I am confused - why would a venison and brown rice food have wheat gluten in it?
BTW, not all dog foods list ingredients, so it can be difficult to know. I spent a long time on Saturday looking at the various bags of dried food before I found one that listed ingredients and DIDN't have wheat or wheat gluten in it.
Yeah, I am very worried. Dot, the dog food I bought wasn't NutrA, Sushi pointed it it was NutrO. Their wet food and pouched foods are made by Menu and are on the recall list. Their website says their dry food is not being recalled, is not made by Menu Foods and does not contain wheat gluten. The ingredients on the bag does not list any wheat products.
However the dogs aren't eating it either. I"ve been mixing it with homemade food and they lick all the homemade stuff off the dry stuff and leave the dry behind. This morning, Buster didn't even come sniff the bowl!
Take it back to the store, Abi. They should give you your money back on it. If not, I'd write the company. You shouldn't have to pay for something the dogs won't eat. I feed Vixen Bil Jac and she loves it. I did the "bowl test" they recommend with some samples.... samples - lots of pet stores have loads of samples of other products so you can try them with your dog before buying a bag.
Bil Jac usually has a $5 off coupon for the next bag in their food bags. I may still have some lying around here and will look if you want.
When switching pet food you're supposed to slowly switch over by adding just a little of the "new" food to the "old" food over several weeks. Because of the scare many people aren't doing that and don't have the luxury of trusting the old food enough to do it. This very well could be the problem with the food and with hyper-sensitive pet owners at this point (which is completely understandable). Nutra is being proactive and, I suspect that since they don't use gluten in their food, that contamination is most likely not the problem.
I am becoming totally exhausted by all of this. Now they are finding contaminated rice protien concentrate. I went out of my way to purchase lamb and rice, making extra sure there was no wheat in it!! My dogs are nibbling at it here and there, but don't really like it and I have no idea if it is contaminated or not. :(
Actually the holistic vets think wet food is fine. Give them a dantal, or some holistic biscuts for their teeth.
See, in the wild a cat kills a mouse or a dog a rabbit. A rabbit and a mouse are not HARD round nuggets.
Even the vet I am with, who is NOT holistic, is finally telling people to use WET cat food as the dry stuff makes the cat have other problems. They are NOT getting enough moisture with just dry.
The push on only dry food is a trick of commercial dog food.
I mix wet and dry as I have six dogs, or I will cook for them. But as I said with all these dogs, cooling is too much. So, I mix wet and dry for expense and room in the fridge.
Oh Abi, I am so sorry you got some bad stuff. It is dissappointing to try so hard and get more crap.
The links I posted on Solid Gold and Canidae will give you a store near you with a zip code
Today, I bought mine "From"
The vets do suggest moving the food over slowly. However, when I feed mine the holistic stuff I mix it up to cover all nutritional needs. They have no problem with the changes. Maybe it is cause I am using really wholesome stuff and then more, but different, really wholesome stuff. I dunno. But it has not been an issue here.
We go from Holistique (Solid Gold) to Wolf King (Solid Gold) to evangers duck and sweet potato to beef and potato, to Canidae, to From.
When I cook I go from Chicken with veggies, then hamberger with veggies.
For sensitive tummies - try something simialr to the awful food -- like go from a recall beef product to a wholesome beef product. Maybe...
If they are still upset, boil a chicken, make a bit of rice, and maybe green peas, and try that it is very bland. Then, pour it over the new food for the transition
Where is Rascal she may have a good idea. She has even more dogs then I have.
Thanks Dot. The article you posted said the newest recall was NOT linked to the overall recall, but the one I posted said it had the melanine in it too - OY. I bet in the end they find an entirely different culprit
I have been switching them out with the homemade - beef/liver/oatmeal and chicken/rice/eggs - both with peas, carrots and greenbeans. Just trying to make sure I cover all the bases - lol.
