# Orijen food recall pet deaths



## rosella

Hi, this video is of my 2 cats Gus and Maurice who have been poisoned by Champion pet foods Orijen. Gus and Maurice cannot run, roll in the sun, climb their cat trees,wash themselves, play with each other and be naughty jumping on the kitchen bench. I don't know if my cats will survive or regain the use of their hind legs or further in time have a major organ failure. This is what 4 months of eating Orijen cat food for 50% of their diet, the rest fresh meat, did to them. Three cats have died of seizures, one of a spinal tumour. Fifteen have been euthanized. Dozens of cats have been affected.
YouTube - Maurice
catfoodissues :: Index
The vet report
YouTube - Australian Pet Food Irradiation Warning

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Can you trust such a negligent company as Champion with your pets health, I did, like everyone else in Australia who thought they were buying the best for their cats and look what they have done to my beautiful cats. It should not matter if only 1 or 20 cats have died in Australia, they died because Champion petfoods sold their irradiated food here for profit, that does not sound like a caring holistic company to me

This is a letter to Champion pet foods from topcat3 whose cat Colette is very ill
My cat is totally paralyzed, incontinent and cannot drink or feed herself nor defaecate without enemas.

Your lack of due diligence before entering this market, admitted by you during our telephone conversation of 19 December 2008, and your failure to stay fully informed of what your importer was doing at all times in signing authorities to gamma irradiate not on one shipment, as you claimed in our telephone conversaton, not on two shipments as Michelle Grainger claimed but on THREE SHIPMENTS has caused this devastation among Australian cats.

Both your importer and you knew something was wrong in September/October of 2008 when vets first spotted a link between the syndrome and Orijen cat food. It took you until almost the end of November before a recall was announced and even then many of the retailers were not given a full explanation so they could not tell their customers who were still feeding their cats from recently purchased bags.

HunterBengal, his words after his cat died, Hunter was totally paralyzed from eating Orijen

Hi all,
Sorry I have not posted since Christmas. Personal circumstances did not allow.

I have the saddest of news. Hunter passed away last week. He continued to get worse and needed to be given water with a syringe daily and then had a seizure. We are absolutely devastated and really struggling especially since he was showing some signs of improvement in his back legs.

I just can not express the grief the we are going through as he was our little baby and was only 3 yrs old.

Once I regather strength I will be going after Champion, the distributor and Australian Quarantine to make sure this never happens again.

I wish you all the very best in your cats recovery.
I just don't know how we are going to cope without him anymore.

Thank you for any support you can show us

Rosella


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## mckitty

this is terrible, i cried when i saw your cats on youtube, my heart goes out to you and your cats and i so hope its not permanent for them

thanks for raising awareness of this issue


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## Shmitty!

OMG I can't believe it, I cried too. That's so terrible, you must feel awful.
I hope they are made to pay for what they have done, as it's only money that hurt them they obviously aren't bothered about anything else!

I hope your cats improve.


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## Pets Paws

Your poor cat's I just can't imagine how you and your family are feeling right now especially watching your beloved animals suffer in this way  
I hope they have some miricle improvement, my thoughts are with them.


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## LucyJ

I am so sorry for the problems that this irradiation of the food has caused your cats.

There is a link on the home page of the www.championpetfoods.com site with a detailed explanation.

I looked into this in early December when I first new about it and there were posts on this site.


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## Rraa

Hello Rosella - so sad to read of your experience. This makes me so wary of ANY kind of commercial pet food now. I am beginning to wean ALL my three cats onto fresh meat only. It will take time but I am hoping that this might be one way of knowing (as far as possible) what goes into their diets.

However, even when feeding fresh meat, we have had health scares before about fresh meat. Most famously the beef scare and before that there was an issue with lamb. One can never tell but from the sound of your post, it would seem as though a so-called trustworthy firm of pet-food suppliers has deceived a huge number of its customers.

I do hope you may get some form of compensation even though it may not bring back those poor lost kitties. I hope that yours will make a good recovery.


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## Shmitty!

Bump* Bump*


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## IndysMamma

I was under the impression the problem came from the packaging being damaged by the customs irradiation process?

This horrible incident reminds me of the Iams world wide recall a couple years back after hundreds of cats became sick, with some dying. At least they are finally bringing the same preparation guidlines from human food over to the fed food industry.

*hugs* I hope your cat gets better


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## CanIgoHome

I hope the company pays 
its so sad it taken so long 
all these poor cats:crying::crying:


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## lymorelynn

Tragic  I hope the company are going to take responsibility and pay compensation to all owners affected by this . Poor cats


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## LucyJ

The details of the fund etc are here on the home page.

www.championpetfoods.com


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## crofty

OMG Im so sorry, you video had me i tears  I just cant believe it, Ive fed my cats orijen up until recently


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## DKDREAM

I am so sorry this has happend! Totally shocked i feel so sorry for you and thankyou so much for telling us, I for defonatly will boyycot Orijen.


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## rosella

Thank you everyone for your positive support, your kindness has bought fresh tears. Gus is incontinent and can only manage to drag himself one body length now. My sweet little Maurice is only 14 months old and looks like a old man, he now lies lower on the ground dragging himself around. I hated standing there to video Maurice as it looked callous but the vets said to keep him active but I always carry him to his food. He is the purrfect size to cuddle and although little still managed to push me out of bed when he was well. They both should be out in their cat run chasing butterflies and crickets. Here is another letter from our cat food forum, there was disbelief when Clark on Itchmo said the Champion petfoods did not now the food would be irradiated, then Michelle on our Australian Cat-world forum stated they did know the food would be irradiated. This is from Raggiesrule who has 3 Maine coons,Hali,Uly,Evie and 2 ragdolls, Aub,Quoi, all severely affected and one ragdoll Robbie who was PTS 
A Nth American friend wrote to Orijen regarding what was happening to us and below is the response she received from Champion foods.

Yours
Rosella

Poor J..... now has steam coming out her ears as she is no more a fool then the rest of us and and has read the CW and Itchmo forum threads and is aware of what Champion company representatives have said on these forums.

Hello J.....,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us, and I would like to address the concerns you expressed in your email.

On November 20, 2008, Champion Petfoods announced a voluntary recall of its ORIJEN Cat food brand sold in Australia. The recall was restricted to AUSTRALIA ONLY and was issued in response to reports from the Australian veterinary community of cats showing symptoms of a neurological syndrome after consuming ORIJEN CAT food.

The recall was unique to Australia and did not affect any of the other 50 countries to which ORIJEN is exported. Champion Petfoods believes the Australian cases resulted from the high-level irradiation (exceeding 50kGY) applied to ORIJEN upon entering Australia. Champion Petfoods no longer exports or sells its ORIJEN pet foods in Australia.

We didnt know our foods were to be irradiated  we only learned AFTER our products had entered the country and had already been irradiated. We only learned the ORIJEN was irradiated when our importer complained to us about the high cost they had been charged for the irradiation process. When we learned of this we immediately contacted the Canadian Consulate in Sydney and asked them, on our behalf, to ask the Australian authorities why our foods were irradiated. At this time we also began to investigate the affect of irradiation but found that it is generally recognized as safe. It wasnt until we began to experience problems (that only happened in Australia) that we began to research the irradiation issue more. Even then, the impact of irradiation upon cat food is not a widely studied subject so it was difficult to reach any clear conclusions at the beginning of our study. It was only after extensive testing and consultation with experts that we were able to make conclusions regarding the negative effect of irradiation and how this impacted cats. In a perfect world, our importer would have been aware and notified us of the irradiation process. We in turn would have studied its impact on our foods before a shipment ever reached Australia.

We do not nor have we every used any synthetic preservatives or antioxidants in ORIJEN, instead we use natural antioxidants such as rosemary extract, mixed tocopherols (forms of vitamin E) and citric acid. Everything that we use in our products are listed on the packages.

Regarding the cat owners that have be affected by the recall, we are helping pay their veterinary and non veterinary costs up to $2000 per cat. There was a miss communication regarding the time that they had to have their applications in by. It is May 31st not February 28th as the email first indicated to them, we have apologized for this error and the extra stress this has caused them.

We have been nothing but honest regarding this voluntary recall and we have posted any updates regarding this on our website on our home page. www.championpetfood s.com.

I hope that I have addressed your concerns and please contact us again with any further questions or concerns.

Warm regards,

Diana Mick
Customer Service
Champion Petfoods Ltd

She posted Orijen's response on a raggie forum we are both on and I responded given not everyone is as well informed as J...... - my response below:

Thanks J.....,

It's certainly interesting especially given what their company representatives have already stated on public forums - it would appear they are again being frugal with the truth.

A representative of their own company was the one that admitted that both BHA and BHT were found on testing in their food when I challenged him with his claims of no toxins found. They apparently did not add it - it was present in dried chicken they had used. Given their claims to use only fresh ingredients the use of dried chicken came as a surprise too.

He also stated:

 In the study at MSU done on our foods, there were a few compounds discovered. The summary from the veterinary toxicologist at MSU was that they did not find any chemical compounds that are known to cause neurotoxicity.

This statement does not say there were no toxins found just no neurotoxins - since they are yet to provide these results who knows what toxins were actually found in their food on testing.

The company representative was Clark Stride and he made these statements on the Itchmo forums way back in December.

Also Michelle Granger another Champion foods rep posted on cat world on Dec 1st - introducing herself post #240 & stating they were aware their food was irradiated #242

http://www.cat- world.com. au/forums/ index.php? showtopic= 87540&st=240

Also worth noting on the Cat World thread is post #279 which asks why the company press release states the company did not know about the irradiation and Michelle's answer at post #282 and again this was way back on Dec 2nd. Yet again the company telling australians one thing and having a second story ready for their Nth American consumers which puts them in a so much better light.

So why over 2 mths later are they still stating they didn't know to concerned Nth Americans and why has their press release not been corrected?

