It's Official... The Gluten Is What Was Killing The Pets

[jkmunchkin]

Open Original Shared Link

Ok obviously I feel awful for the animals that died (and their owners), but does anyone else find this slightly amusing that it turned out to definately be the gluten.

[Nancym]

Melamine should not be in pet food, but its presence has not been confirmed as the cause of any pet sickness or death, the FDA said on Friday.

Gluten shouldn't be in pet food either!

I feed my cat meat, not grains! The junk we're feeding pets, it is a wonder they live as long as they do! Before I switched my cat off kibble he was SO fat and I think verging on diabetes. Cats shouldn't be eating high carb food.

[gfp]

Gluten shouldn't be in pet food either!

I feed my cat meat, not grains! The junk we're feeding pets, it is a wonder they live as long as they do! Before I switched my cat off kibble he was SO fat and I think verging on diabetes. Cats shouldn't be eating high carb food.

Much as I agree about feeding pets grain based diets its not the gluten "killing pets" but the melamine

Open Original Shared Link

[larry mac]

.....Ok obviously I feel awful for the animals that died (and their owners), but does anyone else find this slightly amusing that it turned out to definately be the gluten.

An unfortunate serendipitous coincidence to the Celiac condition we all have found ourselves a part of. Coincidence, as in an unbelievable amount of attention in the media to the ingredient "wheat gluten", as it relates to the single thing that most represents our disease.

Of course we all know it's not the wheat gluten per se that is the problem, but the contaminate (whatever that ultimately reveals itself to be) in this particular lot from China.

best regards, lm

(edited lm)

[darlindeb25]

About the wheat gluten--you wouldn't have any idea what they were talking about if you were not celiac or gluten intolerant! More people eat wheat, than don't. I think this should be a wake up call for all of us. It is just as possible for this to have happened to our food. Everyday, it seems we are hearing about one more food that is tainted. I personally am getting worried about this.

I feel bad for the pet owners too and I am thankful that my pets are in heaven where they are safe from this food now.

Plus the fact, wheat gluten has never been the problem with the food, it is a contamination problem, not wheat itself.

[jkmunchkin]

jkm,

Don't know if I would say amusing. Some might say that lacks a certain tactfulness (something I would never be guilty of, but often regret). Perhaps, an unfortunate serendipitous coincidence to the Celiac condition we all have found ourselves a part of. Coincidence, as in an unbelievable amount of attention in the media to the ingredient "wheat gluten", as it relates to the single thing that most represents our disease.

Of course we all know it's not the wheat gluten per se that is the problem, but the contaminate (whatever that ultimately reveals itself to be) in this particular lot from China.

best regards, lm

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone. I meant it more in that it is just an ironic coincidence sort of way that contaminated gluten was the problem. It's not like I was sitting at my computer laughing out loud when I read that. I love animals and just lost my dog this past summer, so I certainly didn't mean it the way you took it.

Maybe the moderators should just delete this thread.

[Lisa]

I find it interesting that "wheat gluten" is in the news because it is a pet issue. Much like the constant news regarding animal abuse. A loss of a special pet is a very bad thing and those that have a loss should be angry. Buying food that you thought was safe...yeh

I am a mother whose child was abused (details withholding) at a day care. I had my 15 minutes of notoriety as a parent and advocate.

I have pets and I love them dearly. But I am always surprise when animal issues foreshadow children's issues in the media.

Just thinking out loud..... so do I post this, or not?

[blueeyedmanda]

Momma Goose,

You post hits home for me, my parents take foster children and many are abused and because they range from infant to 3 yrs their stories sometimes go untold. We have had some sad cases come through my home, and as sad as it is to hear them, I wish it was more in the media because there are forms of abuse that you would never imagine.

My post went a stray, so if it is not ok....feel free to delete.

[2kids4me]

I agree, animal abuse seems to overshadow child abuse....I have seen people gather in the hundreds outside court for animal abuse...but I never saw more than a blip on the news about a 5 yr old girl raped by her stepfather and needed reconstructive surgery to sew up the damage done.

I work in vet medicine and it IS awful when pets are abused, but it is HORRIFIC when a child is abused, usually by a family member.

I was sick to my stomach the night I worked emerg and cat was brought in by police - it had been tossed on a lit barbecue after it was doused in lighter fluid.... it was still alive and making tiny mewing sounds...we immediately euthanized the poor thing. It made front page news, letters to the editor poured in... general public outcry.... it made me even sadder when I noted on page 25(same day), there was story of a mother being charged with child abuse after they removed her toddler - starving, cigarette burns and healing fractures... the cat was front page, the child was in the middle of the paper.

Ok, so my above rant is totally off topic.... with regard to the pet food - it is cheap wheat gluten from China - and they do not have the same regulations for pesticides / weed control etc as we have in North America so contamination is more likely.

Sandy

[NoGluGirl]

Dear jkmunchkin,

It was just all so sad. These poor, defenseless animals who died needlessly. Our dog already has seizure, so we did not take a chance! We primarily feed him organic dog food, but it does contain gluten because of the oats. I am obsessive about washing my hands if I give him food or treats. However, he particularly likes Tostitos and salsa. I cannot get him away from me when I am eating that stuff! Even funnier, he likes the really hot stuff, like me! Pace Medium Picante Sauce makes him go crazy! I worried it would be too hot, but he liked it as much as me!