I don't know what I'm going to do about the store bought stuff yet. Honestly, I don't want to spend another $20 - $30 only to find out it is no good or they won't eat it. :( I can't return it either, I didn't keep the bag (we always dump the store bought stuff into a plastic container with a seal).
At this point, I don't know if they are refusing to eat it because something is wrong with it, or if they just don't like it. I did mix it with homemade food to try to make the transition better and they still wouldn't eat it. I thought - well when they are hungry enough, they will eat. Nicki did, eventually pick at it - Buster wouldn't go near it. I finally caved last night and gave him straight homemade food. Then today, when I read the newest recall involving rice - I just dumped all the dry stuff in their bowls and made more homemade food for them.
Apparently the rice was also imported from China. Fox story HERE
Here's the most relevant part:
The Pacoima, Calif., company said recent laboratory tests showed its recalled products contain melamine. Natural Balance believes the source of the contaminant was rice protein concentrate, which the company recently added to the dry venison formulas.
A San Francisco company, Wilbur-Ellis Co., began importing the ingredient in July from a Chinese company, Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., according to Wilbur-Ellis president and chief executive John Thacher.
It resold the ingredient to five pet food manufacturers, including Diamond Pet Foods Inc. of Meta, Mo. Diamond manufactured the dry dog and cat foods recalled by Natural Balance, Diamond Pet Foods spokesman Jim Fallon said.
Thacher declined to identify his company's other four customers
I made Lucca a fresh spinach salad last night the same thing I ate so I guess we will both go if it is bad. He is the craziest dog ,I have never had a dog that likes fresh vegetables before. Hopefully the produce is fine it came from the river market in Kansas City, we stopped by while I was there last weekend to see Rod Stewart. Lucca did slap back on some BBQ ribs while there as well. No beer for him though he is way too young to drink
Unfrikkinbelievable!!! I have been feeding my dogs the venison and brown rice. Thankfully I haven't seen any signs of vomiting, but I sure have to go get them something different at lunch time.
This is an epidemic! Something really weird is going on, and it is scaring the crap out of me.
Unfrikkinbelievable!!! I have been feeding my dogs the venison and brown rice. Thankfully I haven't seen any signs of vomiting, but I sure have to go get them something different at lunch time.
This is an epidemic! Something really weird is going on, and it is scaring the crap out of me.
I hear ya. Well, I haven't seen signs of vomiting either, but my husky won't come in the house. She's been hiding out in her doghouse for 2 days now. She did come out long enough to eat some homemade food this morning, but not until I went back in the house. She won't let me near her. Now, I did give her a pigs ear last weekend and it is r possible she is just guarding that (you can't take bones away from her, I gave her the pigs ear thinking it would be gone relatively quickly). Unfortunately, at this point all I can do is wait and see.
I'm so peeved that they won't release the companies involved - I'm wondering if there are human food companies involved or some of the same ones from the initial recall.
They should stop any and all "food" related shipments from China immediately.
I feel like calling all the companies I purchase food from and finding out if they receive any shipments from China for any of the ingredients in their food.
Here's a working, constantly updated list of foods with Rice Protein: Itchmo
Abi and Notta, I hope your critters are safe and healthy.
Dove, Vixen enjoys a good salad as much as I do. She LOVES bell peppers - any color and will do amazing things to get a slice. She loves baby carrots and cherry tomatoes, too, but those have to be played with for a long time before consumption.
Natural Balance says it is only the venison blends which had the rice protein in it. I could go buy another flavor, but how do they know that rice protein didn't get in the other flavors? It like a candy company which uses peanuts in SOME of their products. They have to disclose that peanuts could be in anything.
I think I am going to cook up my flank steak and some veggies and rice for the critters until I figure out what the heck is goin on.
I had all the varieties of the venison because my dogs like it sooo much--the dry food, the wet food, and the venison treats.
I'm so peeved that they won't release the companies involved - I'm wondering if there are human food companies involved or some of the same ones from the initial recall.
They should stop any and all "food" related shipments from China immediately.
