Pet Food Recalls - Summary

Well, it is getting worse. More and more pet food products are coming out as being contaminated in some way...including ones we've fed our lovely napping beauties above. Luckily, we've only fed them a couple treats and a few cans that were split between the three dogs. They all seem fine so far. Here's the most recent list of companies doing recalls (each is linked to the list of products):

• Menu Foods (LOTS of name brands included in this): There is a box on the left-hand side with links to cat and dog food products; click on one for the full listings
• Purina Pet Food: Voluntary recall of ALPO® Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes; no dry food as yet affected
• Hill's Pet Nutrition: One specific product recalled = Prescription Diet™ m/d™ Feline Dry Food; if your cat was eating this, they suggest the m/d canned or other (see FAQ)
• Del Monte Pet Foods: Includes pet treats as well as some canned dog food
• Eight in One Pet Products: Technically unrelated to the other recalls, this involves Dingo brand treats that may contain salmonella
• Natural Balance Pet Foods: The first big dry food recall. Recall includes all Venison dog products and dry Venison cat food products. This one is blamed on a contaminate in their rice protein instead of the wheat gluten suspected in the other products.
• The FDA is keeping a list of all pet food products recalled that is probably your best bet to get info all in one place.
  

Many people are turning toward making their own pet food as an alternative to the risk with commercial pet food products. Right now, "Real Food for Dogs..." is #25 on the best-sellers list on amazon.com and that is certainly not the only book on do-it-yourself dog food available. Misty and I haven't gone that route yet (can you imagine our kitchen trying to make meals for SIX animals??), especially given vegetarians don't know a whole lot about preparing meat. If you choose to go this route, be sure to read up on it and be careful - there are things we humans eat that are very bad for pets (chocolate, dairy, onions, etc.).

Most dry products seem to be unaffected by the recalls. We were reassured that The Goodlife Recipe that we feed the dogs (along with other food made by its manufacturer, Mars Petcare Products) is safe. Peach the cat eats Purina One Sensitive Systems which was not affected by the recall, nor was the Royal Canin Oral Sensitivity cat food that Boulder and Sati eat (and Peach sometimes since he is a little thief).