbor’s cat acknowledges me for opening the doors to
let it in or out the garden and it sometimes humbles itself by graciously
accepting my food offerings.

As a rule, pets get the same quality of food as any humans I feed – it just may not look the same.

That is seasonal, organic, locally produced and without chemicals as
much as possible.

But it’s not standard as few can sustain such. Given
current regulations and tax/trade disincentives what I eat and feed is quite expensive food.
That and corrupt regulation authorities have the predictable results:

In finally identifying itself today, the U.S. importer of the melamine-tainted wheat gluten — the unappetizingly named ChemNutra — revealed new information that is sure to anger aggrieved pet owners:  Menu Foods knew their product was causing problems as early as March 8, a full week before the first recall was made public.  And while ChemNutra insists that none of its 792 metric tons
of contaminated wheat gluten shipped to facilities that manufacture
food for human consumption, one can forgive suspicious consumers for
not accepting the suddenly talkative company at its word, especially
considering that this assurance directly contradicts
an FDA report from earlier today. For whatever the true risk to our
food supply, the corporate and regulatory response is shaping up to be
a textbook example of failed crisis management.

Comments

ChemNutra really thought they could just sell off the poison food, and no one would notice. Astonishing–equally for its carelessness and its callousness.
As you say, no reason to trust it did not get into the human food as well.

Posted by: Gaianne | Apr 4 2007 19:30 utc | 1

and WGN channel 9 reported last night, and again this morning, that only fifteen animals died as a result of bad wheat gluten. I believe I read here at MOA that government agencies aren’t required to report these deaths to anyone?
I mean how dumb does WGN think we are that a product would be recalled nationally because fifteen pets died? Fifteen pets would not be a story of significance, kind of like the coyote at the Quizno’s, which will be in the news until the end of the month, I’m sure.

Posted by: gus | Apr 4 2007 20:00 utc | 2

this is a link to an excellent diary by a writer who has been covering the pet food scandal for the last couple of weeks. as one in a series it is a good resource for pet owners, and it includes links to a list of recalled foods, recipes for home feeding your pets, suggestions for safe pet foods, the fda, and press releases from many of the pet food companies. it seems that cats are the ones who are most susceptible to falling ill so if you are a cat owner, it might be worth a look. the diary also addresses the issue of the likelihood that the contaminaed wheat gluten has also penetrated human food – 792 metric tons….
i am relieved to say that my dog – conchita – eats a diet of home-cooked poached chicken and hills dry (a safe brand so far), so aside from recently developing arthritis we have not suffered.

Posted by: conchita | Apr 4 2007 20:48 utc | 3

I started buying, I guess it’s called “human grade”, dog food about a year ago after reading what goes into dog food in the Utne Reader.
My dogs eat better than I do, I believe. At least I read their labels more carefully than mine.

Posted by: beq | Apr 4 2007 20:59 utc | 4

My cats are all healthy. Hill’s Prescription Diet, which they eat, does not list gluten as an ingredient. Just like so many people, the cats prefer the junkier food brands to this one, and would be delighted if I offered those others to them. But they don’t get urinary tract and digestive problems with this food. A little fish added to the mix seems to make it desirable.
As one of those humans for whom gluten itself is toxic, I try to avoid human and cat products where gluten is an ingredient. In human food it is getting easier, now that most packaged products are required to include info on label indicating any gluten in the food. But some manufacturers seem oblivious. Gluten content still sometimes slips past with no mention on the label.
Wish that local food and labelling of local food were more commonly available here. Even though, when it becomes a choice between the local feedlot cow and the California, antibiotic-free, free range cow, the choice is more complicated.
beq – Where does one find “human grade” pet food?

Posted by: small coke | Apr 4 2007 21:58 utc | 5

small coke – There is a small independent pet store that has been in my neighborhood for a long time: Fin & Feather. They carry two products that I have been buying: Merrick and Natural Balance. They’re expensive but mostly meat. I just looked until I found food that was basically meat and didn’t have “meat by-products”.

Posted by: beq | Apr 4 2007 22:16 utc | 6

small coke, you might want to take a look at the link i posted. some of the hill’s wet and one of the hill’s dry foods for cats have been recalled. there are also suggestions for safe and healthy pet foods there. beq’s brands may be among them. since my furry one only eats poached chicken i haven’t followed those links, but i have participated in the comments in these diaries and know that there are some well educated and watchful owners sharing info. susanhu is a particularly good source for cat info.