I feel like calling all the companies I purchase food from and finding out if they receive any shipments from China for any of the ingredients in their food.
Here's a working, constantly updated list of foods with Rice Protein: Itchmo
Abi and Notta, I hope your critters are safe and healthy.
Dove, Vixen enjoys a good salad as much as I do. She LOVES bell peppers - any color and will do amazing things to get a slice. She loves baby carrots and cherry tomatoes, too, but those have to be played with for a long time before consumption.
Thanks Belle - the food I just bought is on the list. :( Given that Nutro recalled its wet food, I'm wondering if it isn't a matter of time before the dry food with the rice protien gets recalled too. I called my vet and they are checking into it and will let me know what I can do to have the food tested.
Thanks Belle - the food I just bought is on the list. :( Given that Nutro recalled its wet food, I'm wondering if it isn't a matter of time before the dry food with the rice protien gets recalled too. I called my vet and they are checking into it and will let me know what I can do to have the food tested.
Dang, Abi. It just sucks to know we're doing everything we can to keep our pets healthy and, even then, we can't be sure it's safe.
What did the vet say about his behavior? Not wanting to eat the food could be a good sign - that they can tell something's wrong with it and not necessarily that they are ill. Especially if they're eating the homemade food you made.
I use Biljac and they don't use any gluten anything in their products. I've contacted them a couple of times about their food, asking different questions about the ingredients and have always gotten a fast, thorough, polite, informative response.
My dogs are getting flank steak, oatmeal, carrots and chicken broth until I can find some safe dog food (like Bil Jac or Solid Gold) here in bumfuksville. Pray I find it. We only have feed stores and Petco. My dog used to eat Canidae, which I can get at the feed store, but he won't eat it anymore.
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Sushi
More added to the list:
Natural Balance is now pulling two products.
STORY HERE
I am confused - why would a venison and brown rice food have wheat gluten in it?
BTW, not all dog foods list ingredients, so it can be difficult to know. I spent a long time on Saturday looking at the various bags of dried food before I found one that listed ingredients and DIDN't have wheat or wheat gluten in it.
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excathedra
oh great
i thought natural balance was a safe one
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Abigail
Yeah, I am very worried. Dot, the dog food I bought wasn't NutrA, Sushi pointed it it was NutrO. Their wet food and pouched foods are made by Menu and are on the recall list. Their website says their dry food is not being recalled, is not made by Menu Foods and does not contain wheat gluten. The ingredients on the bag does not list any wheat products.
However the dogs aren't eating it either. I"ve been mixing it with homemade food and they lick all the homemade stuff off the dry stuff and leave the dry behind. This morning, Buster didn't even come sniff the bowl!
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Belle
Take it back to the store, Abi. They should give you your money back on it. If not, I'd write the company. You shouldn't have to pay for something the dogs won't eat. I feed Vixen Bil Jac and she loves it. I did the "bowl test" they recommend with some samples.... samples - lots of pet stores have loads of samples of other products so you can try them with your dog before buying a bag.
Bil Jac usually has a $5 off coupon for the next bag in their food bags. I may still have some lying around here and will look if you want.
When switching pet food you're supposed to slowly switch over by adding just a little of the "new" food to the "old" food over several weeks. Because of the scare many people aren't doing that and don't have the luxury of trusting the old food enough to do it. This very well could be the problem with the food and with hyper-sensitive pet owners at this point (which is completely understandable). Nutra is being proactive and, I suspect that since they don't use gluten in their food, that contamination is most likely not the problem.
