Nutro dog food problems...anyone else hear this??

I really hate to panic over emails like this.......but I can't find any information about this anywhere, and it DID originally come from a usually very reliable source. And of course, it just so happens that I just purchased a new bag of Nutro, with the exact expiration date listed in the email, so if anyone hears anything.....PLEASE let me know. I am going to try to email Rockytop Boxers right now....

Hello everyone,
I just got this from Cyberdobes, and wanted to pass it on to anyone I know who owns dogs or is involved with dogs, please share this with anyone you know who feeds Nutro!! Heather


-----Original Message-----
From: showboxer-l-bounces@ShowBoxer-L.com
[mailto: showboxer-l-bounces@ShowBoxer-L.com] On Behalf Of Karen McCrory
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 7:32 AM
Subject: [ShowBoxer List] Possible Dog food contamination...please read

I'm posting this for Sil McCall who lives in Texas. She is still too
upset
to be able to post but had sent this to me as I knew her Gunner very
well
and understand her pain. I thought it was important that others know and

she gave me permission to cost post.


Sil writes:

Just wanted to share some news that may prevent someone else from going
through this.

Saturday, March 25 I lost my precious boy Gunner and almost lost my
daughter's Mini Schnauzer to what we believe was commercial dog food
poisoning. That night I opened a new bag of food for the evening feeding

(Nutru Natural Choice Lamb & Rice Adult Formula). I've been feeding this

food for 3+ years with no problems until now. Within 3 hours of feeding
my
dogs Gunner began to seize. Off to the emergency vet we went in a total
state of panic. The doctor saw him right away and began him on some
meds.
After maxing him out on the meds over a 4 hour period he was still not
responding, he was flailing about and paddling horribly. The vet said we

were well past the point of bringing him out of it without substantial
brain
damage if he didn't have a heart attack in the mean time, the seizure
was
very very bad, nothing like any seizure in a dog I have ever seen
before. I
had to have him put down. We just assumed that this was an unfortunate
case
of idiopathic epilepsy and we would never know why.

Then on Monday morning at 5:45 my daughter came screaming into my room
holding her Mini Schnauzer and he was in mid seizure. Off we went once
again to the vet. FORTUNATELY, he came around before we left the
driveway.
However, he has had 5 seizures since and is going to the vet this
afternoon
to be put on medication (phenabarbatol), which he will have to take the
rest
of his life. The vet says that once they have a seizure they are prone
to
have them again and again. I fear the worst will come soon for him if we

don't use the meds as I know the seizures are hard on his heart and
other
internal organs. The downfall to the medication is liver complications.
We
are in a catch 22 situation here.

On the way to the vet that Monday morning with the Schnauzer, it dawned
on
me that the only common thing these 2 dogs shared was their food. Gunner
is
housed in the kennels except for his playtime in the house and they have
a
separate yard. My daughter's dog is kept strictly in the house and never

goes into the kennel area, where there is a separate yard and exercise
area.

Gunner's body was to be picked up that afternoon from the ER Vet for
cremation but I called and asked them to hold his body for necropsy. I
then
transported him to my vet to have his stomach contents sent to MSU for
analysis. When I arrived home, I started making phone calls. I called
the
store where I bought the food to alert them, then I called the dog food
manufacturer.

The consumer affairs manager at Nutro took down all the information and
asked me to send him 4 cups of food, 2 cups each would then be sent to 2

independent labs for analysis. To my surprise, not an hour later I got a

phone call from the dog food company's state rep. who wanted to come by
and
pick up the samples to be sent off. I said sure, come on out.

When he arrived, he said he had been instructed to take the entire bag
and
all the dog food. I told him in no uncertain terms that he could ONLY
have
the 4 cups I was told they needed and that he could have a cutting from
the
bag to have analyzed and I would make a copy of the SKU# and lot number
off
the bag for him. He had a look of bewilderment on his face. I guess he
thought I was an idiot. I may be dumb but I'm not stupid! That bag of
dog
food would have been thrown in the first dumpster he came across on his
way
out of here! As I dipped up the samples for him to take I reached for
Gunner's picture from the shelf and sat it on the counter for him to see
and
said, "This is not about a lawsuit if that's what you are worried about,

this is about my DEAD DOG! AND the fact that if it does turn out to the
dog
food, which I have no doubt that it will, I could have lost all my
babies!!!!" I told him I wanted to get to the bottom of this before this

happened to someone else's dog and that I expected all the food with the

same lot number to be pulled from the shelves or I would be outside the
store where I bought it wearing a sign, and it would not be for
advertising!
I told him I would be checking the store's inventory the next morning
when
they opened. I have also filed a report with AFCO per their
recommendation
after speaking with them.

