Author Topic: MORE PET FOOD RECALLS: Natural Balance <-- Its not just Wheat Gluten anymore!  (Read 40371 times)

Offline schelmischekitty

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do you have a local store that has it or do you have to get it delivered?  or are you making it up yourself?
« Last Edit: April 19, 2007, 09:20:59 am by schelmischekitty »
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mama23+pyrs2

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I had no idea about Diamond manufacturing Solid Gold. I'll have to look that one up now. We are on Canidae and sticking to Canidae. Diamond had a huge recall of their own last year and that's the food my breeder feeds her dogs and that these pups were on until I brought them home. Yuck.

Lyn

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Jenn, From what I've read on different forums is that Solid Gold and Natural Balance have their own processing equipment. So there shouldn't be any cross contamination to worry about.

Here's the list I have of what's made where...

Blue Buffalo: Canned foods made by American > > Nutrition in Utah. Dry foods made at CJ Foods in Kansas.

Breeder's Choice: Canned diets made at Menu Foods, but have not been recalled.

Canidae: Canned food packed by Evangers. Kibble made at Pied Piper in Texas.

Canine Caviar: Canned food made by American Nutrition in Utah. Kibble made by Pied Piper in Texas. Canned diets are 100% meat, contain no grains.

Castor & Pollux: Canned diets made by Menu Foods but have not been recalled.

Eagle Pack: Canned diets made at Menu Foods but have not been recalled and do not contain Wheat Gluten. Dry diets made at their own plant in Mishawaka, IN.

Evangers: They have their own cannery.

Go! Natural (Petcurean): Canned diets made at Menu Foods in Canada but have not been recalled.

Merrick: Has their own plant for all products.

Natura (Healthwise, California Naturals, Innova): Canned diets made at the South Dakota Menu Foods Plant but have not been recalled. Dry diets are made at their own plant.

Natural Balance: Canned diets made at American Nutrition in Utah. Dry diets are made in Diamond Plant in Sacramento, CA.

Nature's Variety: Canned diets made at Menu Foods but have not been recalled. The canned diets contain not grains. Kibble is made at Pied Piper in Texas. Raw diets are made in an in house plant in Lincoln, Ne.

Pet Promise: Purina Brand ... canned and kibble made in their plants.

Solid Gold: It is unknown where canned diets were made. Kibble is made in the Diamond Plant in Sacramento, CA.

Timberwolf Organics: Just released one canned diet and working on additions, it is unsure where this is made, but due to the size of Menu Foods I highly doubt it is being done there. Kibble was at one point being co-packed somewhere in PA but I've heard rumors that it is now being made out of the Diamond Plant. I cannot confirm this and the company will not give out information.

Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard: Canned diets made at Menu Foods but have not been recalled.

Wysong: Canned diets made at Menu Foods but have not been recalled. Most of their line of cans are grain free.

Edited to add this list was put together after the first recall from the tainted wheat. But I kept it because it showed where the foods were made.  :)
« Last Edit: April 19, 2007, 11:35:33 am by Lyn »

mama23+pyrs2

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This is on the Timberwolfs site:

Is Timberwolf Organics, Inc. owned by Diamond Pet Foods, Inc.?

No. We are a private, independently owned company. At one time, Diamond Pet Foods manufactured our food; however, we have moved production to another facility owned by another company (we cannot give this information out, as it is proprietary). They specialize in manufacturing specialty formulas of pet foods and meet our high standards for exceptional quality production.

We are certain that Diamond Pet Foods, Inc. is a fine company, but to answer the above question, we have no business affiliation with them.

 


Lyn

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I know where Timberwolf is made now. I should have updated my list.  :-[

Timberwolf Organics kibble is manufactured at Chenango Valley Pet Foods in Sherburne, NY.

That plant had quality control issues in the past. Natural Balance sued Chenango Valley Pet Foods that's probably why the 'info' has become proprietary. Hopefully Timberwolf has their own dedicated lines. But they just seem so secretive about it all. :(

Lyn

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No prob! ;) I've become a pet food detective since this recall stuff started.

