Why did Whiskers have to die?

It's hard to believe my furry friend has been gone almost a year. I still miss him so much. I miss hearing him say Mout when he wanted to go outside. I miss him sitting on my feet or in my lap. I miss him following me around outside.

It was bad enough when I read that cats in the Menu Foods labs had died as early as February 2007 and that Menu Food neglected to recall their poisonous food until it was too late for Whiskers. (Other post I have done on the pet food recall)

But now a Study says killer combination turned up in pet food before 2007 recall.

It seems that last year’s massive pet food recall wasn’t the first time thousands of pets suffered renal failure due to melamine and cyanuric acid contamination of pet food.

A recent article in the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation says that a similar outbreak in 2004 was caused by the contaminants, and that “Findings in tissues from animals affected in the United States in 2007 were identical to those observed in the dogs from Asia that died in 2004.”

Why wasn't American pet owners aware of this before 2007? Why didn't we know the pet food we innocently gave out pets could potentially KILL THEM???

Christie Keith raises this troubling possibility.

Third is the question as to whether this has happened not only twice, but many times over the years. Certainly once the extent of melamine and cyanuric acid adulteration or protein concentrates in China was discovered it seemed fairly obvious the 2007 outbreak wasn’t the first one; it was just the first one we noticed. This study confirms that suspicion.

How many beloved pets over the years have died before their time due to kidney failure because of the food they were feed? How many furry friends have I lost because they were poisoned by their pet food?

You can read Christie's entire article at Pet Connection.

Bad Law

From the PetsitUSA.com Blog

Most cat and dog owners in Los Angeles will now be required to have their cats and dogs spayed or neutered.

I certainly believe in spaying and neutering pets, but I think it should be voluntary. I’m not sure laws like this are the solution. It seems to me this could have some very undesirable results. If people aren’t responsible pet owners to begin with, I doubt seriously they are going to rush in to have their pets sterilized. Instead, many are more likely to skip going to the vet for fear of being “turned in.”

Dumb Owner = Dead Dog

I don't know what it's like in other parts of the United States but in South Mississippi if you are STUPID enough to turn your pet over to the Humane Society they will kill it immediately or after a very short time and they WILL NOT notify you first. Please if you have a pet you can no longer keep, find a loving home for it yourself.



Why did Marley have to die?

In August, I went to the Humane Society and found a beautiful black lab puppy. I immediately fell in love with her and brought her home. She was soon housebroken and growing up quickly. She was lively, but completely lovable and she loved everyone. I had her trained by a local trainer, and she was a joy to have around.

In February I suffered a stroke and had no one to take care of her. My son drove from Tampa to help me since I would be in the hospital for a long time recovering. We knew I couldn't leave her alone. After a very tough decision, we agreed we had to take her back to the Humane Society so she could find a loving home. I was sure that because she was trained and had had all of her shots and was so beautiful she would soon be chosen by a good family.

My son took her back to the Humane Society and told the person there about the situation and that we had no other choice. He gave them his name, address, and telephone number and asked that they contact him if she did not find a home within a short period of time. He told them that if necessary, he would drive back from Tampa and pick her up.

Two days later, I called and was completely stunned to be told that they had immediately put her to sleep. I could do nothing but cry. I was heartbroken. Marley was ready and trained to be a loyal household pet. Instead, she was killed. If my son had known they would kill Marley, he never would have left her there.

They told me that she was aggressive toward people. However, when under my care she had never shown any aggression toward me or any of my neighbors. I could even put my hand in her food bowl and she would never do so much as growl.

I am sure that our neighbor who gave money to build the beautiful Humane Society facility would turn over in his grave if he knew this had taken place. Please tell me why.

MRS. DENNIS HOLSTON Gulfport

The answer of course is most people want kittens and puppies. Since there is an over abundance of kittens and puppies older dogs and cats do not stand a chance, and The Gulfport Humane Society is notorious for putting pets to sleep with no effort to contact the owners.

