Some concerning pictures and information has been shared with TruthaboutPetFood.com by a pet owner in California. Numerous cans of Merrick Cat food (from two cases) appear to have a canning problem, the pet owner found mold covering the food.
Kitty Mom Michelle G. contacted TruthaboutPetFood.com with a concern over mold found in numerous cans of Merrick Cat Food purchased from Petflow (an online pet food provider). In speaking with Michelle, she shared that not all the cans seemed to have a problem. “Some of the cans opened fine and the pet food looked pink and normal. But some of them didn’t seem to be sealed properly, there was no vacuum seal noise when it opened – there was a dead sound.”
With the cans in question, the pet food varied in amount of mold that covered the food – some “had worse mold than in the picture” (below). And some of the cans in question, the pet food had no mold but appeared brownish (instead of pinkish meat appearance).
The pet food cans from Michelle’s cases are…
Merrick BG Chicken Grain Free Cat Food
5.5 ounce cans
Best By dates are: 14 Mar 14
Lot number: 12074 CL2 20473 1203
Michelle has reported this to Merrick, Petflow, FDA, and tomorrow (when offices open) her State Department of Agriculture will be notified. Several of the moldy cans of pet food are now in her freezer (double bagged) in hopes the FDA or State will want to do testing. The rest of the case of pet food is also being held for testing. She stated she will keep us advised on the investigations of each party.
Thanks to Michelle for sharing her story with us – and for reporting this to authorities and to Merrick and the retailer. When/if more is learned, it will be posted.
Note: Always closely examine and smell your pets food before feeding. If anything appears not to be normal – if it doesn’t look the same or smell the same – do not feed it to your pet. Always keep the packaging (can or bag) until you are certain your pet has not/will not suffer an adverse event from the food. The FDA or State Department of Agriculture will not investigate without the packaging (this includes cans).
Follow up from Merrick (posted after original publishing): Merrick Customer Service has contacted this pet owner. Michelle (pet owner) shared she felt Merrick was “concerned” over this issue. Customer Service Representative Cindy suggested any pet owner with concerns or questions should contact Merrick at 1-800-664-7387.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
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Over the last 6 months about 6 times when I open Merrick’s Cowboy Cookout small can, only 1/3-1/2 of the can will be filled. The food seems fine but yes even with Cowboy Cookout Merrick is having canning problems.
Llesie:
Hi, I think Merrick (cowboy cook out) formula has changed. It seems alot thicker and less appealing to my boys. The ingredients are not the best.
I’m switching to Great Life cans and Acana dry.
I’m sure I have two winners with these prducts.
Janet
I too, as well as others, have many times found Merrick cat food cans not completely filled with food, but with liquid. For quite a long time. This is especially galling, considering this is a so-called “premium” food and generally about $1.50 or more for the standard 5.5 oz. can. Upon complaint, a Merrick representative tells us that these cans are from “the end of a run” of a certain food. That may be so, but it is inexcusable that the product be allowed to be shipped and sold as if the cans were “full.”
The cans in the pictures above are dented, there is always a risk with dented cans that the seal has been broken. This can cause mold and other bacteria to grow in the can. The problem seems more like a shipping problem than a canning problem to me. I used to work at a natural pet food store and any cans that got dented in transit never even made it onto our shelves for this very reason.
That can is barely dented. A dent like that (should not) compromise the seal. It states in the article that there were several cans were bad.
Not so sure this is a canning problem given the obvious denting on the bottom of the can. I frequently order from pet food websites and sometimes receive sightly dented cans. In my experience, it only takes a small dent and a small puncture to create something like this. I rarely use anything with a visible dent, but when I do, I definitely listen for the “pop.”
