For those keeping track of the dog foods recalled due to aflatoxin, they are:
Iams – ProActive Health Smart Puppy
Cargill – River Run, Marksman
Advanced Animal Nutrition – Dog Power
O’Neal’s Feeders Supply – Arrow Brand
In addition to the official recall list, remember that Price Chopper warned consumers about some additional Iams products pulled due to aflatoxin.
As with previous pet food recalls, it’s possible more foods may be recalled over time. In the interest of being proactive, it may be wise to consider changing foods, at least temporarily, to one which does not contain corn.
Aflatoxicosis in pets usually occurs when pets consume a food product that was made with moldy corn (although the mold can grow on other grains and peanuts as well). Liver disease and/or death may result. There is no antidote. Read more about aflatoxins and dogs here.
Thanks for the update.. So far my dog food is not on the list.
I still haven’t heard from Purina concerning the samples I sent back to their lab for testing. I have changed to “Dumor” brand and my ducks are no longer falling over and seem to be recovering. I’ve also gotten a few eggs.
Dumor is the Tractor Supply brand made by Purina. I’m glad your ducks are doing better on it, but you should still be aware of the source of Dumor.
OH NO… thanks so much for sharing that.. Hummm… I wish it “Spring Time” coming. I’d just turn all my birds out to free range. Got any suggestions for safer chicken/duck food?
What about Southern States brand? Is that any better?
This is why the American Pet Products Association is fighting a court case that ruled that dogs who have been injured or killed have more than “market value,” their owners are entitled to emotional/sentimental damages as well.
I bought a bad bag of Purina One and all of my dogs got sick, and one of my show champions died, within two hours of eating. I was treated terribly by Purina, and was told that my dog was not worth anything more than property value and that there is no pain and suffering involved with losing a dog. In addition, they said not to send them a sample of the food, since they would not test it. I had all my dogs sick for over a week, some on IV fluids also. Based on the way I was treated by Purina, I will never feed any of their products and will tell the world about how I was treated as often as I can. Is there a way I may become involved in this lawsuit?
If you still have the correspondence from Purina, please send it to my attention at the following address:
Nathan Winograd
No Kill Advocacy Center
6114 La Salle Ave. #837
Oakland CA 94611
The Medlen case has been decided and involved a different set of factual circumstances, but the groups involved are looking to get TX Supreme Court review and to have it legislatively overturned failing that. Your information would be very helpful as the No Kill Advocacy Center will file an amicus brief in the case if it goes further.
If you are outside of TX, depending on when this occurred, you should consider hiring an attorney and filing your own lawsuit. If you cannot afford an attorney or cannot find one who will take the case on a contingency fee basis, you should contact the Animal Legal Defense Fund at aldf.org for an attorney referral.
So sorry for your loss!! The nerve of them our furbabies are our children when something happens to them hell yeah we grieve and mourn. Praying for you and your family. We have put all our kids on Merrick and BG!! It is all natural and just like cooking them a home cooked meal.
So sad to hear what you went through! Sorry for the loss it is heartbreaking to hear I can’t imagine what you are going through. I for one will not be purchasing another Purina product! Thinking and praying for you and your family in this difficult time!
All of these foods recalled and vets and the pet food industry have the nerve to tell pet parents that home made food is not good for pets. At least when you make food at home you KNOW what goes in it!
The Iams foods listed by Price Chopper also included a cat food, so best best – switch the cats, also, to foods that don’t contain corn or corn derivatives.
Eucritta this is Heather in Windsor, ON. Is there a list right from price chopper in Canada. I need to know because Iams maturity is what I feed mine and my middle dog is diabetic. Or is there a phone number i can call. Thanks missgrizz@live.ca
Dogs are not meant to eat corn based foods anyway. Try Orijen, The Honest Kitchen (Zeal, Force, Embark), Nature’s Variety- Instinct and Prairie, Natural Balance (Duck, Venison, Fish, or Bison), Acana, Evo. All these brands are grain free. No corn, wheat, soy, barley, oats, etc.
I feed Orijen and the cats love it! Their coats are way softer and their litter box is more manageable. All the chicken and eggs comes from where I live. I feed them less too. If Orijen is to expensive they also make Ancana and that’s just about as good.
My boyfriend always jokes that the cats eat better and have more variety in their diets than he does.
I would feed them raw food but they are getting picky and won’t eat it.
