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[Dave W]

Lots of pet foods don't label the country of origin of their ingredients at all, and now that same standard is applicable to human food. That's your government looking out for you, if you're an agribusiness billionaire that is.

You can't count on the government (or any institution for that matter) to protect anything other than itself. I rely on contacting the pet food manufacturer if it's not clear from the package or the website.

What got buried in the melamine scandal of several years ago is how we came to be importing protein from China. It turned out to be a crony deal. The principals of the company that imported it were politically well connected to someone in the Bush administration. These sorts of deals happen regardless of who is in power, but this time it cost the lives of thousands of animals. And of course the principals were not punished.

It wasn't just cheap foods. In fact, a lot of the premium brands of pet foods and snacks were actually manufactured to specification by one company who happened to have bought the tainted protein powder. One of the most expensive brands affected was Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance (now owned by Del Monte).

[Psycho Bass Guy]

It wasn't just cheap foods. In fact, a lot of the premium brands of pet foods and snacks were actually manufactured to specification by one company who happened to have bought the tainted protein powder.

I know firsthand: two of my cats, who were completely unrelated otherwise, developed the exact same type of cancer, nasal lymphosarcoma, in the exact same place, a large, fast-growing tumor in between the left eye socket and the left nostril. The culprit: Iams Multicat dry cat food, which we thought was good for them. Five years and tens of thousands of dollars later, they're both still alive and doing great on Blue Buffalo.

[gweimer]

I made the decision long ago to pass on any food product made in China.  If I want anti-freeze, I'll buy local.

I don't use a lot of processed or canned goods.  The extent of my canned goods is probably black beans and coconut milk.  I figure if everything gives me cancer, I might as well enjoy eating it.

[Dave W]

I know firsthand: two of my cats, who were completely unrelated otherwise, developed the exact same type of cancer, nasal lymphosarcoma, in the exact same place, a large, fast-growing tumor in between the left eye socket and the left nostril. The culprit: Iams Multicat dry cat food, which we thought was good for them. Five years and tens of thousands of dollars later, they're both still alive and doing great on Blue Buffalo.

I know people who swear by Blue Buffalo (dog and cat owners) and I have no reason to doubt how good their products are. But it concerns me when I read that the company could see an IPO next year. The goal of stockholders and boards of publicly held companies is the bottom line; that usually doesn't mesh well with keeping up a reputation for quality products.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

I know this is a zombie bump, but thank you for the word of caution. Iams never listed the source of their ingredients; I found out via the news about all the animals and people who were affected by melamine poisoning. If Blue Buffalo goes public, I'll be very cautious. Jones was my most finicky eater and she died this week, so if I need to change for the others it won't be as hard. I tried Science Diet, but it just makes them all puke.

 Didn't we used to... I don't know...have some sort of governmental regulations on this stuff? But with the USDA ok'ing poultry processed in China to be sold to humans without being labelled as such, I guess it's unreasonable to demand that pet food be safe too.

[Dave W]

I've been feeding Merrick kibble for the past few years. Right on their front page: "None of our ingredients are ever imported from China." I just hope they stay independent.

[rahock]

I know this is a zombie bump, but thank you for the word of caution. Iams never listed the source of their ingredients; I found out via the news about all the animals and people who were affected by melamine poisoning. If Blue Buffalo goes public, I'll be very cautious. Jones was my most finicky eater and she died this week, so if I need to change for the others it won't be as hard. I tried Science Diet, but it just makes them all puke.

 Didn't we used to... I don't know...have some sort of governmental regulations on this stuff? But with the USDA ok'ing poultry processed in China to be sold to humans without being labelled as such, I guess it's unreasonable to demand that pet food be safe too.

I've got four cats and my wife is involved with a cat rescue. We spare no expense feeding our babies and are very select label readers. Every vet recommends Science Diet for every cat and every condition, but I have yet to encounter a cat that will eat the stuff . We have rescued cats that were sick and/or starving and they will take no more than a taste of that crap and walk away.
Rick

[Dave W]

From what I've read, there's very little nutrition education in vet schools, and the folks at Hill's have provided vets with that information for many years -- with an emphasis on their Science Diet and Prescription Diet products, of course. It doesn't mean vets are being paid off, it's more a case of vets recommending what they know best.

Another thing that bothers me about Hill's is the Prescription Diet varieties sold only through vets. These do not require a prescription by law. It's misleading.

[rahock]

PBG, when I posted my reply somehow I did not notice your mentioning that your cat died just this week. I apologize for my rudeness. My condolences bud, I know how hard that can be .
Rick

[Highlander]

Truly sorry for your loss, and I'm not cat people...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Thanks guys. Jones' death is a side effect of the ongoing drama that's been keeping me away from here. She was completely healthy two weeks before my life went to shit, and she stopped eating when I did, (I've dropped 50 lbs) and I was too caught up in my own drama to notice. By the time I did, the damage to her was irreversible.

 She fought on valiantly for a month and when she died, she even refused to quit until SHE was done. Her last couple of days, she had taken to messing herself. I would always just wash her off, comb her fur and love on her afterwards. In what for any other animal would have been a dying act, she vomited and defecated, and I didn't realize how serious it was and cleaned her up, just like always. After I had finished washing her off, I took her to the bathroom to dry her and she laid in my arms and purred. The purring began to slowly ebb, and I rolled her over to check what was wrong. She only had one eye left due to incompetence of UT Vet School years prior, and I saw her light go out in it. I closed her eye, kissed her one last time, and called the vet to have her cremated. She now resides on top of the bedroom stereo in a pretty cherry-finished box next to Corey, my last cat to die.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

PBG, when I posted my reply somehow I did not notice your mentioning that your cat died just this week. I apologize for my rudeness. My condolences bud, I know how hard that can be .
Rick

There is nothing to apologize for. I'm under a mountain of shit right now and I was low-key about it on purpose.