Remember the pet food recall?

I got a call this morning to be on Brad Messer's show on KTFM radio in San Antonio, to discuss the effect of the recall on the pet food industry. A guest editorial Gina and I co-authored is in this month's Bark magazine. Two days ago, I was asked to give a talk on the fallout from the recall at the upcoming Bay Area Pet Fair and Adoptathon. And then there was this, from the New York Times' David Barboza, in today's International Herald Tribune:

For the second time in three months, a former high-ranking official at China's top food and drug watchdog agency has been sentenced to death for corruption and approving bogus drugs, according to the state-run news media.



Cao Wenzhuang, who until 2005 was in charge of drug registration approvals at the State Food and Drug Administration, was accused of accepting over $300,000 in bribes from two pharmaceutical companies and helping undermine the public's confidence in an agency that is supposed to be safeguarding the nation's health.



Cao's sentence was handed down by the No. 1 Intermediate Court in Beijing, less than two months after the same court sentenced Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration to death for accepting $850,000 in bribes to help steer drug companies through various approval processes.



Cao, however, was given the death sentence with a two-year reprieve, a lighter penalty that may allow the 45-year-old to have his sentence commuted to life in prison.



But the death sentences appear to be a strong signal that China is determined to crack down on rampant fraud, corruption and counterfeiting in the nation's food and drug industries.

Four other senior food and drug agency officials were also sentenced to long prison terms on Thursday, including Wang Guorong, who faces life in prison, according to the state-run news media.



The harsh penalties come at a time when China is under mounting international criticism over the quality and safety of its food and drugs.

Despite all this, I don't actually think the recall and its aftermath are having a resurgence in people's awareness. I don't think much has changed in the pet food industry, nor do I think much will. A handful of companies may see a chance to do well and/or do some good and make changes in their manufacturing practices, and there will be a weak link in the chain of consumer trust of pet food companies and government regulatory agencies that will persist for years. But a big sea change in the pet food industry? My guess is no, unless something more happens, which I sincerely hope it does not.



If anything, I believe the human food safety system will change more due to the pet food recall than the pet food market will. Let's make sure it "trickles down" to the pet food industry, and that issues like country of origin labeling, clear and useful nutritional information on pet food packaging, and better inspection and regulation of pet food processing don't fall through the cracks.



Update: Menu changed the link to CEO Paul Henderson's remarks to shareholders. I updated this post with the new link.

Comments

[straybaby]

and i took dat der poll and passed it on! ;)

[Christie Keith]

There's a poll, too.

[MFEMFEM]

"But the death sentences appear to be a strong signal that China is determined to crack down on rampant fraud, corruption and counterfeiting in the nation’s food and drug industries.

Four other senior food and drug agency officials were also sentenced to long prison terms on Thursday, including Wang Guorong, who faces life in prison, according to the state-run news media."



The death sentences don't have anything to do with a crack down. The sentences mean officials higher up the food chain want to be receiving the bribes while the government pretneds to be taking action. They are only SHOW TRIALS. In any country where corruption is ingrained in the political, social, and economic systems a few crackdowns are only window dressing. The bribe money will flow to other sources. Don't be fooled for one minute that there are changes taking place in China - or any any country with a long history of corruption. Corruption, more than any other single issue, is responsible for the problems with poisoned food, and so many other problems coming out of China. It's also why our own system is so slow to take action.

[Schnauzer]

U.S. company to label health foods ‘China-Free’

LOS ANGELES - It’s bound to go down the wrong way in Beijing: A U.S. health food company will label its products ”China-Free” to ease concerns about contamination.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19637875/

[Nancy Nielsen]

I wish I thought there would be a difference in the responsibility of the pet food companies. The fact that I am feeding my surviving dog only home cooking - and that I will never feed a commercial food again if and when I am mom to another dog - says how much confidence and trust I have in the pet food companies. And the fact that I shop carefully and judge the sources of the food that I eat myself says how much I trust that filth and poison will be kept out of my own food. The only thing that will make a difference to producers, shippers and retailers is to see the market shift to trustworthy sources.

[Marcy]

Janice and Evelyn:



I am feeding Felidae dry and supplementing with Felidae, Evangers, Merrick (only Turducken, Thanksgiving Day, and Grammy's Pot Pie varieties), and Evangers canned; and Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw.



