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Subject: white powder in bad of dog food
Posted by: holt
- [41512278] Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 22:55
I'm having a hard time finding solid info on this on the net. I was feeding my dogs tonight (pedigree puppy sized bites dry). getting close to the bottom of the bag - I scoop out a bowl full and find the food is covered with a white powder. then i look in the bottom of the bag and there's a pile of white powder there (about a fistful). in the bowl I see another fistful amount under the food.
I need to know what this is, like immediately. Maybe it's best that I start making my own dog food. not happy about this at all. |
| 1 | Mike D
Leader
ID: 041831612
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 22:59
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Where was the bag being kept?? On a shelf, on the floor, in the kitchen, in the garage, etc.
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| 2 | holt
ID: 41512278
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:03
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in the garage. it has a zip seal on it. can't think of anythin that would have fallen in it. the powder was all settled at the bottom of bag, under the food.
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| 3 | holt
ID: 41512278
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:08
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also, it's not really a fine powder. rather than being shaped like a grain of sand or salt, it's shaped like a dash.
what i mean is
this: -
instead of this: .
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| 4 | Perm Dude
ID: 2625319
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:12
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It wasn't part of the pet food recall that I'm aware of.
You can write to (or call):
Tim Mengel
Masterfoods USA, a Division of Mars, Incorporated
Consumer Care Department
1-800-525-5273
DIRECT ALL E-MAIL REPLIES TO:
pet.care@masterfoodsusa.com
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| 5 | Mike D
Leader
ID: 041831612
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:13
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Typically either something got into the bag, which it doesn't appear with that neat zip seal they have, or it is powder/crumbs from the food itself which happens when you pick up, pour, and put back the bag. The food bits bang together. A quick google search confirms this particular food is known to crumble very easily. My suggestion----handle with care your next bag brother. ;)
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| 6 | Mike D
Leader
ID: 041831612
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:15
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And lots of corn complaints to boot (lol). Cheap b&stard.
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| 7 | holt
ID: 41512278
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:21
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what concerns me is this substance is very white. not the color of the food at all. i mean I'm looking at a decent size pile of it, and none of the dog food crumbs are really mixed with it. it's just a pile of lily-white powder. not normal at all.
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| 8 | Perm Dude
ID: 2625319
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:27
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Pretty clearly, holt, you've come across your dog's stash.
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| 9 | holt
ID: 41512278
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:29
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the stuff is kinda cheap. needless to say I'll never subject them to this brand again. in fact, I need to consider whether I want to feed them "dog food" at all. the more I read about it the more it disgusts me. curious to see if these home made dog recipes are economically feasible.
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| 10 | holt
ID: 41512278
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:30
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lol PD. actually, I'm suspecting the cat.
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| 11 | Great One
ID: 201155199
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:30
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Would taking it to the vet to have checked out be a reasonable option? Seems that would ease your concerns some.
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| 12 | holt
ID: 41512278
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:31
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yeah GO, that's a good idea.
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| 13 | Tree
ID: 27623118
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:32
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rice? white dashes sounds like rice to me.
regarding making your own dog food. it certainly gets expensive. my dog that passed away two years ago was being fed home made dog food when her illness prevented her from eating anything else.
it's not cheap.
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| 14 | Perm Dude
ID: 2625319
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:39
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You could go "all raw" and get meat scraps and ends from your local supermarket (talk to the butcher--they can package it up with a price and everything for you).
Believe it or not, you can even give your dog raq chicken bones. It is the cooked bones that get brittle & cause problems for animals in their throats, but raw ones are absolutely fine.
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| 15 | holt
ID: 41512278
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:45
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didn't know that about the chicken bones. I've wondered why it's ok for a coyote to eat a live chicken, but dangerous for a dog to eat chicken bones. that explains it.
tree. the pieces are very small, not like rice. possibly shavings of something. no idea.
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| 16 | Perm Dude
ID: 2625319
Tue, Jul 31, 2007, 23:58
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We went raw for a year with one of my dogs, after he got cancer and we just didn't want to keep giving him processed dog food everyday. He loved them bones!
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| 17 | Tree
ID: 127815
Wed, Aug 01, 2007, 06:18
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Holt - here's a few things i've found.
Zinc oxide - more or less harmless, but useless (includes photo)...
melamine - seemingly useless, a known toxin, but the effect on pets is so far unknown...
Titanium dioxide - probably harmless, and also not terribly useful.
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| 18 | Boxman
ID: 571114225
Wed, Aug 01, 2007, 07:07
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Holt: I would go to the store where you bought it and inform the manager. Be polite. Maybe he's gotten a couple of complaints already and this could drive further action on his part.
You never know, you could get a free bag of food (albeit a different brand) out of it.
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| 19 | holt
ID: 41512278
Wed, Aug 01, 2007, 07:28
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thanks for the info. the zinc pic is kinda blurry so it's hard to say if that's it or not. i may try to take a pic of this with my digital camera but I don't know if you'd be able to make out much detail.
I was planning to call the 1-800 # pd posted, but going to the store is a good idea too. i'll try both. there should never be a pile of unknown white powder in a bag of dog food. no excuse. and the more I read these links on the net the more I feel that it's time for congress to step in and give the pet food industry a wake-up call.
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| 20 | Punk42AE
Donor
ID: 036635522
Wed, Aug 01, 2007, 10:49
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The store really can't do much (since I work at a grocery store). What I have told people is to call the company #'s and then we'll exchange the bag for them. But since all we do is sell it, I can't do anything about it.
