Poco, Sophers potassium was ok at 4.9 with the high norm being 5.8.  I am more worried about the steroid injection causing the WBC and platelet count to drop even more, those were already low before the shot.  I did verify with the lab that the injection was given after the labs were drawn, why they did it is beyond me.    

Yeah but Offy, we dont want to offend them now do we?  Isnt that what Nancy Hershey-bar Cook said (or something to thath effect).  FDA supporting acceptable levels of melamine is saying they dont want to offend them.  Come on, where are our balls?    (Can I say that.."balls"?  I mean beach balls of course....) 

Wow 5cat, is that how he responded to your e:mail?!  Eat organic?   

This is sad about ChelsandPhoebs house.  After the hurricane there were a few days the news was covering the damage etc but it seems they stopped way soon for some reason.  I wish they would show the rest of us what it looks like so everyone can get an idea of the mega-damage this storm caused people and what losses they took.  I know Red Cross is in need of donations and perhaps some more news coverage would help them get donations so they could help families like our ChelsandPhoebs.   

Aaaw thank you.  Yeah, Sophers is really withdrawn today, very subdued, sits and stares off into space for long periods of time, doesnt really look at us, hangs out downstairs by herself in the dark, is just feeling punky.  Im guessing its the steroid shot, darn it.  We didnt need that on top of whatever else is going on with her.  She has eaten and drank today, but not as good as yesterday.  Im guessing that might be because she hasnt gone poo since Saturday so she's probably full up until she goes, guessing that she is a little slowed up from the anesthesia.  Found a good site on steroid effects in case anyone is interested.  Cwappy stuff.

 http://www.crvetcenter.com/corticoids.htm

Cubbie, how's your kitten doing now?  I hope things are improving.....

And these are just a few of the complaints at CA from the link posted above by leechash:


Jenya of Olympia WA (10/04/08)
After Canidae made a very discreet formula change to my dogs kibble, he immediately began to get very gassy & had VERY loose bowel movements that would not go away. It was not until I changed brands that Zephyr started to have regular bowel movements again. At the same time the company decreased the size of the bags, but did not change the price....I feel like we got ripped off twice.

I think Canidae owes its customers more than a deep apology - but some money for vet bills & for time spent scraping diarrhea off the grass & carpets of their consumer's homes and yards. Whoever's idea it was to change the formula should be fired; if it's not broken don't fix it. I WAS so happy with this food...and fed it for a great number of years & referred it to adopters within my rescue organization and to other members of the dog show community ....

I am now disgusted with this company and cannot believe the utter lack of compassion & business savvy. Shame on them. They will certainly lose more than money on this stupid decision, they have lost their reputation.


Courtney of Brooklyn NY (10/04/08)
I adopted my very healthy dog (at the age of three) a year and two months ago. I was feeding her Canidae dog food for the duration. She always was in perfect health, with firm stools and a strong stomach. Starting in August, Canidae changed the formula, and later to find out, the manufacturer of their dog food. I didn't notice a change in the packaging, so I bought the food as I normally do. I brought the food home and noticed that it was a different shape and texture.

I contacted Canidae and they told me that they increased the protein content of the food and ti would take some time for my dog to get used to it. I thought it strange, but would give it a chance. I didn't have the opportunity of switching out gradually b/c I had no warning about the change and couldn't procure a bag of the old food. This persisted for over a month and I switched to a different brand. Still had loose stool and bad diarrhea. this had never happened before. I have incurred over a thousand dollars in vet bills. The vet thought it might be worms (although I treat with a preventative) and I, thinking that might have been it, went back to the Canidae. Still bad, bad smelly diarrhea and bad itching and digging at her back and tummy. Red spots on tummy after she eats.

I finally realized that it is the food after reading one after anohter complaint with dogs with similar symptoms. She even had and was treated for an anal abcess b/c her stools were so loose she wasn't clearing her anal glands, not usually a problem for her breed. I am so so so upset that i trusted Canidae and should have went with my instincts and switched off the food from the start. The reason I didn't is that I was afraid that I woulde n't find th source of the problem if I made too many changes to her habits and diet at once. It was the food all along.

And Canidae had the incredible nerve to not tell me when I emailed them that they swtiched to the manufacturer Diamond. I would never, never, never buy a dog food from a manufacturer with so many known issues. I am so angry and am telling everyone not to buy Canidae.

Today, when I went to my local dog store to report this there were two other customers there with the same complaint. At the vet today (where i am back for yet another fecal recheck) one client's dog had diarrhea and vomiting and their dog eats Canidae. I want my vet bills back, I want my dog's intestines to be healthy again. I want Canidae to be punished. I will tell everone I know and there is no doubt in my mind that they are negligent and I will sue.



D. of St Louis MO (10/04/08)
I am a breeder and have had all my dogs and new puppy families on Canidae ALS for years and years. We were all very happy. Being a breeder and part of Canidae's breeding program where they supply me with with free food and puppy packs to send home with the puppies. I was very upset that they never told me of the formula change and only changed the bag and added the formula change information to their wesite AFTER getting loads of complaints of sick pets.

Ive talked with tons of families and they definatley put the new formula in the old bags and didnt even put a sticker on the bag letting people know it was a different formula. My 2 litters at the time had non stop runs for 10 weeks and i spent alot of money on vet ills, medication and fecal exams to rule out worms and parasites. My adults were also having vomiting and the runs but i never could figure out why...

finally a friend talked me into switching foods claiming that the food she feeds gives the pups hard stools no matter what and instantly the pups had firm stools. still i didnt think it was the canidae that i trusted completley until someone sent me alink to this website. After investigating several brands I decided on a new high end brand and will no longer use or refer anyone to Canidae.


