For those of us, who will be following Senator Durbin's pet food hearings

[rumpel]

I will keep an eye on this when the hearing schedule is announced, and if someone on DU has not already posted it I will.

Durbin, a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, is working with Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), the Chairman of the Subcommittee, to schedule the hearing shortly after the Senate returns from recess next week. Hearing witnesses will include FDA officials who will be questioned on the timeline of the investigation, the source of the contamination, and the agency's regulatory and inspection responsibilities. The hearing will also include outside experts who will discuss the current state of the pet food industry, as well as regulatory or resource shortfalls that led to the widespread recall of tainted pet food.

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=271910

I really appreciate Howl911 for creating such an informative and reliable website...

While the following is not an article per se - it is yet another well researched paper with 300 annotations, linked to and found on howl911. :)

As consumers and activists, I believe this is an important read, especially in light of the hearings and to make sure the problems are addressed once and for all. If you have not read it yet, here it is:

Deconstructing the Regulatory Façade:

Why Confused Consumers Feed their Pets

Ring Dings and Krispy Kremes

Justine S. Patrick J.D. (April 2006) Havard Law School

http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/784/Patrick06.html#fnB275


In one of the annotations she quotes:

<275> A personal anecdote illustrates this point. When my cat was a kitten he developed a severe urinary tract infection caused by urinary crystals. The vet suggested different types of dry food combined with an overwhelming dose of anti-biotics sure to almost kill any 5 pound kitten. After months of agonizing treatments, not to mention expensive drugs, and dozens of sleepless nights listening to my poor cat cry out in pain as he attempted to relieve himself, I was ready to throw in the towel. The vet’s final suggestions included ultrasounds and exploratory surgery to determine if he had cancer. Not once did the vet suggest I switch to only canned foods. Luckily, a very educated friend suggested I put the cat on a regimen of probiotics (to repair his severely damaged digestive system) and canned foods. Within one week my kitten was healthy as a horse. I have recently seen an increase in the number of articles discussing the tendency for male cats to develop chronic crystalluria from a grain-based dry food diet. But 6 years ago, three different vets in at least a dozen visits never mentioned a word about changing his diet to canned foods.

yet again to me this is puzzling....what is the true cause of the current acute crystalluria?

[montanacowboy]

1. I keep thinking that it could be genetically engineered

wheat or corn or whatever they are fucking with and this is the result; it must be something like this; I think it's only the tip of the iceberg and could have lasting consequences which have not even turned up yet

[rumpel]

3. I also believe that is a possibility

Scientists do not yet know of all the potential consequences of GE foods.

and then you have FDA approving GE rice...

[El Supremo]

2. I will.

This will beat the hell out of watching Republicans lie.

[rumpel]

4. btw: (as of 04/08/07; 10:40 a.m. PDT):3,570 deaths (1,858 cats; 1,712 dogs)

I do not see that much difference in numbers of cats and dogs to say cats are more susceptible.

To me those numbers are equally unacceptably high.

source: pet connection