I'm so frustrated and fed up that I just bought a bag of Orijen which is grain free, and it's made in Canada so that's a plus.  :D So I'm crossing my fingers and knocking on wood that it's works well for Bubba.  ;)

Offline CalistogaPyr

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Pet Food Express has pulled all Natural Balance products now, including the Duck & Potato that I feed Bo & Floyd.  They recommended Pinnacle as a replacement/substitute, but I know NOTHING about it.  I'm concerned that two weeks ago, Natural Balance was assuring people that their products were safe, etc.  Now it comes out that they share the same plant with the affected kibbles/treats?!  WTF?!  I can't go raw at this time, so I'm wondering what a good, grain-free, single protein kibble is.  Any suggestions?
"Be the change you wish to see in the world"-Gandhi

Offline Nina

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I'm so beyond freaked out that I'm switching everyone back to Canidae, I'll put up with the itching. I realllly can't afford to feed raw or homecook at the moment.

It appears to be 'Rice Protein Concentrate' in the Natural Balance that's tainted. I'd like to know when the heck they added this ingredient since it's NOT listed on their bags! :o  >:(

I was told by the pet store to avoid anything containing Rice Protein, Rice Protein Concentrate or Rice Gluten. As well as Wheat Gluten from the previous recall. Whether it be canned or dry.

Innova, Canidae, California Natural and Orijen (new canadian high protein food) are being listed as safe since they don't contain any of the above. But everything else.. I don't know.  :'(

This is just so sad.  :'(
I just spoke with my vet yesterday about this whole situation. And she said that anyone who is feeding foods that are grain free, are safe. She said the problem is with these huge companies where you don't know where the food is coming from/made. It is best to try and buy local, Innova comes California and Orijen is from Alberta. Not sure about the other ones mentioned. Yes you are paying more for the food but you know what you are buying. This is a real eye opener for everyone, and it is so sad  :'( I feel so sad for all those who have lost a loved one.

Nina
Nina and Tim
Calgary, AB, Canada
Harley(Lab mix)
Dilbert(Pyr mix)At the bridge
Jolene (cat)

mama23+pyrs2

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I like the idea of grain free foods but I still am not sure about feeding them to my pups, with the protein and them being so young. I guess I would just feed them less? They are doing SO well on Canidae, I hate to change them. I got a couple sample packs of Evo that I haven't tried them with yet.

Offline goldengal

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As we feed Eagle Pack Holistic (different flavours)to 3 dogs, I wanted to ensure they do not use rice protein concentrate, and received this reply from John Marsman, Nutritionist, E.P.:

Hi Pat,
 
...and sorry for the delay. I was at an industry meeting reviewing the ways to safeguard pet foods. There was an expert there from the University Of Kansas. His biggest point was "KNOW YOUR SUPPLIERS." We do not use wheat gluten in anything we make. One Prism item had rice gluten but it has been removed and the new label will reflect that and it is not in any of our foods. Holistic Transition uses it as a carrier. If any ingredient is in our food it is definitely on our label. We don't use  wheat gluten.
 
I am glad you asked we be upfront and we make a point of that. There is no excuse for a manufacturer not knowing country of origin for ALL ingredients. Either they are not doing their homework or they are by design avoiding the answer. We use glucosamine and most glucosamine comes from China. Our vitamins come from BASF, the leading U.S. vitamin manufacturer, but even they must buy some from China. Any vitamin blend you buy for yourself or that is included in pet food most likely some of the vitamins come from China. The bottom line is know your source and we do. We are EU Certified and among other stringent rules you must have an ingredient sourcing trail. We do. Feel free to post this.
 
Please feel free to pass on your thoughts and anything you hear out there.
 
John

Offline macybean

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I was feeding the dogs Natural Balance (regular one in the white and blue bag). When I went to buy it yesterday, they didn't have it, b/c the store I go to pulled all Natural Balance products (as well as all other brands affected by any of these recalls... the store was looking sort of empty, and they sell higher quality foods).

