Pet Owners Not Thrilled

A monetary settlement, Carol said, can never erase the pain and suffering her cats -- and her family -- experienced because of the tainted food.

No amount of money can make up for the loss of Whiskers, I still miss him so much. I also worry that the pet food I currently feed Socks, Scylla & Charybdis may not be safe, apparently I am not the only one.

Martin and others said pet food makers and the government must now -- in the wake of the massive recall and settlement -- ensure the food that consumers feed their pets is safe. But they are not convinced that's happened.

"I really don't think the food on the shelves now is any safer than what we saw prior to the massive recall," Martin said. "How many of these pet food companies are testing for contamination in the raw materials they are purchasing? It is my understanding that some are now testing for melamine in the grains, but this is just one toxin that might be in the raw material. Are they testing the vitamin/mineral premixes, many which are coming from China or other countries with questionable practices?"

Pet Food Catastrophe

Read Anatomy Of A Pet Food Catastrophe at Chemical & Engineering News, to better understand what went wrong with our pet food supply.

Work continues to make the pet food and livestock feed supply safer in the U.S. On May 13, FDA will host a meeting to discuss the development of ingredient, processing, and labeling standards for pet food. And the agency will hold a meeting on May 14 to present changes made to its Animal Feed Safety System project since last year. Changes include efforts to rank feed hazards according to the risks they pose to animal and public health and a risk-based method for prioritizing inspections of feed-production venues.

As a step toward preventing replays of this pet food adulteration saga, the U.S. State Department has approved an FDA plan to place staff in China (C&EN, March 24, page 28). The Chinese government must also approve the plan, which is designed to improve the safety of products shipped to the U.S. FDA also hopes to establish a collaborative relationship with authorities in India.

I pray that when all is said and done the food I feed my pets will be safe for them to eat. HT: Pet Food CSI: Deconstructing the recall by Christie Keith at Pet Connection Blog

Help Stop Puppy Mills

HSUS MySpace Page Stop Puppy Mills Website

One day when we get around to fencing in our property I hope to have a dog. We will adopt from a shelter, there are so many cats and dogs who need a loving family. Please help end puppy mills.

Here are some things you can do right now:

• If you are thinking of bringing a new dog into the family, or know someone who is, request a free copy of the Humane Societies' puppy buyer's guide for information on how to find reputable breeders, shelters, and rescue groups.
• Ask your federal legislators to crack down on puppy mills.
• Get the word out about puppy mills: write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
• Visit StopPuppyMills.org to educate yourself.
• Download one of the Humane Societies' Stop Puppy Mills campaign badges or banners to your own MySpace or Facebook page, blog, or website.
• Did you adopt your canine companion from a rescue group or shelter? Then order the Humane Societies' Proud to Adopt care package.
• Download Puppy Mill Cruelty flyer's and post them or give them out at your neighborhood dog park, to engage fellow dog owners and help spread the word.
• Help place advertisements and billboards to spread the word about puppy mill cruelty.

Pet Insurance

We looked into getting pet insurance when Charybdis was diagnosed with a heart mummer. It didn't take me long to discover there were no plans that would fit our needs. Most did not cover pre-existing conditions, congenital conditions (birth defects) or health issues the breed was known for. So while they would be terrific if your pet was in a serious accident (barring any exclusions in the fine print) they didn't do much for those of us with pets that had congenital conditions. Give Savings account versus pet insurance
By Kim Campbell Thornton a read. And if possible start a savings account for your pet now.

China still untrustworthy

A compound related to a common nutritional supplement has been identified as the contaminant in a blood-thinning drug imported from China that sickened hundreds of frail patients in the U.S. and is suspected in a number of deaths, federal officials said Wednesday.

Last time it was our pets they sickened and killed.

The substance mimics the real drug -- heparin -- in standard safety tests and may have been deliberately substituted for the genuine compound somewhere along the line to boost middlemen's profits. It could also have been added through a mishap or some kind of misguided experiment. Because of difficulties in back-checking, it's unclear whether Food and Drug Administration officials will ever know for sure.

Greed lead to the deaths of thousands of cats and dogs (including our beloved Whiskers) now it's leading to the deaths of humans.

The FDA's announcement came days after the anniversary of last year's massive recall of contaminated pet food. In that case, the agency found that a chemical added to pet food ingredients from China had sickened thousands of dogs and cats, many of which died.

We should refuse to BUY ANYTHING FROM CHINA. First they killed our pets now they are killing frail patients in the U.S.

Pet Food Still At Risk

Check out Pet Food Recall: Buyer, beware By Christie Keith. It's very disheartening to know the pet food industry is still unregulated.

The federal legislation, for instance, relies on manufacturers to voluntarily recall contaminated pet food. “As long as it’s voluntary, there will always be breaches,” says Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University and author of the forthcoming book “Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine,” due out in September. “There will be breaches anyway, but voluntary doesn’t work as well as regulated.”

It was because Menu Foods dragged their feet about voluntarily recalling their poisoned product that Whiskers died. Voluntary doesn't work!!!!!

The Pet Food Recall ~ 1 Year

Pet-food recall: Where were you a year ago? By Gina Spadafori

I was at the oral surgeons with my eldest son. Our beloved cat Whiskers had died March 9th, 2007 from 75% kidney failure. I was horrified to realize that I had feed him one of the recalled pet foods (Special Kitty).

A year after the pet food recall

It was just a year ago when pet lovers found themselves in the middle of the nightmare of a massive pet food recall. Sadly many of the pets involved never woke up from that nightmare, and their owners are still trying to deal with it. Christie Keith, of Pet Connection answers the question, “has anything changed?”

I am outraged the answer is NO. Our pets are still in danger of being poisoned by their pet food.

Tiny Iowa town rescinds $5 cat bounty

I was happy to read that................
The tiny town of Randolph has rescinded a $5 bounty on feral feline.
Instead, the southwest Iowa town of 200 people has agreed to work with animal rescue groups on a catch, neuter and release program.

Bad News For Cats in Iowa

Iowa town offers bounty on stray cats. I wish there was something I could do for these poor strays.

Boycott the Olympics

After reading this China’s pre-Olympic cat killing in full swing, I will boycott any company that supports the Olympics. I do hope in light of the fact that China is responsible for the deaths of many of our pets due to poisoning the ingredients they sold to petfood companies (March 2007) and now the inhumane killing of cats the U.S. will refuse to attend.