One Person CAN Make a Difference – Truth about Pet Food

Pet owner’s actions can lead to recalls and save lives.

On New Year’s Eve – December 31, 2016 – a pet owner in Washington state gave her 5 small dogs what she thought was a special treat – a can of dog food. Within minutes all 5 dogs were staggering, falling down. The dogs were taken to an Emergency clinic. It ended up that the pet food contained a deadly toxin. One dog that had consumed more of the food did not survive.

This pet owner made a future changing decision to ask for a necropsy to be performed on her dog. The necropsy results found the pet food in the dog’s stomach contained pentobarbital – the dog food contained a pentobarbital euthanized animal. The necropsy results were provided to FDA which resulted in numerous recalls.

But the recalls didn’t stop there…a curious television station journalist saw the recall of pentobarbital contaminated pet food and wondered if there were more brands that also contained euthanized animals. She tested 62 cans of dog food and found 9 different products were positive for pentobarbital. This led to more recalls.

In total, directly because one pet owner made the decision to have a necropsy performed on her dog, more than 91 million pounds of pet food was recalled.

In late 2020, multiple pet owners in Missouri were dealing with dog deaths. A veterinarian that treated some sick dogs – along with the help of the owners – tested the pet food and discovered high levels of mycotoxins. The test results, and pet death and illness reports were submitted to Missouri Department of Agriculture which resulted in 51 million pounds of deadly pet food being recalled.

Think about this…these recalls did NOT occur because a regulatory authority was randomly testing pet food for safety. These recalls ONLY happened because pet owners took steps to learn why their dogs died.

In the midst of a potential pet food poisoning situation – at the very least opportune time – the actions we take could result in saving countless other pet’s lives.

If your pet becomes ill or dies you believe is linked to a pet food or treat…

1. Seek veterinary treatment, alerting your veterinarian you believe the illness is linked to a pet food. Ask your veterinarian to explain all potential causes, and if your vet confirms pet food could be a potential cause – that needs to be documented in your pet’s medical records. If your pet dies, ask your veterinarian to have a necropsy performed investigating potential causes.
2. As soon as possible, document all symptoms you saw in your pet with approximate time frame.
3. Save any remaining pet food and all packaging.
4. Report any suspect pet illness or death to FDA (https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm) AND to your State Department of Agriculture (find your representatives here: http://www.aafco.org/Regulatory). Should FDA or the State ask to test the pet’s food you have in your possession, do not give up all of the pet food you have. You can share with regulatory authorities, but keep some of the evidence for your own protection. In many cases it is beneficial to acquire another bag or several more cans of the same lot number of the suspect pet food to hold for future testing.
5. Report any suspect pet illness or death to the pet food manufacturer, advising them you have also reported the incident to FDA and State Department of Agriculture.
6. If no regulatory authority helps you investigate, you can have the pet food tested yourself. Most veterinary schools have labs that can test pet foods, and/or you can have veterinarian Dr. Laurie Coger of https://checkyourpetfood.com/ test the pet food for you. Knowing what to test for is a challenge. Based on your pet’s symptoms, your veterinarian can help you decide what potential toxins in the pet food could cause the illness or death.

It’s not a path anyone wants to walk down, but please know the efforts of one person can change the future of pet food – holding a manufacturer accountable and saving other pet’s lives.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
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The 2021 List
Susan’s List of pet foods trusted to give her own pets. Click Here to learn more.