Sunshine Mills Recalls Dry Dog Food
The products may have elevated levels of Vitamin D
Sunshine Mills is recalling Evolve Puppy, Sportsmans Pride Large Breed Puppy and Triumph Chicken and Rice Dog Food.
The products may contain elevated levels of Vitamin D which, when consumed at very high levels, can lead to serious health issues in dogs including renal dysfunction.
Symptoms include vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling, and weight loss.
The following products with a Best Buy Date Code of November 1, 2018, through November 8, 2019, on the back of each bag, are being recalled:
- 14 LB Evolve Chicken & Rice Puppy Dry Dog Food Bag UPC: 0-73657-00862-0
- 28 LB Evolve Chicken & Rice Puppy Dry Dog Food Bag UPC: 0-73657-00863-7
- 40 LB Sportsman’s Pride Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food Bag UPC: 0-70155-10566-0
- 40 LB Sportsman’s Pride Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food Bag UPC: 0-70155-10564-0
- 3.5 LB Triumph Chicken & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food Bag UPC: 0-73657-00873-6
- 16 LB Triumph Chicken & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food Bag UPC: 0-73657-00874-3
- 30 LB Triumph Chicken & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food Bag UPC 0-73657-00875-0
The recalled products were distributed in retail stores within the U.S., as well as some export distributors in Japan, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Israel, Canada and South Korea.
What Pet Food Labels Really Mean
For pet food, there’s no official definition of organic, human-grade, premium, no fillers, or gourmet. Gluten-free foods are generally necessary only for the tiny percentages of pets that are intolerant of that protein. There’s some evidence that antioxidants such as vitamin E and some omega-3 fatty acids might enhance pets’ immunity or help protect against certain diseases, but the experts interviewed by Consumer Reports were split on whether consumers need to look for them.
Consumer Reports recommends that consumers educate themselves about pet food labeling, which is mostly defined by AAFCO, which sets standards for pet food manufacturing. Here are some examples:
The 95 percent rule . Named ingredient must account for a least 95 percent of the product by weight.
Dinner also Entre, Formula, Nuggets, Platter, Recipe . The named ingredients must make up at least 25 percent of the product by weight, not counting water. Each individual food must make up at least 3 percent.
“With…” . Contains 3 percent or more of the named ingredient.
Flavor . No specific percentage required, but the product must contain enough of the food to impart the claimed flavor, or another substance that tastes like it .
Guaranteed analysis. Mandatory guarantee that the food contains the labeled percentages of crude protein, fat, fiber, and moisture.
Natural. Technically, the food has few or no synthetic ingredients. But the claim is loosely defined.
Lots Of Reasons For Shortage
Natural pet food manufacturer Freshpet has reported manufacturing shutdowns due to severe winter storms. Other companies are running into problems with labor, machinery and packaging.
“There’s so much that goes into making a product, and if there’s a break in any part of that process, it causes a problem, Anthony says. Increased demand doesn’t help, either.”
PetSmart attributes its shortages of wet food, both in stores and online, to people adding pets to their families throughout the pandemic.
“We are committed to doing all we can to help pet parents feed and care for their pets, and are actively working with our manufacturing and shipping partners to ensure supply is increased to better meet the current demand, says Erin Gray, PetSmart’s senior manager of corporate communications.
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Kaylas Death Remains A Mystery
Aflatoxins also didnt play a role in Kaylas death, Dr. Mickey told ConsumerAffairs.com
That dog didnt die from anything in her food, he said.What caused her death remains a medical mystery.
Kaylas autopsy report revealed she had multiple organ mineralization, which Dr. Mickey said was likely caused by an adrenal problem.
But couldnt pinpoint on the autopsy what caused the mineralization of all those organs, he said. It would be consistent with adrenal or kidney problems, but her adrenal glands and kidneys were fine.
Kaylas death has puzzled everyone who has looked at it.Everyone, that is, except Julie.
Despite the autopsy report, shes convinced Purinas dog food also contributed to Kaylas death.
Sunshine Mills Recalls Dog Food
The products may contain elevated levels of aflatoxin
Sunshine Mills is recalling three dog food products that may contain elevated levels of aflatoxin.
Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring mold by-product from the growth of Aspergillus flavus and can be harmful to pets if consumed in significant quantities.
Symptoms of illness include sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, vomiting, yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, or diarrhea.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
A list of the recalled products, sold in retail stores nationally, may be found here.
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Best Bang For Your Buck
Dont feel like spending hundreds of dollars a month on cat food? I feel you. These are a few great options that wont have you eating top ramen every day.
*slightly less-than-ideal ingredients are highlighted in red
Natural Balance canned cat food
First 5 ingredients :
Chicken Broth, Chicken, Chicken Liver, Salmon, Duck
Price range:
$30-35 for 24 6-oz cans
Not grain free
Newmans Own canned cat food
First 5 ingredients :
Organic Chicken, Sufficient Water for Processing, Poultry Liver, Salmon, Ocean Whitefish
Price range:
$25-30 for 24 6-oz cans
Not grain free
First 5 ingredients :
Turkey, Turkey Broth, Meat By-Products, Chicken, Chicken Liver
Price range:
$32 for 24 3-oz cans
Grain free!