Jo (not at all surprised that they continue to try and make this someone else's fault - no doubt the person that read the import permit, arranged the export documentation, signed the paperwork to allow the irradiation to occur and paid for the treatment and arranged the goods to be taken to and picked up from the treatment facility. Or are they expecting us to believe this was all done magically without a company representative knowing about it, arranging and signing documentation and paying for it!)


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## rosella

My boys in healthy days
Gus, Maurice and Pierre


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## lymorelynn

They are beautiful Rosella - it is so sad to compare them to your video of poor Maurice:sad::sad:. My thoughts are with you xx (((hugs)))


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## animalia

IndysMamma said:


> I was under the impression the problem came from the packaging being damaged by the customs irradiation process?
> 
> *hugs* I hope your cat gets better


This was my understanding as well. I'm not sure the company is to blame...


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## Guest

rosella said:


> My boys in healthy days
> Gus, Maurice and Pierre


They are truly beautiful cats Rosella and watching those videos you made, brought me to tears also. 
I am truly sickened by what i have read and i thank you for bringing it to our attention. Im so sorry for your cats and you...and of course anyone else in your situation. I hope there will be improvements in your cats health. xxxx


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## Trellis

Oh no that's terrible -poor cats!:frown:

I feed my kitten Orijen, alongside other things. I hope the UK version is ok!


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## IndysMamma

Trellis, it is only (I hate to use that word in this situation) Australian supplies that were affected in this terrible way, as it is the high level of irradiation used by Australian Customs on foodstuffs entering the country.

Although Champion Foods should have been aware of the irradiation process (I cannot say guarenteed either way whether they knew or not as it was *technically* the importers job the exporters should also be notified) it is also a case of irradiation normally has little or no effect on food, human food is irradiated every day with no known side effects.

So although I haven't fed Orijen to my own cats it is only because I haven't bought some to try yet and I would still personally buy it, just because a company had a trajic and terrible mistake I won't boycott it, look at all the horrible stuff human food companies have done in the past and still going strong because people accept accidents happen (CJD/Mad Cow Disease for one, Nestle selling poison hot chocolate for another)

Rosella, please don't take this as making light of your poor babies suffering and that of other cats throughout Australia, it should *never, ever* have happened and I hope your babies get better as soon as possible.


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## ORIJEN

To the UK cat community, given the negative posting concerning our company, I thought it may be appropriate to provide a quick posting from Champion. As is often the case in circumstances like these, facts often give way to misinformation.
I would like begin by telling you that we are a family-owned and family oriented, award-winning pet food maker here in Alberta, Canada. We have a long and proud tradition of producing innovative foods from fresh regional ingredients since 1985. 
Like most of you on this site, we are pet lovers too. Every member of the Champion family shares their home with dogs and cats (dachshunds for me) and thats why we make the kind of foods that we do. Just like you, we are shocked and terribly saddened at the situation that unfolded in Australia.
As there are some errors regarding the situation in Australia, Id like to clarify on a few points. 
First, the recall is limited to Australia and results from the high level of irradiation (61kGY) that our foods were exposed to when entering the country. This irradiation process is unique to Australia and our foods in other markets are not affected. 
Australia does not irradiate all pet foods  only those made with fresh ingredients (like ORIJEN) and/or cooked at low temperatures (like ORIJEN) are irradiated. 
The unique nutritional make-up of ORIJEN foods (including high levels of long chain DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids from fresh fish) make ORIJEN highly susceptible to the effects of irradiation treatment. Delicate long chain fatty acids are easily compromised by high irradiation, which in turn causes the formation and release of toxic oxidative by-products. 
When consumed by cats, these oxidative by products have a profound effect on the nervous system. Unfortunately, due to the obscure nature of this problem, no one in the industry  including Champion - was aware of the potential danger irradiation posed to our cat foods. Indeed, even after we discovered our foods were to be irradiated, we were assured by government authorities that the process was safe. 
When we began to receive strange reports of cats falling ill in Australia, we subjected all foods shipped to Australia to a complete battery of tests. These tests included every known toxin and a complete chemical screening to identify any possibility that our food may have contributed to the reported illnesses. All tests showed the foods to be fine.
Enquiries into all other markets (50 countries) where ORIJEN is sold revealed there were no reports or problems with the foods anywhere else  including foods from the very same productions that were sold in Australia. As the symptoms reported from Australia are indicative of a wide number of possible health problems, we decided to put a stop sale on our cat foods in Australia and send a staff member to Australia to investigate first hand. 
Realizing the problem was unique to Australia, we started to investigate for local factors ranging from water supply, gardening chemicals, spider bites a vast number of possibilities. 
It wasnt until we began running tests on ORIJEN cat foods irradiation chambers here in Canada that we began to strongly suspect the high levels of irradiation were causing the problems. Indeed, like everyone else we had assumed that irradiation process was safe. 
We began to research irradiation and cat food and found one single published study linking irradiated foods to the same problems that were reported among cats in Australia. Since then, one more study has been published that draws the same conclusions in the dangers of irradiated dry cat foods. 
These studies are available on-line and can be accessed through our website at championpetfoods.com (click on the Australia icon)
We understand the criticism directed at us for the events that occurred in Australia. We have also done our best to be open, honest and transparent. All of our actions, investigations and subsequent findings were (and still are) posted on our website.
Our mistake was trusting that the irradiation process was safe. Our sales in Australia were a very, very, small fraction of our sales worldwide, and our exports to Australia were and are not greed motivated. 
In retrospect, we wish we would have known more about the process, and how our food in particular would be affected by irradiation. 
To support cat owners in Australia, we established the ORIJEN COMPASSION FUND to provide financial assistance to offset medical and related costs up to $2000 for each affected cat, announced a $10,000 donation to support homeless cats in the Sydney area, and will publish the research we have compiled in the hopes that others can learn from this tragic event. 
We have since changed our export policy and will never again ship to a destination requiring irradiation, or any other unnatural process, as a precondition to market entry.
To set the record straight, we made 2 shipments to Australia. A third shipment was made but stopped before it entered the irradiation chamber and returned. In total, less than 3 pallets of ORIJEN cat food were sold in Australia between November 20, 2007 and the recall date of November 2008. This compares with thousands of pallets of the very same food shipped worldwide during that same period.
Champion Petfoods and my family personally are very sorry for all of the families in Australia who have been affected by this terrible circumstance. We hope that of this tragedy a new awareness and understanding of the potential effects irradiation has upon cat foods. We pledge never again to allow our foods to be compromised. 
Sincerely,

Peter A. Muhlenfeld
Champion Petfoods Ltd.


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## alek0

Dear Mr. Muhlenfeld,

I would like to ask a few questions, and I would really appreciate an answer.
representatives of your company (Clark on Itchmo and Michelle on catWorld) were giving some contradictory answers an then Clark disappeared and Itchmo was down so there were no more answers to the questions. 

1. What is the progress, if any, on establishing exact cause for the problems in irradiated food? Any additional information would be of great help for treatment of affected cats, and last information was that Champion has been talking to one of top toxicologists as well as other scientists.

2. Would you consider covering fully veterinary expenses of affected cats? There aren't that many of them, and you have a moral and ethical obligation. Considering previous cases of other pet foods, if matter comes to court you will likely have a legal obligation as well, and by postponing o do what is right until you have to, you will just be losing trust and customers.

3. Are you going to publish test results for Orijen? Your info releases do not actually contain any numbers. Can you comment on the fact that Clark claimed that Al levels in Orijen are below 50 ppm, my own testing result was a bit over 60 ppm. Although Al i generally considered nontoxic, there are some concerns about Al in cats and its role as a vaccine adjuvant in vaccine associated sarcoma, and 60 ppm is a bit high.

4. Can you comment on issue of BHA and BHT traces in your food (mentioned by your representative Clark Stride on Itchmo)?

5. Do you regularly test your ingredients shipments? If yes, what do you test for? Is every shipment tested, or random samples are selected?

6. Do you clean equipment between running different foods through your production line and if so, how?


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## rosella

Orijen replies from Itchmo, Remember Orijen you killed Australian cats and many more are ill with a debilitating long term paralysis.
How could you, Champion be unaware of the documentation needed,import permits,signed the paperwork to allow the irradiation to occur,payment for the treatment and arrangement for the goods to be taken to and picked up from the irradiation treatment plant. How can anyone be sure you aware of the quality control of your suppliers because you certainly didn't bother when you sold your contaminated food in Australia. Why didn't you label the food it was irradiated.
To see the beautiful loved, Hunter a stunning Bengal, who died because of Orijen. Go to Facebook, join our group and search for
YES! We want our petfood labeled correctly



Re: Problems with Orijen in Australia
« Reply #332 on: December 04, 2008, 07:54:15 AM »

Hello Sandi

ORIJEN is high in long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA, EPA) which are particularly susceptible to breakdown
under the irradiation process, which in turn causes the release of the free radicals thought to cause the symptoms
seen in the Australian cats.
Champion did not know our food had been irradiated until after it was on the market.

Re: Problems with Orijen in Australia
« Reply #333 on: December 04, 2008, 07:57:04 AM »

Thanks for answering that Clark, I appreciate it. But its still confusing how Orijen didnt know the food would need to be irradiated when there are some pretty clear procedures outlined at AQIS's website. Could you tell us why Michelle which is another Champion rep, is saying over at CatWorld, that Orijen did know in advance about this procedure? Thank you in advance.
Re: Problems with Orijen in Australia
« Reply #269 on: December 01, 2008, 06:34:56 AM »

Quote from: carolo on November 30, 2008, 09:45:30 PM
Clark, thank you so much for complete, detailed answers to all my questions. BTW, is the Orijen sold in Australia labeled to show it has been irradiated? Would that be done after the irradiation process or would you have to have it on the bags as they leave your plant? 

Our bags were not labeled with an irradiation sticker when they left our facility. We did not find out this was done to our product until after it was on the market.


