Seems like even pet food made in the USA is not safe from recalls anymore. Yesterday, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of the following dry cat foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010:
Adult Chicken, Kitten and Adult Ocean Fish
Adult Chicken, Indoor Adult Chicken, Indoor Adult Salmon, Indoor Weight Control
The products were produced in their exclusive manufacturing sites in Victorville, CA and Lebanon, TN and sold throughout the USA, as well as in 10 additional countries including Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Israel.
The recall is due to problems with the additive nutritional supplements of zinc ("one premix contained excessive levels") and/or potassium ("under-supplemented"). The company claims that the "issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier. An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected." No other NUTRO® pet food products were reported to be affected however there have been "more than 800 reports from consumers who say their pets became ill and, in some cases, died after eating NUTRO products" according to ConsumerAffaira.com There seems to be some confusion regarding whether or not any branch of the US government may be investigating the company, however ConsumerAffairs.com claims that some consumers have confirmed that "FDA inspectors came to their homes investigating their pets' deaths."
NUTRO is working with distributers to remove the recalled dry cat food products from stores. They are advising consumers who have purchased the affected product to "immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile."
So far the company claims to have receive no related consumer complaints but caution that cats who have ingested any of the recalled products be monitored "for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea and recommend contacting a veterinarian if the cats either experience "health issues" or are pregnant.
The company is offering full refunds or exchange "for another NUTRO® dry cat food product" upon return of the recalled products to retailers but haven't mentioned anything about helping with medical costs. Consumers with additional questions related to the recall can check their website or contact the company at 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST.
Comments
My Cat died this week. She has eaten Nutro all of her life. I'm VERY disapponted in this company!
Oh, Holly P, I am so sorry.
How can cat food companies get away with this! A recall is NOT enough. They want our money without earning our trust.
I'm a cat activist who blogs at The Way of Cats. Anyone with ideas about putting pressure on the companies is welcome to reach me there.
My male cat has been on Purina prescription food for urinary tract stones. About a month ago he stopped eating the dry food, had vomiting, diarrhea and lost weight. He finally recovered, I fed him the dry again and he went thru the same symptoms again. Have not fed him the dry food since and I had asked the vet if the food could possibly be tainted. He didn't seem to think so. My female cat also had the same symptoms for a few days and I had wondered if she had gotten some of his food - the
We bought this food with a Best if Used Date of 25 Feb 2010 and our cats are throwing up like crazy. I already had 2 cats die from the IAMs poisoning. Maybe this industry needs better regulation.
Holly p., i'm so sorry! i'm a vet technician who has witnessed other's "kids" die from the last pet food recall and my heart goes out to nyou!!! I just want to let others know that there is a lower-priced food also from Nutro called "health extension" by Vets choice (so it looks like NUTRO has nothing to do with this product but, THEY do manufacture it) and my 4 cats just started their 3rd bag of this dry food. Now, all 4 of my loves have extreme vomitting and green liquid diarrhea and i'm after the company to test this food too!(i'm going to test it myself too.) PLEASE DO NOT FEED THIS OFF SHOOT BRTAND OF NUTRO FOOD TO ANY OF YOUR PETS EITHER!!!! YOU THINK THIS (theese) DISGRACEFUL COMPANIES WOULD HAVE LEARNED after they were on the lovely RECALL LIST BEFORE!!!! our government agencies better wake up and fix ALL of these product RECALLS for pets and humans!!!! are we really in the USA anymore!!!!
just wanted to add that everyone in the usa should read the book "SLAUGHTER HOUSE" by gail eintizt. she is an undercover investigative reporter who blew the lid off of the horrors that go on in slaughter houses and factory farms, the fitlhy diseaesd food WE ARE ALL EATING, the abusive conditions these animals suffer (and even a handful of humans who work for these big agribussnises,) the government agencies that TURN THEIR BACKS on these issue b/c of MONEY, EVEN THE VETERINARIANS who work in the slaughter houses who LOOK the other way and some of the POLOTICIANS who are in on this!!!!this should be REQUIRED READING by every adult citizen of this country!!! it is not pretty reading but it will open your eyes to how much we DON't know that the government and BIG BUSSNISSES get away with! PLEASE, GIVE THIS BOOK A SHOT! YOU WILL NEVER LOOK AT YOUR PETS' FOOD and HEALTH and YOUR OWN AGAIN! the consumers need to know the TRUTH and WE NEED TO CHANGE IT AND QUICK!!!!
Nutro (menu foods) will continue to kill pets(had it's last mass killing,march 2007) it never paid the promised settlement( a paltry
29million)to pet owners. these thieves haven't figured out the fact that they must pay.
if every pet owner pressured the marketers of the foods they use for there pet,menu foods would be out of business(most canning is done by menu foods, many dry foods made by them too) demand the
sellers stop using unsafe ingredients, tell 'em you'l simply
make your own pet food, or buy from companys that use healthy
ingredients. we are consumers. we can shut these people down.
Last night I fed my cat for the first time "Nutro Max Cat weight control roasted chicken flavor" and the following afternoon I noticed that he was lethargic, had pus coming from his eyes, and had no appetite. Loss of appetite is something my cat never suffers from, so I sensed something was very wrong with him. However, he seems to have his appetite back and looks better on the eve of him falling ill. I don't know if his illness is coincidence or something to with the possibly tainted food. The dates on the bag don't fall into the range of recalled food, but I'm not taking any chances and am tossing the food in the garbage.
I recently lost two Cats in a row. One last month, who I had for 15 years, and after feeding him Natural choice wet kitten food, he began to get diharrea and it was all stuck to his bottom. He lost so much weight that when you petted him all you could feel was his spine and ribs. I thought he was just old and was developing a lot of health issues. He had to be put to sleep. A month later I got a kitten to help ease all the loss I have suffered this past month, and he was fine and healthy. After feeding him the same exact kitten food, he began to have the same exact symptoms as my other cat. He had diharrea and it was clumping to his bottom, he lost weight and you could feel his ribs and spine. His health deterriorated very quickly, within a few days. When I woke up this morning, he was dead. He was only 11 weeks old. I am very sad and troubled by all of this. They need to take this brand off the shelf permenantly.
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