Though we don’t have control over how the companies are inspecting, or in this case not inspecting, their ingredients, The statement that dogs don’t eat grain in their diets is a bit misunderstood. Wolves and Coyotes, in the wild, do eat grain. They get it through the rodents and hooved animals they kill. Grains are a great source of protein and most food related allergies are from beef or the meats in the food. I have fed Hills/Science Diet for the past 12 years and my dogs love the taste and their coats are great. It is well researched and well balanced for their nutrition. As far as the “all natural/holistic” diets, where do we find any research done to see if they are balanced containing the “proper” vitamins and nutrition? I’m sure they are fine but I really don’t want my dogs to be the test subjects for a new food coming on the market. JMO, but I’ve been a vet tech for 13 years and have seen a lot of owner/breeder based food allergies turn into an allergy to something totally different, once properly tested. Again, I think most of the foods out there are fine so feed what works for your dogs but it makes me crazy when people post articles, usually based on their opinion or some elses from and article they read, with no soild information to back up the post.
Sorry but, this is total BS. Dogs and cats do not benefit from the small amounts of plant material in the gut of their prey. To say otherwise is misleading and disingenuous. The amount of undigested grain in the gut of small prey i.e. mice, birds etc is so small as to make no real contribution to the nutritional profile of the food in question and the old myth that wolves and other wild dogs eat the gut contents of their prey has been debunked time and time again both through extensive field observations and captive study. As to that other myth, that kibble and other processed diets are a healthy alternative to actual meat and bone…I highly encourage you to go to you tube and watch the video expose Pet Food, A Dog’s Breakfast. It’ll open your eyes as to the crap that actually goes into your Science Diet and how it stacks up to other “lesser” brands. As I stated before: Pet food IS garbage and nothing more. When you buy it all you are buying is the hype and future vet bills.
umm.. Where do we look to see if they are balanced, containing the proper vitamins and nutrients? How about AAFCO, ya know, the same company that certifies that Hills meets the nutritional requirements of your pet? Also, the stomachs of the prey of wolfs rarely contained grains, in fact, it almost always contained grasses (pre-grain), berries, veggies, and greens. Grains were rarer than rare. Hills is corn-based and at high risk for aflatoxin. Love how you reply, without even looking at the ingredients of those new-fangled foods you clearly take issue with for reasons other than research-based ones. The Honest Kitchen is basically the same as your hills- except it isnt extruded, it is dehydrated, leaving all those nutrients you are so focused on intact, unlike hills. The grains it contains in its food with grains? Quinoa- one of your best sources of protein. Far superior to corn. Their foods without grain are still far more nutrient dense than ANY kibble. Also- your best bet, if you want your animal to benefit from what they would use in nature- the stomachs of prey creatures- try feeding tripe- from grass-fed, not grain-fed animals. More B vitamins than the body knows what to do with- magnesium, calcium, etc.
Aloha Katelyn, Apparently you didn’t watch the video. You should. It will explain to you in detail just how all pet “food” is manufactured and what the quality of the ingredients is. REGARDLESS OF BRAND. As to wolves eating the gut contents of their prey…THEY DON”T ! Every study done on this subject has concluded that wolves (and all other wild canids studied to date) will pull the gut of prey animals through the dyastema (the space between the canine teeth) and extrude them contents BEFORE consuming the gut material itself. There has NEVER been a confirmed observation of wild canids actually eating the gut contents of vegetarian prey animals. BTW, carnivores meet their energy needs through the metabolism of fat NOT carbs and vegetable proteins are very different from those found in meat. VEGGIES are BAD for carnivores, PERIOD! Tripe, especially green tripe is a great raw food in limited amounts but should not be fed too often. Extruded vs. dehydrated??? Makes absolutely NO difference as the few nutrients in pet “food” are added after cooking at high temp which destroys all bacteria as well as the natural nutrition of the original food source. Lab testing has shown that “premium” pet “foods” have about the same nutritional profile as store bought brands. Premium “foods” are a waste of money and raw feeding costs no more than feeding science diet or iams. sure, it takes a bit more time but…it’s worth it!
Almost forgot! AAFCO? In the video one of the Vets (yep, it’s made by VETERINARIANS) cooks up a kibble mix that meets all of the AAFCO requirements. It’s made from old work boots (protein), wood shavings (fiber) and used motor oil (can’t forget those fats!). The little asides about the level of nutritional knowledge and competence of Vets are also priceless. Especially the comment that vets are taught nutrition by reps from the major pet “food” companies. You know, the guys who sell them the pet “food” that they sell to their unsuspecting customers (and at a handy profit too!).
Thats it, from now on all my babies have human food. I will cook it and know that its good for them. Ive been worried for a while that the food we are feeding them is not good for them, this just confirms it.
Look into The Honest Kitchen foods. I work at a premium pet store, it is what all 3 employees feed. We wont even sell a food if it contains corn.
I changed my newly adopted dog’s pet food to food containing NO wheat or corn after the poor little critter suffered terrible allergies! I was just wondering, could the problem have anything to do with all the genetically modified foods being cultivated and used? The majority of corn on the market now is GMO! I know they often dump stuff like that into the animal population’s food before dumping it into people’s food. Just wondering. Any thoughts?
