In early January 2024, reports of sick pets and pet deaths began to increase, initially linked to various Purina pet foods but many brands have since been added to the list of suspected. Purina quickly tried to silence the voices of pet owners in the mainstream media citing sick and dead pet reports as “rumors“and”false statements”.
But pet owners were undeterred by Purina’s harsh words, continuing to report their pet’s illness or death to regulatory authorities.
And then pet owners experienced some harsh words directly from the regulation. Authorities from two different states – when collecting samples of suspected pet food from pet owners – told pet owners “you have no chance” to prove that their pet’s illness or death is related to the pet food.
But again, pet owners were not deterred by the snobbish regulatory authorities (apparently defending Purina’s ‘rumor’ claim). They continue to report their pet’s illness or death to the regulator.
And now – although the FDA hasn’t updated anyone on how many adverse event reports the agency has received related to this current/ongoing issue – we’re seeing a change in Purina’s attitude and regulation.
Purina has been quiet for about 4 weeks. No more claims of “rumors”, only silence.
And based on what we’re hearing from pet owners, the regulation is being courteous and collecting pet food samples from pet owners across the country. Many state authorities have shared with pet owners that their state has received multiple complaints in a short period of time and that their state agency is investigating. We learned that the FDA communicates directly with many pet owners after they file an adverse event report.
This investigation is happening because pet owners don’t give up. Many of you did the right thing by reporting the illness or death to regulatory officials. You have pushed this issue to an investigation. Thank you to each of you who went through the (sometimes difficult) process of completing an adverse event report.
While we wait for regulation to investigate this pet food issue, the wonderful people at the Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time Facebook group continue to document more and more reports of sick pets. Today (2/14/24) a veterinary clinic in Wisconsin shared that they have “over 26 dog owners report” over the past month.
A big thank you to everyone who manages and contributes to this Facebook group. Your work also forced the regulator to listen to pet owners and finally investigate this serious issue.
Unfortunately, now we are waiting for the regulators to do their job. When something is learned, it is immediately shared.
If your pet becomes ill or dies that you believe is related to a pet food, or becomes ill or dies that you believe is related to a pet food, report the incident to the FDA and your state official. This current issue involves many manufacturers and many styles of pet food, it is significantly important for regulation to receive all reports. Click Here for more information on how to report.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Buyer Beware of Author, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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List of Susan’s trusted pet foods. Click here to learn more.
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