Here is the kind of quality control that I think needs to be done on ALL supplements, both human and pet, no matter where the supplements are from.


Finished Product Validation 
Each Pure Encapsulations lot is submitted to an independent laboratory for final confirmation of potency and conformance with ingredient levels. We are the only supplement manufacturer that has FDA certified laboratories test every batch of finished, encapsulated products. This is an important distinction from companies that use in-house laboratories, use skip-lot testing or test ingredients prior to encapsulations or tableting.

Using the most advanced equipment and test methods including HPLC and MS, these labs certify the potency of every ingredient against our label claims. Each product has been verified to contain what it claims on the label. These tests reflect the potency and purity of the actual Pure Encapsulations supplements recommended by the health professional.

Furthermore, all results are provided in over 200 assays available to all of our customers on CD, verifying our uncompromising standards. All finished products must also pass the USP Microbial Limits Test.

Our finished products are tested by Integrated Biomolecule Corporation, Vanguard Scientific, Eurofins Scientific and Advanced Food Micro.
http://www.purecaps.com/QualityControl.asp

Wow. This is unbelievable. I can recall in first year university chemistry lab, the importance of being able to replicate test results. I'm pretty sure it was standard practice to use the exact same methodology as the original experiment, otherwise, the results could be challenged. This is what real science is based on. After replication, then, one might want to go out and use different methods of testing, etc. if technology has advanced (as in DNA testing), if they weren't able to perform as detailed a test as they would have liked in the original experiment, if the results contradicted each-other.

This is plain, ol' critical thinking and chemistry 101. Let's get on with it. Mr. Atkins, please send Donna's samples to Expertox and request the exact same testing that was performed on the sample she sent in independently. Then, post the results. Apples to apples, using the same type of apple.

To think, I almost had my mother switch her diabetic cat's food over to Evo as the % energy from carbohydrate comes in at 7%. This would have been an excellent dry food for her. As it stands, she will continue to feed her homemade stews supplemented with vitamins, minerals and a token amount of Orijen and Acana.

As for me, I was feeding my 5 cats Evo as a treat (and a break) from their usual dry. No more until I get some real scientific proof that Natura is serious about getting to the bottom of their quality issues . It does not matter one iota whether or not Donna's dogs got sick. If they never ate the sub-standard food, I would still want to know why it was allowed to pass quality control.

As far as I know, dry cat foods with a high protein content and no grains can be quite dusty as the kibble does not hold together as well as those with a binding agent. I have experienced this with several of these types of foods. I have no problem with this. I do, however, have a problem with companies messing with their formulas without informing their customers, at the very least, through their distributors (pet food stores).

Natura has gone further than any other pet food company. I agree. But, at this point, we are all fed up with the insane amount of worry we go through every time we place a scoop of food in front of our pets, every time they throw up, every time they have diarrhea, every time they are tired. What if it were your kids and the vitamins you were giving them to keep the healthy turned out to be poisoned? What if you didn't hit that toxic threshold until they were too sick to bring back to optimal health? What if you had to spend thousands of dollars in doctor's bills all because a company couldn't simply follow a basic, fairly inexpensive scientific protocol?

Mr. Atkins, just do it right and get it over with. As much as you'd like to reassure us that the food is good, we believe NO ONE. We just keep praying our babies aren't next.

So, it's being suggested that they are guilty b/c they are hiding evidence that they are innocent? 

If you find it suspicious, then fine, don't support them, but don't start slinging mud and speculating that they must be guilty of something b/c they don't feel the need to prove themselves innocent. 

Wow, filbert, I don't see any mud slinging going on here.  Speculation may very well save the next round of pets from dying.  What am I missing here? 

I think I'm going to report you to yourself.

The spinning by Natura continues. How very typical.

Luckily I don't use their products anyway. Hopefully they'll lose a lot of business.

I encourage everyone to try to remain objective while reading through the posts, calling to get information from the pet food company or through your own research.   Above all I want our discussions here to stay focused. 

Also, while I may not agree with some of the comments that have been stated through customer service, I do encourage you to remember that these reps are in a very difficult position and they are not responsible for decisions made for their company; they are simply the one who responds to public inquiries. 


Filbert,
I agree that we should refrain from mud-slinging.  However, I also hope that the next time someone accuses me of fraud, extortion or lying that you will again come to the rescue.  I think you may have missed those earlier comments about me.  Thanks!

Donna

Filbert did defend you in one case that i know of, Donna.  And you deserved the defense!  

I don't have a problem with the way Natura linked to the results, but I wish the vitamin mix had been tested for acetaminophen and I wish it was clear that reference ranges were the same for testing the same feed samples.