This is one of those things that I wish all pet food consumers could attend; a pet food trade show. This year at Global Pet Food Expo was eventful, including me talking to Cesar Milan (ok, begging Cesar Milan) to help pet food consumers in the fight for safe pet food.
Going to a pet food trade show is something I’ve done for many years – and it is one of those things that I wish I could take everyone with me to (a TruthaboutPetFood.com field trip). 
Imagine a huge convention hall with hundreds…thousands of different booths. Pet foods, treats, toys, beds, leashes, and on and on. It’s quite fun if you are a pet lover.
It is amazing what some of the booths look like – the extremes gone to by some manufacturers to lure retailers.
But there are some concerns at these shows too. One of the most concerning issues at Global Pet Food Expo was that probably one in seven booths were a Chinese supplier. Many of these Chinese suppliers were jerky treats – all ready to be private labeled by some U.S. company. I stopped at many of the booths, but knowing I probably wouldn’t be the nicest guest they had – I did not stop to talk to any of the Chinese vendors. But here are some pictures of just a few Chinese booths…
Another concern I had was the Beefeaters and numerous other booths that were promoting jerky treats from China. Chinese manufacturers that were proven to be the very same suppliers of jerky treats that contained illegal drug residues. Again, I did not address this with any of them, knowing the conversation wouldn’t turn out well.
But I did go into the DelMonte booth. I wanted to know their opinion – how they felt about having to issue a recall because illegal drug residues were found in their treats, but other companies continue to sell the treats purchased from the very same Chinese supplier DelMonte purchased from. But…DelMonte wouldn’t talk to me.
Some good news, I stopped by many pet food booths and asked them all to provide us with their Pledge to Quality and Origin. All told me they would! I even asked Champion Pet Food about the delay in their Pledge (it is being investigated). So, hopefully soon we will be receiving more Pledges. Very good news.
And as we were walking down one aisle, there stands Cesar Millan – celebrity dog trainer. When I had the opportunity – in between him taking pictures with attendees – I walked up to him with TruthaboutPetFood.com business card in hand and said…
Cesar, my name is Susan Thixton. I run the website TruthaboutPetFood.com – I advocate for pet food consumers. You probably aren’t aware that some pet foods – thanks to the FDA – violate federal food safety laws. No one of authority listens to us – we could really use your celebrity status to draw attention to this.
Cesar: “Which pet foods? I want to know to keep my dogs safe.”
Me: It depends on the company – the issue is that pet foods don’t have to use human grade ingredients – they are allowed to use waste ingredients and the consumer is not informed of this. Another example, do you know the jerky treats that were just recalled – Waggin Train and Milo’s Kitchen? I found through import documents that the same jerky treat manufacturers in China are selling to many other companies in the U.S. and none of those treats have been recalled. Even though they found illegal drug residues in the treats made by these companies, no one is doing anything about all the other private label brands out there. I’ve sent all the information to FDA and each State Department of Agriculture – no one is doing anything.
He really didn’t know what to say. Both Cesar Millan and I have to assume his press agent just stood there – sort of dumbfounded by the information I was sharing. So I said, ‘Please – pets are dying and no one is doing anything about it. We could really use your help. Just think about it, here’s my card.’
I also told him about our Association for Truth in Pet Food consumer stakeholder group (I talked real fast!). So…we’ll see.
As soon as I receive those new Pledges – fingers crossed – they will be posted.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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 2500 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com
2013 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here
Have you read Buyer Beware? Click Here
Cooking for pets made easy, Dinner PAWsible
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
Jude
February 22, 2013 at 12:58 pm
Good for you, Susan. Bless your heart.
Nina Wolf
February 22, 2013 at 12:59 pm
on my way to Cesar’s site to ask that he contact you – maybe if enough of us request it, he will do it!
D Finch
February 23, 2013 at 8:37 am
That is a fantastic idea!!! How about we call the toll free numbers on other products that say ‘distributed by’ and ask where they are made, where the ingredients come from?
Leahann
February 22, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Good job Susan ! Keep it up and thank you from all of the fur babies for what you do to try and keep them safe
Lynn
February 22, 2013 at 1:28 pm
once again, Susan, you are our hero.
abby
February 22, 2013 at 1:38 pm
I can’t believe the Chinese mfr is selling GREEN rawhide bones?!?!?! Unbelievable…
Mary Sue
February 22, 2013 at 5:43 pm
That doesn’t surprise me a bit. How about the red, white, and green candycane ones at Christmas time?
TheDogMaOnline
February 22, 2013 at 2:03 pm
We All Thank you, Susan!
Trish
February 22, 2013 at 2:43 pm
Great job Susan! While I’m not a Caesar Milan fan – I understand how many followers he does have access to (cringe) Gotta do what ya gotta do to get the word out.
Gitta
February 22, 2013 at 3:02 pm
I do agree with Trish. And I cringe too. But like it or not – he has enormous influence. If he would support this cause if would be of great benefit.
Would it be possible to mail him an educational folder?
