What the Heck is That Thing in My Dog's Food?

Last week I opened a new can of food for Rosa--Evangers chicken drummetes.  I was startled to find a metal clip wedged deep into the chicken. The good news is that the chicken may have been Kosher, the bad news is that this metal clip could have been in my dog's throat or tummy!

I emailed Evangers and this is how they responded:

 We apologize for this incident. Unfortunately, the supplier for some reason puts metal clips (instead of paper or plastic like other manufacturers) on the product to identify the manufacturer. They also “hide” it inside the elbow joint and then close it. Our hand packed people are on watch for these. It appears as if one has slipped through. I am certain that this is an extremely isolated instance. Fortunately you saw it before your dog tried to consume it. Honestly, I don’t think that your dog would have swallowed it. I know my dog spits out strange things like pills when I am trying to conceal it in his food.

Anyway, we appreciate that you took the time to notify us of your incident. We will use that information to modify and improve our quality and procedures.

Thanks again, and have a great day!

Huh? Your kidding, right?  What if someone found a pin in one of our toys. What if we said, "We use pins all the time when we sew. We must have missed that one. This hardly ever happens. Have a nice day" ?!  

Maybe Evangers should slow the processing pace so that workers have time to make sure 1 inch metal toothed clips do not end up in cans of their dog food? You think? 

I contacted the FDA via their consumer complaint line. Guess what?  No one called me back. Not a surprise. I am sure the FDA is overworked.  But, the FDA also has a history of dropping the ball when it comes to pet food and.. the future doesn't look much brighter.  Weak poorly regulated rules mean that the profit risk ratio is tipped-- why pay a tad more to prevent metal clips from winding up in your dog food when no one "important" cares anyway?

Events like this tend to reignite my paranoia, which goes like this: Very few people involved in manufacturing or regulating pet products actually care about our pets. Yes, they may show cute pictures on their websites and talk about their own pets but the profit margin is what actually counts-- first and foremost. Sadly this would be true no matter what the industry (even, gasp, products for children). But, regulators are trying with many of these industries, quite unlike the the gaping unregulated void in which the pet industry operates.

This is why I believe education matters tremendously. Be informed, search out new information, look beyond the glossy ads, and don't always listen to the experts.
They may be biased.
They may not be thinking of your pets.
They may be thinking of their wallets.  

So..what do you think?

Comments

[Pam Wheelock]

Hi Meagen, Yes they didn't seem very concerned. Luckily we started making homemade food for our pet companions so folk like Evangers can take a hike. In fact this incident with them is when I first started wondering about making our pets' food. It is a bit of work but worth it!

[Meagen Wilson]

How interesting - I found some weird string in one of our cans of Evangers, wrote to them - sent them a photo and got the same type of response you did!

[Jennifer P]

This is absolutely horrible. People should know about this and regulations should prevent this from happening. And the company...irresponsible beyond belief.

[Pam Wheelock]

Hi Tamara,
I will never buy Evangers again. That is for sure. Rosa is one of my dearest life companions. I am currently researching homemade but am feeding Wellness and raw until I get that piece worked into my schedule. Thanks for thinking of Rosa! Pam

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I would definitely submit it to Consumerist, and I would switch to a different brand of food too. I don't think I would have much faith in their food after a response like that!

Glad your dog is ok though :)

[Pam Wheelock]

Thanks Brian! I totally will first thing tomorrow.

[Brian]

You should submit this to Consumerist. They publicize stuff like this to a wide audience.

http://consumerist.com/

It is owned by Consumer Union, same ppl who produce Consumer Reports.