I just got this in my email.  It's kinda long but those of us who live with cats or dogs need to check what we feed our friends.

"Posts from another list are talking about dog and cat illness and death.
The only info I've gotten is to contact the CVM/FDA new Consumer
Complaint lines.

My dogs have tummy problems and one is refusing to eat. Loose stools or
totally watery stools. Vet bills will be incurred again.
Lynn of Cabot, AR (03/15/08)

My 10-year old border collie became lethargic, lost weight and when
evaluated by a veterinarian, his liver enzymes were critical. He was put
on antibiotics and a strong amino acid, but continued to deteriorate. A
week into the treatment, one of my co-workers asked if I had seen the
complaints about Nutro dog food on this website. I had not and never
dreamed it could be the food. It is touted as being all natural and is
certainly sold as premium food. I was shocked at the information that I
found on Nutro.

I faxed pages and pages of this information to my veterinarian, who
became alarmed, and told me to stop feeding Nutro Natural Choice
immediately. Within a couple of days being off this food, my border
collie started acting like he felt better. Within a week, he had
regained 2 pounds and after 2 weeks, his liver enzymes were still high
but improving. I can tell he is continuing to gain weight and his energy
level is as good as it has ever been. My veterinarian and I are
convinced it was the food. I cannot explain why this happened all of a
sudden since he has been eating this food for years, but I know my dog
and I know it was the food. He was not responding to any medical
treatment until we stopped the food. So far, this event has cost $500,
but even more important than the money, I almost lost my dog, whom I
adore. I cannot believe that a company that sells their product as safe
and natural is, instead, injuring and killing pets. If I had not been
informed about other pet owners' experiences with Nutro Natural Choice,
my dog would be dead. It is my hope that some consumer group or
authority will begin to investigate this company and its products before
other pets are affected.

Kelly of Moyock, NC (03/12/08)

I switched my dogs to Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed chicken and rice,
thinking I was improving the quality of their food. They LOVED IT!
Unfortunately, a few days after I began feeding the new food, which I
converted by mixing in increasing quantities over a week-long period,
both of my dogs--a Great Dane and a Dane/Blue Tick mix, developed watery
bowels and lots of digestive activity. We took the Dane to the vet
because he exhibited symptoms first, and they performed a fecal test for
both parasites and giardia; both were negative. When the other dog began
having the same symptoms, I began to suspect the food.

I placed a call to Nutro yesterday and spoke to a customer service rep.
She said they had NEVER heard of any dogs having problems like the ones
I described. And then, the next day, I found your site and saw the
numerous complaints. I am NOT PLEASED.

Vet bills and meds are upwards of $100; and, of course, a bag of food
cost me in the amount of $35--plus the emotional cost of hours of worry
and physically running back and forth to the vet, plus gasoline expense.
Cady of Los Angeles, CA (02/21/08)

We have a 2 year old Papillion mix and a 6 month on Dachshund Mix.
Previously, they had been eating Nutro Ultra for small breeds (the older
dog for over a year), with no problems. On my last trip to the store,
Nutro Ultra Small Breed was out of stock. In desperate need, I purchased
Nutro Max Mini Chunk. The next day, the puppy threw up. Later the same
day, the older dog threw up as well. The older dog seemed very
uninterested in the food, and only would eat a little at a time, which
was unusual for her. We didn't think much of any of it, despite the fact
that they have rarely vomited before and have good appetites, assuming
their stomachs were not used to the different formula. However, the
vomiting continued over the next week and a half with at lease one of
the dogs throwing up each day, occasionally accompanied by loose stools.

Finally, on 2/19, after 2 weeks on Nutro Max, the vomiting suddenly
increased. While on a walk, the puppy threw up bile 3 times in a row.
Less than a minute later, the Papillon threw up a large amount of food.
When we came inside, I looked online and found numerous complaints all
detailing similar symptoms. During that time, the adult dog threw up
bile three times in a row. I took away the food, and followed vet advice
to fast them for 12 hours, followed by boiled chicken and rice. We've
switched to a different dry food, and after almost 48 hours there has
been no more vomiting. There were absolutely no other changes in their
diet or lifestyle over the last 2 weeks. The vomiting started within one
day of starting the new food, and affected both dogs. It has stopped now
that they have stopped eating Nutro Max.

