ALERT!! PLEASE READ.

ALERT

AVOID NUTRO PET FOODS

by Robert Jay Russell, Ph.D., Coton de Tulear Club of America
President
CotonNews@aol. com
www.CotonClub. com

September 2nd, 2007. The pet food poisoning crisis is far from over.
We
learned last month that Wal Mart again has brought poisoned treats
back on their
shelves by cleverly placing new lot labels over the ones printed on
the recalled
packages. This is the second time in the past six months Wal Mart has
done
this and various stores throughout America, so we counsel to avoid
all Wal Mart
pet foods, treats and toys. The company cannot be trusted.

Wal Mart and Menu Foods are by no means the only untrustworthy
sources of pet
supplies. Consider the report below. We suggest that ALL Nutro brand
foods be
avoided...

FDA Blocks Nutro Pet Food Shipment from Entering U.S.
Products "appeared to contain poisonous substances and unsafe
additives"

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs. Com

August 28, 2007 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July
blocked more
than 100 Nutro Products -- various styles and flavors of its dog and
cat food
-- from entering the United States.

ConsumerAffairs. com learned the FDA took that action at the Port of
Los
Angeles -- and listed Nutro's pet food on its Import Refusal Report --
because the
products appeared to contain poisonous substances and unsafe
additives.

The FDA has authority to block and detain any regulated products from
entering the United States if they "appear to be out of compliance
with The Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act."

Some of Nutro's pet food on the Import Refusal List include its Adult
Turkey
with Chicken Liver, Choice Adult Cat w Turkey & Duck, Choice Complete
Care
Kitten Rich in Chicken with Liver, and Adult Large Breed Chicken &
Rice.

News of the FDA's action alarmed Mike G. of Florida. He owns multiple
cats
and feeds them Nutro products.

"What isn't clear is which `additive' it is that is `unsafe,' and
which `
substance' it is that is poisonous," he told us. "The three Nutro
canned cat
products I have in front of me all state `Made in USA.' But they
don't say
which state or which US territory."

He added: "I don't so much care where (the products came from). It's
the
'which' (unsafe additives and substances) that concerns me."

Mike contacted Nutro about his concerns, but says the company ignored
his
inquires.

He wasn't surprised.

"From previous experience, most responses from Nutro have been non-
responsive,
" he said.

Mike shared with us the message he sent to Nutro, which echoes
concerns we've
heard from other pet owners:

"I want to know, specifically, before I feed any of these foods I
have in the
house to my cats, exactly where Nutro cat foods are made, exactly
where those
foods on the FDA Import Refusal Reports were made, and specifically
which `
additive' it is which is `unsafe,' and which `substance' it is which
is deemed
`poisonous' or 'deleterious.' "

"If I do not receive a satisfactory response I will be taking these
cans back
to where they were purchased, and will never again be purchasing
other Nutro
products.

"In the aftermath of several thousand pet deaths," he added, "Nutro
and
other companies need to demonstrate their commitment to pet safety by
answering
pet owners' questions satisfactorily."

Non-responsive
ConsumerAffairs. com also contacted Nutro about the FDA's action. It
took the
company more than a week to respond to our repeated calls.

Nutro, however, didn't answer our specific questions.

The company's Consumer Services Manager, Tamara Cerven, instead e-
mailed us
Nutro's official, canned response.

"It has been brought to our attention that confusion has been caused
by the
Food and Drug Administration' s ("FDA") Import Refusal Report," the
company's
statement said. "We wish to assure our customers that this report is
in no way
a cause for concern about the quality and safety of Nutro pet foods
currently
on store shelves."

Nutro said the products listed the FDA's Import Refusal Report are
ones
affected by Menu Food's massive recall in March of melamine-tainted
dog and cat
food.

"This report lists recalled product(s) that have been returned to
Nutro from
overseas," according to the company's statement. "This product is not
intended for sale."

Nutro said it immediately discontinued all sales of its melamine-
tainted
products and removed them from retail stores, warehouses, and
distribution centers
after Menu recalled 60 million containers of contaminated pet food.

"Nutro also ordered recalled product to be shipped back to the U.S.
from
overseas for proper handling," the company said in its written
statement. "Some
of this product is the subject of the FDA report."

Nutro said customers with questions about the FDA's action can call
its
customer service line at 1-800-833-5330 or visit its Web site at
www.nutroproducts. com.

Mike doubts pet owners will get any answers, though.

"They failed to respond to my mail, responding only to you," he told
us
today.

"My confidence was rattled with both Nutro and Iams in March when I
learned
that they both used Menu Foods. I'm one who drove further to the `
pet-superstores' to purchase what I had believed to have been better,
safer' foods . . .
only to learn they were made by the same company using some of the
same unsafe
contaminated ingredients which they also put into
the `cheaper,' `less-quality'
/ `less-safe' foods in the supermarkets.

"So their failure to respond to me now, personally, is the last straw
for me.
If and when products begin to flow from their own plant and I get a
thorough
read-through of the label, I might then reconsider purchasing their
product.
But not before."
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(c)2007 Dr. R. J. Russell & the CTCA