Dog and Cat Lovers: Pet Food Recall in America

[Littleenki]

Thor, your efforts to make a difference are monumental!
I thank you, and my doggies do, too!
We used taste of the Wild, and have changed to another brand which is local and totally made in house here in St Petersburg, Fl.

Again, thanks, and freakingnews is great isnt it?

Cheers, brother Thor!

Dave

[Amaterasu]

I keep wanting to tweet this to the world - but sadly, My friend - who is not a member - says the Breaking News section is not available to non-members.

[thorfourwinds]

Diamond cat food now risky.

source

Pet food recall from Diamond Pet Foods has been expanded eight times, triggered an FDA investigation and critique, and now includes cat food.

The company's handling of the salmonella crisis may be even worse.

By Schuyler Velasco, Correspondent / May 20, 2012

From the recall of a single batch of its "Diamond Naturals" dry dog food on April 6 for possible salmonella contamination, Diamond Pet Foods has expanded the recall on eight separate occasions, endured a week-long inspection of one of its plants by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which criticized its practices, and most recently acknowledged that cats are also at risk.

Yet the Missouri-based maker of Diamond, Premium Edge, Kirkland Signature, and other pet food brands has not called special attention to the expansion of the recall to cat food beyond amending a statement on the company's Internet recall site:

"Diamond Pet Foods has voluntarily recalled some brands of dry dog and cat food that it manufactured in its Gaston, S.C. facility between December 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012 due to potential Salmonella contamination."

RELATED: Food safety law: Six ways it will make food safer

There is no specific information on which brands and batches of cat food may be affected, though you can check a questionable bag's product code to find out.

And what, pray tell, will that tell you if you don't know what to look for?

Mayhaps just toss possibly affected products made between August, 2011 and March, 2012?

On Friday morning, the Calgary Herald[/url] in Alberta, Canada, reported that two cats in a Montreal animal shelter have died, and another is ill, after eating Diamond Pet Foods products. Also in Quebec, another person has been reported with a case of salmonella, bringing the total number of cases to 16 in the United States and Canada caused apparently by handling the pet food.

MONTREAL - One Quebecer got sick and two Montreal cats have died after coming into contact with pet food thought to be contaminated with salmonella, causing alarm at a local cat shelter.

"This kind of thing happens, but couldn't we have known about it sooner?" asked Monica Campo, who runs Humanochat cat shelter in Rivière des Prairies.

Two of the shelter's cats died and another cat is very sick at the vet after eating some Diamond Pet Foods products. The Public Health Agency of Canada issued a public health notice after U.S.-based Diamond Pet Foods recalled several batches of its dry pet food due to possible contamination with salmonella.

For Campo, disposing of a large bin of the tainted food poses a problem. She is reluctant to throw it out, as Health Canada advises, because it could be eaten by raccoons or birds, she said.

Now, this is one thoughtful lady... we give gold!


Also on Friday, the company issued yet another recall involving certain sizes of its Diamond Naturals lamb and rice dog food manufactured on Aug. 26, 2011, which is later than the date range for all its other recalled products so far.

One of the unusual aspects of this recall is Diamond's release of information.

On April 12, six days after Diamond's first recall, the FDA began an investigation. Its week-long inspection of Diamond's Gaston facility found numerous violations.

"All reasonable precautions are not taken to ensure that production procedures to not contribute contamination from any source," its report said, noting that the factory's screening process for possible contaminants wasn't thorough enough.

Other violations: Factory workers were seen handling sensitive equipment with bare hands; there weren't enough hand-washing stations throughout the plant (even in areas where raw meat was being handled); the factory used damaged equipment with holes and cuts, which would make the tools difficult to clean properly.

Despite these findings, the company didn't issue a second recall until a week after the inspection was over, involving a single production run of its Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul brand.

On April 30, it issued another expansion of the recall, this time involving puppy food.

On May 3, the federal government announced it had linked 14 cases of salmonella in adults to Diamond's dog foods.

On May 4, Natural Balance Pet Foods and makers of Wellness, announced a recall of their dog foods made at Diamond's plant.

From there, the recalls kept coming.   

tfw

[thorfourwinds]

Greetings:

It was only a matter of time.





A lawsuit was filed Monday in the State of New Jersey on behalf of a two-month-old baby boy who was hospitalized after contracting a dangerous infection from the outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis, the same bacteria responsible for the nationwide recall of over 155 pet food formulas made by Diamond Pet Food.

