Three Months of Sick and Dying Pets – Truth about Pet Food

March 21, 2024 Kar-Bay-Inc

There has been an ongoing dramatic rise of sick and dead pets believed to be linked to multiple brands of pet foods. The reports have continued for at least three months. And for three long months the FDA has NOT issued any statement to what they are or are not doing to investigate. Why?

We do not know how many reports of sick pets FDA has received. Based on numbers collected we assume several thousand reports have been submitted to the agency over the past three months, with several hundred pet deaths.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests have been submitted to FDA requesting the actual number of adverse event reports the agency has received, but the FDA has not responded to those requests (any requests – including from mainstream media).

There is no valid reason to not disclose to the public how many complaints the agency has received. Is the FDA protecting the brands, intentionally trying to limit the number of complaints OR are the brands involved controlling FDA’s actions through corporate lawyers?

On numerous occasions in the past we know that when FDA makes an announcement regarding an investigation, consumer reports to the agency dramatically increase. During the FDA’s investigation into the potential link of pet food to canine heart disease the FDA stated: “The majority of the reports were submitted to the FDA after its first public alert in July 2018.”

During FDA’s jerky treat investigation, the same increase in pet illness and death reports were seen after the agency issued a public statement. The blue arrows in the chart below were dates of FDA public announcements regarding their jerky treat investigations, the red lines indicate the number of consumer complaints the agency received.

“After FDA issued CVM Updates about its Jerky Pet Treats investigation (indicated by the arrows in the graph above), the agency received an increase in reports from the public. The most pronounced increase was in late 2013, when FDA issued our most comprehensive update, which included a “Dear Veterinarian” letter requesting specific clinical data and providing a fact sheet for pet owners.”

Is FDA’s silence to protect pet foods involved? Or is that silence because FDA is being pressured by the pet foods involved?

Based on historical evidence (obtained years after each incident through FOIA requests), we also know that pet food companies can be less than cooperative with an FDA investigation and often bring corporate attorneys into an investigation.

Such as, in 2013 when FDA was investigating numerous complaints regarding Beneful pet food – FDA investigation documents stated: “The firm was in direct and constant contact with the Purina corporate Regulatory Affairs office in St. Louis, MO during this inspection.”

In a Mars Petcare investigation from 2017 the FDA inspection report stated: “It was reiterated several times during the inspection the firm needs to share information requested by FDA during inspections. Refusing to provide requested records and information for review prevents FDA investigators from being able to thoroughly evaluate the firm’s manufacturing processes to ensure the safety of the firm’s products and determine compliance with applicable FDA law, rules, and regulations.”

What we do know is that reports of sick and dying pets continue to be received from pet owners. We are also receiving reports of human illness believed to be linked to the pet foods too.

What we also know is that we (pet owners) deserve to be updated by FDA. Three months of ongoing reports from pet owners of sick and dead pets is long enough for FDA to remain silent – it does not matter what their reasons are, it does not matter if they are being challenged by corporate attorneys.

The following message was sent to FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM):

It is unacceptable that FDA CVM has not updated pet owners regarding the current pet food investigation. FDA has historically made public announcements updating the public during investigations, and there is no acceptable excuse for pet owners not to be updated in this instance.

How many adverse event reports has the agency received?

How many brands are involved in those reports?

What is the agency doing in this investigation?

If manufacturers are not cooperating with an FDA investigation, pet owners should be informed of this too. After all, the agency has on numerous occasions in the past published prompt public notices when a raw pet food manufacturer has not cooperated with an FDA investigation. The agency should show no bias in regulating pet food, all styles of pet food should be treated with equal enforcement.

Your lack of informing the public leaves the public to believe the FDA CVM picks and chooses what they are willing to share, picks and chooses which manufacturers they are willing to ‘out’ as uncooperative – potentially indicating the agency is protecting manufacturers involved in this instance. Your lack of informing the public increases consumer distrust in the agency – which I assume is not your goal.

If the FDA CVM wants consumer trust in the agency, communicate with us. Keep pet owners informed – we deserve that.

We encourage pet owners to send a message to FDA CVM asking for the agency to issue a public update (email: AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov). We also encourage pet owners to write their representatives in state and federal government to pressure FDA to issue a public update. We deserve to know, and unfortunately we must put pressure on the FDA CVM to obtain what we deserve.

Please do not allow the FDA’s lack of communication with pet owners discourage you from reporting a sick or dead pet. It is significantly important for all pet owners to document a sick pet believed to be linked to a pet food or treat with FDA. If for no other reason than to document the issue for future reference by advocates (when FOIA requests are filed) – your report is important. If your pet gets sick from any pet food, please report the incident to FDA. Click Here for more information on where/how to do that.

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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