Pet food recall panel -- and your vote counts!

South by Southwest, the prestigious internet/music/film conference held each year in Austin, TX, is considering a panel on pet bloggers and the pet food recall for next year. I submitted this idea and will be there, and while Gina says she probably can't make it, Ben from Itchmo.com, Therese from PetSitUSA.com and ThePetFoodList.com, and David Goldstein from the Huffington Post and horsesass.org have indicated they'd like to be part of it. And I intend to work on Gina.

The massive pet food recall that started in March of 2007 and kept rolling for nearly four months not only claimed the lives of thousands of pets but launched an international food safety scandal. How much of that story would we have ever known without pet bloggers?



"I don't know of a comparable case," NYU’s Jay Rosen told the LA Times. "It shows what's possible when people get outraged and they ask themselves, what's happening here? They actually have the tools to start finding out."



Using new technologies and old-fashioned reporting skills, pet bloggers delivered veterinary, corporate and government information directly to dog and cat owners in a way unprecedented in the pet world. They liveblogged FDA media conferences, went into their own pockets to pay for their suddenly-exploding blog traffic, stayed up all night waiting for midnight pet company announcements of new recalls, coordinated lists of recalled foods that were more current and user-friendly than anything the FDA was publishing, and, with the valuable input of their readers, uncovered and reported on government documents that moved the story in the mainstream media.



Industry insiders called pet bloggers “troublesome” and “off the charts,” and complained pet blogs were posting “unfiltered information,” as if there were something unjournalistic about unspun news. Jay Rosen, on the other hand, told USA Today that pet bloggers’ “networked collaboration” over the recall is part of a movement that’s “changing the journalism world.” Paul Grabowicz of UC Berkeley’s New Media Program called their work “crowd sourcing” at its finest.



Pulitzer-winning reporter Abigail Goldman wrote, “Bloggers and owners of sites such as Itchmo, Pet Connection, Howl 911, The Pet Food List and Pet Food Tracker have been deluged by millions of pet owners who are grieving or railing or both — and digging for answers. Their online barking is being heard in Washington’s halls of power, including the Food and Drug Administration and Capitol Hill.”



Even two years ago, when rescue efforts for animals affected by Hurricane Katrina got national media attention, there was no coordinated pet blog community to dig into that story. How did they do it, and what can we take from it to use in the next big corporate, medical, or government scandal that impacts our animals’ health – and ours?

If you'd like to see this panel idea at the 2008 SXSW interactive conference, please visit SXSW's Panel Picker and give the idea some stars! You do have to register first, but it's fast and free.



To vote:



Go to the "Pet Blogging: Not a fluffy puppy story" panel submission page here.



If you aren't already registered, click "sign in" to comment, then follow the directions to create an account. Once you've done that, go back to the panel submission page and give us the number of stars you think the idea deserves... five sounds good to us. ;)



Comments are also very welcome!



If you have any questions or problems with the process, please post them here. And thank you!

Comments

[Sindy]

5 stars????

I say 5 million stars for you!!!!!!



You changed my life and saved my cat for which I will forever be thankful.

[Christie Keith]

SXSW Interactive is the internet portion of the conference. Panelists do a presentation and then take questions. Blogging is always a huge focus at SXSW. What the panelists will discuss is:



Why did new media expert Jay Rosen say he doesn't 'know of a comparable case' to the pivotal role played by pet bloggers in covering 2007's massive pet food recall? And how does it impact the next big corporate, medical, or government scandal that affects our animals' health -- and ours?

[Lynn]

I'm sure the answer to this is very obvious, but I am not getting it. What exactly is this panel of bloggers supposed to DO??? Re "internet/music/film conference held each year in Austin, TX, is considering a panel on pet bloggers and the pet food recall for next year.]

[The OTHER Pat]

I'll do it later from my home computer.



You know the one that absolutely MUST be mentioned during this event was the Friday search for the word "melamine" on the FDA site (sorry - forgot who did that) that yielded the import alert notice which had been issued AT THE SAME TIME that FDA was telling us "Nothing to see here folks - move along!"



That was an absolute classic!

[Annie]

Yay for SXSW (I'm an Austinite)! Just voted for it...

[Trudy Jackson]

Hi, I signed up, but don't know where to go from there?

[Christie Keith]

They will email you a verification, click on the link in it. It should take you back to the page where you can vote, but if not, go here:



http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/305



Then click on the number of stars you think it deserves and then make any comments you might want to make.



THANK YOU!

[Trudy Jackson]

Got it done. thanks.

[Julie]

JustMe,they just said the company told them they were having problems and to call back in a few days.That's all I know.I donot want to cast suspicion falsely. It might just be equipment trouble due to all the floods throughout the midwest or something like that. We have enough for a week and if I have to I have a recipe.There were two more recalls on Itchmo yesterday or the day before that I did not hear about on any other news source-brands that I did not recognize.

[JustMe]

Julie,



Have you found out anything more about the unavailability of the kidney diet? Can you say which brand? Were you able to get it somewhere else?

[Julie]

I think the 2007 pet food recall is far from over.Today my daughter stopped by the vet to get kidney diet for our older dog and came back with only two cans. They called about the lack of it and were told by the company that there were problems at the plant. What kind I do not know.

[The OTHER Pat]

Done!

[karen]

Agree with Sindy... 5 stars isn't enough!



This panel is a fantastic idea. You have my 5 star endorsement at http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/305

[E. Hamilton]

There are a HECK OF A LOT OF SURVIVING POISON VICTIMS and this is bound to place a strain on all the money pouring into the places that make kidney diet food.



No one is bothering to count HOW MANY are suffering renal failure or HOW MUCH pet parents are STILL forking over for the food and the tests and vet care.

Maybe all that SHOULD be counted, ya think?



Maybe people and experts that CLAIM they care about pets should be thinking of THAT?

You would think.

Big vet love in with the FDA and the PFI and NOBODY thought of that?



So many things that are "somehow" not getting done, almost makes you think it is deliberate.

[JustMe]

Julie,



Glad to hear you are prepared. You're right. We don't want to jump to conclusions.



Thanks.

[VJ]

Comment by Bec August 23, 2007 10:18 pm

So sorry for the loss of your pet. My condolences.

I don't remember reading anything regarding Purina K&B being recalled. Try checking Itchmo or Pet Food Tracker.

[Bec]

I lost my dog 07/07/2007. I believe it was the food. How do I find out for sure? Purina kibbles and chunks.

[Ann H]

Julie,



RE: Canine Kidney Diet



What's in the ingredient panel of minerals, vitamins, etc of that food, if you don't mind me asking?

[Evelyn Robinson]

Hi, I just signed up and am glad of it!



I won't go back to the old foods and think that some of the foods might put my two cats at risk with unhealthy ingredients.



So glad for all bloggers comments and especially glad to have this place to make comments.

[Frank]

Why not find out what other people have to say when they've done some research as to what dog food to buy and which is best for your dog, like organic dog food or cooking at home for your dog. Found some good comments here:



http://www.tipconnection.com/tc_pet_care_and_dog_food.html



Pays to do some research as to what you are going to feed you dog, he/she's worth it no?

[Gailtrail]

Yep! Yep!



Thanks. A panel on pet bloggers and the pet food recall for next year at the South by Southwest, internet/music/film conference is a great idea. I'd like to be in Austin and attend. I worked with The Humane Society of the United State, Farm Animal Division and the Humane Sustainable Agriculture program for a number of years. There is a huge connection between what our furry friends are being fed and the livestock and poultry industries.



Thanks again for your wonderful commitment and work.