August 8, 2008

ConsumerAffairs.com has posted an August 6 update to their June 23 posting regarding NUTRO™ pet foods. The most notable information in the posting, and the subject of its title, "Expert Finds Unexplained Pet Deaths 'Not Consistent,'" are the findings of Dr. Steven Hansen, a veterinary toxicologist at the ASPCA. Dr. Hansen conducted an in-depth review of the complaints against Nutro and concluded that the complaints appear to be random, non-pet food related health issues.

Every NUTRO™ product that was analyzed in relation to the June 23 posting on ConsumerAffairs.com has been shown to be safe. It should be noted that in some of these cases outside sources have provided clear verification that NUTRO™ products were NOT the cause of any pet health issues. In others, NUTRO™ has taken active steps to address pet owners' concerns and determine the cause of pet health issues. We've either spoken with or left multiple messages for all of the consumers cited in the June 23 posting. Our findings agree with Dr. Hansen’s; there is nothing that indicates that these pet health issues were caused by NUTRO™ pet foods.

There are other elements to the August 6, 2008 Consumer Affairs post which, as with previous postings on the site, attempt to raise doubt concerning the safety of NUTRO™ products. We take every complaint about NUTRO™ product quality seriously and, as we have done before, when we learn of an issue we work with consumers to obtain information and request that samples of any product in question be submitted for testing at an independent facility. An in-depth review is performed to determine if an issue does exist.

All of our products are safe and conform to the standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S Department of Agriculture and the Association of American Feed Control Officials. NUTRO™ products undergo rigorous quality assurance testing beginning with raw ingredients and ending with testing finished products. This includes testing to confirm that no melamine, mold toxins, or pathogenic bacteria are detected in NUTRO™ pet foods.