# 5/21/09 Nutro Recalls Dry Cat Food



## Rockylou

Nutro Products Announces Voluntary Recall of Limited Range of Dry Cat Food Products

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/nutro05_09.html

Also, complaints from dog owners continue to be posted at Consumer Affairs:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html

(takes a minute to load because there are hundreds of comments)


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## JanS

Here we go again.... IMO Nutro is a lousy food anyway, but a lot of people do feed it because it's a _little_ better than something like Ol'Roy. Ugh....

Thanks for the heads up!


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## Rockylou

Jan,

Thanks for your comment.

Yes, the US pet food industry is a mess. Sadly, many folks are unaware because pet food recalls aren't widely reported by the media.

I've followed the issue closely since the Pet Food Recall of 2007 where many thousands were killed and sickened by contaminated pet food, and the mortality rate was grossly under reported.

Interestingly, melamine and cyanuric acid were also found in fish food.

Furry hugs.


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## tranr

I've been feeding my two cats a variety of foods that I rotate. These include Wellness Complete, Innova EVO, and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul (please don't laugh...). They seem to relish the Wellness the most of the three foods. Oh, I also add a little bit of Wellness CORE to their food from time to time. I haven't heard anything regarding recalls for these food brands that I listed above, so I'm guessing that they are still okay.

I figure that by rotating their foods, if there *is* something that ends up popping up that's bad, it won't be as concentrated of a toxin in their bodies... not sure if that is actually true, but I figured it was better than to stick with one thing.


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## Rockylou

Rotation is a good strategy. There are some new food choices such as frozen food, and supplement mix in's (you provide the meat, and mix in the supplement).

Also, many have discontinued commercial food all together and make their own pet food from scratch. Some basic info is needed, but it's not hard. Good books are available on the subject.

Always know the pet's health status, and check with your vet before making diet changes.

I feed homemade raw chicken (also beef) including organs and veggies, along with a mix in supplement. Got to make sure they're getting all the required nutrients.



tranr said:


> I've been feeding my two cats a variety of foods that I rotate. These include Wellness Complete, Innova EVO, and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul (please don't laugh...). They seem to relish the Wellness the most of the three foods. Oh, I also add a little bit of Wellness CORE to their food from time to time. I haven't heard anything regarding recalls for these food brands that I listed above, so I'm guessing that they are still okay.
> 
> I figure that by rotating their foods, if there *is* something that ends up popping up that's bad, it won't be as concentrated of a toxin in their bodies... not sure if that is actually true, but I figured it was better than to stick with one thing.


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## Rockylou

Consumer Affairs posted a new article today:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/05/nutro_foia06.html

I don't understand the confusion with the FDA. Either they're investigating Nutro or they're not.

Given the 800 complaints, there should be an investigation, IMHO. Have followed this subject for years, and I believe the story will continue to develop.


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## TAB

crap my bag of cat food is effected by this...


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## Rockylou

Oh Tab, I'm so sorry. 

Is your kitty OK?


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## TAB

she is fine, no questions asked at the pet store today. Simple check of the best by used by date, was told to grab a new bag, 2 mins later I was out the door. I guess the last time it really got the pet food companys scared. Most of the pet food is actually made by 3rd party companys.


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## Rockylou

What a day it's been dealing with the Nutro recall.

There hasn't been much in the media about the recall, so a dear friend contacted Associated Press this morning and was told that AP didn't receive a press release from Nutro.

According to an FDA person with whom I spoke, FDA doesn't provide press releases to the media, and Nutro wasn't required to provide a press release because this wasn't a Class I recall.

That's swell, huh? So pet owners are not informed of the recall and may be using the food.

If anyone Twitters, or participates on other sites, we "pet food detectives" would appreciate very much if you could help us get the word out about Nutro's recall.

Some links are included in prior posts, but please let me know if you need more info.

Here's the link to FDA's "press release" which wasn't a press release:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/nutro05_09.html


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## Rockylou

That's good news.

Yes, 3rd party companies and the industry is not really regulated - there's no force of law behind the so called "rules".