I pretty much dropped Merrick from my offerings in my shop several years ago. I certainly scrutinize large manufacturers for obvious reasons, and prefer smaller providers, like myself. I have to say this… These manufacturers cut corners and the actual cans that products are canned in are totally inferior to cans of the past… and with the normal handling/shipping efforts… I get SO many damaged cans in a shipment as well as residues on the outside of the product (which are incurred at the plant). Handling is an extreme problem. And if damage is not visible to those that stock the new product, mold ensues. My suggestion~ just feed a species appropriate raw diet. Google it. Contact me. My motto: I would be happy to not have one piece of kibble in my shop. Please consider feeding raw… But be sure you know how to do it correctly!
what raw would you suggest?
I would definitely recommend Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw. My dog has been on it for years and is healthier and happier than he ever was before.
I feed my dog Bravo Balance in the 6 pound chub. Great price, a little inconvenient. My wife feeds her 2 small old dogs Instinct Medallions. One is a 17 year old obnoxious Shih Tzu that was almost put down at age ten because he was suffering from health issues and we were feeding the best dry food. I have also fed Primal, Vital Essentials, Natures Logic, Stella And Chewy. All feed exceptionally well. I have seen many health problems cured when a pet is changed to a raw diet.
Don’t know if you live near where there is a weekly farmer’s market. We have a bunch of cats and feed them beef organs from our local farmer’s market. Fortunately, we know the small mom & pop outfit. The organs are liver and heart, (good for cats), and packaged in one – one ½ # pkgs and is $4/ a pound, (which is cheaper than canned food or other frozen petfood). We put in the freezer until needed and slice it up half-defrosted. They go wild for it. Some come back later when it is more defrosted. I am a vegetarian and my daughter is a vegan, so this was hard to do at first, but now just do it without being too squeamish. BTW they would NOT eat liver from the chain grocery store!
For more “balance” they have Nature’s Logic kibble or canned (too expensive for us). Our favorite is Honest Kitchen, (Prowl variety), from the vet. You can also order online. It’s a raw-dehydrated food that you mix with warm water so it is thick soup. Our cats love it. We would rather have Honest Kitchen instead of the kibble. Haven’t done the math yet…
Do the math. I do a column called The Pet Scoop in an online news source for Fayetteville AR called the Fayetteville Flyer. One of my columns was trying to inform people that the price on the bag or can has nothing to do with nutrition. Example: Beneful Healthy Weight $29.99 for 30# bag feed 4 cups per day for 50# dog
Nutrisource Grain Free chicken formula $48.79 for 30# bag. The cost to feed a 50# dog is exactly the same. 4 cups Beneful and 1 3/4 cups Nutrisource. annual cost for both $262.80. Except one is corn based and the Nutrisource is chicken based. You are purchasing nutrition. Make sure you get your monies worth
I wish more would be said about cost. It’s a myth that the cheapest commercial food is a bargain considering the fillers and by-product left for yard cleanup. Looking at the real cost benefit might be one final way to help convince people to move away from commercial. I spend $30 month on PURE, unadultered non-fat (pasture raised beef & organic chicken). Both come from a major national chain. Also $4 on Oatmeal, $8 for (wild range) eggs, $4 Sweet Potatos, $4 Fruits & Veggies, $4 on (lactose-free) Kefir/Yogurt. Total is $60 a month or $2 a day to feed TWO medium sized dogs a worry free food with virtually 100% nutrition. I spend a couple hours once a month and freeze the meat and veggie/fruit mix. The rest is added fresh or by the week. I could also alternate (every other month with a raw diet too). Premium canned food costs about $2.29 at the least and it’s a lot of moisture and heat pressurized cooked ingredients. A 26lb bag of premium dry food is $70 and would last 2 months (yes, that’s true) but how much artificial supplementation are they getting??
Please be careful about how much liver you feed. You can easily cause Vitamin A overdose.
It shouldn’t be more than 5% of the total diet. After all, the liver is about 5% of a whole animal. In the wild, they’d never get more than one livers worth per kill.
It’s great to feed real meat, but we have to try to mimic a balanced diet.
10% organ meats overall is great, and you can treat hearts like muscle meat (they go into the other 90%).
