ASPCA DEEMS PET FOOD SAFE?
Dog food and other pet foods continue to
make pets sick, yet ASPCA’s Animal
Poison Control Center concludes pet food
recalls are “likely not food-related.”
Consumer Affairs asked Dr.
Steven Hansen of ASPCA to review some of
their NUTRO complaints. After doing so,
Dr. Hansen said
“Unfortunately the cases are not
consistent and appear to be anecdotal
with no real definitive diagnostic
findings. Without any consistent trends
in findings we can not do anything any
further. This does appear to us to be a
situation where bad things happen, but
they are not likely food-related.”
Nel Liquorman, Health
Editor
/
© TheDogPress
08|31|09
It appears they did no product testing
so we were puzzled by his conclusion
that there were “no real definitive
diagnostic findings” and equally so in
that ASPCA
APCC sees no “consistent
trends” in the stream of pet food
recalls over the last two years!
We
consider Dr. Hanson’s response a classic
cover-up and denial. You are about to
learn why but first, a look at pet food
recalls as a direct result of
contamination which sickened or
killed pets.
|
We begin
with June 2008, when U.S. Marshals
seized pet foods from Petco Distribution
Center in IL due to filthy conditions.
September 2008, Mars Petcare
US recalled 52-pound Pedigree in CA and
NV.
October 2008, Solid Gold
recalled an entire production run of
Tiny Tots dog treats due to mold
contamination. Mold can be deadly.
October 2008, Hartz Mountain
Corporation recalled rawhide chips due
to salmonella.
October 2008, Mars Petcare
recalled Special Kitty sold at Wal-Mart
in 15 states due to salmonella
contamination.
November 2008, Kroger
announced Pet Pride was added to the
Mars recall list due to salmonella.
|
November 2008, Champion Pet
foods (Canada) recalled
Orijen cat food in the USA
after cats began dying in
Australia.
December 2008, Mars extended
their recall of dry cat and
dog foods.
December 2008, the FDA again
cautioned consumers about
dog illnesses due to
consumption of chicken jerky
products.
April 2009, pet products
containing peanut butter
were included in the recall
brought about by the filthy
conditions at Peanut
Corporation of America’s two
plants that gave us the
salmonella scare.
May 2009, Mars Petcare US
recalled Nutro Products dry
cat foods due to incorrect
levels of zinc and potassium
from a production error.
|
So how could ASPCA not know? This
publication has covered pet food fraud,
counterfeiting, and contamination in
great depth. The above list is only a
sampling of pet food recalls due to
sickness and fatalities in America’s
pets, excluding melamine contamination
and pet food problems in other
countries.
Not always the same contaminants, not
always the same maker, and not always
the same product but how can ASPCA state
that pet foods do not make pets sick?
Don’t they see a trend in the complaint
log? Of course calls would be random.
There are an unbelievable number of pet
foods on the market and an estimated 60
million households that use cat or dog
food.
Many people take their sick animal to
the veterinarian during regular hours
but after-hours trips are extremely
expensive so people may call Poison
Control for help. How can you treat an
animal over the phone when the official
position is that he is not sick from
eating pet food and pet foods are not
tested?
Trying to make sense of the issue, we
searched for answers, and what we found
will come as a surprise to most readers.
In addition to Animal Poison Control
Center, for which they charge callers a
$60 fee, ASPCA has another enterprise;
ASPCA’s Animal Product Safety Service (APSS)
for pet product makers. This means
that the ASPCA’s APSS has a close
alliance with the very corporations
whose products have made pets sick.
|
In addition to Animal Poison
Control Center, which charges
callers a $60 fee, ASPCA has another enterprise; ASPCA’s Animal Product Safety Service
(APSS) for pet product makers.
This means that the ASPCA’s
APSS has a close alliance
with the very corporations
whose products have made
pets sick. |
ASPCA’s APSS even has a service for
helping their member companies fill out
the FDA report forms when their products
sicken or kill pets. In addition, they
do not charge pet owner-callers if the
product that made the pet sick is made
by a member of APSS. While we do not
know which, if any, pet food
corporations have become members of
ASPCA’S APSS, the notion that this could
be reflected in their conclusion
regarding pet food is troublesome. In
the very least it is a conflict of
interest and certainly a slap in the
face to pet owners who are charged when
they call the poison control number.
Some would consider it outright fraud.
If you suspect pet food sickened your
dog or cat, take him to the vet,
along with a stool sample if possible.
Then put samples of the food in two
separate airtight zip-bags. Write the
date collected on the zip-bag labels.
You should find the manufacturer’s date
stamped on the dog food bag (often sewn
into the seam so you can’t find it) the
package, or the can, so save that, along
with the UPC code, and report the
adverse effects to the FDA at no cost.
To find a Complaint Coordinator
in your area and complete instructions
for reporting:
www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html
To be informed on pet food recalls, sign
up for FDA Updates here:
https://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USFDA_48
As to the ASPCA’s APCC statement that
pet food does not make pets sick; there
are many pet owners and reliable
veterinarians who know that the ASPCA is
wrong. Most would also agree ASPCA
appears to work both sides of the fence
due to their alliance with pet food
manufacturers by way of ASPCA’s Animal
Product Safety Service.
http://www.thedogpress.com/Columns/09091-ASPCA-Poison-Control_Nel.asp
Liquorman
Handy links:______________________
Investigative Reports on Deadly Dog Food are in sequential order
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