The baby mainly eats Felidae canned with cottage cheese added, with bits of all the others rotated. She is one healthy and active kitten, with a sparkle in her eyes!



Everyone must do what works best for them, and this is working well for us.

[Ann H]

I found reference to boiled rice and bonita flakes being used as cat food in Japan. I know my cats like the dried bonita flakes as a treat and that bonita is used for soups and sushi in Japan. What I don't know if it is really good as a cat food nutritionally. I've got picky cats and still can't get them to eat "home" cooked.

[Lil Bear's Momma]

A poll would be good. I also would like to know how many are feeding whole foods to their pets now. As in raw, species appropriate diets.

For those who think raw feeding is hard to do, it is not. Nor is it more expensive. Just takes a little more thought and effort when you shop at the grocery store.

I switched our dog over as soon as we got her almost 2 years ago. She has not eaten any commercial pet food since then.

Our cat was being switched when the glutten poison happened. He died from that tiny tsp of canned food twice a day. It was only a small amount of pet food but it killed him.

I don't care if all the pet food companies go belly up. After years of research on the issues, cats and dogs do not need nor can they digest veggies, grains or the other additives in those commercial pet foods. The pet food companies add them to save money. Also because they know as soon as they heat the meat to even 115 degrees it kills the essential nutrients in that meat. Homecooking does exactly the same thing. The only way a dog or cat can get the full nurishment in meats is to eat it like nature intended them to eat it. Raw....

Yup, I am a raw feeder. And my dog is healthier for it. I get comments all the time on how her coat shines, her eyes are bright and her teeth sparkle.

Do the research. It doesn't take that long and your pet will live a longer, happier life because of it.

[Evelyn]

Janice:



I cut down on purchases of clothes(I love clothes) and now feed my two furbabies California Natural Dry chicken and rice (small company who answers when you call Customer Service)and FelidaE-chicken, turkey, lamb & fish in chicken broth. I supplement these two brands with human grade turkey which my husband shares, human grade pure tongol tuna, and sometimes real chicken.



They are seniors, and one is diabetic, so I want them to get a lot of good protein meat or fish. For me, it works. That is the best I can do in my situation. Cats are 14 yrs old and have good coats of fur, have good appetites, and are still able to wake me up about 5 o'clock in the morning.



I make sure the two have lots of fresh water. Hard to do, sometimes, when the male cat sticks his paw in the dish and sometimes spills some. What I am going to do. He is a cat--but so sweet.

[elizabeth R.]

Ever since the recall horror started, bunches of people on this site and others have talked about home cooking for (or raw feeding) their pets and have shared recipes and experiences. I so wish there were a way to roughly figure out what percentage of pet owners are now home feeding all or at least part of the time (and thereby what impact has been made on the PF industry). I know my dog will be fed human grade food prepared in my own kitchen for the rest of his life. My cats have proved to be a harder sell (thank goodness I have a dog who is more than happy to eat their rejects!) so I can't say the cats are 100% off commercial food yet, but I am confident that all the raw meat bits, yogurt, and goats milk that comprise a large part of their food are providing them a much healthier diet than they consumed before when they were exclusively on commercial food.



Christie, Gina, anyone else, is there a way to create a simple informal voting poll on this site to ask people to "track" the changes they have/have not made related to their pets since the recall? I would like to see it separated by dog-cat categories and then by raw or homecooked as a percentage of total food given to the pet on an average day. Would this be worthwhile and doable? I find on one hand so many pet owners out there still seem oblivious.....yet at the same time when I peer down the grocery pet food aisle or am at one of the pet chains to buy litter there seem to be FAR fewer PF buyers than there used to be. Plus, I have NEVER seen so many coupons and enticements by PF companies. So I really do feel something is going on out there.



Also want to add that I hope we can all be respectful to those pet lovers who post here who are unable for a variety of reasons, or choose not to home cook. Everyone is doing the best they can under the circumstances they are dealing with, I believe.

