Attn Pet Parents: Melamine found in Natural Balance''s rice protein concentrate

[AndyRosse]

Natural Balance started quietly recalling two versions of their dry foods the other day, and now they are saying that tests have come back with melamine contamination (they are now also recalling some wet food and treats). They do not use wheat gluten, so the suspected contamination is with the rice protein concentrate, or rice gluten.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-17-premium-pet-food-recalled_N.htm?csp=34

http://www.itchmo.com/read/natural-balance-recall-expands-to-canned-food-and-treats_20070417

 

[Gypsy]

FRAP!

I really wish they''d figure out this thing faster. I''m getting paranoid and starting to consider cooking for my cats. They''re so finicky though.

 

[AndyRosse]

I started looking at the product labels of the wet and dry food that I had been feeding my cat prior to the original Menu Foods recall, and I see rice gluten in a couple of the wet foods. Ironically, at the end of February, my cat stopped eating and I thought I noticed an increase in drinking habits. So of course suspecting kidney issues (he is going to turn 10 in July), I brought him to the vet and had bloodwork done. The vet said all was well, but he continued to refuse the Nutro wet food (not containing wheat gluten, but some flavors containing rice gluten) and started eating a lot more of the dry food (not containing any wheat or rice gluten). He now eats Wellness Chicken and Herring wet food, which is completely grain free, and licks the plate clean. I returned my cans of Nutro the other day to Petco, but I saved one of every variety just in case. Long story short, I wonder if there was something contaminated in the wet food that made him stop eating it, maybe the rice gluten???

I''m sooooo paranoid now!!!

 

[Gypsy]

No kidding!! What are you going to do?

Despite my BEST and FREQUENT attempts my cats will only eat ProPlan wet and 2 flavors (not in gravy) of Science Diet.

I give them Innova Light Dry.

So FAR we''ve been blessed and they haven''t recalled anything... but that''s just to date, I worry about what is looking on the horizon.

 

[AndyRosse]

Lol Gypsy, I know exactly what you mean about picky cats! After the recall, I went down to the natural pet food store and bought a can of every "good" brand of wet cat food in every single flavor I could find. The guy behind the register thought I was hilarious

. I went home and started with one and ended up going through them all! He refused to even eat more than a bite of any one of them. I was just lucky with he decided he liked the Wellness Chicken and Herring, although I do not know what I will do if that ever has a recall! As for dry food, my cat loves loves loves Felidae Platinum. I try not to give him a lot of dry food, but I leave a little out since I'm away for long periods of time during the day.

I signed up for email updates on recalls, so hopefully I will know right away if any of Rascal's foods are recalled next

 

[FireGoddess]

I know they say the Wellness food is made at Menu foods, but it has no gluten in it and I have been giving it to Chloe intermittently recently - and she loves it as well (chicken and herring is her fave too).

I wish this would be over already - it is nerve wracking waiting for yet another announcement of a pet food recall!

 

[AndyRosse]

FG, you''re right, wellness wet food is made by Menu Foods, not in their Emporia plant though. I''m putting faith in their press release that they mandate full cleaning in between runnings of their products, etc. I feel so helpless!

Here''s a helpful website that lists what brands are manufactured by Menu Foods: LINK

 

[iheartscience]

ARRRRGH! From now on I''m only going to feed my cats Special K cereal, tortilla chips, baby food, yogurt and lettuce! (All the random people foods they like to steal from me.)

I''m so tired of worrying/obsessing about what to feed them! I feel like everything is tainted! Thankfully I only feed them dry food (Nutro), so none of their food has been affected so far...

 

[hopefulheidi]

OMG the Natural Balance Venison and Green Pea is the only thing I feed my 5 cats because one of my kitties has a food allergy. I thought spending $25/bag guaranteed I was feeding them something really good for them and now I find I''ve possibly been poisoning them all this time??

Holy crap! And to think, I have $75 more dollars worth of that stuff in my garage.

So much for getting what you pay for!