IN the past, my family always had dogs and they all ate Purina, all died of old age. Now we all give our dogs better dog foods and we keep hearing about recalls, corn meal, etc. Sometimes some of us cannot afford the fancy dog food such as Orijen, Solid Gold, etc., so if those brands/companies could make the food more accesible to all of us, it would be much better for our dogs.
Viv, if you’re anywhere near a Costco, check out their Kirkland Signature foods – they have both Chicken and Lamb varieties, both include rice and vegetables, and NO CORN. Here it’s about $25.00 for a 40 lb bag, and the “dog food rating” sites rank it right up near the top with the more expensive brands. Some of the other dog foods on this list are quite affordable, too: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-dry-dog-foods/
I agree! We want to give our 10-month old German Shepherd puppy the best food, yet the prices for the “best” brands are way out of our price range.
Like my husband said the other day, he’d like filet mignon at every meal but we can’t afford that either.
There HAS to be a middle-ground for those of us who can’t pay $50 for a 30-pound bag of puppy food.
Viv;
I used to feed my “herd” (5 canine, 3 feline – rescued abuse or abandoned survivors, all) Natura’s Pet Foods’ Innova and Evo – until the P&G acquisition and ALL the dogs fell ill from the Innova.
Switched to Fromm’s Four-Starr and Grain-Free products (a Wisconsin-based family business, around since 1904) which have proven to be an excellent alternative… available at my local grain elevator (who stocks some 4~5 dozen of the highest quality foods) at a cost of $45~$50 … for 40# “breeder bags”.
I buy four bags at a time (one each, of Chicken-A-La-Veg, Salmons-A-La-Veg, Pork & Applesauce, and Duck & Sweet Potato – occasionally substituting Grain-Free “Surf-n-Turf” for one flavor) for about $200, including tax: Since my “beloveds” consume only .75 ~ 1.5 cups per meal, twice a day (depending on size) , these breeder bags last me over 70 days the cost works out to be about 55¢ per dog, per day.
Of course, they occasionally receive added “varietals” to keep them entertained… cottage cheese, raw baby carrots, cantaloupe, pumpkin.. which raise that daily cost ever-so-slightly…
My vet of long-standing consistently raves about their excellent health – coats, teeth, ears, eyes – rating them without exception as “5’s” on their overall body condition (a “perfect”, on a scale of 1~9).
Our old farm dogs who ate table food and an occasional rabbit they caught far outlived any dog I’ve fed an allegedly “balanced” diet. I believe 99% of the pet food industry is a scam.
Here’s an idea: DON”T FEED PET FOOD AT ALL! Raw feed your pets if you really care. Dog “food”, cat “food”…It’s all garbage, literally! That’s right, I said garbage. It’s made from anything the meat industry can’t sell with the delicious addition of euthanized pets (flea collars and all). Just mix it all up with a few indigestible grains, cook it at high temp, add ash and presto chango: KIBBLE!
Now Folks…why would you feed THAT to your beloved companions?
I agree completely. I own a Boston Terrier puppy and after a lot of research (and nervousness about it at first), have switched him to a raw meat and bones diet. He loves it, and although it is a little more expensive, he’s worth it to me.
The first time I gave him bones… some lamb riblets.. I was pretty surprised to see him crunching through them! It was like… “Wow! He really will and can do that!” The other day, he got raw chicken wings (with me standing close by just in case… ) but not a problem, and he loves me for it!
One major advantage as well has been the change in his stools. They don’t smell bad like kibble fed dog stools, are smaller, and basically crumble and fall apart. Clean up is much easier.
Boston Terriers are also known for their flatulence issues – often blamed on the shape of their snout and taking in air when eating. However, my BT has had a huge decrease in flatulence since he has gone on this diet.
For those interested, I’ve been posting about my experiences and research on my own blog.
The documentary, “Pet Food: A Dog’s Breakfast” still hasn’t been aired in the U.S., as far as I know.
A copy has recently appeared online & I have already posted the email address if you want to order a DVD. (People in the U.S. may even be blocked from visiting the company’s website to find out more about the video! http://www.yapfilms.com/ )
YouTube link: http://youtu.be/IopTd7aC4sM
I posted info in comments under http://yesbiscuit.wordpress.com/2011/11/27/grocery-store-notifies-consumers-about-limited-iams-pet-food-recall/
And the chicken jerky is all from China and irradiated which causes cancer. This is very upsetting. I just got a very sick dog over diarrihia with rice baked potato, chickenj broth and boiled chicken or ground beef. Dogs need more calcium than we do. Important to make sure they get it. Iams Veterinary Low Residue almost killed my dogs a year ago.Now they call it Intestinal Plus.
This was why my dogs were on an organic raw meat diet, until I lost my job.
