They're the larvae of Plodia Interpunctella, AKA the Indianmeal moth.  According to this site (http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/stored/indianmeal_moth.htm), "the larvae are general feeders, as they can be found in grain products, seeds, dried fruit, dog food, and spices."

As for how they got in there, I have no idea.

Chinese-made, Korean-made, or wherever-made, I don't want worms in my chocolate.  They're definitely not a delicacy to me.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1282049,00.html

Ugh!
 

Syn-Flex is a similar product that works really well.  It's a liquid, so it's absorbed faster than capsule or pill type glucosamine products - we saw results within 7 days.  I would measure it out in a syringe and squirt it in my dog's mouth - he LOVED it.  It comes in a green apple flavor, and I just noticed on their website that it's also available in a beef flavor.

I saw a spider next to a coworkers desk, and we determined it was a brown recluse spider.  My boss wouldn't let anyone smash it; instead, he scooped it up with a piece of paper and dropped it out the window.  If it comes back, though, I know where we keep the hammer ...   

Funny you should mention that, db.  I had gone to bed and felt something crawling on me.  Went into the bathroom and realized it was a tick.  Flushed it down the sink with lots of water, checked the dogs to make sure they didn't have any, and went back to bed.  The next night, same thing happened.  Flushed it down the sink with lots of HOT water and went back to bed.  The next morning, while standing at the sink, I saw it crawl back out.  Needless to say, it then got smashed as best I could and flushed down the TOILET.  I haven't seen it (or any others) since, so I hope that took care of it.

Garth Merrick from Merrick Pet Foods has been quoted as saying something very similar:

"We're in the middle of cattle country, of course, so it's our hope to continue to utilize everything but the moo." 

http://www.pecos.net/news/arch2001/021301o.htm
(Scroll down to the section labeled "Pet toys from Hereford's used cow dealer.")

A couple other quotes from that article:
Merrick uses the things that are not fit for human consumption.
"It's all processed in such a way that is totally sanitary and safe for anything that would eat it."

I'm not sure how something can be not fit for human consumption and yet at the same time be safe for anything that would eat it.

I bought a ball like that for my guys, but they really didn't care for it.  However, I can put a few treats in an empty water bottle and it will keep them busy for an hour or more.  Even without the treats, water bottles have become the toy of choice in my house.  They love the sound they make, and when the bottles get a little crushed, they bounce in unpredictable ways.

My little ones like ice cubes.  I like them, too, because they're both treat and toy (watch as they slide all over the floor!).  It's an easy way to make sure they get a little extra hydration when it's really hot out, too.

I haven't checked the cat site yet, but I like the dog stuff site.  I'm not sure if it's just my browser or what, but the left side column (where you can click on Reviews, Dog News, or Forums) is way too wide. 

I'm not sure how readily available this info is, but could you add retail pricing info?  It could be a specific list price, or even a range ($ for up to $25, $$ for $25 to $50, $$$ for $50 to $100, or something like that).

It's been brought to my attention that we should be filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau.  I pulled up Natura's BBB report, and they are showing a satisfactory record with 0 complaints over the past 36 months.  You can file a complaint about the product or about customer service (among other possible complaints).

If anyone else is interested in filing a complaint with the BBB, here's the link:

http://www.bbbnebraska.org/complaint.html

Another observation from Offy's recap thread:

This Natura quote was copied from a dogster forum:
"I can assure you that their has been no sutures in our food. The foreign object was tested and turned out to be the connecting tissue from our raw chicken and turkey ingredients that we put into our food. Their is nothing wrong with our food and we have never been involved in any of the RECALLS. ..Vicki"

Now, Natura told me that what I found in my Innova kibble, what I described as nylon fishing line type material and others said looked like sutures, was connective tissue from raw chicken and turkey.  The problem is, if they're referencing my kibble in the quote above - I didn't send that particular piece of kibble to them.  Their "testing" was nothing more than looking at the photos that I shared here.

Maybe they did test someone else's foreign object in the food, but it wasn't mine, and I don't recall reading about anyone else being told the connective tissue line in response to a specific sample submitted.  Did I miss it?  Or did they just come up with plausible sounding answer that they can throw out to anyone who asks?

I was just reading Offy's recap post (thanks for doing that, by the way) and noticed a link to a 3rd response from Peter Atkins that's on a different forum.  In that response (which addresses Donna's complaint), Mr. Atkins states, "We have had no other complaints from this (or any other) batch of food, and we are 100% confident in the safety of all of our products." 

I find this interesting, as that posting was dated 7/24/07, and I contacted Natura about a problem with my kibble on 7/11/07, and sent them a sample, which they received on 7/13/07.  I believe others have contacted them as well.

This is what Nylabone said when I asked:
Most of our products are made here in our factory in New Jersey:
Healthy Edibles(r), Nutri Dent(r), Prime Choice(tm), all Durable, Flexible and Dental chews, as well as FRISBEE(r) flying discs.

However, some of our products are made in China
(Puppy Fish(tm), Puppy Teething Keys(tm), Bar-B-Chews(tm), Double Action(r) Chews, Rhino(r), Puzzle Bone(tm), Toro(tm), Lobo(tm), Fold Away Den & Carrier(r), Chubby Buddies(r) and Cheeky Squeaky Pets(r))

They said they also use independent 3rd party testing facilities to ensure the safety of their products.

Good point.  It's not on the main page, not on the news page, and not on the site map.  So unless someone clicks on the link from within this thread, they're not going to see this info.  I hope PAtkins gets that fixed soon.