Pet Food Recall + What do you feed your pets?

[Darcy]

Itchmo is a fun Seattle blog all about dogs and cats. They continue to be a great source for breaking news on the pet food recall.

What do you feed your pets? Have you had to switch brands since the recall?

My cats eat Timberwolf Serengeti, a non-grain food. My newly adopted dog Lily will be eating Timberwolf, or Orijen. I've had really good luck with both of these brands so far.

[PM4HIRE]

Darcy:

My experience as a project manager has been that Canadian based
companies like Menu Foods lack work ethic, any sense of quality,
and very unprofessional. BTW, I just completed an assignment with
Petsmart last month, this industry is pretty much a cowboy culture.

[Darcy]

That's too bad.

Orijen is Canadian made, but they do list the supplier of all of the human-grade meat and fish they use in their products.

I've also been feeding my cats and Lily Innova foods lately. Innova is the one pet food company I know of that has handled their response to the pet food recall well. Innova/Natura Pet Foods “has pledged to either acquire or build a canning plant so that the company can exercise complete control over its product lines.”

[PM4HIRE]

Darcy, to use a kind "turn of phrase" the pet food
industry is rather immature and not well regulated.

That said, you probably don't have much to worry
about.

[backpack]

My cat doesn't like gravy type food. She looks at me like "What is that?"

Everytime I find a new kind of cat food, I buy a small can and ask her opinion.

A quick sniff and the eating pose on, and I know I'm in business.
A quick sniff and a high tail retreat and I know I'm in trouble.

When I found out about the recall, my local grocery store started to offer Newman's Own organic cat food. I bought a can of all the flavors they had and waited for the verdict.

She loves it! It's a relief!

I believe we will find out that more products have been recalled. I am also wondering if the tainted gluten did not enter human food production.

[TdeF]

No evidence of any in the human food chain.

[Foggy Morn]

Our 19.5 year-old Siamese loves the Max Cat Senior. A few of the Max Cat varieties were on the list, but fortunately not that one. She doesn't romp like she used to, but she still jumps up on the bed, into the window sill, etc., which I attribute in part to the food. (We also leave dry food out for her during the day.)

[Darcy]

Now rice protein is a suspected ingredient that's also making cats and dogs sick.

[JoyR]

I've been feeding my Min-Pin daughter Ralston-Purina One or Science Diet.

I've lost all confidence in Iams and Eukanuba after discovering their so-called "premium" canned food is the same as Wal-Mart.

[TdeF]

Iams changed several years ago when P&G bought the company and started mass marketing it.
Bottom line on the food problems: there are still a lot of unknowns and there is no concrete answer right now.

[Darcy]

How To Rate Pet Food

[backpack]

I feed my cat Newman's Own Organic cat food.

She is now on Vet special diet: Hill Science diet in creamy can food and rebound a liquid diet as she is not feeling good.

[Darcy]

Newman's Own Organic has been great...

See this article.

"After the recall, Newman's Own Organics wanted to find out
the source of the ingredients used in its entire pet food line. It
took weeks to research the answer for a single product, its adult dog
food. The company confirmed that every ingredient, from fresh,
human-grade chicken free of antibiotics, to the vitamins, comes from
U.S. sources, according to Peter Meehan, chief executive of Newman's
Own Organics. "

[Meryddian]

I've been blending my own mix of Science Diet dry foods - I mix up Advanced Protection® Senior 7+, Hairball Control Mature Adult 7+, and "Nature's Best" chicken or fish, usually; although sometimes I add the "Dental Care" or "Sensitive Skin" varietals to the mix. It gives my cat a little more variety plus helps her address whatever her seasonal issues are.

However, I'd be really interested to find out where one can get Newman's Organic pet food. Is that only by mail order, or in stores, or...? Thanks!

[Darcy]

You can order Newman's Own from Costco.com, and a lot of natural groceries (such as Whole Foods) carry it.