Before y’all get into the Perpetual Pet Food Fights, please remember that shelters, rescues, emergency services, and people with very little money also need inexpensive, safe, reasonably good, easily stored & distributed pet foods. These requirements pretty much rule out home-made raw, and likely cooked as well. Speaking from experience, safely canning low-acid foods is skilled, labor-intensive work.
So. Anyone with an interest in animal welfare, even if they have the resources and wherewithal for home-made foods for their own pets, has an interest in a reliable, safe supply of commercial pet foods.
Yes.. so please point to a “reliable, safe supply of commercial pet foods.”
What did people feed their dogs 60 years ago?
Freezers are inexpensive and many good bits of a raw meaty bones diet are not that expensive either. Some premium dog foods cost me more than feeding my dog raw meat. I look for specials, find local butchers that want to get rid of stuff humans don’t really want much of, and it’s not that much more money. Seriously!
A lot of times, my dog gets to eat what I’m eating – only he gets his raw.
What did people feed 60 years ago? A bit before my time, but once before when this same argument arose – over the melamine recalls, in fact – I asked my relatives. The answer: the majority fed commercial kibble, scraps and the occasional egg and meal of organ meats. No-one within my family’s recollection fed anything like the equivalent of the modern raw diet; large bones were given raw, as it was considered safer, but the meat scraps and organs given were always cooked.
In the early 60s when I was first learning about pet care, this was still the pattern among everyone we knew. By the early to mid-70s, that was when more people we knew were feeding tinned pet foods – in part because they were cheaper than meat by then. Don’t know if you remember, but meat prices went skyward in the 70s.
Another thing to consider: raw meat isn’t necessarily safer, and especially not if it’s cheap cuts packed by major suppliers. I suggest browsing through the Food Safety News: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/
Just curious….no dogs or cats in this home, but we have two parrots (Severe Macaw and Congo African Grey)… are any bird foods impacted by this??
does any one know about the purina one smart blend health weight that is the one i have been gaveing my dogs i have had no problum as of yet
This just makes me SO HAPPY that I have fed holistic foods (Merrick) to my Mastiff puppy from day 1 and switched my cats over to holistic foods (Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck or Salmon) as well. Neither one of these diets has corn or wheat … it DOES have rice, oats and barley as well as other HUMAN GRADE ingredients like apples, carrots, egg, cranberries, blueberries, sweet potato etc.
Where is the list, is Chicken soup foods on the list, can;t find the list
i have a staffordshire bull terrier puppy. i had her on iams puppy food and had to rush her into the vets office several times. she would have severe diarrhea and constant vomitting. i had to take her off iams immediately. put her on blue buffalo after some time on an all natural diet of turkey, rice, veggies, some fruits and she is better now, no more problems. will never feed her iams again and when i contacted iams they told me it wasn’t their product that made her sick.
Many puppy foods can be very rich and give puppies diarrhea just because of that. My boss, veterinarian, thinks that most “puppy” food is overrated and makes the pups too fat, messes up their growth plates by putting too much weight on them before they have a chance to close. He recommends feeding it to the mother while she is lactating then switch them over to adult food when they are weaned. Most people leave their dogs on puppy food for too long.
You guys rock. Go RMB, it’s not as expensive as you think it is and you’ll make back the money on the vet bills you don’t have to pay. I switched all of my animals to raw years ago and they are in perfect health to this day. Kibble KILLS! Period. All brands, all types.
This is so disturbing – what can we feed our pets ?? I use Iams weight control and now I don’t know what to buy ! I purchased a brand of organic food but my cats hated it . I always thought Iams was a better brand but now I’m having my doubts !!
I have never read anything good about ANY Iam’s product. Always something bad. I would NEVER purchase Iam’s. Your doubts are well founded.
Sorry – Iams is kinda crap. If you want to see a GREAT site about food, done by a dentist who lost his little Maltese due to a recalled food, go to:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
You can look up foods alphabetically, or go to food types (as in “dry dog food reviews” and then click on 5-star to see the best-rated foods. Most of the best do not have grains, and do NOT use huge amounts of other carb-laden foods.
Forget brand loyalty. Pet food manufacturers want you to feed their brand and their brand only. Feed a variety of foods. Where one may be deficient, another makes up for it. You can prevent allergies that occur from constant exposure to one meat or grain, and you prevent fussiness. Would you want to eat the same thing all the time?
My cats have been on a raw diet for 12+ years. I fed canned occasionally as a backup. When I buy canned, I choose 2 or 3 cans each of many of the better brands.
Cats should have no dry food for many reasons: obesity, diabetes, urinary problems…
Eucritta Says:
December 13, 2011 at 7:33 pm
So. Anyone with an interest in animal welfare, even if they have the resources and wherewithal for home-made foods for their own pets, has an interest in a reliable, safe supply of commercial pet foods.
