Another Food Alert
 

Cross posted from another group:

"Please stop using the following till Jan 2011:

o Solid Gold [all except the Holistique Blendz formula]
o Taste of the Wild [kibble and canned food]
o Artemis [kibble and canned food]
o Canidae [all except the Chicken and Lamb formulas]

Story below:

We became aware that the FDA requires ALL imported fish-meal to be treated with the preservative ethoxyquin. Ethoxyquin is also used in jet fuel, cosmetics and in some human foods. The levels allowed in pet food is substantially higher than that allowed for human consumption. It is a known carcinogen that targets the liver and spleen.

While many commercial pet foods use imported fish-meal, many of the holistic manufacturers have applied for a special exception, allowing them to use other preservatives like Naturox, which is a natural alternative to ethoxyq uin.

Earlier this month we contacted all of the manufacturing companies that had fish listed on the ingredient panel to find out:

1) Was it imported fish
2) If imported what preservative was being used

We found that the following brands of food contained fish meal treated with ethoxyquin:

o Solid Gold [all except the Holistique Blendz formula]
o Taste of the Wild [kibble and canned food]
o Artemis [kibble and canned food]
o Canidae [all except the Chicken and Lamb formulas]

We contacted the manufacturer's representative, and were informed that
approximately 6 months ago they began shelf-testing Naturox, and will finish with the shelf trial towards the end of this year. Hopefully at that time all ethoxyquin treated fish meal will be eliminated from the foods listed above.

While the products only contain trace amounts of this preservative, our feeling is that a healthy animal might be fine on the food, whereas genetics, immune compromised states, and other factors could influence whether an animal develops cancer over time."

That would be wonderful if they switched to a safer preservative! :thumbup:

I wonder if other foods without fish meal, the ones that use E to preserve other fats, will also consider this change?

Thank you for posting this, Ladymom. I don't use any of those foods, but since I rotate every few months, it's something that I need to know. Very good information. :)

Thanks for posting this - no wonder the guy at the pet expo gave me a whole bag of their samples to try for taste of the wild :eek:

It seems many preserve with rosemary as well and it makes me nervous as rosemary is a trigger for seizures in dogs that are prone to seizures :(

What is a good preservative for dog foods that is more natural that will not cause problems?

Vitamin E is a generic term for tocopherols and tocotrienols, and Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) are safe preservatives.

I've seen Rosemary in many kibbles...

i know and my demi had a seizure from rosemary chicken as i screwed up and bought a rosemary chicken from albertsons and gave her some of it on her kibble and 12 hrs later she had a petit mal scared me to death. She has never had one since but i learned that day rosemary definitely does trigger seizures and she is super healthy too :(

I feed her newman's own organic but it has rosemary in it and i have tried to find a food with no rosemary after that scary incident and am having the hardest time finding one and frustrated but she is tolerating it but it is really low on ingredient list.

Thank you Ladymom for posting this....I am at a loss now because I have both my 6/yo male and my 5 month old pup on Taste of The Wild. I guess I go back to Wellness. I was looking for a food that was rated a 6, but both dogs could eat...I don't think there is one now.....I have to watch the high protein contents as well but would not risk the ethoxyquin content regardless.

Rosemary is well known to trigger seizures in prone dogs. It is listed among others on the canine epilepsy website. So, what is a good, grain free food with no rosemary, BHA or BHT?

It's just never ending with these dog food companies!!

Isn't that the truth.....Scary & Frustrating!:(:mad:

Thanks for sharing this Ladymom! I cross posted this and have someone asking for the source of the article because they'd like to read more. Could you share it?

I have talked to the places that sell solid gold and they are positive that they do not use this crap in their food of they would not sell it, and I also learned today the proctor and gamble is buying out natura which is innova and evo and the california natural, so this dog food place and several others are dropping the innova because proctor and gamble are bad news

Is Natural Balance safe?.....I hope.....that's what I feed Max.

Thanks for posting. Sounds like they may stop using this product by the end of the year...right?

Which formula are you feeding? If it contains fish, yes they have ethoxyquin.

Food Alert Misinformation
 

I emailed Taste of The Wild for answers about what changes they have made to their food. Although I am not sure about the other brands, TOTW hasn't changed the formula to include rosemary or naturox. They did say that they are getting slammed with emails now. It is really sad that this has no doubt affected many owners/pets that have epileptic pets or allergies to a possible/scare of rosemary. Maybe others can email the prem foods listed to see if that is also an internet myth?

Melissa Brookshire to me
show details (2 hours ago)
Dear ********,
The fish meal is now being preserved with mixed tocopherols. The email posting by The Big Bad Woof that listed Naturox as the preservative was full of misinformation, including the actual preservative that we were converting to. I have been answering emails from many concerned customers that have received copies of this email.
Sincerely,
--
Melissa Brookshire, DVM

Ok. I use TOTW. I am not thrilled with it but can NOT find another food Maddie will eat.:( So their fish meal is preserved with tocopheral and not etoxyquin? is this correct?

etoxyquin
 

There has been several threads/posts recently about etoxyquin and what dog foods are preserved with it. You can find the threads/posts if you do a search on YT with etoxyquin as the subject and time length back 4 to 6 weeks.

It is also the topic on several other dog and pet forums as cat food can also contain etoxyquin if the fish meal is processed on the open waters and stored on ship.

I know, I have read them all. LOL:)
It was my understanding that TOTW used fish meal preserved with ethoxyquin. Then, this thread had it linked with a preservative that has rosemary or naturox. Then, txyorkiemommy received an email stating this was wrong and they the fish meal in their food is now being preserved with mixed tocopherols. (a safe preservative. :confused:

I'm just a little confused and want to make sure I have read all this right and that TOTW is now using a safe fish meal.

I know it is confusing which foods are preserved with what. I've emailed pet food companies for answers and have not been totally satisfied with the response(s) which can be "canned" replies. We just have to keep on our "toes" and try to give our pups the best and safest food(s) possible.

I think to get a direct answer, we need to ask if the E is added to the fish before it's transported to the companies. Since it's regulated by the US Coast Guard & FDA only in the US. Natural Balance did confirm the use of E in their fish before it's transported, but they never use it on their fish or other products once it's in their plant.

No,I feed him chicken flavor,guess i'm safe.

Ok, you're clear. The Ultra formula contains salmon meal, it is further down the list, & the fish is treated w/E.

Is it advisable not to buy foods that have fish in it?

I talked to the gal from the pet store and she called solid gold, they were unable to find a supplier since the demmand is so great for e free fish and it is the coast guard is the one that puts it in the food, they have just now as of june 1 they have found a supplier that is e free, I personally would not trust anything with fish in it right now unless it is a big comapny that has their own supplier. I have switched chester to merrick with the chicken and then he started scratching, so I hope it is not the chicken. I will go back to solid gold in 8 months to a year when everything is back on the shelves that is the new stuff. I wont try innova it got bought out by proctor and gamble that that food will be bad in little while, bummed about the solid gold he has done very well on it. The e in their fish is trace amounts they said, probably less than if they actually added it

I wonder is these are all outsourced to Diamond Pet foods

I be interested in the source also