TAB said:


> she is fine, no questions asked at the pet store today. Simple check of the best by used by date, was told to grab a new bag, 2 mins later I was out the door. I guess the last time it really got the pet food companys scared. Most of the pet food is actually made by 3rd party companys.


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## TAB

Its actually one of the few foods she will eat. She won't touch any of the flavors of SD or any of the Iams( and euk)products.


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## Rockylou

Tab,

In frustration, I finally gave up on all U.S. made kibble.


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## Rockylou

Sad to see that Nutro's recalled food is still being sold in stores. Many new reports of sick pets, both dogs and cats on Consumer Affairs website (takes a sec to pop up).

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html

FDA tells me they're still collecting data, and haven't assigned a Class designation, yet. Still trying to determine how widespread the problem is.

Don't want to create panic, but because of how the pet food industry operates (many brands, few manufacturers) what affects one food may affect others.

The Pet Food Recall of 2007 (many thousands affected) taught us that.

At Twitter, search "Nutro Recall".

Very sorry to say that Nutro is waging a PR war against pet owners by tweeting much misinformation, and giving away free food. That's very sad.

If you are good on Twitter, and would like to help spread the word, please send PM.

Many good heads here, and I need help. LOL, not a Twitter expert.

Furry hugs.


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## tranr

Rockylou said:


> Sad to see that Nutro's recalled food is still being sold in stores. Many new reports of sick pets, both dogs and cats on Consumer Affairs website (takes a sec to pop up).
> 
> Very sorry to say that Nutro is waging a PR war against pet owners by tweeting much misinformation, and giving away free food. That's very sad.


That's just despicable. Don't they care at all that animals are getting *SICK* from their food?!? Why not just step back and try to figure out what's wrong and why their food is making animals sick, rather than spreading lies and giving away free food that will probably make *MORE* poor dogs and cats sick? Argh.


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## Troy McClure

Why is everybody so hysterical over this?? Nutro isn't some evil company trying to kill your pets. This is a voluntary retrieval, not a government-involved recall. There isn't a huge issue here! They identified the dates and product lines that were affected. They did moved on this very quickly.

Let's get one thing straight before more rumors are spread. *Consumer Affairs is owned by class action litigation attorneys*... meaning, it's a law firm, not a consumer rights / consumer protection agency. I know, you read it on the Internet so it's gotta be true, but the fact is Consumer Affairs is NOT Consumer Reports. Consumer Affairs is not a reliable source of information. They're lawyers looking for a case they can make a profit on. They pick and chose what "information" gets posted because they are not a legitimate news outlet or consumer advocacy establishment and are therefore not held to the same ethical standards. Did I mention they are lawyers..? Just look at the headline of the article Rockylou posted- "Zinc, Copper Levels Cited." That's only half true. It was zinc and potassium. I'll explain more about that in a minute but I just wanted to get it through your heads that *Consumer Affairs isn't a reliable source of information*. They are not interested in fair or even accurate reporting. They are interested in making money by way of working people into a frenzy so they file a class action law suit. Got it? If not, read this paragraph again. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm trying to put the other side of this overly-hyped and lopsided story out there.

It also needs to be stressed that it is very unusual for the FDA to get involved in something like a he-said, she-said debacle. They finally released the statement because there was so much FALSE information flying around that in the interest of protecting an otherwise good company, they had to take action. I don't know about you, but *I would trust the FDA long before I trusted Consumer Affairs, or for that matter, Nutro/P&G/etc.* The FDA has no interest in harming your pets or protecting a company that is knowingly selling products that harm our pets (which isn't the case with any food manufacturer.) Again, there isn't a big issue here, so stop acting like there is! This is teenage-girl type gossip. All hype and overreaction, no facts.

Speaking of hype, two years ago there was a "major" story about a woman who swore up and down that her two Italian greyhounds died after being fed Nutro. Nutro paid for independent third-party lab tests to be carried out on the exhumed bodies. Guess what turned out to be the cause of death? Antifreeze!!!  It had absolutely nothing to do with the food- the owner was too stupid to store deadly antifreeze in a safe location out of the reach of her beautiful dogs! There are lots of really stupid people like her in the world, including the world of pet owners, and they don't know their head from a hole in the ground as to what is really going on. People who have just lost their beloved pet need to find an excuse for why it happened. Grieving people usually aren't the most logical people in the world, and they'll blame anybody they can regardless of whether or not they have verifiable evidence as to the cause of death or illness. Unless they get full autopsies done or can have a reputable vet or independent lab test, verify, and report the results, you or I or the owner or the food manufacturers or the FDA *have no clue what actually happened*. There are lots of things that can make cats sick...they just have strange systems.