Posted by: conchita | Apr 4 2007 22:38 utc | 7

Hills’ food is mostly carbohydrate. Wheat and corn are two of the main ingredients. You might consider others, especially since some of the Hills food is on the recall list.
My cat is eating a small brand that is 90% meat (in a dry food!) and she is thriving on it. Thankfully she turned up her nose at the other stuff.
As for me, I went through the house looking for all products containing wheat gluten and threw them out. No more seitan for a while.
I try to buy local food whenever possible. Who needs to import wheat from China? We sell it to them!

Posted by: hopping madbunny | Apr 4 2007 23:17 utc | 8

Merricks and Natural Balance are both good foods, but unhappily my cat won’t eat either one. She loves the Nature’s Logic and the California Natural, though. I prefer the former to the latter.

Posted by: hopping madbunny | Apr 4 2007 23:18 utc | 9

I highly recommend Innova (high protein, low carb), which is what I feed my 3 dogs and 4 cats. They also now make a raw food line. I tried Newman’s organics for my cats, but they didn’t like it. I have a friend who feeds exclusively a raw diet to her numerous cats and dogs, but a tremendous amount of work is involved.

Posted by: aw | Apr 5 2007 0:28 utc | 10

Innova is too high in protein according to vets. Meat should be about 1/3 of diet, or the kidneys start objecting.
There was a time when Natural Balance might have been good, but that is long past. If you followed the exc. link Uncle posted at the outset, you discover that they were persistently dishonest during the recall. There are 3 problems w/them. Too many carcinogens from a)potatoes – according to Dr. Andy Weyl they are 1 of 4 vegetables that are so saturated w/carcinogens that we should only eat organic – the farmers who grow them keep a separate patch for themselves ‘cuz they won’t touch these commercial frankensteins b) as quality went down they started adding liquid smoke which also is a carcinogen 3) they started competing w/low cost garbage brands at big box stores in the race to the bottom.
This is generally the pattern w/most manufactured foods, if not cars, etc. as well. Could call it Weber’s routinization of charisma. Individual/family starts a company to make really healthy great stuff; over time the profit motive trumps all. Am. breakfast cereals started out as “health products” as well. Once upon a time GM cars were great as well.
Merrick is suspect ‘cuz it’s made by a company that owns a rendering plant & is made at the precise location, so god only knows what they put in it.
This is the best article I’ve seen on the situation. Unknown thousands have died & they’ve known about it since at least February, if not December. Bigger than you think: The story behind the pet food recall
I draw a couple of lessons from this.
1) Feed yr. pet only Human Grade Food; whether Canidae or home cooked, which only takes a few mins/day
2) This article highlights the current system for everything. Eliminate anti-trust laws, allow a few cos. to grow into Monstrosities, driving out everyone else in the process; consolidate production, but hide that fact from the public w/a myriad of expensive packages that prey on their emotions; sell this policy under the Caveat Emptor motto, but then when you have enough power to drive out the competition & buy up Congress, force through laws that prevent citizens from getting the information they need to make informed decisions (ie. outlaw COOL – country of origin labelling – so people can’t boycott food from shitholes like china, etc.); force through de-regulation in the guise of “freedom” to prevent existence of laws regulating or policing food quality, or informing public of problems in timely manner; demand “tort reform” so the only check left on the corrupt production system – huge damage awards – is destroyed.
This characterizes Everything, not just petfood. Hope billmon, kos & the rest of the sewer rats who think “globalization” is great had their beloved pets die a gruesome death. They deserve it, as this is globalization in action.

Posted by: jj | Apr 5 2007 1:50 utc | 11

My cat does best on the Nature’s Logic, which doesn’t use any additives at all.
Now as to that wheat gluten getting into the human food supply: It’s best not to eat processed foods at all. I am eating mostly beans, vegetables nuts, and sprouts with occasional locally raised chicken and eggs.
When all is said and done, no one gets out of this world alive, but it is a lot better to stay healthy while you are here. Processed foods, whether made for man or beast, are not as good as fresh, unprocessed ones.

Posted by: hopping madbunny | Apr 5 2007 10:03 utc | 12

Cats’ diets must include taurine, which is usually found in organ meats. some of the foods listed above use synthetic taurine that was also produced in China. Homecooked chicken muscle meat will result in a taurine-deficient diet and a sickly and dying cat–for this reason ) it’s better to feed the cat professionally packaged, high grade food than cook it yourself.