Dear Momma Goose,

I know what you mean about child abuse. It is so awful. These evil pedophiles going around hurting children, and it is practically ignored compared to the dogs! My mother's best friend is a bus aid for the local EARC. Handicapped children are abused by their parents often. Some actually had cigarette burns on their arms, and bruises all over their bodies. Even worse, social services put them back in those homes or do nothing. One boy she made sure to have a candy bar for him to eat on the bus, because his parents would take it away from him. Their other children got to have food, but not him. It is so tragic and infuriating all at the same time.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[2kids4me]

NoGluGirl

Please dont allow your dog to consume Pace Picante salsa, it has onions and onions are toxic to dogs. He may love it, but it can make him sick

The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. A single meal of 600 to 800 grams of raw onion can be dangerous whereas a ten-kilogram dog, fed 150 grams of onion for several days, is also likely to develop anaemia. The condition improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion

Sandy

Animal Health Tech

[gfp]

jkmunchkin: Im not offended and as others say, its amazing that in the UK we have a Royaly sponsored society for animals and a national one for children.... however for me the issue is more practical than that...

Celiacs already get a bad press.... you can make jokes about celiacs that would be considered poor taste or even worse of the subject was ethnicity or obesity or 101 other things, some self induced and others not...

however if we run round saying "gluten is killing pets" when its not (at least not quickly) we just get classed as weirdo's again and whenever we try and say "oh but I can't have that" it will be like the health food assistant telling you "oh its OK, its organic wholegrain wheat" ... instead it will be, its OK its not the chinese gluten.... before they run into the kitchen to laugh at someone thinking they could be allergic to wheat LOL ....

[blueeyedmanda]

I agree, animal abuse seems to overshadow child abuse....I have seen people gather in the hundreds outside court for animal abuse...but I never saw more than a blip on the news about a 5 yr old girl raped by her stepfather and needed reconstructive surgery to sew up the damage done.

I work in vet medicine and it IS awful when pets are abused, but it is HORRIFIC when a child is abused, usually by a family member.

I was sick to my stomach the night I worked emerg and cat was brought in by police - it had been tossed on a lit barbecue after it was doused in lighter fluid.... it was still alive and making tiny mewing sounds...we immediately euthanized the poor thing. It made front page news, letters to the editor poured in... general public outcry.... it made me even sadder when I noted on page 25(same day), there was story of a mother being charged with child abuse after they removed her toddler - starving, cigarette burns and healing fractures... the cat was front page, the child was in the middle of the paper.

Ok, so my above rant is totally off topic.... with regard to the pet food - it is cheap wheat gluten from China - and they do not have the same regulations for pesticides / weed control etc as we have in North America so contamination is more likely.

Sandy

Your reply brings tears to my eyes, my cat who we got a year ago was a stray and we picked him up after he was hanging around my parents and we knew in past situations the elderly lady next door poisons cats. He is the sweetest thing. I never had a pet before although John had many, so it was all new to me but I can see how he is thankful. He is overly happy everyday when we come home from work. He is waiting in the window. Then he is purring and in our arms.

I can tell you two instances where we got abused children, one was a premie baby, a little girl cutest thing you would ever want to see. The mom's boyfriend was the one who did it and would burn the baby. State let the baby go home when she was 6 months old. 2 weeks later she came back to our home, with black eyes, broken arm, and more burns. She was in a lot of pain so they gave her some pains meds for a few days so she was out of it. That was 15 years ago and she has since been adopted.

[jaten]

The Today Show had a segment yesterday on pet nutrition....

Open Original Shared Link

[mommida]

I do know at least one human hospital website has information about the contamination problem and possible human food was contaminated.

Maybe they are just being extra cautious. Perhaps considering some stories of senior citizens eating pet food because their limited budgets. Or someone has dealt with food companies that won't verify the ingredients.

L.

[blueeyedmanda]

I heard about the possible human food contamination as well. My mother brought it up last night when we were talking about Lucky (our cat). I never heard any more about it. It is something to think about though. It is a very scary thing.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear 2kids4me,

OMG! I knew garlic was poisonous, so I stopped giving it to Dart a while back! I did not know onions were bad for him too! I think they put both in his dog food! And it is organic! His treats may even have garlic powder! I know his vitamin tablets have garlic powder! Can that cause seizures? We have a hard time, because he is so picky! He won't eat regular dog treats. The Buddy Bites are the only ones he likes!

It is so scary the ordinary things for us can be so dangerous to the pets. I know dogs cannot have raisens or grapes, because they stop an enzyme from being made that damages their kidneys. I felt terrible when I found this out, because I occaisionally gave our miniature and standard schnauzer oatmeal raisen cookies and grapes. They never said anything about that back when they were alive! I feel terrible now, because I worry I poisoned them! Dogs never could have chocolate or carob. Guinea pigs, my personal favorites, cannot have potato peels. They are poisonous to them. They can eat potatoes, just not the peel! Luckily, we always peeled them before giving them to our piggies.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl