Diamond Dog Food - Liver Damage?
Quote: EDITOR'S NOTE:: CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CURRENT DOG FOOD RECALL:
Please read the following article from CNN's website headlines. Any comments? Maybe I am over-concerned, but I use Diamond dog food. Does anyone else? COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) -- Caring for her ailing 9-year-old chow has taken over Shanika Stewart's life. Cocoa must be force-fed with a syringe six times a day since suffering permanent liver damage after eating contaminated dog food. "I haven't had any time to do anything but take care of her," said Stewart, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of South Carolina. "She's the No. 1 priority ... I get maybe four hours of sleep before she wakes me up." Through relocations from Army bases in Georgia, Oklahoma, Washington and now South Carolina, Cocoa has been a constant companion for Stewart, whose father is serving in Iraq. When her own daughter died last year, Stewart said Cocoa helped her through her grief. "It was like she understood," Stewart said. "She was my best friend." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that at least 76 dogs nationwide are believed to have died as a result of eating contaminated Diamond Pet Foods. Diamond officials say they are doing what they can to help affected pet owners. "It's going to take some time to take care of all these customers, and we're going to do it," said the company's chief operating officer, Mark Brinkmann. The company has recalled 19 varieties of dog and cat food because tests showed high levels of aflatoxin, a naturally occurring toxic chemical that comes from a fungus found on corn and other grains that causes severe liver damage in animals. The company recalled products manufactured at its Gaston, South Carolina, plant from around September to November 2005. Based on sample testing, Diamond has narrowed down the exposure to food produced on October 11, Brinkmann said Thursday. The FDA and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture have launched investigations. Stewart's other dog, a 2-year-old pit bull named Chulo, died last month just hours after being diagnosed with liver failure. It was only then that the family learned of the recall. Stewart initially thought Cocoa had refused to eat because she was depressed about losing Chulo. After the recall, the family vet confirmed aflatoxin poisoning in Cocoa, Stewart said. Initial confusion Steve Shrum, president of the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians, said vets around the state were confused when puppies began showing signs of liver problems usually seen in older dogs. "It takes such a small amount, and there's pretty much nothing you can do with the process that will inactivate that toxin once it gets in the food supply," he said. Diamond has promised to reimburse pet owners for vet bills and other costs associated with the aflatoxin poisoning, which officials now believe may include pets in Europe and other areas outside the country where the food is distributed. The company set up a call center staffed with veterinarians. The call volume peaked at about 2,000 calls a day last week, Brinkmann said. Stewart says she has not spoken with anyone at the company despite several calls. The family has filled out an online form explaining their situation. "You don't get anybody to talk to and tell your story," she said. "It's like they're not concerned. To me, it's like they're saying, 'Oh well, we'll get to it when we get to it.'" Brinkmann was sympathetic. "We're going as fast as we can," he said. "I grieve with her, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure we can do right by her." |
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| It is real and it is serious. There were at least two prior discussions of this issue. . . . |
| Where are the discussions? I use Diamond and want to know if I should stop. I live in Ohio. Does anyone here use Diamond? |
| Okay, being somewhat new to the forum I had no idea. I found a related topic post under this subject, and then found that Ohio was affected. Any ideas on what dog food to switch to? |
| In Rochester NY there have been many deaths of dogs, some lost a whole kennel. I would get in touch with Diamond and see if the food you use is one. The the home page here has a list of them, so first look there .Stop useing it now. Call your vet and ask for help. |
hoffma wrote: Where are the discussions? I use Diamond and want to know if I should stop. I live in Ohio. Does anyone here use Diamond?
Here's one: http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=6063 Here's another: http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=5959 |
| FYI...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 215126.htm Diane...not willing to take a risk>>>pitch the Diamond  in the trash |
| I don't want to take any chances. Can anyone recommend a dog food I can switch to without upsetting his stomach? He just began a dog food diet a month ago (he was a rescued stray). He needs to put on some pounds, he is thin. All your help is appreciated! |
| I understand your not wanting to upset his stomach, but I'd still settle for that over liver damage and possibly death. Drez gets Eukanuba and we've always been satisfied with it. Our prior dog ate Nutro Lamb and Rice and that worked well too. Monty will have to get used to something new, bottom line.
