I emailed Chicken Soup and this is part of the response I just received from one of the DVMs. The bold emphasis is mine:

"I would like to reassure you that none of the samples tested positive for melamine. American Nutrition used rice protein concentrate in this recipe without our knowledge or approval. The rice protein concentrate is under recall.

We do not have any reports of illness associated with the consumption of this food and we do not anticipate any since all testing has been negative."

So basically they have NO clue what's going into the food.

They need to get it together.
This is absolutley crazy and mind-boggling to try and figure out.

Yuko, I feel your pain with that lady. Especially when the benefits of raw were right in front of her. To switch back to kibble cause of a few words on a bag is just plain stupid. No nice way to put it, especially after one cat dead and another in the hospital cause of the kibble and the dog at the start of kidney failure. Just unbelievable. Can't wrap my head around that kind of "sense". More painful for you since you gave so much mentally and emotionally with all the info and help you gave.

You know, commercial dog food really hasn't been around that long. My husband's grandfather ran a truck farm on this same farm where we live now. He had a few hogs and calves and lots of hounds. He used cornmeal, vegetable/fruit leavings, whey, and sidemeat to boil up a big pan of dog slop once a week, and that's what they got fed every day, plus any scraps from game that might be killed and butchered. My husband remembers helping to make and feed it to the dogs. He says none of them seemed to ever get sick and they all lived well into their teens and mostly died of old age. Not saying that's a healthy diet, but it sure agreed with his hounds. When I was little, we always fed our dogs bones and scraps and things like that, eggs, gristle trimmed off meats, leavings from butchered game, stale bread ends, milk that was about to turn and such, and none of them were sick or allergic to anything. When I was about 12, my Mom started buying "store bought" dog food and thought that Purina was the best thing ever, because it was easy. I've never understood why vets say people food is not good for pets. As long as you leave off the gravy and spices, how could it not be?

 Quote: janice jarman

You know, commercial dog food really hasn't been around that long. ..... My mom thought that Purina was the best thing ever, because it was easy. I've never understood why vets say people food is not good for pets. As long as you leave off the gravy and spices, how could it not be?

You're right, of course. Milk Bone Biscuits came along in the 1800s, but dog food didn't become popular until after WWII.

Ken-L-Ration was the "pioneer," I think, but Purina changed the whole concept with kibble, baked and extruded and with fat sprayed on.... I guess to make it palatable to dogs who thought they should eat meat and other actual foods rather than this invention in a bag. (I am not saying that there are no excellent commercial foods these days; there are. But Purina's contribution was not -- and is not -- a good one, IMHO.)

And why people say that "people food" is bad..... well, the commercial manufacturers told us so. And they told the vets so. And they contributed heavily to the veterinary associations. And they spent zillions on advertising. And they hired people to do "research" for them, and publish it.

And then food was something that was so complicated and mysterious that only Purina and Hills could understand it.

People food -- OK, we are bright enough to figure that out.

But dog food -- no way can the average owner look at what dogs and wolves have evolved eating and feed the equivalent. This is a secret, given only to the chosen few who manufacture kibble.

BTW, this is not to minimize the learning curve. Since we do take over the diet of an animal who is no longer in a position to tweak his own diet instinctively, we DO have to learn some basic nutritional facts about them.

But we have.

For example, I consider many members of this forum to be FAR better educated about canine nutrition than most vets I have known.

Someone who wonders how to start feeding a fresh diet and what the basic requirements are does not have far to look, with books and web sites galore devoted to the subject.

Sad story, but good point, Yuko. If people are armed with knowledge and information and proven results, but then disregard or ignore them, I’m all for the ‘nah-nah-nah-nah-nah’ response when things don’t go as they should. It’s the people who don’t have access to good information and instruction that I worry about, and the fact that we, as lay people, have to fight the battle of nutrition against learned professionals who should know better. (And perhaps do, but don’t want to take the hit in their wallets.)

It’s a sad day in history when a catastrophe like this has to happen before some people can and will acknowledge a problem, learn from it, and then accept an alternate, and much healthier, solution.

Soldier on, my friend – if only one of your contacts follows your advice, you’re ahead of the game.

I read someone's comments elsewhere that helped me look at this whole issue with a little different perspective.

All of us have had a lifetime of learning about our food, diet and nutrition. We learned from mom and dad, school, medical studies and surveys, frequent reports on the news, TV, etc., and it's still ongoing. By now, we have a basic understanding of what good nutrition should be, even though there are still many differing opinions, arguments, disagreements and new discoveries - and they still sell 500,000,000 Twinkies every year!

But canine nutrition? What did I know about a dog's anatomy and dietary needs? Like most people, Nada! The dogs certainly weren't able to offer us any help either. So, until just a few ago, I was like all the kibble feeders, thinking I was doing the right/healthy thing. As we know, people who, out of either necessity or concern for their animals, have become raw feeders or prepare their own dog food have spent a lot of time and energy trying to provide the healthiest diet possible - and we keep working at it. Yeah, you don't have to look far for good books, web sites and other info sources and I think a few pet owners will join our ranks. But, as Carol said, "This is absolutely crazy and mind-boggling to try and figure out" so most people won't take the time to figure it out and will take the easy way out and pick up a different brand of kibble that's "safe" and move on.

Mike

This link was just sent to me...apologies if it's a repeat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/business/worldbusiness/30food.html?ex=1178596800&en=bd11a0515fdadadf&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Thanks, Amber. That is a great article.
Lisa