In case you can’t see the website I linked to above, here it is again: http://www.catnutrition.org/recipes.html We’ve been making the real bones recipe for over 3 years now with our cats (using 1 can of Libby’s canned pumpkin instead of the psyllium per batch), and they all do great on it–healthy teeth, coats, eyes, weights, and blood/urine/stool labwork. lab work doesn’t lie, and I’ve convinced our skeptical vets on the benefits of raw, for (disclaimer) at least our cats.
We order our raw supplies from https://www.hare-today.com/ a small family-run farm in Pennsylvania. We then thaw the tubes and cut up the hearts and livers and mix them in my food processor with the eggs and vitamins (sourced locally). Hare-Today has a limited shipping zone, so depending on where you are, Google sites in your shipping area. It takes me about an hour every other week to make enough for 2 weeks for 4 cats. I’m sure it’s a bit more expensive than canned in the long run, but I like knowing exactly what my cats are eating. And the cats all love licking all the bowls/cutting board, etc…so cleanup is pretty easy!
If you don’t want to go raw, we’ve also done well on canned Evo 95% chicken/turkey, which we use when we’re on vacation, to make it easier for our petsitter vs. defrosting the containers. Good luck!
Penny, as per Bill in this blog. He suggested
OC RAW. Read his reply. He is SPOT ON. He also owns pet food stores. I’m still doing Acana dry with the OC Raw.
Sue, I would love for you to educate me about raw foods! I’ve been reading about it, but it seems overwhelming to begin such a new way of eating for my seven-year-old dog. Where do I begin???? Thanks!
I’m not the person to whom you addressed your question, but can say that the very easiest way to begin is with The Honest Kitchen’s Preference which allows you to add your own protein source. Keep in mind that it can either be (totally) raw (though I would stay away from retail store hamburger in this form) preferring beef chunks. Or it can be minimally processed such as baked stew meat. Baked just long enough for safe handling (10 min.) yet remains nutritious enough for your dog(s). It depends what part of the country you’re in, but Costco has good deals on stew meat. I do cook the chicken (because personally I just can’t handle raw chicken), and get only the organic at Costco. Rinse it off real well and bake. The reason commercial raw is so popular is that it contains only essential ingredients, of course no grains or other other elements (synthetics, colors, flavorings) that often cause issues. It contains organ & muscle meats, sometimes basic veggies, for the added vitamin/mineral content, but usually no carbs. In California I’m able to get “Small Batch Dog” produced in our state (even within the same area code) and I like that it is SO local, to be mixed with THK-P. When I’m whole food cooking, I steam veggies/fruits, add in cooked oatmeal/tapioca, yogurt and lactose free, fat-free Kefer (probiotic). I split a salmon capsule and a flax seed capsule (from Costco) between 2 dogs occasionally for the natural fat. I add in a tiny amount of cooked (pasture raised) beef liver, sometimes a sardine, sometimes a cooked egg. I’ve also found Udo’s Choice Pet Essentials for Dog (for additional nutritional support, including EFA’s, Enzymes & Phytonutrients). With this rotational diet – I think all the bases are covered. Sometimes I’m just too busy and feed Kibble (Nature’s Logic or Fromms). But as long as my dog’s stools are good consistency, and they maintain weight, am pretty sure everything is being correctly metabolized. I feed both a 2 yr old very high energy youngster, and a 14 yr old (that had one case of pancreatitis) and both have equal energy, stamina and no health issues (knock on wood). So I am always encouraging people to rotate food type and ingredients in their dog(s) diets. Just don’t mix Raw in with Kibble. And be sure to transition in a way that’s most appropriate for your own dog(s) to handle the variety. Having sufficient enzymes and digestion capability is really the key.
Primal raw and RAD CAT lamb for cats are reliable and i’ve had no problems with recalls. sad about Merrick products; I believe merrick also now owns castor & pollux, which we just transitioned four cats from the past three months.
