Newest Recalled food-ROYAL CANIN -certain ones

[Dillydoodle]

I just saw this one as well, yet ANOTHER brand having partial recalls, just wanted people to be aware in case you are feeding this brand. When will this all end... BARF is looking better and better....

http://www.aplus-flint-river-ranch.com/define-royalcanin-recall.php

Emilie

[corgimom]

Thanks for posting this Emile. Really is getting crazy because every time we turn around more stuff is recalled.

[darci]

I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceburg.....

The bad part is that NB and RC neither one had rice protein concentrate listed on the bag or on their website.

They both added it to their ingredient list on the website after the recall.

I realize legally they have 6 months to update their bags, but at least update your website asap when there is a change.

[corgimom]

http://www.itchmo.com/read/list-of-toxins-found-in-pets-grows-longer-pigs-fed-toxins_20070420


If it wasn’t confusing enough, three more toxins were found in the urine and kidneys of sick pets.

Researchers in at least three labs found cyanuric acid, amilorine and amiloride — all by-products of melamine — in the crystals of animals’ urine, tissues and kidneys…

Finding cyanuric acid is the more significant finding, Hoff, Goldstein and Mullaney said, although they are not yet certain how toxic it is to animals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site said, “When ingested (by humans) in large amounts, the substance may have effects on the kidneys, resulting in tissue lesions.”



Dear Pet Parents:

The Blue Buffalo Company has undertaken a voluntary recall of one production run of our Spa Select Kitten dry food. The production code on the recalled product is:

“Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B.”

We have taken this action because the rice protein concentrate used for this run was obtained from Wilbur-Ellis, the same company who supplied this ingredient to Natural Balance. Test results received late last evening (4/18) indicated that this rice protein concentrate tested positive for melamine. This is the first and only time our manufacturing partner sourced an ingredient from Wilbur-Ellis, and we had no knowledge that they had imported the ingredients from China.

We have advised the FDA of this finding and will be working closely with them on this issue.

Of the 4,752 bags produced in this one run, we were able to prevent the majority from ever entering retail distribution. We are working closely with our retail partners to remove this product immediately and will be re-stocking the shelves with Spa Select Kitten dry food that was produced without any rice protein sourced from Wilbur-Ellis as soon as possible.

If you currently have a bag of Spa Select Kitten dry food, please check the code date and if it matches the one shown above discontinue use immediately and return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. If your cat has eaten any of the recalled food, please call your veterinarian immediately to discuss if there are any risks to your pet.

Should you have a specific question call our Customer Service Department at 1-800-919-2833 or email us at info@bluebuff.com. We understand your desire for immediate answers and we will be working to get back to you as quickly as we can.

No other Spa Select cat food or dog food, canned or dry, is included in this recall.

As a family owned company whose reason for being is to provide cats and dogs with the highest quality natural foods, we are extremely upset by this recall and can’t begin to apologize enough to our customers. From our perspective, it is unacceptable to produce even one bag of food with the potential to cause a pet to become ill, and we will further tighten our ingredient sourcing and quality assurance procedures as a result of this incident.

Sincerely,

[Dillydoodle]

well that is really about the last straw for me, i am going to start researching ways i can do a whole food natural diet that i COOK for my dogs, i have never wanted to do this for a multitude of reasons, one of which is my fear of getting it wrong, or not having the balance correct..but the alternative is what? after this recall, who's next? seriously, i feed the boys blue buffalo and love their product but now i worry - yes it is only one variety of kitten food but it hits a bit too close to home for my liking.

I think i will start a new thread about home cooked diets and such, hopefully anyone with info will pass along their knowledge.
Emilie

[sutulu]

I suspect you are right and this is the tip of the iceberg. It's interersting that Blue Buffalo voluntarily pulled the product because of the doubt around one of their ingredients. Good for them.

[Fluffypants]

It is a nice change of pace when people / companies act responsibly, isn't it? This is such a scary thing. I'm going to follow Emilie's thread on home cooked diets very carefully!