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## rosella

Peter, what is negative is your negligence as a company for killing and inflicting this illness upon my cats.
What is negative is your contempt for Australia's quarantine regulations
What is negative - ignorance is no excuse
What is negative - what is the next illness, organ breakdown to happen to the Orijen affected cats. This is early days. What cancer will be multiplying in my cats body.
That is negative
Rosella


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## Perseus

Peter, I have been following this tragedy since the beginning so I'm fully aware of the number of kitties affected and the personal lives destroyed as a result of your company's negligence. Apart from all the reasons you state as to how, why, where and whom, and to jump to the bottom line, it is your company's negligence. 

It is not just admitting you made a mistake, it's taking appropriate measures to fully compensate the pet parents for their losses. This is how a moral society works. A moral society provides you with the good life you live, has laws and regulations protecting it for you, and reasonable assurance you will remain safe.

Why can't Champion be part of the moral society it abounds in, take full responsibility for their actions and compensate the pet parents for all of their vets bills, treatments, supplements, etc for the duration of their kitties' illnesses? Why should their kitties suffer physically from your negligence, yet there is not enough monetary support to aid them in their recoveries?

I would appreciate a response as to why you feel you are not morally obligated to pay for all of the expenses for the medical care of these affected kitties.


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## Number 1

Damn, just ordered 7kgs of the stuff from zooplus, not sure I can bring myself to feed it to mine anymore


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## Janee

Number 1 said:


> Damn, just ordered 7kgs of the stuff from zooplus, not sure I can bring myself to feed it to mine anymore


This is to do with Australian import practices. Shouldn't affect Origen brought into the UK


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## Toby & Darwin

Number 1 said:


> Damn, just ordered 7kgs of the stuff from zooplus, not sure I can bring myself to feed it to mine anymore


I just wanted to add here.
I felt the same when I first heard about this months ago. I exchanged all my bags for another brand - which completely disagreed with my cats and made them very ill for a few days.
I researched the issue and satisfied myself that it was only Australia which was affected by these issues so have now put mine all back onto Orijen and they are fine.

I feel dreadfully sorry for all the poor people whose cats have been affected by the irradiation of this product and know that no amount of compensation will ever make up for the loss which you have suffered.


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## animalia

Mine are fed Orijen and are all fine.  good luck Peter. Accidents happen and no one can be in control of the world. It's good to see you trying to come on here and explain yourself and make yourself available for those that are in worry or morning. It was a terrible tragedy and no one could have seen it happen before it did.


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## raggiesrule

To Peter A Muhlenfeld,

Regardless of what you claim your company did or didn't do and knew or didn't know the fact remains that Orijen Cat food was marketed in Australia, as it appears to be in other countries, as a biologically appropriate food of high quality. For cat owners in Australia it was anything but! It was in fact death, paralysis & destruction of quality of life in a very, very expensive bag.

This for many owners could have been avoided if you had given us the right to make an informed decision about your food by labelling it as irradiated & containing BHA & BHT. By doing so most if not all cat owners who purchased it would not have done so since they were looking for a high quality, safe product and those things are immediately precluded by the use of synthetic antioxidants and irradiation in the majority of informed pet owners minds.

In my opinion if you cared at all for the cats that are affected in Australia, as you claim, you would have made the results of all your testing, including toxicolgy reports, available to our vets and owners to assist them in providing adequate treatment for our cats. Because your company has failed to release these results owners, who are already up for significant costs, and the vets who are working with them have had to pay for testing of samples of Orijen cat & dog food (since some cats have been affected by the consumption of small amounts of dog kibble) in an endeavour to try and work out what is happening to their cats. 

Jo
(from Australia - my husband and I started Feb 08, pre Orijen, with 6 healthy cats and 1 cat with auto-immune issues that were well controlled. My darling Rob is dead; Hali, Evie, Uly, Aub & Quoi are still suffering the effects of having consumed Orijen - please be aware we stopped feeding it late Sept and it was never more than a very small proportion of our cats diet. Av is the only cat still healthy - she is the only one of our cats that didn't eat Orijen due to a food allergy)


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## Perseus

Accidents can happen? If Champion were a baby food company, and there were sick and dead babies, would you have the same response? Are poisoned pets considered a lesser value of life than poisoned babies?

Okay, let's say it is an *accident*. And let's talk about democratic societies then. In a democratic society, if you have a car *accident* and injur or kill someone, you must pay the damages caused by the *accident*. You don't get to decide how much to pay, like Champion feels they have the right to. You must pay for all the damages caused by your *accident*.

Cross posted from one of the affected pet parent who's cat is paralyzed regarding the amount offered by Champion as compensation for their *accident*:

"I think the main issue we need to clearly get across to our overseas friends on the blogs/sites is that you don't automatically qualify for $2000. (this is Australian dollars).
If you only saw your vet twice say, at $50 each time that's $100.

Then if you spent $900 on a cage, incontinence sheets, acupuncture treatments from an animal chinese medicine practitioner that wasn't a vet, some physiotherapy sessions with a physiotherapist who was a practitioner for animals as well as humans that wasn't a vet, the most you would get is another $100

Then if you spent over 6 months say, $500 on supplements - MethylB12, antioxidants, the most you would get is another $100

So you could have spent $1500 and only be entitled to receive $300 under this pathetic fund.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH CHAMPION"

Gee, I hope this attitude doesn't catch on. I can just see criminals standing up in front of a judge saying "but it was an accident and I shouldn't be held responsible".


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## Cats Slave

Ignorance is no defense for negligence and Champion must know this.
If they ought to have reasonably known that the food would have been irradiated and that such a process would result in what we've seen then they have been negligent (and certainly in the UK liable for ALL costs resulting from their actions).
If they've been as careless as they appear in Australia not researching the processes and not ensuring that the food reaching their customers is safe how can we in the UK trust them?
How do we know that somewhere along the line a problem isn't going to crop up with the new fish because they've not done appropriate testing etc.... 

I feel so desperately sorry for those in Australia whose kitties have been affected, they were only trying to give their cats what they believed to be the best only to be let down so badly.

I had fed orijen but was beginning to move away from dry food and the breaking of this story was the catalyst to remove it totally from my cats diets.


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## Leah100

What does 'up to $2000' mean? 

What if people have a record of vets bills and receipts related to their cats ill health that far excede this figure? What are you offer ing these poor owners in way of compensation not only for death and damage to their beloved cats but possible YEARS and years of bills related to the damage that has been caused?
There shouldn't be any cap on damages. If owners can submit receipts that prove they are still paying out for their cats' welfare and recovery subsequent to this contaminated food then Champion should still be reimbursing them, no matter how long for, or how much for. 
Do you as a company not have liability insurance that cover for you for exactly this sort of claim?
Do you not have a moral responsibility to every owner of a cat that has survived?


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## animalia

Perseus said:


> Gee, I hope this attitude doesn't catch on. I can just see criminals standing up in front of a judge saying "but it was an accident and I shouldn't be held responsible".


I think you are placing words in my mouth. I never said any of this was ok, I said it was good that Orijen were trying to speak to the public and that they didn't do this all on purpose!

Not sure if you remember or know, but this is not the first time this has happened with pet food, or with any food or human used product. Do you remember the baby milk scare? Or the issues with Iams food years ago?

My saying accidents happen was not to give one an excuse to not do anything. It was more for you to hang on and tell them what you want and understand they did not do this all on purpose. No one is perfect and accidents will happen, it's how we deal with them that can change. I do agree setting a limit on the amount the affected receive for treatment is cheeky, but at the same time they are limited on how much they can pay out and be sure is actually caused from their food and not just an extension of a pets already acknowledged illness. They can only try, but I imagine with all the paper work and details of it all it will take time for all to be reimbursed. By saying they will pay so much who's to say that someone won't just write in and say their pets have been eating this food just to get their bills paid??

I am in no way saying any of this is OK! as it's not, but no one could have predicted it. What's done is do and obviously has happened for a reason, that we may be more cautious with our pet foods and that pet food companies should explore all possibilities or outcomes of their products and their entry into different countries quality control. Austrialia may also want to re think their entry requirements. If this has done this to pet food. What the hell has it done to the human food!!


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## Perseus

animalia said:


> I think you are placing words in my mouth. I never said any of this was ok, I said it was good that Orijen were trying to speak to the public and that they didn't do this all on purpose!
> 
> Not sure if you remember or know, but this is not the first time this has happened with pet food, or with any food or human used product. Do you remember the baby milk scare? Or the issues with Iams food years ago?
> 
> My saying accidents happen was not to give one an excuse to not do anything. It was more for you to hang on and tell them what you want and understand they did not do this all on purpose. No one is perfect and accidents will happen, it's how we deal with them that can change. I do agree setting a limit on the amount the affected receive for treatment is cheeky, but at the same time they are limited on how much they can pay out and be sure is actually caused from their food and not just an extension of a pets already acknowledged illness. They can only try, but I imagine with all the paper work and details of it all it will take time for all to be reimbursed. By saying they will pay so much who's to say that someone won't just write in and say their pets have been eating this food just to get their bills paid??
> 
> I am in no way saying any of this is OK! as it's not, but no one could have predicted it. What's done is do and obviously has happened for a reason, that we may be more cautious with our pet foods and that pet food companies should explore all possibilities or outcomes of their products and their entry into different countries quality control. Austrialia may also want to re think their entry requirements. If this has done this to pet food. What the hell has it done to the human food!!


I'm glad to see you further explained your original post. Yes, I remember the baby milk and Iams *scare*. Actually, it was poisoned foods that killed babies and pets, so much more than a scare. Do you remember or know of the pet food poisonings in the States in 2007? Estimates are between 100,000 and 250,000 dogs and cats killed by poisoned foods. My cat was one of the ones killed by the poisoned foods.

This is more than an accident with Champion, negligence is not an accident. Champion was advised by the Australian government to have their foods tested after the irradiation and they choose not to.

Why do think Champion is limited on how much they can pay out? Most certainly they have product liability insurance. If they can't afford to pay for the damages they caused, then they shouldn't be allowed to conduct business.

