Pet Food Recalls foment feelings of fear, panic, sorrow, and hundreds of questions from dog and cat caregivers who are worried about their pets. My heart sinks whenever I get an email notice of a new pet food recalled, not only for my own cats, but from the knowledge that researching to keep on top of it will have to take priority over everything else. One of my fears was realized with the most recent Diamond Pet Food Recalls, when I received three emails from Amazon.com informing me that two cat foods I had been buying online had been recalled: Taste of the Wild Venison and Salmon dry food and Natural Balance Green Pea and Chicken. I had ordered the TOTW twice, which accounted for the three notices. Because I knew of the dangers of Salmonellosis, especially to someone with a compromised immune system, I took all the precautions indicated in discarding what was left of the Taste of the Wild, and double-bagged it in a plastic grocery bag before putting it into the trash. I did not discard the Natural Balance, and my cats continue to enjoy it, as will be explained in the linked article.
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Updated May 19, 2012: Latest news reported by TruthAboutPetFood.com: Another pet food has been recalled because of potential salmonella contamination; Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula dry dog food. But that isn't the real news. The biggie is that this recall was from a second Diamond manufacturing facility in Meta, Missouri, a fact that wasn't disclosed directly in the Diamond Pet Food announcement on Friday, the 18th. Susan Thixton, who runs TruthAboutPetFood.com was able to scope out that information, along with some acute observations about discrepancies in the timeline. It appears the food was manufactured, then stored for over two months, which also raised serious questions about the "Best by" dates. Great detective work, Susan!
Updated May 12, 2012: Additional information has been received on three fronts: First, an additional recall has been announced, for one lot of Solid Gold Pet Food WolfCub Large Breed Puppy Food and one batch of Solid Gold WolfKing Large Breed Adult Dog, both with a Best Before date of December 30, 2012, and an "X" in the 11th digit of the date code. Second, Alissa Wolf, About.com Pet Shops Guide spoke with a Diamond Pet Foods media rep, and was told that ALL dry pet foods (dog and cat) manufactured between Dec. 9, 2011 and April 7 are being recalled. The exception is Natural Balance, which has its own state-of-the-art laboratory, which tests every single batch of its pet food before releasing it for distribution. Third, I just yesterday received an email, from Amazon.com, where I had purchased both Natural Balance Chicken and Green Pea dry food, and Taste of the Wild informing me that "Our records indicate that you have purchased one of the items listed in this recall through the Amazon.com website." Unfortunately, this form email did not specify which product it referenced. I carefully discarded the remaining supply of Taste of the Wild from the free-feed bowl in Jenny's room, and replaced it with the Natural Balance, which I feel to be safe.
Original Post on May 7, 2012 (Edited May 18, 2012)
Diamond Pet Foods has led consumers on a pet food recall merry-go-round for several weeks, with one voluntary recall after another for "potential salmonella contamination" in pet foods manufactured in its Gaston, S.C. plant. As early as April 6, 2012, Diamond recalled several batches of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dog food, according to The Truth About Pet Food.com. On April 26th, Diamond added Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul (two sizes of adult light dry dog food), this time when salmonella tested positive. Since then several other brands have been recalled. Edited on May 18, 2012: At first, it was very unclear from the wording on the Diamond Pet Food Website as to whether any cat foods had been recalled. In retrospect, the recalls in April all were dog and puppy dry foods. However, starting with the May 4th updates, most of the additionally recalled foods specified "Pet Food." Diamond also uses the caveat, "Further distribution through other pet food channels may have occurred," following the list of states in which the food was delivered. I now interpret this phrase to mean "pet food purchased online," as the food I'd bought through Amazon.com.
As of 5-18-12, the following known brands have been recalled:
A big concern is the fact that salmonella is recognized as a zoonotic disease, and humans handling contaminated pet food are subject to salmonella."A total of 15 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis have been reported from 9 states. Additionally, one ill person has been reported from Canada," according to the CDC. See the Center for Disease Control for more information on Salmonellosis.
Photo Credit: © About.com Member wldwmn64
Prince is a five year-old tuxedo kitty who was adopted at a PetSmart adoption day event when he was six months old. He obviously lucked out in his forever home, from the joie de vivre he is showing from his chosen place in the sun, so typical of cats. Doesn't it almost make you wish you could curl up right next to him? Prince's full story and full-sized photos can be seen on the Tuxedo Cats Show and Tell feature.
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Although there are other spotted breeds of cats, such as the Bengal and the Ocicat, the Egyptian Mau, is the only breed with naturally occurring spots. The Egyptian Mau is thought to be descended from the African Wild Cat, and not coincidentally, Mau literally means "cat" in Egyptian. This striking cat fully lives up to these honors, and then some.
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