As for the copper levels being a problem, that's false...and that's also what made me realize Consumer Affairs is cherry-picking what they want to post in order to get a desired reaction from the public. It was zinc and potassium levels that were flipped (higher than normal zinc, lower than normal potassium.) LONG TERM exposure to high zinc can lead to difficulties in the uptake of other minerals, SUCH AS copper. Short term affects of elevated zinc are already well-known - vomiting, diarrhea, _loss of appetite_ and weight. LONG TERM low potassium levels can lead to impaired growth rates, anorexia, and some neurological problems. This problem hasn't been around long enough to get into the realm of long term, and the food that's out there with the flipped zinc/potassium levels won't be on the shelves or in consumer's homes long enough to get anywhere close to LONG TERM effects.


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## Rockylou

tranr said:


> That's just despicable. Don't they care at all that animals are getting *SICK* from their food?!? Why not just step back and try to figure out what's wrong and why their food is making animals sick, rather than spreading lies and giving away free food that will probably make *MORE* poor dogs and cats sick? Argh.


Tranr,

Thanks very much for understanding. LOL, in the past two years of working this issue, I've learned that "safe food for humans and pets" is not a topic which appeals to everyone. That's OK.

What some folks fail to appreciate is that there's a mighty fine line between pet food and human food. In the Pet Food Recall of 2007, we learned that wheat flour (media called it "wheat gluten") was contaminated with melamine. The flour was HUMAN GRADE. Meaning that buyers could sell it for use in what peoples eats. Implications of that must surely be obvious to everyone.

I wanted to update the thread because a NEW STORY is developing. Namely, that Nutro is denying consumers' complaints. Nutro says they have no complaints, while Consumer Affairs tells me that they have 840 as of this morning. Something very wrong with that. Here's new Consumer Affairs article from today.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/06/nutro_foia07.html

Have talked with people all over the country who have sick kitties. Very sad situation.

Whatever you can do to get the word out - very much appreciated.

We need to get the media covering both the RECALL and the DENIAL of the recall.

Will keep info updated here for those who are interested. For those not interested, please ignore.

Didn't start thread to get into food fight


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## Rockylou

Eric, my friend. Very hard to even know where to begin.



Troy McClure said:


