Your pets aren’t the only ones that like to chow down on that dry kibble.
So do tiny microscopic bugs called grain mites.

These pests thrive in hot summer months and in high humidity, able to lay hundreds of eggs on one dry nugget. Store your pets’ food carefully and monitor your supply, or grain mites could be having dinner at your house.

So far this month, there have been at least two reports of consumers finding mites in Beneful dry dog food, made by Purina; one in Newport News, VA and one reported through a syndicated pet column in the Washington Post. In both cases, the pet parents discovered a weird dust proliferating in the places where they kept their dogs’ food – and one day noticed the dust was moving. It actually was the residue left behind by hungry grain mites.

A Tallahassee television station also carried a story this week about a family finding grain mites in a Purina product. Although the station didn't report the brand, watch the video and you'll see a Beneful bag being tossed in trash.

Purina spokesman Keith Schopp said the manufacturing process would kill any mites in raw ingredients, but that an infestation could occur after the products left the plant or in the customers’ homes. He did not know if the affected customers all bought the same Beneful flavor or if the products were made in the same facility.

The company has not recalled any Beneful food but “we take this very seriously when we hear from a customer,” Schopp said. Vicki Lemay, the Newport News customer, said Purina offered to cover her extermination expenses.

Veterinarians said grain mites should not cause serious illnesses if eaten, but that pets might have an allergic reaction that could include itching, and intestinal and skin problems.

How can you control grain mites?

* Store pet foods in airtight containers. Don’t store food in garages, sheds or basements.

* Immediately throw bags away outside after the food has been put into a container.

* Don’t buy or use old or outdated food.

* Wash food dishes frequently in hot water and dry thoroughly.

* Buy only 30 days worth of food at a time.

* Don’t purchase food in bags with holes or tears.

* Avoid low quality food with a lot of debris in the bottom of the bag.

* Periodically check food and the area around where the food is stored for signs of mites: a recurring brown dust.

Here is a good fact sheet from the University of Nebraska's extension service on food storage mites, including grain mites, and how to clean up after them.

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This from SSS! reader Linda, who has written several times before about Nutro pet food.

The Pet Food Product Safety Alliance had private testing done on samples believed to be Nutro Natural Choice Chicken Meal, Rice and Oatmeal Formula, and Nutro Max Puppy. The alliance says levels of copper were found in both foods that were above levels recommended by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which crafts guidelines for producing animal food.

Copper can cause health problems in some dog breeds.

The alliance also questioned the food's zinc content. While the amounts feel within AAFCO's guidelines, those amounts are 10 times higher than what would be recommend for human adults, based on body weight.
The symptoms of zinc toxicity “are consistent with the majority of those reported by consumers suspecting problems believed to be associated with feeding Nutro dry dog food,” according to the alliance.

Click here for a link, also in the alliance post, from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia on zinc toxicity.

Click here for a full discussion, from the Pet Food Products Safety Alliance, on it's latest Nutro test results.

The Pet Food Product Safety Alliance was started by Don Earl of Port Townsend, WA. A retired real estate developer, he believes his cat, Chuckles, died from eating tainted pet food last year, when millions of pet food products were recalled. Earl said he offered to send Chuckles’ food to the Federal Food and Drug Administration for testing, but the agency declined.

Earl later filed a petition in federal court, calling for the FDA to “perform its duty” and investigate if other toxins, besides melamine, contaminated the food.

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Is Nutro pet food making animals sick?

A story yesterday in the daily briefing that I get from ConsumerAffairs.com (I'm a consumer writer in my regular gig) says that at least six dogs have died in the past two months, and scores more have been made ill, from eating Nutro-brand foods. The findings are based on complaints filed on the ConsumerAffairs Web site and interviews with pet owners.

The piece, by Lisa Wade McCormick, also reports that at least one unnamed Nutro employee resigned because she was disgusted by the company's lack of responsibility. It also suggests Nutro is attempting a stealth recall by removing the contaminated food from circulation.

Anna and Anja: Nutro victims?

In the meantime, the US Food and Drug Administration has found no toxins in the samples it tested, and Nutro insists the food is fine. There has been no official recall.

Click here to read the entire story from The Daily Consumer and draw your own conclusions. A lot of questions, no easy answers.

Anyone here had a bad or good experience with Nutro?

(photo from ConsumerAffairs.com)

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It was the photo of a woman with a big white cat on the cover of today's Sun-Sentinel business section that first caught my eye. A cat in the business section? (We cat people are suckers.) The story, from The Associated Press, tells about the increasing number of cash-strapped pet owners being forced to turn to food banks to feed their pets.
Click here to read the entire story.
It's still another sign of these tough economic times.

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Talk about food issues!
When I first saw this photo of Orazio, a 35-pound cat from Italy, on the Animal Crazy blog done by the Orlando Sentinel, I honestly thought it might be a hoax.

I mean, is this a cat? Or a sofa cushion posing as a cat?

Turns out that while Orazio's large lifstyle has received almost no press here, he has been a hit with foreign papers ranging from the South Africa Cape Times to the India Statesman. "Pussing on the Pounds" was the London Mirror headline. Others hailed three-year-old Orazio, who lives in Eupilio, as "the real Garfield" -- the cartoon kitty famous for his love of lasagna.

Me, I don't think it''s so cute to let your pet get this obese. Owner Laura Santarelli claims she "finds it impossible" to keep Orazio slim. Really? So this means Orazio can use a can opener or open the refrigerator door on his own?

We were able to get Dolan, our Maine Coon mix, to shed three of his original 16 pounds through simple portion control, and (the hard part) ignoring his ceaseless whining as he adjusted to his new rations. And click here for Angie's previous post on her dogs and their weight struggles. Posters suggested everything from low-protein to green bean diets, things I think you might want to check out with your vet first.

So -- is Orazio's owner just an indulgent pet parent ("He's so cute when he's fat!") or irresponsible?

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