Organic Pet Food Brand Joins the Recall List

Natural Balance, one of the organic, natural pet food companies that has grown in popularity since the Menu Foods pet food recall, announced today a recall of its Venison and Green Pea flavor dry cat food, and its Venison and Brown Rice dry dog food.The company said it has received reports of pets vomiting and developing kidney trouble from a particular production lot of these food and tells customers on their website to discontinue feeding these foods immediately. Natural Balance said it does not know what the problem with the food is, and that they have no business dealings with Menu Foods. Natural Balance says that no other varities of the pet food they make are affected, including all canned foods.

Since the Menu Foods scandal natural foods and organic foods have become the top choice of pet owners, who are scrutinizing their pets food more closely. Many are also turning to homemade and raw food diets. Vets urge people to think carefully before turning to a homemade or raw diet, since it can be very difficult for someone not trained in pet nutrition to ensure that the food is nutritionally balanced and will not damage their pet's health. Pet owners should never give their pets exclusively human food like baby food, meat, or milk.

A recent survey by the major pet retailer PETCO showed that nearly half of pet owners are now more likely to look at pet food ingredients before making a purchase. Many pet owners switched to foods like Natural Balance assuming that they would be safer for their pets than other major brands. With new brands being recalled practically everyday, it's difficult to know what exactly is safe to feed your pet.

At the time of the recall, the Chicago Tribune reported that executives of major pet food manufacturers were meeting at a pet food conference in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont. The conference is closed to the public, but more than 900 representatives of major and independent pet food manufacturers are confirmed to attend. The Menu Foods incident and the ever-expanding recalls are sure to be the most discussed topic at the conference. A seminar scheduled for the last day of the conference will specifically address the recall. It's called: "Traceability: What Do You Do when Something Goes Wrong?"

Veterinarians estimate that as many as 3,000 pets have died as a result of eating tainted food, and the FDA has logged over 12,000 complaints from angry pet owners. Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois is calling for legislation to ensure better oversight by the FDA of the pet food manufacturing industry.