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You Decide, Did Wellness Make this Clear?
- 3-10-2011
- Categorized in: Pet Food Recall
A comment posted on the follow up article to the recent Wellness Cat Food recall got me back in contact with Greg Kean of Wellness Pet Food. It seems can kitten food was recalled too. Here's the press release and the latest correspondence with Wellness and you decide if Wellness made this recall clear.
First, I have to give Wellness credit to alerting pet websites - TruthaboutPetFood.com included - to the recall announcement as it was going out on the Associated Press. Greg Kean of Wellness Pet Food emailed me late Monday evening February 28, 2011 and asked to call me (speak directly) explaining the recall. And Greg Kean was very prompt responding to my follow up questions.
And then I saw the comment that the recall was expanded to include kitten food (can), which resulted in further follow up with Wellness.
First, here is the Wellness Press Release announcing the recall...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 28, 2011 - WellPet LLC announced today it has voluntarily recalled certain lots of Wellness® canned cat food.
While recent laboratory testing found that most lots of Wellness canned cat food that were tested contain sufficient amounts of thiamine (also known as Vitamin B1), some of the lots listed below might contain less than adequate levels of thiamine. However, out of an abundance of caution, WellPet has decided to recall all of the lots listed below.
Cats fed only the affected lots for several weeks may be at risk for developing a thiamine deficiency. Thiamine is essential for cats. Symptoms of deficiency displayed by an affected cat can be gastrointestinal or neurological in nature. Early signs of thiamine deficiency may include decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting, and weight loss. In advanced cases, neurologic signs can develop, which may include ventriflexion (bending towards the floor) of the neck, wobbly walking, circling, falling, and seizures. If your cat has consumed the recalled lots and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian. If treated promptly, thiamine deficiency is typically reversible.
The lots involved in this voluntary recall are:
Wellness Canned Cat Food (all flavors and sizes) with best by dates from 14APR 13 through 30SEP13;
Wellness Canned Cat Food Chicken & Herring (all sizes) with 10NOV13 or 17NOV13 best buy dates.
Consumers who still have cans of cat food from these lots should stop feeding them to their cats and call us at (877) 227-9587 Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 7:00 pm Eastern Time. Consumers with further questions should visit our website at www.wellnesspetfood.com or call us at this same number.
WellPet discovered the lower thiamine levels during independent testing conducted together with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to a single, isolated consumer complaint received by the FDA. Although WellPet has received no other reports concerning thiamine in its products, WellPet has taken additional steps with the manufacturer to ensure that this does not happen again.
“As a pet parent myself, I’m concerned for the health and welfare of all pets, and as a company we are committed to delivering the most nutritious natural pet food,” said Tim Callahan, chief executive officer of WellPet, the maker of Wellness products. “Even though the chance of a cat developing a thiamine deficiency is extremely remote, we are voluntarily recalling all of these lots of our canned cat food as an extra precaution.”
Now...here's the comment posted on TruthaboutPetFood.com...
Do you all know that more Wellness brands were added to their recall after 2/28?
I was not informed of this and came upon the news by chance when calling Wellness about receiving reimbursement for the cat foods originally recalled. The kitten food was added a few days later but Wellpet failed to send another e-mail to inform its customers. Neither was I informed from the internet retailer I purchase cases of the kitten food from. In my view, this oversight is a disgrace and I am outraged by this breach of trust from a so-called 'premium' pet food company!
Now, here is my correspondence with Wellness...
Hi Greg,
A comment on my website shared that a kitten food was added to the recall on March 2. Is this correct?
Susan
Hi Susan,
There has been no change to the original announcement which includes the Wellness Canned Kitten food.
Greg
This is what you sent me...
The lots involved in this voluntary recall are:
Wellness Canned Cat (all flavors and sizes) with best by dates from 14APR 13 through 30SEP13;
Wellness Canned Cat Chicken & Herring (all sizes) with 10NOV13 or 17NOV13 best buy dates.