At least 15 people in nine states and Canada have reportedly fallen ill as a result of contact with pet food made by Diamond Pet Foods, which announced the recall on April 6 and has since expanded it to additional brands.

The child's father, Nevin Eisenberg of Marlboro, alleges he bought a bag of a Diamond brand — Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Dog Food with chicken and vegetables — at the Costco Wholesale Corporation store in Morganville.

The infant suffered from severe gastrointestinal symptoms, diarrhea, fever and loss of appetite. A day later, his pediatrician sent him to a hospital, where he spent three days and was diagnosed with salmonellosis.  The bacteria cultured from the patient proved to be the same rare genetic subtype, Salmonella Infantis found in other human and product samples associated with the outbreak and recall.





Though the baby has recovered, he suffered "severe injuries to his gastrointestinal tract." He is at risk of kidney and liver damage and monitoring will be needed, doctors say.

The family's dogs did not get sick, nor did the parents, and salmonella was not detected in the bag of dog food, which the County Health Department sent to a state health lab for testing after the baby became sick. 

Despite the negative result for salmonella, it is believed that salmonella contamination would not be spread uniformly throughout the bag of food, which would explain the negative test result. Or that the contamination with the rare salmonella strain could have come from an earlier batch of dog food he purchased.

The baby's father had been purchasing Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Dog Formulated with Chicken & Vegetables for the family dogs. It was one of the varieties of recalled Diamond dog food.





The family's lawyer, Elliot Olsen of PritzkerOlsen in Minneapolis, says the route of transmission to the child is uncertain but there had to have been "some common contact with the dog food and source of food for the kid" and it "might have happened through the parents' hands."

Olsen points out that the salmonella strain contracted by the infant is uncommon and the same as the one that sparked the recall. "To have a child come up with this exact form of salmonella, which is relatively rare, it's epidemiologically pretty solid," he says.

The seven-count complaint against both Diamond and Costco asserts claims under New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act and Product Liability Act, as well as common-law claims like negligence, breach of warranty and fraudulent misrepresentation.



(This is exactly what our Sammy looks like!)


The plant where the food was manufactured in Gaston, South Carolina was found to be in violation of several food safety laws. The FDA inspected the plant on April 12, 2012 and stated that the company was not taking "all reasonable precautions to ensure that production procedures to not contribute contamination from any source." 

Violations included a lack of microbiological analysis, no hand washing and hand sanitizing facilities, and poorly maintained equipment, containers, and utensils that were difficult or impossible to clean, specifically the duct tape and cardboard used on machinery.

Infant Allegedly Got Salmonella From Contact With Dog Food
and
PoisonedPets.com

[thorfourwinds]

Greetings:

Every pet owner should not only bookmark Susan's site, but give it a good read to really scare the Hell out of you regarding ANYTHING coming out of China.



Written By: Susan Thixton

29 May 2012

Who Should Recall Jerky Treats?




Courtesy Robin Pierre
Bella, a 2-year-old pug, died last fall after her owner, Robin Pierre, said she ate Waggin' Train chicken jerky treats.





More than 900 cases of pet deaths or illness have been reported to the FDA in recent months regarding Chinese imported dog jerky treats. 


Yet we have no recall; no action has been taken by the FDA or by the US importers of the treats. 


The FDA keeps stating each importer has the option to recall the treats, however new federal laws give FDA some authority to recall. 

Who should recall these dog treats? 


Photo by Diane Dehart


Lacie, a Labrador retriever mix, was healthy until she developed a fatal kidney disease that her veterinarian suspects was caused by eating chicken jerky treats.

Ever since Dr. Robin Hubbard had to euthanize Lacie, a vibrant Labrador retriever mix who developed kidney failure in April after eating chicken jerky, spreading the word about possible risks of the dog treats has become something of a crusade for the veterinarian.

If more than 900 cases of human deaths or illness were reported, would the (lack of) FDA action be the same?  ??

The following graphic, from VinNews shows the rapid increase of pet illnesses/deaths being reported to FDA...





It should be noted that other importers of chicken jerky dog treats have voluntarily recalled in the past. 

KraMar Pet Company recalled their 'Supa Naturals Chicken Breast Strips' in Australia (2008) when fifteen dog illnesses (all with the same Fanconi-like symptoms as pets are suffering from today) were reported to them within three months. 

"This syndrome and the associated cases have only been reported to us in the last three months," spokeswoman Mary-Lou Jarvis said in an interview by e-mail.

"During this time we have investigated with relevant veterinary scientists to verify a link with our product. Whilst no such link has been established, we have decided to withdraw the product on the basis of the 15 cases reported to us."  ??

Since no US importer is taking the same recall/product removal steps as KraMar Pet Company did in 2008, does the FDA have some authority to recall or push the importers of these jerky treats to remove them from store shelves?

It does make one wonder, if over 900 human illnesses and deaths were reported to FDA within six months if the suspect US product manufacturers/importers would voluntarily recall even without conclusive scientific evidence linking human illness/death to their products? 

And if these manufacturers/importers didn't take voluntary action, it makes one wonder if FDA would utilize their Food Safety Modernization Act powers to take action against the product manufacturers/importers to protect the public. 

Or does this all boil down to - US jerky treat importers and FDA is thinking...it is just pets...why bother?
 
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton?
Pet Food Safety Advocate?
Author, Buyer Beware?
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible

[thorfourwinds]

Greetings:

In the "Add Insult to Injury" Category:


27 May 2012
Vets advise avoiding toxic treats while Purina tells vets it's all lies


Mollie Morrissette tells it like it is:




Vets advise avoiding toxic treats while Purina tells vets it's all lies.


27 May 2012


Veterinarians were advised by Nestle-Purina on what to tell their clients

In April, Nestle Purina sent a letter to about 20,000 veterinarians nationwide, asking them to share "accurate, fact-based information" to counter what it called "inaccurate and misleading information" about chicken jerky treats, that can only be described as a slick corporate spin job:

Dear Doctor:

Like you, we are pet owners and pet lovers, and we understand how important pets are in our lives. So when we say that the safety and quality of our products are our number one priorities, it's not just a promise – it's a fact.

Recently, we've seen some inaccurate and misleading information about chicken jerky treats for dogs, including the Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch brands, which are owned by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, circulating in the social media, on-line and in traditional media reports...

Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch are among several brands that have been implicated by name in FDA complaints and whose chicken jerky has been blamed for the illness and death of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dogs are under pressure to pull their products have resisted issuing a voluntary recall despite an ongoing FDA investigation.

...This can create alarm with pet owners who are understandably concerned...

But it's not just consumers are who are alarmed, veterinarians are concerned as well; a veterinarian haunted by the memory of euthanizing a once vibrant dog who developed kidney failure in April after eating chicken jerky has seen first hand the devastation warns clients to avoid them at all costs.

Dr. Tony Buffington, the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center's veterinary nutritionist, created a poster to display in the hospital for companion animals to warn clients of the potential risk of feeding their pets' chicken jerky (see below).

...We know that you are often the first person a pet owner will call with a concern related to the health of their dog. That's why it is important that we share accurate, fact based information with you so that you can confidently and accurately discuss it with your clients should the need arise. We have prepared the following information for you to read and share as needed...

Meanwhile, the number of complaints is skyrocketing, surpassing 600 in the first 5-1/2 months of this year alone. The FDA has received about 1,300 complaints total since 2006, according to Laura Alvey, a spokeswoman for the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine.

...We've developed five discussion points to help answer questions and reassure a concerned client if needed. Feel free to share this sheet with your clients who want more information...

The agency is continuing an intensified investigation, including stepping up surveillance of shipments of chicken jerky treats from China and scheduling inspections of five Chinese production facilities known to produce chicken jerky imported to the United States.

The findings of which have yet to be released.

Alvey, in response to questions about the inspections, said: "We are limited in the information we can make public, as the investigation is active and ongoing."

...FACT #1: The FDA has extensively tested chicken jerky treats and has not found any contaminants, nor a definitive cause for reported pet illnesses...

By forestalling negative publicity by publicizing a favorable interpretation of the absence of a definitive cause for the illnesses as evidence that the product is free of any contaminates is optimistic at best, at worst it is a subterfuge used to deceive consumers.

Statements such as, "they were tested for a wide variety of substances and no contaminant has been found" are misleading in that they imply that while none has been found to date; therefore one does not exist or will ever be found.

...Fact #2: Waggin' Train routinely tests these treats as part of a comprehensive food safety program. As part of that program, each lot of Waggin' Train brand dog treats is tested for salmonella, melamine and ethylene glycol...