> Why is everybody so hysterical over this?? Nutro isn't some evil company trying to kill your pets. This is a voluntary retrieval, not a government-involved recall. There isn't a huge issue here! They identified the dates and product lines that were affected. They did moved on this very quickly.
> 
> Let's get one thing straight before more rumors are spread. *Consumer Affairs is owned by class action litigation attorneys*... meaning, it's a law firm, not a consumer rights / consumer protection agency. I know, you read it on the Internet so it's gotta be true, but the fact is Consumer Affairs is NOT Consumer Reports. Consumer Affairs is not a reliable source of information. They're lawyers looking for a case they can make a profit on. They pick and chose what "information" gets posted because they are not a legitimate news outlet or consumer advocacy establishment and are therefore not held to the same ethical standards. Did I mention they are lawyers..? Just look at the headline of the article Rockylou posted- "Zinc, Copper Levels Cited." That's only half true. It was zinc and potassium. I'll explain more about that in a minute but I just wanted to get it through your heads that *Consumer Affairs isn't a reliable source of information*. They are not interested in fair or even accurate reporting. They are interested in making money by way of working people into a frenzy so they file a class action law suit. Got it? If not, read this paragraph again. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm trying to put the other side of this overly-hyped and lopsided story out there.
> 
> It also needs to be stressed that it is very unusual for the FDA to get involved in something like a he-said, she-said debacle. They finally released the statement because there was so much FALSE information flying around that in the interest of protecting an otherwise good company, they had to take action. I don't know about you, but *I would trust the FDA long before I trusted Consumer Affairs, or for that matter, Nutro/P&G/etc.* The FDA has no interest in harming your pets or protecting a company that is knowingly selling products that harm our pets (which isn't the case with any food manufacturer.) Again, there isn't a big issue here, so stop acting like there is! This is teenage-girl type gossip. All hype and overreaction, no facts.
> 
> Speaking of hype, two years ago there was a "major" story about a woman who swore up and down that her two Italian greyhounds died after being fed Nutro. Nutro paid for independent third-party lab tests to be carried out on the exhumed bodies. Guess what turned out to be the cause of death? Antifreeze!!! It had absolutely nothing to do with the food- the owner was too stupid to store deadly antifreeze in a safe location out of the reach of her beautiful dogs! There are lots of really stupid people like her in the world, including the world of pet owners, and they don't know their head from a hole in the ground as to what is really going on. People who have just lost their beloved pet need to find an excuse for why it happened. Grieving people usually aren't the most logical people in the world, and they'll blame anybody they can regardless of whether or not they have verifiable evidence as to the cause of death or illness. Unless they get full autopsies done or can have a reputable vet or independent lab test, verify, and report the results, you or I or the owner or the food manufacturers or the FDA *have no clue what actually happened*. There are lots of things that can make cats sick...they just have strange systems.
> 
> As for the copper levels being a problem, that's false...and that's also what made me realize Consumer Affairs is cherry-picking what they want to post in order to get a desired reaction from the public. It was zinc and potassium levels that were flipped (higher than normal zinc, lower than normal potassium.) LONG TERM exposure to high zinc can lead to difficulties in the uptake of other minerals, SUCH AS copper. Short term affects of elevated zinc are already well-known - vomiting, diarrhea, _loss of appetite_ and weight. LONG TERM low potassium levels can lead to impaired growth rates, anorexia, and some neurological problems. This problem hasn't been around long enough to get into the realm of long term, and the food that's out there with the flipped zinc/potassium levels won't be on the shelves or in consumer's homes long enough to get anywhere close to LONG TERM effects.


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## Rockylou

Cross Posted from efoodalert.com

http://efoodalert.blogspot.com/2009...showComment=1244058801586#c986327360420347530

A former employee of Effem/Mars/Nutro writes:

Anonymous said... 
I used to work for Nutro as a pet nutrition specialist. Prior to that I had used Nutro pet food for years without an issue. It wasn't until MARS Pet Foods bought out Nutro that I started hearing complaints in the stores from customers, all were gastrointestinal and many stated their dogs were guzzling water and acting lethargic. I reported this to my area manager and was blown off by the comment "Just enforce the Nutro quality controls we do". Then one dog got sick, he was vomiting, guzzling water and wouldn't go for a walk and acted lethargic and not right. I couldn't figure it out because the others were okay but eventually they started guzzling water too and acting funny. Strange smelling diarrhea too. But I also attributed it to giardia. But after we switched foods, all symptoms cleared up within 48-72 hours. I also had a customer tell me about the Consumer Affairs website which I knew nothing about until she told me. She does greyhound rescue and one of her dogs was sickened. I went home that day read the complaints and my jaw hit the floor. A week later I went back to the same store and the manager of the store asked me what was going on with Nutro because a dog had died the night before eating Lamb and Rice Small Bites. I didn't know what to say. I was shocked but after reading all the posts since December of 2007 and January 2008 I was livid. We had a local sales meeting and all our concerns were blown off and held till the end of the meeting and not really addressed. I resigned that night and I do not regret it. I will not work for a company who is hiding something from the public. I still believe they are hiding. The cat food recall didn't surprise me either. I'm so sorry though for all the dogs and cats who were lost. What a horrible way to die. I'm so sorry I ever promoted this food to anyone.

June 2, 2009 10:05 PM


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## Rockylou

Cross Posted from The Pet Food List Forum
http://thepetfoodlist.com/forums/index.php?topic=981.0

Re: Nutro - The Story Continues 
« Reply #11 on: June 03, 2009, 06:14:37 PM »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"They're grieving cat owners like Shira D. of Carson, California. "My cat is dead due to NUTRO Max," she wrote us, adding the UPC codes on her cat's food match the ones included in the recall."