Susan
We tried to be as clear as possible by stating all flavors all sizes.
Greg
I'm just shaking my head at this point Greg. Cat Food and Kitten Food are two different things.
I hope the retailers selling your products understood that Cat Food all varieties includes Kitten Food too. It would be terrible if the kitten food is still on store shelves right now.
Susan
It is being pulled and tracked very closely.
Greg
So...two things. First, what do you think? Do you think the recall notice was clear? Do you think pet parents and retailers will know this recall included can kitten food?
Second, from this recall forward I'm asking all that can to visit your local pet food retail outlets after a recall is announced - with lot numbers and Best By dates in hand - to assure recalled foods are removed from store shelves. (I'll remind everyone when the next one happens.) If you find recalled food on the shelf - take a picture with your cell phone (if you can - to send to me), and ask for the manager of the store. Get them to remove this pet food from the shelf. With all of 'us' out there - this small effort could save some lives. As for the picture - you betcha - I'll post it on the site along with the name of the pet store that didn't remove the pet food promptly. Pet food consumers should know who isn't pulling recalled pet food from store shelves.
Wishing you and your pet the best,
Susan Thixton
Truth about Pet Food
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I work at an independent pet store - we have 3 stores in the DC area. I forwarded your email about the recall to our owners, and when I checked our stock, I checked kitten along with cat. It didn't occur to me until I read this post, that others mightn't have thought kitten was included in the recall. I was glad we were on top of the situation, so when our customers began asking about the recall, we could assure them that we'd pulled the affected lots, and everything on the shelf was safe.
Thank you for all the work you do - it's a huge help to all of us!
I also own a pet store. I naturally assumed when my rep stated ALL cat cans, that included kitten as that is ordered and inventoried under my wet cat foods. The company is also coming into my store taking care of it for me, so there are no questions as to which cans. It's not that difficult.
Sounds like the problem is that the professionals in the industry know that "cat" includes "kitten", but the average consumer doesn't necessarily know this. Obviously, if the average consumer needs to know to stop feeding or to return KITTEN food and they don't understand the inner workings of how pet food is catalogued at their local pet food store, the manufacturer needs to make it crystal clear that "cat" or "dog" food generally includes "kitten" or "puppy" food. I put this one on the manufacturer for not knowing their audience--they can't expect the average pet owner to read between the lines on this one. I wouldn't have automatically assumed that the recall included kitten or senior or some other diet either.
Sarah is correct: I had no idea that the recall of cat food included kitten food. I am getting disgusted and am seriously thinking of making my own dog and cat food at home. Perhaps this will also solve the allergies of my American Bull Dog.
I was just in my speciality pet supply today, they had pulled most of the Wellness canned - I saw the kitten food, and didn't even think to look for the date on the kitten food, thinking that it probably wasn't included in the recall - shame on me.
I didn't purchase any Wellness even tho' some cans were still on the shelf -
I purchase Wellness mostly for my cat that has tested FeLv - so far, he seems fine.
His response is BS. They did NOT announce the recall of kitten food. What kind of answer is "It is being pulled and tracked very closely." The recall stated CAT FOOD, NOT KITTEN FOOD. Why didn't he just fess-up and admit they made a mistake? Stupid question. Their website STILL says: Wellness Canned Cat. NO KITTEN FOOD. I want to scream! This is March 10th already. 10 days after the recall. How long does it take write a new press release? So help me, if I was a laywer...
Mollie, Kitten food is cat food. It is actually called 'Kitten Recipe'. It is really just a flavor in the line up.
Chad,
I doubt that most consumers would make that distingtion. And Wellness should never assume that their customers do either.
First of all, cats are NOT kittens.
Second, the recall notice is for canned cat food, specifically.The products in question are distinctly different formulas. The canned kitten food is called Wellness Kitten Recipe: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.asp...
Third, the recall notice (http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/letter.aspx) does not list the Wellness Kitten Recipe.