All of this combined with other consumer complaints, as well as a review
here which points out that the corn can cause allergic reactions and the
synthetic vitamin K has been linked to liver problems leads me to
believe that the food was the culprit. I am glad that I discovered this
before their health deteriorated any further, something that has sadly
happened to so many other dogs.

Luckily, just a wasted 20 pound bag of food. Dogs have seemed to
returned to normal health, and have not warranted a vet visit.
Gregory of Hermosa Beach, CA (02/18/08)

Upon opening a new bag of lamb meal and rice formula 20 pounds, we fed
our two golden retrievers. They have been eating this food for several
years. One dog became sick with the runs that evening and the next day
began to vomit in addition. The second evening the second dog began with
the same symptoms throughout the next day. The dogs ate no other food
and were not outside off the leash, so we know they did not eat anything
else. The symptoms were so severe we took them off the food. By the next
day they were getting better and by the next day they were back to
normal, but eating different food. The expiration date on the bag is May
21, 2009. The bar code information is 0 7910520101 8. In my opinion this
bag of food is severely tainted.

Michael of San Antonio TX (02/09/08)
I bought NATURAL CHOICE dog food by NUTRO Products and within 4 days my
family dog, Zoe died.

On December 6th 2007, I bought what I thought was a healthy dog food for
our dog, Zoe. I bought it from the local Pet Smart on the advice of a
store worker. The product was Natural Choice (made by NUTRO) Adult dry
dog food, Chicken Meal Rice and Oatmeal Formula. Our dog ate the food on
Thursday, 6 December and Friday, 7 December. On 8 December, Zoe became
lethargic and was throwing up and not eating. On Sunday, 9 December, Zoe
was still throwing up, had diarrhea and could barely move.

At 10:30 PM, sitting next to me, Zoe screamed out and died. I tried to
get her to breathe again but to no avail. Zoe was 9 years old and in
very good health. She was a small dog (8 lbs), a Maltese-Pomeranian mix,
which we found in Hawaii six years ago. Our daughter, who is also 9
years old, asked where Zoe was the next morning and we told her she was
sleeping under the bed but we were taking her to the veterinarian. Later
that day we had to tell our daughter, that Zoe had to be put down on the
advice of the veterinarian. She was crushed as was my wife and I.

With obviously no proof, on Thursday, December 13th, I was rushed to the
emergency room with acute signs of a heart attack,. I am only 42, but
doctors said stress could have caused this attack. We were totally
shocked on what happened to Zoe and could not figure out why she died.
Yesterday, 8 February 2008, I was cleaning up the pantry and went to
throw Zoe's almost full bag of dog food away. I finally realized, that
was new food that we had introduced to her just a few days prior to her
death. I went on-line and could not believe what I found. The exact same
symptoms and immediate death of other dogs. It was exactly, almost word
for word the same experience we went through. I am relieved I found the
cause, but can't believe I killed our beloved Zoe, unwittingly. I still
have the bag of dog food and expect to have it tested. This needs to be
stopped.
Paige of Benton Harbor MI (01/24/08)

called 1/23/07 to check if any recall on Nutro Natural Choice Indoor
Kitten 8# dry food. I was told he would mail a return for sample of food
to be returned to them for testing this could take up to 10 weeks. This
product was purchased 1/17/08 and on 1/20/08 my kitten vomited and his
health declined. Took her to the vet 1/22/08 and he said her kidneys
were severely enlarged she was given three shots and medication for
vomiting. Took her home and she did not urinate or eat. 1/24/08 am the
vet was called again, my kitten was lifeless.
Took her back and she was x-rayed, given barium to check for blockage,
put on IV and catheter and admitted to ICU. Blood test revealed high way
above average kidney, phosphorus, and Bun levels. Dr suggest recent
ingestion of anti-freeze (she is strictly indoor kitten) no chemicals
present we do have one older cat and dog. She was diagnosed with renal
kidney failure by ingestion of toxin/heavy meal. The only change was her
food. She died this morning. I am left with a $800.00+ vet bill for a
kitten that was only 5 months old had her spayed and all shots. This is
a nightmare I found her on the side of the road abandon, she blossomed
into a beautiful wonderful cat and all the time and energy spend to care
for her I am left with nothing but a big vet bill I can not afford.
Everything she received was paid out of my pocket before this. I was
doing a good deed as we have not animal organization around her that
cared to help me. called again 1/24/07 and was forwarded to him after
explaining my kitten had died in all fairness he said he was sorry for
my loss, I told him I wanted to speak with someone who could expedite
this so I it was the food another animal would not die, he said he would
give my claim to supervisor since the kitten had died. I feel the is
urgent I don't want someone else to have the pain our family has
gone through Claim Number 628604 Also this kitten was fed Nutro kitten
canned food for the first three month of her life 3 oz can were these
recalled?