Posted by: hopping madbunny | Apr 5 2007 10:04 utc | 13

Homecooked chicken muscle meat will result in a taurine-deficient diet and a sickly and dying cat–for this reason) Raw (chicken/lamb) heart has more than enough taurin to keep cats happy … as does muscle meat when not cocked … also I never saw a cat cooking, so I use(d) and recommend BARF – *B*iologically *A*ppropriate *R*aw *F*ood

Posted by: b | Apr 5 2007 11:34 utc | 14

Because I’ve mostly owned dogs during my life and only a cat now and then, I’ll confess that I don’t know what’s good for cats.
But I know several people who feed their dogs a vegetarian diet and the dogs do quite well. Similarly, a diet of table scraps (as was fed dogs by pet owners years ago) will probably do fine for many dogs as long as they’re exercised.
Maybe that’s really the biggest problem with most dog owners–the animals, like the owners are obese. This, I think, will shorten the life of any animal more than being undernourished. If you’re morbidly obese, it doesn’t matter too much what you’re eating.
Pet food is a relatively recent innovation. Given that much of it is used as a disposal channel for waste products, I wonder about its long-term safety.
Labeling regulations have the pet food manufacturers hog-tied; for example, they’re not allowed to state that only materials approved for human consumption are used in a product. Just a vague list of ingredients and an assay. No mention of rendered roadkill, or pet carcasses allowed.

Posted by: cpg | Apr 5 2007 15:41 utc | 15

Labeling regulations have the pet food manufacturers hog-tied; for example, they’re not allowed to state that only materials approved for human consumption are used in a product. Just a vague list of ingredients and an assay. No mention of rendered roadkill, or pet carcasses allowed.
Right. Dog owners, whether they be citizens or CongressCritters, work tirelessly demanding that euthanized dogs be put in dog food; that garbage from human food processing industry be stuffed into dog food, but w/no way of telling people whether the food is human grade or not.
cpg, you’ve obviously been a paid apologist for power for so long, that you cannot even distinguish cause from effect, shit from oxygen.

Posted by: jj | Apr 5 2007 19:52 utc | 16

jj: I attributed neither cause nor effect; just pointed out that should some food producer want to tell the truth about the stuff that goes into pet food, the system is gamed against it.
Gamed in exactly the same way that there’s now a PR campaign going on (at least locally here) to not even bother about thinking of suing the pet food folks for your pet’s demise, since state law provides for the replacement value of the animal at most. That wretched you should be groveling and be thankful that someone’s offered to pay vet bills if you can prove (to whatever standard they set) that their product made your animal sick.
This was an eye-opener for a lot of pet owners who discovered that the high-priced brands were selling exactly the same garbage that you could get in your local Wally’s world.
No apologist I, thank you very much.

Posted by: cpg | Apr 5 2007 20:57 utc | 17

My 15-year-old Dalmation and 13-year-old Springer Spaniel cross ate Innova all their lives and my cats have been eating it for 10 years. I’ve never had a vet criticize it and believe me they would if they could as they try to push Science Hill or Eukanuba down your throat.

Posted by: aw | Apr 5 2007 21:02 utc | 18

Ironically, if that is the right word, cat food was the only US made product besides software that I wasn’t able to discontinue in the last few years. Couldn’t, because no other options are available.
And now, in all this hullabaloo not a single word about if the poisoned food was exported anywhere else. The local distributors of involved brands here pretend to be oblivious. And I more than expect the recalled batches to be re-dated and find their way to us in the rest of the world…
(Nobody’s pets deserve to die a gruesome death.)

Posted by: Alamet | Apr 5 2007 21:21 utc | 19

“(Nobody’s pets deserve to die a gruesome death.)”
amen.

Posted by: beq | Apr 5 2007 21:31 utc | 20

The purveyors of garbage, the big pet food manufacturers ARE the system. They write the rules to insure citizens remain ignorant of the garbage they shovel at us.They fought tooth & nail to outlaw noting if something was made of human grade food on the package, ‘cuz the jig would be up for them if that were allowed. Happily, those laws were writen pre-web, so you can dig out the info. or email our one full-time student of the Pet Food Industry if you have any questions. So, yes, superb info. is easily available, just not on packages. General rule of thumb applies to human & pet food – if it’s packaged it’s toxic, only question is how much damage it does over what span of time. Fresh meat, veggies, dairy & grains should be the diet for all living creatures we care about.
Agreed that one co. making food for 88-96 differently named packages was Great for everyone to find out. Equally eye opening was discovering that Whole Foods Refused to release ANY information about their dog food.
I’m not familiar w/entire Innova line, only Evo w/close to 70% protein. I was advised that was not healthy for dog kidneys, but agree that Vets know Zippo about nutrition & should simply not be consulted. That, of course, is by design. If they found out that feeding yr dog home cooked food resulted in a dog living 16 yrs. w/no vet bills, if done intelligently, they’d be out of business, so they have a vested interest in ignorance. But purveyors of garbage, work hard to keep them that way, including buying up chairs of nutrition @prominent vet schools to insure the proper questions simply are not asked – as w/all other facets of American life that could adversely impact Predators Profits.