[corgimom]

http://www.itchmo.com/

I think the latest recall here is some food from Drs. Foster/Smith.
You can click on the link above to read

April 26th, 2007
Wilbur-Ellis Rice Protein Concentrate Recalls:

Blue Buffalo (Made by CJ Foods)
Natural Balance (Made by Diamond Pet Food)
Royal Canin
SmartPak (Made by Chenango Valley Foods)
Drs. Fosters & Smith (Made by Chenango Valley Foods)

Five companies were said to have received the tainted rice protein concentrate. Four are listed above. More than a week after Wilbur-Ellis issued a recall for all their RPC, we still have one company yet to follow through. The FDA is still mum on a complete list of companies.

[Dillydoodle]

is this only affecting Blue Buffalo spa select Kitten food, or is this now ALL blue buffalo...i am getting paniced over here, remember my boys are eating a bit of the canned lamb and rice blue buffalo....

The last two days they have been eating the canidae lamb and rice... so if i need to i will return the rest of the cans of blue buffalo and get more canidae... starting to get nervous...

Emilie

[corgimom]

Emilie,

Go to that link I provided and then click on Blue Buffalo - It is only the one that they are talking about - I think the DrsFoster/Smith is the newest one added to the list.

[bunnybutts]

and now besides our poor pups and cats health worries there are now growing concerns about our own human food contaminants...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/24/food.melamine/index.html

[corgimom]

I heard on the news this morning that China was going to let our U.S. officials in to inspect but they still claim that melamine was not the cause of the sickness and deaths in our animals.

I was at a speciality pet store today and saw that they still had the canine Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice treats on their shelves. I asked the lady why they were still out as they were part of the recall- she then came to look and started mumbling under her breath about the employee that must have put them back out.

Goes to show that we really have to keep up with what they are recalling because of errors some stores may make.

[Dillydoodle]

Linda, I am telling you, this is why i am trying to carefully follow what is still on the ok list to feed- incase of human error in leaving contaminated food on the shelves.

Emilie

[dcole]

Oh, and just one more thing to raise your blood pressure on this fine Thursday morning: for as bad as Iams is, apparently, were it not for them, the food recall would have never happened...

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/26/pet-food-recall-timing-and-triggers/

Greed, nothing but greed. +SAD+

[corgimom]

Oh, and just one more thing to raise your blood pressure on this fine Thursday morning: for as bad as Iams is, apparently, were it not for them, the food recall would have never happened...

http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/04/26/pet-food-recall-timing-and-triggers/

Greed, nothing but greed. +SAD+


You are right; Just read the article +FROWN+

[Dillydoodle]

:SHOCKED: terrible... just terrible.

[mtoy]

Iams must have been worried about losing vet support. I swear every single vet carries it.

I'm terribly concerned about the food supply - for pets, humans, everyone. It's in horrible shape, all the additives, poor sanitation and quality control. Greed, laziness. I was at the grocery store today, just randomly looking at some labels. If there was a widespread problem with all glutens I think there would be a food shortage if they pulled everything that contains that ingredient.

I better go pet the puppy to bring me out of this...

[dcole]

I am really concerned about our food supply, too. Some of the things that are being discussed on itchmo make my stomach turn to ice... All the more reason to buy local and organic, whenever possible. And cook for the pets.

I got the Pitcairn book the other day. It is an all-around holistic pet reference book (some things I agree with, some I don't) and includes a few recipes. He is a BARF advocate, so most of the recipies are geared towards raw, but you can cook them. Because I wondered how that would then affect the supplement ratios, I orderd this book from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Prepared-Dog-Cat-Diets-Alternative/dp/0813821495/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_1_2/103-6341723-0286262

This is Strombeck's book, and all of the recipes (dog and cat) are cooked. I just do not feel comfortable with the raw thing, and actually found this link that seems to back up my "gut" feelings on raw:

http://www.secondchanceranch.org/

Scroll down to "Training and Nutrition for Dogs".

Anyhow, I will be trying one of the recipies (cooked) this weekend, and see how the pets like it. Will post my results in the home-cooked diet thread.

[Dillydoodle]

Thanks for those links The flint river one especially i find interesting ... I will be anxiously awaiting your results from this weekends cooking experience. I am sure you wont have trouble getting a corgi to eat it, now the cats, that might be a more exciting challenge!

