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Your Consumer Association Needs You

This is a friendly (desperate) reminder…Association for Truth in Pet Food needs pet food consumers to renew their membership or join our pet food consumer Association. ATPF is 100% supported by pet food consumers – we depend on you.

This is a friendly (desperate) reminder…Association for Truth in Pet Food needs pet food consumers to renew their membership or join our pet food consumer Association. ATPF is 100% supported by pet food consumers – we depend on you.

Without our Association for Truth in Pet Food (ATPF) I would not be an advisor to the AAFCO Pet Food Committee or the Ingredient Definitions Committee…

AAFCO would not listen to Susan Thixton of TruthaboutPetFood.com; AAFCO told me I was “just a blogger”. Susan Thixton of TruthaboutPetFood.com was denied the opportunity to be an advisor to AAFCO committees (which allows participation in important in-between meeting work). A past president of AAFCO flat out refused to allow me to participate. But…Susan Thixton of Association for Truth in Pet Food couldn’t be denied. Susan Thixton – representing a pet food ‘stakeholder group’ (our association) – was provided a seat at the table for two AAFCO committees. Susan Thixton of ATPF – now – is allowed to participate in important in-between meeting working groups (such as defining human grade and feed grade).

Without ATPF, I would not have been able to be on the web meetings that are currently working to define human grade claims of pet food and working to define feed grade ingredients of pet food…

Right now – because of our consumer association and fellow consumer advocates – a term that has been used in pet food that has never been clearly defined is finally being defined. The terms ‘feed grade’ and ‘suitable for use in animal food’ has been used in state and federal regulations for years, but those terms had NEVER been defined. What is feed grade? Nobody knew, nobody cared. Association for Truth in Pet Food asked FDA and AAFCO – what do these terms mean? What really is ‘feed grade’ and ‘suitable for use in animal food’? Had Susan Thixton of TruthaboutPetFood.com (“just a blogger”) asked, she would have been ignored. Because of ATPF and fellow consumer advocates, regulatory authorities will finally define these commonly used pet food terms.

Without ATPF, we wouldn’t have been provided a meeting (at the last public AAFCO meeting) that put veterinarians Dr. Karen Becker, Dr. Judy Morgan, Dr. Cathy Alinovi, and Dr. Jean Hofve, pet food safety advocates Rodney Habib, and Mollie Morrissette, and independent pet food store representatives Nina Wolf and BC Henschen – face to face with FDA and AAFCO’s Pet Food Committee…

FDA never listened to Susan Thixton of TruthaboutPetFood.com. But FDA does provide Susan Thixton of ATPF a voice. To date, we’ve had two private meetings with FDA (during AAFCO meetings) and have been provided with numerous email and phone conversations.

We would like to have regular meetings with FDA at FDA headquarters in Washington DC (the same thing that the PFI – lobby group for Big Pet Feed – does 4 times a year!). Dr. Bernadette Dunham – head of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has never responded to any emails we’ve sent; we want to meet with her face to face. We want her to hear the concerns of consumers and want her to know we are not going away. We also want to go to Congress, go door to door if we have to. We want our representatives in Congress to know the concerns of pet food consumers. We need your support to ever accomplish this.

Right now – your pet food consumer association needs you. We need you to renew your membership or to join. We need you – if possible – to provide monthly support. Right now, we have only two members that provide monthly support (a total of $40 a month – which doesn’t even cover the cost of the Association website each month).

Here’s a benefit to joining…AAFCO tells me that for these in-between meetings (in-between the twice a year public AAFCO meetings – such as the one’s defining human grade and feed grade), I am only allowed to tell the public general information. I am allowed however to share with members of our association more detailed information. And I promise to do better at that on the Association website (sorry – there is only one of me and it is challenging time wise to write out the details, plus a general details post for all pet food consumers). I believe that all pet food consumers deserve to know all the details of these meetings, but for now – we are not allowed. From now on, the details of our in-between meeting work with AAFCO and FDA (as allowed) will be posted on the ATPF website. The next in-between meeting is Tuesday November 10 (next week) and another on November 12.

Another public AAFCO meeting is coming in January. All three of your official consumer advocates – Mollie Morrissette, Dr. Jean Hofve, and myself – need your support to get us to these meetings. For the meeting alone, the fee is $450. The hotel is almost $700. Not including the travel expenses (airfare) and meals.

Mollie, Dr. Hofve and myself work together representing pet food consumers, but we each have to find our own way to support ourselves. Please join ATPF  – Click Here, please go to Mollie’s and Dr. Hofve’s websites (Click Here for Mollie’s, Click Here for Dr. Hofve’s) and purchase something or make a donation to help them get to the meeting too. Your pet food consumer association needs you – Mollie and Dr. Hofve needs you.

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients?  Chinese imports?  Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 3000 cat foods, dog foods,  and pet treats.  30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com


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The 2015 List

Susan’s List of trusted pet foods.  Click Here

 

Have you read Buyer Beware?  Click Here

Cooking for pets made easy, Dinner PAWsible

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5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. SS

    November 5, 2015 at 3:44 pm

    I’m in. Sorry it’s not much, but if everyone on this list makes a donation, it will add up. You do great work for our four legged family members, Susan.

