News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People
Posts just about cats.
Moses is a rescued kitten who was found after his mom was hit and killed by a car. He has his own blog. Be sure to enlarge the video to full screen so you can really see those wily feet of his!
And here is Maggie, an 8 month old Boxer mix, who needs a thumb to suck to fall asleep. What a sweet girl!
UPDATE (5/21/12): Another variety of Diamond Naturals has been added to the recall—Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula. Anyone want to guess when this information was released? Why yes, it was on FRIDAY the 18th. Another Dump & Run. Color me oh-so-surprised. Creeps. * See below for update.
UPDATE (5/8/12): More brands have been added to the recall. To keep all the information in one place, I’m going to add them to this previous post. * See below for updates.
This makes me SO freakin’ angry! More “Dump & Run” press releases where the information is released late Friday so it will get lost in the news cycle. And what were they announcing at a time when it would get the least coverage? A HUGE expansion of the pet food recall due to Salmonella contamination from food made in a Diamond-owned factory in Gaston, South Carolina. It’s gone from 3 brands to 12 brands and that doesn’t include that different varieties made by each brand.
Not only has this recall expansion not gotten much news coverage, but the FDA website doesn’t even have this new information as of Sunday May 6th. What the hell?! Also, on the Diamond recall page, they only list some of the brands in the recall, but not all of them. You also have to dig to discover that some cat food is now included in the recall—Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Cat Formula and Kirkland Signature Super Premium Maintenance Cat Chicken & Rice Formula (see below for Best-Before Dates involved). Again, what the hell?! Even more disturbing is that at least 14 people in 9 different states have become infected with Salmonella with 5 people hospitalized. 10 of those infected reported contact with dog food. But even the CDC’s website has totally incomplete information on which brands are being recalled. Useless.
The plant that manufactured the food included in this recall is the same plant that produced pet food contaminated with aflatoxin in 2005. The current recall has grown so much not only because of the brands Diamond owns, but also because of all the other pet food companies who contract with Diamond to produce their food instead of producing it themselves. I am running out of brands to feed our own pets that either haven’t been bought by a large conglomerate or that don’t contract with another company to produce their food. This recall is precisely the reason I want to feed our cats and dog food made by independent companies that produce their own food and have rigorous quality control. I’m seriously pissed off! Grrrrrrrr.
Ok. enough with the ranting. Here are the all brands being recalled. (Important note: Don’t assume that if your state isn’t listed that you don’t have product included in the recall. The press releases state that “Further distribution to other pet food channels may have occurred.”)
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Update 5/21/12
* Diamond Naturals
| Product Name | Size | Production Code | Best-By Date |
| Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula | 6 lb | DSL0801 | 26-Aug-2012 |
| 6 lb | DSL0801 | 27-Sept- 2012 (Product manufactured on Aug. 26, 2011 and packaged on Sept. 27, 2011) | |
| 8 lb | DSL0801 | 26-Aug-2012 | |
| 8 lb | DSL0801 | 27-Sept- 2012 (Product manufactured on Aug. 26, 2011 and packaged on Sept. 27, 2011) | |
| sample | DSL0801 |
The product was distributed in the following states, further distribution through other pet food channels may have occurred:
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Update 5/8/12:
*Apex
| Product Name | Size | Production Code | Best-By Date |
| Chicken and Rice | 20 lb | ACD0101B32 | 24-Jan-2013 |
| 40 lb | ACD0101B32 | 24-Jan-2013 |
Recalled from South Carolina.
Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, or who would like replacement product or a refund, may contact Apex Pet Foods via a toll free call at 1-866-918-8756, Monday through Sunday, 8 am – 6pm EST. Their site is apexpetfoods.com.
*Solid Gold
| Product Name | Size | UPC | Best-Before Date | Batch Code Prefix |
| WolfCub Large Breed Puppy Food | 4 lb | 093766750005 | December 30, 2012 | SGB1201 |
| 15 lb | 093766750012 | December 30, 2012 | SGB1201 | |
| 33 lb | 093766750029 | December 30, 2012 | SGB1201 | |
| WolfKing Large Breed Adult Dog Food | 4 lb | 093766750050 | December 30, 2012 | SGB1201 |
| 15 lb | 093766750067 | December 30, 2012 | SGB1201 | |
| 28.5 lb | 093766750081 | December 30, 2012 | SGB1201 |
Recalled from the U.S. and Canada.
Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, would like replacement product or have additional questions, can call (800) 364-4863 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM through 5:00 PM Pacific time) or visit solidgoldnorthland.com.
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1. 4Health
2. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
3. Country Value
4. Diamond
5. Diamond Naturals
6. Premium Edge
7. Professional
8. Taste of the Wild
To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production code on their bag. If the code has a “2” or “3” in the 9th position AND an “X” in the 10th or 11th position, the product is affected by the recall. The best-before dates for the recalled products are December 9, 2012 through April 7, 2013. The following graphic illustrates how to read the production code and best-before date:
The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states and Canada. Further distribution through other pet food channels may have occurred.