I used to have issues with Merrick’s cans often in my old store. I’d find them in the back room with maggots and stinking to high heaven. Seems their cans are pretty thin and the seal would often get broken when squished in pallets or in shipping from the distributor. I saw this issue with them 5 years ago, among other issues. Not a fan of this company after all my dealings.
Merrick has a fairly new majority owner from what I understand and the Merrick family only owns a small percentage now. As with so many other familiar brands over the last fifteen years, once invested in or purchased by large corporations, quality goes down and presence in big box stores goes up. I have 40 years in this industry and I would compare the modern pet food industry to the worlds oldest profession except I do not want to insult the quality or morals of the worlds oldest profession.
I was wondering what food you would recommend highly
for my three cats? I have started them on Acana and they love it. But the wet is still not there favorite?
I am a huge believer in raw. There are a lot of products available out there. Acana is an excellent dry food. If you can find Natures Logic, it is the only dry kibble completely sourced from whole foods. No synthetic anything. All dry foods are heavily processed. Also, many cats do not drink enough water and a completely dry diet can lead to urinary tract and digestive problems.
Bill: I just purchased 2 cases of Natures Logic cat food wet, rab bit and chix. All three of my spoiled kids did not eat it. They all took one bit and walked away.
Now what!
They eat the Acana dry. You name it I have tried the wet.
The one they really liked was the AvoDerm Chick. chunks in gravy ( I know not a good food at all. But go figure)
Now I just got By Nature wet ( ok, but had some bad ingredients in it) Then I bought yesterday, Great life canned. Same thing just picked at it. Chix, last nite and beef in am. I’m going to try OC raw.? Yours thoughts?
Janet- NL wet food is very dense, try adding water or broth to get it to the consistancy they are used to.
I like OC raw principles a lot. We are just now able to get it in my area. I own three stores and we are going to carry OC raw in all three. Cats are picky critters and things like texture and shape can be critical. Most cats will love raw. One other hint. Place a high value on their food by putting it down and give them a few minutes and pick it up. The longer they have access to it the less value in their mind. (birds and mice do not sit around waiting to be eaten.
Bill, Auggies Doggies (Audrey)Ft/Laud.Fl. gave me a
sample of OC raw!(I put it in the freezer and forgot about it.) I put it down and no luck, but thanks for the advice of taking it away. I will try that tonight.
Audrey spoke very highly of OC Raw also. Thanks again.Where are your stores located?
Bill, You are the man! I just put a small about down of the OC Raw again. and picked it up right away.Then put it back down again. Boy, all three ate it. I cannot thank you enough. My abused stray (about 16 years old) is still licking his chops. He was licking the bowl for more. Amazing!!!!!!! I’m going back to Auggies Doggies today and buy alot of OC Raw!
Go slow. Your cats will only place value on something they perceive as hard to attain plus you are making a drastic change to the type of diet you are feeding. Transition slowly. You will be amazed at energy levels, coat, and the tiny bit of refuse in the litter box with little odor. Another plus is urinary tract health. http://www.luvhappytails.com will take you to our web page and connect to facebook page. Good luck.
I stopped using Merrick foods quite some time ago! It was not cans but 3 bags in a row of the dry dog food were moldy!!
Sorry – as a dealer this is unfortunately something that occurs once in awhile. It is especially prevalent in dented cans that have the pull tops. It not just Merrick that is effected and it is not all that common. I also expect that pressure has been applied to the case this can came from. It may have been at the bottom of a very tall pallet of cans or products. I have even seen it caused by someone standing on the case.
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Please…
This is a known issue and has been documented for several years.
Merrick’s cannery is in-house, and there is no excuse for the bad seals on these cans.
When I fed Before Grain (and do not feed any Merrick products now), many case lots would have bad can seals; upon opening the cans, the food would smell like feces or otherwise be “off”.
I’ve seen cans with bulging lids and bulges on the bottoms of the cans.
There are also many documented reports of foreign objects in the cans.
Handling and any subsequent denting would not necessarily cause this issue.