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excathedra
that's what i've been thinking. i've been changing their damn diet because i love them so much
but a little puking here and there probably isn't because of the food; it's because of the food change
but i'm so scared i change it AGAIN
damn
and my dogs would NEVER EVER eat dry if they are offered homemade or soft stuff
this really stinks
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Sushi
The latest story is HERE
I am becoming totally exhausted by all of this. Now they are finding contaminated rice protien concentrate. I went out of my way to purchase lamb and rice, making extra sure there was no wheat in it!! My dogs are nibbling at it here and there, but don't really like it and I have no idea if it is contaminated or not. :(
Off to do dishes and make more homemade food. :(
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SafariVista
Your house must smell GOOD Sushi! (Hello Abi dear... such a wonderful man with you there)
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Dot Matrix
More On the Recalls
Natural Balance recalls venison dog, cat foods
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/17/pet.food....=rss_topstories
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Dot Matrix
Ex
Actually the holistic vets think wet food is fine. Give them a dantal, or some holistic biscuts for their teeth.
See, in the wild a cat kills a mouse or a dog a rabbit. A rabbit and a mouse are not HARD round nuggets.
Even the vet I am with, who is NOT holistic, is finally telling people to use WET cat food as the dry stuff makes the cat have other problems. They are NOT getting enough moisture with just dry.
The push on only dry food is a trick of commercial dog food.
People suck don't they?
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Dot Matrix
I mix wet and dry as I have six dogs, or I will cook for them. But as I said with all these dogs, cooling is too much. So, I mix wet and dry for expense and room in the fridge.
Oh Abi, I am so sorry you got some bad stuff. It is dissappointing to try so hard and get more crap.
The links I posted on Solid Gold and Canidae will give you a store near you with a zip code
Today, I bought mine "From"
The vets do suggest moving the food over slowly. However, when I feed mine the holistic stuff I mix it up to cover all nutritional needs. They have no problem with the changes. Maybe it is cause I am using really wholesome stuff and then more, but different, really wholesome stuff. I dunno. But it has not been an issue here.
We go from Holistique (Solid Gold) to Wolf King (Solid Gold) to evangers duck and sweet potato to beef and potato, to Canidae, to From.
When I cook I go from Chicken with veggies, then hamberger with veggies.
For sensitive tummies - try something simialr to the awful food -- like go from a recall beef product to a wholesome beef product. Maybe...
If they are still upset, boil a chicken, make a bit of rice, and maybe green peas, and try that it is very bland. Then, pour it over the new food for the transition
Where is Rascal she may have a good idea. She has even more dogs then I have.
Good luck, all this is so awful!
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Abigail
Thanks Dot. The article you posted said the newest recall was NOT linked to the overall recall, but the one I posted said it had the melanine in it too - OY. I bet in the end they find an entirely different culprit
I have been switching them out with the homemade - beef/liver/oatmeal and chicken/rice/eggs - both with peas, carrots and greenbeans. Just trying to make sure I cover all the bases - lol.
I don't know what I'm going to do about the store bought stuff yet. Honestly, I don't want to spend another $20 - $30 only to find out it is no good or they won't eat it. :( I can't return it either, I didn't keep the bag (we always dump the store bought stuff into a plastic container with a seal).
At this point, I don't know if they are refusing to eat it because something is wrong with it, or if they just don't like it. I did mix it with homemade food to try to make the transition better and they still wouldn't eat it. I thought - well when they are hungry enough, they will eat. Nicki did, eventually pick at it - Buster wouldn't go near it. I finally caved last night and gave him straight homemade food. Then today, when I read the newest recall involving rice - I just dumped all the dry stuff in their bowls and made more homemade food for them.
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Abigail
Apparently the rice was also imported from China. Fox story HERE
Here's the most relevant part:
The Pacoima, Calif., company said recent laboratory tests showed its recalled products contain melamine. Natural Balance believes the source of the contaminant was rice protein concentrate, which the company recently added to the dry venison formulas.
A San Francisco company, Wilbur-Ellis Co., began importing the ingredient in July from a Chinese company, Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., according to Wilbur-Ellis president and chief executive John Thacher.
It resold the ingredient to five pet food manufacturers, including Diamond Pet Foods Inc. of Meta, Mo. Diamond manufactured the dry dog and cat foods recalled by Natural Balance, Diamond Pet Foods spokesman Jim Fallon said.