______________________
Thank you Eucritta. I do not trust the pet food industry farther than I can throw their deceptive asses but since they sell food products to pet owners, I demand those products be safe. Never mind what I feed my own dogs or what anyone else feeds their dogs – LOTS of people feed kibble and canned pet food and the industry has an obligation to make sure those products do not contain toxins.
This is what I think. And it’s not just everyday people. I mean, I imagine it would be possible to fed a large municipal or county shelter on home-made foods, but given the numbers to feed, I hate to think about the budget and logistics for it.
There ARE some shelters that partner with great companies, like Stella and Chewy’s, to feed the pets really good food. You can tell by pictures of the animals that they are MUCH healthier than ‘regular’ shelter pets. Of course, they usually get a lot of human interaction and exercise, etc., at shelters that care enough to get great food, too.
thanks for the info. my 3 dogs are fine so far.
go look at a site called “The Pet Food List” it has most name brands, if they have been recalled, who manufactures or processes the foods and the ingredients!!!! I have been doing a lot of research on dog food lately because of all of the recalls. Very informative site.
Check out “The Pet Food List” web site. It is very informative. It lists all recalls and what for and also lists ingredients, manufacturers and what company processes the foods and where the ingredients come from. I have been doing a lot of research on this. Good luck~
Oddly enough, our two dogs have been acting, well, odd with their Evo food for the past couple of weeks & we could not understand why. We thought, perhaps, they had a bug (vet visit: $$$) or the bag had gone bad (we threw out one almost full bag-ouch!). We did not know P&G took over Evo/Innova until we went to the website for possible recall info. (Is there no safe haven for quality?) I’m thinking that even though the ingredients are the same, the quality isn’t there since P&G took over. So now, we’ve ordered Orijen and, as a last resort, we cook for them ourselves. My goodness. The big corporation changes the recipe and loses the customer.
I appreciate all the previous comments; feeding and caring for our pets is something we want to do to the absolute best of our ability. It’s not always easy, financially or philosophically. But I’m glad there’s a place like this: to read, vent & get info.
When Iams was owned by a private company, they never had a problem. After they sold to P&G, many problems. I try to feed my many dogs as much rice and meat and vegetables as I can, They also eat dog food, but much prefer the home-cooked stuff. (Pressure cooked gizzards are t heir favorite)
I love these grain free people. The point of whether or not a dog shouldn’t have grain is funny to me. And then to push grain free diets. Usually having either Potato bases or peas instead of grain. So dogs eat all of these in the wild????? Um. OK.
Second. There are basically 4 major dog food manufacturers that ACTUALLY do R&D. And guess what. They all recommend grains of some sort in their diets. There is science involved her people. What science do these ofther companies invest in.? And watch out on some blogs. Some of the most popular “in” foods today pay people to blog about how wonderful the product is when they have never actually tried the food.
All of this is not to even mention the fact that many broker their sources. Yes, that means they buy from whomever they can get the meal/vitamin packs etc from the cheapest source that week. NO consistency and greater chance for problems.
Let use our brains. The internet is not gospel.
I am not saying that grain free foods are not good. But I don’t see a lot of studies that have had long term results. If you are anti grain. and want to recommend potato or pea products perhaps going to the real deal and feeding raw is the best answer.
The first grain-free foods were made by quite good companies that seemed to be more interested in what is good for dogs, therefore providing more protein and less carbs. Then others jumped on the bandwagon with ‘inferior’ grain-free foods that were still high in carbs (using peas, potatoes, etc.).
Generally, a decent grain-free food provides about 35% protein (listed on the package). Also, the ingredients should be decent quality. There is a fabulous, informative site about all this, made by a dentist who lost his little dog during one of the recalls years ago: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
i just bought another bag of Iams “weight control” is that one ok..i see that the one for puppy’s was recalled…this is the blue bag for giant dogs, does anbody know? thanks
PETS, Inc., our non-profit 501(c)3 animal rescue in West Columbia, S.C., has been feeding the same brand food for nearly 20 years. Animals come to us in poor to terrible condition. Nutritious, safe food is imperative in getting them back to health and adopted. Adopters HAVE TO purchase our food if they want one of our rescues – apparently most believe in us and the product from the repeat pet owners we get at our pet store in the adoption center and shelter. Over 44,000 have been rescued since 1991. We put together a special flyer – Nutriton & OUr Pets…They Are What They Eat. It warns about certain ingredients, especially if they are among the first five or six listed. They are: corn, gluten, wheat middlings, by-products, mill run, bone meal, and animal digest. There are other ingredients that can also add to a host of health problems in pets.
We have been “preaching” against BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin (aka “E”) and Aflatoxin (corn products).
We are so glad you have written this article and I will have it blown up and put around the shelter and store for our prospective adopters and visitors to read. The are naive and think they can believe their vet if he recommends IAMS, or other products that have been recalled, and they are blasted with millions of dollars in ads praising the poor and dangerous food they are asking us to feed our pets, instead of putting their money in better and safer quality products.
