Another Nutro Food Update

Nutro Alert!

I received this comment on my Zinc Toxicity Suspected in Recent Nutro Food Complaints post. After contacting Cheryl via email I made the decision to post her story for everyone to read. It is my personal belief that pet owners would be wise to remove any Nutro products from their pantry shelves.

On Sep 9, 2008, at 10:46 AM, Cheryl Archuleta wrote:
Gyvel:

I was a Pet Nutrition Specialist for Nutro from 2004-2008. In February, I had a family approach me in a Petmart and tell me they found foreign objects in their Large Breed Lamb and Rice food. I immediately called my manager, who told me the food was fine. He did tell me in confidence that Nutro had received a ‘bad’ shipment of rice but everything would be fine and I was not to tell the customers.

I immediately went home and googled Nutro and found the consumer affairs website. I also took my animals in for a vet check up asap.

My lab and my son’s lab were diagnosed with gastritis and the vet said they were ok, but to switch foods asap.

My 2 chihuahuas and 2 poms were diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse and one with adrenal insufficiency as well. They all had check ups the prior year because of the recall and were fine. This was such a shock to have all 4 of them with the same heart condition. They are different ages, different breeds and not related.

In May, my oldest pom, started coughing and we took him right in to the vet. They started him on heart meds, but it was too late, the heart was too damaged. I called Nutro right from the vets office, begged them to tell me what they thought it might be so I could get help for my dog and they said ‘nothing was wrong with the food’. My Boy dog died in June.

My oldest lh chihuahua started coughing Memorial weekend and on Memorial Day, she coughed so hard, her eye came out! We rushed her to the vet and they did emergency surgery. Her heart was bad too and said she didn’t have long. About two weeks later she developed pancreatitis and she died.

My other lh chihuahua fell right in line and she went from 4lbs to 2 lbs and she died in July.

My smallest pom is hanging on, but she coughs now too and the vets says 6-8 weeks.

The little dogs were eating the Senior chicken/rice in the silver bag. They also ate the biscuits and treats and occasionally the wet food. Not thinking it was another recall situation, I returned all of the food to Petsmart. I made my kids take their food back too.

No one from Nutro will return my calls, answer my letters or emails. I just want answers. If it is copper or zinc toxicity, we could have gotten treatment months ago. I’m just disgusted.

Thank you for listening.
Cheryl

My recommendation? Remove Nutro products from your pet food list!

Please, keep up-to-date with the latest pet food findings by visiting the FDA Pet Food Recall/Tainted Animal Feed site , the Pet Food Recall Facts, the Pet Food Products Safety Alliance, and the Pet Food List as often as you can.

To find out more about the pet food industry visit the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Inc. (or the AAFCO ). More about the pet food industry can be found at Pet Food Industry an online magazine about the industry written for the industry.

To find out what about FDA regulations (there are none) and pet foods visit the FDA Pet Foods or the FDA’s Regulation of Pet Food.

To lodge a complaint with the FDA regarding pet food contamination please go to the FDA’s Consumer Complaint Coordinators web page.

Keep in mind that an informed consumer is a powerful consumer. Pets rely on us for their lives and health.

The Continuing Saga of Prince Chunk

Did the Fat Cat who was Prince get Chumped?

I was flagged on September 2, 2008 by fellow web blogger Chris, of Take Care of your Cats, regarding updated information on what I thought was a happy ending for dear Prince Chunk. Turns out I was wrong.

According to an August 28, 2008 article by The Associated Press the adoption paperwork is now held up due to legal wrangling and contract analyzing. Chunk’s new family the Damianis of New Jersey were ready to settle into a routine life with their new family member—until they were informed by the Camden County Shelter that the adoption agreement they signed was invalid.

Jennifer Andersch, Executive Director of the Camden County Shelter, stated that due to the nature of Prince Chunk’s notoriety both parties agreed to have an adoption agreement drawn up by legal counsel. Part of that agreement would mandate that Chunk make fund-raising appearances on behalf of the shelter.

