MRPPT 12: Pet Foods NOT on Recall List and What Next?

Hello...

Nikita here...

Welcome to Meowsings of a Right Paw Puttie Tat!

Boy, have I been making up for lost time this weekend or what.

No, it's not because I feel guilty for not posting since the end of January!

I began posting again because of a very serious threat to the Cat, and  Canine, Communities.

This evening comes word of an invaluable post by The PetsitUSA Blog, that spreads the word about SAFE FOODS.

With the massive pet food recall that is going on, I have had people asking me what pet food is safe. At this point, feeding our pets any commercially prepared food can feel quite risky. The following companies have made statements that their food is not affected by the Menu Foods recall. Keep in mind that we are not “recommending” any of these foods. Rather, we’re compiling a list of foods that are reported safe by the manufacturers.

Check out this article on their Blog, for the List, and updates, and don't forget to read the NOTE at the end of the list

As for the all important question of What Next?

The wonderful, and dedicated, folks at Pet Connection are asking for thoughts on the subject, and start things off with 4 Legislative Suggestions.

Itchmo has started a Petition to demand changes, and people can learn more, and sign it, if they are so inclined, here: Petition to Require Pet Food Companies to be Held Accountable for Damages. ( Another, shorter, URL for the Petiion. )

Daddy signed, and I added my name in symbolic solidarity, as he posted a JOINT STATEMENT for us both:

My 9 yr. old Feline Companion, Nikita, and I wish to express our solidarity with our fellows in the Cat, and Canine Communities, in this terrible time of crisis.

We agree wholeheartedly that the marketers, and manufacturers, of the food, and treats, that people purchase, for the nourishment of their Animal Companions, need to be held accountable for what goes into their product, and for it being safe for consumption before it reaches the shelves of Retailers.

We also want to encourage all Human Companions to do all they can to inform themselves about care, and feeding, issues related to their particular Animal.

Pet Connection has an informative post of useful information:

What you need to know -- and do -- in the wake of the news.

As far as the number of casualties is concerned the company, the FDA, and AP ( Among other Media Outlets. ) are apparently not buying the notion that far more than just 16 animals have died nationwde.

Either that, or they are keeping quiet about what they know.

Pet Connections, from its self-reported database, is now reporting 1,716 dead pets as of 9 p.m. PT..

They have just posted a story about the numbers that nails the above with regards to this discrepancy, and links to stories by Newsweek, and USA Today.

The USA Today piece, in tomorrows paper, and now up on its website, is pretty much confirming that the above numbers may actually be closer to the mark.

Data from the nation’s largest chain of pet hospitals, Banfield, suggest it is as high as hundreds a week during the three months the food was on the market.

During that time, the more than 600 Banfield hospitals in 43 states saw 200 to 250 cases of kidney failure in cats above the usual number that would have been expected, says Hugh Lewis, president of Data Savant, Banfield’s data collection arm.

During that period, Banfield vets saw 100,000 cats. Extrapolating to the entire cat population of the USA, that could mean “we’re probably talking several hundred cats a week across the country being affected,” Lewis says.

Check out the post by Pet Connection, here.