Massive, permanent boycott proposed - Page 3

Just looked at the message board for the first time in a couple of days. Thanks for the condolences. I had to spill my guts as this dredged it all up again. Sorry for the lengthy posts. I'm trying to do what I can to support and add my two cents to inform the myriads of people who are experiencing these losses right now on the menufoodsclassaction group on Yahoo. The thing that's really staggering is that the reported deaths are nothing compared to the scores of people who have signed on and reported dead or dying animals. And it's still on the shelves in many locations. When I signed on there were 300 people on the list and the FDA was reporting 12 deaths. Each day, somewhere between 50 and 100 people are signing onto the list, so now there are 700+ members looking at a class action lawsuit. My boy's case happened too long ago to think about this; besides we didn't do any necropsy, only have the health records from his demise, but he had the EXACT same symptoms in his renal failure after eating this food. The point is now that the media is stifling the number of casualties. I think these incidents are no fluke. It seems that GSD owners by and large at least on this database group are a bit more savvy and aware of options like raw food, fewer vaccines, etc. than most dog owners as a rule and so many dog and cat owners on the Yahoo group seem dizzy with shock and are frantically trying to find alternatives. I can relate, in retrospect, but have done a lot of questioning of conventional authorities due to bitter experience. The 'up' side: Presently I have a wonderful (and highly driven) longcoat puppy who has been on raw diet her entire life and i have no intention of taking her off of it. The breeder has had great results feeding this way for 18 years. Also I've lurked on this list awhile and notice that MANY of you are aware of raw diets. I just wish I could have prevented my male from dying this way. He had great breeding--all German lines of healthy parentage and had an perfect record of health for 11 yrs. until this suddenly happened. As for my current pup, so far she's of very sound health at 7 mos, a Kevin vom Murrtal daughter from Bullinger, and thank goodness her breeder was adamant about these nutritional issues from solid experience when I adopted her. That advice was reinforced by a great naturopathic veterinarian as well referred in a book I happened to pick up too late. So it all adds up. I was also starting to suspect these commercial foods and not trust my conventional vet upon reading Martin Goldstein's book "Animal Health and Natural Healing". I was furious to realize how his death was a mirror image of these stories I'm reading. On another topic that is related yet may seem quirky--it's tangibly discomforting in the wake of this recall to consider that, often times, low-income elderly people and those on meager incomes in other countries often eat canned cat and dog food. I wonder if any of their symptoms are being reported aside from the scores of animal casualties that haven't made the news?

Abby, thanks for for a well written and sensible post. A month or so ago I also had an exerience with my 5 yr old male that I am thinking could have been due to his eating about 2 cans of the Nutro brand wet food over a 10 day, 2 week period. I did not save any of the cans, so can't say for sure. Last year a friend lost 3 dogs to the Diamond food poisoning, also due to contaiminated grains. For me, this is getting to be an all too familiar scenario with dog food manufacturers. I am sure there are many excellent commercial foods available. However, I will never again purchase another bag of commercial kibble for Blitz or any other dog I may own in the future. They will always eat a homemade diet. Others will have dogs that live long healthy lives eating a comercial diet; it's up to each of us to decide what is right for our own dogs and lifestyle. I have Goldstein's book too purchased when my first GSD was being treated for lymphosarcoma. I can't honestly state that his cancer and his subsequent death was the result of what he ate or the annual rabies vac the vet insisted he needed, but I can't help but think it had some bearing on his dying so young.

I am so sorry for your loss Abby. I would be absolutely devastated in your position, and probably out for the dog food manufacturer's blood at this point. For now, I am using up the dry Eukanuba I have on hand, as it clearly is not contaminated or my dogs would all have gotten sick and/or died by now. I have noticed quite a few instances of over-soft stools lately in my kennels, with no clear explanation of the cause. I suspect differences between percentages and quality of ingredients from one lot to another, as is normally experienced with low quality "non-fixed" recipe diets due to manufacturer's "adjusting" the formulas in response to whatever is "on sale" in at the quantity feed markets in Chicago. IMO: It IS time to teach the mega-corporations an expensive lesson! Hill's, Proctor & Gamble, Purina, etc., have let the manufacture of their feed products get so far out of their control, leaving their consumers to the mercy of outsourced providers, that they have lost the confidence of breeders and trainers like me who depend on their products for their very existence. So... I am going with Canidae, introduced gradually as my huge inventory of Eukanuba is used up. If I don't like the results I will probably try Timberwolf. Being a confirmed "letter writer," you who have been monitoring my posts can probably imagine the contents of the message I am preparing for the Iams/P&G folks. I urge everyone else on the list to follow suit. Shelley

I am appalled at the information I have gotten here about the dry kibble (rat poison, euthanized pets, etc.). We feed our dogs Pro Plan and after all of this I am reconsidering. I just lost a dog but under different circumstances (I think). Got a puppy and don't want to lose him young. Thanks to all for your posts and my sympathy to you for your loss, Abbey. OK, now what about yearly rabies vaccines, I'm new here and haven't heard this one, please elaborate. I have two terriers and now my 10 week GSD pup and he'll be due for rabies at 6 months. Why no rabies vaccine?? I live in an isolated suburban setting and have plenty of raccoons, squirrels, etc. Is it the frequency of the vaccine or the vaccine itself? We are required yearly rabies for licensing in this county, how do you get around that? I'm sorry for sounding ignorant about it's but it's better than REMAINING ignorant. PS I'm home for lunch and have to be back at 2:00 so won't see responses until tonight. Thanks!!

Massachusetts also requires pups to be innoculated for rabies by 6 months of age. I have heard that the vaccine should not be given when pups are very young, but I don't recall the exact reason why not. Check and see if your county requires an actual yearly vaccination or just annual PROOF of vaccination. In Massachusetts the law states that subsequent revaccinations must be given "at intervals recommended by the manufacturer," and, after their first vaccination at 5-6 months that is good for only a year, my dogs receive vaccinations that are good for three years. In the past I was required to bring their rabies certificates to the Town Clerk each year to get their licenses, but now the Clerk enters the expiration date into her computer system and I only have to bring a certificate when the vet issues a new one to me post-vaccination.

Sparrow, my own concern is not necessarily with the rabies vac itself, it's the frequency it is given. Most states, including PA where I live, require this vac every 3 years. However, there are still vets here who frighten owners into vaccinating annually. They tell them rabies are rampant in the area and even dogs that do not get outside of their yards off leash are at high risk. I've come to find out that there hasn't been a case of rabies in a dog in this area of PA for many many years.I should have checked that out before I allowed my now-dead dog to be vaccinated for rabies every year. By the time he was 7 years old, he had 8 rabies vaccinations, about 4 more than he should have had. Do I think these vacs were at least partially responsible for his autoimmune problems and subsequent leukemia? You bet I do. Can I prove it, no. Could a dog without a compromised immune system taken this many vacs and not suffered any damage, maybe. I really wish that all states would pass a law that would allow those of us who do not tout rabies vacs as being necessary more than 2 or 3 times in the life of any dog to simply have that/those dogs titered and accept those results that are within a protective level in lieu of another vaccination. I won't evern get intot how a I feel about kennel cough and lyme vac and annual distemper/parvo, etc boosters LOL. Don't feel like a fight today.'' IMO, given we over vaccinated most of our dogs and then feed them food made with contaminated ingredients, it's little wonder that any GSD that lives much past 12 years of age is considered a rarity.