Diamond Pet Food Linked To Samonella Outbreak In Humans
All of the contaminated food is from a single Diamond plant in South Carolina
Federal officials say at least 14 people have been infected with Salmonella Infantis, apparently from contact with dry pet food produced by Diamond Pet Foods.
Public health investigators say they used DNA “fingerprints” to identify the strain of Salmonella, matching several of the cases with dry pet food produced at a Diamond plant in South Carolina. Illness in humans has been reported in nine states, including Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The illnesses began between October 8, 2011 and April 22, 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Ill persons range in age from less than one year old to 82 years old. Seventy-seven percent of patients are female. Among the 9 patients with available information, five were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The CDC cautioned that there may be cases that have not been reported, including any illness that occurred after April 1.
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Fda Finds Melamine In Us Infant Formula
Agency insists amounts were “minute” and do not pose an immediate danger
The Wall Street Journal
The newspaper quoted FDA official Stephen Sundlof as saying the finding is “no cause for concern.” He said the chemical was at very low levels and was probably the result of contact with melamine during processing or packaging. Sundlof said the agency also found minute amounts of melamine in products such as nutritional and medical supplements made by five U.S. manufacturers of infant formula.
Melamine is a chemical used to make plastic and fertilizers. It is not allowed in human or pet food, although in the late 1960s or early 1970s, the FDA approved melamine as a “food contact substance,” Sundlof said.
Sundlof said the discovery was part of a testing program that went into high gear after melamine in Chinese infant formula sickened tens of thousands of Chinese infants and killed four. Samples tested by FDA came not only from ethnic markets but also from products produced by the five major U.S. infant formula manufacturers.
Animal tests are now being conducted to determine melamine safety levels, he said.
Dog Goods Usa Recalls Chef Toby Pig Ears Treats
The products may be contaminated with Salmonella
Dog Goods USA is recalling Chef Toby Pig Ears Treats.
The Food and Drug Administration , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and State partners are investigating a suspected link between pig ear pet treats and human cases of salmonellosis.
No illnesses have been linked to the products to date.
The lot codes of the non-irradiated bulk and packaged pig ears branded Chef Toby Pig Ears are:
- 428590, 278989, 087148, 224208, 1168723, 428590, 222999, 074599, 1124053, 226884, 578867, 224897, 1234750, 444525, 1106709, 215812, 230273, 224970, 585246, 327901, 052248, 210393, 217664, 331199, 225399, 867680, 050273, 881224, 424223, 225979, 431724, 226340, 880207, 334498
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Thousands Of Hogs May Have Eaten Contaminated Feed
Pet Food Scraps Containing Melamine Fed to Hogs in Six States
Thousands of hogs in the United States — in at least six states — may have eaten livestock feed contaminated with the chemical melamine, the Food and Drug Administration said.
And health officials are now investigating the possibility that humans may have consumed food containing the chemical that triggered a nationwide recall of pet food.
California officials confirmed hogs at a farm in that state ate the contaminated food — described as salvaged pet food or pet food scraps. Officials were also trying to determine if hogs in five other states — New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, and Ohio — ate the tainted food.
The FDA has confirmed the urine of some hogs in California, North Carolina and South Carolina tested positive for melamine.
When asked if any of the hogs had entered the human food supply, FDA’s Chief veterinarian Stephen Sundlof said: “At this point, I don’t have a definitive answer other than to say that the issue is being addressed.”
FDA officials are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and several states to investigate the now-quarantined farms and determine if those hogs were slaughtered for human food.
“I don’t have the numbers on that right now, but it potentially affects thousands of hogs,” Sundlof said. “Some of the hog operations were fairly sizable.”
USDA spokesman Steve Cohen, however, said the tainted feed was sold to smaller and independent hog farms.
Meal Structure And Protein Levels
Calico Bay cat food gives your cat complete nutrition in every meal with a balanced nutrient level. The food contains many nutrients, including protein, fat, and essential vitamins and minerals to keep your pet healthy. Calico Bay has a two-step program for cats to ensure they are getting the nutrition their body needs:
Best Purina Fancy Feast Gravy Wet Cat Food
The first step is the wet food line that comes in cans without packing. These foods have the same ingredients as the dry kibble but with fewer calories per can.
Calico Bay canned food line has a balanced protein and fat ratio recommended for adult cats main meals.
Calico Bay Kitten provides your cat with all the nutrients it needs without giving him extra calories. These products are made up of 100% pure protein and vitamins in small cans that are easy to store.
The primary ingredients include fish, peas, and rice. The wet food is recommended for kittens 6 months old or younger.
The second step is the dry food line. These products are high in fiber and protein to ensure your kitty feels full longer and prevents them from overeating.