[Dave]

Janice, you say "I pray it is the best (pet food)". How can anything cooked at high temperatures, covered in grease, filled with preservatives, salt added to force your pet to drink water, add some other big chemical words which you can't even find in a dictionary, a food loaded with grains, corn or rice (which dogs and cats were never meant to eat), add some poop forming agents, throw in some rendered materials or bi-products, call it "Holistic", "Natural" or "Organic", state that the product is "100% Balanced & Complete" (like every pet label states) be good for your pet. Prayers will not help when all the evidence is in front of you. Our pets are living beings and deserve living foods.

[shibadiva]

Ralph Nader is right on.



In a supermarket yesterday, I looked through the labels on the frozen fish. Taiwan, China, Thailand, India. What's that all about? Shipping stuff around the globe?



It doesn't help the people in these countries either. The shrimp trade in Indian coastal regions has devastated the communities there, with corporate aquaculture driving out small family fishing operations, not to mention the pollution, illness and impact on the environment.

[Janice]

Marcy and Evelyn,



What brands were you feeding and what are you feeding now? I lost my cat to Hill's Prescription c/d dry. I now have a new cat and am feeding Evo. We also switched our two border collies to Evo. I pray it is the best. I still can't get over feeding our beloved Duke something that killed him. Hill's has denied my claim, stating his food was not recalled. I am not giving up because I know it did kill him.

[Marcy]

Good for you Evelyn...



there are those of us who learned our lessons the hard way. And if they think that what they did will be forgotten that easily...then they had better think again.



I lost my JuJu to a brand that was never recalled. I am pretty sure that what happened is that this food is very inferior nutritionally, which left her more vulnerable (as that was her primary food), and then whatever amount of the contamination was in the food, was enough that she could not withstand it.



Cutting corners at the expense of my furbabies?



Never again. They can keep their junk.

[Concha Castaneda]

I read an article in The Observer about boycotting China because of the heinous way they skin their dogs and cats alive for the fur trade. The foottage was shot by PETA and I could not watch. But if they treat their own dogs and cats this way, then we can not expect them to shed a tear for our poisoned pets.

[The OTHER Pat]

http://www.amazon.com/Year-Without-Made-China-Adventure/dp/0470116137

[Kat]

Christie! Congrats on the Brad Messer interview. WHEN will you be on? I'll tune in.

Thanks!

[straybaby]

Comment by Concha Castaneda — July 6, 2007 @ 6:24 pm



This is not the way of all Chinese. There are many caring animal lovers there. We have one on our Dal group who takes lovely care of his pup (and posts great pics!) and also lets us know about what's going on (rabies issue, etc). I really don't get that he's the exception.

[Evelyn]

Ralph Nader said on CNN today that we should buy foods closer to the source so the marketers will feel more responsibility toward their customers. He also mentioned that the law to label country of origin is not being enforced.



I am buying less China imports now. Being more careful to look where product is made. I am more careful about the human and animal food I buy that is made in the U.S.A.

[Marcy]

P.S.



I, for one, will never forget what happened...nor will I ever trust any of the involved pet food manufacturers again.

[Evelyn]

Yes, Marcy, I also buy a brand that makes its own food in its own plant.



Never, in my wildest imagination, did I think that the big companies gave Menu the recipe and then abandoned good supervision. Well, I had to learn the hard facts the hard way, by poisoning my cats.



Oh, no, pet food industry--you do not get my dollars so easily again. You deceived me, thinking what I was giving my cats was l00% nutrionally balanced. For whom, your checkbook?

[Marcy]

I am not able to home cook for my kitties, for various reasons.



But I am not buying the "supermarket" type pet foods anymore.



And just because a food is in a pet shop, doesn't mean I buy it either. I have done my homework, and am buying brands that state that they are not using imported ingredients, and that they manufacture in their own plants.



I definitely have changed my buying habits because of the pet food fiasco.



I have a new baby kitty now...but nothing can bring back my JuJu, that I lost to the contaminated pet food.



My baby kitty, and my two surviving Persians are now eating completely different. They had to get used to it though...but we persevered in it, and now they accept it...and are the better for it.



I also tell everyone who has kitties, what I have learned through this, so that hopefully they can benefit from it too.

[Janet]

This whole petfood disaster has much changed how I view purchasing food. Not only for my pet, but also for my husband and myself. Darned sure I look at labels now and if it says anything close to China, it's a no sale for me. My fear is that people will grow apathetic, as so often happens.

