The Pet Food Recall Scandal

From: Dr Andrew Jones
Author: Veterinary Secrets Revealed
Website: https://shop.veterinarysecrets.com

Re: The Pet Food Recall Scandal

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A cheery Thursday to you and your pets.

I am gearing up for an upcoming seminar on the
Pet Food Recall. A highly respected author,( and great guy) James Jacobson
who has written ‘How to Meditate With Your Dog’ will be
grilling me on all the specifics of the recall.

We’ll discuss How to choose a quality food, I’ll give out sample
home diets, and go in to details on feeding Raw food.

I you have a specific question that you want answered, then go to
Ask Dr Andrew Jones and ask away.

Catherine O’Driscoll of Canine Health Concern, has written an article on
the Pet Food Scandall, and she has given me permission to reprint it.

The Pet Food Recall Scandal

By Catherine O?????Driscoll

If?? you were an informed dog or cat owner, then you simply wouldn?????t give them pet ???˜food????? to eat.?? Most pet food is literally junk food.?? It?????s garbage, lavishly packaged and persuasively sold.?? The recent pet food recall offers another timely reminder of this fact.?? I took the following quote from the UK?????s Pet Food Manufacturers Association web site just a few days ago; please note that many of its members are international conglomerates:

???œThe industry’s use of by-products from the human food and agricultural industries prevents the need for, and the costs of, disposal.???? (1)

We are talking landfill sites.?? The human food industry dumps its rubbish, which would be dangerous or unpalatable to humans, onto your pets.?? The industry even boasts that it?????s a friend to the environment: it saves on waste disposal and pulls in a tidy profit at the same time.

In fact, if you look at the early days of the pet food industry, you see that soup companies such as Campbell and Lipton competed with cereal manufacturers like Post and General Foods to add pet foods to their human lines, and dispose of their industrial waste.?? They were soon joined by candy companies (Mars and Nestle), and dairies (Carnation). (2)?? It?????s now a multi-billion dollar international big business, proving that ???˜where there?????s muck there?????s money?????.

A few short years ago, five people were imprisoned for selling hundreds of tonnes of pet food as meat fit for human consumption.?? The condemned meat was sold to butchers, supermarkets and restaurants all over the UK.?? The prosecution said the criminals had caused an incalculable risk to human health.?? But what about the animals????? health?

Containers of smelly, badly-bruised poultry, covered in faecal matter, flies and feathers, were found by investigating officials.?? The crime was committed by a company whose main customers were international pet food giants Spillers and Pedigree. (3)?? According to PFMA literature,?? ???œMember companies use only materials from animals which have been inspected and passed as fit for human consumption.?????? (4)?? I suspect a shrewd use of language here.

Back in 1979, ???œConsumers Digest???? stated:?? ???œThere is mounting evidence that a lifetime of eating commercial pet foods can shorten your pet?????s life, make him fatter than he ought to be and contribute to the development of such increasingly common disorders as cystitis and stones (in cats), glaucoma and heart disease (in dogs), diabetes, lead poisoning, rickets and serious vitamin-mineral deficiencies (in both cats and dogs).?????? (5) Yet the pet food industry would have us believe, via their multi-million?? advertising budgets, that pets are living longer, thanks to them.

Wendell O Belfield DVM spent seven years as a veterinary meat inspector for the Department of Agriculture and the US Air Force.?? During this time, he was assigned to a number of major slaughterhouses????.

???œCondemned parts and animals that are rejected for human consumption are commonly used in commercial pet foods.?? So-called 4-Ds, meaning dead, dying, diseased or disabled animals are also used for pet foods,???? he testified. (6)?? This former government meat inspector does not recommend pet food.

In 1997, Canadian Ann Martin, in the book, ???œFood Pets Die For????, wrote, ???œA veterinarian in the United States advised me that the use of pets in pet food was routine practice.?? Rendering is a cheap and viable means of disposal for euthanized pets.?? Pets are mixed with other material from slaughterhouse facilities that have been condemned for human consumption, such as rotten meat from supermarket shelves, restaurant grease and garbage, 4-D animals,?? roadkill and even zoo animals.???? (7)

Ann contacted the Minister of Agriculture in Quebec.?? The minister wrote:?? ???œDead animals are cooked together with viscera, bones and fats at 115 degrees Celsius.?? The fur is not removed from dogs and cats.???? (7)

In my own book, ???œShock to the System????, I quote a 2000 announcement from the American FDA.?? Their report stated that almost half of all the dog food tested for pentobarbital showed the presence of traces of the drug.?? The survey included popular brands chosen at random, including Ken 1 Ration, Ol????? Roy, Heinz, and Purina dog foods.?? (8)

The FDA suggested that pentobarbital probably came from disabled or diseased horses and cows, which are euthanized and rendered and allowed to be used in pet food products.?? The FDA, meanwhile, stated that it didn?????t intend to take any further action.?? Dog food makers weren?????t forced to notify consumers of the presence of pentobarbital, which is a potent hypnotic and sedative (Schedule 3 poison).?? It is toxic if swallowed and can be absorbed through the skin.

