Animals
We all want to prevent the pet food recall and the death of our pets from happening again. How can we do that?
PetConnection
Find your elected officials at EVERY LEVEL — here’s one online resource — and write an old-fashioned letter with an envelope and mail it.
Then, follow with a phone call. If you can, meet in person. That’ll be difficult in the halls of Congress, but not that tough in most state Legislatures. Don’t rely on form letters. State your business, tell your story, make your request and thank them for their time. (And hey — don’t be rude to the staffers. They’re people like us, working for a living, trying to do their best!)
Depending on the elected official, he or she may not care about the loss of your pet, or not think that’s very important. So don’t forget to stress the economic loss as well. Tell them what it cost you to save your pet, or that you spent, even though you lost your pet. In many if not most families, a major veterinary emergency is a hard hit to the family budget.
What should we ask for? I’m of the Keep It Simple Sam school. The absolute first rule of business must be a complete Congressional investigation into how this event was handled, followed by a full and fully public report.
What else? How about:
1) New labeling requirements:
Product labels should be required to list not only the company that’s marketing the food, but also the company that made it. With full addresses and 800 numbers.
Product labels should be required to list the country of origin of the ingredients. It’s clear now that this information is every bit as important to a consumer trying to make an intelligent decision as the ingredients and nutritional analysis on those labels now.
2) A true, national system for getting information to veterinarians and collecting information from veterinarians. This is important not only for our animals, but for ourselves. It’s quite possible a problem in animals can signify a developing threat for humans. (Ever hear of bird fly?) Veterinarians are an essential link in our national security and public-health systems, and we’ve now seen how little respect they get in this role. (For more on this check out this post at vetcetera.)
- Pet Food Recall ~ The Food? Or Just The Labels?
Gina reassures us in her post The food? Or just the labels? It was a dumb thing for Menu Foods and Wal-Mart to do. With consumer confidence at an all time low anything associated with the pet food recall, including unused pouches, should have been destroyed....
- Is Wal-mart Deliberately Selling Poisoned Pet Food?
Sheri McComber says four of her cats got sick after eating Special Kitty brand cat food. She checked the labels on the food and found they were listed on the product recall. She said, "This was done on purpose." We found dozens of the pouches just...
- Pet Food Recall ~ The Importance Of Labeling
Christie Keith at Pet Connection Blog says I still want clear, accurate, complete labeling of pet foods, with country of origin and actual manufacturer contact information included on the can. No more ranges, no more wiggle room, no more “min/max”...
- From Pet Connection Blog ~ Help Make Pet Food Safe
David Lazarus from Sen. Durbin’s office has sent out a letter asking for suggestions as they develop legislation to overhaul the food-safety system. Their initial outline has a much of what has been discussed here, but has nothing on strengthening labeling...
- Senate Will Hold An Oversight Hearing On Pet Food Recall
As officials announced an expanded pet food recall today, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said that the Senate will hold an oversight hearing on the investigation and regulatory mechanisms that govern the pet food industry.During a press conference today in Wicker...
Animals
PetConnection Urges You To Write Letters
We all want to prevent the pet food recall and the death of our pets from happening again. How can we do that?
PetConnection
Find your elected officials at EVERY LEVEL — here’s one online resource — and write an old-fashioned letter with an envelope and mail it.
Then, follow with a phone call. If you can, meet in person. That’ll be difficult in the halls of Congress, but not that tough in most state Legislatures. Don’t rely on form letters. State your business, tell your story, make your request and thank them for their time. (And hey — don’t be rude to the staffers. They’re people like us, working for a living, trying to do their best!)
Depending on the elected official, he or she may not care about the loss of your pet, or not think that’s very important. So don’t forget to stress the economic loss as well. Tell them what it cost you to save your pet, or that you spent, even though you lost your pet. In many if not most families, a major veterinary emergency is a hard hit to the family budget.
What should we ask for? I’m of the Keep It Simple Sam school. The absolute first rule of business must be a complete Congressional investigation into how this event was handled, followed by a full and fully public report.
What else? How about:
1) New labeling requirements:
Product labels should be required to list not only the company that’s marketing the food, but also the company that made it. With full addresses and 800 numbers.
Product labels should be required to list the country of origin of the ingredients. It’s clear now that this information is every bit as important to a consumer trying to make an intelligent decision as the ingredients and nutritional analysis on those labels now.
2) A true, national system for getting information to veterinarians and collecting information from veterinarians. This is important not only for our animals, but for ourselves. It’s quite possible a problem in animals can signify a developing threat for humans. (Ever hear of bird fly?) Veterinarians are an essential link in our national security and public-health systems, and we’ve now seen how little respect they get in this role. (For more on this check out this post at vetcetera.)
- Pet Food Recall ~ The Food? Or Just The Labels?
Gina reassures us in her post The food? Or just the labels? It was a dumb thing for Menu Foods and Wal-Mart to do. With consumer confidence at an all time low anything associated with the pet food recall, including unused pouches, should have been destroyed....
- Is Wal-mart Deliberately Selling Poisoned Pet Food?
Sheri McComber says four of her cats got sick after eating Special Kitty brand cat food. She checked the labels on the food and found they were listed on the product recall. She said, "This was done on purpose." We found dozens of the pouches just...
- Pet Food Recall ~ The Importance Of Labeling
Christie Keith at Pet Connection Blog says I still want clear, accurate, complete labeling of pet foods, with country of origin and actual manufacturer contact information included on the can. No more ranges, no more wiggle room, no more “min/max”...
- From Pet Connection Blog ~ Help Make Pet Food Safe
David Lazarus from Sen. Durbin’s office has sent out a letter asking for suggestions as they develop legislation to overhaul the food-safety system. Their initial outline has a much of what has been discussed here, but has nothing on strengthening labeling...
- Senate Will Hold An Oversight Hearing On Pet Food Recall
As officials announced an expanded pet food recall today, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said that the Senate will hold an oversight hearing on the investigation and regulatory mechanisms that govern the pet food industry.During a press conference today in Wicker...