"My three-year-old healthy indoor cat, Angel, became ill on (Saturday) May 16, 2009, after beginning a new bag of NUTRO Max cat food. We took her to the vet on Monday where they had to do a blood transfusion on her."

"Angel's health, however, continued to deteriorate. She died "a horrible death" a few days later."

"I will never forget the graphic images of her grasping for air," Shira says. "I've never seen a perfectly healthy cat lose the ability to go to the bathroom in her litter box, lose her appetite, and lose her ability to play. She became extremely ill so suddenly after (eating from) the contaminated bag of NUTRO."

"Elevated zinc levels"

"Test results revealed Angel had elevated levels of zinc in her tissues."

"The vet says that the infected catfood is the cause of death for Angel," Shira told us. "My vet contacted Nutro personally to notify them of those findings."

"Shira also called NUTRO when Angel first became sick. "The company said it was sorry for my loss and they were willing to pay the vet fees if I could prove that they were at fault," Shira told us. "They also said that they doubted that the zinc levels would cause death in my cat and tried to assure me that it must have been something else."

Read more: "Cat Owners Bristle at NUTRO Denials, Delays" - http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/06/nutro_foia07.html#ixzz0HPaR8TOS&A


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## Rockylou

!!!FAIR WARNING!!!: This one is upsetting - made my keyboard all wet.

*NOT RELATED TO THIS NUTRO RECALL - FROM THE PET FOOD RECALL OF 2007, Melamine*

Cross Posted from
http://petsitusa.com/blog/?p=2089&cpage=1#comment-282506

Angel Persephone 05.25.09 at 11:07 am 
Hi all, I'm dead. I died in Nov '06 after eating Nutro Max Cat pouched food, well before Nutro admitted to poisoning their food. My little kidneys got blocked with crystals from the poison in the food. It didn't take very long for my kidneys to fail. One day my tests showed I was fine, ten days later I was in the ER with total kidney failure. The doctor kept me for 3 days flushing out my kidneys, and I got a lot better and went home. My poor mommy didn't know it was the Nutro food that was poisoning me, and fed it to me again. This time just 3 days later my poor kidneys had enough. I went into such violent seizures that my poor mommy had to put her entire body over me to hold me down on the floor so I wouldn't crash into the walls ten feet away. Can you just picture that? My mommy rushed me to the vet, but she didn't know I was already dead because my body was still convulsing.

Yes, Carol, you never forget.


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## niko

I switched to raw meat/bones only a few months ago. The difference in the dog's health is simply shocking. Much cheaper too - I feed 5 dogs with only $60 a month.

In the dog owner community there's always a raging battle on what is the best food for your dog. People get pretty crazy and stupid arguing about these that. 

To me a company that makes dog or cat food is out there for one reason - profit. And they will promote their product using one reason - the health of your pet. Bottom line - there's one reason to feed a dog/cat commercial food - the owner's convenience. We'll keep hearing about "issues" with commercial pet food because noone can say what's the perfect dog/cat food and because many people will continue using commercial dry foods. Using raw meat/bones also has issues at times - like the amazing story of a insanely expensive pure bred doberman choking on a bone and dying in minutes. 

--Nikolay


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## Rockylou

OK. Enough of that anecdotal info. Plenty more where those came from.

Will post news related to Nutro Recall 2009.

Any help in getting out the story, very much appreciated.

Furry hugs.


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## JanS

Thank you for the updates Rockylou.

I'm also cross posting on our Doberman board.


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## Rockylou

Update:

The group working the Nutro Recall contacted the Federal Trade Commission.

FTC says that consumers should go to consumer complaint page and submit a complaint form. Here is link to the page:

http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/cmplanding.shtm

I couldn't access the form online, so I called and submitted my complaint over the phone.

(202) 326-2222

The FTC representative said to call and report the problem; the more complaints, the higher the priority, and the faster they'll take a look at it.