Fourth, when I called the Wellness recall telephone number, 1-877-227-9587, this morning, they told me "their Wellness Kitten Recipe food is NOT PART OF THE RECALL".
Fifth, their ommission of the Wellness Kitten Formula in their recall notice is negligence on the part of Wellness Natural Pet Food.
Sixth, the ignorance of the customer service employee of Wellness Natural Pet Food is a result of negligence on the part of Wellness Natural Pet Foods to adequately educate and inform their employees of the precise facts of the products included in their recall.
FYI. I'm the one who posted the comment that instigated this investigation and THANK YOU Susan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I called the hotline on March 1st and again on the @nd just to ne double sure because I lost a dear olf friend to tge melamine negligence fiasco. BOTH TIMES I ASKED FOR AND SPOKE WITH A SUPERVISOR AND WAS ASSURED THAT THE KITTEN WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE RECALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I continued to feed it to my 2 kittens for another 2 weeks until someone posted on a forum I belong to that the kitten was indeed included. I called back and spoke with the supervisor, Michelle Crittenden, who had given me these assurances. Her comment, "Yeah I thought of you when the kitten food was included..." ARE YOU KIDDING ME????????????? This company should be run out of business for their poor quality control and shodd business practices!!!!!!!I will never purchase anything "Wellness" again...Good grief the recall spans a 6 month period and they didn't even once test for thiamine??? You go ahead and purchase from them. Let me know how it works out for you when you spend a year and a half watching a family member die an agonizing death at the hands of "Wellness"...they should change their name to "Don't give a crap about your petness"...
OK, now that I've had a chance to calm down a bit I realize that all my typos above make me look rather dumb. I apologize for pounding out a reply and hitting send before I proofed it. I just am still so incensed that a) there even was a thiamine deficiency that goes back to complaints for over a YEAR before they looked into it b) that I paid absolute top dollar for a food that could have killed my kittens and c) that "Wellness" decided to lie about it initially. As I said before it is certainly up to the consumer to buy from them but you do so at your pet's peril I fear...There is nothing worse than having to watch a dear old friend be put down with your only child standing there watching his pet of 17 years, since he was a mere boy of 4, mourning a loss that didn't have to be because you put your trust in a bad company...entirely preventable...beyond unconscionable...
To generalize the recall under "Cat" food instead of being specific about individual categories including "Kitten" food is no doubt an attempt to minimize the scope of the issue. In other words to communicate the problem in as few words as possible. I noticed this happens with other recall situations. This "formula" is at issue....but other "formulas" aren't. As if they've isolated an issue per individual assembly line run. When the larger issue is actually one of generalized oversight, production standards and overall quality control at the highest level. Such companies are always in spin mode, trying to hurry through bad publicity to minimize negative exposure. When it is really their duty to be as comprehensive, thorough and supportive as possible. Kudo's to the company reps who apparently handled the problem for store owners. And larger Kudo's for Susan keeping "Greg" on top of his game. Making it clear that Petsumer's expect full disclosure and thorough communication! TAPF provides an invaluable service to everyone who couldn't possibly be in touch with all the subtlties involved in the pet food industry "lingo"!
It is, at the least blatant obfuscation...
I encountered another confusion. Core is also included in the recall. I thought of it only at the last moment as I gathered cans to return to my local independent store. They had to check their sheet as well ('oh, is that included too? Oh yes, there it is. Good call'). I see no reason to doubt the recall wording was a good faith effort to be clear and comprehensive. But after that headliner statement there should be a list of <i>exactly</i> what "all" includes. The pet store owners got such a list. Those who were exercising the option to return cans to our local stores needed the info. as well. On the Core cans "Core" is in big letters, Wellness in small print. Not obvious.
I own a small boutique store that only sells holistic pet food. Although I was very unhappy about the recall, Wellness did a great job of getting the news out and has already sent someone to pick up the food. There was never any doubt in my mind that kitten food would be included. Kittens are after all cats.
