DEAR READERS: Please see the information below from Susan Thixton, pet food safety advocate and writer.
From TruthAboutPetFood.com, May 17: The publication PetFoodProcessing.net recently posted news about a meeting of "pet food processors, renderers, suppliers and academia." The purpose of this meeting was for these industry members to "collaborate and work together."
Those attending this meeting were asked: "What are the top challenges for the pet food industry?" The industry responded with: "oxidation, mycotoxins, foreign materials, Salmonella control, peroxide value (PV), stability, inflation and other issues."
All very serious concerns for pet owners.
And the suppliers of rendered ingredients were asked a similar question: "What are the top challenges for the rendering industry?" They responded with: "peroxide value, foreign materials, oxidation, contamination, consumer perception, freshness and other problems."
For more, visit: truthaboutpetfood.com/here-is-what-the-pet-food-industry-says-are-their-top-challenges.
ANOTHER MAJOR PET FOOD DEBACLE AND SETTLEMENT
From TruthAboutPetFood.com, May 9: A website has been established regarding a settlement agreement in the lawsuit against Midwestern Pet Food. The website states: "If you are a person or entity residing in the United States who purchased one or more of the pet food products made by Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. and/or Nunn Milling Co., you may be entitled to monetary benefits under a Class Action Settlement."
Per the agreement, Midwestern Pet Food has "agreed to create a $6,375,000 Settlement Fund ... for Pet Injury Claims, Breeder Claims, and/or Consumer Food Purchase Claims." For veterinary treatment claims, it appears the settlement will pay "100% of approved documented losses." However, the agreement also states under this category, "Payment amounts may be reduced depending on the number of valid claims submitted."
And, "Pet Injury Claims ... paid at $75 for pets that became ill but did not die and $150 for pets that died." But again, the agreement states, "Payment amounts may be reduced depending on the number of valid claims submitted."
The lawsuit settlement also will pay 100% for documented pet food purchases, and up to $50 for undocumented pet food purchases.
Per the FDA Warning Letter to Midwestern Pet Food, "approximately 104 products of dry dog and cat diets" were recalled from October 2020 thru March 19, 2021, due to high levels of aflatoxin. FDA testing of Midwestern pet foods found aflatoxin levels "as high as 558 ppb." The maximum amount of aflatoxin allowed in pet food is 20 ppb.
For more, visit: truthaboutpetfood.com/midwestern-pet-foods-class-action-settlement.
HOME AND SOCIAL LIFE QUALITY AND DOGS' LONGEVITY
Dogs with strong social connections and companions -- both human and canine -- tend to be healthier than dogs that are more isolated, researchers with the Dog Aging Project reported in Evolution, Medicine & Public Health. Financial and household adversity were associated with poor health and lower physical mobility, but the effect of social support on dog health was five times as strong. (Full story: University of Washington, May 24)
PROPAGATING SOME DOG BREEDS CALLED 'INDEFENSIBLE'
The Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations, according to a report in the British Veterinary Association's April Veterinary Record publication, has written that it is "indefensible" to breed English bulldogs and King Charles spaniels because of their inherited chronic health issues. This assertion was sent to Norway's Supreme Court in support of a prohibition on breeding these dogs in Norway.
I continue to question the "dog days" every summer, when breeds such as the English bulldog are raced at Minnesota's Canterbury Park. What enjoyment is there in this ritual for the dogs -- afflicted as they are with obstructive airway syndrome, spinal deformities, orthopedic disease and other inherited abnormalities, all of which make running stressful and potentially injurious? And what kind of perverse enjoyment do spectators have seeing such dogs struggling "valiantly" to run?
There are other breeds that should not be perpetuated for health and welfare reasons, which I have mentioned in this newspaper column, especially the popular and costly French bulldog. For more details, see my post: drfoxonehealth.com/post/recovering-canine-health-and-the-natural-dog.
GENE THERAPY FOR DOGS WITH HEART DISEASE
A gene therapy called RJB-01 (or Rejuvenate Bio) shows some promise in treating myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in canines, according to new data presented at the May 18 meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Los Angeles.
"In the pilot study of cavalier King Charles spaniels with MMVD, a delay in disease progression was demonstrated," per a media release. For more details, visit: dvm360.com/view/gene-therapy-demonstrates-benefit-to-dogs-with-myxomatous-mitral-valve-disease.
Aside from the costs of this kind of treatment for dogs with inherited abnormalities, all such treatments should be conditional on all dogs being neutered to deter breeding.
(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.
Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)