Recent reports indicate that in addition to the contaminated wheat gluten found during the first wave of pet food recalls, contaminated shipments of rice protein and corn gluten have been used for pet food and could have entered the human food supply. On April 2nd, a Chinese company sold rice protein to Wilbur-Ellis and a second unknown importer. Wilbur-Ellis said that the shipment was distributed to five pet food manufacturers. It has been suggested that melamine was added to foodstuffs in China, deliberately, in order to boost apparent protein content.?? Melamine has now been found in pigs????? urine, destined for human consumption.?? (10-13, et al)

On April 30th, 2007, the New York Times stated: ???œLast Friday here in Zhangqiu, a fast-growing industrial city southeast of Beijing, two animal feed producers explained in great detail how they purchase low-grade wheat, corn, soybean or other proteins and then mix in small portions of nitrogen-rich melamine scrap, whose chemical properties help the feed register an inflated protein level.

???œ?????People use melamine scrap to boost nitrogen levels for the tests,????? said the manager of the animal feed factory. ???˜If you add it in small quantities, it won?????t hurt the animals.?????

???œThe manager, who works at a small animal feed operation here that consists of a handful of storage and mixing areas, said he has mixed melamine scrap into animal feed for years. He said he was not currently using melamine. But he then pulled out a plastic bag containing what he said was melamine powder and said he could dye it any colour to match the right feed stock.????

It makes me wonder why multi-national, resource-rich, pet food companies haven?????t been testing imported ingredients ????? for years ????? before adding it to their allegedly nutritious pet food brands.

The recent pet food recall simply shows the wide scale, international, damage that can be visited upon unsuspecting citizens, and their family friends, at the hands of conglomerates.?? This particular ???˜mistake????? was so bad, and so many pets have died, that governments are involved.?? In my view, current news is nothing compared to the millions of pets who have slowly faded away over the years on toxic ???˜foods????? that bring diseases of malnutrition in their wake.

In 1998, Canine Health Concern surveyed people who had rejected pet food and started feeding what granny used to feed:?? raw meat and bones, vegetables, and good quality table scraps.?? They reported an 85% drop in veterinary visits, and increased vitality and health in their dogs.?? In some cases, veterinary medication was no longer required. (9)

This, to me, says it all.?? Vets make an estimated 20% of practice income from selling pet food, and veterinary education, with regards to pet nutrition, has predominantly been delivered by the pet food manufacturer which offers the most money to their respective veterinary teaching establishments.?? (2) Your dog or cat is worth no more in law than a piece of furniture, and legislation does not protect them from corporate greed.?? Get wise, and do what granny used to do.?? Stop buying industrial waste for your pets, and feed real food.

It?????s simple to feed a biologically appropriate diet to your dogs: raw meaty bones in the morning (such as chicken wings, oxtail or lamb neck), and raw meat and steamed vegetables in the evening.?? Add vitamin C and flax oil ????? and watch your vet bills fall.

Catherine O?????Driscoll is author of What Vets Don?????t Tell You About Vaccines and Shock to the System (available from www.dogwise.com), founder of Canine Health Concern, and a columnist for Dogs Today.?? She lectures on canine healthcare around the world, and has just returned to Scotland from BC.

Canine Health Concern

References:
1.?? http://www.pfma.org.uk/pet-food-ingredients/ingredients.htm
2.?? Justine S Patrick, Harvard Law school www://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/784/Patrick06.html
3.?? BBC News Online, 21 December 2000
4.?? PFMA Profile 1993, et al
5.?? Consumers Digest November-December 1979
6.?? How to Have a Healthier Dog by Wendell O Belfield DVM and Martin Zucker ISBN 0-9629947-1-5
7.?? Food Pets Die for by Ann Martin, ISBN 0-939165-31-7
8.?? Shock to the System by Catherine O?????Driscoll, ISBN 1-919142-29-8
9.?? What Vets Don?????t Tell You About Vaccines by Catherine O?????Driscoll, ISBN 0-9523048 X
10.?? http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html; http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01615.html;
11.?? http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/2007/042307MumManufacturers.html (two pet food manufacturers still mum on recalls, April 23 2007)
12.?? http://www.dailymail.com/story/Life/2007042353/Documents-show-FDA-aware-of-problems-at-peanut-butter-plant-spinach-farms/ (FDA incapable of protecting the food supply)
13.?? http://www.orovillemr.com/news/bayarea/ci_5738404 pet food problems shake industry

From the FDA web site http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html.?? (Check the FDA web site for latest news.)