Here're the issues:

1. Consumer Affairs website has 800, or so, complaints of dog/cat illness and death.
2. Only some cat food has been recalled (so what's causing the dog complaints).
3. Nutro is saying "No complaints".
4. Recalled food is still on shelves and being sold.
5. Vets have not been informed of the recall.
6. When you call Nutro, they give you a number.
7. When you call FDA, no one answers, no one returns calls.
8. The media isn't covering the story well (who cares about cat food?), so people are still using the food.

Without being able to view the form, not sure what other info you guys may need. LOL, from the posts here, I don't believe you'll have any trouble. Just let me know.

I don't get the DENIAL part. Many people contacted Nutro, and have the emails to prove it. It may (repeat, may) have something to do with assigning a Class (as in Class I, Class II, Class III). It's my understanding (may be wrong), that when death/injury are involved, it's Class I. At least, that's how FDA explained it to me in 2007.

Any questions, please ask.


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## Philosophos

I'm not quite sure why anyone would trust the FDA to do anything right. Issues like stevia come to mind, and their nutty scheduling method with blanket policies for analogues. A large enough briefcase of cash is all that would be required for the FDA to leave Nutro alone completely.

So lets say you pay a company to watch your pet, and they serve up food that's had a can of antifreeze accidentally knocked in to it. After that they lie to everyone about it, including bias articles in the newspaper. Would you be satisfied with a nasty complaint letter? Why are people reacting to this differently?

-Philosophos


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## Rockylou

Philosophos,

Most folks simply not aware of whole FDA/Pet FoodCompany/Veterinarian relationship.

Must confess, I don't understand much of it, 'cause those folks won't explain the whole process to me. I have lots of questions.

Took sick cat to my local vet, yesterday. Vets DIDN'T know about the Effem/Mars/Nutro recall. Came home and called vet emergency clinic. They didn't know either.

Something wrong there, IMO.

We saw how the Pet Food Recall of 2007 unfolded. A few brands recalled, then a few more, then more.

Will be interesting to see how this all plays out, but I'm very concerned.

Please let everyone know, on Twitter #Nutro Recall. Friends there are monitoring FDA site for additional recall notices.



Philosophos said:


> I'm not quite sure why anyone would trust the FDA to do anything right. Issues like stevia come to mind, and their nutty scheduling method with blanket policies for analogues. A large enough briefcase of cash is all that would be required for the FDA to leave Nutro alone completely.
> 
> So lets say you pay a company to watch your pet, and they serve up food that's had a can of antifreeze accidentally knocked in to it. After that they lie to everyone about it, including bias articles in the newspaper. Would you be satisfied with a nasty complaint letter? Why are people reacting to this differently?
> 
> -Philosophos


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## Philosophos

The relationship is that there is no relationship. The FDA posts notices, and the health inspectors run around keeping an eye out.

If you want safe food, talk to breeders. There are smaller, more reputable companies that sell high end pet food. You'll pay more, but at least you're not pretending that the government is looking out for the best interest of you or your pet better than you can.

-Philosophos


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## Rockylou

Still gathering information with nothing definite to report. Nutro and FDA have clammed up, and Nutro now has a contract company answering questions about the recall - same scripted responses that are already available on Nutro's website.

Received info regarding actual zinc levels found in the food, but the info makes no sense when compared to AAFCO standards, so clarification is needed.

Also learned that persons identified as "Nutro Ambassadors" may not work for Nutro, however they may work for a PR firm hired by Nutro.

Have seen tons of inaccurate information posted by them.

FWIW (repeat FWIW), if I were using Nutro, or any other food manufactured by Mars (including Royal Canin) I'd stop using it immediately, and not buy any new food made by them. But that's just me.

From experience in dealing with the Pet Food Recall of 2007, there may be (repeat may be) more recalls to come.

Also, have reason to believe that Mars/Nutro may be (repeat may be) being investigated by FDA. Can't get FDA to admit that in so many words, but if you read between the lines, believe that's what they're signaling, IMO.

Not accusing Mars of anything, however. Bottom line - I don't like the idea of a human food company owning pet food companies.

The pet food business is vertically integrated, with many co-packer relationships. That, combined with the fact that the industry isn't really regulated (IMO), despite claims to the contrary, makes for a potentially dangerous combination.