Why do you think people would fraudulently submit vet bills for reimbursement? The vet bills clearly have to indicate the cat was treated for specific symptoms, i.e, completely paralyzed. I don't think any vet is going to falsify documents so a patient can be reimbursed.

Unless we take to task every single pet food company (and human food company) that acts negligently by poisoning the food supply chain, there will never be any changes made.


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## Mongo

> ORIJEN - a food that truly puts the optimal nourishment of dogs and cats above all else - from Champion website


We believed that - we believed we'd found a cat food that was more biologically appropriate than any other kibble. We trusted Orijen and bought their product.

Five whole months of sleepless nights caring for a very sick cat later I feel like my cat has been in a hit and run accident and Peter is virtually throwing a few bucks out of his fancy car and driving away.

Our cat improved for almost a month around January and then, heartbreakingly, the wobbly hind legs have returned - now with added incontinence. Our house, despite our best efforts, stinks and caring for a sick cat for this length of time is exhausting physically and mentally. And yet we have no idea if after five months our cat is still to decline further or improve. Even if she improves we have no way of knowing whether she won't relapse or if she will suffer long term from this poisoning or what the associated costs of that may be.

And for all this, the stress, the tears (check out the Youtube videos of Aussie Orijen cats if you want your heart broken for a while - but we have to live with this day to day) hours of lost work, the repeated trips to vets, the incontinence pads and towels - hey the list goes on.

For this we are offered an extremely conditional limit of $2000 and a cut off point in May.

Obviously Peter is a clairvoyant and knows our cats will all be better by then and our related expenses at an end.

Phew - that's a relief.

I don't wish to appear facetious or like I'm just whinging but if the fact we were trying to feed our cats the best possible food is the perfect dictionary definition of irony - then the above is a great example of how there ain't no justice in this world.


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## Shmitty!

That's so sad and you are so right to be angry, I would be livid, and I would not rest until i had sought some revenge. 
I wish you all the luck in the world at making WHOEVER is responsible for so many cat deaths and illnesses pay for what they have done.


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## raggiesrule

Shmitty! said:


> That's so sad and you are so right to be angry, I would be livid, and I would not rest until i had sought some revenge.
> I wish you all the luck in the world at making WHOEVER is responsible for so many cat deaths and illnesses pay for what they have done.


Another irony we don't want revenge - we want to be treated fairly - we want fair compensation not a very limited compassion fund that in no way covers the costs we have incurred due to Champion failing to allow us to make an informed decision about their "biologically appropriate" food, ingestion of which caused significant health issues with our cats including paralysis and death.

Champion has set May as the limit for their "compassion" fund because no doubt they want this to be over and done with. How nice for them we live with this nightmare caused by their food day in day out and have done so since July 2008 and see no signs of it being over by May 2009. I don't know what Champion wants but we (affected cat owners) don't want cat owners being forced to PTS their loved companions because they can no longer afford the vet bills and ancilillary cost (and these may well be more than the vet bills for some owners) that seem endless and ongoing.

And it should be noted as is the case with Mongo's beautiful girl Melody these cats can start to get better and then relapse - we have had it happen too in a very extreme case with young Hali who nearly died when she relapsed - thank god for a wonderful vet who made herself available out of hours. And in the case of Hunter, a beautiful young Bengal, he did die. So don't go thinking because these cats are starting to get better this will soon be over it is certainly not something an affected cat owner can let themselves think.

The other thing we want from Champion is accurate information - they haven't even released their toxicology reports to owners and treating vets so we can be aware of what we are actually battling and potential issues with our cats in the future.

We have company representatives saying that Orijen foods have tested free to all toxins? From Clark Stride on 11/12/08 Itchmo "After testing for more than 180 toxins and chemical compounds, Michigan State Universitys Veterinary Toxicologist has confirmed that ORIJEN cat foods sold in Australia are free of toxins. NO KNOWN TOXIC COMPOUNDS WERE FOUND."

When this was challenged by me on the Ichmo forums on the 19th Dec 2008this was clarified to: 
"In the study at MSU done on our foods, there were a few compounds discovered. The summary from the veterinary toxicologist at MSU was that they did not find any chemical compounds that are known to cause neurotoxicity." by Clark Stride, a Champion rep, on Dec 22.

For those interested the Itchmo thread can be found here http://itchmoforums.com/news-recall-related/problems-with-orijen-in-australia-t6985.465.html . Be warned it is 45 pages long currently - the references referred to and CLark Strides comments about BHA & BHT being "found" in the food are between pages 32 & 35.

It should also be noted that the "communication error" that caused owners to be notified by an "assessor" that the closing date for the fund was brought forward by 3mths to 28th Feb caused a huge amount of stress to owners. How could this error have occurred surely the assessor would have had to receive instructions in writing not by chinese whispers. And the timing could not have been better - our country was undergoing a huge National disaster with bushfires killing large numbers of people and destroying homes. One of the affected cat owners vet lost her home, her animals, her husband. Seriously Champion what are you people thinking????

And some one said this was an accident which bit - the failure to read an import permit and know what was going to happen to product as a condition of importation? the failure to investigate what irradiation meant for cats? the failure to label product as treated? the failure to ensure ingredient suppliers met standards when it came to what they fed animals that are going into product? the failure to have adequate inline testing to know there were BHA and BHT (and what else) in a biologically appropriate product? the failure to label bags as containing these products? the failure to release information that could potentially assist affected cats? affected cat owners having to inform retailers of the recall as they had not been notified? the "communication error" that brought forward the date for close of the compensation fund? Exactly which bit was the accident?

Jo


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## maxymia

This is what Orijen pet food has done to our cats in Australia

Three cats have died of seizures, one of a spinal tumor. Fifteen have been euthanised and approximately 80 others have symptoms ranging from hind limb ataxia to full paralysis, spinal cord damage, brain damage and spasticity.

Upon entry into Australia, Orijen pet food was gamma irradiated. Amongst the mounds of paperwork needed to be signed in order to release a new product on the Australian market (import permit, export documentation, signed authorities to irradiate, accounts for irradiation treatment and arrangement of transportation of the goods to and from the irradiation facility) is the AQIS Authority to Treat Goods Document. This document states the amount of gamma irradiation that will be used, renders the goods safe for quarantine purposes ONLY and states that the owner/agent should make their own enquiries as to the suitability of this or other treatments for the end use of their goods. This form NEEDS to be signed prior to any treatment despite Champion petfoods (Manufacturers of Orijen and Acana) constantly claiming they knew nothing of this procedure and that the irradiation went ahead without anyones knowledge. We have enquired about this and find their claims to be untrue.

It is Champions responsibility to work with their importer to ensure the safety of their food, not just send it out and collect the cash. Peter Muhlenfeld (Champion Petfoods) said they made a mistake, indeed they did. According to AQIS they had the option of heat treatment or irradiation. Why would you choose irradiation over heat treatment when claiming to be a company who has our pets best interest at heart.

Champion appears to have done the right thing in carrying out testing on their food, but all we have found out from one of Champions representatives, Clark Stride on the Itchmo forum, is that BHA & BHT (preservatives) were found in Orijen kibble during the testing. We were told it came from a dried chicken product added to Orijen petfood. Quote from Champion's website "…..world-class ingredients fished or raised within our region and delivered to our factory FRESH- never frozen and without preservatives- each day." Another untrue claim it seems from Champion

Champion and their Nutritionist, who they refer to on many occasions, may not have found the studies linking irradiated pet food to neurological damage in cats, but given their specialty would or should have known about Vitamin depletion which results from gamma irradiation. A very well known fact. Champion claims to have researched once they apparently found out the petfood was being irradiated, yet Champion still insisted on selling their 'Biologically appropriate' food to the Australian market. Obviously more driven by money than for the welfare of our beloved animals. If our cats did not suffer from neurological damage, the long term effects of a diet depleted in Vitamins would have been catastrophic

Champion keeps trying to blame someone else. This is their third recall. The first to do with mad cow disease, the second was very large and sharp salmon bones in Orijen kibble and now us. When are they going to step up their quality control? Our pets lives are at stake.

We have also had two Champion representatives Clark Stride and Michelle contradict each other on forums about weather they new about the irradiation, how many shipments there were, test results, and announcements. Once we started questioning these contradictions they disappeared, we were ignored and our questions were left unanswered.

It took Champion 2 months after Australian vets had found the link to pull their product from our shelves. If they had acted promptly the number of cats suffering this horrid syndrome would have been far less as would the severity. Some pet suppliers were not told what the issue was and not all were told about the recall straight away and were still selling Orijen. How hard is it for Champion to contact all of their suppliers (given that there weren't many) and let them know exactly what is going on. Because of Champions lack of urgency with announcing this recall people were still feeding this food for weeks after their announcement.

Champion have offered all affected cat owners a 'Compassion Fund' A limit of $2000AU per affected cat. This covers Veterinary bills only. We have sent champion many emails outlining what is involved to care for and treat our cats. We have broken it down to list most items with explanations of why these are needed. Items like antioxidants, supplements, laxatives, vitamins, animal pens, incontinence pads, soft bedding, larger & lower litter trays, kitty litter, shampoos/soaps, physio balls/slings, heavier water & food bowls, drinking fountains, barricades/plastic trellis, boarding costs, carpet shampoos, uric acid cleaners, acupuncture, physiotherapy, herbal remedies. The list goes on.
One such example from one of many emails to Champion.

_ I am sure you are aware that there are cats whose owners were left with no choice but to place them in animal pens to keep them safe while on their own. People work which means they can be out of their house for at least 8 hrs at a time. I do not understand why you feel it would be fine to leave these sick, disabled cats in their pens with no food or water for this period of time. Hence the need for heavier food and water bowls. I know of one owner who reported coming home from work to find that her beloved cat had not only knocked over both food and water bowls in the animal pen but had also defecated and urinated. There was an absolute mess as this poor cat was dragging herself around the pen. I am sure you can imagine that the food and water was now contaminated

Would you like to feed your pets food contaminated with their own faeces and urine? I am sure you wouldn't.