Trouble with that is, that neither Salmonella or melamine (alone) are nephrotoxic, making two out of three of those tests irrelevant to the discovery of the cause of acute renal failure or the explanation for the sudden appearance of a once rare genetic disease called Fanconi syndrome now an acquired disease regardless of a genetic predisposition.

...FACT #3: Millions of happy, healthy dogs enjoy chicken jerky treats every year...

But many dogs are not happy or healthy, in fact a great many have died after being fed chicken jerky. Why some dogs are affected and others are not is not immediately apparent. Some dogs may develop problems later.

There is no specific timeline that a contaminated product follows, nor is it possible to know the consistency with which the product is contaminated. There are many factors that influence the progression of disease, all of which may not fully be understood until the investigation is completed.

...FACT #4: Waggin' Train brand chicken jerky dog treats are made in China...

Does it really matter what reason they give for manufacturing in China?

It is unlikely that many consumers would appreciate any justification for manufacturing in China, as consumers have been highly wary of pet foods and ingredients produced in China ever since unscrupulous manufacturers in that country were discovered in 2007 to have deliberately spiked certain ingredients with melamine and cyanuric acid prompting the largest recall in U.S. history and was responsible for the illness and death of tens of thousands of pets.

....FACT #5: Waggin' Train chicken jerky treats for dogs are safe to feed as directed. To date, there has not been a recall of Waggin' Train products...

Yet online petitions for recalls of treats made in China have gathered tens of thousands of signatures, and while the FDA continues it's investigation, the agency has repeatedly stated that there is nothing preventing the makers from voluntarily recalling the treats out of an abundance of caution.

Sincerely,

Jorje Quinn
Vice President, Nestle Purina PetCareVeterinary Business

[thorfourwinds]

Greetings:

23 May 2012
Diamond Pet Foods to grieving pet parent with dead dog: show us the proof or get lost





That is, unless you have a signed letter from your veterinarian saying your dog died due to a Salmonella infection.

Because a clinical diagnosis isn't good enough for Diamond, they are demanding laboratory tests confirming the presence of the Salmonella bacteria in pets; which is precisely what a woman, whose dog died after eating a recalled dog food, was told by Diamond Pet Foods.

Despite Diamond Pet Foods' recall of over 155 formulas of pet food involving 13 brands with global distribution, an alarming FDA inspection report citing multiple failures at the pet food plant where the recalls originated, the company insists that consumers whose pets were affected provide laboratory evidence that their pet's illness or death was caused by Diamond's product.

Seems like a
Boycott Diamond

is in order just for their attitude... or just hang 'em.

A clinical diagnosis (of salmonellosis) based on knowledge obtained by medical history and physical examination alone, without benefit of laboratory tests, is not adequate evidence that the illness or death of a pet was due to a Diamond contaminated pet food and claims without it will be denied.

Even though FDA investigators found that Diamond's plant failure to provide an adequate number of hand washing facilities, maintain sanitary equipment, and take all reasonable precautions to prevent Salmonella contamination from contributing to the illness of at least 16 people in nine states and an untold number of pets, Diamond Pet Foods expects consumers to pay for costly and unreliable blood or fecal tests for Salmonella, which ultimately may prove nothing at all.

Unless, that is, your vet is able to get a positive test result for Salmonella, you're in luck. If not, you're sh*t out of luck.





Karen, a pet parent whose three collies became ill after feeding the recalled food to her dogs, one of whom died, describes her experience on eFoodAlert:

"I was told that unless I had a signed note from my vet stating that a test proved the dog died from Salmonella, that they would not recognize any issues with my collies. I was stunned. I did take a poop sample to my vet, but since it was so obvious what was killing my collie, the vet didn't see the need to do the test.

What regret I have over that, even the fact that we bred collies for 15 years didn't sway the Diamond vet. Everything I said was "not an official stat" because the vet test wasn't done.

Do not throw out the food!

Double bag it like the bio-hazard it is and get with Diamond and your vet.

The CDC has the genetic DNA fingerprint of this rare strain of Salmonella Infantis. Once diagnosed, it is easy to trace it back to Diamond, which the CDC has already done for us.

When you send a sample to Diamond, DO NOT send them ALL of it. Keep a sample securely away from contact by living things in case your sample gets "lost".