Thacher declined to identify his company's other four customers
OH does that .... me off!!!!!!!!!!
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WhiteDove
I made Lucca a fresh spinach salad last night the same thing I ate so I guess we will both go if it is bad. He is the craziest dog ,I have never had a dog that likes fresh vegetables before. Hopefully the produce is fine it came from the river market in Kansas City, we stopped by while I was there last weekend to see Rod Stewart. Lucca did slap back on some BBQ ribs while there as well. No beer for him though he is way too young to drink
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Nottawayfer
Unfrikkinbelievable!!! I have been feeding my dogs the venison and brown rice. Thankfully I haven't seen any signs of vomiting, but I sure have to go get them something different at lunch time.
This is an epidemic! Something really weird is going on, and it is scaring the crap out of me.
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Abigail
I hear ya. Well, I haven't seen signs of vomiting either, but my husky won't come in the house. She's been hiding out in her doghouse for 2 days now. She did come out long enough to eat some homemade food this morning, but not until I went back in the house. She won't let me near her. Now, I did give her a pigs ear last weekend and it is r possible she is just guarding that (you can't take bones away from her, I gave her the pigs ear thinking it would be gone relatively quickly). Unfortunately, at this point all I can do is wait and see.
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Belle
I'm so peeved that they won't release the companies involved - I'm wondering if there are human food companies involved or some of the same ones from the initial recall.
They should stop any and all "food" related shipments from China immediately.
I feel like calling all the companies I purchase food from and finding out if they receive any shipments from China for any of the ingredients in their food.
Here's a working, constantly updated list of foods with Rice Protein: Itchmo
Abi and Notta, I hope your critters are safe and healthy.
Dove, Vixen enjoys a good salad as much as I do. She LOVES bell peppers - any color and will do amazing things to get a slice.
She loves baby carrots and cherry tomatoes, too, but those have to be played with for a long time before consumption.
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Nottawayfer
Natural Balance says it is only the venison blends which had the rice protein in it. I could go buy another flavor, but how do they know that rice protein didn't get in the other flavors? It like a candy company which uses peanuts in SOME of their products. They have to disclose that peanuts could be in anything.
I think I am going to cook up my flank steak and some veggies and rice for the critters until I figure out what the heck is goin on.
I had all the varieties of the venison because my dogs like it sooo much--the dry food, the wet food, and the venison treats.
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Abigail
Thanks Belle - the food I just bought is on the list. :( Given that Nutro recalled its wet food, I'm wondering if it isn't a matter of time before the dry food with the rice protien gets recalled too. I called my vet and they are checking into it and will let me know what I can do to have the food tested.
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Belle
What did the vet say about his behavior? Not wanting to eat the food could be a good sign - that they can tell something's wrong with it and not necessarily that they are ill. Especially if they're eating the homemade food you made.
I use Biljac and they don't use any gluten anything in their products. I've contacted them a couple of times about their food, asking different questions about the ingredients and have always gotten a fast, thorough, polite, informative response.
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Nottawayfer
My dogs are getting flank steak, oatmeal, carrots and chicken broth until I can find some safe dog food (like Bil Jac or Solid Gold) here in bumfuksville. Pray I find it. We only have feed stores and Petco. My dog used to eat Canidae, which I can get at the feed store, but he won't eat it anymore.
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WhiteDove
Notta
Sojos will ship the food to your door for free, it is the same price that the vet charges for it.
Here is their links Sojos
and here
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Dot Matrix
Great White Dove
Here is some more Venison
http://www.evangersdogfood.com/dog/gamemeats.html
I think they ship
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Dot Matrix
Notta
Makes you wonder if it is a test run to wipe us out -- ya know without ever firing a bullet -- we just eat ourselves dead
WD
Lucca sounds like a really happy little guy -- eating his veggies and all...
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nandon
This is the good stuff
they don't use all that nasty stuff, and they test every batch.
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