Another owner reported hearing a crash during the night and found that her cat had collapsed into her water bowl and broken it. So for hygiene and safety reasons reconsidering the need for heavier bowls is more appropriate in this situation._

There are many other explanations like the one above that have just been ignored by Champion. They came back with their pathetic offer of $1800AU for veterinary bills, $100AU for Supplements listed on their website and $100AU for animal pens, incontinence sheets and plastic syringes. All they have done is reduced the Veterinary bills by $200AU. The vets, although extremely helpful and doing the best they can, cannot offer a lot. The advice is feed them a high quality raw diet and give them time. So vet bills for most are not too high. What is costing an arm and a leg is all the other costs (not covered by Champions Compassion Fund). An animal pen is more than $100, incontinence sheets are costing up to $50/week and this can go on for months, but all they are allowing us to claim is $100AU. Basically you can spend $2000AU but only be able to claim $300AU. I am now hearing of owners struggling financially and wondering if they should make the decision to PTS because they can't afford treatments that Champion will not cover.
Our emails are ignored, our questions go unanswered but Champion finds the time day after day to reach out to other countries to say how they regret the circumstances in Australia and really feel for us. They claim to care for animals and all have pets of their own but will not pay for what their negligence has caused.

There are also a few claims outside of Australia of people seeing the same symptoms with their cats. Champion has contacted 2 that I know of and have told them to retract their comments without making the moral decision to check if their claims are viable. That's what I call putting animals first, sorry did I say animals, oops, I meant money.

Pet food companies need to take responsibility for their products and if nothing is done, we will see another recall like that of the 2007 menu foods recall that killed thousands of cats and dogs in US. I am not going to ask people to boycott this company but ask you to make an informed decision as to weather you would want to support a company that has in our case been negligent, rude and ignored us. Several statements from Champion regarding the Australian recalls do not match what our research has uncovered together with the misconceptions from Champion I have pointed out above. As the owner of two affected cats, I have experienced first hand the lack of consideration Champion is giving us and how looking after these poor affected cats totally takes over your life.

Lastly, Peter, I am asking you one last time to make the moral and humane decision to cover ALL of our costs incurred whilst nursing our sick and disabled cats hopefully back to health. Our beloved cats are in this situation due to your company's negligence despite what you say. Your importer represents your product. Your product, your problem

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## Number 1

I have been doing some research to try and avenge my own personal concerns (I feed mine Orijen) and found out that irradiated food can be found in the UK, and it can be done as part of importation. From reading various sites it seemed to state this. 

For Orijen - how many crates have been sent to the UK over what period of time?
How have you ensured these are not being irridiated.


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## maxymia

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes Peter you are right, as is often the case in circumstances like these, facts often give way to misinformation.
1)You said "We have a long and proud tradition of producing innovative foods from fresh regional ingredients since 1985." Your company representative said you found BHA & BHT during your testing, preservatives possibly from a dried chicken product
2)You said "the recall is limited to Australia and results from the high level of irradiation (61kGY) that our foods were exposed to when entering the country." AQIS said that this treatment will not go ahead without an Authority to Treat Goods document signed by Manufacturer or importer or agent which states the level of irradiation applied and that AQIS render the goods safe for treatment purposes ONLY.
3)You said "Australia does not irradiate all pet foods - only those made with fresh ingredients (like ORIJEN) and/or cooked at low temperatures (like ORIJEN) are irradiated." AQIS said you/importer/agent was given the choice of heat treatment OR irradiation.
4)You said "no one in the industry - including Champion - was aware of the potential danger irradiation posed to our cat foods." Sorry is this the pet food industry or the irradiation industry. Are you telling us that you have checked with everyone in the entire world an no-one was aware of the potential danger of irradiation. 30 seconds on Google Peter
5)You said "we began to receive strange reports of cats falling ill in Australia." If you owned one of these cats strange is not a word that comes to mind absolutely devastating is closer.
6) You said "All tests showed the foods to be fine." Fine maybe but also containing preservatives which contradicts what your website says
7)You said "Enquiries into all other markets (50 countries) where ORIJEN is sold revealed there were no reports or problems with the foods anywhere else." I have spoken to few people who have reported problems only to be told to retract their comments. I am not saying your food was the cause but we will not know as these reports were not followed up.
8)You said "we decided to put a stop sale on our cat foods in Australia and send a staff member to Australia to investigate first hand." Correct but not in that order. Your staff member came to Australia prior to your recall which took at least 2 months for you to co-ordinate.
9)You said "Indeed, like everyone else we had assumed that irradiation process was safe." Peter please, There are so many studies and advocacy groups stating otherwise. That is a very big assumption indeed. 
10)You said "We have also done our best to be open, honest and transparent. All of our actions, investigations and subsequent findings were (and still are) posted on our website." mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Were are the test results?
11)You said "Our mistake was trusting that the irradiation process was safe." No misconception there.
12)You said "In total, less than 3 pallets of ORIJEN cat food were sold in Australia between November 20, 2007 and the recall date of November 2008." Your press release on your website says 6

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## Trellis

I bought a hugebag of the stuff from Zooplus a few weeks ago, now I don't know whether to continue feeding it to my cat. I know apparently the UK stuff is safe but how can we be sure?

He only has 1 small handful per day to supplement the wet food, but it's still a concern. I don't think I shall be buying this product again after reading the posts on here.


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## Number 1

Same here, just ordered 7kg  I heard that Applaws are offering straight swap for your Orijen but I think lots of cats have gotten the squits from that. I wonder if Champion are willing to do a refund.


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## Number 1

maxymia said:


> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 7)You said Enquiries into all other markets (50 countries) where ORIJEN is sold revealed there were no reports or problems with the foods anywhere else. I have spoken to few people who have reported problems only to be told to retract their comments. I am not saying your food was the cause but we will not know as these reports were not followed up


So other owners in other countries have reported similar problems?  Any from the UK?


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## raggiesrule

Trellis said:


> He only has 1 small handful per day to supplement the wet food, but it's still a concern. I don't think I shall be buying this product again after reading the posts on here.


My 6 cats would have only received about a 1/2 cup a day of Orijen shared between them at most. And some of the affected cats were having the odd snack on a few dog kibble. It didn't take much of the affected food to cause devastating results.

Jo


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## Trellis

If there was something wrong with the food, how long would it take to show up? My cat has been eating from this bag for a couple of weeks now and it's the 2nd bag of Orijen I've bought.

He has been sick twice, but I put that down to him having eaten some foil off a party streamer as that was in the sick along with Orijen, plus the 2nd time he'd ripped open a bin bag and nibbled on a very old empty cat food pouch so I thought that might be the cause too!

I'm tempted to cut my losses and throw the food away but there's probably £15 worth left in the bag and I really can't afford to waste it if there really is no cause to worry!


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## raggiesrule

We fed Orijen for months before symptoms showed. And had stopped feeding it for over a month when our last cat started showing symptoms. She hadn't really been interested in it so had not eat much of it at all. We were hoping she had escaped what had happened but unfortunately not. 

And as far as being out of pocket for the food I can assure you that is nothing compared to thousands of dollars this has cost us in vet bills and ancillary costs. You have to weigh the risks and decide what is safe for your cat but I can assure you I would have appreciated a heads up before I started to feed this food as what has happened to us has been totally devastating to our cats, ourselves and our vets.

Jo


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## maxymia

Number 1 said:


> So other owners in other countries have reported similar problems?  Any from the UK?


RECALL - Orijen cat food in Australia - has been linked with fatal illness! - The Something Awful Forums

I am not saying the food is the problem but we will never know as other claims, not this one, were dismissed even though symptoms were quite similar to the cats in Australia. You asked of any reports in the UK, this is why this one is posted.


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## Number 1

maxymia said:


> RECALL - Orijen cat food in Australia - has been linked with fatal illness! - The Something Awful Forums
> 
> I am not saying the food is the problem but we will never know as this claim was dismissed even though symptoms were quite similar to the cats in Australia


Well that's done it for me. I believe my cats get a good balanced diet of foods, all high in meat, so it's not going to make the world of difference, they prefer Hills Kitten anyway.


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## rosella

Hi, thanks for all your support, Gus is now into day 37 without being able to walk thanks to Orijen. He is incontinent, being hand fed and hydrated with a syringe, Maurice, thankfully has not got any worse but he was the first to get sick in December for 3 weeks and then got better for about 2 weeks and now well you have all seen him on You tube. The pain and distress this Orijen caused poisoning is inflicting on me by having to watch my sick cats is heartbreaking. My cats are everything to me,they keep me company and make me laugh as my partner works away from home on long shifts. All the vet can do is prescribe a cysteine amino acid, a Vitamin B shot and a twice weekly visit.
Rosella


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## Janee

Surprised no lawyers in Australia have suggested a class action, or no win, no fee damages against the company.

If the company knew that food coming into Australia needed to irradiated, didn't the company research the affect on cats and dogs? If it didn't, then negligent, surely?


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## Perseus

Janee said:


> Surprised no lawyers in Australia have suggested a class action, or no win, no fee damages against the company.
> 
> If the company knew that food coming into Australia needed to irradiated, didn't the company research the affect on cats and dogs? If it didn't, then negligent, surely?


I don't know if any of the affected pet parents are pursuing any legal action, as I am not one of the affected parents. I am following and researching this tragedy as one of my kitties was killed from the pet food recall in the States in '07. Surely if Champion doesn't step up to the plate and cover their expenses, I would think legal action will be their only alternative. I doubt that these pet parents who are nursing their paralyzed kitties around the clock want it to go in that direction, but may be forced to.

Champion admitted they did not research the effects of irradiation on their food.


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## Number 1

What was the recall in the US?