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| 21 | Taxman
SuperDude
ID: 029463114
Thu, Aug 02, 2007, 22:11
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Pet food solution
Problem with 99% of dry pet foods is that they are steam processed (drop some in water and watch it expand as it asorbs water...does the same thing in your pet's stomach) and most contain animal products and preservatives.
Where pet food comes from
Most of what makes up dog and cat food comes from the rendering plant. To render, as defined in Webster's Dictionary, is "to process as for industrial use: to render livestock carcasses and to extract oil from fat, blubber, etc., by melting."
When chickens, lambs, cattle, swine, and other animals are slaughtered for food, usually only the lean muscle is cut off for human consumption. This leaves about 50 percent of a carcass left over. These leftovers are what become what we so commonly find on pet food labels, such as "meat-and-bone-meal" or "by-products." So basically, what pets eat are lungs, ligaments, bones, blood and intestines.
Some other things that may go into rendering are:
Spoiled meat from the supermarket, Styrofoam wrapping and all
Road kill that can't be buried on the roadside
The "4 D's" of cattle: dead, dying, disease and disabled
Rancid restaurant grease
Euthanized companion animals
When dead animals from cow pastures are picked up, they may not be rendered until up to a week after they are dead. Because of this, it is estimated that E. coli bacteria contaminate more than 50 percent of meat meals. The rendering process destroys the bacteria, but it does not eliminate the endotoxins bacteria release when they die. These endotoxin, which can cause sickness and disease, are not tested for by pet food manufacturers.
When all this comes to the rendering plant, it's put in a huge vat and shredded. Then it's cooked at 220 to 270 degrees for 20 to 60 minutes. After it cools, the grease is skimmed off the top. This is "animal fat." The rest is pressed and dried. This is "meat and bone meal."
Dogs wouldn't eat this stuff in the wild, so why will they eat it out of their bowls? Their noses are tricked by the smell of it. The smell of animal fats for dogs and fish oil for cats is sprayed on the dry, bland kibble bits to make them appetizing. These flavors usually come from rendered restaurant grease, animal fat, or other oils unfit for human consumption.
Huge conglomerates use pet food companies as a cheap, and even profitable, way of disposing of the waste from their human food companies. Three of the five major pet food companies are owned by these huge corporations.
I discovered a brand of pet food Flint River that is NOT steam processed, but instead it is baked..in California using human quality ingrediants without chemical preservatives or animal by products. Currently, we live with a smallish lab (55 lbs) and a 70 lb 2 yr old greyhound. When we changed to this food, we noticed changes in our dogs bowel movements, less often, less runny and their consumption dropped about a third (in volumn). The current pair are together going thru 20 lbs per month of the Flint River, but within a year or two, I expect the greyhound's consumption will drop as she matures and her pace slows down.
The food is delivered to your door via UPS (no charge). The best price break is to buy the 40 lb (2 20 lb bags) order (around $48). Becuase of the nourishment it provides, our pets eat less food per day than any other food we have tried over the years. A year ago, we were forced to "put down" our original chocolate lab at age 16 1/2. She shut down because of old age. She didn't have cancer or internal organ disease which is now becoming a prevelant cause of companion animal death.
link to Flint River Ranch
To order you will have to create an account. Please, enter referral code: jtx8
By doing so Flint River will send money to an account (a referral fee) set up to fund special projects at Town Lake Animal Shelter (city shelter for Austin) by my wife.
Above sounds like an advertisement, but is based on having constantly had dog companions since first marraige in 1969 and cats since 2nd marraige in 1982. But mostly due to working (wife full time since 1995 and I shut my tax practice 4 yrs ago now full time with her) in the companion animal industry as an Invisible Fence dealer in Austin initially and now a Distributor for two states with a call center for full service retail operations in Austin, Houston, Dallas and Albuquerque (@ 34 employees). Much of my time is spent with vets, shelters, animal control and Tx A&M vet school.
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| 22 | bibA
Leader
ID: 261028117
Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 00:04
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Thanks for the info Taxman. Recently came into possession of a choc lab puppy, and she is seriously a joy. Glad to learn from your post, and the site. I followed thru with an order.
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| 23 | holt
ID: 41512278
Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 03:32
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Great info taxman. I've got a collie and a husky/wolf mix about the same size as yours, so the cost of this won't be any higher than what I pay for the canned and dry garbage I get at the store. Going to the website right now. My dogs and I thank you.
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| 24 | leggestand
Leader
ID: 451036518
Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 09:07
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Good info, Tax. I am going to look at it with my wife and see if we can get our golden retreiver on this food. We will put in the referral code also.
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| 25 | GoatLocker
Sustainer
ID: 060151121
Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 09:23
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Holt,
Your best bet would be to contact Pedigree direct.
There should be a number somewhere on the bag, or do a google search.
Have the bag nearby when you call them, so that you can ensure they know exactly what you are talking about.
Ditto on all the comments about pet food and knowing what is in what you are feeding to your dogs.
Cliff
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| 26 | Great One
Sustainer
ID: 053272014
Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 09:23
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Makes me wonder what the hell is in cat food lol...
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| 27 | Punk42AE
Donor
ID: 036635522
Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 11:34
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Chinese People...
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| 28 | holt
ID: 41512278
Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 21:12
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order placed, along with the referral code. thanks again taxman.
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| 29 | Baldwin
ID: 125312919
Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 22:34
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While I wouldn't put the soylent green suggestion in #27 beyond them, has anyone noticed that the Chinese are poisoning us?
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