Seriousness of the cat's death was not taken as a priority, other
cats could be at risk if they did find something in the food. I feed all
my pets Nutro and will discontinue until I get an answer. I did got to
the Pets Plus store tonight where the food was purchased and they did
give my their sales reps name and phone number, I will contact be
regarding this issue to see if he can get this issue expedited before
more animals are harmed. I could have this food tested locally be the
expense I can not afford as I am spent emotionally and financially.
Darlene of Seabrook, TX (01/22/08)

Purchased Nutro Max Dry Dog Food on 12/20/07 for the first time. On
12/23/07 I had my Yorkie at the emergency vet. 12/28/07 he had a blood
transfusion at Gulf Coast Veterinary Internists & Critical Care. As of
1/22/08 and $2000 later, he is still taking meds & is doing much. I also
have a American Eskimo who ate the same dog food who is still sick & we
are taking another trip to the vet tomorrow morning.

Both dogs are still not well after numerous trips to the vet & approx
$2500 later. Before eating the Nutro Max they were both healthy & happy
dogs. I returned the Nutro Max to Petco. However I did keep a sample &
my receipt for further lab testing at Expertox in two weeks.
Terri of Duluth GA (01/04/08)

After 4 days of eating Nutro dry pet food, I found my dog dead in our
yard. The only thing that changed for him that week was the introduction
of the Nutro pet food.

My dog died alone in our backyard, probably of kidney failure from the
toxins in the food.
Bonnie of Chesapeake VA (12/31/07)

Had to put 6 lb Pomeranian to sleep after feed Nutro dry dog food. Fed
another Pomeranian same bag and she immediately became deathly ill. I
contacted Nutro just to get them to take this food off of the market.
They were so sorry for my loss but they couldn't find anything wrong
with the dry food. We've paid over $1000 in vet bills.

We've paid $1000 or so for the care of two Pomeranians. We thought the
first dog was just old. I gave the remaining senior Nutro to the young
Pomeranian and she became deathly ill.
Margaret of Elizabeth NJ (12/23/07)

My 9 year old yellow lab, who always inhaled her food and who had been
eating Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Senior dog food, recently
started throwing up bile, drinking excessively and stopped wanting to
eat. We tried everything to get her to eat...we tried giving her Pepcid,
chicken broth on the food, cheese, boiled chicken, bacon; and nothing
worked. We spent almost $300 on blood tests and a urinalysis which all
came back fine. My mom typed her symptoms into the web and saw that we
weren't the only ones having these problems; in fact, people feeding
their dogs Nutro had dogs with the same symptoms. We immediately
disposed of about 20 pounds of dog food, and I went out and purchased
Innova dog food. As soon as I brought it home and gave her some she
inhaled it. Her appetite was back. I just pray the damage is not done
and we were able to switch the food in time!
Mary of Jacksonville, FL (12/17/07)

My 9 yr. old dog has been eating Nutro canned and dry food for years.
When the canned Nutro received a dangerous review, I stopped it. But Pet
Supermarket assured me that the dry food was fine. NOW I have spent
$1,500 so far and it will be more...to save his life. If I can. The vet
told me to stop Nutro. And, the pharmacist told me that he had never
heard of a dog having sludge in his gall bladder. He asked me what I fed
my dog and told me he felt it was the food. The dog is not out of the
woods yet. I was told that he could go for emergency gall bladder
removal. He will need another sonogram in three weeks. That costs $350.
It's very stressful, and the company does not even care. The pet stores
are more interested in making money.

My second dog who ate the same food spent the weekend in the emergency
care. He will be going for emergency surgery for a mouth growth they are
expecting to be cancer. Again, caused by the Nutro. This company should
be closed. This weekend cost me another $1,100. Who is protecting our
animals? I believed the store. I paid money to kill my dogs. When I was
picking up my dog from the emergency care tonight, there was a woman
waiting for her dog who was being treated for its cancer. Guess what is
being blamed for that dog's problems? Nutro Dog food. When will someone
do something?