The written recall was clear as mud. Seems the reps were well-informed since they pulled the kitten food.
Of course kittens are cats, but their nutritional requirements aren't the same, isn't that why we feed kittens kitten food until they become adult cats?
I went to my local Petsmart yesterday, and, ALL Wellness canned food has disappeared. Does that mean that every item and every date is suspect? What's the real story?
Joy, my local Petsmart did the same. I think they just pulled it automatically to be sure none of the affected food was sold.
Normally I don't comment here, just read the blog and most of the comments, but this really takes the cake so I had to say something. The recall said all flavors and sizes of Wellness cat food. How is that not specific? If it's a canned cat food made by Wellness, within the 14APR13 - 30SEP13 date code range it's recalled. Do people really need a pet food company who is having a recall on their food in the first place spell it out that this means kitten/adult/senior, etc are all involved? Do these same people also get lost looking for the kitten food aisle in their local pet shop? Or do they have enough common sense to look for it in the 'cat food' aisle? Everyone here is arguing about semantics. As a cat owner myself, if I see a recall from the food manufacturer calling for all flavors and sizes of a brand of cat food to be returned, then I wouldn't even dream of taking the chance that the kitten formula is okay merely because it says kitten on the label. If you know that Core is just another name for a brand of Wellness food, would you really not think twice about feeding it knowing that, again, "all flavors and sizes" of Wellness canned cat food was recalled. Seriously, have we as a nation become so incapable of rational thought we can't think this through on our own or be held culpable for our own actions of continuing to feed a food just because we "assumed" it was okay?
AD,
Kudos to you for being such a smarty pants. However, a responsible company would NEVER assume the consumer makes such distinctions.
I'm happy for you that you understand the meaning of semantics, however, I would think it is possible that many American consumers are perhaps not as well educated as yourself, and would likely find difficulty in even describing the definition of the word, and to assume they do, shows a marked ommission in your education and intelligence.
The assumtion that the manufacturer makes in the consumers level of understanding is a grave mistake. Never assume, always be specific as possible to minimize damage to the company, the consumers and to the pets consuming their products: ethical business practices 101.
I think it is a tragic mistake, in this case, to blame the consumer for being unable to make these distinctions. It would be wiser to look to the company to assign blame. A company that makes it's profits from pet food would be conversant of the terms kitten, cat, puppy, dog; and I imagine they are aware how those distinctions are made in marketing their products.
The sudden apparent ignorance of these distinctions is, I suspect, not a failure of intelligence, but a more sinister explanation would be their attempt to minimize the impact of the recall by ommiting Wellness Kitten Recipe from their recall notice.
Deeper troubling is the failure of a Wellness customer service employee's knowledge that the Kitten Recipe is included in the recall. He stated: "the canned Kitten Recipe formula is not part of the recall."
Perhaps, he made the very same mistake that some consumers will make in the fundamental assumption that kitten food is different than cat food.
Wellness clearly has made a grave error in it's failure to adequately educate and inform it's employees. Further, this failure should be a realization that if their own employees make such a mistake that their customers could very likely as well.
I happen to know that several of us kitten owners called Wellness regarding the recall and were told that the Kitten Food was not included in the recall. So this is certainly not a matter of being "incapable of rational thought," just a matter of a company dispensing misinformation to its customers.
AD - It's good you're participating and all comments no matter what lead to further thought and and discussion. Please note what was said in #8 and #19 regarding how a company handles "damage control". That's the particular issue here.
This is one of the points being made by publishing the conversation (and followup) with Greg, the Wellness spokesperson. Sometimes it is difficult enough to find the "code range" or "lot numbers" of a recalled product whether human or pet. The first major step in a recall is for the Consumer to be made readily and most easily aware in order to prevent accidental use of the product on hand. By way of analogy, let's say the issue is E-Coil and it's a matter of your child or family being affected by recalled "hamburger". Wouldn't you want the most expeditious method of notification possible? Would you care if it was "lean cut" or "80% fat"? Or would you be happy enough to search through your freezer for the very specific "lot numbers" involved? And then still feel confident enough about using (in the shorter term) that brand in general? Would you be that tied to "brand loyalty" after that kind of mistake? I think not.