A very condensed version of what is found here? If that gets his interest, he would know where to go for more.
Alissa Wolf
February 22, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Good for you, Susan. Wish I was there.
Kris
February 22, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Frankly, I stay away from anything related to CM. If people knew the ‘truth’ about him, they might have same feelings I do. But I understand that he draws a lot of attention as a celebrity and therefore, can influence the public’s buying decisions.
Linda
February 22, 2013 at 7:38 pm
Hope you’re not one of those people who simply repeats things they’ve heard w/o doing their own research or having personal experience with the person they are talking about. Millan’s training techniqes are dfferent from Victoria Stillwell’s. Victoria Stillwell’s traning techniqes are dfferent from other well known trainers. I’m a fan of both of them yet their techniques are different. Just sayin’.
Vicki
February 22, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Great Job Susan – You are a super hero for all pets everywhere!
@ Kris – I wasn’t aware of any controversy regarding Cesar – what seems to be the problem? As far as I knew he was doing a great job of teaching people to train their pets properly, in addition to being a great advocate of stopping “breed specific” discrimination.
I would be interested in knowing more on this subject? and I certainly do wish he would support Susan in her fight to making all pet foods and treats safe!
Beth Knuth
February 22, 2013 at 4:03 pm
Let’s not do the Cesar bashing!
Kim
February 22, 2013 at 4:20 pm
Thank you, Susan, for being an advocate for the millions of dogs out there that cannot do it for themselves. I think what you are doing is so wonderful (and desperately needed) and I support you all the way! God bless you!
Nancy
February 22, 2013 at 4:35 pm
Good job, and thank you!
Jeff Phillips
February 22, 2013 at 5:01 pm
Susan,
Lucinda and I noticed the same Chinese booths. We made the same observations that you couldn’t swing a stick without hitting a Chinese treat vendor. It was amazing. Many of the booths had the exact same banners (white with a flower in the corner, just different blue text.
My favorite things at the show were Earth Rated PoopBags, Castor & Pollux (can’t find a distributor for KY yet), Longshots slingshot toys, and there was a food that would give to rescues if you bought a certain amount. The thing I did not like about them was their ingredient mix. I liked the Madonna, shark, and dinosaur Halloween costumes too 🙂
Thanks for the updates and articles.
Jeff Phillips
Co-Owner
Lucky Dogs – Natural Pet Food, Supplies, Wash
luckydogsonline.com
Wanda
February 22, 2013 at 5:37 pm
You are so awesome!!!
Dragon77
February 22, 2013 at 5:56 pm
I’ve also requested that Victoria Stilwell contact you – and will be doing the same with Villalobos Rescue Center (Pitbulls & Parolees) – one of their mainstay kibble is Pedigree (because of the costs, they’re non-profit & have to survive by donations).
Dragon77
February 22, 2013 at 7:16 pm
And also Dr Karen Becker, as she echos virtually every one of your sentiments on the issues. You may want to contact her on FB.
Hope
February 22, 2013 at 7:24 pm
Well Susan, what you did was to give CM a very large opportunity to wash himself with positive press to advocate along side of you. If he doesn’t recognize that, you/we don’t want him.
Linda
February 22, 2013 at 7:41 pm
You go girl! I very much appreciate the hard work you do to keep us informed and keep our pets safe. Thank so much.
BTW, big article in Pet Product News this month about the growth in raw feeding and it’s advantages. Very informative and great info for newbies.
Cheryl McKee
February 22, 2013 at 7:51 pm
Thanks for all you do. Please let everyone know that the booth Petsport USA, pictured above, is a supplier of Made in China Products. I find their company logo to be deceiving. Thanks
Tina
February 22, 2013 at 11:19 pm
I also find their name & logo very deceiving. I was attracted to one of their dog toys because of it until I looked on the back & saw “Made in China”…I did not buy it.
Barbara Baxter
February 22, 2013 at 7:54 pm
Thank you, Susan. You’re doing heroic work, saving lives and transforming attitudes of consumers.
Holly
February 22, 2013 at 8:23 pm
Can’t wait to see what our store gets in from the show – some of the stuff looks very fun. I wish there were more quality products made somewhere other than China – if the USA could produce manufactured products again we could fix our economy and stop some of the Chinese nightmares from occurring.
john janus
February 22, 2013 at 9:49 pm
I just return from Global and agree that I have never saw so many chinese firms selling their products. The good news is the number of new vendors selling grain free treats at a decent price made and source in the USA. The other good news is there seem to be a effort to make more products in USA. Fromm is introducing a new product that is grain free and potato free and low fiber. A small firm Hi Tek also came out with a grain free product that looks great. Nature Variety is still using rabbit from China in their raw food but in their other rabbit dog food it is coming from Europe. Rep from Nature Variety said they probally won’t make any new Buffolo or Venison products because it is hard to come by. Grizzly Salmon Oil is going to be hard to find by mid year because of a salmon shortage. That is why they are bringing out a new fish oil. Cheaper in price. Champion fans are still going find problems getting inventory until the middle of year. Champion is not accepting any new vendors because of supplies problems.