Here we are watching our dogs die while Nutro lies about their products
and makes money and so does Pet Supermarket. Two weeks ago I was in
there and a woman was recommended Nutro by the manager. I told them not
to sell that and for her not to buy it. I explained my horror story, but
he said he did not know anything about the problems with Nutro. If I
know about it HOW COULD THE MANAGER NOT KNOW ABOUT IT?
Rick of Newbury Park, CA (12/03/07)

We have been feeding the Nutro Lamb and Rice dry dog food formula to our
70 pound, mixed breed dog for a couple of years. About three months ago
he became ill with diarrhea and vomiting and after much testing and two
trips to the office, our vet determined that the cause was something he
ate. We had made no changes in his diet and he hadn't been out of the
yard, so we assumed that the Nutro was the cause. I contacted the Nutro
corporate office and brought them up to date with the situation. They
sounded concerned and offered to send a small bag so I could return it
to them with a sample of the food for testing. After waiting a month I
contacted them again, indicating that the bag that they promised to send
to me never arrived. They apologized and again said that they would send
a bag for testing. I waited another month - no bag. I called the office
and left a message. Nothing. Now I'm writing this to Consumer Affairs
and hopefully others won't go through the disappointment
of actually expecting the folks at Nutro to be true to their promises.

The consequences of my situation were that I spent about three hundred
dollars at the vet's office and some serious worry about whether or not
our dog would survive, and totally wasted my time in the false belief
that the people at Nutro were concerned enough about the animals who use
their product to follow through with the promised testing of a suspect
bag of their dog food.
Janet of Fairfax VT (11/29/07)

My perfectly healthy 9 1/2 yr. old German Shepherd died recently from a
condition called bloat. It may have been pure coincidence, but she
recently had been eating Nutro Max for two weeks prior. This was the
first time I'd tried her on this food.

My German shepherd died during emergency surgery. Her stomach had
ballooned out within a very short time. She had had two weeks of eating
Nutro Max, then the night she died, I had just fed her Iams Dry Food,
which I just read has also been implicated for containing melamine. I am
devastated.
Sara of Forest Hills, NY (11/18/07)

My dogs have been eating Nutro Ultra Weight Management dry food for the
last 18 months. 6 weeks ago, one of them was diagnosed with very high
enzyme levels in her liver. She was taken off Nutro and put on a home
cooked diet plus Denamarin. Her enzyme levels are beginning to return to
normal.

Because I didn't connect this with the food they were eating, my other
dog continued to eat Nutro. This week she became extremely sick with
vomiting, severe weight loss, lack of appetite and lethargy. She, too,
was diagnosed with extremely high enzyme levels in her liver and as of
today she is in the hospital on IV fluids.

I have no doubt that the Nutro dog food caused this -- my dogs are fed
very carefully and especially so after the first one became sick.

My dogs have been in terrible pain for days on end. We've spent many
hours at the vet and in the hospital. It has cost nearly $1000 in vet
bills and one of my dogs is still in the hospital. If she survives she
will need to be on medication for months to regenerate her damaged
liver. My other dog needs dental treatment but she can't have it because
the anesthesia could further harm her damaged liver.

This has been very expensive, time consuming and most important, it has
caused great pain and damage to my dogs.
Rick of Newbury Park, CA (10/12/07)

10 days ago I bought a 40 lb. bag of the Nutro Natural Choice dog food.
I have been feeding this food to Hooper, my 3 1/2 year lab mix dog for
the past 2 years and have been very happy with it. Hooper began to have
loose stools about 5 or more days ago and began vomiting about once a
day (that I noticed) about 3 or 4 days ago. He has been lethargic and
off his food, only eating occasionally and then leaving much in the bowl
- very unusual for him.

Suddenly this afternoon (10 days after purchase) he developed hives all
over his body. I took him to the vet. The vet gave Hooper a couple of
shots and prescriptions for Metron/flagyl and Diphenhydramine and orders
to stop feeding the new bag of Nutro.

