Subject: Nutro Pet Food - FDA Investigates due to deaths & illness
Due to deaths & illness, FDA investigates Nutro pet food
http://petsitusa.com/blog/?p=1925 Due to deaths & illness, FDA investigates Nutro pet food
by Therese on April 20, 2009
in Cats, Dogs, Pet Health
Pet owners have been complaining about Nutro for over two years; saying their cats and dogs have either become very ill (and survived) or died after eating the Nutro products. Finally, the word is that the FDA is investigating the pet
food, an investigation could prove to be criminal or civil in nature.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that the agency is investigating NUTRO pet food, following a series of unexplained illnesses and deaths. Consumers have been complaining for more than two years that their pets have become ill after eating NUTRO products; many have recovered when they were
switched to other foods. The company has steadfastly denied that its food is to
blame.
Until now, the FDA has been mum about whether it was actively investigating the
company. Today, the FDA’s Division of Freedom of Information confirmed the
agency has an ongoing investigation into NUTRO — and said that investigation
could be criminal or civil in nature. The office did not elaborate on the nature
or focus of that investigation.
[...]
ConsumerAffairs.com filed its Freedom of Information request for NUTRO records
last year after we uncovered a worrisome trend among dogs and cats across the
country. An analysis of our complaints revealed that scores of pets from
California to South Carolina had experienced sudden and recurring bouts of
diarrhea, vomiting, and other digestive problems.
The only common denominator among those dogs and cats was NUTRO pet food. In
nearly every case, we also learned the pets’ conditions improved once their
owners stopped feeding them NUTRO pet food.
ConsumerAffairs.com continues to receive complaints about NUTRO from dog and cat
owners nationwide. In the past year, we’ve received nearly 500 complaints from
pet owners who say their dogs or cats suddenly became ill after eat NUTRO. The
problems these pets have experienced are similar: vomiting, diarrhea, and other
digestive issues.
[...]
NUTRO defends its products and insists its food is safe. Many NUTRO customers
also tout the food, saying their pets have had no problems. And veterinarians
say several factors can cause gastrointestinal problems in dogs and cats,
including changes in diet, newly developed sensitivities to pet foods, and viral
infections.
But pet owners who contact us on a nearly daily basis are convinced something is
wrong with NUTRO’s food. And they say it’s no coincidence that so many dogs and
cats have become sick — with the same symptoms — after eating various flavors of
that pet food.
See FDA Confirms Probe of NUTRO Pet Food Deaths, Illnesses from Consumer Affairs
for more.