ASPCA opens investigation into unexplained dog deaths

Purina Denies Claim on Bichon Frise Deaths
ASPCA opens investigation into unexplained dog deaths

Sept.6, 2007
The insurance company that represents pet food giant Nestle Purina has denied any liability in the deaths of two Bichon Frise with champion bloodlines.

Meanwhile, ConsumerAffairs.com learned the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is now reviewing the dogs’ medical records and their unexpected deaths.

The dogs suddenly died last year – within two months of each other. Their owner, Julie N. of Harlan, Kentucky, blames the deaths on Purina’s dry dog food – specifically Purina One, Purina ProPlan and Purina Dog Chow.

“I think there’s something wrong with the food,” she says. “There’s no other explanation for these dogs to suddenly die.”

They were both healthy. They were bred from champion bloodlines. And one of the dogs -- Beeble -- was just a puppy.

“She was a healthy 12-month-old Bichon Frise,” says Julie, who breeds and shows Bichon Frise. “But then she suddenly started drinking excessive amounts of water, was vomiting, and became very lethargic.”

Julie immediately took Beeble to the veterinarian.

But she died four days after he put her on antibiotics and started I.V. fluids.

“There’s no reason that puppy should have died,” Julie says. “Her parents had genetic clearance. She was a perfectly healthy dog.”

Two months later -- On October 26 -- another one of Julie’s healthy dogs unexpectedly died. In this case, it was her eight-year-old Bichon Frise, Kayla.

“Kayla was a healthy female who did pet therapy,” Julie says. “But then she started drinking enormous amounts of water. At first, I thought she might have diabetes. But the tests were negative on that.”
Autopsy Reveals Possible Link

Heartbroken and baffled by the dogs’ death -- and determined to find answers -- Julie had autopsies performed on Beeble and Kayla at the University of Tennessee’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Knoxville.

The autopsy report on Beeble revealed a possible connection between the puppy’s death and the food she ate.

Pathologists discovered problems with Beeble’s liver that were “consistent with exposure to a hepatotoxin such as aflatoxin.” Aflatoxins are poisons produced by fungus or mold. These toxins are often found in corn and other agriculture crops and commonly cause liver disease.

But how could Beeble become exposed to -- and ingest -- aflatoxins?

Simple.

“The aflatoxins could have come from the (dog) food,” Beeble’s veterinarian, Douglas Mickey, told ConsumerAffairs.com. He reviewed Beeble’s and Kayla’s autopsy reports and -- with Julie’s permission -- agreed to discuss them with us. “Aflatoxins are known to be found in moldy grains, like corn that would be in dog food.”

He added: “If you’re asking me if there’s a possible connection between the pet food and Beeble’s death, the answer is: you can’t rule that out.”

Aflatoxins in pet food have contributed to the deaths of more than 100 dogs in recent year, including:

• The deaths of 25 dogs in 1999. In that case, Doane Pet Care recalled more than one million bags of corn-based dry dog food tainted with aflatoxins. Fifty-four brands of dog food, including Ol’Roy, were part of that recall;

• The deaths of 100 dogs in 2005. In that instance, Diamond Food recalled some of its pet food because the moldy corn in the products contained aflatoxins.

Aflatoxins, however, are not linked to Menu Foods’ massive recall in March of 60 million containers of dog and cat food. That pet food recall -- the largest in U.S. history -- is blamed on melamine contamination in the imported wheat gluten and rice protein used to make the food.

Thousands of dogs and cats nationwide suffered kidney problems or died after eating the melamine-tainted food.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traced the source of the melamine contamination to two now-defunct companies in China.
Kayla’s Death Remains a Mystery

Aflatoxins also didn’t play a role in Kayla’s death, Dr. Mickey told ConsumerAffairs.com

“That dog didn’t die from anything in her food,” he said. What caused her death remains a medical mystery.

Kayla’s autopsy report revealed she had “multiple organ mineralization,” which Dr. Mickey said was likely caused by an adrenal problem.

“But (the pathologists) couldn’t 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.

“Kayla’s death has puzzled everyone who has looked at it.” Everyone, that is, except Julie.

Despite the autopsy report, she’s convinced Purina’s dog food also contributed to Kayla’s death.
Purina Denies Claim

Purina’s insurance company, however, disagrees.