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## maxymia

Perseus said:


> I don't know if any of the affected pet parents are pursuing any legal action, as I am not one of the affected parents. I am following and researching this tragedy as one of my kitties was killed from the pet food recall in the States in '07. Surely if Champion doesn't step up to the plate and cover their expenses, I would think legal action will be their only alternative. I doubt that these pet parents who are nursing their paralyzed kitties around the clock want it to go in that direction, but may be forced to.
> 
> Champion admitted they did not research the effects of irradiation on their food.


You are absolutely right. It would take much stress out of our already devastating lives if Champion would just come forth and do what is right. We are spending so much time nursing our sick kitties that having to pursue the legal route is just another blow to us from Champion. By the way we just lost another fury baby to the rainbow bridge yesterday. RIP Tito. What this syndrome is doing to our cats is truly devastating and what is sadder is that there are still cases comming to light.


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## The Cats Mother

*Here's why the Orijen "Compassion Fund" has been re-named by Australian affected cat owners the Horrorjen Compassionless Underfund.*

My expenditure to date: (Australian Dollars)
Vet consults/tests: $526.00
Vet prescribed meds: $394.30
Non-vet practitioners: $794.00 (acupuncture, physiotherapy)
Supplements: $242.65
Ancillaries: $257.77
*TOTAL to DATE $2144.72 and I'm only 2 months into it.*

Their allowable paid: Vet consults & meds $ 920.30
Supplements $100.00
Ancillaries $100.00
*TOTAL PAYABLE $1120.30*

As you can see, there is over $1000 shortfall already.
Given that this can take 6-8 months at least to run its course, assuming your cat makes a full or partial recovery, and having regard to the fact that most of the high veterinary costs are in the initial stages, there is still a long way to go before the spending stops. I am now stocked up with supplements for a further two months. As cats rehabilitate, the non-vet treatments can start to be spaced out with much of the rehab being done by the owner between visits.
Still however a long way to go before the spending stops in order to give a cat the best possible chance of recovery, and we are finding that the older cats are taking far longer. My cat is 10.

This fund is said to have been decided in consultation with vets in Sydney treating the cats. If these are the vets I am thinking of they do their own acupuncture and the more alternative treatments. Some of us are using our own conventional vets and selected specialists. So this was quite possibly based on an unusual veterinary set-up and certainly well in advance of anyone knowing how long the whole recovery process could take and what types of ancillary products would need to be bought. Very little anticipation of the need for cages/pens or incontinence sheets and nappies.

Champion's example of how to fill in the form gives the example of a confining pen, cost $40. I don't know what world they are living in but the cheapest confining pen here is around $65 and if you need a full cage because there are other (healthy) cats in the house who keep setting upon the weaker one, that's around $110-150. Whoops that's swallowed up your ancillary allowance, nothing left for pee pads. They are allowing for feeding syringes. Feeding syringes!!! They cost diddly squat and most vets will give you two or three for free anyway.

If they have based their estimates on Edmonton cost of living prices, they need to remember that Sydney is the 19th most expensive city in the world to live, just four places behind New York, and the Canadian cities rank around 85th. It would be interesting to compare some prices of say, petrol, over the counter health supplements, other day to day expenditures.

Once again, a failure to research properly and think things through.

Australians are sometimes accused of having a slack. "she'll be right mate" attitude. We've got nothing on this mob, they make us look like Einsteins.


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## Leah100

I can't believe that they are going about it this way, surely it is for each individual owner and their vet to decide the best treatment plan for each individual cat and then to submit expenses?! If it is vet authorised, how can Orijen reasonably query it? Everything would obviously be accompanied by invoices and receipts and cost break downs. I have to say that it seems as if they are indirectly putting pressure on people to have their cats put to sleep if they cannot keep up with the bills themselves thanks to Orijen's lack of responsibility  

If they know and accept the food was at fault, and that it was bought under their name without them doing the relevent checks, then how do they have a leg to stand on treating people this way, absolutely shameful!


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## Number 1

The more I read the more it's less about the safety of the food and more about not wanting to feed food from such a company


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## The Cats Mother

And that is why we feel duty bound to let people know what is happening.

After all should any sort of problem ever arise in your country you know right from the start what you are dealing with and what you might come up against and forewarned is forearmed. The choices you make can be informed ones.


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## maxymia

Here is an email I received from a pet supplies store were I bought my Orijen from. Dated 6th Dec 2008.

_It is the least we can do to keep our customers updated. I just wish that we were notified earlier about the recall as we have all the email addresses of our customers and could have notified them straight away. It is interesting how the update says they recalled the food on Nov 20. When you go into the document properties of the recall notice pdf file it was actually created on the 22/11/08 and sent to retailers even later than that. It has been very poorly coordinated.

Thanks for your understanding and lets hope an answer is found soon._

Approx 3 weeks after the recall one affected cat ownwer actually had to tell a pet supplies store to remove Orijen off their shelves as they still had no idea. We asked Champion about this at the end of Dec 2008. Still waiting for an answer.

I would like to say a big thank you for all the support we have received.

Peter, Do the right thing and cover all documented costs we have incurred whilst nursing our sick and disabled cats until they hopefully fully recover, and I just thought I would let you know a families beautiful pet cat, Tito, just passed away due to eating your food. The children and owners are devasted. You also need to think about what you are going to do in terms of compensation for the people who have sadly lost their beloved pets.

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## mckitty

im pleased that these people are responding to your emails and coming here to give their side although it just looks like orijen registered to give the statement and then leave, i know theyre busy but who isnt ?

will they be back to read our replies ?

how are your cats rosella ?


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## The Cats Mother

*Sent to Australian Government today*

----- Original Message ----- 
From: TC
To: [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] 
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 2:23 PM
Subject: Irradiation of pet food - another death

*Re: Gamma Irradiated Orijen affected cats - another death

Forwarding to Dr Georgina Child and posting on all known public pet forums internationally.*

Good afternoon,

It must be natural for those of you dealing with your day to day business in a commercially viable and scientific manner to become disassociated to some extent with the emotional component of the fall-out of this whole debacle.

Due to the distress of the family involved it has taken a few days for them to respond to my request for permission to quote their posts on our forum to you all verbatim. I have now obtained that permission. Here is what the family had to say about their cat Tito's last few hours and demise:

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:21 pm Post subject: Poor sick Tito 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and extend my sympathies to all in this predicament.

My 13 y.o. grey and white moggie Tito has been sick with Orijen illness since early December. He has been in gradual decline since then and now appears to have levelled out at quadriplegia/incontinence BUT he can lift his head and eat and drink. He has been like this for about 3 weeks and I am almost at the end of my tether as the extensive care he needs is difficult to integrate into full time work, family with 2 kids and 2 dogs etc.

Despite the indignity, Tito seems quite happy in himself. He is an outside cat and insists on staying in his little crevice near the fence. To keep him dry during the recent rain I had to put an outdoor umbrella over him. I have not taken him to the vet because I don't want to upset him - he hates to be confined.

Because he would not eat any food adulterated with vitamins, milk thistle etc he was not getting any supplements until recently. Fortunately he will tolerate bovine colostrum tablets crushed in his food and I have today obtained transdermal glutiathone and methylcobalamin to see if they help at all.

My OH is of the view that Tito couldn't possibly recover from the muscle wasting and debilitation and we should have him PTS. I think that we should wait a bit longer because there have been hints of improvement lately such as he seems more alert, his appetite has definitely improved (up to 3 small meals a day from 2) and there are occasional twitches in his back legs (though they are still mostly stiff).

I suppose what I really want to know is whether any other cats of his vintage have made a recovery and if so, how long it took.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:43 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi again,

Sorry to report that Tito has gone rapidly downhill after eating breakfast on Saturday, that afternoon became unable to eat or drink and has not had any food or water since. When I try to syringe water into his mouth he gags as if he can't swallow.

Our usual vet is scheduled for a visit tomorrow (it's the soonest he could come) and we've cancelled our appt with Georgina as I doubt Tito will last that long.

I'm working from home today so I can keep trying to get some fluids into him, so far to no avail.

Fortunately he doesn't appear to be uncomfortable, but if he's still lingering tomorrow and the vet says he has no prospects, we will have him PTS. We love poor Tito but can't allow his suffering to continue any longer.

Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:46 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you all for your kind wishes. Tito is gone. The vet thinks it was probably kidney or liver failure. I suspect the kidneys because the urine in the nappy was very dark.

We will miss him so much. He was the calmest most placid cat who used to let my then 2 year old daughter carry him around without a scratch. I suppose that's why he coped so well with being sick. Our kids have known him all their lives. He is now buried in a spot where we are about to plant a lemon and a lime, right near our old dog Dolly.

When I start to regret not taking a more interventionist approach with his illness, I remember he would have hated that. Having been a feral kitten, he was a strictly outdoors only cat, and would panic if in the house, car etc.

Without Orijen we would have definitely had a few more good years with him.

I think that both Orijen and AQIS have a duty of care in this situation. Any indemnification of AQIS by Orijen is between them alone and would not prevent action being taken against AQIS.

Best of luck to all who are still nursing their sick ones. We will be thinking of you often.



*Thank you for reading these posts and I hope they have reached your hearts and not just your minds.
*

Please, please, please place a ban on all further irradiation of pet food products. Cats in mixed cat/dog households just snacking a little from the dogs' Orijen without themselves ever having eaten cat Orijen, have been affected, so it's not enough to just ban cat food irradiation. And you don't know what it might be doing to dogs' kidneys, livers, brains just because there are no visible effects.

Please revisit my Government on Notice document and read the Public Citizen "Bad Taste" article by Mark Worth. It's a long article but rewards careful scrutiny. Concerns about gamma irradiation of foods have been swept aside for years.

The Cassidy et al. study shows that it has been known since the 1990s that cats fed irradiated diets can develop paralysis and die.

No one disputes the necessity for Australia's foreign-pathogen-free status to be maintained. If it's not good enough in the state it hits our shores, and the manufacturer won't comply with AQIS approved production protocols, send the stuff back.

