The recent recall of nearly 100 brands of canned pet food has many local pet owners worried about what to feed Spot and Fluffy.When Menu Foods Income Fund, a major animal-food manufacturer, recalled 95 pet food brands, animal shelters, stores and pet lovers across the country held their breaths and started checking labels. Scientists announced Friday that tests showed rat poison in the imported wheat was the toxic ingredient. While the company attempts to fix the problem, pet owners are stuck searching for alternative diets until the recall ends.Local veterinarians said their phones have been ringing off the hook."We're getting at least 30 calls a day," said Jennifer Wilson, a technician at Londonderry Animal Clinic. "We don't know anymore than they do at this point. It's hard. We're all reading off the same list."Wilson said people have been frantic and don't know what they can safely feed their animals."We've just been telling people to stick to dry food," Wilson said. "People just don't know what to do."Handel With Care Animal Hospital in Derry and the Plaistow Animal Medical Center reported receiving at least 10 phone calls a day regarding the recall. The callers' main concern was finding something safe to feed their pets.Nancy Rheaume of Derry was picking up food for her two dogs at Market Basket in Londonderry Friday. Laminated signs hung from the shelves to assure customers that all the recalled food had been removed from store shelves. Rheaume said she used to pay a lot extra for "premium" brands such as Iams (which recalled 23 different styles of canned and pouched food), and it was discouraging to see it show up on the list."I was very concerned," Rheaume said. "I considered doing a natural diet. I still buy regular food, but now I'll cook at home for them and mix it in."Mary Myatt of Londonderry said she also used to feed her pets Iams but has switched to a natural food brand. With a puppy and two cats at home, Myatt said, she was concerned when the recall was announced and immediately checked the list to make sure her pets had not been exposed."It's scary because this isn't just one brand," Myatt said. "You never know - they could find more and release a new number tomorrow."
Rheaume and Myatt aren't the only ones who have gone natural. Many people have dropped commercial pet foods altogether in exchange for an all-natural raw diet."I feed my cats raw organic chicken," said Judy Leclerec, a veterinarian at the Holistic Veterinary Center in Concord. "I'll steam some veggies for them, too, but cats don't need as many vegetables as dogs do, just more protein."Leclerec said an animal's diet, like a human's, has a major effect on its health, and changing from a commercial to a natural diet can make all the difference."If all you ever eat is McDonald's, your health is not going to be all that great," she said. "When I fed two of my cats a raw chicken diet, their coats improved a lot. When I switched to organic chicken, it got even better."For those who want to ease their pet in the raw diet direction, Leclerec suggests trying a brand of pre-made raw food."It's great because you just open it up and dump it in their bowl," Leclerec said. "It contains raw meats, but also a little vegetation."Shena Langston said she saw her cats' health improve after switching them to a raw diet. "I have three cats, and I was feeding them Nutro," Langston said. "They started to get really fat, so I switched all three to Innova EVO, a holistic diet. It's dry, but made with raw meat. They love it and are back in shape."Langston, who works at Pets Plus in Londonderry, said a lot of people have recently come into the store and switched to healthier food brands since the recall. There shouldn't be any ingredients in question when it comes to what people feed their pets, said Sandy Phillips, who owns Wholistic Pet, a food and supply store in Merrimack."No commercial dog food can meet the desired level of nutrition your pets need," Phillips said. "The meats that are used to make dog food are marked "unusable" and weren't safe for human consumption. It's void of nutrition."For those who are worried about how costly a raw or all-natural diet might be, Langston says it's not all bad news."The better quality foods will cost a little bit more than what you would pick up in the supermarket," she said, "But because there are no 'fillers' in a raw diet, the dogs tend to fill up quicker and eat less."
Phillips and Leclerec both recommend reading up on raw diets before a pet owner jumps in head first."Sometimes it's good to cook meats less and less until finally your pet will eat it raw," Phillips said. "Just like us, they need time to adjust to food changes."
Phillips and Leclerec both recommend reading up on raw diets before a pet owner jumps in head first."Sometimes it's good to cook meats less and less until finally your pet will eat it raw," Phillips said. "Just like us, they need time to adjust to food changes."