In a letter Julie received from Sedgwick Claims Management Services, a claim examiner states: “After careful review of the records from the University of Tennessee Veterinary Teaching Hospital, I must respectfully deny liability on behalf of Nestle’ Purina PetCare Company for this claim . . . neither Beedle’s (sic) nor Kayla’s medical problems would result from their diets.”

The insurance company, which misspelled Beeble’s name, concluded the puppy died from “severe hemorrhagic bronchopneumonia.” It also stated Kayla’s death “appeared to be steroid induced and most likely the result of Cushing’s syndrome.”

But Julie says the company reached that conclusion -- and sent its letter in mid-August -- without reading the entire autopsy reports.

“I immediately called the insurance company after I received the letter and asked them how they could disregard the pathologist’s finding that the problems with Beeble’s liver were consistent with exposure to aflatoxins,” Julie says. “And the claims adjuster told me she didn’t see that in the report…she admitted that she didn’t have a copy of the last page of the autopsy report.”

Julie re-sent that report.

“But a claim examiner called me later and said the company had reached the same conclusion…it wasn’t Purina’s fault. I asked them again about the aflatoxins and they just said Beeble died from pneumonia. They also said Kayla died from steroid induced Cushing’s syndrome, but she was never on steroids.”
No Comment

A spokesman for Purina declined to comment on the insurance company’s finding.

In a previous interview, spokesman Keith Schopp defended Purina’s handling of Julie’s concerns and said there were no aflatoxins in the company’s products in the Untied States.
ASPCA Reviewing Records

Meanwhile, ConsumerAffairs.com confirmed today that Julie’s case has captured the attention of the ASPCA.

We learned an ASPCA veterinarian is now -- at Julie’s request -- reviewing the medical records and autopsy reports on Beeble and Kayla. A spokeswoman said it’s too early to comment on any findings because the organization just received the documents on Tuesday.
Fighting For Justice for Her Dogs

Julie is also considering legal action, saying she’ll do whatever it takes to get justice for her dogs and other pets that might be at risk.

“I’m not doing this to make a profit,” she says. “I never wanted to pursue legal action in the first place. All I wanted was for Purina to take my information and check its food. But now they need to acknowledge that this has happened and make sure no one else’s pets die. I don’t want any other animals to die like mine.”

She adds: “You know that old (Shakespeare) saying that ‘something is rotten in the state of Denmark?’ Well, something is definitely rotten at Purina.”

lil Country Paws

On todays menu.....

Cautionary Statement and Disclaimer

These recipes are to give you information only.
Not all of them have been tested by me.
You are free to use any of the advice or suggestions entirely at your own risk.

Please note that in no way will I be held responsible for any problems that might occur, or any damage or loss sustained due to the use of information (or by me supplying inadequate or incomplete information)

Any Information is designed to help you make informed decisions and is in no way intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice or treatment.

Be sure to consult with your vet before adhering to any of the information, advice or recommendations regarding your pet’s health that may be presented.

Please understand that you are solely responsible for the use of any information given and the use of any information will be solely at your own risk.
lil Country Paws

From the "Doggie Chef"
On todays menu we have.

1lb Shin Beef

1lb Ground Beef

1lb Talapia

1lb chicken Giblets

4 whole eggs

4 lbs Assorted Veggies

1 Cup of Brown Rice and Barley.

Cook the shin and ground beef for 10 mins in boiling water then remove to container.

Cook the fish for 4 mins at boiling and remove

Cook the Giblets for 10 mins at boiling and remove

Chop and cook veggies for 10 mins and remove

Cook Barley for 30 mins drain and remove

Cook rice for 35 mins, drain and remove

Hard boil the eggs, remove shells, and chop, grind down the shells.

Mix everything together and cool in the fridge

This last my two dogs 2.5 to 3 days (dogs way 75lbs and 91lbs), 2 meals per day.

Top with either cottage cheese or Live plain yogurt, add the oil of 1 cod liver oil capsule per meal, and 750 mgs of natural oyster shell calcium per meal.

lil Country Paws
Doggie Dress-Up

Site for Feline info......

Know the basics on Feline Diets and home made foods. This site is packed with useful links and info regarding your favorite feline friends.

http://www.catinfo.org/

lil Country Paws

Looking for homemade pet food & treat recipes?

