Havenlea Dog Training

Dear Pro Club Member,
Nestlé Purina associates are united by a love of dogs and cats, and their passion for the excellent products we produce to nourish and care for these animals. Nestlé Purina operates in an environment with the care of our consumers' dogs and cats being top of mind. Nothing is more important to Nestlé Purina PetCare Company than the health and well-being of the animals whose nutrition has been entrusted to Purina products by their owners.

So we want to take this opportunity to provide you with some of the important information about the critical steps Nestlé Purina has taken regarding our sourcing, testing and tracking of food ingredients, including additional efforts being taken in our existing food safety and testing procedures process. We believe that keeping you informed about Nestlé Purina's efforts will help ensure that you remain confident about feeding and recommending Purina pet foods.

Pet Food Recall Update
• It is important to understand that wheat gluten is a safe food ingredient, and NOT the reason for the recent pet food recall.
• The recall, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is the result of contamination—specifically the contamination of ingredients with melamine and cyanuric acid, substances not approved for use in food.
• The FDA is investigating the possibility that melamine was purposefully added to certain pet food ingredients to artificially increase the ingredient's apparent protein content.
• Chinese authorities have reportedly said two Chinese ingredient suppliers illegally and intentionally adulterated protein powders with melamine. The two companies named are the same two companies identified by FDA investigators in connection with the recent recalls.

Wheat Gluten Nutrition Facts
• Wheat gluten is a rich natural protein from wheat or wheat flour. While primarily used to enhance texture, wheat gluten also provides good quality protein. When used in combination with other protein sources, a balanced level of amino acids can be attained for the dietary needs of the cat and dog. In its complementary effect with other protein sources, wheat gluten also promotes lean muscle mass and healthy organs.
• Nestlé Purina has been using wheat gluten in its products for nearly twenty years without incident. In fact, the same quality wheat gluten that has been used in pet food products is also used in many human foods, like bagels and whole wheat bread.
• Total U.S. demand for wheat gluten is higher than the supply available in the U.S. As a result, 80% of the U.S. demand for wheat gluten is fulfilled outside the U.S.

Quality assurance from beginning to end

Ingredient Sourcing
• Nestlé Purina ingredient sourcing and processing meet or exceed FDA, USDA or AAFCO standards for pet food.
• For Purina products sold in the U.S., the majority of our grain products and ingredients are also sourced from the U.S. All corn gluten meal used in Nestlé Purina products comes from North American corn, with most being U.S.-grown.
• Every supplier of ingredients for Purina products must meet pre-determined guidelines for ingredient specifications, product safety, sanitation and manufacturing practices. Our stringent quality standards are rigorous.
• Nestlé Purina will soon source all of its wheat gluten from Europe, Australia or North America.

Ingredient Testing
• Nestlé Purina now uses the global resources of Nestlé, the world's largest food company, to help advance its quality control measures. Nestlé staff members will be physically inspecting the facilities of Nestlé-approved Chinese suppliers and testing product samples to ensure compliance with Nestlé Quality Assurance and Compliance Standards.
• All of Nestlé Purina's North American manufacturing facilities have on-site quality assurance laboratories and staff, including quality assurance employees, who test every load of ingredients for quality.
• Today, every load of wheat gluten used in Purina foods is being sampled for the presence of melamine and cyanuric acid.
• Nestlé Purina will also be expanding the use of additional technology to further screen ingredients for contaminants.

Ingredient Tracking & Control
• 99% of all Purina pet food products sold in the U.S. are made in Nestlé Purina-owned manufacturing facilities operated by Nestlé Purina associates.
• Nestlé Purina's sophisticated tracking system ensures important measures of control: all raw ingredients are tracked from time of receipt at our plants, through their inclusion in finished products, and on to customers. This system allows for rapid isolation and removal of affected products, if necessary. It also allows us to determine which products will NOT contain certain ingredients.

Nestlé Purina associates, most of whom are pet owners, feed Purina products. Please know that nothing is more important to us than protecting the health and well-being of the millions of dogs and cats who eat Purina foods. This is a responsibility all Nestlé Purina associates take very seriously.