Will be very careful about buying pet food, at least for a while.

Would not be surprised to see more recalls of both cat and dog food.

This is only my OPINION, so please take it for what it's worth.

More complaints posted today, (takes a sec). 
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html

LOL. Yeah, I see that Nutro ad.


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## Rockylou

FWIW, got this from a friend:

_"Just returned from indie pet store. Posted on Nutro dog food shelves is a sign which indicates the following DOG FOODS have been DISCONTINUED:

All Small Bite Lite
All Small Bite Senior
5# Large Breed

Store employee says store was notified by Nutro.

I'll try to get details from the store owner." _

Complaints from dog and cat owners:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html


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## Rockylou

This just in from a friend:

TEST RESULTS BACK: Nutro Recall food tested, & zinc level found to be 2100 ppm. http://tinyurl.com/nzgoyw

http://www.pfpsa.org/news.html


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## Rockylou

Evanger's has issues, too, but Evanger's article refers to Nutro:

June 15, 2009

"ConsumerAffairs.com has received nearly 900 complaints from pet owners nationwide who say their healthy dogs and cats suddenly became sick after eating various flavors of NUTRO's pet food. The pets all have similar symptoms - vomiting, diarrhea, and other digestive problems. And in nearly every case, the dogs and cat became better after their owners stopped feeding them NUTRO."

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/06/fda_evangers02.html#ixzz0IhA5AKV6&D


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## Rockylou

New article today by Lisa McCormick, Consumer Affairs.

Tests Find "Sky High" zinc levels in Nutro cat food.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/06/nutro_foia08.html

Also, more complaints:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html


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## JanS

Wow, it gets really deep doesn't it? So sad.


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## Rockylou

Jan,

It's just heartbreaking. More sad stories posted on Consumer Affairs, Pet Connection.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2009/05/21/nutro-recalls-some-of-its-dry-cat-foods/

FDA still hasn't determined the "class" of Nutro's recall. They're still "analyzing".

Meanwhile, the food is _still_ on store shelves (in some areas) and pet owners are still buying it, and feeding it.


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## Rockylou

Complaints from dog and cat owners continue.

Tammy of Hoffman Estates, IL lost one of her labs, but the remaining one survived. Tammy called Nutro and learned of a formula change.

Tammy writes, "After speaking with Nutro yesterday, it seems that approximately 10 months ago, they changed formula from all beef to all chicken and for some strange reason (?) they are now in the process of switching all the US plants back to all beef. The Canadian plants will remain all chicken. This just seems kind of odd that all of a sudden, the formula is changing again."

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html

While it's not uncommon for a pet food company to alter the formula a bit, a change from one protein source (beef) to another (chicken) seems extreme, IMO.

*Changing subjects*, from Nutro's formula change to Nutro's recall (which may, or may not, be related), the FDA's 261 page Enforcement Report for August 12, 2009 (finally) includes the Nutro recall notice:

RECALLS AND FIELD CORRECTIONS: VETERINARY - CLASS II
___________________________________
PRODUCT
1) Custom Mix Natural Max Cat Trace Mineral Premix; Net Weight 22.7 kg, 50 lb. bags; for further manufacturing use only; Nutro Code: 237047, Recall # V-253-2009;
2) Custom Mix Max Cat IND AD Chicken Base Mix; Net Weight 22.7 kg, 50 lb. bags; for further manufacturing use only; Nutro Code: 236621, Recall # V-254-2009
CODE
1) Lot #'s 1534521 through 1606708;
2) Lot #'s 1540966 through 1589684
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Trouw Nutrition USA, LLC, Highland, IL, by telephone on May 19, 2009. Firm initiated recall is ongoing.
REASON
The premix has high zinc levels and lower potassium levels than expected. The base mix has lower potassium levels than expected.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
98,499.24 kg
DISTRIBUTION
CA, TN

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Safety/Recalls/EnforcementReports/UCM177134.pdf

You can suscribe to FDA recall notices. Go to http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm, click on the little red envelope and follow the instructions.

You'll be amazed at what shows up in your email!


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