Beth of Meadville PA (10/03/08)
I have fed Canidae chicken & rice for the last two years and was very happy with how my 5 cocker spaniels did on it, not to mention the price was very reasonable. My dogs range in age from 11 1/2 years to 2 1/2 years. I noticed about two months ago, when after purchasing a new bag that the color was more yellow, but didn't think anything of it, as I totally trusted the company. Within hours my dogs developed gas and very soft, bright yellow stools. Several of them vomited a bile- colored liquid over the course of the next few days.

Concerned, I contacted the company, and a young woman said that they had changed the formula, and if my dogs were experiencing soft stools to mix water into the food and/or add some cooked rice to the food. If I wanted to cook for my dgs I would- isn't why we feed packaged food for the convenience? Funny thing is- our 11 1/2 year old has always had to have his food ground & mixed with enough water to make a slurry as he has mega-esophagus, and had and still does, have the softest stools of any of them. So, I switched to the ALS formula of Canidae, the results are a little better, not much.

I am thoroughly disgusted with the company for their lack of any notice on the food bags that there was a change in the formula, and for the increased cost for an obviously inferior new formula. Thankfully my dogs have not developed any deadly effects-YET. I am returning the food and will switch to Nutripet or Innova.

Dogs' distress from diarrhea, vomiting, my distress from trying to clean up after extemely messy stools. Raise in price for inferior product is just wrong!

Welcome to Itchmo leechash!  Wow I hadnt seen this!  Everytime we go to Consumer Affairs we have been looking at the hundreds of Nutro complaints.  This is a statement from Canidae at CA, they are sounding like Nutro...

Canidae Pet Foods
 


 
 A statement from Canidae:
We apologize to all who have voiced their concerns with our new formulation. Canidae distributed letters to retailers, breeders, updated packaging, and provided in-store signage, however it appears that this message did not reach all of our customers.

The new formulation, with increased levels of meat protein, lowered carbohydrates, and an increased overall complex carbohydrate quality, provides the most nutritious, all natural, palatable products. Canidae never uses soy, corn, wheat, by-products, grain fractions, or fillers in our food.

If you believe your pet has experienced challenges related to the new formula we suggest feeding smaller portions multiple times a day. Adding warm water can decrease the chance of pets eating too quickly and not chewing thoroughly. It’s not unusual for pets to experience some digestive issues when transitioning, but if your problems persist, contact your veterinarian to rule out any underlying health concerns. For more tips, visit canidae.com/transitioningfromorig.html.

Due to increased commodity costs, we’ve changed our packaging sizes, reducing the overall weight by approximately 3-5 pounds per bag. The new sizes are more consistent with other brands and allow for easier handling.

We are committed to bringing quality products to pet owners and in June that commitment led us to Diamond’s manufacturing facility. Diamond facilities have rigorous quality control processes, utilizing a 141-point ingredient test protocol. All products are subject to a 10-point final product safety review and Canidae has also implemented hourly testing to confirm quality and product safety in our onsite laboratory. All Canidae products meet or exceed AAFCO nutrient profiles in USDA and FDA approved facilities.

At Canidae, we are committed to providing you and your pets the highest standard of excellence for product quality, palatability, and customer satisfaction. Please call 800-398-1600 or visit www.canidae.com to let us know what we can do to serve you better.

Canidae
Scott Whipple and John Gordon
Owners
PO Box 3610
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403


 

Moonlight, thank goodness it wasnt lymphoma, whew!  After our prior kitty developed IBD with severe diahrrea, we researched like crazy and learned that many times (but not always) the IBD is from some sort of food intolerance or reaction to a certain ingredient.  We found after a year of food trials with her that it was anything with fish and try to find a cat food that doesnt have some sort of fish in it.  Once we got rid of anything fish, within a week her stools dramatically improved and after a few weeks, she had perfect stools after a year or more of constant diahrrea. 

Aaaah and ooohhh!  Thanks so much for pics of these darling little healthy babies!  Very precious.   

Stray, Im very jealous of you!  Where we live here in AK it is very hard to do that.  We have no locally grown vegies largely due to the weather here, we do have a CSA group that ships things in but its pretty expensive and the amount we get is pretty small for the cost.  Mainly everything has to be flown or barged in.   They are starting to look at developing a farmers market here to encourage locals to grow fruits and vegies but its just in the talking stage right now.  So the best we can do is buy organic thru Freddies.......

OF, the only thing I can come up with is with KiKi she got so she didnt want to go poo anywhere near the pee was so she would hold it til I cleaned the box out and then get right back in and go poo.  We finally ended up getting a very large plastic tub instead of a normal size litter box and it ended up helping alot but I dont know that this is the problem with your baby.  Sounds like you are going to have put on the spy gear  and start tracking her to see what she's doing at poo time......

Yay Angel vet, you go girl!  I am so pleased she is looking into all possibilities for poor Rufus, its obvious that whatever is ailing him is not a normal type condition so its great that your vet is being open-minded and searching for all possibilities.  Is he feeling any better the last couple of days? 

So how much more is the U.S. willing to see here before they do something about the trade agreement with China?  This is disgusting that we havent shut the doors already.   

Oh dear.  I am so sorry to hear he isnt better but very glad to hear you have a good place to take him to for help.  Im praying they will be able to figure out what is wrong, that its easily treatable and he gets better very quickly.  Please hang in there little Remy and leslieK, please keep us posted when you are able to.  Off to light a candle.