Send a sample to FDA and CDC too. Until you get results, keep a small sample secure at your residence. "

Incredibly, Diamond Pet Foods, despite the filthy conditions under which the recalled pet food was made in their Gaston, South Carolina plant and their failure to provide a safe and wholesome pet food resists accepting full responsibility by honoring all reasonable and valid claims; claims that some part of the production process created an unreasonably unsafe defect in the resulting pet food that led to the illness or death of a pet.

source

[thorfourwinds]

Greetings:


Diamond pet food recall
expands again,
violations found


23 May 2012


Diamond Pet Foods has issued yet another recall, this time for its small breed dog food.

In case you are losing count, this is at least the eighth round of recalls in the past six weeks since the discovery of a salmonella-tainted batch of food made in a South Carolina plant.

Since the recall 16 pet owners in 15 states - including two in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey - and in Canada became sick after handling the food and now we hear reports of two cats at a shelter in Montreal that were sickened after eating Diamond brand food.

Eleven brands of dog and cat food are made in the Gaston, S.C. plant operated by Diamond Pet Foods, including Costco under the Kirkland name.

Other brands affected include Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul, Canidea and  Taste of the Wild, as well as several Diamond brands.

The latest recall involves Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula samples, 6 pound and 18 pound bag sizes, manufactured on Aug. 26, 2011, due to potential exposure to Salmonella. No illnesses have been reported connected to that batch of food.

For full information on what is being recalled read the details on the Diamond site here.

We wondered why the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued no notice of the recall nor provided the public with any information about the individuals who fell ill here and got this answer from the state:

Salmonella outbreaks are sometimes associated with food items; sometimes we cannot make the connection. When the item (or some other exposure linked to human illness) is specific to Pennsylvania or originates in Pennsylvania, we do send out "advisories" (usually in the form of a press release).

On the other hand, when a situation is occurring in multiple states across the country, and the food comes from outside PA, we generally rely on the CDC's and FDA's efforts, along with standard food recalls announced by the producer or manufacturer. In the current situation, this dog food, which was produced in South Carolina, was recalled nationally by the manufacturer in cooperation with the FDA.

A day later the Health Department issued a warning about contaminated shellfish that may or may not have been sold in Pennsylvania. When we inquired were told the difference in the two cases was that the federal government had not yet issued a recall so the state felt it needed to do so.

How would the state backing up the federal government and issuing its own statement have hurt? It certainly would have helped spread the word that two Pennsylvania pet owners were made ill by a bad batch of dog food and that consumers ought to be careful about handling pet food - whether tainted or not. Of course we have no idea where in the state the food was purchased or how ill these people were.

Perhaps readers of Philly Dawg will spread the word to fellow pet owners of this seemingly endless recall.

Lab tests indicated those who fell ill were infected with a rare strain of salmonella Infantis, which was detected Apr. 2 after a routine test of dry dog food revealed contamination, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration conducted a week-long probe and found numerous violations at the South Carolina plant, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

"All reasonable precautions are not taken to ensure that production procedures to not contribute contamination from any source," its report said, noting that the factory's screening process for possible contaminants wasn't thorough enough.

Other violations: Factory workers were seen handling sensitive equipment with bare hands; there weren't enough hand-washing stations throughout the plant (even in areas where raw meat was being handled); the factory used damaged equipment with holes and cuts, which would make the tools difficult to clean properly.

Here's the timeline according to the Monitor:

Despite these findings, the company didn't issue a second recall until a week after the inspection was over, involving a single production run of its Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul brand.

On April 30, it issued another expansion of the recall, this time involving puppy food. On May 3, the federal government announced it had linked 14 cases of salmonella in adults to Diamond's dog foods. On May 4, Natural Balance Pet Foodsand WellPet LLC, makers of Wellness, announced a recall of their dog foods made at Diamond's plant. From there, the recalls kept coming.

People can become sick by handling the tainted pet food or through contact with an animal that has eaten the contaminated food. Experts advise washing hands thoroughly after feeding pets or picking up animals. Also, clean litter boxes daily.

Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, or who would like replacement product or a refund, may contact Diamond Pet Foods toll free at 1-866-918-8756, Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. EST. Recalled products should be discarded.

Salmonella infections can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramping 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness can last up to a week and most people recover without treatment. In some cases, severe diarrhea can require hospitalization.