A lady I know was on vacation when her dog escaped from her home due to the negligence of the pet sitter she had hired to take care of the dog while she was away. The dog catcher who picked him up knew who he belonged to, as he often saw her walking him, and slid a note under her door when no one came to the door. Since she was away she didn't get the note until she returned. The dog had been put down the first day it was brought in even though the dog catcher told them that the owner would pick it up, even though it had been spayed and even though it had the name of the owner on it's collar and was micro-chipped. The ONLY person who apologized to the lady was the dog catcher who said that IF he had know they were going to put the dog down he would have just put the dog back in the lady's fenced in yard (even though he isn't suppose to do that).

Animal Cruelty

A man from Louisiana has been charged with violating a new federal animal cruelty law by smuggling cockfighting weapons into the United States.

Joseph Marty Toralba was arrested at the Honolulu airport on Feb. 2 as he was returning from an international cockfighting derby in the Philippines. Authorities said customs officers found 263 gaffs - sharp knives that are tied to the birds' legs - hidden with portable gas stoves in cardboard boxes Toralba had checked in on the plane.

Toralba, a 39-year-old landscaper who has a 150-bird farm in Colfax, La., was indicted Thursday. His public defender, Shanlyn Park, didn't return a phone call seeking comment.

Read more here.

JAN'S FUNNY FARM: Dogs Deserve Better

JAN'S FUNNY FARM: Dogs Deserve Better

Please help if you can.

Another Victim of Menu Foods

Holbrook, NY: Theresa blames finance-driven veterinary hospitals for letting her dog die without treatment because she was short on funds. But she carries heavy guilt over unwittingly feeding her pet the now-recalled Menu pet food that caused his illness.

"About six weeks before he died," Theresa says, "ChaChee was just a little bit sick-throwing up, lethargic, nothing major so I just took him for a check-up. I got his iron up, like the doctor prescribed, then he was eating again. He was up to two six-ounce IAMS beef with gravy pouches and Eukenuba pink bags for small dogs.

"Then all of a sudden, at the beginning of March, he stopped eating. He started throwing up again, he was always sleeping and he was drinking so much water. My dog is a Shiatsu and normally weighed about 12 1bs and at the groomers they pointed out that he was losing weight.

"On March 11th, it was getting so bad he was just bones and couldn't hold his own body up. I flew right up to Holbrook Hospital. They hooked him up to intravenous then turned and asked me for the $500 payment. Even though I only had $200 in my pocket and I swore I'd pay them off, they blatantly told me it was $500 or nothing. So they sent me to West Islip Animal Hospital, since they did credit plans there.

Read the rest here.

This is such a sad tale. I know how she feels I still feel guilty about feeding Whiskers the tainted pet food and I still miss him every day. At least we were able to afford the medical care he needed, unfortunately there was nothing the vet could do for him.

Justice for Pet Owners at Last

A Las Vegas importer and two Chinese companies are indicted after thousands of dogs and cats died or became sick last year.

By Abigail Goldman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 7, 2008
A Las Vegas food import company, two Chinese businesses and the companies' top executives were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in connection with their parts in a tainted-pet food scandal last year that sickened or killed thousands of dogs and cats, the Justice Department said.

Read the rest here.

News for cats and dogs

News for cats and dogs - Lab Reports Acetaminophen, Melamine In Special Kitty Cat Food

A Weekend in Silence & Remembrance

Kashim & Othello are hosting A Weekend in Silence & Remembrance for those of us who have lost pets. I lit a candle at Alasandra for Whiskers, I am lighting this candle for all the dogs & cats who died before their time due to the pet food recall.

The Last Meow

The Last Meow is dedicated to the memory of those pets who died due to the Menu Foods Pet Food Recall.

Our prayers are with those pets who are suffering due to the Menu Foods Pet Food Recall and we hope you will share your stories.

It is my hope that this website will help people understand the scope of the tragedy, and that by sharing the memories of our deceased pets or the suffering of those pets who survived, we as pet lovers will be able to find some measure of peace.

If you want to post your pet's story please leave a Tip for Whiskers (include a way to contact you) and I will send you an invitation to join this blog.