We don't need it, we don't want it.

We have plenty of good fresh Australian produce and foods produced under approved conditions.

I make no apology for my passion. My cat is crippled as a result of eating this food. Someone/some several is/are responsible and we owners feel we are just in the middle as the hot potato is tossed around over our heads.

I am speaking to lawyers, I am speaking to media, we are speaking to activist and advocacy groups. This is gaining momentum and we will be recognised and vindicated and we will be fully recompensed for our financial losses if not for our emotional trauma.

This could have been avoided. That it was not is unforgiveable.

Thank you

T C


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## maxymia

Hi all.

Above is a copy of an email written by the owner of a beautiful Blue Point Siamese cat affected by Orijen. This person is the instigator of our lobbying campaign to the Australian Government. We are asking for a full review of the Irradiation of Foods/Petfoods and labelling laws in Australia.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time cats in Australia have been affected in this way by consuming irradiated petfood. It has happened before in 2007 (the manufacturer covered it up and threatened litigation against anyone who spoke out) and it will happen again if we do not do anything about it.

I am calling for ALL CAT LOVERS to please help our campaign, by emailing your support for us to the recipients listed below, for the sake of all our feline friends. I believe that sitting back and letting this happen again is pure animal cruelty. Please help us in our bid to stop this cruelty once and for all. We owe this to our beautiful fluffy freinds that bring so much joy to our lives.

If irradiation of petfoods is banned in your country let the Australian Government know. If you feel with all the evidence that irradiating petfoods is cruelty to animals then let our Government know. PLEASE help us help our cats in Australia

The following is a list of the recipients of the email posted below.

[email protected] - The Hon Tony Burke MP, Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Forrestry - Australian Government 
[email protected] - Ms Annemaree Lonergan, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive - CSIRO 
[email protected] - Dr Martyn Jeggo, Director of the Australian Animal Health Laboratory - CSIRO 
[email protected] - Dr Peter Daniels, Assistant Director & Theme Leader Diagnosis, Surveillance & Response Australian Animal - CSIRO 
[email protected] - Dr. Colin Grant, Cheif Executive of Biosecurity Australia - Biosecurity Australia 
[email protected] - Mr Rob Delane, Deputy Secretary & Executive director of Operations - AQIS 
[email protected] - Mr Peter Liehne, Branch Manager of Plant Quarantine & Biologicals - AQIS 
[email protected] - Mr Robert Langlands, National Manager, Cargo Management & Shipping - AQIS 
[email protected] - Mr Graham Turner, General Manager, Compliance & Investigations branch - AQIS 
[email protected] - Dr Mark Cloney, National Manager, Quarantine Decision Support Branch - AQIS

In memory of the gorgeous Tito, Hunter, Jamba, Minka, Ollie, Robbie, Coco, Leo, Titus, Biscuit, Armani, Bobby and all the sweet little kitties that have so sadly left us for the rainbow bridge due to the ignorance of many. May they forever be at peace


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## raggiesrule

With a sad heart I let you know that another of our beloved kitties has made the journey to the Rainbow bridge. Smokey had to leave his family, for now, losing his battle with this horrid illness caused by Orijen. Our prays are wiith his family and furry companion Ginger who is also affected. 

Jo


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## The Cats Mother

*DAFF Response to Government on Notice Irradiation of Food/ Pet Food*

(Original was scanned into pdf file so copy-typed below for posting on forums.)

Dear Ms C……

Thank you for your correspondence of 16 January 2009 to the Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry about the gamma irradiation of pet food. Minister Burke has asked me as Executive Manager, Quarantine Operations Division of the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) to reply on his behalf. I apologise for the delay in replying.

Australia is free of a number of animal diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, which have had major economic and environmental consequences for other countries, AQIS operates border quarantine activities with the aim of maintaining Australia's favourable animal and plant health status.

Importers pet food products present a high risk as they may contain animal disease agents or pests that are exotic to Australia. To manage the risks posed by imported pet food, and a range of other products, AQIS is required under the Quarantine Act 1908 to regulate imports through a permit system.

Applications for import permits undergo a rigorous risk assessment by AQIS to evaluate potential quarantine risks and where such risks are identified, AQIS applies specific import conditions to manage these risks. In the case of imported pet food, heat treatment applied during manufacture is sufficient to inactivate exotic disease agents. In some instances, where the manufacturer's processing is insufficient to meet standard heat treatment requirements, import permit applicants are offered further heat treatment of gamma radiation as a treatment option . AQIS does not compel the irradiation of imported pet food.

AQIS is required under the Quarantine Act to advise importers where it is believed that a treatment may affect quality of the imported product. To this end, AQIS advises all relevant import applicants to contact the treatment provider to obtain information on the effect any such treatment may have on their product. AQIS advised the importers of Orijen cat food in 2007 that they should seek advice on the possible effects if irradiation on their product, and only issued the import permit after the importer confirmed that they wished to proceed with irradiation.

Thank you for the information provided in your correspondence regarding the potential health impact of feeding of irradiated dry pet food in cats. AQIS' powers to do not include the regulation of pet food safety. However, AQIS and Biosecurity Australia (BA) have considered this new information together with other scientific data and AQIS will be contacting import permit holders of pet foods to advise them of the findings of these studies.

The Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) under which AQIS currently operates, has also liaised with the Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA) during the development of a voluntary industry Code of Practice for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food. DAFF understands that this Code is intended to protect pets and consumers by controlling potential hazards to animal health that might be associated with pet food

Thank you again for bringing your concerns to my attention. I trust this information is of assistance.

If you have any further queries relating to this matter, please direct them to Dr Dennis Bittisnich, Manager, Biological imports program AQIS, who can be contacted on (02) 6272 3053 or be e-mail at [email protected]

Yours sincerely

Tim Chapman
Executive Manager
Quarantine Operations Division
AQIS

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS RESTRICTED MATERIAL AND MAY NOT BE CROSS-POSTED (SEE BELOW)*

This was the footnote on the covering email (standard Govt statement)

IMPORTANT - This message has been issued by The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). The information transmitted is for the use of the intended recipient only and may contain sensitive and/or legally privileged material. It is your responsibility to check any attachments for viruses and defects before opening or sending them on.

Any reproduction, publication, communication, re-transmission, disclosure, dissemination or other use of the information contained in this e-mail by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. The taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender and delete all copies of this transmission together with any attachments. If you have received this e-mail as part of a valid mailing list and no longer want to receive a message such as this one advise the sender by return e-mail accordingly. Only e-mail correspondence which includes this footer, has been authorised by DAFF

Given that this is what my letter requested:
(EXTRACT)QUOTE:
By this letter addressed to the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry and copied to AQIS I am requesting:

1) That a full review be carried out, without delay, of the regulations governing gamma irradiation applied to ALL foods, including pet food and animal feedstuffs released onto the Australian market whether imported or Australian grown/manufactured, on the premise that if it can do this to our animals, it could also do this to us and our children.

2) That a review of ALL available data regarding the safety of this procedure, not just studies that support the status quo, be carried out without delay.

3) That these reviews be carried out by an independent body of food scientists, nutritionists, toxicologists and appropriately informed representatives of consumer groups rather than by members of food corporations or the nuclear industry both of whom have vested interests in the outcome.

4) That the legislation, which currently does not require clear and prominent labelling of certain foods as "IRRADIATED" when they have been thus treated, be immediately amended with fast passage through Federal Parliament so that it becomes mandatory, as soon as possible, for ALL irradiated human and animal foodstuffs in Australia including individual supermarket fruit and vegetable items held in lengthy storage to be labelled "IRRADIATED" together with full disclosure of the levels of radiation used.

5) That this labelling requirement be maintained in perpetuity in the Australian marketplace regardless of what Codex Alimentarius wants to have happen worldwide eventually.

Australian consumers deserve to be recognised as intelligent people with the right to make their own decisions with regard to whether they choose to eat or feed their children and pets irradiated, genetically-modified or nanotech-engineered food rather than having it foisted upon them with neither their knowledge nor consent. I firmly believe that all such unnatural processes carried out on foods whether in their country of origin or upon import to Australia should be clearly identified by prominent and unequivocal labelling. UNQUOTE

I feel the reply has fallen somewhat short of addressing these requests. Not to mention the preceding 7 pages of information vigorously challenging the AQIS 23 Dec Notice to Industry declaring irradiation of food/pet foods to be safe.

http://www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/938949/33-08-09.pdf

I invite your comments.

Thanks
TCM


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## The Cats Mother

*Re Smokey,
Have today emailed the Minister, Biosecurity Australia, AQIS and CSIRO Animal Health Laboratory as follows:
*
Good afternoon,

An aggrieved owner has given me permission to directly quote his email to you regarding the death of his cat last Thursday following being struck down by full paralysis in November 2008. This cat was particularly badly affected, being rigidly spastic and having no volitional movement whatsoever. He has now died due to organ damage complications.

Hi T,

Smokey is gone... this morning found him, not breathing... can't function properly, I knew it was coming and yet...

Went to the vet, he has found that the thyroid was enlarged (he had thyroid problems and was on medication since the orijen seems to have done something). Also, he has tried to pass urine but for some reason couldn't and the quantity of urea in the blood was elevated - leading to seizures.

Last night he seemed a little more at peace - although he was somewhere else.

Am sorry - it's bad news

Regards,

B. B.



Whilst I have received a reply from Tim Chapman,Executive Manager, Quarantine Operations Division, on behalf of the Minister the Hon. Tony Burke M.P. to my letter of 16 January, I feel bound to say it falls far short of addressing the requests for full review of legislation around gamma irradiation and amendment of labelling laws in relation to pet food.

It is simply not enough to say that the safety of pet food is outside of the control of AQIS.

The safety of other people's children is outside of my control but watch what happens to me if a parent momentarily loses concentration outside a school and their child runs into the path of my oncoming car.

