As usual, the first announcement of a recall is usually not the last. The Nature’s Variety raw dog and cat food recall I announced earlier has been expanded to all bags of raw chicken and organic chicken with Best By dates of 2/5/11 or earlier. My dog has just finished an entire bag of the chicken diet–his first time eating the raw food–and has showed no adverse reactions.

Unopened bags and empty opened bags may be returned for a full refund or replacement. Members of the Nature’s Variety e-mail list also received coupons for $3 off any bag of raw diet, $3 off any kibble, and $1 off any two cans.

In positive news regarding this recall, Nature’s Variety is, as of late 2009, using a High Pressure Pasteurization on all raw frozen diets. This unique process kills pathogenic bacteria through high-pressure, water based technology. Recalling the foods that were made prior to this process went into effect will ensure that all Nature’s Variety products on the shelves will have been manufactured with this safe, new process.

Visit Nature Variety’s web site to read the entire press release, posted today.

I am very saddened to report that my favorite pet food company, Nature’s Variety, has initiated a voluntary recall.

This recall only involves their raw medallions, patties, and chubs, and is due to possible contamination of salmonella.

The only products affected are limited to Chicken flavored food with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10. This includes:

* 3 lb chicken medallions (UPC# 7 69949 60130 2) with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10
* 6 lb chicken patties (UPC# 7 69949 60120 3) with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10
* 2 lb chicken chubs (UPC# 7 69949 60121 0) with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10

My cat Charlie just finished a bag of Nature’s Variety Raw Chicken Medallions two days ago. I do not know if the “Best If Used By” date matched, but Charlie showed no negative symptoms while eating the food. He is currently eating the Rabbit and Venison flavors and will continue to eat them for the time being. I believe in this company.

Read the official press release here.

My friendly local Nature’s Variety sales rep turned me on to this great coupon for Nature’s Variety Raw food for dogs and cats! “Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Diets are formulated like the ancestral diet with 95% meat, organs, and raw ground bone, and with wholesome fruits and vegetables.”

Click here to register at their web site to receive a coupon in your email for buy one get one free of their 3 pound bag. This is a great deal!

There is also a coupon to try Nature’s Variety’s all new Sweet Spots, natural frozen ice cream treats for dogs. Get a free carton when you buy any holistic diet from Nature’s Variety.

Enjoy!

Nutro pet food is again being investigated by the FDA following TWO YEARS of reports of sickness and death in pets being fed the “premium” food.

For many of us, trying to figure out those pet food labels is liking trying to read a foreign language. You recognize a few words, figure those sound good, and give it a go. “Oh, Chicken, that’s good. Whole grains? Sounds great!” I fed my pets Nutro for years after I could no longer afford to feed them Innova and California Natural. I figured feeding them one of the higher priced brands available at a place like PetSmart would more than suffice. After all, before PetSmart and premium pet foods came along, pets did fine on Purina and Friskies.

I even ignored the first round of pet food recalls in 2007. My pets seemed fine, I trusted Nutro. The girl I had gotten my dog from had fed him Nutro, too. I simply read the labels and cross-referenced with “tainted product” lists with dates and continued to buy the food once I knew the shelves had been cleared of anything dangerous.

But late in 2007, my two cats started vomiting more and more often. Once a week became twice a week. Twice a week became every other day. When every other day became daily, I started doing my research. It didn’t take much forum and blog reading to get me to throw out ALL my Nutro food and go back to truly premium pet food.

All my pets have been off Nutro for over a year now. The minute I switched my cats, the vomiting ended for one of them. For the other, it took a switch to raw food to end his vomiting and diarrhea. The dog had only vomited once while on Nutro, thankfully. We were the lucky ones. Many have lost their pets to mysterious symptoms and quickly escalating illness.

If you’re looking for a new food you can rely on, I highly suggest Nature’s Variety–which makes canned, raw, and dry–and Wellness. There are many other safe foods out there, but chances are you won’t currently find them at PetSmart or your local grocery store.