Regarding this issue, in some cases it could be the Consumer no longer has the can(s) with the code range depending upon the time that elapsed since first notification. So a Consumer is going to need as much help as possible in the obvious recognition of any formula(s) or products affected. Why should a Consumer be expected to make any assumptions in the first place? Meaning isn't it the company's responsibility to be as explicit as is necessary in order to extend the most caution into the Consumer's awareness?
In this case if somebody is (lucky enough to be) reading a store notice quickly or hearing something second hand and only "Cat" food is mentioned, maybe "Kitten" food doesn't ring a bell for them. But why be critical of an owner who just doesn't make all the connections somebody else might, who is being affected by a recall made by a company they have obviously trusted?
It's more than a matter of semantics or production codes being published. It's about that so-called trusted pet food company being MORE concerned about their customers than their IMAGE! I venture to say there wouldn't even be as much disclosure as is happening now in this market place (compared to 2007) if it weren't for the vigilant pet owners (such as those involved with TAPF and others) who keep up the pressure on these companies, and force their hand!! Do we not remember the times when recalled food mysteriously "disappeared" off the shelf without any comment to the public? Occurring in some stores but not all stores?? And that without that published written notice involved, then who's to say how complete a recall would even be?
This time it might be about a non-life threatening issue, and regarding a more trusted company than another. But the real point is about overall pet food safety PERIOD, and no conglomorate company especially with the huge advertising budgets they have deserve any "slack" in their quality control and customer relations efforts. Kudos for making the point using "Greg of Wellness" as the example!
I have to agree with you. Kitten food is cat food. It said all. I even had some outside the best buy dates, and I took that back. Not trusting them quite yet to have it all figured out. I went through the horrible pet food recall, so when I see a recall, I am not feeding my pet that brand until I feel like the company has had time to fix things and figure out the scope of it. That is experience speaking.
When a manufacturer needs to run a recall, I want them to be thorough. I want them to word the recall so there's no ambiguities. They should be clear enough so that morons and geniuses alike understand which products are included in their recall. It's very simple to say cat food dated whatever has been recalled, this includes (or does not include) our kitten formulas. Done, over, clear.
If we stocked the kitten formula at the independent store I work at, I'm sure we would have pulled it. Kittens are cats, as mentioned, just young cats. The grain-free foods are good for ALL ages, as cats in the wild eat the same food once weened off of their mothers from kittenhood thru their senior years. For what it's worth, we naturally checked the Core cans as well, since they are Wellness cat cans.
Either way, perhaps Wellness should have been a little more specific, just to cover their butts a little better.
What ticks me off is I heard about the recall HERE before we heard from our rep. I called one of my bosses and she called the rep to find out if it was true!
Hello All - I own an independent pet supply store, and it seemed very clear to us that all Wellness cans for cats (as opposed to dogs) all formulas and sizes were recalled. As soon as we pulled all of our Wellness cans from those dates, I started calling every customer who had bought wellnes cans, including kitten and Core. Most importantly, I'd like to say that someone hired by Wellness to manage the recall has visited our store twice to check all of the cans on our shelf to make sure we've done it correctly, and to make sure there was an accurate count of the # of recalled cans we found. Though I would not expect that stores like Petco would have the ability to call their consumers individually, I would be very surprised if any stores had expired cans on their shelves, due to this presence in the store by the people Wellness has hired to manage this recall.
It was clear to me that Wellness was recalling ALL canned cat food. They even said they were doing that in order for it not to be confusing for customers. I knew that the pouches were not being recalled. This was mentioned on many blogs and message boards too. If anyone was confused they should have just called Wellness Customer Service.