You can check us out at http://www.petsinc.org. We are now trying another brand along with
Precise, but will carefully monitor it before we recommend it. We feed only Precise to 200-250 dogs, cats, kittens and puppies at our shelter awaiting adoption. Offers of “free” food from some of the most popular and well known (often recalled at one time or another) brands are routinely turned down by PETS, Inc.
Pat McQueen, Pres.
PETS, Inc-The Carolinas Humane Society
http://www.petsinc.org
pat.petsinc@yahoo.com
2010 Lifetime Angel Charity Award from SC Secretary of State
Do you turn away many adopters who don’t want to or can’t afford to buy the food you sell? I wonder how many people buy the food and just lie to you that they are going to feed it just to get the pet they want.
I adopted a pet from you several years ago and no one said anything to me about buying a certain brand of food. If I had been forced to buy it, I guess it would depend on how much I was forced to buy as to whether or not I could afford that in addition to the adoption price. If I was only forced to buy $5 or $6 worth, I probably could have managed that and just donated the food to another shelter. If I was forced to buy much more than that, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it and would have been very sad to not be able to adopt the dog I fell in love with that day. We still have her btw. She was of an undetermined age when we got her (but on the old side) and she is now on the VERY old side. She eats homemade food.
I had posted my issue with the Purina food I have been feeding my flock of chickens and ducks. Here’s the update.
A sample of the food and the bag the food came in was sent to the lab for testing. Last Friday I received a call from Ed Brown, 1-855-535-0210. (message on my answering machine) Turns out, he is a person that handles complaints filed at “Tractor Supply”.
I did not complain to Tractor Supply. I contacted “Purina” directly and spoke to a woman named “Aggy” 1-615-426-0164.
Yesterday, Dec 18. I returned the call to Ed Brown, I didn’t know he didn’t work for Purina. Anyway, his call was to settle the case. He wanted to know how much I had lost in income due to the food I purchased at Tractor Supply. After talking to him and telling him the story that started 4 months ago..he tells me he knows nothing about farm animals or their care/ nutrition. I thought this was odd.
It was like pulling teeth.. he didn’t want to answer my questions, but finally did tell me there was mold found in the food, but that it was a stock rotation issue and not a nutritional issue.
So here we go.. OLD FOOD has been affecting my birds for months and now they want to pay me off!
Ed Brown was trying to calculate my loses to give me a gift certificate to Tractor Supply. I informed him my birds have not fully recovered and are still not laying eggs. This is not over yet! He told me that if I accepted the offer .. the case would be closed. I refused the offer. told him I was still trying to get in contact with my AG Representative.
Do you have any suggestions as to how/where to go from here? Any information would be great. Thanks, Dot Kirby
Just got off the phone . I spoke to Dr. Mason North Carolina Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System. She recognized my name from testing blood samples from my flock for years. We talked for about 3o minutes. She agreed that there was definitely something wrong. We discussed recalls and corn issues. She recommended sending her a couple of my birds to be killed and tested. (I started to cry). She already knew I had a small flock.
All my birds have names.. how do I pick? Stevie Wonder..your blind. Joan Rivers,, your bill is deformed.
Dr Mason said she would ask Dr, Aziv in Raleigh if tests could be done without killing my birds. She will also contact my AG Representative to call me.
Dr Mason told me if the birds were poisoned and survived.. they may never be egg producing again… So much for selling a few dozen FRESH EGGS weekly to my customers.
I’m sorry to hear that. I hope they can come up with some useful tests to run that don’t require the birds to be killed. Sheesh – that’s WHY you are wanting tests – so they don’t die!
I thought I would add… while my ducks were having such a hard time walking and keeping there balance.. I got my video camera out. I’m uploading both videos to youtube.
UPDATE:
I called Purina and requested a copy of the lab findings on the Purina Layena Pellets. “Aggy” said she would pass the request on and I should hear back from them in a couple of days… LOL… Them I dropped the bomb and told her who I had contacted and the steps that would follow. Needless to say.. she got real quite. I then asked for the direct number to the lab… she wouldn’t give me that number, said it would be included with the report I was requesting. HUMMM… we’ll see
Feedback please.. you be the judge. Does this look like a normal bird? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hPlQF_P8T8
Here’s the second video. this one shows two birds with issues. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DW3DKh-z6-4A%26feature%3Dshare&h=FAQGC3dmGAQHKTO40s8M-ZySQWt8HBqDa1k8cv6jObCES5w
Definitely looks like a neurological issue, Dot.
Do you still have some of the food? Have you considered having it independently tested?
