One of the many frustrations of pet food consumers (petsumers) is lack of transparency. One part of that transparency issue is not knowing if a pet food is being reported to FDA and to the manufacturer as making other pets sick. This information is not provided to us and clearly it could be valuable information to protect our pets. To combat this, TruthaboutPetFood.com is beginning a pet food/treat adverse event reporting database.
I’ve heard the following story hundreds of times. A pet gets seriously ill. The pet owner believes without doubt a pet food or treat is the cause. The pet owner contacts the manufacturer and reports the pet illness. The pet food/treat manufacturer states “we have received no other complaints.”
However, when pet owners send me their story, I find that there are often dozens of similar complaints (that I’ve heard of) with the same pet food or manufacturer.
We deserve to know.
So, in an effort of transparency, TruthaboutPetFood.com has developed a pet food/treat adverse event reporting system. Any pet owner who believes a pet food or treat has made their pet sick can file a report. As reports are filed, each will be posted under manufacturer name (page yet to be developed) on TruthaboutPetFood.com and each report will be forwarded to the pet food/treat manufacturer. When the pet food/treat adverse event report is forwarded to the manufacturer, they will be provided with the opportunity to provide a public statement on this incident. Should the manufacturer wish to provide a public response, those will be posted below the initial complaint.
Not all adverse event reports will be certain to be linked to a pet food or treat. When reviewing the complaints (in the future) take into consideration that in some cases the pet food or treat is not the cause of illness or death. However, probably more often than not, the treat or food is the cause of the pet illness or death. As more and more reports are filed and posted, we might be provided with a trend and thus an awareness of a pet food or treat problem. Most certainly, when reporting a food or treat incident to a manufacturer, a pet owner will know if other recent incidents have been reported to the same manufacturer. Should they respond with ‘we have received no other complaints’…you will know if they are being completely honest with you or not (all reports posted on TruthaboutPetFood.com have also been reported to the manufacturer).
If you believe your pet has become sick or died due to a pet food or treat…
1. Seek treatment for your pet from your veterinarian.
2. Report the incident to the FDA. Click Here for FDA instructions.
3. Report the incident to your State Department of Agriculture, ask to speak to the pet food investigator. Some states are more helpful than others.
4. Report the incident to the pet food/treat manufacturer.
5. Report the incident here at TruthaboutPetFood.com.
This new system is active; new reports of pet illness or death believed to be related to a pet food or treat can be filed at any time.
I hope this effort will be successful in providing us more information and in turn saving pet lives.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetsumerReport.com
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
Have you read Buyer Beware? Click Here
Cooking for pets made easy, Dinner PAWsible
Are you subscribed to Truth About Pet Food Newsletter? Click Here to subscribe
Follow Truth about Pet Food on Twitter
Become a Fan of Truth about Pet Food, Dinner PAWsible, Buyer Beware on Facebook
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