Which resulted in lies and obfuscation! It took 2 weeks for them to reluctantly and very quietly acknowledge that the kitten was included after telling me during 2 different conversations that it most certainly was NOT included. Fat lot of good it did me! I fed it for another 2 wekks. Deal with them at your pets own risk!!
I called Wellness several times upon news of the recall on 2/28 and WAS TOLD 3 TIMES THAT THE KITTEN FOOD WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. Then I happen to call Wellness back about a week later because they sent me the wrong reimbursement coupons and I mentioned that I was glad the kitten formula was okay cuz that's primarily what I feed, and the lady tells me the kitten formula was added to the recall on March 2nd!
WHAT KIND OF CLARITY IS THAT?!
Why did different reps tell me different stories, i.e. LIES? I have lost trust in the company and will be looking for a different food to feed my beloved kitties.
I am just SO very appreciative of the people (Susan!) who have made this wonderful website and information sharing possible. There is lots of energy, time, and dedication that goes into this project (truth about pet food) and without it, I don't know what I would do. A BIG thank you to Susan, and all the other subscribers, for being here to help! With Gratitude, Noelle
(PS- Wellness most certainly should have specified the Kitten food as being part of the recalled products!!!)
I called Wellness again, the WellPet Voluntary Recall Line 1 877-227-9587, and the lady answering the phone didn't immediately know whether in fact the Kitten Formula was included in the recall or not. She excused herself while she shuffled through some papers, and said "Oh yes, it appears it is", surpised. She said there is only one recalled, a 3 oz. can UPC (code) 0763344088615. She didn't realize Wellness only makes one kitten formula, until I told her so. I asked her if it was clear to her that the kitten formula was included in the recall (according to their press release) and she agreed with me that it was not clear.
I told her when I called the day before yesterday the man said the kitten formula was not part of the recall and she said (and I qoate) "Oh God, don't ask the men around here about something, they don't know anything!" I kid you not.
I then asked her if the UPC codes were on the recall notice, (because I wanted to see if she knew they weren't), and she said she didn't know and I said, "Don't you have the recall notice on your monitor?" "No, I don't, I'll have to Google it." I swear to you. Then I gave her their website for their press release and she said, "Oh yah, I see that they don't have the UPC codes listed."
I then asked her to ask Wellness to please issue another press release to make it crystal clear to consumers who might be confused (as she was) and she agreed and added, "That is a very good idea."
Then she forwarded me to WellPet (1-800-225-0904), so I could tell them as well that they should issue a follow up press release. Unfortunately, I was only able to leave a message, as they had left for the day.
You tell me, do you think Wellness is asleep at the wheel? I have a sneaking suspicion the actual driver of their vehicle is in fact the lovable but loony cat Toonces! And you know what lousy driver he is! Common' who doesn't remember Toonces on SNL?
"Toonces the Driving Cat
The Cat who could drive a car.
He drives around
all over the town
Toonces the Driving Cat!"
In response to 7 and 18.
Mollie,
if you were a lawyer you wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
And I think Chad is right most consumers are smart enough to know that kittens are cats. It's not magic. So don't lump us all into some catagory b/c of your ignorence.
#25 - Absolutely an incredible statement. Unbelievable how people are so busily disagreeing on the trivial here, that the larger picture is getting totally side-lined. This always happens when pets and not people are involved.
Why?
If these recalls, mistakes, oversights, nutritional deficiences - whatever would make up a recall -was happening in the world of HUMAN Baby Food Production - then you bet the publicity would be all over the place! From the Evening News to Talk Shows to Morning Shows. Everybody would know exactly what brand, formula and date was at risk! Parents bringing sick kids into the doctors because of these products, particularly when not properly and thoroughly informed about the situation, wouldn't just be a matter of outrage - but of LAWSUITS.
So would that situation make for enough "leg to stand on" in a court??
