Help to ‘Check Your Pet Food’

Did your pet get sick from a pet food and you don’t know where to turn to get it tested? There’s help.

Something we (pet owners) have needed for a long time, has finally happened. We now have someone to turn to for help to test our pet’s food.

Dr. Laurie Coger – http://checkyourpetfood.com/.

Testing a pet food is not a simple thing, especially under circumstances of a sick pet.

First you have to determine what to test for. What are the symptoms? What in the pet food could have caused those symptoms? Without narrowing down the list of potential contaminants, or potential excess or insufficient nutrient concerns – testing could quickly run into thousands of dollars. And you might not even be on the right testing path after thousands of dollars are spent.

The next challenge is finding a lab that is capable of performing the tests you need. Some labs can test for excess vitamins while another lab is needed to test for heavy metals. Some labs require a minimum of 5 samples to be tested, others allow just 1 sample.

And then – if pet owners have somehow accomplished the above – next we need someone to interpret the lab results for us.

Now pet owners (and veterinarians) have help to test their pet’s food. Dr. Laurie Coger has taken on the task of contacting labs across the U.S., establishing a database of what each lab can test (and collecting the best prices for each), testing minimums, – and being a veterinarian she has the knowledge to determine what to test the pet food for based on your pet’s symptoms and interpret the results for you.

If your pet gets sick you believe is linked to a pet food:

• seek veterinary treatment, share with your vet your suspicions the illness is linked to the pet food;
• if your pet dies, have a necropsy performed;
• save remaining pet food and packaging – double bag the pet food for storage;
• report the issue to FDA (https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/report-problem/how-report-pet-food-complaint);
• report the issue to your State Department of Agriculture (https://www.aafco.org/Regulatory)
• report the issue to the pet food manufacturer;
• DO NOT give all of your remaining pet food to FDA, State, or the manufacturer – save the majority of the pet food for your testing.

FDA and/or State Department of Agriculture might test the pet food for you. However, if FDA tests, the agency will not provide you with the test results. Some State Department of Agriculture’s will provide the pet owner a copy of the results, some won’t.

If you want to test the pet food – contact Dr. Laurie Coger at http://checkyourpetfood.com/ or on Facebook. Should test results show an adulterated pet food, Dr. Coger can advise you how to report your results to regulatory authorities. Your testing could save other pet’s lives.

Personal note: Dr. Coger charges a minimal markup (honestly, it is minimal) for her time and analysis. And she’s already researched labs, finding the best prices for quality results. I’ve known Dr. Coger for many years, she’s a friend, and I trust her completely. She’s perfect for this task of helping pet owners. And please share Dr. Coger’s testing services website with your veterinarian. Many practicing veterinarians are caring enough to test pet food for clients or they can recommend her services to a client that has pet food concerns.

This service to help pet owners is something we’ve needed for a long time.

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

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The 2019 List
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