This past friday I was contacted by Nutro and they wanted to offer me
compensation for the vet bills to date - COMPENSATION, are you kidding
me! I
told them there was not a price tag to be put on my dog OR what my
daughter's dog is going through and that this was NOT about money. I
told
them not to contact me again until we had the test results in on the
food OR
they would be hearing from an attorney! I aked him, are you looking for
a
lawsuit or trying to prevent one? I was livid to say the least!!!!
Absolute
morons!!!!! That's like asking what I would take for my left arm!

Sooo..., I have purchased a commercial grinder and have been feeding RAW
for
2 1/2 weeks now. Everyone is doing great on the new diet, no
complications
at all. I will never never, EVER feed commercial kibble again!!!

Have a great day and hug your babies tight! Boxer hugs and kisses,

I also asked for the SKU# and here it is if you are interested: , 40 lb.

bag, SKU# 7910520143, the info under that reads:

"best if used by 05 May 2007"
01:22 2CR5


Sil McCall
Rockytop Boxers, Conroe, Texas
rockytopbox@...
www.rockytopboxers.com

Although I recently switched from Nutro to Innova, I had not heard this. I am on several dog boards as well and have not heard anything like this either.
I would guess it may be an aberration. Like the famous Tylenol poisoning, it does not necessarily mean that Tylenol is bad. Before judging Nutro I would think it very important to have more facts: whether the bag was tampered with, whether anyone else anywhere has had similar problems. In addition, the two dogs lived at the same location even if they did not share the same living space, and apparently if I am reading the description correctly both are in the same house at times so it may be possible that there was another unknown disease or contaminant of which we are unaware.
Like I said I have not yet heard news of any other problems with Nutro and news travels fast in dog circles. The news of the allegedly contaminated Diamond dog food was posted everywhere very quickly.
This in no way lessens the pain of losing a family member and I am so sorry for their loss. It really hurts to lose a dog.

either by contacting consumers affairs or consumers report. On both of these you can check for re-calls. While it is possible for contamination of anything foods for humans and animals, the likelihood of a dog with knowing their digestive system, I would find it hard to believe death solely on bad food. ( my opinion and more> ) . In the 20 plus years of the retail pet market and before in the grocery business as I'm back into now, I can think of only one re-call of pet food and it was one of the cheaper brands that had some moldy chicken parts in the bag due to moisture of production at the plant. The only problem was not so much of a health risk but dogs didn't want to eat it ( why ? did it smell bad or taste bad ? ). I actually heard of this and other brands having contamination problems several years ago. It could be very " authentic " and can you imagine the law suit that would prevail if so. But in the " business " all of those years and knowing the quality control of dog food/ pet food production and knowing and having dogs my self that ate and ingested rotting meat, dead animals, foil, chocolate ( very damaging to dogs ), rawhide bones, nasty sewer and or my waist lagoon water.............

I saw a CNN report alleging 17 deaths from the contaminated Diamond dogfood but again, the story was all over the boards within days, I have seen nothing on Nutro.

...there was no alleged about the Diamond recall. And once the "word was out", yes, it spread within days, but there was quite some time that passed between the time that the first deaths occurred until it was actually figured out what caused the deaths. Not to mention that it can take WEEKS for the symptoms to appear.

As for the doubt that the dog food could cause deaths, read it for yourself.

A voluntary recall involving a number of Diamond Pet Foods products is in effect in 24 states (Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia). [u]The recall has been issued because dogs in 22 states have died as a result of ingesting this brand's product that had been contaminated with
Aflatoxin.[/U]

Cat food made by Diamond also has been recalled, although there have been no reports of illness among felines linked to the food.

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxic chemical by-product from the growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus on corn and other crops. The fungus develops on crops during years with severe high temperature stress and drought. Mark Brinkmann, chief operations officer for Diamond Pet Foods, said of the contamination: "Unfortunately, it got through with a shipment of corn from one of our vendors."

This chemical is a potent toxin that attacks the liver. Symptoms of aflatoxin-caused liver damage can take weeks to appear, so dogs that have eaten any of the contaminated products should be tested. According to Karyn Bischoff, Diagnostic Toxicologist at the Animal Health Diagnostic Center of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, "Aflatoxin binds to DNA and proteins within cells, and it may take some time for the damage to become apparent in a dog ingesting the toxin. However, 90% of the aflatoxin is eliminated in the urine within 12 hours."

Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning in dogs include: loss of appetite; yellow whites of the eyes; yellow gums; yellow in the belly or areas where hair is very thin; severe, persistent vomiting combined with bloody diarrhea; discolored urine; fever. If your pet has ingested the recalled products and is exhibiting these symptoms, get your animal to the veterinarian for treatment, being sure to explain that you suspect aflatoxin poisoning and why. Urge your veterinarian to run a liver profile on the animal. Ask your vet to contact Diamond Pet Foods toll free at 1-866-214-6945.

