http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_lifestyle_animal/2008/09/do-you-feed-you.htmlOrlando Sentinel September 24, 2008
"Received this letter today from an OrlandoSentinel.com reader in Melbourne, who is understandably concerned:
"My 3-year-old Great Pyrenees, Salty, had to be rushed to the hospital on Saturday night (9/20/08) with bloody diarrhea and vomiting. He has never had stomach issues in his life. He had to stay overnight with an IV and was given all types of medicine.
They diagnosed him with HGE, or Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis, is a potentially life-threatening diarrheal disease. (He came home with a diagnosis of bacterial colitis also.) I remembered that I had recently switched his food to Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice for sensitive skin (due to a rash). When I got home from emergency room I looked up consumer affairs page and it had so many recent entries about very seriously sick dogs with the same issues."Since Saturday, I have spoken to
friends in NJ, PA and here in Florida with the very same problems. "Last night (9/21) we picked Salty up from the emergency vet and a
Rottweiler was being admitted. I overheard his owner talking about his symptoms. Bloody vomiting and bloody diarrhea -- I asked the owner what food she had been feeding her dog -- Nutro Lamb and Rice Dry food.
"Four people at work have had sick dogs -- vomiting, diarrhea issues -- and their dogs are fed Nutro Lamb and Rice dry food. One of the people just called her vet -- her vet's dog is sick and is fed Nutro also. One of the co-workers is feeding her two dogs Nutro Large Breed (not lamb and rice) and she just purchased the bag at the Petsupermarket on Palm Bay Road in Palm Bay."Please help, please get the word out. Dogs could die from this and pet owners are thinking they are feeding their dogs a good product.
I emailed Nutro on 9/20 and 9/22 and have not even received a response. I did file a complaint with the FDA. I am going to check my American Express Bill to see when we purchased this dog food. I am asking my co-workers to do the same. So far the vet bill is about $1,000."
http://www.nutroproducts.com/press8-8-08.shtmlNutro Products Quality Update
August 8, 2008
"ConsumerAffairs.com has posted an August 6 update to their June 23 posting regarding NUTRO™ pet foods. The most notable information in the posting, and the subject of its title, "Expert Finds Unexplained Pet Deaths 'Not Consistent,'" are the findings of Dr. Steven Hansen, a veterinary toxicologist at the ASPCA. Dr. Hansen conducted an in-depth review of the complaints against Nutro and concluded that the complaints appear to be random, non-pet food related health issues.
"Every NUTRO™ product that was analyzed in relation to the June 23 posting on ConsumerAffairs.com has been shown to be safe. It should be noted that in some of these cases outside sources have provided clear verification that NUTRO™ products were NOT the cause of any pet health issues. In others, NUTRO™ has taken active steps to address pet owners' concerns and determine the cause of pet health issues. We've either spoken with or left multiple messages for all of the consumers cited in the June 23 posting. Our findings agree with Dr. Hansen’s; there is nothing that indicates that these pet health issues were caused by NUTRO™ pet foods.
"There are other elements to the August 6, 2008 Consumer Affairs post which, as with previous postings on the site, attempt to raise doubt concerning the safety of NUTRO™ products. We take every complaint about NUTRO™ product quality seriously and, as we have done before, when we learn of an issue we work with consumers to obtain information and request that samples of any product in question be submitted for testing at an independent facility. An in-depth review is performed to determine if an issue does exist.
"All of our products are safe and conform to the standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S Department of Agriculture and the Association of American Feed Control Officials. NUTRO™ products undergo rigorous quality assurance testing beginning with raw ingredients and ending with testing finished products. This includes testing to confirm that no melamine, mold toxins, or pathogenic bacteria are detected in NUTRO™ pet foods."
http://www.nutroproducts.com/press9-17-08.shtmlRe: Zinc and Copper Levels in Natural Choice®
September 17, 2008
Q: "I've heard reports that Nutro products contain potentially harmful levels of copper and zinc. Is this true?
A: "NUTRO™ products are safe and conform to the standards set by the FDA, USDA and AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials). The claims regarding the safety of Nutro pet food in a recent report posted on the Pet Food Product Safety Alliance website are unfounded.
"In order for a food to provide all the essential nutrition for a pet, it must exceed the minimum requirements for all essential nutrients. AAFCO has established Nutrient Profiles which identify these minimum dietary levels for all essential nutrients in canine pet food products.
"Specifically, these guidelines indicate that pet foods formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of dogs contain no less than 120 mg/kg dry matter and no more than 1,000 mg/kg dry matter of zinc in order to ensure that the requirements for zinc in dogs are met. Based on these guidelines, the 260- 400 mg/kg diet levels of Zinc found in Nutro™ Natural Choice Chicken, Meal, Rice and Oatmeal Formula (which converts to approximately 288-444 mg/kg dry matter) are well within AAFCO recommended levels. Like zinc, levels of copper in Nutro are necessarily above the minimum AAFCO requirements and do not exceed maximum requirements; they are well within recommended levels.
"The report is correct in stating that there is a small minority of dogs that are sensitive to copper. These dogs are relatively few and need to be carefully managed with the assistance of a Veterinarian. This would be the same as with any dog that has special, specific needs which make it unique from the general canine population. Furthermore, copper is a critical factor in a dog's antioxidant defense system and so it would not be prudent to restrict copper in the general population, as that would mean that a large group of dogs would not receive their required levels.
"In addition to meeting a dog's nutritional requirements, many Nutro™ products incorporate the scientific knowledge of the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition which has researched the role of key nutrients in delivering optimal skin and coat health and consequently have levels of zinc, copper and other nutrients that are higher than industry minimums. These nutrients serve as key drivers in maintaining skin and coat health and help to make Nutro™ products nutritionally sound.
"Our products are safe and conform to the standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Nutro™ products undergo rigorous quality assurance testing beginning with raw ingredients and ending with testing finished products. This includes testing to confirm that no melamine, mold toxins, or pathogenic bacteria are detected in any Nutro™ pet foods."
Dr. Tiffany L Bierer
Health Sciences and Nutrition Manager
Mars Petcare US, Inc
All of these people who have posted to blogs, message boards, Consumer Affairs, el. al., cannot just be coincidence; they are not all bent on destroying the brand nor getting a whopping settlement from the company. History shows us that some of those who suffered the illness and loss of their pet friends in the melamine/cyanuric acid toxic pet food crisis last year didn't even get their medical bills 100% covered.
There are a lot of people who are saying the same thing and those who have been saying it for some time, while Nutro continues to stick with the "party line" that there's nothing harmful about its products. Seeing is believing--what we are seeing is plenty of reports that there was and is something wrong with these foods; Nutro provides no actual proof that there isn't.