Yes.. I do have some of the food left, but this started months ago… and yes, I’m working on everything I can think of. If you can add any suggestions.. please do
Well, I’m no expert, but that looks to me like a duck struggling to maintain balance.
exactly… and no eggs…The vet said the damage may not be reversed. I’m trying to get them tested without killing them.
I just saw this post on a Vet’s wall on FB
All Animals Veterinary Hospital
ALERT! FOOD RECALL! Please read the list of the following foods to make sure your dogs food is still safe!
Dog Food Recalled Due to High Aflatoxin Levels
By: FDA press release
Cargill Animal Nutrition announced a voluntary recall of two regional brands of its dry dog food – River Run and Marksman – due to aflatoxin levels that were detected above the acceptable limit. The affected products were manufactured at Cargill’s Lecompte, Louisiana, facility between Dec. 1, 2010, and Dec. 1, 2011. No illnesses have been reported in association with these products to date, and no other Cargill Animal Nutrition pet food products are involved in this recall. Affected products are:
PROFESSIONAL FORMULA RIVER RUN HI-NRG 24-20 Dog Food, 50 pound bags
RIVER RUN PROFESSIONAL FORMULA 27-18 Dog Food, 50 pound bags
RIVER RUN 21% Protein Dog Food, 40 and 50 pound bags
RIVER RUN Hi-Pro No-Soy Dog Food, 40 and 50 pound bags
MARKSMAN DOG FOOD 24% Protein 20% Fat, 40 pound bags
MARKSMAN DOG FOOD 20% Protein 10% Fat, 40 and 50 pound bags
MARKSMAN DOG FOOD 28% Protein 18% Fat, 40 pound bags
The recall only applies to the above products with the following Packaging Date Codes (lot numbers): 4K0335 through 4K0365, LL0335 through LL0365, 4K1001 through 4K1335 and LL1001 through LL1335.
The affected dry dog food products were distributed in the following 15 states/territories – Kansas, Missouri, Northeast Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Southeast Indiana, Southern Illinois, Hawaii, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and limited areas of Florida and California.
Add NatureWise chicken feed to the aflatoxin list:
http://www.petsitusa.com/blog/?p=4690
Read this… and this is what my birds are doing… And they want to buy me off!!! I’m so mad right now.
How does aflatoxin affect animals?
Each species and type of animal has a different level of tolerance for and may exhibit different symptoms to aflatoxin exposure. Reaction will also depend on the overall health and age of your animal. In general, short-term exposure can result in lethargy, loss of coordination, muscle spasms and convulsions. Longer-term symptoms may include weight loss, anemia, jaundice, bloody stool, diarrhea and formation of hematomas (a collection of blood outside blood vessels) beneath the skin.
If you can get your food tested at a lab, I’ll post the results on the blog.
I’m working on that! Purina was supposed to send me the results of the lab test today by e-mail… I’m not surprised they didn’t. Now with the Holidays, it will be Tuesday before I can call them again. My AG Rep finally called me. He will be here Tuesday or Wens-day to get blood samples and/or birds to be taken back to the lab for testing. I bet Purina is scrambling right about now, since Cargill has posted their re-call.
P.S. I’m so mad… it cost me money that I really don’t have extra to feed my tiny flock for the few eggs I was getting…. Now they may never lay again… they are my pets and I love them as I do my dogs. This is not right!
Thanks Shirley… Cargill is the company I reported the mold to last year. Hummm.. does this mean I don’t get to poop in Purina’s oatmeal?
When Tractor Supply called me after the tests were done on the chicken food, Ed Brown asked me to calculate my loss so he could issue me a gift certificate. Well, I calculated it. $642.70.. This amount includes loss eggs and replacing the sick ducks. If the food production plants can’t do a better job, I need to go Vegan, grow my own food and learn how to can goods.
Can you tell I’m mad…? Now I have to murder 19 ducks because of Purina and the “All Mighty Dollar”
You have every right to be mad, Dot! Food and feed are supposed to be SAFE TO CONSUME, not poison.
I do hope that your birds recover.
The vet I spoke to from NC AG.. said there may be too much damage for them to ever produce eggs again. I’m hoping blood work can tell me how much damage. I may have to have all the birds murdered. I can’t quit crying. Every one of my birds I’ve raised from day old babies and I had some for years.. it’s not right.. Peking ducks can live to be 10-12 years old. My youngest are only 2 yrs old.
Adria, i am so sorry for your loss. Purina don’t think people should grieve for the loss of a pet? Goes to show that all those commercials of their products with loving animals & family are b.s. They could give 2 sh*ts about animals, but then i’ve read often thru the years that euthanized animals from shelters often go into dog & cat food also. Nice eh? Hope you win some major $$ for your loss. It won’t bring back your dog but it’ll be nice to see some major business take a hit for someone who like you who’s had a major loss of a family member. My thoughts are with you.