So far it's the physical indications I've described above and a $210 vet
bill. My concern is for other dogs and not for any compensation for
expenses.
Patty of Dayton, OH (09/28/07)

My mother just recently switched her dry cat food to Nutro. Her beloved
cat is now dead at the young age of 9! The cat had no problems
whatsoever before eating this product
Mary of Orlando, FL (09/19/07)

I have not contacted the company as of yet but here is info to date. I
purchased a 40# bag of this Nutro Natural Choice for Large Breed Adults
at a Petco on July 29th and a week later began mixing it with the
Science Diet Oral Care I had been feeding my almost 3 year old
Labradoodle. We began feeding her 100% of the Nutro Natural Choice about
2 weeks ago. She had only been on it 100% a few days when we put her in
a doggy day care for 5 nights while we were doing some remodeling. We
prebagged her food as we usually do for them to feed her.

When we picked her up on day 6, her report showed she had been throwing
up bile some for a couple of days and not eating well. That night we
brought her home she ate very little of her dinner and I couldn't
entice her to eat more. That night about midnight we woke to hear her
throwing up bile. The next morning she wouldn't eat at all. This is
highly unusual for her as she is typically not a picky eater at all.

I remembered the nightmare of the recent past in the dog food arena and
did a little research online and learned of the recent issues with Nutro
products so I immediately call our vet and took her in. The vet did
blood work and an urinalysis. This morning he called and said the blood
work results looked normal however the urinalysis showed the beginnings
of a bladder infection.

I feel strongly this is related to her food intake of the nureo Natural
Choice product. I have the balance of this food and I understand there
are places it can be sent for testing but that it costs $200 or more. I
feel confident that something in this product has made our Labradoodle
sick.
Mary of Orlando, FL (09/17/07)

I purchased Nutro Natural Choice for Large Breed Dogs on 7/29/07 and
have been gradually changing my Labradoodle food over to it and now she
is throwing up bile and not wanting to eat.
John of Hanover, MA (07/18/07)

I contacted Nutro on 3/29/07 and was given claim # 7532. Our 5 year old
terrier became deathly ill in late January. After $3,000 in vet bills we
still did not have a answer as to what happened. I later learned that
the dog food we were feeding the dog from Nutro was causing deaths in
pets. I contact Nutro and explained my issue. They told me it was not
the dry, but to send in a sample, which I did.

May 17, 2007, I receive a letter from Hartford Insurance stating our
investigation has determined that our insured (Nutro) is not
responsible. This dog was perfectly healthy with a clean bill of health
about 1 month before eating the tainted dog food. We were hours from
putting the dog down, and the Vet asked us to hold out for 1 more day
and we did. The dog slowly began eating table food, and his health
improved. I firmly believe from the stories of other pet owners that the
Nutro Dry was responsible for this issue.

$3,000 vet bill, and a lifetime of prescription drugs that cost $80 per
month. The dog is now in good condition, but has a damaged liver due to
this pet food.
Kim of Orlando, FL (06/11/07)

My puppy became violently ill on May 22, 2007 just 6 weeks after we
purchased her. I took her to the vet since she was vomiting, refusing
food, and was acting very depressed. They did x-rays on her and gave her
a shot to help with the vomiting and rehydrated her. She was sent home
and I was told if she got worse to bring her back.

That evening she got a lot worse and my husband took her back in. That
night they ran an IV on her. The next morning they were performing a
barium series test on her and once again she got worse. At this time I
received a call from the vet stating if they didn't do surgery she would
die and she could still die from the surgery. I informed him to do the
surgery.

Juliet made it through the surgery however was filled with blood in her
abdomen and all organs were bleeding. They closed her up and started a
blood transfusion. Several hours later she was placed on a ventilator.
At that point we asked the vet to let her go. I was told the cause of
death was lack of blood coagulation due to a toxin.

I never thought it could be her food the dry Nutro Max Puppy until I
started doing research. I called Nutro and explained what happened and
they ask that I mail in her food for testing. I am very sad that our
puppy who was only 6 months old and only part of our family for 6 weeks
could be dead because the food that I thought was good to feed her.

We have lost over $3000 in the purchase of Juliet and in vet bills. All
of which I have receipts for. Also my family has suffered a loss of an
important family member.
Vicky of Knoxville, TN (06/08/07)

My little dog 'Hope' had to be put down after getting extremely sick
from eating Nutro brand dog food. I found out about the recall and
immediately stopped the dog food, but it was too late she had been
showing signs of being sick before I knew really what was going on. She
was an older dog and her little body just couldn't take that kind of
assault. There was no other humane thing we could do for her.

