Cat Food Recall
February 9th, 2011 | 
Author:
Recall of pet food is not something we wish to hear about. It can be a very serious situation that could affect the lives of your cat. We appreciate the fact that companies do their best to maintain quality of their products but mishaps happen and when they do, we appreciate it when the companies take action to limit the effect of the potential harm. It’s greatly appreciated when companies announce pre-emptive recalls even though something has not happened but there is a small probability that something could happen. Take this recall from Merrick as an example. There have been no reports of illnesses as of yet from the product they are recalling but they are not waiting for anything to happen. Merrick is taking action so no pets get ill.
Merrick Pet Care Recalls Jr Texas Taffy Pet Treat (Item # 27077, All Lots Up To And Including 10364) Because Of Possible Salmonella Health Risk
Contact:
Customer Inquiries
(800) 664-7387
James Witcher, COO
(806) 322-2806
FOR IMMIDIATE RELEASE - January 28, 2011 – Merrick Pet Care, Inc. of Amarillo, Texas is recalling the Jr. Texas Taffy pet treat (ITEM # 27077, UPC # 02280827077, All Lots up to and including 10364) because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Merrick Pet Care has made the decision to recall all Jr. Texas Taffy pet treats in the abundance of caution. Salmonella can affect animals and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products. People handling the treats can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the chews or any surfaces exposed to these products. Consumers should dispose of these products in a safe manner by securing them in a covered trash receptacle.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers immediately.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian immediately.
TheJr. Texas Taffy was shipped to distributors and retailers throughout the US. These individuals have been notified and have activated their recall procedures.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
Consumers who have purchased the Jr. Texas Taffy are urged to return the unused portion to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-664-7387 M-F 8:00am – 5:00pm CST.
Posted in Cat Food | 
Tags: abundance of caution, Auto, cat food recall, Contact, diarrhea, Draft, fever, merrick pet care, product, symptoms nausea, trash receptacle, Treat | 
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Ethoxyquin.
Ethoxyquin. That’s the word that started all this. One day, I was feeding one of our cats, we had six at the time, a cat snack. I was dolling them out one at a time and while he was chowing down on the fourth or fifth one, I decided to kill some time and read the label to see what the attraction was. I saw the word ethoxyquin and thought to myself, “what the heck is that?” To my amazement, Ethoxyquin has at least two uses; as a preservative and, hold on to your hats, a poison! That’s right. It’s used as a poison in large doses and a preservative in small doses. Of course, questions came to mind, like, who figured out that a small amount can be used to preserve food? What methods of testing did they use? Is this regulated? And, most importantly, “this can’t be good for my cat!” Because no one really knows how this trace amount affects cats, it has been recommended to be used in limited quantities. Armed with this new information and this dubious vocabulary word, I sought foods that I knew would be free of potentially toxic compounds and would be willing to feed my cats. Soon after, I discovered a very small pet food store in my area that sold all natural, holistic foods. This was a small time operation that was operating in a storefront the size of a glamorized walk-in closet. Of course, I immediately bought some of this food and began to transition my cats to the new foods I discovered. The transition period was quick and shortly thereafter, we no longer used commercial brand cat foods. Since then, we moved to a new area where we could not readily buy our cat foods. We found a retail store an 1-1/2hr away, but, for this reason, ordering via the internet became quick and convenient. Finally, we got settled in to a nice selection of dry natural cat foods and a rotation of wet foods. It’s comforting to know that there are companies that take a holistic approach in preparing natural foods for our pets and I don’t have to be concerned about any trace of Ethoxyquin in our cat’s food.
Please use the links on this website to find companies that sell the natural cat foods that you can feel confident are benefiting your cat. In case you are a mixed family (dogs and cats) please note that there are dog formulas, too!
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Posted in Cat Food |
Tags: Auto, cat, Draft, natural cat foods, poison, rdquo, small pet food, Store, toxic compounds, transition, vocabulary word, wet foods |
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