Pet Owners Pushed and There Appears to be an Ongoing Investigation – Truth about Pet Food

February 14, 2024 Kar-Bay-Inc

In early January 2024, reports of sick pets and deaths of pets began mounting, initially linked to various Purina pet foods but multiple brands have since been added to a suspect list. Purina swiftly tried to silence the voices of pet owners in mainstream media labeling the sick and dead pet reports as “rumors” and “false statements”.

But pet owners were not deterred by Purina’s harsh words, they kept reporting their pet illness or death to regulatory authorities.

And then pet owners experienced some harsh words directly from regulatory. Authorities from two different states – when collecting a sample of suspect pet food from pet owners – told pet owners “you don’t have a chance” to prove their pet’s illness or death was linked to the pet food.

But again, pet owners were not stopped by rude regulatory authorities (apparently defending Purina’s ‘rumor’ claim). They kept reporting their pet’s illness or death to regulatory.

And now – even though the FDA has not updated anyone to how many adverse event reports the agency has received linked to this current/ongoing issue – we are seeing a shift in Purina’s and regulatory attitude.

Purina has been silent for about 4 weeks. No more claims of “rumors”, only silence.

And based on what we are hearing from pet owners, regulatory is being respectful and collecting pet food samples from pet owners all across the country. Multiple state authorities have shared with pet owners their state has received many complaints in a short time frame and that their state agency is investigating. We have learned that FDA is speaking directly to many pet owners after they file an adverse event report.

This investigation IS happening because pet owners did not give up. So many of you did the right thing by reporting the illness or death to regulatory officials. YOU pushed this issue into an investigation. Thanks to each and every one of you that went through the (sometimes challenging) process of completing an adverse event report.

As we wait for regulatory to investigate this pet food issue, the amazing folks at the Facebook group Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time continue to document more and more reports of sick pets. Today (2/14/24) a veterinary clinic in Wisconsin shared they have “over 26 dog owners reports” over the past month.

A huge thank you to all who manage and contribute to this Facebook group. Your work has also forced regulatory to listen to pet owners and finally investigate this serious issue.

Unfortunately, now we wait for regulators to do their job. When something is learned, it will be promptly shared.

If your pet became ill or died you believe linked to a pet food, or becomes ill or dies you believe linked to a pet food, report the incident to FDA and to your state official. This current issue involves numerous manufacturers and numerous styles of pet food, it is significantly important for regulatory to receive all reports. Click Here for more information on how to report.

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

Become a member of our pet food consumer Association. Association for Truth in Pet Food is a a stakeholder organization representing the voice of pet food consumers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities. Click Here to learn more.

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