For more information, please visit www.purina.com.

Written by:
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville , Ohio

This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM.

I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but.... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 ½ times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.

The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney
function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.

He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to incr ease daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220.. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to
euthanize.

This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.

Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville , Ohio

Even if you don't have a dog, you might have friends who do.
This is worth passing on to them.

For further information, check Snopes.com
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Raisins and Grapes Harmful to Dogs

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2nd Pet Food Recall Today - More Brands

Posted by: "Sherry Nassar" nassar@rice.edu nassar77005

Fri May 18, 2007 3:53 pm (PST)

just keeps growing and growing.....

To: "Sherry Gregory Nassar" <Sherry.Nassar@rice.edu>
From: "National Pet Foundaton" <support@nationalpetfoundation.com>
Date: Fri, 18 May 2007 17:53:03 -0500
Subject: 2nd Pet Food Recall Today - More Brands
Sherry

More foods have been recalled today. This is in addition
to our earlier alert and covers the following foods:
Doctors Foster & Smith, Shop Rite, Shep, Bulk Lamb &
Brown Rice, Health Diet, and Evolve Kitten. For detailed
information about these latest recalls please visit
http://www.nationalpetfoundation.com/foods/0518.html

Please help get the word out and forward this email to
any pet owners you know. Our goal is to keep our pets safe.

Get notifications within the hour of new recalls and save
your pet's life. Sign your family and friends up for the
free pet alerts at:
http://nationalpetfoundation.com/pet-food-recall.html

The full list of already recalled food can be found at:
http://nationalpetfoundation.com/list.html
National Pet Foundation
Please keep your pets safe.

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Including Iams and Nutro. See the list at: www.menufoods.com/recall

Pet Deaths Prompt Recall of Pet Food
By ANDREW BRIDGES, AP

WASHINGTON (March 17) - A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold
under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60
million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney
failure and deaths.

An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10
died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing
the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link
explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.

"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said
Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer.
However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased
from a new supplier, since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah
Tuite said. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.

The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which
consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches
between Dec. 3 and March 6 throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Company, Safeway
Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.

Menu Foods said a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by
the recall would be posted on its Web site - www.menufoods.com/recall -
early Saturday.

The company said it manufacturers for 17 of the top 20 North American
retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet
food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.

P&G announced Friday the recall of specific 3 oz., 5.5 oz., 6 oz. and
13.2 oz. canned and 3 oz. and 5.3 oz. foil pouch cat and dog wet food
products made by Menu Foods but sold under the *Iams and Eukanuba** *brands.

Menu Foods' three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1
billion containers of wet pet food a year. The recall covers pet food
made at company plants in Emporia, Kansas, and Pennsauken, New Jersey,
Henderson said.

Henderson said the company received an undisclosed number of owner
complaints of vomiting and kidney failure in dogs and cats after they
had been fed its products. It has tested its products but not found a
cause for the sickness.

"To date, the tests have not indicated any problems with the product,"
Henderson said.

The company alerted the Food and Drug Administration, which already has
inspectors in one of the two plants, Henderson said. The FDA was working
to nail down brand names covered by the recall, agency spokesman Mike
Herndon said.

Menu Foods is majority owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund, based in
Ontario, Canada.

Henderson said the recall would cost the company the Canadian equivalent
of $26 million to $34 million.

03/16/07 18:39 EDT
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Just wanted to pass this along, pig's ears recalled due to salmonella. I don't feed them but someone might on our group.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Recalls Berkley and Jensen Dog Treats

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March 31, 2007

On March 30, 2007, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company announced it is voluntarily recalling all sizes and varieties of its ALPO® Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes. The Company is taking this voluntary action after learning that wheat gluten containing melamine, a substance not approved for use in food, was provided to Purina by the same company that also supplied Menu Foods. The contamination occurred in a limited production quantity at only one of Purina’s 17 pet food manufacturing facilities.

