Dog Talk Newsletter

More From Tracie On The Food Recall Nightmare

Some listeners to both my radio shows and followers of my websites are wondering why I have not been more active in sending out updates on the constantly evolving pet food mess. The reason why is that everyone has been swamped with waves of words and worries and until I had something illuminating to say and constructive to recommend, I felt it better to stand to the side and try to make sense of it all. This has been my position from the beginning: there is more here than meets the eye, what you hear is not necessarily the truth and definitely not the whole story, the government in the form of the FDA is shielding the pet food manufacturer, controlling when we learn things, manipulating the media - and it’s going to get worse before it gets better. All this seems to have been an accurate assessment.

For the most timely and reliable information on the situation, I have been kept up-to-date on the recall evolution from Dr. Jean Hofve’s site, www.LittleBigCat.com. There is no other place to find such an accurate (and witty) assessment of the ongoing cover-up and discovery process. The precise link to her brilliant assessment of what is going on is:

www.LittleBigCat.com/index.php?action=petfoodrecallinformation

But the point is, what can YOU do? My recommendation to each and every person who cares about animals is to let them know in Washington that we are out here, flanked by our animal family members. We want answers and a system in the future that protects and informs us about food issues relevant to our pets. Many of us have been under the false impression that our government, through the FDA, was inspecting or overseeing the pet food industry – and they are not. It is a billion dollar business that regulates itself and answers to no one

Sending a letter is a constructive and powerful tool because we vote for Senators – they care what we think. Senators control the FDA – the agency that does NOT watch over our pet food, even though we imagine they do. The FDA is a big presence within the AAFCO (see Jean Hofve’s article to fully understand this) and that is where new rules and safeguards will come from.

Several representatives are already standing up to demand information and action. They are Senator Richard Durbin and Rosa L. DeLauro, who is Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee, which determines how much money the Food and Drug Administration receives. Senator Durbin has written to the FDA.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Domestic Policy. He wrote to Menu Foods in Canada demanding answers from them and held a press conference to bring attention to the discrepancies and confusion surrounding their handling of the tainted food.

My suggestion is that these lawmakers deserve our respect and support for their efforts. And we need our own representatives to know that we are watching – that our animals mean a great deal to us – and that we urge them to join with Senator Richard Durbin, Rosa DeLauro and Dennis Kucinich on our behalf.

There is a fairly easy way to find out who your representatives are and get their email address. Because I am a dope about how the government subcommittees work, I am going to do this step-by-step for anyone else who shares my ignorance about how to make their voice heard.

Go to www.house.gov and in the top left corner there’s “Write Your rep.” Click on that. Select your state and zip code – then click the “Contact my Representative.” (In some cases you need to put in your “plus 4” zip code numbers). This will take you to your representative and a place to “Send a Message to” and then it in.

Your “VOTE” Counts. Our Collective Voices Will Be Heard.

The more personal your letter is – especially if your pet has suffered in any way from feeding tainted foods – the more impact it can have. But it means a lot to send even a brief email saying “My pet is not property to me – he is my family member and I urge you to work to make sure the food I feed him is clean and healthy. We’re counting on you to speak up for our concerns.” If you have an animal who has died or become ill as a result of tainted food, please let Senator Durbin know this – he is keeping watch. He can be reached on the web simply by typing: durbin.senate.gov and clicking on “send the Senator a message.”

NOTE: Senator Durbin has a hearing scheduled Thursday April 12th at 2 PM in Washington, with Cat Chat’s own Official Vet, Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins. For details, look at this link:

http://www.durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=272058

Although we are all worried and fretful over facts and dangers, rather than whipping up other animal lovers, let’s find a constructive use for our energy. Let’s focus on inspiring those in Washington to stand up for the changes that need to take place for future safety. If everybody takes 5 minutes right now to do this, it will be a mighty roar.

Tracie Hotchner