hell hath no fury than a petowner scorned

Last weekend, pet food suppliers issued a massive recall of dry and wet foods for dogs and cats, manufactured by Menu Foods, Inc. This came after 9 cats and 1 dog reportedly died from eating those foods. Many more may still be unreported as the investigation continues.

Today, two new pieces of information have turned up. One is that 7 animals died from testing by the food maker before the recall. This means that this manufacturer knowingly sold food that could kill your pet without issuing any warning, or without even deciding that perhaps they shouldn't be sold in the first place? Why? I don't know. Maybe they figure that a lawsuit would cost less than the opportunity cost of not selling tainted food. And oh yes, there will be lawsuits.

The other piece of information is that, as it turns out, both premium pet food and the cheap kind are made from the same stuff. Both brand name foods by Eukanuba, Iams and Purina and the generic food sold in Walmart and Kroger' s were recalled. Of course, this comes as no big surprise. Most generic products aren't substantially different. Even companies that sell the basic and premium version end up selling really similar products, except maybe giving the premium stuff better packaging.

Should we be outraged? Actually, no, not so much. If I don't have money, I buy generic brand. If you're rich and have some extra money, you can buy the same stuff for a bit more money. If taxes were like that, we'd be calling it progressive taxing. Of course, if the Bush administration controlled the pricing of pet food the way they did taxes, the premium brand would cost less, and you get a large rebate.

What do I feed my dog? I feed him Purina Nestle's Beneful, both dry and wet. I only like the wet because it's not the brown gunk that you see in cans. You actually see meat, greens, carrots, rice, barley, etc. And my dog likes it more than the brown gunk 'cause I tried it.

In all seriousness, if you have a pet who eats from these brands, or even if they don't eat from those brands, be aware of what has been recalled. Symptoms that have been reported were lethargy, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Please check with your vet if you see any of these symptoms. As a dog owner myself, I know how improtant pets are to many families. It makes me angry just thinking that a food maker would knowingly send out tainted food that would killed beloved pets just so they could make an extra buck. I mean, if they didn't know it and it was an accident, that's one thing. But to be that negligent and irresponsible shows an utter contempt for its consumers.

I pray for all the sick animals out there and that a big fat lawsuit gets slapped on these assholes. A website that has been tracking the number of deaths connected to this product is petconnection.com.