I was pointed to Precise, which is made here in Texas. I've been trying to research it, as I don't know much about it, just what the guys at the shop said. The dogs sure like it, though! I bought Precise Plus Large Adult, but they said the Precise regular formula would work fine, too.

I'm interested in grain-free, too. Precise does have grains in it.

Offline Nina

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This is just getting worse and worse. I just got this from my Pyr email list.

For the full details, go to:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/melamine-in-corn-gluten-linked-to-south-afr
ican-illnesses_20070419

This has been a difficult decision as corn gluten contamination has
not hit North America. But based on patterns of development and
expansion of recall in the US, Itchmo is issuing a warning to pet
parents out of abundance of caution.

We stress that NO US OR CANADIAN CONNECTION HAS BEEN
REPORTED.

BREAKING NEWS: Melamine in Corn Gluten Linked to South African
Pet
Illnesses April 19th, 2007

The 29 cases of renal failure in South Africa has been linked to
melamine in corn gluten used in pet food. Corn gluten is used
extensively in the US.

    Tests have confirmed that Vets Choice and Royal Canin dog and cat
    dry pet-food products contained corn gluten contaminated with
    melamine, says the manufacturer.

    The contaminated corn gluten was delivered to Royal Canin by a
    South African third-party supplier and appears to have originated
    from China.

We were tracking cases of the South African pet deaths before and
have
heard rumors of corn gluten contamination.

At this point, we believe that all corn gluten should be considered at
risk for contamination and should be tested by every pet food
manufacturer and the FDA.
Nina and Tim
Calgary, AB, Canada
Harley(Lab mix)
Dilbert(Pyr mix)At the bridge
Jolene (cat)

Anakalia

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UGH! I've been reading articles on this recall stuff all day, I'm about burnt out!  I honestly don't know when it'll stop.  Why is this melamine being put in all this stuff?  >:(

Lyn

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Add Blue Buffalo to that list.. So far it's just their cat food.

""The Blue Buffalo Company has undertaken a voluntary recall on one production run of our Spa Select Kitten dry food. The production code on the recalled product is: "Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B.""

We have taken this action because the rice protein concentrate used for this one production run was obtained from Wilbur-Ellis, the same company who supplied this ingredient to Natural Balance. Test results received late last evening (4/18) indicated that this rice protein concentrate tested positive for melamine. This is the first and only time our manufacturing partner sourced an ingredient from Wilbur-Ellis, and we had no knowledge that they had imported the ingredients from China.

We have advised the FDA of this finding and will be working closely with them on this issue.

Of the 5,044 bags produced in this one run, we were able to prevent the majority from ever entering retail distribution. We are working closely with our retail partners to remove this product immediately and will be re-stocking the shelves with Spa Select Kitten dry food that was produced without any rice protein sourced from Wilbur-Ellis as soon as possible.

If you currently have a bag of Spa Select Kitten dry food, please check the code date and if it matches the one shown above discontinue use immediately and return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. If your cat has eaten any of the recalled food, please call your veterinarian immediately to discuss if there are any risks to your pet.

Should you have a specific question call our Customer Service Department at 1-800-919-2833 or email us at info@bluebuff.com. We understand your desire for immediate answers and we will be working to get back to you as quickly as we can.

No other Spa Select cat food or dog food, canned or dry, is included in this recall.

As a family owned company whose reason for being is to provide cats and dogs with the highest quality natural foods, we are extremely upset by this recall and can't begin to apologize enough to our customers. From our perspective, it is unacceptable to produce even one bag of food with the potential to cause a pet to become ill, and we will further tighten our ingredient sourcing and quality assurance procedures as a result of this incident.

Sincerely,

Bill Bishop
President
The Blue Buffalo Company



It just gets worse and worse..  :'(
« Last Edit: April 19, 2007, 07:10:13 pm by Lyn »

Offline Care2Adopt

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I was just coming on to post this, im glad I dont have to be the bearer of bad news. i know a lot of people have thought Blue Buffalo one of the "safe" foods. It's amazing that most of these foods being recalled are the "high end" foods.



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