I am still waffling, i did find that canidae is manufactured completely in the usa with ONLY ingredients that were grown here in the usa...which brings me some comfort, I also have some wellness that is not on the recall list, and i have a few cans of the ok blue buffalo, but still the fact they had ANY food on the recall list gives me a little bit of a sick feeling every time i open a can of their foods to give to my dogs.

Emilie

[corgimom]

Emilie,

Did you see the other thread where Blue Buffalo re-called all its canned now(for dogs) and the spa select for cats?
It's under the Chicken soup thread.

[Dillydoodle]

yes, thanks, i am going to cry now
Emilie

[taflar]

I heard on the news this morning that China was going to let our U.S. officials in to inspect...

I wonder how long that will last.

Peggy

[MVons]

I finally returned the canned food Pepper didn't eat to Petco because they didn't require a receipt and gave me store credit. When the barcode came up on each can there was a big red alert on the checker's screen. So that is good if there was product on the shelf, Petco put in the double check to be sure it isn't sold.

I can't handle the thought that the tainted food sped Pepper along. Her kidneys were in trouble as much as six months before. But now we all wonder how long the food problem existed. In January, I fed her the 1/2 can each morning for her to eat all her supplements and homemade food the rest of the day. She hated the fish, and with the recent toxins in our ocean here killing the seals, who knows about that too. The denials by China that there is problem with their ingredients is typical of so many big businesses. We can only do the best we can with our animals and not feel guilty about decisions that later we regret.

I think I'm finally ready to call the Vet to put Pepper on his list of eating the tainted food. He needs to know, but I wanted to call when I wouldn't break down. Now it doesn't matter, this food problem is so out of hand.

Merrie

[dcole]

Oh Merrie, I'm so sorry! I know there's nothing I can say to make you feel better, but I can offer my support and share in your pain and anger over this whole bloody mess. I know that everytime I feed my pets, I don't know if I'm helping or hurting them. Even switching over to partial home-cooking hasn't eased my mind; what was the first meat I bought for their recipes - why, chicken, of course! :ARG:

After you contact your vet, you may want to participate in howl911's "My Pet Counts" postcard campaign.

http://www.howl911.com/petfoodrecall_postcard_blitz.htm

The target mailing date was this past Saturday but they are encouraging that people continue to send in postcards to keep the animal's plight front and center.


Again, I am so sorry about Pepper. Know that you are in my thoughts.

[MVons]

Thank you Debbie. Your posting made me realize, I would have had a worse time if the dog food information came out while Pepper was still alive and sick.

My mom just gave our family 4 corgi books off Amazon and one book mentioned that sometimes the timing of their death is a gift to the family. Their dog died one day earlier than the planned day and that enabled the family to take a trip to see corgis play and find breeder contacts.

By finding these forums and getting more information, and looking back on Pepper's life, I will be able to make more informed decisions on my next dog. We had in our minds that corgis live to 20 before Pepper got ill. That is why I contacted her breeder and Pepper's Dad's breeder, only to find out they also died at age 15 as well as one of Pepper's siblings. By contacting Pepper's Dad's breeder I got a contact to our new breeder. My son is a perfect age to get and train a puppy (age 11 approaching 12), he isn't showing signs of early puberty and will be able to focus on the puppy. It will be a learning experience like no other. One I never had as a child as we got older doxies from the pound.

We always thought also that Pepper's feisty nature would keep her going. But now I know a mind is incredible but can't maintain a body that tries to fight off all the problems when the body is worn out. She stayed alive long enough for us to not be in shock about her death. What a gift to us.

Merrie

[MVons]

Petco, if you use your PALS card, does have record of purchases. I spoke to customer service to get a copy of my last purchase. When I told her I had spoke to Royal Canin and they said to send in my last receipt. She said she has to call every company when they get a return of the recalled pet food. She said Royal Canin is the ONLY one of the products Petco sells, that has a person to talk to. The rest are answering machines with messages and/or allows you to leave a message.

That was comforting to know they are willing to spend the money on a person.

Now I will be emailing Royal Canin to possibly use Petco's PALs database to do a mailing of the recall.

