Author: Susan Thixton
The organization Earthday.org has released a new report about the exposure of plastics to our pets. The Pets VS. The plastic report gives pet owners a more in-depth look at the plastic exposure risks of pet toys, pet food, and packaging. For example, under the section “So What is Your Pet Actually Chewing On?”, the report says: “Polyvinyl Chloride is a hard form of plastic commonly called ‘vinyl.’ It’s too hard for dogs to chew and can even damage their teeth, so toxic chemicals known as phthalates, often referred to as plasticizers, are added to PVC pet toys to make…
According to the FDA’s Investigations Operations Manual 2024, the definition of a recall is: “a company’s removal or correction of a marketed product that the FDA considers to be in violation of the laws it administers and against which it will initiate legal action (eg, seizure).” Recalls are classified by the FDA into one of three options: CLASS I RECALL”A Class I Recall is a situation where there is a reasonable possibility that use of, or exposure to, an infringing product will cause serious adverse health effects or death.” CLASS II RECALL”A Class II Recall is a situation where use…
bad news first… On June 26, 2024 “the Supreme Court held 6-3 that a federal bribery statute, 18 USC § 666(a)(1)(B), does not criminalize after-the-fact ‘gratuities’ paid to state officials or local government in recognition of official acts, where there is no quid pro quo agreement to perform those acts.” This means that state government officials MAY receive rewards – including financial rewards – in appreciation of an official action. Consider AAFCO. AAFCO State government officials make important decisions affecting pet food. This Supreme Court decision means that the pet food industry is legally permitted to send a financial thank…
From the Viva Raw website: To our customers, We would like to share more information about our recent recall of Turkey and Puppy recipes from Lot 21244. Out of an abundance of caution, we have notified all customers who purchased this product during a certain period , however, only Lot 21244 is affected. At the bottom of this page, you will find the full notice emailed to our potentially affected customers. Background During an inspection, the FDA tested samples of Viva Turkey for Dogs and found that samples from Lot 21244 were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. All products manufactured in…
From January 1, 2024 to the present (June 24, 2024), the FDA has issued thirteen consumer alerts about potentially dangerous foods. By the time each of these thirteen alerts was issued, the food product in question had not been recalled. These public alerts are warnings to consumers based on adverse event reports received by the agency (illness reports submitted by consumers to the FDA). For example: May 24, 2024 FDA Issues Warning About Toxic Amygdalin Found in Apricot Seeds – 1 consumer complaint. April 4, 2024 FDA Issues Warning About Certain Supplements Replaced with Toxic Yellow Oleander – “The FDA…
Richmond, Va. – TDBBS LLC is voluntarily recalling 3,551 bags of Green Tripe dog treats due to the potential presence of foreign metal objects in the dog treats. The recalled product was distributed between February and May 2024, and is sold nationwide in retail stores and through online mail orders. This is a limited voluntary recall affecting only the following products/lots. productUPCitem #Lot CodeBest-ByDateGreen Tripe,Barkworthies Brand 7ozbag8168070156862015686WO151768WO152373Feb–Mar2026Green Tripe, Best BullySticks Brand 2 lb Bag8168070160271016027WO152669WO153321WO152107Tue–Aug2026Green Tripe, Best BullySticks Brand 5 lb Bag8168070160101016010WO151401WO152319WO153179Jan–Apr2026 See attached product images for lot code location. The potential presence of metal objects can pose a health risk…
The first book by Dr. Karen Becker and Rodney Habib – The Forever Dog – has been published in more than 20 languages and has become a worldwide best seller. I personally have this book (actually 3 copies to lend to friends), and consult it often. It’s hard to believe that these two consumer advocates could outdo themselves with a second book…but they have, in a BIG way. Their second book is titled The Eternal Life of the Dog. If you’re a cat person, don’t let the book’s title put you off. There are MANY things that cats and dogs…
On May 30, 2024, the AAFCO Pet Food Committee held a virtual meeting where a vote was taken to pass or fail a proposed voluntary limited copper claim in pet food. The proposition is: “Low Copper. Dog food labeled as ‘low copper’, ‘low copper’, or words with similar designations must:1) Be certified as nutritionally adequate for one or more life stages in accordance with Regulation PF7; and2) Contains a maximum of no more than 15 mg copper/kg DM and no more than 3.75 mg copper/1,000 kcal of metabolizable energy; and3) Place on its label the Test Guarantee in accordance with…
The FDA has issued two public alerts in four days about a human food product that has been linked to 12 human illnesses. The FDA has issued ZERO public alert regarding pet food products resulted in 971 reports of illness (to the FDA) in one month, including more than 100 pet deaths in the same one-month time frame. Despite numerous email requests, Freedom of Information Act requests, and even submitting a Citizen Petition for more information – the FDA flatly refused to give pet owners information about why so many pets are sick and dying. We should wonder… If the…
A smart, detail-oriented independent pet store owner alerted us to a potential problem. Pet food bags with patterns of small holes on the side of the bags (not on the plain site). So we went to a pet food store to find the holes. They are not easy to see, depending on the color of the bag. But we found them, on the side panel of many pet foods. (These are found in dry pet foods.) Some bags have small sections of small holes, while other bags have large sections of small holes. And this bag has a different pattern.…