She had no record in any of her prior blood work that showed anything
was wrong before until I switched her food to the Nutro, which I did
before the recall was made. I thought Nutro to be a good brand of dog
food and my vet even recommended it. I am in a lot of pain emotionally
because she was the world's sweetest little dog. Her name was 'Hope'!
And she would always greet anyone with a kiss and a wag of her tail.
Thank you for listening.
Sandra of Knoxville, TN (05/29/07)

Upon opening a new 30 lb. bag of Nutro Max Senior dry dog food in
mid-January, our dog became ill with diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy. We
did not, of course, connect any of his symptoms to the dog food until
later when we heard about the gluten poisoning and we fervently searched
the news and recall websites to make sure our dog's food wasn't one of
the recalled products. Since it was not, we continued to feed him the
Nutro senior. Upon completion of that particular 30 lb. bag of dog food,
his symptoms lessened and he became more like himself. Only then did we
become seriously suspicious of the dog food.
Upon checking the appropriate recall and news websites, we were once
again relieved to find no mention of our dog's product. His bowels never
did return to normal, and he became increasingly lethargic, and now he
is dead after having a series of grand mal seizures, a result of liver
damage.

My dog was mature, but his vet called him the spunkiest 12 year old I've
ever seen. He still had a lot of puppy in him and loved to play. I had
no idea he was so close to death.
Rachael of Rock Island, TN (05/24/07)

I had been feeding my dogs Nutro Natural Choice and Nutro Max Large
Breed Adult for years. The last bags I bought resulted with them
vomiting, lethargy, increased thirst. I took them off the Nutro products
and started using Lassie. They all improved and returned to normal. I
called Nutro and the FDA. The FDA agent seemed concerned but it brought
no results and no claim filed. I called Nutro and they took information
and gave the same litany the food is safe and not recalled but they are
in process of testing. They also recommended I continue feeding Lassie
brand.

I offered to send samples to FDA and Nutro but both turned it down. Now
the recommendation to continue feeding a different brand makes me wonder
what they know that they are not saying. My dogs are doing well now. And
because I was suspicious about the dry food from the beginning of
recalls so kept close eye on my dogs behavior and as soon as I noticed
the change I quit feeding the Nutro. So I was at least spared a vet
bill.
Bonita of Germantown, WI (05/09/07)

my 3 year old shih-tzu became very ill in fall of 2006--She was
extremely thirsty, drank excessively, loss of appetite, weight loss,
diarrhea, vomiting, lethargic, very ill. She refused to eat her food,
but, as many owners did we forced her to eat the food she didn't want.
She developed a high level of glucose in her urine and a UTI, the VET
was stumped with her condition. I had asked if it could be her dry dog
food Nutro Max. The vet said that was a good brand so did not think so.
This was back in the fall. Thru spring she was very ill. In spring when
the pet food scare was in full force I called the service line and
reported my dogs illness with the company in March/April, they said they
had not had any problems with dry food/Nutro treats but would document
my complaint. I had switched to Purina dog food back in January and now
my dog was clear of glucose in her urine 5/9/07 The vet is still stumped
but happy she is well.

Molly had a rough few months and few hundred dollars in vet bills. We
pray there is no physical damage to her kidneys. We are happy things
were good at her vet visit.
Angelique of Fort Lauderdale, FL (05/01/07)

My dog (only 4 years old) died within 4 days of me buying a new bag of
Nutro Max Dry Dog Food. This is not on the list of recalled foods but
this was the only major change in his diet and he was never out of my
sight. He was fine on Sunday until 2 am when he started having diarrhea,
vomiting, lethargy, bloody diarrhea and by the time I took him to the
hospital at 1 pm the next day he was in shock. His system shut down and
he died at around 4:30 pm.

This needs to be stopped. The company refuses to acknowledge there is a
problem, but if you just to a search on the internet you will find many
many people saying the exact same thing happened to them. This food
needs to be recalled NOW.
Cherie of Spartanburg, SC (04/15/07)

At the start of the pet food recall, I exchanged Iams canned cat food
for Max Cat at the local Petsmart. I checked both the web and the
Petsmart list for recalled cans and was assured that only Max Cat
pouched might have contained the tainted ingredient, and the cans were
OK. About a week later, my nephew stated that he had heard that more
products might have been recalled, so I checked the shelves and the list
at Petsmart again. I checked the web again. Max Cat cans were supposedly
OK.