Posted by: jj | Apr 6 2007 2:45 utc | 21

I just buried one of my dogs, an 11-year old female Golden Retriever, Monday–metastatic lung cancer. I suspect the primary tumor to be a lymphoma, but don’t know for certain. The downhill slide was very fast, started with having shortness of breath on Thursday after exercise, to dying in my arms Monday morning.
The troubling thing is that this is the 4th dog that I’ve had that has died from cancer in about 15 years. I realize that cancer seems to accompany old age, but only one dog of mine died of a non-cancer related cause during the same period–pneumonia, as a result of a respiratory problem–and he was 13. I work with a rescue organization for goldens, and it seems just about every dog we lose is to cancer.
I’ve been feeding the dogs Eukanuba dry kibble–and sparingly; there’s not an extra ounce of fat on any of the animals. They get plenty of exercise–and my vet has nothing but praise for their overall fitness. Is the food the underlying cause of the cancer prevalence?
My vet tells me that “Well, old dogs get cancer and goldens seem to get it more often.” Is this the complete truth, or should I be looking for a different feed?

Posted by: cpg | Apr 6 2007 16:25 utc | 22

So sorry, cpg (cyber hug). I’ve been there a few times.
jj is resident expert but I think at this point I’d try some other food for a little peace of mind if nothing else.

Posted by: beq | Apr 6 2007 16:39 utc | 23

eukanuba was used much in the eighties, excellent before changing formulas(ownership?) and putting cancer laden preservatives in food. you’d do better feeding something like annamaet, made by a sprint musher in pa whose shipments are often late due to his obsessive efforts in maintaining quality ingredients.

Posted by: Anonymous | Apr 6 2007 17:31 utc | 24

sorry about your dog cpg 🙁

Posted by: annie | Apr 6 2007 23:14 utc | 25

@cpg, I’ll weigh in w/more extensive response this wkend. Sorry, to hear about yr. loss. I too have lost 2 loved ones to non-smoking related lung-cancer in last 15 mos., an aunt & a friend’s dog I loved. Two issues here – disease & age it strikes. Update soon. It’s Fri. & I’m a bit fried 🙂

Posted by: jj | Apr 7 2007 2:26 utc | 26

susanhu writes that the cfo from menu foods sold half his holdings in the company’s stock on feb. 26/27. the stock which sold for $102,900 would be worth $62,440 today.
a cat owner, susan also provides more info about a Nutro cat food that was not on the recall list but nearly killed a marin county cat. she also includes some good info about the upcoming hearings called by sen. durbin on the 14th and the background of an expert on cat diabetes who will be testifying. recommended reading for cat lovers.

Posted by: conchita | Apr 10 2007 22:09 utc | 27

Thanks, conchita, for keeping up on the unending pet food story, and for pointing to sites with information. So far my cats are healthy, and their food has not made any lists.
Still, I am looking for another food, as a result of all that’s been posted, and after reading the microscopic ingredients list, with the help of bright sunlight. Turns out that, although the food is predominantly meat, it includes by-products, and the primary ingredients are derived from pork. The pork industry in the US is a crime against humane animal husbandry, health, and the environment. All the standard industrial meat production is bad, but pork appears to be the worst.
However, I am having trouble finding a store that sells any of the recommended foods, like Innova and Evo. Can’t find Merrick since moving, either. The little gourmets may have to cope with my raw mash for awhile. Anyone have a nutritionally complete recipe?

Posted by: small coke | Apr 11 2007 23:59 utc | 28

More bad news about pet food. Melamine has now been found in rice gluten and Natural Balance, considered to be a high quality pet food is recalling some of it’s products. Link to ACLU If you are feeding your pet Natural Balance, the company is recommending that you avoid all products with rice gluten. It is specifically recalling:
* Venison and Brown Rice Treats for Dogs
* Venison and Brown Rice Canned Formula for Dogs
* Venison and Brown Rice Dry Food for Dogs
* Venison and Green Pea Dry Food for Cats
I feel very fortunate my critter eats a diet of poached chicken and a dry food that has not been recalled (yet) and does not seem to be hurting her.

Posted by: conchita | Apr 18 2007 0:25 utc | 29

This is the first time I’ve seen someone actually propose an alternative diet. Thanks!
Eggs and cookies. Cool.

Posted by: Jake | Apr 18 2007 0:39 utc | 30