There was just an article in our local newspaper about a family who just lost their 5 year old dog to liver damage from Diamond products. Spent a boatload of money on many vets and meds, and even took the dog to Cornell Univ to their veterinary school for treatment, to no avail. Check with your vet for more food advice, but do it NOW!! Chris |
| we used nutro max for Max when he was alive and Marley's breeder recommended their puppy food - we are very happy with it as long as they get enough exercise not to get overly heavy.
There have been many deaths due to diamond food here in the ALbany area of New York as well. |
| I use Nutro and as you may gather from the other discussion re "2 delicate issues", I am very happy with it. |
Don't get me wrong, I am throwing that dog food away when I get home and I'm super steamed about it. I'll take Monty on a little trip to the pet store and we will find some good dog food. I've written down the suggestions so I know what to look for. Monty has a doctor appointment on Thursday so I will talk with the vet about this issue as well. He has some symptoms....I just pray they are from being a stray and not something worse from that crappy dog food  Please keep your fingers crossed and pray for the best!! |
| Definitely! I will be thinking of you both. I would call your vet sooner than Thursday's appointment. If he has symptoms, there may be something you can do right away to help the situation from getting worse. I guess I would treat this as urgent and not wait. |
| That is a good point...I'll give them a call. |
| If it's involved in the recall (based on the date code on the bag) don't pitch it, take it back to the store for a refund.
If it isn't in the recall, it's up to you if you want to feed it or pitch it... Here's a good link to send to everyone you know who might be affected: http://www.oes.org/page2/5959~Know_of_a ... _Food.html I am tracking how many people visit this page.. right now it's around 20 visitors per hour, maybe more. 130 today so far. |
| Ron, can you find the post that had the poll on what food everyone is using? I can't find it, I'm not very lucky with the search engine. Hoffma might find that helpful.
We've had a number of posts about brands of food, and there are many good options. Bailey eats Iams Large Breed and does really well on it. |
| http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=1311 |
Thank you Ron and Valerie!!!  |
| Also, when going to the petstore, make sure you don't get one of Diamond's other brands. From reading the article, there were several foods listed that didn't have Diamond in it, so you might want to write them down if you go. All the food has been recalled, though, as far as I know, so the stores shouldn't be selling the potentially contaminated food at this point, but you can never be too safe... |
| I just received the following email & asked to crosspost... Diane...so very disturbing 8O ********************************************* [realdobermanlovers] Diamond Foods update I don't know if this group has been paying attention to the Diamond food problem, but felt I had to post this as it was asked that we pass it on. I know of a couple of breeders in South Carolina that have lost so many dogs the last two years. They have been feeding Diamond foods from the plant in question. PERMISSION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO CROSSPOST THIS - PLEASE READ: URGENT UPDATE ON DIAMOND DOG FOOD AND ANIMAL DEATHS Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 9:12 AM Subject: DIAMOND DEATH ON DOG TODAY...PLEASE PASS ON Today, an Alaskan Malamute that I had rescued and fostered DIED today and he literally did BLEED OUT! This 2 year old dog ate Diamond Premium mixed with Diamond Puppy form the dates that I have purchase receipts on, the dates were Nov.24th and the last bag bought was the Dec.13th. Once I personally knew about the recall this dog and 2 others were taken off the food, I immediately told my vet, she told to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, but she did say there would be little if anything I could do, cause once it destroys the liver, well it is over...So from the 13th on, he has been on Diamond Lamb and Rice, supposedly unaffected, well I am not so sure now, anything from the Gaston, SC plant is safe! He has for the pass week been under the weather, was taken in by his new owner to my vet, where the owner is also a vet tech, well last Thursday seems like he was developing pneumonia, so was given antibiotics for that, seem to be well otherwise..On Friday morning, Yesterday, he literally bled from both ends all over the house, so bad, that carpets in two rooms will have to be rolled up..I drove his body to the SC STATE VET where all the cases should go, whole bodies