I kept purchasing Max Cat cans for almost a month after the original
recall, and then discovered that on April 10, 2007, that brand of cans
was subsequently recalled. I had been feeding my cat food that might
have been tainted for an extended period of time. I fail to understand
how Nutro was evidently unaware of the possible contamination of
ingredients in their own products at the initial time of the pet food
recall. I will never purchase Nutro products again. If it was the case,
I hope somebody throws them UNDER THE JAIL.
The primary cat that I feed soft food to has a tooth that tends to get
infected. He was born in my house and his mother died right after giving
birth to him. I fed him with a bottle to keep him alive. He is now an
adult cat, but he is my baby. Any threat to his health is a serious
matter in my book.
Lisa of Stilwell, KS (04/10/07)

My cat and dog both got sick from eating Nutro Brand pet foods. My dog
was eating Nutro Natural Choice Dry Food and my cat was eating Nutro
Gourmet Classics 3 oz cans. They have eaten this all their lives but
began getting sick about a year ago. Prior to the recall and felt the
problem with my cat was his food and changed it. He did get better. When
I say the recall and the symptoms described it was exactly what my cat
had gone through but it started at least 8 months ago.

There have been problems with the food dating back farther than what
they are saying in all the recall information. My cat has abnormal renal
blood test results. My dog has normal results but continues to have
urinary issues. Not only the emotional stress of watching your pet be
sick and no one can figure out why but it also cost thousands of dollars
in vet bills.
Suzette of Plantsville CT (04/09/07)

Our 9yr. old Golden was EXTREMLEY ill! NEVER in her 9 yrs. has she EVER
been this ill. Vomiting for Over a 24 hr period. Lethargic! Couldn't
keep a lap of water in her. Brought her to the vet had to get antibiotic
shot and stay on antibiotics for 14 days. Stayed on a Rice diet for 2
days. X-Rays showed that she had inflammation in her intestine area.
White blood count was elevated. I truly believe the DRY Nutro dog food
that HASN'T been recalled yet was to blame! We were one of the lucky
ones that were able to catch this in time and save our dog unlike others
that were less fortunate. I'd expect the least the co. could do is pay
our UNTIMELY vet bill, which was 246.42. It's been a month now and our
dog is just finally getting back to normal.

Kathy of Prospect Park PA (04/05/07)
My dog of 10 years, Jasmine started losing weight and muscle mass with
occasional vomiting around October of 2006. We ran a full geriatric
panel that disclosed nothing unusual including normal thyroid levels
which she was currently on medication to control. She seemed the next
few months a little more lethargic but the more concerning symptom
seemed to be the weight loss. So I continued to feed her Nutro Natural
Choice cans of Senior Chicken & Rice and Senior Turkey & Rice and
occasionally Chicken, Oatmeal and Rice. The last week of her life she
vomited once or twice but responded to an antacid and continued to eat.

December 27, 2006 started out like any other. However around 3 p.m.
Jasmine came over to me appearing anxious. She then retreated to the
spot she normally would go to vomit and simply laid down. After a few
minutes she vomited at least four times. She did not respond to the
Pepcid antacid I normally gave her for upset stomach and immediately
began to tremor violently and simultaneously lost all control of her
hind legs and swayed as if she had no balance control. She salivated
terribly and continued to try and use her back legs, paddling furiously.
She continued violently tremoring all the way to the vet's office. She
was given valium and a seizure medication but was simply not responding.
She was labeled critical and we decided euthanizing her was the only
choice as the symptoms she presented with we were told looked like
multiple neurological issues and even with testing and/or treatment we
might never know. She had now been in violent tremors for over 2 hours
and we had no choice but to ease her suffering and let her go.

The horror of that day never leaves me. Also in light of the pet food
recall, my anxiety has tripled. I think back to that day the day she
seemed fine and all of a sudden acted like a dog poisoned. She had all
the hallmark symptoms of rat poison but not all the ones being
published.

