RECOMMENDED READING ON CANINE NUTRITION: PITCAIRN, NESTLE AND OTHERS

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

I am a tremendous fan of Dr. Pitcairn. This book is so comprehensive and includes a complete guide to commercial foods, nutitritional charts and fact as well as recommended dietary plans for dogs with specific disorders and illnesses. Plus there are some wonderful and simple to follow recipes if you decide to home cook for your dogs.

Marion Nestle, acclaimed author of Food Politics, now tells the gripping story of how, in early 2007, a few telephone calls about sick cats set off the largest recall of consumer products in U.S. history and an international crisis over the safety of imported goods ranging from food to toothpaste, tires, and toys. Nestle follows the trail of tainted pet food ingredients back to their source in China and along the supply chain to their introduction into feed for pigs, chickens, and fish in the United States, Canada, and other countries throughout the world. What begins as a problem "merely" for cats and dogs soon becomes an issue of tremendous concern to everyone. Nestle uncovers unexpected connections among the food supplies for pets, farm animals, and people and identifies glaring gaps in the global oversight of food safety.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Jacquie, this was the first book I bought before I started homecooking for my dogs. I have been homecooking for almost two years now and refer back to this resource frequently. Every dog or cat owner should have this book i their library.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

I know!...You and I have had this discussion several times.....and just knowing that you are also a fan made me feel so much more secure about using it as a guide......I agree...Every dog or cat owner should invest in a copy....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Another book recommendation from Lynne NJ:
Also check out the book, "Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts about Pet Food," by Ann Martin. You'll never feed commercial food again after you discover what's really in it.

(Note: Ann Martin is a canine nutritionist who is very well respected in the veterinary education world.-K&J)

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

My reading recommendation is EVERYTHING you can get your hands on with the following warning: Use this only as one of the tools in your toolbelt not as absolute fact. Fortunately there are many good sources out there, but the flip side is they are still laden with flaws if you do not really look. Many reviews are very dated, falling before the mass recalls and also the epidemic ingredient changes that manufacturers are implementing in response to rising costs. Many foods are hidden well behind smoke and mirrors so that it is difficult to determine who actually manufactures it for them. There are some good 'rating' systems, but I do not think you should EVER use a pre-rated food based on its score ~ score it yourself using the guidelines, again much has changed since the introduction of many of these that have been floating around for a LONG time.

This past year Whole Dog Journal eliminated and named companies that had previously been on their list and would not devulge their manufacturing location. Even so there remain foods even on this list that I totally would not feed my dogs. Many well known medium priced foods widely thought of as premium have a deep history of issues and even fatalities, but you are not reading about it are you? It happens so much more than you can imagine.

There have been a number of buy outs and product line merges of late. So it is not only what is in the food you thought you were feeding, but who is really making it now? And could there be plans of change in your future arising from the mergers. Several of our puppy families have asked my opinion of a few lines that have merged, I can only reply that if they are looking to make a change I can tell them it has been good in the past but advise waiting until the dust settles to ensure they are not going to be subjecting their pup to yet another food change, perhaps involuntarily.

When we first set out on the food journey I sure could not have predicted the road trip we would take, it sure has become far more than a weekend getaway. When the recalls hit, I had fed several foods I thought to be of high quality ~ several ended up on the lists. I can remember walking into PetSmart saying now what? Of course our vet was limitied in opinion to those that force feed them and supply them with free textbooks, education monies, monetary gain and more - it is what they know. At that point we switched to a 'premium' food, our dogs did well on it and we were actually paying less because they did not need to eat as much filler and garbage to get the nutrients they needed. Then along came a price change, a size change, an ingredient change along with a manufacturer change ~ none of which did we actually learn from the company we had placed the well being of our pet nutrition in. After that day I vowed to research them all, and I continue to look for information because I do not want to find myself vulnerable, I want to know where I am going next if a problem arises.

