Warning: Pentobarbital found in US dog food

[LPC]

I just found this article on the BBC website. For the moment, it seems that only one brand of dog food has caused dog death or ill-health, but the meat supplier (if at fault) does supply other companies:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38888399

[Tobi]

Thank you for this critical warning LPC!

I like Evanger's response, and am not saying it was their fault entirely, as the supply chain doesn't always disclose their sources.
But somewhere along the line some euthanised animals got put into that meat. And despite what it says on their label, beef cattle are never slaughtered by use of pentobarbital.
Whatever happened is dangerous, deadly and horrific.

What really goes into commercial pet foods?? (rhetorical question actually...)

The best we can do is make sure we get a good reliable supplier of wholesome pet food, which may cost a little more. And be prepared to pay it. Otherwise, the safest way to feed our dogs and cats is by choosing human-grade meat and fish, and cooking it with vegetables. Then finding a good species-specific supplement to add to the food, so there are no nutritional deficiencies.

[Catherine]

Good warning. Hopefully the word will get out fast enough to prevent more deaths.

Also good response on the part of the pet food company.

It is their meat supplier that needs to be looked at. Some of the beef they are supplying is obviously from euthanized horses. They could mix a certain amount of horse meat into the beef and it wouldn't be noticed. However and drugs in the horse meat would end up in the food. I am sure they saved a little money doing that, but they lost a 40 year contact with a reputable company. Not much of a saving in the end and it showed a serious disregard for life.

Quote:What really goes into commercial pet foods?? (rhetorical question actually...)

Do we really want to know?(also rhetorical)

There needs to be much more accountability as to the disposal of euthanized animals. There needs to be a lot more attention paid to where meat comes from whether it is for animal or human consumption.

It was a nice touch for the pet food company to make a donation in memory of the dog that died. Nothing replaces a lost pet, but that acknowledges that the pet was special.

This is not the first tainted pet food issue. The big one was tainted grain from China.

Quote:The best we can do is make sure we get a good reliable supplier of wholesome pet food, which may cost a little more. And be prepared to pay it. Otherwise, the safest way to feed our dogs and cats is by choosing human-grade meat and fish, and cooking it with vegetables. Then finding a good species-specific supplement to add to the food, so there are no nutritional deficiencies.

Making your own pet food is probably the safest way to feed your pets. I am sure there are recipes for dog and cat foods that are easy to make and much healthier.

[LPC]

I have posted about this on quite a few forums (including two specifically for dogs), but this forum has produced the most discussion! Elsewhere, the result has been silence or else it has been very muted. That is because this forum has a heart

[Tobi]

(02-08-2017, 02:30 PM)Catherine Wrote: Making your own pet food is probably the safest way to feed your pets. I am sure there are recipes for dog and cat foods that are easy to make and much healthier.

  It's easy to do, so long as one doesn't mind devoting a couple of hours  to prepare the food about once every two-three weeks or so.
I used to buy a big batch of different meat, and cook it up adding vegetables, one evening. All sorts can be added to it such as Quinoa, rice, potatoes etc and add things like greens, green beans, carrots, broccoli, spinach...etc

Then I put it in portion-sized freezer bags, and into the freezer. It took up a lot of room but was worth it! Misty loved the evenings when I cooked her food for the next couple of weeks, as she used to get the odd treat thrown to her while I was breaking up the cooked meat.

I also bought packs of ready-frozen boneless fish pieces. Dogs don't mind what sort of fish it is. We got the cheap one. Pollock I think it was. Those cook up quickly whenever needed, (again with some veggies added) Misty loved green beans. We used frozen green beans often for that recipe. It only took 10 minutes to cook. and 10 or so to cool down.

[Tobi]

(02-08-2017, 08:52 PM)LPC Wrote: I have posted about this on quite a few forums (including two specifically for dogs), but this forum has produced the most discussion! Elsewhere, the result has been silence or else it has been very muted. That is because this forum has a heart

It is surprising to hear that on other forums there has been little reponse to your post! Let's hope putting the story out in as many places as you can gives it a better chance of being seen. You never know. What you posted could already have saved some dogs' lives.

[LPC]

As we all know, many more people read forums than post on them. So if even one person was made aware who needed to know, it was worth it.

[Catherine]

Quote:I have posted about this on quite a few forums (including two specifically for dogs), but this forum has produced the most discussion! Elsewhere, the result has been silence or else it has been very muted. That is because this forum has a heart

Thank-you. It makes me proud of what we have done here.

I agree, a story like this needs to be made public in as many places as possible and it needs to be discussed.
Most people who look up forums don't post, they usually don't even register as members. That is okay. We can still reach them with important news and perhaps some dogs will be saved because of it.


Tobi, I love the story of you cooking for Misty. It is pretty simple to make healthy food for a dog. You can even get vitamin supplements to add to their food. I never thought about a fish stew for dogs, but I guess many dogs like fish. It certainly would be safer and you could control what goes into it.

[Tobi]

Yes, I don't know why some people think dogs don't like fish! Of course they do! And it is very good for them; lean protein. And with an 'oily fish' like sardines, salmon, mackerel, etc those contain high Omega 3 which is very very good for them. The only thing is they shouldn't live entirely on fish as that can cause nutritional deficiencies and some problems.
I also gave Misty canned fish sometimes which she liked. We used all sorts....Pilchards, Tuna, Salmon, Sardines, (boneless)herrings....etc

[LPC]

Sardines are Forgy's favourite (as you know, Tobi, from his emails, haha!). Regarding the latest case of Evanger's dog food containing pentobarbital, I found this:

"I have not read too the comments yet but I am the author of "Food Pets Die For" and "Protect Your Pet". Pentobarbital was covered at length in my books and I was rather shocked to see that this drug is showing up in pet food and according to the lab results in "high levels." Pentobarbital is used to euthanize companion animals. In speaking with large animal veterinarians I was advised that pentobarbital is not used to euthanize farm animals, cost prohibitive. In communications with shelters, pounds and some veterinarian clinics primarily in California I learned that euthanized cats and dogs from these facilities were routinely sent to rendering plants and in turn these plants sold the raw material to pet food companies (meat meal). Pentobarbital withstands the rendering process without degrading. I have not heard that the use of such material has changed since my last book was written.e

The above quote is amongst the comments on this page: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-r...ruary-2017

I found this lady's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Food-Pets-Die-Sho...0939165562

She carried out extensive research into what goes into dog food (in the USA). I have not bought the book, as European laws about dog food are not the same as in the USA. I did note, however, that USA dog food seems to have a lot more chemical additives in it than is permitted in Europe.