Certain types of rat poison cause animals to go into Chronic Renal
Failure and now looking back at how thin she became and how practically
all muscle was gone it seems to make sense. I am in a constant state of
pain and anxiety as a result of her loss. She was my best friend and had
overcome many obstacles in her life only to succumb to something like
this. Doubling the pain is the loss my children feel. Nothing will bring
her back but I feel compelled to help raise awareness in her honor and
memory. I am more than happy to speak in more detail including the calls
I made to Nutro only to be told one thing one day and something else the
next day including that the type of food I was feeding in December was
indeed part of the recall. Nutro reps claimed all 12.5 ounce cans were
part of the massive recall. Also on one website (2) of the products I
fed Jasmine regularly had a small note below them they were recalled by
menu foods. Minutes later the message mysteriously
disappeared. I'm angry, confused and more importantly devastated at the
loss of a family member who I loved tremendously.

Catherine of Raleigh NC (04/02/07)
My 11 yr old cat (my little girl friend) ate DRY Hills Science Diet all
her life and was thriving and healthy until a few years ago. She
suddenly started to look skinny, drink more water, and her coat looked
stringy and thin. She developed a rash on her back and started
inappropriate urinating. I took her to a vet back then and they couldn't
determine what was wrong with her except her lower bowel looked inflamed
and her kidney values were slightly elevated.

After that I started trying other dry foods like Eukanuba and Nutro. She
never would eat wet cat food and I did try to find one that she would
eat because of her age. Sometime if February of this year the rash
returned on her back and she still wouldn't gain enough weight. The vet
found a bacterial infection in her kidneys, but her values remained only
slightly elevated. I was sent home with antibiotics and Hills
Prescription k/b dry cat food. The first couple of days on the
antibiotic she seemed to perk up a little and then started to noticeably
go downhill. I thought the antibiotics might be too strong so I
discontinued them but kept feeding her the Prescription Diet food.

She didn't seem too thrilled with the food and kept deteriorating for
the next couple of weeks until she was so bad that she wandered
aimlessly and could hardly stand up. She also seemed to be going blind.
Her eyes had broken blood vessels that you could see.
I knew she was dying and I determined that her kidneys had failed. I
took her back to the vet to see if I could just get something to ease
her pain and calm her down until she died. I ended up having her
euthanized. My little girl friend! I had to make that decision and it
was one of the hardest things I have ever done. A week later I start
hearing the news about the tainted cat food! If we ever hear the truth
about this, the truth will be that the dry food has been contaminated
for years. Just enough to make them sickly but not kill them for a long
time.

Cindy of Tallahassee FL (03/26/07)
I have been feeding my 3 year old large mix breed dog Nutro Max with
glucosomine and chondritian (dry) for about a year with no problems. I
bought a new bag Jan 07 and the week of Feb 19th he became very
lethargic, drinking a lot, breathing heavy. After 3 days he seemed to be
feeling better. Then his belly began to swell so much if I didn't know
he was a neutered male I would think he was about to have puppies. I
took him to the vet he and at first glance they thought for sure he had
heartworms -- his belly was so distended. He was tested and did not have
heartworms.

I didn't have enough money at the time to pay for an advanced blood test
so the vet put him on Lasik (a diuretic) and said to bring him back for
in five days. During this time I took him off the Nutro Max food and
started feeding him chicken and rice that I cooked myself. He ate only
that for 5 days. When he returned to the vet after 5 days, his weight
had dropped from 99 to 93 lbs and the belly was going down. The vet took
more blood and this time I had enough money to send it out for
sophisticated analysis.

The vet called me the next day and said to take him off the Lasik. His
creatine and other levels were quite high. I took him off the lasik and
started him back on the Nutro Max food for three days. Immediately his
belly began to swell up again. That same week the new reported about the
tainted pet foods and when I saw Nutro Max was on the list, I
immediately stopped feeding it to Ayden -- even though it was dry food
and all the articles said only wet foods were contaminated. Since taking
Ayden off the Nutro Max, his belly is back to normal, his breathing and
his energy. We took our first walk together this weekend. I am hopeful
this story will have a happy ending. I am convinced that the dry food
was also contaminated with the poison. My vet bills totaled about
$300.00.

Sara of Springfield, MO (03/23/07)
My precious best friend, Murphy, had to be put to sleep after eating the
contaminated food from Nutro. In a matter of a few weeks, he became so
ill that there was no saving him. My vet had difficulty diagnosing him
without extensive tests that I could not afford, but after reviewing the
symptoms of the animals in renal failure, he suffered from the same
thing. I called my vet a few days ago, they looked at the records and
said Oh my God, you're right!
$700 + in vet bills. Loss of dog (also my best friend); I am a single
woman, also a cancer"