Dented cans are the norm for this company and I believe they get packaged this way before they are shipped out.
Having said that, they do appear to have an issue with their cannery not sealing the cans properly.
And yes, the formulas all changed once they acquired Castor & Pollux.
Complain to them and you’ll get the response “we have had no other reports of this issue”.
I have just learned that Castor & Pollux was purchased by Merrick, and am very unhappy about this. But here’s why I’m posting: Part of the reason I was buying C&P (via Amazon, b/c it’s cheaper that way) was because I wanted to stay with a cert. org. pet food that didn’t source animal meats that were de-beaked or fowl that suffered in animal cages. But here’s the kicker: THE OTHER IMPORTANT REASON WAS BECAUSE THIS WAS THE ONLY COMPANY WILLING TO STAND BEHIND ITS BPA-FREE 5.5 OZ. CANS OF CAT FOOD! A fact I now find ironic, because the Amazon shipping and/or packaging results in roughly 5/10% loss of goods; once the 24-can cases arrive, the softer, BPA-free cans are dented and/or compromised and the food is spoiled. I’ve contacted amazon and the company about this, and they haven’t stopped doing it. Again, though, the main reason I’m switching is because C&P sold out to Merrick.
What a disappointment. Merrick purchased Castor & Pollux in April 2012.
I could tell a difference, so could my cats, when I purchased a 14.5 lb bag of dry (adult) cat food from Castor & Pollux. The food was much smaller, and when my cat’s went to eat it, they both looked at me like, “what’s this stuff”. They sniffed at it for a while, which is not normal for them; they usually snarf their food in seconds flat. When I contacted C&P, I heard Merrick’s greeting. I asked the cust.svc.rep if they changed their formula…she said no, they did purchase “new dye casts”, so the food may appear smaller/different. I inquired why I was speaking with Merrick & not C&P. Rep mentioned the purchase back in April 2012. I asked if they use downer cows, there was a pause, and she asked what I meant by downer cows. I asked if they use diseased cows. She, of course, said no.
Time to do more research on cat foods. Do you know what food you are leaning towards?
I work at an independent pet food store. We had problems with the Merrick seasonal winter pack. The same can out of every pack was sealed improperly causing us to pull the winter pack after we figured it out.
From January of 2012:
http://itchmoforums.com/cat-food-experiences-by-brand/buy-with-caution-before-grains-merrick-canned-cat-food-quail-and-chicken-t13512.0.html
Expiry on these were May 2012
*correction Expiration date was May 2013.
I was surprised that I didn’t see anything posted about this on Merrick’s Facebook page, but I DID see an issue with treats that was posted earlier today. It looks like a screw in the treats, and I don’t think that it’s the first time that I’ve seen something of this nature. Here’s the post: http://www.facebook.com/merrickpetcare/posts/241472302652318
Maybe it’s food, and not treats. I honestly can’t tell because I don’t use Merrick dry or treats.
Read through all the comments. It’s always the same. An issue comes up with commercial PF. Or the pet gets tired of it or refuses a new offering. Especially cats.
Raw food and minimally processed whole food is the only way to go. Just try. It doesn’t have to be a fancy, complicated or expensive recipe. A cat does need specific minerals (refer to Susan T’s book for that) but dogs can handle a broad range of choices. If it’s not fatty, spicey or toxic, you almost can’t make a mistake with a dog’s diet.
Try baking stew meat or chicken, add cooked sweet potato or oatmeal for an energy building carb, add most any kind of steamed veggie, and digestable fruits (non-citrus), add lactose-free (non-fat) yogurt or kefir. If you can keep your pet on a whole food diet for just 1 month, I guarantee that you’ll never go back. Your pet will be more excited about eating. It will have more energy (enthusiasm, or brightness!). And the temperment will dramatically change to the positive. It’s just the natural properties of whole food that makes the difference.
