Update: Chicken Soup & the Cancer-causing preservative
 

Ok, so some of you know that I was freaking out yesterday because I had read here that Chicken Soup dog food was no longer 5-star rated (now it's 3-star) on this website because they say it contains Ethoxyquin, a chemical preservative that is banned or heavily regulated because it is believed to be carcinogenic. Well, I was a little confused because this preservative is not listed anywhere on the ingredients list. So, to get to the bottom of this "rumor" I called the manufacturer Diamond Pet Foods this morning and expressed my concerns. They told me that they have no idea how this rumor got started but that many people were calling inquiring about it. They said that they have run many tests on their food in light of this rumor and there are NO traces of this preservative Ethoxyquin in any of their foods.

So, now I guess the big question is, do you think that they are telling the truth? :confused:

Maybe we should now contact the company that rates the dog food to ask them for more detailed information.

Thanks for contacting Diamond!

I agree....we need to contact the people who rate these foods and see why they think this preservative is in Chicken Soup. Any idea how in the world to go about doing that? :confused: I'm wondering if people rate other foods bad to increase sales of certain foods. :confused: It's always a possibility. :rolleyes:

That is always a possibility. I'll try to look around before I head off to work. If I find some contact info I'll post it up.


Edit... Hmm on the dog food analysis website they say the manufacturer confirmed that the fish meal is preserved with ethoxyquin... I'm not sure why they would confirm it to the analysis company but not to the public.

Thanks!!!!!!! If you can get some contact info I don't mind calling. Do you feed Chicken Soup?

I found an e-mail address: contact@dogfoodanalysis.com

I just recieved a sample from them and I started trying it out on Kona and Bernie. Kona is a very picky eater and this was finally something she would eat without me having to mix it with wet food.

I know what you mean....I tried 6 or 7 different foods and Chicken Soup is the only one they would eat without me hand feeding them!

I am going to email them. Maybe EVERYONE should email them and ask them who reviews the foods and how they came up with the fact that Chicken Soup contains this preservative.

I agree... I have a picky eater too, but they don't sell this locally...I'm still shopping around because shipping for this is usually the price of one bag! Keep us posted on the results of this rumor!

Ok, here is the email I sent to the dog food reviews people:

I was just wondering who reviews the dog foods on your website???? I was surprised to see that Chicken Soup has been moved from 5 stars down to 3 stars. It says that the reason for this is that it contains Ethoxyquin, a chemical preservative that is banned or heavily regulated because it is believed to be carcinogenic. Of course I was very disturbed by this since I feed my dogs Chicken Soup. I was also confused because this preservative is not listed on the ingredients list, yet you say it was confirmed by the manufacturer that their food contains this ingredient. So, I decided to call Diamond Pet Food myself. They said that none of their pet foods contain this preservative and that they have no idea how this rumor got started. They have tested their foods and no traces of this preservative have been detected.

I am obviously a concerned pet owner. I will gladly switch foods, but I would like to get to the bottom of this. Could you please tell me how you discovered this preservative is in Chicken Soup dog food??

I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Sincerely,
A concerned customer


Maybe if a lot of people emailed them, then at least one of us would get a response. I don't care if EVERYONE uses this exact same email. It would be quick and easy to just copy my email and send it.

I sent them an e-mail.... I saved time and used yours :) Great e-mail!

Excellent! Thanks! There are better odds of us getting a response if more people send one, you know? It's fine with me if everyone uses my email :thumbup:

If I read the first thread correctly, the substance of concern was allegedly used in the bone meal. Do we know what all is in the bone meal? I would think all Diamond has to do is list the bone meal, not what is in the bone meal unless they manufactured the bone meal. Who knows where all the different ingredients are obtained from, what processing they go through before everything is mixed together. I too would want to contact the company who conducted the rating change and find out what evidence they have on which to base their allegations. I doubt Diamond would admit something outright, but they might very well start obtaining bone meal from a different source!

The preservative is supposedly used in the fish meal. Diamond said this morning when I called them that they had run tests on their food to detect this preservative and all tests came back negative. They said that they contacted their "supplier" (I think that's what they said) to see what they had to say about it. They were supposed to be receiving something in writing from their "supplier" to confirm whether ot not this is in the fish meal. I asked them if they would be posting this document anywhere so I can confirm for myself whether or not this is used. I am going to call them back tomorrow morning and see if they have received this "documents" in writing yet and see what else they have to say about it.

If anyone else wants to call Diamond, their number is 573-229-4203. If anyone else contacts them, please let us know what they have to say to you and if it is the same story I got or not.

snopes
 

has anyone tried to chase this rumor on Snopes.com? i will do that later today. i have been fortunate to find the holistic Eagle Pack food in my area and all my guys love it.

I just searched Snopes. Nothing about this preservative or Chicken Soup and cancer. However, it did bring up Diamond's recall of dog food a while back.