Unexplained Pet Deaths

Nutro pet food has been blamed by consumers for the illnesses and deaths of their pets. The nationwide mystery is a puzzle to veterinary toxicologist, Dr. Steven Hansen, at the Poison Control Center for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

“Unfortunately the cases are not consistent and appear to be anecdotal with no real definitive diagnostic findings,” Dr. Hansen stated in a Consumer Affairs interview. “Without any consistent trends in findings we can not do anything any further. This does appear to us to be a situation where bad things happen, but they are not likely food-related.”

However, a South Carolina veterinarian feels that Nutro may have contributed to the May 22 death of a dog in her care.

This veterinarian will be sending food samples to an independent lab to determine if her suspicions are correct.

This same veterinarian cautioned her local police chief against feeding Nutro the city’s K-9 unit.

Currently Consumer Affairs has received 150 complaints about Nutro, many of them longtime Nutro customers.

Pet Food Products Safety Alliance tested the Nuro food that two puppies in North Carolina ate before they died in June. The samples were tested for salmonella and e-coli. The results were negative.

According to Consumer Reports many pet owners across America including Hawaii and some in Italy reported that their pets suddenly developed severe digestive problems with bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. The symptoms stopped the moment pet owners switched pet foods.

Some animals succumbed to severe seizures and death. The one common link in all these reports was the pet food they consumed: Nutro.

And according to the article even former employees of Nutro confirmed that they heard similar complaints. Indeed some of these employees’ pets experienced the same types of problems. And when they reported their concerns to supervisors they were ignored. So they resigned.

Nutro states that their food is 100% safe.

It is important to note that back in August 28, 2007 the FDA blocked more than 100 Nutro Products—various styles and flavors of its dog and cat food —from entering the United States. This action was taken because the products appeared to contain poisonous substances and unsafe additives.

The questionable pet food included its Adult Turkey with Chicken Liver, Choice Complete Care Kitten Rich in Chicken with Liver, and Adult Large Breed Chicken & Rice.

The problem is Nutro’s labeling states that it is “Made in USA” but the reality is that it is not. It is made (as are most pet products) by outsourcing to other manufacturers such as Menu Foods. Ingredients for most pet foods sold in America are actually imported from foreign countries like China, where regulations against the use of harmful chemical additives do not exist.

Back then, Nutro stated that the products listed on the FDA’s Import Refusal Report are the ones affected by Menu Food’s massive recall in March of 2007 of melamine-tainted dog and cat food. It continued to state that all its melamine-tainted products have been removed from retail stores, warehouses, and distribution centers after menu recalled 60 million containers of contaminated pet food.

It can only be hoped, for the sake of innocent animals, that more tests will solve the mystery and put an end to the guessing game. Until then the mystery of the digestive/death/Nutro link remains a mystery.