....about the proven toxicity of the recalled Diamond food.

http://www.mendonvillageanimalhospit.../whatsnew.html

December 22, 2005

Aflatoxicosis Associated with Feeding Diamond Pet Food
Testing and Treatment Recommendations for Veterinarians

Advise clients to discontinue feeding of Diamond foods. Have them record production codes and date codes from food bags, if available. Contaminated lot numbers are available on the Diamond website (www.Diamondpet.com). Owners should keep food bags and food samples for possible further testing. They should feed a good quality, non-protein restricted diet.


Affected pets may have no clinical signs initially, so any exposed animals should be evaluated. Owners may report that their dogs have been refusing to eat the food since they opened the new bag. Clinical signs are vague and include lethargy, inappetence, and vomiting. Also look for signs of jaundice and bleeding.


Screening lab work should minimally include a chemistry profile and CBC, even in asymptomatic dogs. Look especially for low cholesterol, high bilirubin, and high ALT. Aflatoxins interrupt protein transcription at the DNA level and so may invalidate ALT alone as a true indicator of liver cell injury. Pre and post bile acids are recommended in dogs that are not already icteric as the best way to evaluate the extent of liver damage. Many affected dogs also have clotting abnormalities, so it is also recommended to check coagulation times.


The toxin may continue to impact the liver for up to 60 days. Oral hepatoprotectants are recommended for dogs that are not vomiting.

Vitamin E: alpha tocopherol 10 IU/kg PO SID

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe)

Milk Thistle (silymarin or silibinin)

Note: The proven bioavailability and biologic effects of the Nutramax Laboratories Inc., SAMe product (Denosyl-SD4) and their new polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine-silibinin product (Marin(TM)) may make these preferred therapeutic agents. Use package dosing directions.


In dogs that show clotting abnormalities administer Vitamin K 0.5-1.5 mg/kg SC or PO q 12 hours. Recheck clotting times after 3-4 doses.


In vomiting dogs, use N-Acetylcysteine 140mg/kg loading dose IV, then 70 mg/kg q 6 hours until SAMe can be given orally. When N-Acetylcysteine is administered IV it is recommended to use a syringe filter (acrodysc syringe filter, 0.2 micrometers, HT tuffryn membrane, made by Pall Life Sciences).


In critical cases plasma transfusions may be indicated.


No cats have yet been identified with disease, but Diamond reports that cat foods have also been contaminated. Similar recommendations are likely to be appropriate, but please contact Mendon Village Animal Hospital or Dr. Sharon Center (sac6@cornell.edu) at Cornell if you see any cases.


Prognosis at this point in mildly affected dogs with treatment seems to be fair to good. Cornell can still accept more animals for treatment if owners want them referred.

I have no doubt aflatoxin causes deaths. It has done so in contaminated bird foods as well.
Certainly if I see any Nutro stories around I will link them.

Originally Posted by lucille

I have no doubt aflatoxin causes deaths. It has done so in contaminated bird foods as well.
Certainly if I see any Nutro stories around I will link them.

Appreciated, Lucille. I apologize if I came off sounding a little "ornery", it's just that it always takes so long for these stories to finally come to full light, and too many animals have to suffer before it gets "spread within days". As for when I said, "read it for yourself", I was referring to when Mike said,

I would find it hard to believe death solely on bad food. ( my opinion and more> )

I have always thought Nutro to be a wonderful food, and would like to continue to feed it. It just seems that no matter WHAT big company you are dealing with, they will try to keep the facts quiet until something HAS to be done. If this is just the beginning of a similar problem to what happened with Diamond, I don't want ANYONE to have to find out the hard way.....yet if this is not true, I don't want to scare people from feeding Nutro.....

I have yet to get a reply from Sil at Rocky Top Boxers, I will post it as soon as I do.

Originally Posted by Cat_72

for when I said, "read it for yourself"

When I read what he said, was when I went and got the Diamond dog food CNN reference, because I think people should realize that tainted foor can have serious consequences.

As far as 'alleged' , I find myself way often using the words 'reported' and 'alleged' these days.
I'm starting to sound like a lawyer. It's scary

I'll keep a close watch out for news. I have 4 dogs, so you know my household is run on the canine concept of how the world ought to be....

I received an email back from the original person that has had 2 dogs DIE due to eating this food......PLEASE, anyone who feeds this, take heed to the warning and check it out. I will be contacting Nutro and others today, but with it being the holiday weekend, I doubt I will hear an answer until into next week.

Cathy,

Unfortunatley it is very true.

Sil McCall
www.rockytopboxers.com

--- Lynn & Cathy <catlynn@wctatel.net> wrote:

> Hello Sil,
>
> I recently received an email from a wonderful Boxer
> friend of mine, telling me of problems with Nutro
> dog food, and you were named as the source of the
> information. I hate to bother you, but I hate to
> just believe these emails after being forwarded so
> many times, and at the same time, I want to help get
> the word out there if indeed there is a
> problem........especially since I just purchased a
> new bag with a matching expiration date to that in
> the email.
>
> Any information you could provide would be most
> helpful.
>
> Thank you again,
> Cathy Peterson