Our Cleo eats far more "people" food than she used to eat, and I've unconsciously begun to cook with "a little extra" figured in for her. She still eats some dry pet food, but not nearly as much as she used to eat.

If China has indeed changed, it has changed for the money it stands to lose, not because of the heartache and losses that pet owners experienced.

My viewpoint may be jaded, but once burned, twice shy.

[Katie]

Thanks for the link to the poll!!



My dog is recovering from the pet food fiasco. She is now getting home cooked food and doing great. Blood tests are now back to the normal range, and I'm hoping they stay there.



Having been through this eye opening experience the past few months, I won't feed commercial pet food until they can guarantee it is safe and tell the truth about what caused pets to get sick and die. I no longer buy things from China if I don't have to. I buy local as much as I can. I know it is hard for some, we each have to make our own choices.



I agree with Janet, the only reason I see China changing is for the money and image before the Olympics.



I don't believe China cares about the American people at all.



Katie

[Donna]

"Remember" the pet food recall.



When did it end? Government agencies may have pulled the plug and reporters may have stopped coverage, but it is far from being over.



For the thousands of pet owners who lost pets, their grief and this nightmare will never end.



For the thousands more whose pets are in various stages of continued critical care, the fears of losing their pets haunt them daily.



For the thousands more whose pets suffer subclinical symptoms that are casually dismissed, we can only hope they make the connection between pet food and illness.



And for the multitude of "lucky" pet owners who escaped the crisis, their trust will forever be tarnished.



Even though there may be no current products being recalled, this scandal is far from over. There are a few of us still interested in trying to find answers and, more importantly, the truth. We have been failed by those whose very mission is to protect our food supply.



Where is the conscience in today's world when we can so easily dismiss the evidence that is before us?

[Trudy Jackson]

It will never end, and We should never stop trying to get better food. COOL. We need that, so please don't forget. As far as China, they really haven't stopped anything. they got caught, and are trying to lay low for a while. i for one will never trust or buy from them again. We have been poisened for years and years. It just happened that the pets saved us by getting too much. I lost pets and had some sick, and i still watch them every day. I still talk to everyone i can about all this. It will never be over.

[Jay]

The pet food murders have created some awareness of not only the companies that manufacture or contract pet food but also a growing awareness of the "out of control" nature of our food distribution and trade policies.



With this in mind, it was enlightening to find the UK beginning to question these problems as well.



Here is a link regarding local vs. food of unknown origin.



http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2007/07/excerpts_from_this_blog_post.html#more



Excerpt:



It is time we faced up to the fact that developing our super-efficient food distribution system has resulted in the complete destruction of our local food infrastructure. Worse than that, the supertanker of centralised commodity distributed food supply is still going in the wrong direction, using the language - category management, food chains and supply chain rationalisation - of an industry which treats food no differently than paint, cars or computers.



Next time you eat some food ask yourself whether you have any chance of finding out from the label who grew it, where they lived, what their farm looked like or how much they got paid: the answer will probably be no. Make no mistake, this is the time for sober reflection on the true cost of that loss. I have reflected, and I've reached the conclusion that something must be done.



And here are three books mentioned that are pertinent to our concerns as well (may be published or available in the US):



NOT ON THE LABEL by Felicity Lawrence



COLLAPSE by Jared Diamond



BAD FOOD BRITAIN by Joanna Blythman

[Evelyn]

My cats got pretty sick on the Nutro pouches, also. The owner has sold the company shortly after the recalls, but the name Nutro has been carrying on.



My thoughts: Apologies to us and how things are made better might help some, but never for me. Even if I did not have any animals, I would still feel rage at the companies who poisoned so many of the world's animals. And the cruelty China shows to its animals makes me shudder.



I thought I was careful about what I bought before the recall, but now I spend more time evaluating food and goods. My husband no longer buys canned or frozen fish from China, either.



I remember it was a Saturday night I heard a comment about the pet food recall in March on radio or TV.



Next morning the news said more. I rushed down to give back the recall food, saying to my daughter that this is going to be a big deal. But this big deal seems to be getting bigger instead of going away. Nothing is perfect, but some of the pet food products do not even come close.

