Taste of the Wild

[Duke'sMommy]

I know there's a bunch here that feed Taste og the Wild. I was just wondering if anyone has noticed any differences with the food recently? The last bag I bought smelled different and seemed to be really oily-greasy. It also seemed to make Duke a tad constipated. The same thing with my bosses dog. I've decided to switch to NV Instinct. I was just curious if anyone else has noticed anything different.

 

[Pam111]

i didn't notice anything, but it has always seemed greasy to me. did you switch flavors?

 

[Zoom]

There was a recall recently. This is the letter sent back to a member of my Aussie board that wrote with concerns:


It was mentioned on another list that Taste of the Wild was being recalled. I got worried because I was just telling Francie that Kedge didn't like his food(Pacific Stream) anymore, so I was going to find another brand.

Dear *******:

Only the Pacific Stream with the best before date of 01 July 2010 was pulled from retailers. The moisture was very low on this batch and we have received reports of feed refusal. The decision was made to pull it from retailers to avoid more customers having trouble with feed refusal. One or two people called about digestive upset so there was a concern that possibly another protein source was introduced into the food. There is not anything poisonous or toxic in the food. It will not hurt your dogs. I have spoken with many people who are feeding this batch without any issues at all.

If you would like to mail in for a refund, send the production code and best before date from the back of the bag to: Taste of the Wild, Attn: Refunds, P.O. Box 156, Meta MO 65058. If you still have your receipt, include a copy of that. If not, please include the UPC, the name of the store where you bought the food and the price you paid.

Please do not be concerned, there is nothing about the food that will hurt your dogs.

Sincerely,
Dr. Brookshire

 

[angie8023]

Does anyone know if the venison and bison was included in the recall? The kibble is smaller and Sancho doesn't seem to like it anymore.

 

[Crowsfeet]

Not sure about the recall, but I just recently stopped feeding this food when I learned their fishmeal contained Ethoxyquin(sp?), an ingredient, if I remember correctly, known to cause cancer and not even approved by the FDA for human consumption.

 

[Gguevara]

Ethoxyquin is thought to cause cancer but it hasn't been 100% proven. It's been known to cause mortality in fish and, is also used in spices to prevent color loss.

Ethoxyquin is used as a preservative. TOTW claims they themselves don't use it but they can't vouch for their suppliers, however they say that their food process effectively eliminates it (not going into details but what they said all made sense). It's up to you to chose to believe that claim or not.

NOT SURE - but I think it's required by law for fish. I know Orijen and Wellness don't use it. Apparently it's hard to get around using it.

 

[angie8023]

Thanks for the info. I emailed TOTW just to make sure. I haven't heard from them yet. I was planning on switching him to wellness, orijen, or innova but I didn't have time to do the proper transition. I wish I could afford to put him on raw.

 

[Gguevara]

If you emailed asking about Ethoxyquin they'll probably just tell you what I did (can't vouch for suppliers but their food process eliminates it etc) because that's what they said to me.
It was like a year ago though, can you post whatever they tell you?

 

[angie8023]

Wow. What you just said makes me want to change foods even more. I will post it as soon as they get back to me.

 

[Gguevara]

As far as I know, fish meal brought into the US via ship is required by law to be preserved by ethoxyquin. Because the pet food company did not add it themselves, they are not required to disclose that on their ingredients list. There are alternate ways of bringing fish meal in aside from ship, but many companies do not want to go through the hassle and extra costs in doing so. To do so would mean applying for a permit from the Coast Guard...some companies such as Wellness and Eagle Pack do apply.

From another thread here about Ethoxyquin (http://www.chazhound.com/forums/t105344/) looks like I was partly right xD.

 

[angie8023]

Received the email today:
Dear Angelina,

There was a modification in the size and shape of the kibble because they were having difficulty making it exactly the same each time they cooked it. There was not a formula change or any change to the ingredients. I do not have an explanation as to why your dog may not be as interested in eating the food as he was before. Possibly there is something else affecting his appetite?

If you email me the production code and best before date, I can check the system to see if there are other reports. I can also have the Quality Control supervisor check the library samples and production records.

If you are not happy with this bag, you can exchange it for a different bag at your retailer or mail the production code, UPC and a copy of your receipt in for a refund. The address is Taste of the Wild, Attn: Refunds, P.O. Box 156, Meta MO 65058 and your case number is 7663.

Sincerely,
Dr. Brookshire

 

[Gguevara]

Oh, you were asking them about the recall. Well I just dug up the email they had sent me about ethoxyquin here's part of it -

"The preservation systems used by our vendors are considered proprietary information. The heat from our pet food process destroys antioxidants that are used in the ingredients that we purchase. The cooking process at our facilities is at or above 240 degrees. After the heat process (extrusion and drying), we apply natural tocopherols (Vitamins A & E) in order to carry the shelf life of the food. Diamond does not preserve any of its products with ethoxyquin, only with mixed tocopherols. "