So...doesn't the FDA keep the Dog food safe?

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Lax oversight of pet food safety hurts us all

By Christie Keith, Special to SF Gate

Thursday, May 14, 2009

... Consumers can't entirely trust what the FDA tells them, in no small part because they often seem to have industry's best interests at heart rather than the public's. After all, they still have almost nothing to say to the press and public, but issued a statement clearing Nutro within a single day.

But the agency isn't really doing its best for industry, either. If pet food companies viewed the FDA as a competent, disinterested watchdog on the public health, they could compete openly in a transparent marketplace. Then, if some Internet hothead started slamming their products, they could point to an FDA statement and reasonably expect people to believe it.

Instead, Nutro is left to mop up after a PR mess made all over the Internet, pet owners have no idea what to believe or what pet food to buy, and the FDA has nothing more to say.

We lose. Our pets lose. Even the pet food companies lose. And that's the story.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/05/14/petscol...
Read the entire story here.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

FDA Tells Senator Robert Byrd They Don’t Care Pet Food Violates Federal Law

Senator Robert Byrd took the questions of one concerned pet owner to the FDA. Four months later, the FDA responded. Make sure you are sitting down before you read what Stephen Mason, Acting Assistant Commissioner for Legislation of the FDA told Senator Byrd.

Back in November 2008, many concerned pet owners across the United States stopped from their busy lives to write their Representatives in Congress regarding pet food; specifically explaining that the FDA allows the laws of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to be violated with pet food. More than 50 different elected officials of Congress received a letter; each received the same letter, which carefully detailed the undeniable evidence. Some of the elected Representatives didn’t even bother to respond to their constituent, however most responded with such political jargon it was clear they had never read the letter sent to them. Out of over 50 Representatives in Congress, only one bothered to ask the FDA to respond. Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia sent our letter to the FDA asking for a response.

The evidence presented to Congress was serious. Briefly, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act laws state that food (which is defined as anything consumed by humans and animals) cannot contain a diseased animal nor an animal that has died other than by slaughter. The Federal laws also state all foods must be honestly labeled. Despite Federal Law, pet foods are allowed to include rendered diseased animals and euthanized animals. Despite Federal Law, pet foods are allowed to make “unqualified claims” on the label. The FDA is solely responsible for allowing pet food to violate Federal Laws; an FDA policy allows dog food and cat food to be the dumping ground for useless waste such as dead on arrival animals, diseased animals, and euthanized animals. This FDA policy could be the first time in U.S. history a policy takes precedence over Federal Law.

Read the entire article: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/351/1/FDA-Tells-Senator-R...

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Lynne,
I read the article. My head is swimming and I am nauseous! So, what can we do? What do you have in mind? A petition? Write to whom? I have no experience with this kind of stuff but I will follow your lead. Just let us know.
A

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I don't know what we can really do except refuse to buy the crap. The only thing they will understand is the loss of profit. I have been homecooking for 2.5years now and will never go back to trusting any DF company again.

You can sign up for the newsletter on truthaboutpetfood.com and get the updates and Susan is really great at keeping us informed on many of these issues. I have spoken to her a couple of times and she is really committed to never letting big recalls like the one that happened in 2007, happen again.

The only other thing is to read, educate yourself and know what the labels really say. Just what are those ingredients? Write to the companies themselves, ask questions. If they refuse to answer...you refuse to buy. We post responses here and on my site to company letters.

As far as petitions...if the FDA isn't protecting us, we have to protect ourselves!

[Kyoko]

They don't even care about what we eat....
Once I saw it on Youtube that cow farmers were pushing around half sick cows with folk lift to make them go to certain direction so they can put them on the truck to be processed for human use.
How ill is that.
Just so you know, if you look for the videos on youtube, they are pretty graphic and ill.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Pick up a copy of "Pet Food Politics." You will be sick.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Aside from the real problem with the FDA and its lack of policing, is Nutro a bad guy or a victim? Do they use diseased animals or animals that have died other than by slaughter. Do they use unregulated ingredients from China or have their pet foods made in China's unsanitary conditions?

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Where there's smoke . . . there's fire! AND perhaps a coverup.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

That's what I thought too. I was hoping that I was mistaken though because we had been using Nutro until I joined the food group - hope there is no long term damage.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I hope not either, but if you had no short term problems maybe all will be well. If you are feeding a better food now and including fresh ingredients, hopefully any damage will heal. Either way, you may never know. But you could also say that about all the foods. You can never know what it's doing, that's why I don't chance it anymore. With the recipe changes, company cover ups and even companies changing hands, they don't have to tell the public when they change things. How can you ever be sure? Iams and Eukanuba USED to be Premium foods. Not any more. Remember 2007 Recalls?

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Sadly, I can't cook for the dogs. I actually don't cook at all. My husband is the chef and meal preparer in our family. But we do try to use quality foods. Changing was not fun though. With three dogs, there is often something that doesn't work for one of them, and with three dogs, cost is somewhat of an issue too. So I supplement their food with fresh things and with vitamins and minerals, but like you said, you just never really know. Our oldest guy is a lab mix who the vet says is really healthy - genes or luck....?

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I have three, too. It is much easier than it sounds, believe it or not. When I cook for the family, I cook for the dogs. If you are giving real food, that is all that matters. And that will help keep them healthy.