[thomas]

Trudy when I buy from any farmer at any market I ask a lot of questios, The woman I bought from on Wed. saw me coming today and immediately showed me which produce was home grown and which she had bought at the local produce auction. Also People please don't forget when you call your elected officials about keeping COOL in the farm act of 2007 ask them to take Title 1 Sect. 123 out of the farm act , this section would take state and local governments right to pass laws that supersede federal laws away from them. It could stop state and local governments from passing laws regarding GE's , GMO's , and would take away the rights of states and local governments in regard to animal welfare laws.

I am changing my pets to home cooked , raw and human grade food ,no vitamins. The food they were on was causing them to drink a lot of water, and some could not hold their urine . This started suddenly and I had been real happy with the food. I bought 10lbs. of ground beef today and made a huge meatloaf , I even added Zuchini squash to it. I also bought a chicken at the meat market that was kept on the ground and fed corn and grass the corn was home grown and ground. The corn was not GMO. I have been giving my dogs raw carrots as treats and they love them also give them hard boiled eggs.

[Alex Thomas]

I know that many pet parents are concerned about store bought pet food. My Rottie has food allergies and it is very difficult to either devise or buy a food that he can eat. But I have been feeding him Breeder's Choice, Pinnacle, Trout and Sweet Potato kibble and so far he seems to be doing well on this. I have thought about home meal preparation but sometimes I don't think this is a good idea. I know China has had problems and I am staying away from Chinese goods like many people but the "China" problem has only deflected notice from problems with American foodstuffs. Has anyone noticed how many food item recalls we've had in the past several years? Since the petfood recall started I took a several looks at the FDA site for recall information. It's not pretty. So even if someone is feeding their pet "human grade" ingredients how can one be sure that those ingredients don't contain salmonella(there seems to be a really big probem with this lately) or some other organism that can hurt or kill you? I remind folks of the recent ground beef recall (hundreds of thousands of pounds recalled). Just something to think about. Our food is not nearly as safe as we think or hope it is.

[Ann H]

Don, I loved that post :).



For more education, go to OASIS and look at the number of holds from Domincan Republic, Mexico, India & China .... Wow, tight race, huh?



China is only one of the issues....



The bigger issue is the extent of the testing of pet foods by the pet food companies for toxic substances and whether they will actually take responsibility for the safety of the pet foods that they are selling & advertising.



They really need to take their advertising budgets and put them into safety testing programs & publish the reports...



As our pets have shown the true colors of our food safety system, then the pet food industry can show us how well the human food companies will respond..or not.

[MFEMFEM]

Comment by Donna — July 7, 2007 @ 4:30 pm



"Where is the conscience in today’s world when we can so easily dismiss the evidence that is before us?"



I agree with your entire post. I lost a beautiful, kind, gentle cat to Nutro poisoned pouch pet food. Nutro is now running ads showing fresh meat and other "healthy" food. The same old marketing ploys to suck us in to their products. They have forgotten about the victims of their poison - they never cared anyway.



Nutro and companies like them, and the politicians they control, have no conscience. They are life forms, but not human, they feed on profit and are driven only by greed. We are pry to be exploited by these economic preditors, nothing else. They count on our consciences and sense of fair play to protect them. They know time is on their side. If you don't believe in evil you should.

[thomas]

Straybaby You are absolutely right it feels great having fired corporate America. Or should we call them corporate China? Also a tea party sounds great Trudy after the party lets send them on a slow boat to China. This fiasco brings to mind verses from a song "i once was blind but now I see, was lost but now am found." We are a wake and aware Bushie and the crimies look out we will prevail.

[Bee]

CNN has been wonderful reporting our news responsibly...keeping us up to date on everything. Lou Dobbs and Anderson Cooper have been great. I've been watching more CNN than Fox these days. Great Job CNN....

[Donna]

Comment by MFEMFEM — July 7, 2007 @ 5:05 pm



I am so sorry for the loss of your cat. That's what is so tragic, the glossy ads and funny pet stories can never cover the pain and heartache of the emptiness left behind in your home. Obviously, that picture would not sell pet food.



This crisis never had a "face" to it. There were no photos of beloved pets for the world to see. There was no identity. It was all about numbers and agency meetings and how quickly they could eliminate the questions, the focus and the concerns.