  2. Mark

    November 5, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    Come on people pony up! Susan does sterling work on your behalf. She is not charity and needs your support.

  3. Martha Jones

    November 5, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    Done!

  4. c h

    November 6, 2015 at 12:20 pm

    Have sent one year membership by snail mail.

    Do not feed dog food and have not since the seventies, only whole foods for generations of dogs. However for people who can not or do not want to bother with whole foods for their pets, Susans website is the only place to go and I forwarded it many times to people feeding packaged foods. I find it just amazing how one person made/makes a difference and they need our support.

    People on the whole do not know what is in their pets food, this includes live stock. Stopped feeding stock feed when I learned that most of it was peanut and soy hulls, thats right, hulls and GMO corn, soy, etc. At 6-7 bucks a 50# bag a person does not question who, where, what and why. However through the past fifteen years the health of my cattle and goats have very slowly deteriorated. They just were not doing well and not keeping weight on. Went GMO free and then to organic . (at 35 bucks a bag!!) My old cows 10 to 20 old are fat and slick and the bull has dapples on his rump for the first time. Calves come out exploring and bunching up at a week old together, to explore and play. We ARE what we eat and humans as well as our pets are in jeopardy. We can only boycott and refuse to buy those foods that are harmful to all of us. By boycotting we can and have made a difference.

    • Pacific Sun

      November 10, 2015 at 6:16 am

      To “c h”:
      Your comment is an incredible testimony to correct livestock feeding using such care and concern! Bravo! Most of us here are focused on companion pets. But you’ve confirmed what all of us know. That “feed” no matter what … must be wholesome… and totally matters!!

      Due to Susan Thixton’s fledgling efforts back in 2008, and local innovative holistic PF suppliers in my locale, I began feeding my older (of 2) dogs very consciously all through his life! Back then there was little to choose from. But I picked the original formula of Orijen (70/30) and rotated with other novel diets and independent manufacturer brands! Because of a fish diet, we learned to stay away from Ethoxyquin early on (also an unpublished risk) which NB finally quit after public complaints. Fish & Sweet Potato (simplistic) ingredients helped keep my dog lean but energetic. The dog’s lineage was prone to extensive seizures and fortunately mine escaped that fate. I’m convinced it was a combination of diet and ceasing vaccinations early on! Even so, figured he was good for about 14 yrs, (which was the expiration point of his 6 littermates) and expected the typical downward spiral thereafter, including the eventual Big “C”.

      But for the 2 most recent years, have really stepped up his diet, to only whole home cooked food alternated with raw. The scare tactic is … oh don’t feed “people” food …. because you’ll miss the right (so-called) canine supplements! Nonsense. At 16.5 yrs. he just needs the most nutritious, risk free food possible! (And yes I do have available whole food supplements). At one point, during a heat spell, I did think he was a gone-er at 16 yrs. when he began to fatigue. And the Vet even wrote him off with a file notation “poor prognosis.”

      But once we determined he didn’t have a fatal condition or progressive organ failure, I then specialized his diet to minimally cooked red meat (alternating with Salmon) plus a base carb (as a binder & for energy) adding a little cottage cheese or greek yogurt for easy-to-digest protein (because he could always handle dairy). That dog at 16.5 yrs. now SWIMS twice a week for 30 min. sessions! And comes out of that pool absolutely pumped!! He’s gained a healthy 2.5 lbs. weight, muscled out, increased balance and core stability, so no more fatigue episodes. His coat improved, thickened, darkened, and his mouth health is awesome! He looks about 12 yrs. and we discovered that Accupuncture also helps relieve joint aches and relaxes his spine, thanks to a holistic Vet.

      I write this to say never, ever give up on an “old” dog. And learn to be critically diligent about the best diet possible ESPECIALLY the older the dog becomes! You can totally increase quality of life!!

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Human Grade & Feed Grade
Do you know what the differences are between Feed Grade and Human Grade pet food? Click Here.

 

The Regulations
Pet Food is regulated by federal and state authorities. Unfortunately, authorities ignore many safety laws. Click Here to learn more about the failures of the U.S. pet food regulatory system.

 

The Many Styles of Pet Food
An overview of the categories, styles, legal requirements and recall data of commercial pet food in the U.S. Click Here.

 

The Ingredients
Did you know that all pet food ingredients have a separate definition than the same ingredient in human food? Click Here.

Click Here for definitions of animal protein ingredients.

Click Here to calculate carbohydrate percentage in your pet’s food.

 

Sick Pet Caused by a Pet Food?

If your pet has become sick or has died you believe is linked to a pet food, it is important to report the issue to FDA and your State Department of Agriculture.

Save all pet food – do not return it for a refund.

If your pet required veterinary care, ask your veterinarian to report to FDA.

Click Here for FDA and State contacts.

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