Consumers should immediately stop feeding their dogs ALPO Prime Cuts products with the date codes listed below and consult with a veterinarian if they have any health concerns with their pet.

The recalled 13.2-ounce and 22-ounce ALPO Prime Cuts cans and 6-, 8-, 12- and 24-can ALPO Prime Cuts Variety Packs have four-digit code dates of 7037 through 7053, followed by the plant code 1159. Those codes follow a “Best Before Feb. 2009” date. This information should be checked on the bottom of the can or the top or side of the multi-pack cartons.

Importantly, no Purina brand dry pet foods are affected by the recall – including ALPO Prime Cuts dry. In addition, no other Purina dog food products, no Purina cat food products, Purina treat products or Purina Veterinary Diet products are included in this recall, nor have been impacted by the contaminated wheat gluten supply.

At Purina, nothing is more important to us than the health and well-being of the pets whose nutrition has been entrusted to us by their owners, and we deeply regret this unfortunate situation. We will continue to take any and all actions necessary to ensure the quality and safety of our products.

Please see our March 30 press release at www.purina.com for more information. A list of Frequently Asked Questions is shown below. If you have more questions or concerns, please contact our Office of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-218-5898.

Frequently Asked Questions –March 30, 2007

Q: Were you the “dry pet food manufacturer” the FDA referred to in its press conference?

No. None of Purina’s dry dog or dry cat food products are affected by the contaminated wheat gluten.

Q: Are any Purina dry products affected?

No. ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy canned products and Mighty Dog pouch products manufactured by Menu Foods continue to be the only Purina products affected by this recall.

Q: When did you learn that you had received shipments of the contaminated product?

On Friday, March 30, the same day we announced our voluntary recall of ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy canned dog food.

Q: Which of your production facilities produced the recalled product?

Nestlé Purina PetCare’s Crete, Nebraska, plant was the only facility to produce the recalled ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy canned dog food product.

Q: Which other of your facilities produce ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy?

ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy is also produced at our Allentown, Pa., facility. However none of those products are included in the voluntary recall nor have they been impacted by the contaminated wheat gluten.

Q: When was the recalled product produced?

The recalled ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy products were produced in mid February 2007.

Q: Exactly what ALPO Wet Dog Food items were affected?

Only ALPO Prime Cuts in 13.2oz, 22oz, and Variety Packs with the specific codes below are affected. No other ALPO Wet Dog items or ALPO Dry Dog Food items are included.

See the list of affected ALPO Prime Cuts items product codes on the list below. Do not feed the product if it has:

Four digit code dates of 7037 through 7053, followed by the plant code 1159

Above codes followed by “Best Before Feb. 2009” date.**

** Due to a product name change in early 2007, this voluntary recall also covers one item with the same date code labeled as ALPO® Prime Entrees in Gravy with Chicken, Rotini Pasta & Vegetables.

PRODUCT CODE		NAME	SIZE
11132	07035	ALPO PRIME CUTS CHKN & RICE	22	OZ
11132	00310	ALPO LEAN PRIME CUTS BEEF	13.2	OZ
11132	00360	ALPO PRIME CUTS BEEF	13.2	OZ
11132	00361	ALPO PRIME CUTS BF LVR	13.2	OZ
11132	00362	ALPO PRIME CUTS CHKN	13.2	OZ
11132	00363	ALPO PRIME CUTS TRKY BCN	13.2	OZ
11132	00364	ALPO PRIME CUTS BF STW	13.2	OZ
11132	00365	ALPO PRIME CUTS GRMT DNR	13.2	OZ
11132	00366	ALPO PRIME CUTS BF BCN CHSE	13.2	OZ
11132	00368	ALPO PRIME CUTS LNDN GRILL	13.2	OZ
11132	02210	ALPO PRIME CUTS SR BF & RICE	13.2	OZ
11132	04313	ALPO PRIME CUTS CHKN VEG	13.2	OZ
11132	07031	ALPO PRIME CUTS BF & RICE	13.2	OZ
11132	07032	ALPO PRIME CUTS LAMB RICE	13.2	OZ
11132	08440	ALPO PRIME CUTS BEEF VEG	13.2	OZ
11132	00461	ALPO PRIME CUTS BEEF	22	OZ
11132	00463	ALPO PRIME CUTS CHKN	22	OZ
11132	00469	ALPO PRIME CUTS GRMT	22	OZ
11132	00471	ALPO PRIME CUTS BF & LVR	22	OZ
11132	07033	ALPO PRIME CUTS LAMB & RICE	22	OZ
11132	07034	ALPO PRIME CUTS BF & RICE	22	OZ
11132	58805	ALPO PRIME CUTS LNDN GRLD	22	OZ
11132	58800	ALPO PRIME CUTS BF STEW	22	OZ
11132	24509	ALPO PRIME CUTS BEEF	4.95	LB
11132	18342	ALPO PRIME CUTS 12CNT VP	9.9	LB
11132	86222	ALPO PRIME CUTS VP 8CNT 2OZ	11	LB
11132	25712	ALPO PRIME CUTS 24PK	13.2	OZ

Q: How can you be certain that none of your other products contain the contaminated wheat gluten?

We have confirmed with our supplier that our Crete, Nebraska, plant was the only Purina facility that received the contaminated wheat gluten. We have a sophisticated traceability system that enables us to track all ingredients from time of receipt at our plant through their inclusion in finished products and on to our customers to which the finished products were shipped.

Q. What is melamine?

The FDA described melamine as a fertilizer used in Asia or as a plastic resin used in kitchen utensils and dinnerware. The FDA has not approved melamine for use in pet food. It should not be in pet food.

Q: Why do you use wheat gluten in your products?

Wheat gluten is a high quality ingredient that provides protein and produces the consistency and texture desired in our products. Unfortunately, in this rare case it was contaminated.

Q: Do you source wheat gluten from China?

Yes. Wheat gluten is a commodity ingredient sold on the global market. Only a minority of our supply originates in China. While the vast majority of our grain products and ingredients overall are sourced from the United States, wheat gluten that meets our specifications is not available in sufficient quantities in the United States.

Q: Are you still buying wheat gluten from this source in China?

No.

Q: Do you have any plans to discontinue the use of wheat gluten in your products in light of this latest development.

Wheat gluten has been a well-trusted and safe ingredient in both pet and human foods for decades. We have no plans to discontinue the use of wheat gluten in our products.

Q: Do you test your wheat gluten supplies for melamine?

It has not been our practice, nor the pet food industry’s standard to test ingredients for melamine. Melamine has no approved usage in food and – until yesterday - had not been identified as a known contaminant for any of our ingredients, including wheat gluten.

Our rigorous food safety and testing program is based on significant and likely risks for each particular ingredient, and we test every incoming load of ingredients, including wheat gluten.

We applaud FDA’s decision to institute a 100 percent review and sampling program for all wheat gluten imported from China.

Q. Is melamine harmful to pets?

The FDA is quickly working to understand any links between melamine and the reported pet illnesses.

We at Nestlé Purina PetCare Company know the reports of pet food recalls and withdrawals over the past week have been very concerning and at times confusing for pet owners, who want to ensure the safety of the food they are feeding their beloved pets.

We want to take this opportunity to reassure you that Mighty Dog pouch products are the ONLY Purina® brand products affected by Menu Foods’ recall. Nestlé Purina stands behind the high-quality of our pet foods, and all Purina brand cat food products and all other Purina brand dog food products, including Mighty Dog canned products, can continue to be fed to your pets with complete confidence.

On Friday, March 16, Nestlé Purina PetCare issued its press release announcing the voluntary withdrawal of our Mighty Dog® brand pouch-packaged products that were produced by Menu Foods from Dec. 3, 2006, through March 14, 2007. While we had no indication of any product quality or safety issues specifically related to our Mighty Dog pouch products at that time, we are proactively withdrawing these products as a precautionary measure, because the well-being of pets and the safety and efficacy of our products are our top priorities.

We also want to apologize for any difficulty you may have had in reaching us by phone this week. While we have dedicated numerous additional phone lines, people and other resources exclusively for this purpose, we understand that the volume of calls still has occasionally exceeded our system capacity.

We have prepared some Frequently Asked Questions (shown below) that may be helpful to your understanding of this situation, and we will update these questions as more information becomes available. If you have other questions or concerns, please continue to call our Office of Consumer Affairs directly at 1-800-551-7392.

Purina regrets any inconvenience and apologizes for any concern caused by this voluntary product withdrawal, and we will continue to take any and all actions necessary to ensure the quality and safety of our products.

Q&As Regarding the Voluntary Withdrawal of Mighty Dog

Q1. What Purina products are affected by Menu Foods recall?

Only 5.3-ounce Mighty Dog® pouch-packaged products are affected by Menu Food’s recall. All other Purina brand cat and dog food products – including Mighty Dog canned products – are not affected by this recall and can continue to be fed to your pets with complete confidence.

Q2. Which specific Mighty Dog products were included in the voluntary recall?

The affected Mighty Dog pouch products, including pouches in multi-pack cartons, have code dates of 6337 through 7073, followed by the plant code 1798. This information can be checked on the bottom or back panel of the individual pouch. Specifically, if the code following the “Use By” date begins with four numbers from 6337 to 7073 followed by the code number 1798, then the pouch is included in this voluntary withdrawal.

Q3. Why are 5.3-ounce Mighty Dog pouch products the only Purina product being withdrawn?

Menu Foods initiated a recall of the dog and cat food manufactured in its “cuts and gravy” format between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The 5.3-ounce Mighty Dog pouch products are the only cuts & gravy product manufactured for Purina at Menu Foods, and as a precautionary measure, we have decided to voluntarily withdraw this product. No other Purina products -- including Mighty Dog canned products, Purina dog products and Purina cat products -- are affected by Menu’s recall.

Q4. Why does Nestlé Purina use Menu Foods?

Nestlé Purina PetCare does not have the capacity to produce wet dog pouch packaging for dog food at this time.

Q5. Why aren’t Mighty Dog canned products involved?

Mighty Dog canned products are manufactured in Purina-owned facilities and therefore, are not part of the recall, nor are any other Purina products.

Q6: Why aren’t Friskies products in pouches involved?”

Friskies products in pouches are manufactured by Purina and therefore, are not part of the recall.

Q7. When will 5.3-ounce Mighty Dog pouch products be available again?

We will not be shipping Mighty Dog pouches until we determine that this situation has been resolved to our satisfaction.

Q8. What should I do if I was feeding my dog a Mighty Dog product?

Consumers who have been feeding the indicated Mighty Dog 5.3-ounce pouch products should discontinue feeding them to their dogs and can receive the full replacement value of the withdrawn products by calling 1-800-551-7392.

Q9: I had been feeding Mighty Dog in pouches. What products should I feed to my
dog now?

Mighty Dog offers a complete line of canned items that are similar to the Mighty Dog pouch items:

Mighty Dog 5.5oz Canned Roasted Chicken in Gravy

Mighty Dog 5.5oz Canned Roasted Pork in Gravy

Mighty Dog 5.5oz Canned Roasted Beef Dinner in Gravy

Mighty Dog 5.5oz Canned Roasted Turkey in Gravy

Mighty Dog 5.5oz Canned Seared Filets Porterhouse

Mighty Dog 5.5oz Canned Seared Filets Beef

Mighty Dog 5.5oz Canned Prime Cuts Beef

Mighty Dog 5.5oz Canned Prime Cuts Chicken

Mighty Dog 5.5oz Canned Prime Cuts Turkey

Q10: What is Purina’s response to the March 23 announcement by the New York Department of Agriculture that rodenticides may be present in cat food samples from Menu Foods that are subject to a nationwide recall?

The only Purina product that was voluntarily withdrawn as part of the Menu Foods recall is a dog food product – the 5.3-ounce Mighty Dog pouch variety. No Purina brand cat food products, and no other Purina products are involved in the Menu recall.