They did a good job.

[Trudy Jackson]

It seems that We have taxation without representation again. anyone for a tea party? We, the american tax payers, want something done and some answers, and We are getting neither. But We are paying taxes every day. Doesn't make sense to Me, what about you??

[Trudy Jackson]

Yes, Don, what are you feeding your cats? I have a couple that are very old. they eat good but one looks like she stays dehidrated all the time.

[Lorna]

For people still wanting to buy kibble,has anyone tried Orijen ?



www.championpetfoods.com



I feed raw,but this product sounds great as far as kibbles go.Human grade,no GMO,no grains,no outsourcing,etc.



I'd recommend it to friends who want to feed kibble but would feel better about doing that if anyone can provide feedback on how your animals like it.



Lorna

[No Longer Asleep at the Wheel]

When will we hear the announcments of STATE AND LOCAL PROSECUTIONS for mass poisoning of our food supply? When will the prosecutors are going to bat for the American consumer?



When will we read that those responsible are serving life sentences in prison, and not the tennis camp kind?



When, oh when, will we see them frog marched out the doors of the pet food palaces and into the waiting arms of those who have lost pets, time, money, peace of mind to these tricksters and scam artists?

[Evelyn]

Added comment (thanks to MFEMFEM)



Can cat and dog food be 100% nutrionally balanced if a lot of the ingredients in it are imported frm CHINA?

[Bill]

Questions for Don Earl



What are you feeding your pets these days ?

[MFEMFEM]

Comment by Evelyn — July 8, 2007 @



"I wonder what it means when a pet food company states that its product is 100% nutritonally balanced?



If it has melamine, acetaminophen, cyanuric acid, is product still 100% nutritionally balanced?"







Don't forget 100% "Made In China"

[straybaby]

Comment by Don Earl — July 7, 2007 @ 11:58 pm



We also need to remember that they (US & Canadian companies) have been adding this crap to the feed for what, about 3yrs that we know of?! While there is something seriously wrong with the white powders imported from China (and other food products), we do need to remember how 'nicely' our government released adultered meats (and who knows what else) into our food chain on Risk Assumptions and swept the rest of the mess under the rug. Wasn't that about the time they abruptly stopped the Media Briefs? Too many reports asking too many questions, eh? Of course this is the same 'Government' that thinks all the GE/GMO in the food supply is absolutely fine without proper long term testing and looking at the obvious (to me) distruction of the environment in the near future with these new plants.



So while I may not be putting anything from China in my body or my pets, don't think I given the USA a pass for one second! All my food is thoroughly researched and I have safe sources for everything (includes all other household products) with extremely minimal chance of change happening behind my back. Firing Corp America was truely liberating ;) Now on to the politics and holding their feet to the fire . . . .

[Evelyn]

I wonder what it means when a pet food company states that its product is 100% nutritonally balanced?



If it has melamine, acetaminophen, cyanuric acid, is product still 100% nutritionally balanced?



If it has a lot of filler and not much protein with an overdose of vitamins, is the cat or dog food still 100% nutritional?



That is why I give my cats turkey cooked by the store itself without a lot of preservatives and give them store-roasted chickens,sometimes canned tuna in water, besides cat food that I think is okay, like Felidae and California Natural.

[Susan]

I've never experienced a more crystallizing "wake up" experience than in the past few months. It has been a pretty steep learning curve to realize that the so-called "nutritionally balanced" kibble I was feeding my cat was doing nothing more than making him fat and slowly poisoning him. In the last two weeks I have transitioned him over from dry kibble to a raw food diet (he has not been especially happy with me, but he is at least eating the new food!) and I hope that since he is young (2 yrs) he will recover quickly from from the toxic diet he was eating and live a wonderfully long life. I cannot believe the lack of information out there - thank heavens for the internet!!!! - about the greed, corruption, and carelessness of the commercial pet food industry. At least our eyes are now open and their horrific lies have been exposed.

[Don Earl]

It's truly amazing how easily distracted folks become when just the right spin is put on a situation.



Everyone who remembers that all the lethal pet food was produced in the US or Canada, raise your hands.



Now for a really hard one. Everyone who knows melamine is virtually nontoxic and has not been shown by ANY scientific method to be the direct cause of pet food related deaths or illnesses, raise your hands.