I am convinced that commercial food has too many (incompatible) food additives, colorings, enhancements, and cooked extruding processing that devoids the food of it’s primary benefits. This affects pets over the long term. PLEASE try the alternative. I have never, ever read anywhere that an owner actually regretted making the change. But …. maybe somebody will post a comment like that …here and now.
Wow, what a disappointment on Merrick’s part. Not the first time I heard of this issue with them.
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Looks like this is an ongoing problem.
http://itchmoforums.com/cat-food-experiences-by-brand/moldy-merrick-cat-food-t13512.0.html
I used to buy this food, but found it to smell rancid.
I have a picky chihuahua. She isn’t even a year. I’ve tried everything from mega nasty alpo (kibble and can) all the way to orijen and everything in between (well a huge deal of it anyways). I used to feed stella and chewy. I love this stuff, and my dog would practically eat her bowl for it. But over a few weeks her stool was no longer firm. More like soft serve ice cream and it had a noticeable amount of clear mucus with it. So to see if it was the food I switched her to wellness kibble and natures instinct canned. Now she should have about 3/4 a can a day. I feed her once a day at night. I mix 1/4 cup (which if fed alone she is supposed to have 1/2 cup a day) of wellness kibble and 1/2 can of instinct canned. She will pick at it over an hour or so but eats it all. And her poop is fine.
Perhaps raw was to rich for her system? It was over 4 months, even added pumkin and crap I was supposed to. Its just about finding what they like I guess. I wish she could handle raw, but apparently her guts say no.
There’s no need to give up on raw, or minimally processed (cooked) protein. Some dogs don’t handle chicken as well as beef or vice versus. For better “output” consistency you can add The Honest Kitchen’s Preference to raw or minimally processed whole protein. You can add cooked Oatmeal/Oatmeal Bran and or Tapioca. Adjust the moisture content accordingly. I have a younger dog whose “output” just won’t firm up on Orijen or Acana (fish or chicken) but he does perfectly on a raw or minimally processed diet!! “Bill McQuade” (previous responder) also has a solid suggestion about creating higher value on the meal. Present it for about 20 minutes at a time and remove it! Allow the dog to get a little bit hungry, and don’t offer options or treats in between. Dogs and Cats “read” us like books in a Library!! They can sense our “tension” and “concern” about certain issues. Especially meal times. Once they figure out your confidence and determination concerning mealtime, then they’ll buy into the program. Trust me, NO normal, healthy dog would ever pass out due to self-induced starvation! You offer that meal at the same time, for the same time frame for 3 days in a row (as long as the food is healthy and fresh) then you’ll develop an enthusiastic eater. Eventually they come to absolutely love RAW because it’s so instinctual. But they have to get used to change first. If you live in Northern California I can refer you to a wonderful proprietary raw food that all dogs love!! (No, I don’t sell it or make any money from it). But it’s only sold locally.
Hi. Live in East Bay of San Francisco Bay Area.
Could you please email address, phone, etc., and any comments on the “proprietary raw food” place?
Also, is this only for dogs? Have cats, too. Thanks!
Hello Tor
,
Happy to do so. This is the link with all the details — but if it’s not enough, post again and we can exchange email addresses through Susan.
,
http://www.jeffreysnaturalpetfood.com/food.html
,
Used this food for 5 years without ever a problem. My dog (who can’t handle fat or chicken) has never gotten sick. It totally changed his temperment to positive! He is now 13 yrs.. We started a 6 mo. puppy out on it too about 3 yrs. ago. Female, spayed, never gained weight! Unlimited energy. Only eats until satisfied! This is only a local product, out of Sonoma ranches. Made fresh once a week and delivered ASAP. Can purchase fresh, then decant into single servings and freeze for weeks. (May make cat food too). Be sure to mix it with The Honest Kitchen’s “Preference” for excellent stools.
,
Please know I make no money from the product, nor from the store. Am a regular consumer, same as you. Hope this helps!
This really answered my drawback, thanks!
I pretty much dropped all dog foods. I cook 2 times a week for my two girls with chicken, veggies and Dr. Harvey grain twice a week, and I gotta tell ya no vet bills for a long time. It’s the only way to go or raw.
I do mostly raw, too, for kitties. I do, however, have one cat w/ renal problems, and had to revert to lower/lowest protein, NOT RAW, canned cat food, and found myself back in this game the past month. Not easy to find a great company, but I am purchasing Fromm’s canned food. Also, when I WAS purchasing via Amazon, the packages of canned cat food often arrived with a five to 10% rate of opened, spoiled cans. Now I know why: they were likely shipping upside down! Also, the rub w/ those BPA-free 5.5 oz cans is that they are weaker, softer and easier to damage. Better to purchase these cans from trusted stores!
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I’d like to see how Merrick handles this problem. Their customer service hasn’t exactly gotten any kudos for their past performance. This is very disturbing to me. My seven cats eat the Before Grain chicken dry. They all love it, and even preferred it over the canned. But if the canned chicken has crap in it, I can’t bear the thought of what is going into the dry! Help us all…
One thing I need to note about any pop top pet food cans. Do NOT accidentally store any of these cans upside down. Even if they are canned properly, the food sitting against the seal in an upside down can will eventually break the seal. I didn’t know that until one of my upside down cans “blew”. Of course with a can that you have to open with a can opener it doesn’t matter which side up you store it. But it does with poptop cans.
Wow, the response that the story I sent Susan got from all of you has been overwhelming. It is amazing to see all the love for animals that I have been connected to since sending Susan those pictures. In an update, the FDA is getting involved. Susan gave me the guidance to get the information to the right people. Bless you Susan and thank you.
When you are “taken on” by a cat, you accept specific obligations for your brand-new feline family member. While cats are independent animals, they additionally need humans to set up an environment which is safe and healthy. You wish to have a home which is safe for expedition, so your cat can satisfy its natural interest. Some things you do to safeguard your cats prevail sense, such as keeping poisonous items locked away from your cat’s expeditions. Other precautions are not too understood. These include keeping some human foods away from cats, keeping your cat away from toxic plants, keeping your cat indoors and making certain your cat doesn’t consume too much and become overweight.
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Good to know I’m not the only one having issues w/ Merrick’s “quality control”…
A few years back, I had purchased a can of Merrick’s Thanksgiving Day Feast & found some mold growing in it – I thought it maybe it was stored badly (it was hot during the summer), and just got a replacement can from the pet store. Several months later, opened another Merrick’s can of food and found a huge piece of turquoise plastic in the food, leaching turquoise into the food. I vowed to never buy Merrick’s again.
Only last month I started purchasing BG (Before Grain) wet food (not realizing it was a Merrick’s brand) and stored it in a kitchen drawer. Lo and behold, when I went to take a can out, I found one can leaking food/gravy all over, with mold growing on the leakage! What is it with these Texan idiots at Merrick’s? Obviously, I’ll be checking each brand to see what company owns it…and in the meantime I have to deal with a smelly kitchen drawer (using enzyme-cleaner; may have to resort to bleach!)
Wow. Does anybody know what SIZE the cans were? I know that the 5.5 oz. cans of cat food by MOST pet food companies are BPA-free, a very good thing, but if these cans were not 5.5 oz., I’d like to know. I also know that Eden Organic Foods went BPA-free over 11 years ago, and didn’t even toot its own horn! That company’s founder is way ahead of his time, and I wonder whether ALL pet foods can be canned in BPA-free, but a certain type of nontoxic resin like that Eden uses. Anybody????
Well, I have a new disturbing story to add. I purchased five cans of BG wet cat food. The exp date was 1/12/14. Two of the cans smelled awful before I opened them, so I inspected them closely. I was horrified to find maggots crawling all over the cans and gravy leaking everywhere. The lot numbers are: 12012 cl2 20470 0501, 12012 cl2 20470 1801, 12012 cl2 20472 1715, and 12012 cl2 20471 1355. I contacted Merrick via email this morning. Hopefully they will reply.