I use Diamond Beef Meal & Rice for my dog .I know this company was involved in that big recall a few years back.. she don’t eat much of it a day, tho, cuz i mix it with hamburger, maybe rice, some leftovers, whatever. I know this company was involved in that big recall a few years back. I don’t care if she even gains weight, it’s gotta be healthier than crappy hard dog food (altho i think the moist is just as bad.) Like my mom told me, growing up, all they fed their dogs was people food & they rarely got sick & lived longer too. If you have time, it would be good to cook for them. I used to, but it got to be so hard with my disability to stir the ingredients together, but i just may go back to it. I have a lab/pit & she’s 2. If i lost her, god, would i be lost. Anyone who sees me with her knows the love we have for each other. She’s usually by my side every minute. I’ve only had her 1 yr but it wouldn’t matter if it was 2 days, i’d be attached.
From the book, “Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food.” By Ann N. Martin.
“Television commercials and magazine advertisements for pet food would have us believe that the meats, grains, and fats used in these foods could grace our dining tables. Chicken, beef, lamb, whole grains, and quality fats are supposedly the composition of dog and cat food.
In my opinion, when we purchase these bags and cans of commercial food, we are in most cases purchasing garbage. Unequivocally, I cannot state that all pet food falls into this category, but I have yet to find one that I could, in all good conscience, feed my dog or cats.
Pet food labels can be deceiving. They only provide half the story. The other half of the story is hidden behind obscure ingredients listed on the labels. Bit by bit, over seven years, I have been able to unearth information about what is contained in most commercial pet food. At first I was shocked, but my shock turned to anger when I realized how little the consumer is told about the actual contents of the pet food.
As discussed in Chapter Two, companion animals from clinics, pounds, and shelters can and are being rendered and used as sources of protein in pet food. Dead-stock removal operations play a major role in the pet food industry…” from http://www.homevet.com/petcare/foodbook.html
Thank you for sharing that link… now I wish I had the video that shows dad animals from shelters being put threw the processing plant to go with this… it even shows leather/flea collars going into the food.
opps.. miss-spelled * should have been “dead animals” sorry
Add Petrus 21% Protein Dog Food, 40# bags to the list of alflatxin recalls.
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/12/more-aflatoxin-related-dog-food-recalls-revealed/
After all is said and done.. Purina poisoned my ducks. If I didn’t mention it before, there is another duck in Va. that is also poisoned. Ed Brown a Representative for Tractor Supply, (where I bought the food), has been in contact with me since Dec 3 +/-. It looks like a settlement is coming my way. I sent them all the documentation/receipts to prove I have the birds, and have been involved with NC dept of AG. Purina did provide me with a copy of the test results confirming Aflatoxix mold in the feed. I’m not so sure about their numbers though. My birds are very damaged.
No eggs since September. In the last week the seizures have not been noted, but one of my ducks is in really bad shape. My drake has been pulling out all his chest feathers and still running a very high fever.
All the birds have been on a different food since Dec 3, 2011. there is also some improvement in their stool. I am so mad about this.. Tractor Supply wants to give me a gift certificate to their store. Since I won’t be buying any more food there, what good will that do me? I have to pay cash to replace the birds. Updates to follow.
I’m so sorry to hear this Dot. I would demand that Purina pay for your new birds. AT LEAST.
I sent them a bill for my estimated losses in egg sales beginning/ending Sept 2011 – Sept, 2012. I can’t get new ducks for another 8 weeks and then it’s 26 weeks before they start laying. This figure is just for the Peking ducks. It does not include the Black East India ducks or the chickens. $642.20 in lost egg sales. That’s not a lot of money, but it help to pay some on the feed bill.
I just received an update on the other duck in Virginia that was also poisoned by the Aflatoxin Mold. The Duck Named Sko-Vee has had a stroke.
I’m hoping I can get her to share in this blog.
2 of my Champion Samoyeds died after eating Purina Supercoat dog food in Brisbane, Australia 16th and 20th December 2011 and my 3 dog who’s blood was clear then got sick mid Febuary 2012 after being put back on the same batch of Supercoat, Purina’s response was they were sorry my dog was sick. They did test their sample and told me it was within the limits for Aflatoxin. DON’T FEED DOG FOOD.
that’s the same line of crap they told me…within the limits for Aflatoxin! Well.. I went after them and proved the food made all my ducks sick. They ended up paying me $ 840.00(?) for my losses in egg production. I will never use Purina again for any animal
And after my homebred Labrador champion died after eating Purina One they told me that dogs were not considered more than personal property and that Purina does not consider pain and suffering in the death of a dog. They would not test the food and refused to reimburse me for anything even for the disposal of the body or the treatment of all of the other dogs which required sub-Q fluids and other treament. I will never feed Purina products again and tell everyone my story every chance I get.
Are you in Australia also?
No. I am in the United States. Mismi, Florida