Would A Dog Food Company Know This?

[FluffyZooCrew]

Would a dog food company know if a particular line of their food was made/packaged in an area that processed, or was in contact with, peanuts?

As some here know, after extensive testing and one specialist after another for Sam's severe life threatening allergies, he's been put on a specific type of a certain brand of food that he's doing well on.

But someone mentioned the other day that, like a human company that has warnings like "this product was manufactored in a plant that handles peanuts", dog foods can and may be too. And this is very scary. Because Sam is deathly allergic to peanuts and can and will die in under a minute if any peanut product is consumed.

The company is closed till Monday, so I can't ask until then. But I know diff. companies use different manufactors, ect. for their foods, so I really don't know if I'll receive a concrete answer. Now I'm concerned that I may be forced to take him off the one food that he's been able to thrive on, after months of trials and specialists and food testing.

Does anyone here think the company may know (the company is Natural Balance)? I'm wondering if their treats are manufactored in the same place as the food (cause it's the treats that would contain peanuts, like peanut butter flavored treats).

 

[ihartgonzo]

Honestly, I have never seen such a warning on any kind of dog food/treat... I doubt that dog food companies are required to state whether or not their products come into contact with peanuts. Natural Balance is a pretty reputable company, and I doubt that a bunch of peanut butter slipped into the food.

If you're worried, go ahead and feed him bland meals, like chicken and rice or something, until you get into contact with the company.

 

[Renee750il]

And make your own treats

 

[vanillasugar]

Most dog food companies have their foods made by other companies (which was a BIG problem during that big recall a while back), so they have little control over the process of the making of their foods. A lot of the really cheap foods use peanut hulls for fiber, so if your food is being contracted out to the same facility that makes these, you'd be in trouble.

The only way you're going to be able to avoid peanuts 100%, would be to switch to a food who has their own manufacturing facility, and can make that guarantee to you.

 

[FluffyZooCrew]

Gonzo, I've never seen a warning either, and I'm not expecting one (my example was one seen on human products, not dog food products). I'm wondering if the company would know if their kibble is made like in the same machines, processing vats, ect. as their peanut butter flavored treats. I want to make sure the food did not come into contact with any surface that may have had peanut product on it.

If you're worried, go ahead and feed him bland meals, like chicken and rice or something, until you get into contact with the company.

Cannot do. Sam's highly allergic to almost all meat products, including in raw form, and is currently on the vegetarian formula. He's highly allergic to beef, venison, rabbit, lamb, and not quite as highly allergic but still allergic to chicken and fish. He's extremely allergic to raw duck or any form of duck, whether raw or cooked, or even duck treats. He's also allergic to strawberries, apples, deathly allergic to peanuts, he's also allergic to potatoes, soy, all dairy, HIGHLY allergic (not deathly, but very severely) allergic to eggs.

The list goes on and on. And that's just food.

Don't get me started about everything else, like febreze, dryer sheets, laundry soap, air fresheners, colognes, perfumes, several types of dog shampoo's, certain grasses and hays (the oat hay in the field behind us causes him to break out in hives), deathly allergic to bee's and wasps, ect.

The list goes on with that boy. But I've talked about him before here, so a few know that he's got issues. He's been diagnosed with an immuno deficiency problem, and the vet and specialists agree that he has something similar to multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome in humans.

Anyways, the thought never actually occurred to me that, duh, companies make peanut butter flavored treats and there's a big possibility that they were made in the same machine as the kibble, or at least came in contact with the same machines that the kibble making process used. So I'm still going to call the company Monday (maybe they'll say that their treats were made in a totally seperate facility?), so we'll see.

May end up having to take him off his kibble though, and start home-preparing some sort of diet for him. Which won't be easy... ugh.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Wow... that has to be so, so very difficult.
I can only imagine. I hope you were able to contact them today. Even though they're a bit nutty, you could always check out vegan dog food groups on livejournal & yahoo. They have a bunch of feeding plans/examples. I am vehemently against vegan feeding for dogs, except in your case, of course.

 

[FluffyZooCrew]

I didn't even get to contact them today, things were so hectic with the dogs and their surgeries, but I am going to definitely contact them tomorrow.

I looked at a few vegan/vegetarian lists, but they are a little... wacko.

I don't agree with feeding a dog vegetarian (except in extreme proven cases like Sam's), but those people are a little extreme in their ideals.

I did find a few websites on home-preparing vegetarian/vegan diets for dogs, and got a few recipe idea's, if I were to have to start preparing his meals at home. He's kinda picky, and isn't crazy over the kibble (can you blame him?). I highly doubt he'll be too thrilled with a bowl full of veggies, LOL.