is best, he is CASE 296 and 2 more coming in on Saturday. So I beg everyone not to believe Diamond that there is not many DEATHS or cases nationwide, in fact he is 4115 case NATIONWIDE... And to pass the word on to QUIT!!! Any Food coming from that Gaston, South Carolina plant, whether recalled or not!!! I now could loose 2 more, maybe, my Catahoulas ate the same Premium as this dog did, but seem fine so far, but tests will tell, and I can only hope that Catahoulas are a BREED APART from other dogs...I am thankful, I could of lost many, dear, dear dogs to me here, cause at one time, years ago I fed Diamond to everyone here, but quit, when my dogs from no reason had upset stomachs and I could not get them over it..So everyone here, which is 12 dogs, including one rescue eats Candidae, and I can only keep my fingers crossed for my Catahoulas...who since Dec. 13th have been eating Candidae.... Will be up to ten days before all results are back, due to the many cases at the State Vets HeadQuarters, but he did tell me that as little as ONE SERVING can kill a dog, and once it destroys the animals' liver and its ability to clot and the factors, there is NOTHING you can do! Nothing!!! I feel horrible this happened to a dog and a wonderful dog, that had been through so much, had a new wonderful family and now at the age of 2 years is dead, just like that!! Will post any results, when I know any, myself, may be awhile.... PLEASE CROSS POST TO ANYONE OR ANY GROUPS Melissa Weatherford Ksarahs Alaskan Malamutes |
| This is so heartbreaking |
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Hoffma - I used to feed London Diamond for a while (his breeder used it) and for some reasons, I noticed that London was fussy when it comes to dinner time so i switched over to Nutro (london has sensitive tummy too). Nutro comes in pretty colors!  |
| Oh Diane... how horrible. |
| FYI
I just received this note...maybe this info will help someone! Diane...please feel free to crosspost Canine Cadre e~Newsletters and Announcements Canine Cadre - Where the Dog Comes First! Pet Food Recall Greetings Friends and Pet Lovers, On December 20th, 2005 Diamond pet foods announced a food recall due to the presence of Aflatoxin in several of their diets which is thought to have resulted in 18 dogs becoming ill and 23 dogs to have died. They have recalled 19 varieties of dog and cat food. Aflatoxin is a poisonous naturally occurring chemical produced by fungi that grow on grains including corn, and can cause severe liver damage. Aflatoxin poisoning can cause sluggishness, a lack of appetite, vomiting, fever and jaundice. We have had many pet owners who have been feeding these recalled diets ask us and our retailers what they can do nutritionally and homeopathically to help protect and detoxify their four footed family members. Because the main organ affected is the Liver we would recommend the following products: > Mega Pet Daily > Garlic Daily Aid > Super C2000 > Milk Thistle - Protects liver against environmental toxins, allergens, and circulating toxins from chemicals. > Skin & Liv-A-Plex - The first ingredient is Milk Thistle! However, it also contains herbal extracts that stimulate liver metabolism, improve fatty metabolism and blocked ducts, purifies the blood, combats bacterial growth, viral, fungal and yeast infection. Can also stimulate the immune system, reverse hormone imbalance, and may aid in skin and tissue repair. Helps improve coat condition. > D'Toxifier - This homeopathic helps with blood waste removal, can help build resistance to toxins and allergens in the environment and those ingested in many commercial diets. Helps to cleanse the liver and stimulate proper liver function. Thank you very much for helping us assure that dogs will always be safe, welcome and respected members of our community. |
| A co-worker of mine's nephew had a prize winning coon dog die a few weeks ago, before this article came out. He had no clue what the cause was, but has since been able to track his receipts and find that he had purchased Diamond Dog Food during the times listed in the article. He was feeding the Diamond mixed with a different brand to the others, so that seems to have kept them from getting sick. Good luck to anyone who might have been feeding this product. |
| Hi Diane!
I've been reading about Milk Thistle and it's benefits for dogs with liver disease. Here's an article I came across... http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-ang ... histle.htm I hope this horrible ordeal ends soon for everyone involved. |
| here is the site about the recall it probably been posted before but i can't hurt ot post it again
www.diamondpetrecall.net i hope it helps zoe and einy |
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