Answers to these questions are also very important in knowing how to treat them.   

As long as AAFCO/FDA is the regulator and the ingredient definitions are not completely reexamined and revised,
eliminating most of the allowed chemicals and rendered components and other products of the fake meat making
extrusion arts the commercial pet food companies are so proud of, and as long as nutritionally complete and balanced
is based on studies lacking scientific veterinary validation and feeding trials of only six months (at most) or
family-equivalence paperwork, is there such a thing as safe commercial pet food?
You can't even get AAFCO/FDA to ban SRMs such as BSE prions from inclusion in pet food. Shouldn't the public,
particularly cat owners, see that warning on every label?

Don't I wish !

What I worried about is if its a mold based toxin, it could appear after it goes out of date. I don't have an empty freezer to use just for old pf. Wish I did. I do have some of the Purina frozen & will freeze some of the Evangers before it goes out. But the others are all things I hardly used any of, or that my neighbors hardly used any of & I am not aware of anyone needing them at this time. Those I toss [in small ziplocs a few at a time every week] when they expire. Unfortunately none of them but 1 bag of Evangers are unopened.

Yes , I think the heavy metals & maybe unknown toxins. Still trying to figure out what else. Its like a jigsaw puzzle trying to guess what to test for. We know it has too much copper,but that is usually only a problem by itself for certain breeds[none of the dogs affected are those breeds]. In the presence of an excess of certain other metals its effects can be worse. There are just too many things that can cause the symptoms the dogs had & have. Also too many possible problems with different ingredients in the food. I don't know how Don deals with it, its almost impossible to figure out. What we need is unlimited funds & testing ability. If we could test large amounts of food for every problem & to be sure it contains the right amounts of things we might get somewhere. Until then its hit or miss on finding the problems. Very frustrating ! Its ridiculous that we as consumers have to do this,the pf co's and gov't agencies should be doing it ! Last week I went to the meat market & bought 65 lbs of meat & organs. Then 15 lbs of clams & 4 lbs of wild caught Alaskan salmon. Along with 20 lbs of organic,local chicken. It was a lot easier when I could just buy a few cans & bags. That won't be happening again in my lifetime though. Or my dogs or cats lifetimes. Tomorrow I am heading to the health food store for manuka honey and Bluebonnet dairy free acidophilus. Then I need to order Lewis labs lethicin and brewers yeast. Also a stop at the local organic farm for eggs. But I have to say that even with the residual problems from last yrs food & a lifetime of crappy commercial food, my dogs and cats are looking and doing better than ever. Trooper at 10 1/2 is more energetic than in the last 3 yrs. Punkin at 17 looks and acts like he's 5. No more chronic skin and ear problems. No more vomitting,diarrhea and hairballs. Its worth the time,cost and effort. When you break it down by lb its even cheaper.

Join Netflix and skip the movies; donate to pfsa.org as often as you can and whatever you can.
Safe and healthful, and commercial pet food have nothing whatsoever to do with each other in
2008 in my opinion because nobody is testing at adequate levels and no one has researched what
is nutritionally required adequately. Just food for thought. Consumer experience warnings are all
we've got to help the furkids with.

Lesliek Have you thought about using your states dept of Ag & Mkts. for testing? Also ewg.org is testing perhaps they would test your food for nothing and  it sounds like they are able to test for more potential problems at one time.