Recall Notices by Company
Menu Foods
?????? Menu Foods Refines Recall List (April 17, 2007)
?????? Menu Foods Voluntarily Recalls Additional Pet Food made with ChemNutra Wheat Gluten (April 10, 2007)
?????? All Menu Foods Pet Food with ChemNutra Wheat Gluten Voluntarily Recalled (April 5, 2007)
?????? Menu Foods Initiates Market Withdrawal of All Varieties of Recalled Wet Pet Food to Ensure Consumer Protection (March 24, 2007)
?????? All Menu Foods Recall Information
Del Monte Pet Products
?????? Del Monte Pet Products Modifies Voluntary Recall List (April 6, 2007)
?????? Del Monte Pet Products Voluntarily Withdraws Specific Product Codes of Pet Treats and Wet Dog Food Products (March 31, 2007)
Hills Pet Nutrition
?????? Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry Food (FDA Press Release, March 30, 2007)
?????? Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. Select Science Diet Savory Cuts Cat Food (March 17, 2007)
Nestl?? Purina PetCare Company
?????? Alpo?? Brand Prime Cuts In Gravy Canned Dog Food (March 30, 2007)
?????? Mighty Dog?? 5.3 Ounce Pouch Products (March 16, 2007)
Sunshine Mills, Inc.
?????? Sunshine Mills, Inc. Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Certain Branded and Private Label Branded Dog Biscuits (April 5, 2007)
Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc.
?????? Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc. Issues A Voluntary Nationwide Recall on Specific Venison Dog and Cat Food Products (April 17, 2007)
Royal Canin USA
?????? Royal Canin USA Announces the Voluntary Nationwide Recall of its Dry Pet Food Products Containing Rice Protein Concentrate (April 19, 2007)
Blue Buffalo Company
?????? Blue Buffalo Company Announces Voluntary Recall of One Production Run of Spa Select Kitten Dry Food (April 19, 2007)

Cat Food Recalls by brand
Americas Choice, Preferred Pet
Authority
Best Choice
Companion
Compliments
Demoulas/Market Basket
Eukanuba Cat Cuts and Flaked
Eukanuba Morsels in Gravy
Fine Feline Cat
Food Lion
Foodtown
Giant Companion
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hill’s Prescription Diet
Hy-Vee
Iams Cat Slices and Flakes
Iams Select Bites
J.E. Mondou
Laura Lynn
Li’l Red
Loving Meals
Medi-Cal
Meijer’s Main Choice
Natural Balance (RICE)
Nutriplan
Nutro Max Gourmet Classics
Nutro Natural Choice
Nutro Products
Paws
Pet Pride
Pounce
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority US
Publix
Save-A-Lot Special Blend
Schnucks
Science Diet Feline Cuts Adult
Science Diet Feline Cuts Kitten
Science Diet Feline Cuts Mature Adult 7+
Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Can
Sophistacat
Special Kitty Canada
Special Kitty US
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Stop & Shop Companion
Stop & Shop/Giant Companion
The Blue Buffalo Co (RICE)
Wegmans
Weis Total Pet
Western Family US
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet

Dog Food Recalls by brand
ALPO
Americas Choice, Preferred Pet
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Bruiser
Cadillac
Champion Breed Lg Biscuit
Champion Breed Peanut Butter Biscuits
Companion
Companion’s Best Multi-Flavor Biscuit
Companion/Giant Companion
Companion/Giant Companion/Tops Companion
Companion/Tops Companion
Demoulas Market Basket
Dollar General
Eukanuba Dog Bites in Gravy
Eukanuba Dog Chunks in Gravy
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Giant Companion/Tops Companion
Gravy Train
Grreat Choice
Hannaford
Happy Tails
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams Dog Chunks
Iams Dog Select Bites
Iams Dog Small Bites
Jerky Treats
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Meijer’s Main Choice
Mighty Dog
Mixables
Natural Balance (RICE)
Natural Life
Natural Way
Nutriplan
Nutro
Nutro – Ultra
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nuture
Ol’ Roy
Ol’ Roy 4-Flavor Lg Biscuits
Ol’ Roy Canada
Ol’ Roy Peanut Butter Biscuits
Ol’ Roy Puppy
Ol’Roy US
Paws
Perfect Pals Large Biscuits
Pet Essentials
Pet Life
Pet Pride / Good n Meaty
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority Canada
Priority US
Publix
Roche Brothers
Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels
Schnuck’s
Shep Dog
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Brothers
Stater Brothers Large Biscuits
Stop & Shop Companion
Stop & Shop Companion/Giant Companion
Tops Companion
Weis Total Pet
Western Family US
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet

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P.S. The more I learn about the Pet Food Industry, the more
I feel empowered about teaching you the alternate options.

Claim my Pet Food Report by going to www.theonlinevet.com.

It’s Your Pet- Heal Them At Home!

Best Wishes

Dr Andrew Jones

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