They contain natural ingredients like fish, rice, carrots, peas, lentils, and carrots. The dry cat food line comes in three different forms:
This food has the highest protein content out of all the dry cat food lines, containing almost 26% protein nutrients ratio.
Purina Tidy Cats Clumping Cat Litter
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Expert Calls It Very Upsetting
Ann Martin’s Books
In earlier interviews with ConsumerAffairs.com, Martin said Natural Balance is one of the few pet foods on the market made with “human grade” ingredients.
“These are ingredients that have been inspected and passed for human consumption,” says Martin, author of “Food Pets Die For … Shocking Facts About Pet Food,” and “Protect Your Pets … More Shocking Facts.”Martin says she feeds her dog Natural Balance Premium food when she boards him at the kennel.
When ConsumerAffairs.com contacted Martin late Monday night about Natural Balance’s recall, she said: “I had heard about this yesterday morning and can’t figure out what the heck is going on. If there is something wrong with this food, and it is one of the top foods on the market, I will just forget telling people what foods they should feed their pets. This is very upsetting. “
Pet owners can call Natural Balance’s toll-free number at 800-829-4493 or visit its Web site for more information.
Fda Disputes Pet Food Pain Killer Findings
But Texas Lab Stands by Its Test Results
The FDA said it didnt find acetaminophen in a handful of samples of dog and cat food it tested in the past week, according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
“We cannot validate their finding, Julie Zawisza, assistant commissioner of public affairs for the FDA told the newspaper.
But ConsumerAffairs.com learned the FDA cannot confirm it tested the same lots and brands in which the Texas laboratory — ExperTox, Inc. — detected the pain medication.
This case is not closed, Donna Coneley, lab manager with ExperTox, Inc. told us. Theyre still requesting samples and data from us. Weve talked to them three times today. I dont see by any means that this is over. If it was over and done with, why would they bother spending so much time with us on the phone and arranging for samples to be released?
Asked about the FDAs comment to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Coneley responded: I dont know their reasoning. What I do know is that when they told me they tested a few samples of cat and dog food, I asked them if they were the same lots and brands that we tested. And they couldnt confirm that any of them were the same ones we tested.
Were using two completely different testing instruments to detect those chemical, and the difference comes into play with the instruments and the instrumentation to detect those chemical, she added.
Coneley said her lab tested 100 to 150 samples of pet food — and detected acetaminophen in five of those samples.
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Texas Tripe Recalls Raw Pet Food
The products may be contaminated with Salmonella and/or Listeria monocytogenes
Texas Tripe is recalling 35 lots for each of 23 varieties of raw pet food.
The products may be contaminated with Salmonella and/or Listeria monocytogenes.
The following products and lot numbers sold frozen in 20-pound and 40-pound cases containing multiple plastic pouches, are being recalled:
Menu Foods Says It’s Ready To Process Claims From Pet Owners
But Consumers Face a Number of Hurdles in Receiving Reimbursement
Menu Foods has posted claims information on its Web site for pet owners whose pets were killed or injured by contaminated feed.
The Canadian-based company in March recalled more than 60 million containers of melamine-tainted pet food — linked to the deaths and illnesses of thousands of dogs and cats nationwide — and now says it will address any reasonable expense incurred by pet owners that we can identify as being caused by contamination of Menu Foods products.
The company also advised pet owners of the ramifications of settling directly with Menu Foods instead of joining one of the more than 50 class-action lawsuits filed in the United States and Canada.
Pet owners, for example, are told any mutually agreeable settlement of your claim would require you to sign a settlement agreement that would release any and all claims for damages that you may have arising out of the recall and/or related to the injury and/or death of your pet.
The company also indicated that it plans to oppose the class action lawsuits.
We expect Plaintiffs lawyers will make motions for class certification, and Menu Foods expects to oppose those motions, the company stated on its Web site. At this point, no court has ruled on the question of whether class certification is appropriate.
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Why A Pet Might Not Make A Good Christmas Present
“How much is that doggie in the window?” is not the question you should be asking
The puppy under the tree with a huge bow around its neck makes for a great Christmas card but it might not be such a good idea in reality. Taking on a pet requires some careful thought that should be removed from the emotion of the holiday season, experts caution.
Veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker, writing in her Healthy Pets blog, say she isn’t a big fan of giving pets as holiday gifts.
Gifting a family member or friend with a 10- to 20-year commitment to a live animal is not something one should do on impulse, she writes.
People often don’t think about the future at least not the extended future — when they think about bringing home a pet. The idea that the animal will be with them for years doesn’t sink in until later. Before making such a long term decision, there are a number of questions that should be posed and answered honestly.
Don’t Look Don’t Find
In the meantime, pet owner Earl wonders why the countrys leading laboratories arent imitating ExperToxs tests.
They’re using a protocol to quickly scan for thousands of substances. Once having identified a substance using that method, they are then able to run more specific tests to confirm the results.
The question that comes to my mind is with so many people affected, and so many people needing hard answers to how this happened, why the nations top labs are limiting their tests to what they read in the morning’s paper? You won’t find what you don’t look for.
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