This is in reply to EVERYONE: Guess what? You're both right. Also, if you have such passion (and free time) that you're willing to argue about the recall maybe you can harness that passion and read some other articles on this fabulous website. Maybe, like me, you'll find such good info that you'll come to the conclusion that wellness and every other brand are not the way to go (don't worry if you already shilled out for the petsumer report, the money still went to a good cause). Here's a great place to start: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/lets-ope... The first comment is packed with GREAT information!
♫I inferred by the "All flavors and sizes" that kitten formula was included, but I can see how some people might not realize it.
I think it would have been doable for them to say, "Discontinue feeding all flavors of canned cat and kitten food immediately." Just so there would be no confusion.
What raises an eyebrow moreso than the recall notice was how long it took for there to be a recall. One or two cans of this would not cause a vitamin deficiency that would lead to ill animals or, worse yet, dead animals. Wellness has a reputation of being one of the best commercial products. That reputation, I thought, had been well earned through attention to detail. No company or human is incapable of making a mistake and Wellness or any other brand isn't perfect and mistakes will happen. I just hope Wellness lets consumers know what changes they have put in place to hopefully lessen the chance of a long standing problem go undetected in the future.
When the 2007 recalls were happening, most companies clearly designated when it was a kitten formula. I dont see why Wellness couldnt have done the same. Im not a store owner so I dont know if they perhaps received a separate letter from the company that was more specific or not. Perhaps store owners understood that it included both adult cat and kitten food (which is how most cat food is designated) but for those people that had the food in their homes and werent sure, Wellness most certainly could have made it clearer. But to me, either way, it still doesnt give me a warm, fuzzy feeling towards Wellness that others seem to have. The fact is they had to recall a food for a vitamin deficiency, the same vitamin deficiency that a couple of other PFC's had already recently had so testing for that should have been on their radar. All over their site they imply they test for these things, but apparently they really dont. Granted, they were good at getting out notice to people...months after the food was already sold and being consumed.
My kitten has had a preplexing syndrome of frightning symptoms. Depression and anxiety, hind weakness, crossed eyes, possible hallucinations and possible seizures etc.... I have pictures. It wazed and waned over a long period of time. When not ill, he was a totally different cat. For some reason, around the holidays when he got too much turkey, he improved a bit. Wellness told me that it sounded like thiamine deficiency. But it was from a malabsorption problem. Since kitten food was not involved. And that I could keep feeding it. Much more info, but I am keeping this short.
Then to make things worse, I never even got my money back. Instead of the mailer with a check, I got coupons for worthless Wellness food.
Hi Susan, first of all, thank you so much for all of your hard work and campaigning for the safety of our beloved pets! Secondly, I went to the FDA.gov website and looked at Pet Food recalls (updated as of March 14, 2011) and Wellness wasn't listed. I'm very aware of the recall and I'm sincerely hoping that I'm doing something wrong. Why would the FDA not include Wellness on the recall list? Is it because Wellness 'volunatarily' recalled their foods? I'm concerned that if one wanted an authoritative data source for all of the pet food recalls, the FDA isn't it. If someone could please let me know, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Hi Val,
The recall press release is on the FDA website here: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm245108.htm
But you are right as far as I can see - this recall is not listed on their all products recalled since March 2007 list - and it says it is updated. Ridiculous isn't it?
I was going to send a note to the FDA via their Consumer complaint portal to inquire as to why Wellness was not listed on their Pet Recall list. I know that you interact with several agencies and companies; therefore I wasn't sure if you had an FDA contact 'on the inside' where we could send this inquiry?
That is ridiculous... and scary. I don't know if the omission is just incompetency or deliberate. After the Wellness recall, I discovered your website and the wealth of information it contained! I'm just frustrated because I'm trying to find a canned food for my cat that isn't unhealthy, doesn't contain any red flag ingredients, and hasn't been on a recall. There don't appear to be too many of those out there and as one of many pet lovers, it is our responsibility to be advocates for what they eat and their health! That can be a frustrating thing to experience when the pickings of good quality food are so slim.. :(