You are your pets best advocate. Don't just look at what you can see, look for what you cannot see and beyond. Find out if they have ever been on a recall list, if so ~ why and what did they do to correct it? Are they in control of their own production or do they hire it out and if so to who? Are the ingredients U.S. sourced? And then look deeper still. There are some very disturbing facts to uncover, for example one well known premium food owns a meat rendering plant that is at the same physical address as their pet food plant, how would you feel about that? Some have had legit investigations and still others have been investigated in what appears to be false accusations to take the focus off of others.

Above all in your readings ~ ask. This site is a phenomenol resource, it gives us power to uncover problems that may be linked sometimes well in advance of public reports. And very often we can pick up where someone else left off because before we came along someone else already started down the road.

With much gratitude to all that share their knowledge and experience, often the result of personal tragedy, with the rest of us ~

Dianne Carter

PS I found the 'Pet Food Politics' book to be as insightful as it was disturbing, it is a real eye opener.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Dianne, I could not have said it better myself. Every Commercial Dogffod company has to be suspect in our minds. Between the mergers and buying ingredients from mass producers, you have to be constantly on top of all the information you can find. Just because you find something good today, does not mean there might not be a problem tomorrow. These discussions have been invaluable resources for me and I hope they become eye openers for those who are new to feeding dogs or those that never thought about it before. Like you said, one resource is not enough, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I have just read a wonderful and very helpful book on cat & dog nutrition- "Pet Food Nation", by Joan Weiskopf. (copyright 2007). Joan Weiskopf has an MS degree from Tufts University school of veterinary medicine, and is a veterinary clinical nutritionist. (She is also a breeder.) This book addresses the 2007 recalls, provides a lot of information on both the pet food industry and the nutritional needs of our pets, and advocates a home-cooked diet. It is a slim volume, very well-written and easy to understand, and gives very simple information on what to feed, how to prepare & feed it, how much to feed, and even what particular protein & grain sources are "natural" to which breeds. (For example, retrievers and standard poodles would traditionally have eaten mostly chicken, trout, salmon, duck, and other water fowl, along with oats, barley, and potatoes, with apples and green beans as their main fruit & veggie sources.) She also gives advice for people who are not able to completely switch to homecooking, for adding nutritious table scraps to commercial food, and lists only two commercial foods which she believes are safe and nutritious at this time: Flint River, and Nature's Logic. There are charts of nutrients which are very helpful, and complete, very simple recipes. Also recommendations for feeding dogs with liver problems & other illnesses. It is in paperback, with a retail price of $15.95, but I'm sure it's much less on Amazon. I got it from the library, but I think I'm going to buy it to use for a reference guide. I highly recommend it!

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I cannot believe I can still be shocked by anything more that I can learn about the 2007 Recalls of Menu Foods products. I have read many books, articles and stories about the events, ingredients and problems faced by the Commercial Dogfood industry and the FDA about the events that transpired and how the recall was handled. I am still awaiting my, "up to" $900.00 settlement from the Class Action Lawsuit over my dead dog. So, upon the recommendation of others here, I purchased "Pet Food Politics (Nestle)" and "Pet Food Nation (Weiskopf)" for myself for Xmas. I sat down this quiet Sunday morning with my cup of coffee and started in on "Politics," first. I really did not expect to discover anything new, as I said, I have read almost everything on the subject. BUT ...

On page 33, I come to a table entitled, "Timeline of Menu Foods and other Melamine-associated pet food recalls, July 2006-April 2008." It is the usual list of how things occurred and I almost missed one date in particular:

February 26, 2007 - Menu's CFO sells nearly half his units (shares) in the company. The big, huge, massive recall went public on March 16, 2007 and here we have the CFO, selling his shares in the company, 19 days before we were told to stop feeding the dogfood to our dogs.