I belong to numerous pet boards and of course I've found time & time again, more and more people are searching the internet for homemade pet treats and food. Having lost one of my own, I can truly understand their fear. The one thing I like to make people aware of, is our pets nutritional needs are different from that of a human. So although some of the recipes I collect and will share with you from time to time and sound absolutely scrumptious, they can be lacking in nutritional value and that's where Sojos can help. Simply by adding a little Europa or Muesli to your pets favorite recipe will add the nutritional value that was missing originally.

Europa Ingredients: Sweet Potatos, Carrots, Broccoli, Celery, Apples, Whole Egg, Flax Meal, Parsley Leaf, Calcium Carbonate, Carob Powder, Kelp Powder, Alfalfa, Ginger Root, Garlic

Monzie's Muesli Ingredients: Organic Oats, Organic Barley, Organic Rye, Organic Quinoa, Organic Flax Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Kelp Powder, Carob Powder, Vegetable Broth Powder, Garlic, Parsley, Organic Alfalfa, Organic Dandelion

Missing Link for Cats & Dogs: One of our favorite general vitamin/mineral supplements. Nutritional supplementation is a great thing to add to any pet food, especially for puppies and kittens, older animals, or animals with special nutritional needs. Like Sojos Pet Food Mix, Missing Link derives its nutrition from unprocessed, nutrient-rich, human-quality whole foods. The Missing Link is nitrogen flushed and vacuum-packed for freshness to protect its precious nutrients. For years, veterinarians and pet owners have used Missing Link to promote better digestion, healthy skin and coat, increased energy, quicker recovery, reduced allergies, reduced odor, less joint stiffness and overall health and well being. Available in Missing Link for Cats, Missing Link for Dogs, and now Missing Link Plus for Dogs (with Joint Support).

Here are some great recipe books to start you down the right path that both you and your pets will enjoy and if you have a recipe your pets would like to share, send it to us here at lil Country Paws and we'll add it to our blog.


BARKER's Grub

A cookbook filled with wholesome, easy-to-prepare meals for your mutt or your pedigreed pooch -- and you'll find all the necessary ingredients in your fridge or at the local supermarket. She includes not only fun everyday meals, but healing meals for specific health problems, as well as special diets for different life stages, such as:
* Lo Mein Barking Style: the doggie alternative for Chinese takeout
* Beef Puppy Food: just the right mix for a growing dog
* Davie's Juicy Jiggly-Wiggly Anemia Diet: a blood-boosting dish of liver, rice, and spinach


Throw Me a Bone

50 delectable recipes for snacks, meals, and treats for your canine companion.

Maybe you're cooking everything because your collie has colitis or your Akita has a wheat allergy or your older dog just isn't thriving on commercial kibble. Maybe you're mixing up the occasional biscuit or treat to help your best fur-bearing friend over that I-just-ate-a-tennis- ball-and-don't-feel-so-good episode. Whatever the reason, the recipes in this book (which have been approved by dog trainer and nutritional consultant Stacy Alldredge) will satisfy the most discerning doggie palate. Many of them, in fact, can be shared with a favorite human (though preferably not from the same dish).


Real Food for Dogs

Instead of scolding your dog for begging at the table, pull up a chair and invite him to sit down! With these 50 vet-approved, easy-to-prepare recipes - from Pooch Pancakes to Gobble-Down Goulash - you can make nutritious and delicious food for your dog, and you'll laugh out loud at Anne Davis's delightful illustrations as you cook. You'll also learn "Canine Nutrition 101" and pick up helpful tips on dog care. A section on prescription diets is included for dogs with special needs.

lil Country Paws

FDA delayed April recall till July

Information obtained by ConsumerAffairs.Com reveals that although a rendering plant in Texas recalled more than one million pounds of melamine-tainted meat and bone meal products in April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not post information about the recall until July.

Darling International took the action during the height of the largest pet food recall in U.S. history.

When it finally did post the notice, the FDA listed the move as a Class III enforcement action, which means “use of or exposure to a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.”

The FDA’s Web site states Darling issued two separate recalls on April 20 of 682,600 pounds of dry rendered tankage -- or meat and bone meal products -- because the products contained melamine.

That's the chemical that triggered the massive recall in March of millions of containers of pet food, and is blamed for causing kidney disease and deaths in thousands of dogs and cats nationwide.