Merrie

[ColColt]

It's odd I haven't seen any recalls from Innova on their dry dog food. That's my number one choice when I get another pet-if their tummies can take it. If not, perhaps Canidae, Solid Gold or Timberwolf. I monitor these changes just in case. too many things going on now to really put a lot of stock in any of them for sure.

[dcole]

It's odd I haven't seen any recalls from Innova on their dry dog food. That's my number one choice when I get another pet-if their tummies can take it. If not, perhaps Canidae, Solid Gold or Timberwolf. I monitor these changes just in case. too many things going on now to really put a lot of stock in any of them for sure.

Probably because they operate their own dry food plant, so no chance for cross-contamination. I chose their California Natural (Herring & Sweet Potato) brand for the pets "commercial" kibble. Natura has also announced a program of independant testing of all ingredients and finished (dry) goods. Now if they can just tell me how they plan to screen for those "melachickens" that our not-so-bright FDA "Food Czar" has deemed A-OK!! for human consumption. :ARG:

[corgimom]

More Recalls by Royal Canin - from www.itchmo.com



Eight Sensible Choice Dry Dog Food Products, Seven Kasco Dry Dog and Cat Food Products Recalled Nationwide by Royal Canin USA Effective Today



Trace amounts of a melamine derivative identified in limited number of
recalled products

ST. CHARLES, Mo., May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Canin USA is announcing
today the voluntary nationwide recall of eight Sensible Choice dry dog food
products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products.
This announcement is based on the company's ongoing extensive review of
its manufacturing and quality assurance testing procedures, which
identified trace amounts of a melamine derivative from tainted Chinese rice
protein concentrate provided to the company by domestic ingredient supplier
Cereal Byproducts, headquartered in Illinois.
"We deeply regret the concern and anxiety this announcement today will
cause our loyal customers and the entire pet community," Olivier Amice,
President and CEO of Royal Canin USA, said. "While a very limited number of
Sensible Choice and Kasco products in this recall tested positive for trace
levels of a melamine derivative, Royal Canin USA is voluntarily withdrawing
these products out of an abundance of caution and because we are fully
committed to the welfare of our customers' pets."
Royal Canin USA has no confirmed cases of melamine related illness in
pets eating Sensible Choice and Kasco products affected by this recall.
Last month, Royal Canin USA announced it will no longer use any Chinese
vegetable protein suppliers.
The following eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products and seven
Kasco dry dog and cat food products with date codes between July 28, 2006
to April 30, 2007 are being voluntarily recalled:
SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Adult (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Lamb and Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) Chicken and Rice Large Breed Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) NATURAL BLEND Adult (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) NATURAL BLEND Senior (Dry Dog Food)
-- SENSIBLE CHOICE(R) NATURAL BLEND Puppy (Dry Dog Food)

KASCO(R) (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)
-- KASCO(R) Chunks (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Hi Energy (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Maintenance (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Mealettes (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Mini Chunks (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
-- KASCO(R) Cat (Dry Cat Food)
Based on today's announcement, pet owners should stop feeding their
pets the eight Sensible Choice dry dog food products, seven Kasco dry dog
and dry cat food products listed. Pet owners should consult with a
veterinarian if they are concerned about the health of their pet.
The safety and nutritional quality of Royal Canin USA pet food is our
company's top priority because we understand that the health of pets comes
first. Pet owners who have questions about the voluntary recall of Sensible
Choice and Kasco dry pet food products and other Royal Canin USA products
should call 1-800-513-0041 or visit our web site at
http://www.royalcanin.us.
All Sensible Choice and Kasco products have a satisfaction guarantee
and the company will refund or replace the diets that are part of this
recall announcement.

[dcole]

Thanks for posting this one, Linda. Another Head Exploding moment here:
Cereal Byproducts was identified as a recipient of the tainted rice protein what, 2-3 days ago? And this latest Royal Canin recall is just coming out now??? Grrrr......

On another interesting note, someone has made some headway, it seems, in the quest to identify where those 20 million melachickens went. Or, more precisely, where they DIDN'T go:

http://www.spockosbrain.com/2007/05/is-it-safe-yet-super-chicken-edition

So if I'm to believe them, I can start buying Foster Farms chicken again. Or not. :TWITCHY: