Any problems with Purina food(s)??

[SherylsShado]

Has anyone had any problems with the Purina foods??      (There's a list of them at the end of this post).

There is a Consumer Complaint & Review Site  http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/ralston.html and it currently has 815 complaints with many of the complaints coming in during the past few months.  I have also found other complaints all over the internet on Purina foods.  Many sick & dead kittens, cats, puppies & dogs.

I know someone that just lost their kitten from renal failure that had ate the Purina One Kitten (dry) and canned Fancy Feast.  It was so sad.  Pets NEED to eat and they don't have a choice what goes in their bowls.  They either have to eat it or go hungry.  If they eat it, then they get sick and could possibly die.  It should be illegal what Pet food mfgrs. are passing off as "pet food"!!


Purina Foods:
Beneful, Fancy Feast, Pro Plan, Purina One, Friskies, Veterinary Diet, Cat Chow, Beyond, Whiska Lickins, Kit n Kaboodle, Delicat, Dog Chow, Alpo, Mighty Chow, Moist n Meaty, Chef Michael's, Purina Friskies Party Mix, Purina Busy, T-Bonz, Beggin', Mighty Dog, Waggin' Train.

[BlackSheepNY]

First off, any pet foods by Purina are sheer garbage (even though you wouldn't know it by the price of some of it).  Apparently, from the article you posted, there are many people having a problem with their pets vomiting, vomiting blood, and dying.  I've checked the FDA website for any Purina recalls of cat/dog food, but haven't found any.  Maybe you can pass the website on to your friend who experienced the loss of her kitten.  She can "report a pet food complaint" here:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm

[paints]

The only one I know about is the pet treats made in China.
http://www.pet360.com/dog/health/fda-jerky-treats-kill-1000-dogs-cause-illness-in-3-people/fYVxTjH_G0eTxTXso6rzmA

[SherylsShado]

My pets don't eat Purina & I had warned my friend for months.  People just seem to think it could never happen to "their" pets. 

Purina hasn't issued a recall and won't, these are issues with their ingredients and sources that have been on-going for the past four years.  People assume because there's no recall, Purina has been in business for years and they believe the writing on the bag.  To make matters worse, when the pet is taken to the vet for suspected problems with their Purina pet food, the vets are charging them for a product called "fortiflora......it's made by Purina.  Purina makes money by making them sick, then makes more money off their "fortiflora" ensuring they get a piece every step of the way.

I'm not sure if the links to these videos will work, if they do they are worth a watch:

FaceBook video for Purina Cat Chow Naturals:  https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=447489008733239

FaceBook video for Beneful Salmon Dog Food : https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=724720050929897&set=vb.100001757274394&type=2&theater                                                         

[SherylsShado]

This link: http://www.holisticandorganixpetshoppe.com/top-10-worst-cat-food-brands.html is really informative on what is in pet foods. 

Based on the information at the bottom of the page, if you feed a kitten the Purina One kitten food (dry), the bag ingredients say you are feeding the little one this: 
Chicken, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, soy flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), fish meal (source of DHA), whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal, non-fat yogurt, wheat gluten, brewers dried yeast, phosphoric acid, caramel color, animal digest, salt, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, taurine, zinc sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, DL-Methionine, niacin, calcium carbonate, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenite.

[SherylsShado]

If you go through the definitions of the ingredients, then this would be what the ingredient list on the bag SHOULD say:
Chicken: the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken or a combination thereof, exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails. *Defined by AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials)

chicken by-product meal: (protein source): Pet grade meat by-products consist of organs and parts either not desired, or condemned, for human consumption. This can include bones, blood, intestines, lungs, ligaments, heads, feet, and feathers. – This can also include the dreaded 4 D’s – (Dead, dying, diseased or dying prior to slaughter). The animal parts used can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: goats, pigs, horses, rats, road kill or any misc dead animal. It can also include pus, cancerous tissue, and decomposed (spoiled) tissue.

corn gluten meal: Full of GMO's and a major reason for allergies and sugar imbalance in pets as well as causing serious health issues. This is used for a filler and is a useless ingredient in pet foods and is not easily digestible.

brewers rice: (filler/fiber source/carbohydrate source): Low cost by-products and leftovers from another food manufacturing process. (a waste product of the alcohol industry). (carbohydrate source): A cheap substitute for whole grain rice.

soy flour: (filler/carbohydrate): A cheap allergy-causing ingredient used as filler. This is the leftover “dust” after the healthy cleaned and de-hulled soybeans are processed; sometimes even sweepings from the factory floor.

animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E): There's no animal specified so it's anyone's guess where the fat came from. Can cause pancreatitis.

fish meal (source of DHA): A source of protein and fatty acids which can add mercury to the diet. The primary fish that you need to be careful about are salmon and trout. (Do not need to give on a daily basis due to toxicity of mercury in fish)

whole grain corn: Full of GMO's and a major reason for allergies and sugar imbalance in pets as well as causing serious health issues. This is used for a filler and is a useless ingredient in pet foods and is not easily digestible.

poultry by-product meal: the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.

(Translation: ground up necks, unborn eggs, feet and organs) *Defined by AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials)

non-fat yogurt: *no info provided.

wheat gluten: Dogs and cats that have suffered and died from consuming tainted pet food belie the fact that even untainted gluten can cause many of these same problems and more. In human celiacs and gluten-sensitive individuals, untainted gluten can induce both chronic and acute kidney failure. This form of kidney failure is typically called an IgA nephropathy, in which antibodies and immune complexes formed against gluten are deposited in the kidneys, which leads to damage and ultimately failure. Again, this can be chronic leading to persistent blood (microscopic) and protein in the urine or it can be acute. brewers dried yeast: Waste product (used for flavoring, protein, B-vitamins) which can become very toxic to the liver and can cause allergies and arthritis.

phosphoric acid: A clear colorless liquid, H3PO4, used in fertilizers, detergents, food flavoring, and pharmaceuticals. A harmless but unnecessary ingredient, used in inexpensive, poor quality dog/cat food as flavoring, emulsifier and discoloration inhibitor. Phosphoric acid is banned in organic food and drinks.

caramel color: Caramel coloring is a mix of sugars, ammonia, and, in some cases, sulfite. When heated at high temperatures, this combination turns into 2-methylimidazole (2-MEI) and 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) – proven cancer inducers.

animal digest: (flavoring agent): Unspecified parts of unspecified animals which are cooked to a goopy broth (rendered) and used as a spray-on or added directly to the food. The grease that rises to the top is used as a source of fat and the rest of the mash is dried and used as “meat meal”. No quality control is used and this can include “4-D animals” (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, road kill or any misc dead animal.

salt: The Association of American Feed Control Officials recommend that dry dog foods contain at least 0.3% and dry cat foods contain at least 0.2% sodium for both maintenance and to support normal growth and development. These are minimum recommended levels. (Used to cover rancid meats and fats, get cats to drink more - causes kidney dysfunction, hypertension. (Permitted by AAFCO to contain a certain level of heavy metal contaminants)

tetra sodium pyrophosphate: Is a rust stain remover used in cleaning products (TSP)!!!! Why is it in food? Emulsification of rendered animal fats! Very toxic, causes nausea and diarrhea.

potassium chloride: Is used to treat dogs and cats with low potassium levels. Side effects: muscular weakness, stomach disturbances, heart rhythm disturbances." The following drugs can potentially interact with potassium chloride: angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, spironolactone, digitalis, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, anticholinergic agents, glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and ACTH. Potassium blood levels should be measured regularly. (Permitted by AAFCO to contain a certain level of heavy metal contaminants)

choline chloride: Can cause side effects such as gastrointestinal distress, diarrhea, and vomiting. (Uses corn as a carrier)

taurine: Synthetic protein sourced from China. (Taurine is essential for heart & eye health in cats, can be found naturally in meats.)

zinc sulfate: Processed with sulfuric acid. Used as an acid in calico-printing and to preserve wood.

Vitamin E supplement:  synthetic vitamin

ferrous sulfate: Ingestion of iron containing products may result in serious toxicity. While lethal doses are not readily available in domestic species, as little as 400 mg (of elemental iron) is potentially fatal in a child. Initial symptoms of acute iron poisoning usually present as an acute onset of gastrointestinal irritation and distress (vomiting—possibly hemorrhagic, abdominal pain, diarrhea).

manganese sulfate: Good source of manganese although exposure to it for a long time in high doses can lead to damage of the liver and nervous system.

DL-Methionine: For use as an aid in acidifying the urine of dogs and cats. DL-Methionine is also an aid in controlling the odor from feline and canine urine residues. (Synthetic protein made in China)

niacin: synthetic vitamin

calcium carbonate: It is commonly used medicinally as a calcium supplement or as an antacid, but excessive (daily) consumption can be hazardous. Also used in paints, plastics, ceramics, putty, polishes, insecticides and inks. Used as fillers in adhesives, matches, pencils, crayons and linoleum. (Permitted by AAFCO to contain a certain level of heavy metal contaminants)

Vitamin A supplement: synthetic vitamin

calcium pantothenate: (a preservative): Chemical. Potentially carcinogenic, antifungal.

thiamine mononitrate: Can reduce function in liver and kidneys and cause organ failure. Is a synthetic form of vitamin B1. Not to be given to a pet with kidney or liver disease. It has the potential to illicit mild to severe allergic reactions. (B1-Made in China)

copper sulfate: Used in foods and fertilizers. Signs reported in cats and dogs after ingestion of copper pennies include diminished appetite, depression, vomiting, dehydration and abdominal pain. Some breeds of dogs are particularly sensitive to copper poisoning due to a genetic defect. These include dalmatians, bedlington, west highland white, and skye terriers, in which ingestion of copper results in weakness, anorexia and vomiting. Older dogs may develop liver damage and excess fluid in the peritoneal cavity.

riboflavin supplement: synthetic vitamin

pyridoxine hydrochloride: (source of vitamin B6): Although pyridoxine has generally been considered relatively nontoxic, long-term (eg, 2 mo or longer) admin of large (megadose) dosages (eg, usually 2 g or more daily) of pyridoxine can cause sensory neuropathy or neuronopathy syndromes. Seizures, ataxia, and peripheral neuropathy occur in animals given toxic doses (greater than 1 g/kg). (Made in China)

folic acid: (Permitted by AAFCO to contain a certain level of heavy metal contaminants and sourced from China)

Vitamin D-3 supplement: synthetic vitamin

calcium iodate: (Permitted by AAFCO to contain a certain level of heavy metal contaminants; due to strong oxidizing capacity, is incompatible with copper or phosphorus)

biotin: synthetic vitamin

menadione sodium bisulfite complex, (source of Vitamin K activity): synthetic vitamin

sodium selenite: According to PAN, a database for pesticide chemicals, both sodium selenite and sodium selenate are classified as "Highly Toxic," based on oral administration trials using rabbits and rats. And according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the highest allowable level of selenium in public drinking water is 50 parts per billion, which is equivalent to 50 micrograms, dry weight. (Permitted by AAFCO to contain a certain level of heavy metal contaminants)

*ABOUT THE RENDERING PROCESS - All these undesirable ingredients & by products are “denatured” before rendering. Denaturing is spraying crude carbolic acid, cresylic disinfectant or citronella on these dregs. ( *NOTE: These denaturing products are TOXIC.)


How is a kitten supposed to grow & thrive on THAT??  Yet that is what so many are spending their hard-earned money on!!   

[SherylsShado]

Truth about pet food manufacturing By Victoria Antonyuk

This is a fascinating and disturbing insight into pet food manufacturing process, not all foods are created equal, but at least 95% of all the grocery store brands would fall under this protocol.

This excerpt is taken from a book - "Buyer Beware: The crimes, lies and truth about pet food" by Susan Thixston, she's a well known pet food advocate. She had the opportunity to interview a pest control operator who was called out to a rendering facility for pet food to take care of a vermin problem...

" the plant was out in the middle of an open field and except for a 15 foot parameter around the building, the weeds were waist to neck high. I entered the plant on a dirt drive that went up to a concrete parking slab in the front of the building;in front of the office door and a large overhead foor. The dirt drive went around one side of the building to the back where there was a concrete dump area with an overhead door going into the building. The concrete slab was sloped away from the building with a curb on both sides so that they could wash down the area. This is where the dead animals, parts and pieces of animals and other things to be rendered or processed were dumped. Between the dirt drive area and the building was junk parts and equipment piled up that obviously house a large colony of rats as you would see their trails in and out of the junk piles. The other dumping ground or machine parts, etc, out back was also full of rats. The concrete pad in the back where trucks dumped their loads had rat holes lining the curb that ran along the sides.

As you might imagine this area was loaded with flies; the piles of products were alive with maggots. It made it look like the whole pile of product was alive and moving. After the loads were dumped they were picked up by a bobcat (miniature loader with a scoop on the front) and hauled inside the plant to the rendering pit. The plant had 3 undocumented workers doing the labor, including running the bobcat. The pit was a concrete hole with sloped sides that was about 8 to 10 feet deep and it had four sides that were about 7 feet long. There was a small seam 1 inch wide about 4 feet down that ran all the way around the pit. This seam, as the ones in the corners, had several rat holes in them, so rats were living in the rendering pit.

At the bottom of the pit was an auger grinder that ground the product and augured in out to a bin to be cooked. The cooker was in the back corner of the plant that took up about 1/3 of the building. After it was cooked, it was pressed to eliminate the remaining moisture. Then it was seperated into different products and shipped off to one of their other plants to be further processed and packaged. I asked where the finished product was sent to: they said it was shipped to several different pet food plants. It seems the corporation had several rendering plants and contracts with numerous pet food plants. Not only were dead animals that died who know how were rendered, but also live rats, a lot of rat droppings plus all the dirt and concrete fragments that were removed from the rat holes in the pit and piles of maggots. But "that was ok" because it was just going for the pet food. What they were concerned about was the constant maintenance that the rats were causing by digging holes in the concrete and chewing through hoses and electric lines.

Maintenance expenses were getting too high and something had to be done. That is why they called me. it took a couple months, and several buckets of dead rats, but I did take care of their rat problem. In the meantime I found out that were a lot of the dead animals and other scaps and pieces came from. There were dead cows, pigs, horses, chickens various road kill, packaged meat from local supermarkets and waste from restaurants and fast food places. The most sickening thing that I saw was trucks that come from chicken farms. I call them chicken prisons that were supposedly full of dead chickens. When they were dumped, 90% of the chickens were dead, however there was always a few that were still alive, if you could call that alive. They were mostly featherless and staggering around obviously sick and dying. The picked them up and threw them into the pit alive to be ground up with the rest of the dump. Most of the cattle from the feed lots and farmers had plastic ear tags impregnated with Dursban or other insecticides that were places there to ward off flies. These tags were not removed, they were ground up with the cattles and the plastic and styrofoam containers that spoiled and rotten meat from the supermarkets came in. When I asked about the ear tags and the plastic and styrofoam they said that they could not afford to pay someone to remove them or unpackage the spoiled meats from the supermarkets. "Besides, they would be eliminated from the end products through rendering process.".

The point of this is that when you see meat byproducts listed on the label of your pet food, this could be what you could be feeding your pet. So when you see this on the label, I would encourage you to think twice about purchasing the product."

[linderlizzie]

These posts are making me glad I don't have a pet right now. 

I'm very impressed with the amount of research that some of you did on this. It's important information. Thanks for taking the time to do that.

[Gerianne]

I ran across a company called "v-dog". they make kibble dog food. There are people who are taking matters in their own hand and creating their own natural solutions because they are tired of not being able to  find anything out there, whether it's a food item or not.
There may be other people who have created dog food that isn't full of junk. I just don't know.
Have fun dong your research.

[lywb2168]

I have feed my dog Beneful for years, unfortunately she is very picky and does not like many of the foods, she likes better the wet food to the dry food, and since I do not like the wet food for her, the doctor told me to try a semi dry food and Beneful is the one she likes.  I have never had problems with her, but I will check to see what other semi dry foods are out there to see if she will eat it.  Thank for the info

[sexyivy_1]

nope thats what i normally get every month for my animals and I have never had a problem with any of it

[BlackSheepNY]

Awesome website here, with tons of information on what we feed our pets:

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/

[BlackSheepNY]

I thought you might be interested in reading what I found here tonight.  Purina's got some "significant violations" at a pet food canning plant:

http://www.dogingtonpost.com/nestle-purina-commits-significant-violations-at-pet-food-canning-plant/