You have been hoaxed six ways from Sunday on the China smokescreen.



For an interesting research project, pull up Menu Foods company filings at:



http://www.sedar.com/search/search_en.htm



Menu Foods' biggest customer began dramatically reducing its inventory of poisoned pet food beginning in the fourth quarter of last year, and in the first quarter of this year reduced its orders comparable to the same period of the previous year by a whopping 46%. This all took place months BEFORE the recall was announced.



On this one, don't raise your hands. Everyone who believes this has something to do with China, show us the flat spot on your head where you were dropped as a baby.

[Trudy Jackson]

Straybaby, Thanks so much! I appreciate it.

We have some horrible 3 digit temps coming tomorrow, too. Hot and humid. UH,

Yes, I did the skin test, she is dehidrated, even though she does drink. she does need a checkup so i'll get Her in this week. And i do put water in Her food, etc. i'll also have them check her teeth.

Thanks again,

[straybaby]

Trudy,

Have you had the older one checked? could be begining renal failure (cronic), UTI or begining diabetes. Try mixing water in with her food for extra moisture and perhaps a kitty fountain if you don't have one. At 20 you want to have frequent check-ups, perhaps even quaterly if you notice change. Sadly, my boys didn't make it to 20 (18.5, both with cancer), but they were trucking along fine until they started showing signs. At over 17yrs, my vet had to do a double take on their date of birth because they only looked around 7. Fur change is a sign of something. Have you checked the kitties moisture with the skin bounce back test? Pull up a bit off skin on the neck and see how quickly it goes back?



I'll start a recipe thread over in the itchmo forums in the off topic anything goes forum :) My dog loves my blueberry keifer and ya don't need to cook for that one! Except for simmering berries that is! ;) Many are simple roasting/grilling (indoors or out) and it's all about seasoning and/or what you serve with it. And since many fresh things don't need a lot of cooking, they're great for starting to learn more about cooking. I tend to do more involved in the winter, but still not complicated unless I just feel like a fun challenge :) I made turkey sausage for an Italian dish one time along with the sauce and everything else. All simple, just more time involved. You would not believe how easy sausage is ;) Pretty much everything you see in the store is achievable without being too complicated. Just start small and build up. You'll gain confindence and really enjoy it :) And remember, it's easier and quicker to make it from scratch in most cases than try and figure out where the ingredients are from in processed food! lol!~



I'll also post some good links in the recipe thread. There's a good one for making 'knock offs' like condiments and such. I made a quart of 'Bailey's' Irish Cream today. Not bad at all. It will taste wondeful in a milk shake with homemade french vanilla ice cream (we have nasty hot/humid weather coming in tonight!). hehe

[Trudy Jackson]

Straybaby, I love what you said. and i agree, i will never be blind again.

[straybaby]

Comment by Alex Thomas — July 8, 2007 @ 12:11 pm



you're absolutely correct about our food. i've been buying local when possible (translation = a LOT!) and checking out companies online before buying non-local. right down to who REALLY owns them. even if they are organic, i will not buy if they are owned by Kraft, GM, etc. if a company i'm using gets bought, i'll find another or just find something else. i'm buying mostly whole foods and making everything. not that hard and pretty fun :) i even got a carbonator for making flavored carbonated waters! just had some cranberry 'soda' made with organic cranberry syrup. next i'm doing blueberry with jersey blueberry syrup i made ;) meats are from ranches in the area and veggies from the farm and farmers market. same with dairy. fish from organic sources or the local dayboat. it's pretty easy after the inital onslaught of research and you get to reap in the benefits of your local seasonal harvests. i'm also putting away some of the fresh stuff for winter by freezing and drying. can't wait for the next blizzard so i can whip out some frozen fresh fruit for a homemade waffle breakfast! (she's says during a hot humid july day!) and i'm learning a lot of new recipes, so totally out of my cooking the same dozen or more meals all the time. many are quick 30min or under. and i try and make enough to freeze some. great for when i'm against deadlines, i actually get to eat!



also make my own cleaning products. white vinegar has been a staple for several years because of all the pets. just try and mop a floor here without little paws passing through . . .



and then there's the homemade ice cream . . . . lol!~