One more bit of information on oxidized fat...

"Fat spoilage (oxidation) decreases the nutritional quality of the food, makes it less palatable to the dog, and can even make it unsafe to eat."

This article was in reference to dogs, but would also apply to cats.

http://www.executec.com/nutra.htm

We had a "problem" last month with Nature's Variety Instinct kibble for cats.  Our two bengal cats had previously eaten this kibble enthusiastically as part of our dry rotation.  We were about 7 - 10 days into a gradual kibble switch to the NV Instinct.  Both cats began to eat less and less during that time, and one cat even lost a small amount of weight.  Something about the kibble didn't seem "quite right" to me.  Usually, it smelled like chicken but this bag (Exp. Date: June 19/08) smelled kind of "bland".  It actually had a "grain-like" smell to me - like cattle feed from when I lived on a farm!?  We stopped using it, and both cats' appetites quickly returned to normal, and the cat that lost a little bit of weight regained it.  I emailed NV on Mar. 13/08 - never heard a thing from them!!
To quote what someone so aptly stated on the forum in another thread - "It saddens me when a used-to-be-good pet food goes down the QA sinkhole"!!!  That pretty much sums it up for me!!
I, too will be crossing NV off my list of acceptable cat foods!! 

"Fool me once - shame on you.  Fool me twice - shame on me."  Not gonna happen to this pet purrent!!!!!

All:

I sent the e-mail below to Robert Davis's e-mail address (robert.davis@nodogban.com provided publicly on a previous post) immediately after we posted the information on our web site.  Apparently it got caught in a junk mail filter or otherwise didn't make it to him.  This was sent on Thursday, 4/3/2008 at 5:52 pm CDT.

Sandy


Robert:

We have just posted the information below on our web site.  You seem to be plugged in to Itchmo.  Rather than me just starting a new thread, I thought I would send this to you and let you post it as a news item or a thread.

This reflects the respect we have for the role you and Itchmo have come to play in informing pet owners about pet food issues.

As a personal aside, I just noted your web site name and the tag line on your postings.  During the course of the postings last time, I wondered to myself why those who post on Itchmo don’t also get after the over breeding issue.  And so you do!

Please e-mail me with any questions.

Best regards,

Sandy Goodman

04-03-2008
Prairie Lamb Meal and Oatmeal Medley for Cats

Information for our Customers

Nature’s Variety has withdrawn distribution of Prairie™ Lamb Meal and Oatmeal Medley for Cats with the “best if used by” dates of 12/20/08 and 1/25/09. If you purchased a bag of Prairie Lamb Meal and Oatmeal Medley for Cats with those specific “best if used by” dates, please return it to the store for a replacement or refund. The “best if used by” dates are located on the back of the package.

Please be assured, this withdrawal does not involve health risks to cats.  At Nature’s Variety, we want to insure that all of our products meet our high quality standards.  We have found the affected products to be unacceptable because to the following reasons.

•   The products with a “best if used by” date of 12/20/08 have an unacceptable level of oxidized fat.  Oxidation may create an unusual odor.  It is very likely that you will notice the smell immediately and that your cat would be sensitive to the smell and will not attempt to eat this food.
•   The products with a “best if used by” date of 1/25/09 have an unacceptable appearance – this kibble is quite crumbly and very dark in color.  Again, this unusual appearance will likely be instantly evident to you, and it is unlikely that your cat would eat this food.

Our distributor and retailer partners have been notified of this issue, and we have prevented some from ever reaching your retail store shelf.  If, however, you have purchased one of these affected products, please return it to your retail store for a full refund or replacement.

The issues described here relate to our previously identified production challenges during late-2007 and early-2008.  As explained previously, we have taken multiple action steps to continually improve and assure the quality of our products for your special pet. 

We regret this situation, and we apologize for any inconvenience it has caused you.  If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us by clicking CONTACT at the top of the Nature’s Variety home page (www.naturesvariety.com).  Someone from our team will be happy to respond to you as quickly as possible. 

Sandy, thank you for coming in.  Would you be able to explain why the info with the cat food is just now coming out when the problem with the dog food was detected back on 2-27 (or at least that is when it was posted on your site)?  I have to say that its really frustrating.  We have a juvenile cat who is immune-compromised and it has taken alot of time and effort on our part to keep her as healthy as possible.  It doesnt take much to set her over the edge.  I came very close to feeding this food, we bought some and the batch date is only one week before the dates you mention.  We did feed some of your grain-free dry awhile back that she had some problems with, whether it was food-related or not is an unknown.  We found out thru a person at Itchmo about this most recent food problem, not thru your site.  Why is this, once again, not being made more aware to the public?  When there is a known problem with your facilities and additional problems arent announced for over a month, it doesnt show enough concern in my mind.    We cant take any risk with this kitten.  Can you see how bad this could be for people in our situtation, let alone for someone that has a healthy cat?  Im just wondering why the problem with the cat food wasnt found at the same time as the problem with the dog food and if it was something obvious we as pet owners should be able to see with the food, why didnt your people catch it?  Note that not everyone knows what it should look like, especially if we are new to your food.  I am sorry to sound so negative but it really is a scary thing when you just about feed some food that could possibly make your pet sick, toxins or not, its too much of a reminder of the 2007 pet food recall and in my mind, could have been avoided.  If something like this can slip thru the cracks, then what else can in the future?  These are thoughts and worries that come naturally to my mind after losing our dear beloved kitty last year to the tainted food.  Thank you for hearing me out.

Sandi, You have an account obviously here at Itchmo and you should just post any notices directly here rather than sending personal emails to members.  That way we can all get the information promptly and be able to react to it as needed.  I thought this was discussed during your last posts that some form of communication directly to us would be implemented.

I know the thread is feline... but as some of you know I am now working a local pet store and just today a lady with a small dog wanted her canidea back since the chn dog NV made the dog sick.. PS I will cross post in the dog .. orginally I had thought the animal was sensitive to one of the MANY NV Extras like pumpkin or alfalfa 

Oil is SUPPOSED to be preserved to avoid spoilage but if it is naturally done and the bag is open freshness IMHO only lasts a few weeks

Am I just missing something or what.  I went to Nature's Variety website,,,,,and all the information about the cat food stuff isn't there any more.  All of it from April is gone.  Anybody know what happened?