Keep up the good work.
John Janus
Three Amigos Pet Supply
Coral Springs Florida
dmiller
February 23, 2013 at 2:43 am
I have noticed that rabbit products are popping up all over the place. Do you know who else is using rabbit from China?
It would be great if Cesar Millan came on board.
Tracy Janzen
February 23, 2013 at 4:47 am
Thumbs up, all the way around. Thank you Susan, for your continued efforts.
Joyce
February 23, 2013 at 11:13 am
Kudos to you. Keep up the good work and pressure. “It’s the squeaky wheel that gets greased.”
Sean
February 23, 2013 at 3:30 pm
Caesar Milan and his
dominance-based training is bad for dogs, plain and simple.
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior as well as multiple other animal rights organizations have position statements against him and his methods (http://vetmedicine.about.com/b/2009/07/07/veterinary-behaviorists-take-a-stand-against-cesar-millan.htm)
It would be a terrible mistake to enlist his help. We are trying to keep our pets happy and healthy. Asking CM to help would be like asking a mob boss to assist with law enforcement.
Lynn
February 23, 2013 at 5:31 pm
Thank you Sean for posting this. I was trying to figure out how to say the same thing. Yes he might get us some publicity, but in the end at what cost. I personally do not want to be associated with the man. He does have some brilliant insights into animal behavior, but much of his training is barbaric by my standards.
Jessie
February 23, 2013 at 4:27 pm
I am surprised they let you into the expo.
Angela
February 23, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Great job Susan! I enjoy your emails and SHARE your information often:)
On the Ceasar issue- he has done amazing things w/ educating humans about dog/ pack behavior. He has amazing energy. If it was not for him in many instances dogs would have been put down. My personal feeling is if you have not been to his center/ worked with him or have not spoken to him or really know him then you should not speak badly about him or anyone for that matter. Just saying 🙂
cinder
February 24, 2013 at 8:37 am
Thank you Susan for all your hard work.
I do have to add:
After taking many obedience classes one thing I learned from my training mistakes – study others’ methods (but not too much) then throw away “the book.” Training has to come from my own heart. I can’t fool a dog, as a dog sees into the heart. I learned methods used on one dog won’t apply to another. Many are probably familiar with Volhard’s PAT
http://www.volhard.com/pages/pat.php
Mostly 1’s or 6’s may respond better to a Ceasar’s way, mostly 3’s or 4’s to a Victoria’s way. But the bottom line I learned – I will not have any success with any “right way” which is not “my way.” And “my way” will be different with each of my dog’s personalities.
Linda Muir
September 3, 2013 at 10:39 am
I am awed. I am speechless! Hip hip hooray for Susan and all her followers.
I am sort of a “newbie” about the raw food for my cats. My pet store, PURE PETS in Brevard NC is a great place to learn about the raw foods. They will take the time to even teach you about it. They are trying to swing a lot of pet owners over to raw. We have a very good supplier here and a processor, so we can even buy it ready made. It is called BUSY BEE FARMS.
My hesitancy is the short “bowl life” for my cats. Not all of them eat it at once. Also, after reading Lisa Pierson DVM I am now weaning cats from dry food. They are on a quality canned food, Dave’s Salmon and Tuna grain free. It does have carrageenan and that is a red flag according to Susan. To avoid it, I looked at all the canned food labels. Not easy to find carrageenan free canned food. As 2 of my young cats need to lose a pound or two, the caloric content of Dave’s is lower than a lot of others. Innova low calorie is higher!!!! Go figure.
2 of my cats are 14 and each have health issues. I am sure it was from eating all that Purina dry food all those years:( When I started reading labels, I went to then Purina ONE and BEYOND dry food, because it doesn’t have by products according to the label. However, they do import the supplements from China. After reading Susan’s book and signing up for petsumerreports I banned even the treats! I cannot believe that I was buying Purina, especially after seeing the recall on the dog food. I guess I am not really speechless after all! Haha. I am really on a soap box now. My newest mission is to be an advocate for our pets and their food. What do I do about my vet, who has helped the sick kitties a lot, but when she said my 2 boys are too heavy and she was right, she suggested and sold me Hill’s Science Diet Metabolic. The stuff in that is pure junk. An 8 lb bag is $38.00 and the 17 1/2 lb bag is $65.00. This was back in June and I bought one bag and portioned out 7/8 of a cup to each of the overweight cats, while keeping the food away from the sick kittens. Yes they lost weight. But when my light bulb went on, and I realized they may have to eat that forever and I re- read the label, I went to my vet, unopened bag in my hand and got a refund. They stick by their Hill”s though, even after I tried to talk about the ingredients….1st is chicken by product meal, second is Brewers yeast, third is corn gluten, 4th is powdered cellulose and on and on. I wrote to Hill’s and the answer I got back is a classic load of …….. Now I have diarrhea of the mouth, enough Linda!