Nutro Products Inc. (City of Industry, Calif.) denies that “scores” of pets have developed sudden illnesses or died as a result of eating its foods, as alleged in a June 23 article by ConsumerAffairs.com, a private nongovernmental entity that collects and investigates consumer complaints.

According to ConsumerAffairs.com, at least six dogs fed food produced by Nutro have died since April. These dogs showed a sudden onset of lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and increased thirst. Other dogs reportedly got sick but showed improvement after being switched to different foods.

In one of the dog-death cases cited in the posting, the Food and Drug Administration tested food samples but found no toxins.

At press time, it was unknown whether Nutro had tested samples of suspect food. However, the company requested that owners whose dogs became sick send food samples to an independent facility for testing.

Nutro did not respond to our request for comment. However, the company maintained that the cases cited by ConsumerAffairs.com were isolated and unsubstantiated. In a statement posted on its Web site, Nutro stated, “A June 23, 2008, posting on ConsumerAffairs.com falsely claims that Nutro pet foods may have been the cause of pet health issues in a number of specific cases. Every Nutro product that was analyzed in relation to the June 23 posting on ConsumerAffairs.com has been shown to be safe. It should be noted that in some of these cases outside sources have provided clear verification that Nutro’s products were not the cause of any pet health issues. In others, Nutro has taken active steps to address pet owners’ concerns and determine the cause of pet health issues. While we continue in our efforts to contact owners there is nothing that indicates that these pet health issues were caused by Nutro pet foods.”

The company attributed the fact that some of its products were unavailable in recent months to operational issues instead of concerns over quality or safety. "Over the past several months, suppliers of key ingredients used in select products have been unable to meet Nutro’s volume needs,” the company stated. "We have secured additional high-quality supply sources and, while availability will vary by marketplace, we can now say that supply issues are being resolved.”

Nutro also confirmed that it recently changed the formulas of Max Dog and Max Cat foods to contain more chicken and/or salmon, and Max Large Breed Puppy and Max Large Breed Adult dog foods to contain chicken meal rather than beef meal.

“Nutro pet foods undergo rigorous quality assurance testing, beginning with raw ingredients and ending with testing all finished products,” the company stated. "This includes testing to confirm that no melamine, mold toxins, or pathogenic bacteria are detected in any Nutro pet foods.”

For more information, contact Nutro’s consumer services department at 800-833-5330. [September 2008 PET AGE]