For the Damiani family the surprise of the “invalid” adoption agreement was even more confounding when a letter they received from the shelter labeled them as Chunk’s “foster” family. This bit of news spurred the Damiani family to take their story public.

What I find interesting about the Camden Animal Shelter is a little tidbit of information located on the internet regarding the shelter’s past history. It appears that the Camden County Animal Shelter has been in the spotlight before. At least on a local level.

In 1997 this shelter, located in Blackwood, New Jersey, was operated by a group that went under the name, Humane Society of Southern New Jersey. The director was Glenn McCleery and the organization itself was headed by Richard Perr, Esq. of Tineman, Krektsein & Harris, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who headed the shelter from its inception.

In 2002 the shelter was charged by the New Jersey SPCA for illegally providing shelter animals for experimentation, a practice known a “pound seizure.” Veterinary students from the local Camden college were provided with these animals to “practice” on. The college would order a certain number of animals of specific size, weight and species. The shelter would “fulfill” the order by slating these animals for euthanasia (regardless of the animal’s health condition or its adoptability).

“As reported in Compassion for Camden’s Winter 2002 UPDATE, in April and August of last year the Humane Society of Southern NJ (humane society) allowed a number of animals to be removed from the Camden County Animal Shelter to be used by Sound Technologies as test subjects for hands-on equipment training and sales. The company-sponsored seminars stretched over a period of days at the Cherry Hill Clarion Hotel.”

The practice was uncovered by Marion Churchill, founder and president of Compassion for Camden. It was then reported to the New Jersey SPCA who in turn conducted is own investigation*.

On July 24, 2004 the NJ SPCA formerly filed suit in Camden County Superior Court charging the management of the Camden County Animal Shelter, the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey, the Camden County College, shelter director Glenn McCleery, college staffer Maragaret Dorsey and various others with animal cruelty - the use of shelter animals for experimentation - a crime of the fouth degree. (read more..)

Thankfully as of September 1, 2004, Perr and the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey were no longer involved with the Camden County Animal Shelter. The Animal Welfare Society took over the operation of the shelter that same day.

According to Marion Churchill, when the shelter was under the direction of the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey, 60% of dogs and 80% of cats were killed. She states that the shelter’s inaccessible operating hours were partly responsible, since it was only open one evening a week and closed on Sundays and holidays. She continues to state that no other shelter in the state had such a poor record. Yet, when she approached Richard Perr about these sad numbers his email response was,” … the shelter continues to be one of the premier facilities in the state …” Marion Churchill concludes, “Frankly, I don’t know what ever prompted Perr to use the word ‘continues’ because I don’t recall the shelter to ever be ‘premier’.”

This news never reached those of us who live in other areas of the country but I am certain that locals were stunned and horrified when evidence was revealed that an organization containing the word “humane” turned out to be inhumane. And although the shelter’s current management has a wonderful record of decreasing euthanasia and increasing adoptions, its past may not be completely forgotten. This might explain why people like the Damiani family are suspicious about the shelter’s motives regarding Prince Chunk.

Indeed, Prince Chunk has proved to be quite a windfall for the county shelter placing it in the public spotlight—this time on a national level. From the shelter’s perspective Chunk provides the perfect opportunity to educate and enlighten people about the plight of homeless pets. Furthermore, his touching story may help the shelter receive much needed revenue in the form of donations. Certainly that is as it should be. Shelters are donation motivated and it’s not uncommon for them to capitalize on free publicity.

However, a humane shelter’s primary focus is to place its healthy pet population with loving families. To withhold an animal from receiving a permanent home due to its “fame” is not exactly within the interest of the animal. And this type of action places the shelter’s needs, and the “greater good” of other animals, above that of Prince Chunk. The Damianis need to know that this cat is indeed going to remain Prince of their home. And Chunk needs to become a permanent member of a family who obviously has his best interest at heart.

*A hard copy of the report, including names of witnesses, is available to the
public via the Open Public Records Request Application (OPRA).]

Contact Camden County Administration 856-225-5354
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/opra/forminfo.html
County Administration 856-225-5354 mlonetto@camdencounty.com

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