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There is a dog food recall of certain brands because of contamination by euthanasia drugs. This is serious because dogs eating the food can become ill.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/18/health/do...index.html

The company has traced the source of the contamination so it is not an ongoing thing.
However it is important to know which foods have been recalled.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/lo...110591610/


I hope the word gets out and no more animals are harmed.
This is not the first time this has happened. I seem to recall discussing a similar incident some while ago, with a different brand of American dog food.

The question arises, "Exactly how did the pentobarbital get into the dog food?" The manufacturer has declared the recall, but the original supplier of the contaminated meat has not been named.

The real truth is that commercial dog food sometimes contains the dead bodies of not just cows, sheep, goats and poultry. Horses and even dead domestic pets are often added to the mix - and some of those may well have been euthanised. The process is politely called "rendering" and is especially common in the USA, although it does take place in many other countries, too. Don't believe me? See:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/ren...n-pet-food
Some of the brands on the recall list have been involved in other recalls and pet food scandals.

We already know that pentobarbital gets into the food chain from euthanized animals. 
Some of it is from pets/shelter animals, some from horses and some from other animal sources. Since this is already known, then why is nothing being done about it. Why is this happening again. They were probably hoping the concentration was low enough that it wouldn't be noticed. Mostly this is true. That is why they get away with it. Someone slipped up and too high a proportion of euthanized animals got into the mix.

The company is recalling the food to avoid law suits and they are unhappy they got caught again. They are not unhappy about the source of the drug. They plan to keep using rendered products.  

I don't know if there is any way to stop this.  We just have to stop buying their products.  The ideal would be to make your own safe pet food from human grade meat. I don't know if there are smaller local brands that would have a better ingredients list. Buy a slow cooker and have a good stew going for you pet. It will be safer and you will know that it is safer.


I know Barrie my 3 foot Tegu lizard was eating some dog food when I got him. I stopped doing it and I stopped the raw eggs. 
He is much healthier since I got him. Maybe there was something in the food that was harming him. 

I would be unsure of some human foods. Their ingredients lists are a bit suspicious.
I found one recent previous case:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38888399
I think I remember that case. All four dogs were poisoned by the drug, but the one that ate the most got a lethal dose.

The problem isn't in the actual dog food manufacturing plants. The problem is in the suppliers of the meat they use.
The company is responsible for the source of their meat supply. They need to be more vigilant. Clearly they got more than chunks of beef in their order. The label on the can is misleading. It gives the impression that there are big pots of beef stew cooking in the plant that are hand packed in cans. 

It is disturbing to know that dead horses and pets are part of our pet foods. Since these animals are usually killed with pentobarbital how could they ever be cleared for use in pet foods? Even if they were not killed with a toxic drug it is still disturbing that dead pets end up in cans of pet food.

Why is pet food so badly regulated. We serve pet food in our kitchens using utensils that we use for ourselves. We wash pet dishes in the same water where we wash our own dishes. We might even use the same dishes. We can't say that humans are not  coming into contact with pet food. If it kills pets it is only a matter of time before a human is effected. Pet food should be regulated the way human food is regulated.

That still wouldn't give me peace of mind. There are human food recalls all the time, but for different reasons.
Thank you for the warning Catherine. Let's hope people will see warnings in time.

This is an absolute SCANDAL! If euthanasia drugs are in pet food that's because animals who have been euthanised are in pet food. And farm animals never are. That means there are dogs and cats and other pets in that food.
I can hardly believe this is still going on.
PLEASE, people, research for a healthy non-cannibal based food for your animal companions! Dogs and cats -especially cats need meat and fish, but to be eating others of their own species who have been "put to sleep" is just a dreadful thing humans have come up with, which I find hard to grasp. Even for the sake of saving money!!!
(02-25-2018, 04:24 AM)Tobi Wrote: [ -> ]And farm animals never are.

Esteemed Tobi, I hope that you don't mind my correcting you on one very small point. Occasionally farm animals are euthanised (such as terminal cancer or other serious ailments which would make the animal unsuitable for consumption).

I know because our beloved Josette had to be euthanised. A vet came and administered a very high dose of painkiller, which he injected into a vein in her neck. She passed exceptionally quickly and we very relieved that it was so rapid. Bless her darling soul!

I then had to phone a special collection service, which collects the bodies of sheep and other farm animals which have passed over for whatever reason (disease, etc.). These bodies are then incinerated. At least, that is what happens in France, where the authorities are very strict about such matters.

Pets, however, are often euthanised by vets in their surgeries. Sometimes caretakers can't handle dealing with the dead body of their beloved pet, so the vet makes arrangements. Also, some pet shelters can and do euthanise unwanted/unadoptable pets on quite a large scale, and these bodies go somewhere. I assume that either or both of these routes is how euthanised pets get into the food chain.

Almost all of these cases have been in the USA, where perhaps legislation is more lax or perhaps the rules are broken more often. I'm not sure which.
You are right, farm animals are sometimes euthanized. They are not supposed to end up in the food chain after that.
I am glad France is so careful about disposal of dead animals. I think the USA has very different rules. I  suspect different states
have different rules. As long as they can get away with using dead pets, they will continue to do so. It is a cheap source of meat. That is how horses end up in pet food, even if they were killed with drugs. Older race horses  end up in the food chain even though they have been given medications that make them dangerous sources of meat.

This keeps happening over and over again and nothing ever changes.

I don't know what it will take to get the laws changed to stop the use of dead pets in pet food.
The death of a pet isn't enough.
I didn't realise farm animals (i.e "livestock") were sometimes euthanised.

Dear Josette! Josette was a family member and in such a case, when it's obvious their "time has come" that is the kindest thing to do.
It must have been quite sad, seeing her beloved body being taken away to the incinerator, to be within the law. But of course -as we well know -Josette lives on in Spirit in a lovely and helpful way! Angel  Bless her Soul.
That must have been a hard decision about Josette. Sometimes there is no choice, but to end suffering. 
It is sad that she couldn't be buried on your land, but I suppose there is a safety issue. The government wants to be sure that there is no transmission of disease from dead animals. I am sure her spirit has stayed close to the land she loved and the people who were her family.
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