If this is not absolute proof that these B******S knew there was a problem, did nothing about it and tried to protect their assets, I don't know what is. ALL they and the ONLY thing, these people cared about was MONEY, not our pets, not our safety, not their reputations (all are back in business). Some of the PREMIUM brands were on that recall. Some are popular with some of you in our DoodleKisses family right here. Call me a nut, call my anything you want but I will never go back to these brands (and this is just SOME), if they had even ONE problem at ONE time, who is to say, they won't have another problem?

This is a partial list:

Blue Buffalo
Costco/Kirkland Signature
Diamond Pet Foods
Eukanuba
Iams
Mulligans Stew
Natural Balance
Natural Life
Natural Way
Nu Pet
Nutriplan
Nutro Ultra/Max/Natural Choise
Pet Essentials
Royal Canin

Like I said, this is just a partial list and this is just the Menu Foods Recall of 2007.

All the way back to 1995, there have been various recalls and it continues today with Mars PetCare being one of the most recent with salmonella.

Purina, Mars, Procter & Gamble, Colgate, DelMonte are the top 5 of the industry with 75% of US sales. At the time of the 2007 recalls, Menu Foods held contracts with all of them. The only solution for me is to keep homecooking.

PS: Sorry, I got on my soapbox again! This really p****s me off. I am going to keep reading, so you may hear from me again on this topic.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hearing from you, up on your soapbox, is what has already prompted many of us to stop feeding this poison to our dogs and probably saved them from illness, if not worse. Don't be sorry, be proud, and keep spreading the word.
Although I don't know the exact dates, there is no doubt that the CFO at Menu was aware of the problem prior to the March recalls, because after receiving customer complaints of sick pets very early in 2007, they had already run a controlled test in Canada involving 34 cats & dogs, 7 of whom died, before they finally recalled the $h_ _ in March. I am sure the test results are what prompted his sale of stock prior to the recall.
I guess it will take a tragedy involving human children to stop these greedy ba$t_ _ _$.
Thank you for keeping us informed. Hugs to you & your pack.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Thank You!

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

This was perhaps one of the most sickening facts that I read in this book. I like yourself thought I would not really see too much new information ~ that timeline is what sucked me in to continue turning the pages. As I turned it made me sicker still, yet captivated at the insidious nature by which the industry as a whole runs.

Why on earth would your ever apologize for even trying to spare one the grief you have been victimized by? I am certain I speak for many in my gratitude for your participation in trying to educate. Some people get on soapboxes and merely point fingers sometimes without facts. I have never seen you jump in with out facts and it always serves the purpose of sharing knowledge, experience and the desire to obtain a positive outcome in the present and future.

Thanks!

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Thank You! Sometimes I feel like this is an obsession because of what they did to my beautiful dog. And with each injustice I come across I get madder and madder. Magic would still be alive if not for these digusting people who continue to pull the wool over people. If I see one more Purina Puppy/Dog Chow commercial on a Marley and Me ad, I think I'll scream.

I appreciate that you recognize that I have never wanted to "point fingers" without facts. But sometimes the facts are so overwhelming that I just don't understand how anyone can remain silent (or ignorant) of what these companies are doing. Sometimes I just have to SHOUT IT OUT. Thanks for listening, Dianne and Karen.

[Teresa]

Lynn - I'm just catching up on your post and wanted to also post my support on what you are willing to "teach" the rest of us. Until several weeks ago, I was really under the impression that I would not be able to safely home cook for my dog because I wouldn't be able to get him all of the proper nuitrition he would need in the right amounts. I have been very interested in all of the posts in the food group about home cooking and what I need to do. I went out yesterday and bough Dr. Pitcairn's book - this afternoon I am reading through the recipes etc and plan on starting Hudson on homecooking this week.

There is a huge difference between someone who is "nuts" and yelling about issues - you absolutely do not come across that way. You express your grief and frustration with extreme intelligence and you certainly caught my attention because of it. I'm a very strong personality and would react very negatively to someone that was just blogging for the sake of blogging. You, lovely lady, are an inspiration in what you have learned and are willing to teach and share.

Thank You!