It's a rainy day here in Boston and as I feed my dog her lunch I am thinking heavily of the TRUST we put in our pet food companies. We need to believe that they are working for the benefit of our pets...not their pockets. However, the food recalls of 2007 showed that there was corruption afoot in the industry. Some good companies were brought into the mess because they TRUSTED their suppliers. The trickle down effect was enormous! It changed the way we went about things ....as consumers, as retailers, and as health practitioners. The grey weather always gets me thinking of such serious things so I did a little online research and decided to post the two things that came up on our beloved Google. One is scary.... http://ping.fm/sE5rW There are EXTREMELY HIGH levels of zinc in some nutro foods and this can cause catastrophic issues with your cats! Consider this when feeding it to your feline kids. This other one atleast BEGINS to offer some of the people and pets affected by the recall in 07 SOME closure. The owners of ChemNutra Inc have changed their plea to Guilty in their roles of supplying tainted wheat gluten to a large list of U.S. pet food manufacturers. http://ping.fm/tiZfz With all this said, you might wonder what I feed my own dog. Bella eats Nature's Variety Frozen Raw as her main source of health and wellness with the occassional snacks of Orijen Fish Formula or Addiction Wild Kangaroo and Apple. Take care everyone and hug your pets for Bella and I today!
RECALL ALERTS
19 June 2009
24 May 2009
Important Food Recall Information! Nutro Cat Food
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Nutro Products Announces Voluntary Recall of Limited Range of Dry Cat Food Products
Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) -- Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.
Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.
This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier. An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.
Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Israel. We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.
Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.
Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have more questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST
21 January 2009
Pet Smart has recalled peanut butter dog treats!
The following is a DIRECT cut and paste from the Pet Smart web site. No copyright infringement intended... this is merely to get the news out as quickly and accurately as possible:
PetSmart – The Facts
Information regarding the Grreat Choice® Recall
With the recent FDA announcement of a salmonella investigation involving peanut butter products distributed through the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), we began working closely with all of our vendors to verify whether there are any implications for our customers and their pets through the products sold in our stores.
Although we are not aware of any reported cases of injury or illness related to peanut butter products in our stores, we are conducting a voluntary recall as a precautionary measure and have removed these products from our shelves and website.
Background
Effective January 20, 2009, PetSmart® is conducting a voluntary recall of seven
of our Grreat Choice dog biscuits (peanut butter and assorted flavors). We initiated
the recall after determining these products sold between August 21, 2008 and
January 19, 2009 contain peanut butter product linked to the salmonella
recall announced by the FDA.
While some of these products have been tested and no traces of salmonella were found, we have recalled these products as a precautionary measure.
Because of the potential risk, we're immediately removing these products from our shelves and website.
What Has Been Recalled?
- Here's the complete list of products included in the recall with their UPC code, also known as a
bar code.
Check the description and UPC of any food you may have against this list. The UPC can be found on the product label under a series of bars. If you need help, ask any PetSmart store associate.
Grreat Choice Dog BiscuitsUPC Description 
Sample of a UPC Code73725702900 Small Assorted 32 oz. 73725700601 Small/Medium Assorted 4 lb.. 73725700605 Small/Medium Assorted 8 lb.. 73725702755 Small/Medium Assorted 10 lb.. 73725700638 Large Assorted 8 lb.. 73725700779 Extra Large Assorted 8 lb.. 73725700766 Peanut Butter 4 lb.. - At this time, only these UPCs are affected.
What About Other Peanut Butter Products?
- We’re in communication with all of our vendors to make sure there are no other products implicated by the FDA announcement, and that we have the most updated and accurate information to share with you concerning this recall.
Salmonella
Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called salmonella. Most persons
infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to
72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons
recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so
severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the salmonella
infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other
body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.
The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely
to have a severe illness.
See our Salmonella Q&A for more information on how this can affect you and your pet.
What We’re Doing About the Recall
Any news that involves a pet food recall naturally causes uncertainty and worry for our customers. We
are deeply concerned, and our first thoughts are for the well-being of you and your pets.
- Please be assured that, as always, we're handling this recall with the utmost urgency to ensure our shelves and website are free of recalled product.
- We're immediately removing all recalled product, and have precautions in place to make sure they are not re-stocked.
- To the best of our knowledge, and based on information from our suppliers and government regulators, customers can continue to use pet food and treats that haven’t been subjected to recall.
What Should You Do?
- If you purchased any recalled treat products, you should discontinue use immediately and return the pet food to any PetSmart for a complete refund or exchange.
- If you have any concerns that your or your pet's health has been affected by any of these recalled treat products, we recommend you contact your medical professional.
- Keep informed. At PetSmart, we’re committed to keeping you informed of
any developments regarding the recall. We’ll continue to post any updated information
on this website, as well as in our stores.
You can also follow our updates via Twitter at @PetSmartTLC.
If you have any additional questions about this recall, please call our Customer Service line at 1-888-839-9638.
Additional Information
Salmonella
Q&A (PetSmart Customer Handout)
News Release: PetSmart Voluntarily Recalls Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits
Salmonella investigation news and updates (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
FAQ about the recent Salmonella investigation (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