The FDA said Darling International processed the melamine-tainted bone meal products at its Wichita, Kansas, plant and distributed them in the Sunflower State and in Nebraska.

News of this latest melamine-related recall -- and its delayed posting -- alarmed pet owners nationwide. They fear the tainted products could have made their way back into their pets’ foods.

They also wondered why the FDA didn’t immediately post the recall.

“The FDA made no mention on its site of this recall until July 25th, and it's listed as a Class III recall,” cat owner, Don E. of Washington, told ConsumerAffairs.com. “So a meat and bone meal product, adulterated with melamine that could be used in pet food, is a Class III recall. But melamine in pet food is a Class I recall.”

Pet owner Mike G. of Florida raised similar concerns.

“Why would this firm which deals in rendered animal proteins, not in vegetable proteins, have to recall products containing melamine?” he asked. “This was in late April, about when it was learned that 'salvaged pet foods' had been fed to hogs, chickens, and farm-raised fish.

“Does something not seem right?”

A spokesman for Darling International says his company understands pet owners’ worries.

But Ross Hamilton, international director of governmental affairs and technology for Darling, said none of the melamine-tainted meat and bone meal products wound up in pet food.

“I empathize with pet owners and my message to them is none of this got into pet food,” he told ConsumerAffairs.com.

The contaminated material, however, did get into commercial feed for pigs and chicken.

“The loads that were recalled did go into to animal feed…commercial animal feed,” Hamilton said. “But after it left our facility, it was blended with other feeds, and at that point, the FDA said the melamine wasn’t detectable in the food. It was diluted down through normal procedures and by the time it got into commercial feed, it was so diluted that you couldn’t detect the melamine.”

The FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tested animals that consumed the melamine-tainted feed. Those tests concluded that meat from these animals is safe for humans to eat.

“There is very low risk of human illness from eating such meat,” the FDA states on its Web site.

How did the melamine-tainted materials wind up at Darling’s Irving, Texas, plant?

“One of our facilities inadvertently received it from Menu Foods (Emporia, Kansas) plant and we didn’t find out it contained melamine until after the recall began,” Hamilton said. “When the FDA was doing a trace-out from Menu, they found some of this material -- it’s meat scraps -- that we routinely pick up from Menu.”

He added: “We have manufacturing hazardous plans in place for hazards that we are aware of. But this one (melamine) was one that we weren’t aware of. This was one that we had to add to our list; it was a surprise to us.”

Hamilton said the FDA didn’t “cover-up” this recall, as some pet owners have alleged. He said the agency simply didn’t make it public until it finished its investigation.

“We worked with them on this recall,” Hamilton said. “They’re pretty meticulous and delayed posting this until they had closed out their investigation.”

lil Country Paws

FDA blocked more than 100 Nutro Products

August 28, 2007

• More about Pet Food Recalls ...
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July blocked more than 100 Nutro Products -- various styles and flavors of its dog and cat food -- from entering the United States.

ConsumerAffairs.com learned the FDA took that action at the Port of Los Angeles -- and listed Nutro’s pet food on its Import Refusal Report -- because the products appeared to contain poisonous substances and unsafe additives.

The FDA has authority to block and detain any regulated products from entering the United States if they “appear to be out of compliance with The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.”

Some of Nutro’s pet food on the Import Refusal List include its Adult Turkey with Chicken Liver, Choice Adult Cat w Turkey & Duck, Choice Complete Care Kitten Rich in Chicken with Liver, and Adult Large Breed Chicken & Rice.

News of the FDA’s action alarmed Mike G. of Florida. He owns multiple cats and feeds them Nutro products.

“What isn’t clear is which ‘additive’ it is that is ‘unsafe,’ and which ‘substance’ it is that is poisonous,” he told us. “The three Nutro canned cat products I have in front of me all state ‘Made in USA.’ But they don't say which state or which US territory.”

He added: “I don’t so much care where (the products came from). It’s the 'which' (unsafe additives and substances) that concerns me.”

Mike contacted Nutro about his concerns, but says the company ignored his inquires.

He wasn’t surprised.

“From previous experience, most responses from Nutro have been non-responsive,” he said.

Mike shared with us the message he sent to Nutro, which echoes concerns we’ve heard from other pet owners:

“I want to know, specifically, before I feed any of these foods I have in the house to my cats, exactly where Nutro cat foods are made, exactly where those foods on the FDA Import Refusal Reports were made, and specifically which ‘additive’ it is which is ‘unsafe,’ and which ‘substance’ it is which is deemed ‘poisonous’ or 'deleterious.’ ” “If I do not receive a satisfactory response I will be taking these cans back to where they were purchased, and will never again be purchasing other Nutro products.

“In the aftermath of several thousand pet deaths,” he added, “Nutro and other companies need to demonstrate their commitment to pet safety by answering pet owners' questions satisfactorily.”
Non-responsive

ConsumerAffairs.com also contacted Nutro about the FDA’s action. It took the company more than a week to respond to our repeated calls.

Nutro, however, didn’t answer our specific questions.

The company’s Consumer Services Manager, Tamara Cerven, instead e-mailed us Nutro’s official, canned response.

“It has been brought to our attention that confusion has been caused by the Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA”) Import Refusal Report,” the company’s statement said. “We wish to assure our customers that this report is in no way a cause for concern about the quality and safety of Nutro pet foods currently on store shelves.”

Nutro said the products listed the FDA’s Import Refusal Report are ones affected by Menu Food’s massive recall in March of melamine-tainted dog and cat food.

“This report lists recalled product(s) that have been returned to Nutro from overseas,” according to the company’s statement. “This product is not intended for sale.”

Nutro said it immediately discontinued all sales of its melamine-tainted products and removed them from retail stores, warehouses, and distribution centers after Menu recalled 60 million containers of contaminated pet food.

“Nutro also ordered recalled product to be shipped back to the U.S. from overseas for proper handling,” the company said in its written statement. “Some of this product is the subject of the FDA report.”

Nutro said customers with questions about the FDA’s action can call its customer service line at 1-800-833-5330 or visit its Web site at www.nutroproducts.com.

Mike doubts pet owners will get any answers, though.

“They failed to respond to my mail, responding only to you,” he told us today.

“My confidence was rattled with both Nutro and Iams in March when I learned that they both used Menu Foods. I'm one who drove further to the ‘pet-superstores’ to purchase what I had believed to have been better, safer' foods . . . only to learn they were made by the same company using some of the same unsafe contaminated ingredients which they also put into the ‘cheaper,’ ‘less-quality’/ ‘less-safe’ foods in the supermarkets.

“So their failure to respond to me now, personally, is the last straw for me. If and when products begin to flow from their own plant and I get a thorough read-through of the label, I might then reconsider purchasing their product. But not before.”

lil Country Paws

Shared pet food recipes.....

This is a great recipe for a homecooked food. 1 cup of Brown Rice, 1/2 cup of turkey, (brown the turkey to take out the pink) add
vegetables, such as spinach, celery, green beans and grate some carrots. Cook these all together, then add to the brown rice. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Very healty, bowel movements are perfect. Also give your pet a multivitamin every day,
and you will see how well your pet will do on this diet. I have been doing this for three months now and it is wonderful. Try it, you will see the difference this makes.

Replace veggies with Sojos Europa....The grain-free alternative to kibble, Europa is a wholesome pre-mix that you combine with meat and water to create a fresh, homemade dog food. Europa works great for dogs with sensitivities to grains, and also as a great fruit and vegetable supplement to our other mixes.

Ingredients: Sweet Potatos, Carrots, Broccoli, Celery, Apples, Whole Egg, Flax Meal, Parsley Leaf, Calcium Carbonate, Carob Powder, Kelp Powder, Alfalfa, Ginger Root,
Garlic

Then use our Missing Links supplement for the perfect balance to all your homemade pet foods....

Missing Link is one of our favorite general vitamin/mineral supplements. Nutritional supplementation is a great thing to add to any pet food, especially for puppies and kittens, older animals, or animals with special nutritional needs. Like Sojos Pet Food Mix, Missing Link derives its nutrition from unprocessed, nutrient-rich, human-quality whole foods. The Missing Link is nitrogen flushed and vacuum-packed for freshness to protect its precious nutrients. For years, veterinarians and pet owners have used Missing Link to promote better digestion, healthy skin and coat, increased energy, quicker recovery, reduced allergies, reduced odor, less joint stiffness and overall health and well being. Available in Missing Link for Cats, Missing Link for Dogs, and now Missing Link Plus for Dogs (with Joint Support).

lil Country Paws