Taste of the Wild Linked to Puppy Deaths - Page 2

Politics on a dog forum? WTF. I have fed this particular formula for years. It is the only COMMERCIAL food this dog can eat, no ills effects seen with this old girl. BTW, the politics stop now on the dog forums.

Are you blaming Trump?

 

Joan, that hardly merits an answer. My only reason for mentioning the political angle is so people would be on their guard against the weakening of FDA regulations that could cause another event similar to the melamine contamination of pet food back in 2007, which was responsible for killing a number of dogs and cats.

No, I'm just trying to point out that SOMETHING happened to the food in 2017/18 to cause a large spike in the number of dogs getting sick after eating the food. Obviously SOMETHING was changed in the formula.

The melamine contamination came from China, and Diamond Foods still imports some of its ingredients from there. They have proven in the past that they will cut corners when it comes to the foods they produce and we owe it to our dogs to be on guard. 

That FB post about the puppy deaths set off a LOT of alarm bells for me. The very young and the very old are the most vulnerable to contaminants/toxins in pet food.

Sunni, there are many brands of dog food that are not owned by Diamond, but processed/ produced in their processing plant. So contamination from the plant, no matter where the company buys the ingredients has occurred. For instance, a few years ago, mold from the corn Diamond was buying for their own dog foods, contaminated other brands they processed in the same machinery.

That is why I suggested to not buy any brands processed in the Diamond plant...the plant most responsible for recalls of many different brands they did not own but processed is the one in Gaston, SC. The Costco dog food, Kirkland, was one that had recall because of contamination at that plant. I was feeding that brand at the time, and the Costco store we used started buying their dog food from the Kansas plant and not buy from Gaston anymore.

There have been many recalls for dog food that were not caused by the government, but because of cutting costs buying spoiled ingredients that would otherwise be dumped by the farmers. Arsenic contamination sounds like something imported from China...like melamine.

I know that, Joan.

In this case, Diamond OWNS TOTW. So, no doubt it's produced in one of their plants.

I don't believe Diamond owns totw, Sunni.

Perhaps they do. Doesn't matter because we KNOW it is manufactured in Gaston plant.

 

But, it's primarily the plant in Gaston where the issues are. That's why some, like gsdadmin are not having a problem with the brand.

About Taste of the Wild
Taste of the Wild Is a Family-Owned Brand
Taste of the Wild is—and always has been—owned and operated by one family. As pet owners, the founders of our company saw opportunity for a high-quality, yet affordable pet food option. They knew there had to be a better way. So, they created it. Inspired by the idea that no one knows what dogs and cats should eat better than their own DNA, they created Taste of the Wild: the complete nutrition nature intended for your dog or cat, in flavors their inner wolf or mountain lion would crave, at prices you can afford.

Today, Taste of the Wild is one of the fastest-growing pet food brands in the world. But we still hold true to the notion that started it all: every pet deserves the best nutrition and every pet owner deserves a fair value.

We don’t make anything we wouldn’t feed to our own pets. It’s the standard to which all Taste of the Wild products are held, and we’re happy to share it with you and your family. Welcome to the pack.

Made in the USA
Our dog foods and cat foods are made in five state-of-the-art facilities in the USA: two in California and one each in Missouri, Arkansas and South Carolina. Our priority is to source ingredients of exceptional quality. Sometimes, these come from our global suppliers. Whether global or local, we form close relationships with all our suppliers and work with them only after a careful vetting process.

Here is the main reason to NOT use this brand

Our dog foods and cat foods are made in five state-of-the-art facilities in the USA: two in California and one each in Missouri, Arkansas and South Carolina.

Our priority is to source ingredients of exceptional quality.

Sometimes,**** these come from our global suppliers.****

Whether global or local, we form close relationships with all our suppliers and work with them only after a careful vetting process.

Thanks for researching it, Joan. I stand corrected - not owned by Diamond, but produced in their plant. At least some of it is.

I used to feed Ranger and Eska Lifetime large breed, because they source all their ingredients right here in Ontario. Switched to Natural Balance when Ranger died - saw no sense feeding 2 different foods for 2 dogs, and Star is sensitive to chicken, which is why I went to N.B. Lamb and Rice, Limited Ingredient Diet.

Now trying them with a Lifetime premium brand that's salmon based, as I can't take lamb across the border!   Lifetime is marketed as Nutreco in the States.

Sunsilver
Now trying them with a Lifetime premium brand that's salmon based

you're kidding, right?

And the problem with that is??

Actually, I was wrong. It's not salmon, it's fish meal: http://www.nutreco-pet.ca/en/brands/lifetime/dog/fish-%26-oatmeal---all-life-stages/3/

Let's look at this a step at a time. I have a dog that can't have chicken. I can't take my current food, Natural Balance Lamb and Rice, across the border, and I am planning on doing some travelling in the near future. So, I have to find something that's not lamb based.

I also want to start feeding a food that doesn't cost me $84 bucks a bag, which is what I pay for Natural Balance. I have fed Lifetime products previously, and my dogs did well on them, except for Star, who would itch if fed their chicken based Large Breed formula.

Their other foods, and those of most other dog food companies, are either lamb or chicken based. So, fish was the only option, unless I want to feed a really premium food that has bison or some other exotic meat source!

Oh, and I'm in Canada, so some of the brands you have available in the U.S. aren't available here, or are too expensive.

The fish is wild caught, so I am not supporting the fish farms that have devastated the west coast fisheries. Yes, I am somewhat worried about fish picking up pollutants from the water, but that tends to be more of an issue with fresh water fish, at least here in Canada.