FDA confirms probe of NUTRO pet food deaths/illnesses

[LeAnn, Lucy & Rusty!!]

I use NUTRO dog food for both my puppy and adult dog. I switched about two years ago and saw a huge improvement in my german shepherd's coat and, more importantly, his ability to get up and down (he was gettin' old). I have not ever had a problem with the food but a friend sent me an article from a "consumer affairs" website that was worth reading. I am continuing to read the information. I'm including two links - one to the consumer affairs artlcle and the other to NUTRO's defense. I recommend reading both before drawing a conclusion.

It's important to note the "consumer affairs" website is an independent website and is not affiliated with anyone - including government agencies. I have read the article three times now and personally have come to the conclusion that the FDA is looking into complaints they have received nothing more, nothing less. "Probe" is a emotional word and the connotation is not positive. No conclusions or even suggestion conclusions have been determined - there has been no recall. Prior to reading this article I had no knowledge that there even MIGHT be a problem... I'm glad I know of a potential problem... but I'm not going to change foods... yet...

[LeAnn, Lucy & Rusty!!]

Wow... I had no idea about all this... mmmm think I'll drop in on the food group....

[Denice Caouette]

Thank goodness for this website. I had not heard a thing about this. Both my girls have eaten Nutro Naturals Lamb and Rice since they came to us and we have never had a problem. They have been very healthy. I was mixing it about 2/3 Nutro to 1/3 Avoderm because Avoderm is natural and has the avocado which is great for their coats. This is scary... I will drop in on the food group and see what anyone suggests to switch them to! Neither or mine have tummy problems, so switching them should not be a problem and obviously may save them problems in the future. For what it is worth, my last 2 dogs both lived to 17 and were healthy til they passed over the Rainbow Bridge from old age and they ate the same food. Tooooooo sad !

[Kyoko]

You will learn sooo much from being in the "Food Group".
I had no ideas about anything, and I learned a whole a lot. I am a very careful dog food consumer now. :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And just in case anyone is reassured by Nutro's claims that they adhere to all the FDA guidelines, etc., I have some bad news...there are almost NO guidelines for pet food safety from the FDA, USDA, or anyone else. They can pretty much put anything in there that they want to. That's why we started the Food Group. We need to learn these things from each other...what to look for, what to avoid, what's changed, etc.

Read about the non-existent safety guidelines established for pet food manufacturers here:
http://www.petsfortheenvironment.org/blog/tag/FDA

[Linda and Murphy]

This is very disturbing. Murphy has been on Nutro since I brought him home. He has mainly been on Lamb and Rice. (We also used the venison..which he loved ...but was discontinued) sigh.
Where do you go from here?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

To The Food Group, lol !

I also used Nutro Lamb & Rice for many, many years. I tried a few different foods, and ended up with Nature's Variety Prairie (they have several formulas designed to be rotated among the different flavors: lamb & rice, venison, etc.) and Fromm's Four Star line, which is also designed to be rotated among the different flavors, if desired. I have confirmed that there is no menadione or ethoxyquin in these products, no corn, wheat, or soy, that they are made in the US, that they are in no way associated with Menu Foods (the importer of the poisoned Chinese ingredients), that they contain no products from China, and that all ingredients are from the U.S. except for lamb and venison from New Zealand. I alternate between the two brands, which is a smart thing to do. You will never be dependent on any one company in case of unavailibility, formula changes, etc. You will be paying more, and you will be getting much better food for your money.
Jack does better (smaller firmer stools, etc.) with food that has some rice in the mixture. There are lots and lots of other premium kibbles that our Food Group members have recommended. Check it out.

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

For an average sized standard goldendoodle (65-75lbs), how long does a 30# bag of Nature's Variety last?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, I don't buy anything bigger than a 15 lb bag, as one of the things Jackdoodle is allergic to is storage mites, and his specialist advises not to buy quantities that can't be used up in a month.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/storage...

Jack weighs 80 lbs. I haven't really paid that much attention to how long it lasts, but I'd say the 15 lb bag lasts 3-4 weeks, so the 30 would be double.

[Ellen aka BeauBeau's Mom]

I was feeding Beau Nutro Naturals UNTIL I met the representative from Nutro at my local Petco. He had NO IDEA that garlic was one of the listed no\-no''s we are not supposed to feed our dogs. I might add that he was horrified, did not believe me, and l;iterally rushed to his phone to report what I had told him back to the company. ALSO, it was only weeks after that that the pet food scare beca,e public. Hpw ignorant is that to have a representative of the company not know what is good and not good for our dogs? I would not buy any of their products if it was the last food on earth.

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

Is garlic really bad for dogs? I put it in her homemade dog food. She just loves it! I know onions are bad - and maybe garlic if they eat a clove or something, but I add a little garlic powder - and her food smells soooo good.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

http://www.petsbynature.com/Garlic.htm

Also from Pet place:
Dangerous Foods: Are They Harmful to Your Dog?By: Dr. Dawn Ruben

"Onions or Garlic. Dogs and cats lack the enzyme necessary to properly digest onions and this could result in gas, vomiting, diarrhea or severe gastrointestinal distress. If large amounts of onion or garlic are ingested or onions are a daily part of your dog's diet, the red blood cells may become fragile and break apart. This is due to the toxic ingredient in onions and garlic, thiosulphate. Signs can begin immediately after eating the onion or a few days later. Large quantities of garlic need to be ingested before signs of toxicity are seen. Severe anemias and even death can occur if the dog ingests lots of onions or garlic and receives no treatment."

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

The key words are large quantities. My homemade gets some garlic powder or 1 or 2 sliced cloves of garlic into a weeks worth of food for three dogs. I have read in several places that garlic in small quantities is good for digestion, flea and tick repellent and dogs do love it. I have been doing it for 2 years now with no reactions. Onions, grapes and raisins you should stay away from, but garlic is only a problem in large quantities. In fact several companies, onlynaturalpet.com, comes to mind, sell things with garlic in them to repel fleas and ticks.