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9. Canidae:
| Product Name | Best-Before Dates |
| All Life Stages dry dog food | December 9, 2011 – January 31, 2012 |
| Chicken Meal & Rice dry dog food | December 9, 2011 – January 31, 2012 |
| Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food | December 9, 2011 – January 31, 2012 |
| CANIDAE Platinum dry dog food | December 9, 2011 – January 31, 2012 |
Only CANIDAE dry dog food formulas with production codes that must have BOTH a number “3” in the 9th position AND an “X” in the 10th or 11th position with best before dates of December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013 are being voluntarily recalled.
Following is an example of how to read the production code and best before date:
The recall affects only products distributed in the following Eastern U.S. states and were manufactured at the Diamond Pet Food Gaston, South Carolina plant. Further distribution to other pet food channels may have occurred.
Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, or who would like a replacement product or a refund, may contact Canidae Pet Foods via a toll free call at 1-800-398-1600, Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm PST. Consumers may also go to canidae.com for more information.
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10. Kirkland Signature:
| Product Name | Best-Before Dates |
| Nature’s Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato Formula for Dogs | December 9, 2012 – January 31, 2013 |
| Super Premium Adult Dog Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Formula | December 9, 2012 – January 31, 2013 |
| Super Premium Adult Dog Lamb, Rice & Vegetable Formula | December 9, 2012 – January 31, 2013 |
| Super Premium Healthy Weight Cat Formula | December 9, 2012 – January 31, 2013 |
| Super Premium Healthy Weight Dog Formulated with Chicken & Vegetables | December 9, 2012 – January 31, 2013 |
| Super Premium Maintenance Cat Chicken & Rice Formula | December 9, 2012 – January 31, 2013 |
| Super Premium Mature Dog Chicken, Rice & Egg Formula | December 9, 2012 – January 31, 2013 |
To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production code on their bag. If the code has both a “3” in the 9th position AND an “X” in the 11th position, the product is affected by the recall. The best-before dates for the recalled products are December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013.The following graphic illustrates how to read the production code and best-before date:
The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Canada.
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11. Natural Balance:
| Product Name | Size | Best-By Date |
| Sweet Potato & Venison Dog | 5 lb | December 12, 2012; December 13, 2012; March 12, 2013 |
| Sweet Potato & Venison Dog | 15 lb | December 12, 2012; December 13, 2012; December 14, 2012; March 5, 2013; March 6, 2013 |
| Sweet Potato & Venison Dog | 28 lb | December 12, 2012; December 13, 2012; December 14, 2012; March 5, 2013; March 6, 2013; March 7, 2013; March 8, 2013; March 12, 2013 |
| Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog | 5 lb | December 10, 2012; December 21, 2012; December 22, 2012 |
| Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog | 15 lb | December 10, 2012; December 21, 2012; December 22, 2012 |
| Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog | 28 lb | December 10, 2012; December 21, 2012; December 22, 2012 |
| Sweet Potato & Bison Dog | 5 lb | December 17, 2012; December 18, 2012; December 28, 2012; December 29, 2012 |
| Sweet Potato & Bison Dog | 15 lb | December 9, 2012; December 17, 2012; December 18, 2012; December 28, 2012; December 29, 2012 |
| Sweet Potato & Bison Dog | 28 lb | December 9, 2012; December 17, 2012; December 18, 2012; December 28, 2012; December 29, 2012 |
| Vegetarian Dog | 5 lb | December 9, 2012 |
| Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog Large Breed Bites | 28 lb | December 12, 2012; December 20, 2012; December 21, 2012 |
| Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog Small Breed Bites | 5 lb | December 21, 2012 |
| Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Dog Small Breed Bites | 12.5 lb | December 21, 2012 |
Recalled products may have been distributed in the following states:
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12. Wellness:
| Product Name | Size | Best-Before Date |
| Large Breed Super5Mix Puppy Health | 15 lb, 30 lb, 5 oz sample bags | JAN 9 2013 – JAN 11 2013 |
Wellness notes in their press release that they will no longer purchase any product from Diamond Pet Foods.
Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, would like replacement product or have additional questions, may call us at (877) 227-9587 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM through 6:00 PM Eastern time and Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM through 5:00 PM Eastern time) or visit wellnesspetfood.com.
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This kitten’s cuteness could be lethal!
Just imagine if he had opposable thumbs.
Now there’s a feline response to the Ultimate Dog Tease video. Be sure to watch to the end so you don’t miss the guinea pig cameo!
And then this one just cracks me up! Have you ever lived with a cat this focused? We do, and funnily enough we call her Boo also.