You, DAFF/ AQIS, maybe legislatively out of reach but you are socially out of touch and as morally liable for killing this cat (and some 20 others) as Champion and their importer are legally liable and shame on you for avoiding this issue by sanctimoniously hiding behind the goodness of the Quarantine Act of 1908, of which it is unnecessary to remind me since my disclaimer on the cover page of my submission explained that I am fully aware of and support it.

It is the methods used and the lack of duty of care (which you still have, regardless) and due diligence when the decision was taken, by whoever it was, to irradiate pet foods at a MINIMUM of 50kGy. In the USA, 50kGy is the MAXIMUM allowable. And a 40% tolerance level above this amount is - well - intolerable. I know of no other protocol, scientific or otherwise which allows for a 40% tolerance level. If you do, then please point me to it and I will stand corrected.

Glad no anaesthetist I've ever needed worked to that protocol.

T C

and I attached photo of Smokey as well.

All I get is read reports, but the pressure has to be kept up.

TCM


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## maxymia

Thanks for all of the support it really means a lot. It is lovely to have people care about us from the other side of the world. Thank you.

Speaking of support or rather the lack of, I thought I would let you all know that one affected cat owner had emailed three questions to Champion in relation to the Compassion Fund. This person has now sent this email with three legitimate questions to Champion four times. Each time letting them know that they did not recieve a reply the last time. I have seen these emails and they are not rude at all so I can't see any reason why Champion should be ignoring this person, but for some reason they do. The amount of affected cat owners that have emailed Champion and get ignored is beyond belief. They keep stating how much they extend their deepest empathy for us and blah blah blah. Yet they can go to bed at night knowing they are ignoring the people they should be helping the most. Absolutely disgusting behaviour Champion. Then again there is no money for them in Australia now so why would they care


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## deburs

Somethings I don't understand here:

1. Could it be possible (and if so, I don't know why Orijen don't say as it would exonerate them) that the import authorities did not advise Orijen that their food would be irradiated to a far higher amount than human food. 

2. Reading between the lines on the press statement on the UK website, it suggest the import authorities gave an amount which far exceeded that that was necessary. Why was it irradiated to such a high amount?

3. Or perhaps, Orijen's importer (not Orijen themselves) made this serious error

4. Or perhaps, no one really realised that the food would be irradiated to that level

I don't understand why, to be honest, Champion Food seem to be taking the whole blame - why not the importer or the import authorities?


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## maxymia

Hi Deburs. I will do my best to answer your questions with what I have managed to find out.

_1)Could it be possible (and if so, I don't know why Orijen don't say as it would exonerate them) that the import authorities did not advise Orijen that their food would be irradiated to a far higher amount than human food._

From conversing with AQIS themselves I do not believe this would be possible. There are forms that need to be signed when imported goods require further treatment. These forms will not only state what further treatment the goods require but at also what level. These forms need to be viewed, read and signed before any treatment will go ahead. They also state that the treatment will only render the goods safe for quarantine purposes only and that it is up to the importer/manufacturer to decide if the treatment will affect their product for its intended end use.

_2. Reading between the lines on the press statement on the UK website, it suggest the import authorities gave an amount which far exceeded that that was necessary. Why was it irradiated to such a high amount?_

I agree that the level was excessive. Unfortunately pet food in Australia is classified as a biological and not a food. IMO I believe the reason such a high level is applied is due to the poor ingredients many PFC's use in manufacturing pet foods. Many ingredients (not all) come from diseased and infected carcasses so the high levels are to keep Australia free from diseases such as mad cow, bird flu etc. and again this is all stated in paperwork that needs to be signed before treatment will proceed.

_3. Or perhaps, Orijen's importer (not Orijen themselves) made this serious error_

It seems that this may be the case, however the manufacturer is still liable for their product. It was Champions decision to leave their product in the hands of a very small time importer in Australia (and I do mean small time as it is almost impossible to find any info on this guy or his business). It is Champions responsibility to ensure the safety of their product from the time it leaves their factory to the time it reaches our cats bowl (something that Peter Muhlenfeld himself stated during a phone call to one affected cat owner). It was also Champions decision to continue to sell their product in Australia even after they say they found out it was being treated with irradiation. It is common knowledge that irradiation leaves food depleted of essential vitamins and minerals yet Champion where still happy to sell their nutritionally depleted and expensive product to us here in Australia. Champion advertise Orijen as biologically appropriate. They state on their website "After all, it is with our own dogs and cats in mind that we developed ORIJEN-a food that puts "nature" back into "natural" and nourishes all dogs and cats as Nature Intended." Nature did not intend the use of gamma irradiation. Champion did not deliver what they advertised. This is where we believe that Champion are responsible for what happened to us in Australia. Their product, their responsibility.

_4. Or perhaps, no one really realised that the food would be irradiated to that level_

Please see answer to your first question. It is all stated in paperwork. It has also came to light that the irradiation facility offered to irradiate a small batch sample for free. This irradiated sample could than be tested before deciding if irradiation would affect their product. To the amaisement of the irradiation facility this offer was declined.

_I don't understand why, to be honest, Champion Food seem to be taking the whole blame - why not the importer or the import authorities?_

They should be taking the whole blame as it is their product. The importer is working for Champion therefore again it is Champions responsibility. The import authorities unfortunately get off the hook because of the paperwork that needs to be signed. This paperwork states that it is up to the importer/manufacturer to see if treatment will affect the goods for there end use and that AQIS &/or the irradiation facility do not take responsibility for any damages caused by treatment. AQIS's only job is to keep Australia safe from pests and diseases, Champion's job is to keep their product safe.

At the end of the day Champion petfoods did not do due diligence when entering the Australian market. They did not work closely with their importer nor did they choose a reliable importer. They did not act quickly when Australian vets found the link and they have not put in any effort when it comes to communicating with us, the affected cat owners in Australia. Our email are ignored and go unanswered, something to keep in mind should any other problems occur with their food further down the track. I will give them credit for taking some responsibility but they should be taking all of the responsibility.

All you have to ask yourself is if your beloved cat ended up with brain damage, spinal cord damage,spasticity or dead due to consuming a certain brand of cat food, who would you say is liable. Just like Champion are responsible for the way their product is manufactured they are also responsible for any further treatment their product requires to enter any other countries.

Sadly there are still some cats that are far from recovered. One owner told me today that their cat who was paralised from the neck down now has movement in her limbs but also has fits / seizures every day, you could only imagine how scary this would be for this owner. This has been a truly horrific time for all involved and this could have been avoided if Champion payed closer attention to their importer and the safety of their product.


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## raggiesrule

An update

Yesterday there was an announcement that there would be a ban on irradiated cat food in Australia. Terrific news though it doesn't go far enough some cats were affected from sneaking a few kibble from a canine companions bowl. Irradiated food needs to be properly labelled so consumers can make an informed decision about what to take into there homes to feed to their families.

Cat-food irradiation banned as pet theory proved

And as for the wobbley cats, some seem to be recovering though this may be a very slow process and some are dying. We all just keep trudging on hoping our little ones have the strength to get through this. It has been 11mths for my husband and I since this nightmare started and there seems little likelihood it will be over anytime soon.

Stay vigilant and fingers crossed this will not happen to anyone elses pets.

Jo


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## The Cats Mother

ABC Radio National Breakfast Programme interviewed Dr Georgina Child on 2nd June:

Killer cat food - Radio National Breakfast - 2 June 2009

The RSPCA has placed a statement on their website with a link to Minister Burke for those that wish to add their support:

Cat food made safer | RSPCA Australia | For all creatures, great & small.


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## Number 1

Glad the iradiation will be banned. Seems strange that other western countries don't do it and yet Australia did.


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## raggiesrule

Number 1 said:


> Glad the iradiation will be banned. Seems strange that other western countries don't do it and yet Australia did.


Please do not be lulled into a false sense of security other countries do irradiated both people and pet foods. And truth in labelling does not seem to exist in too many places at all.

And yet another victim of Orijen died today. Our darling Hali lost the battle against the effects of Orijen after a valiant effort that lasted 11 mths. Run free baby girl you will always be in our hearts.


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## The Cats Mother

*Irradiated dog food to be labelled - to be formally announced on AQIS website*

To read formal letter from AQIS re cat food irradiation ban in Australia and a move to label irradiated dog food as unsuitable for cats please follow link below:

Ltr fm AQIS 29.05.09 irr&#039;n catfd ban_dogfd label.bmp - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

R.I.P. Hali ... and all who have gone before you.


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## raggiesrule

Another sad update to the Orijen story - Gus the lovely Birman that was shown in the video that started this thread has lost his battle against the affects of Orijen. May Rosella, Maurice and Pierre find some peace - I know how hard this is for you but I hope and pray you are all able to keep moving forward despite Gus's light fading from your world.

Our thoughts are with you

Jo, AJ and the fluffybutts.


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## raggiesrule

And we have had another Orijen death Ginger has gone to join her brother Smokey who was lost to the effects of Orijen in March this year. Our thoughts are with her family who did all they could to support their cats and get them through the nightmare that was Orijen in Australia.

Jo


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## The Cats Mother

For those of you who don't visit the Itchmo forum here is a link to a thread that has been posted on there by someone who has done some digging

In the public interest - Orijen irradiation

The OP, "Public Informer" has invited cross-posting so here it is.

Documents released under the Australian Freedom of Information act that indicate that Champion not only knew about the irradiation they denied knowing about prior to their food going on sale here, they were actually contacted by their importer to discuss whether to go ahead with the irradiation. According to the importer they agreed to the irradiation and to the costs involved.

No surprises there really. Just makes me even more determined to see justice done one way or another.


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## munchbunch

I've just read right through this truely horrific thread. My heart goes out to all of you & your beloved cats. I hope that justice will prevail & that those affected cats still fighting their terrible illnesses improve & regain a quality of life.


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## staceydawlz

i cant believe it you cat is gorgeous poor baby i felt so sorry for her/him!! i hope she gets beter plz keep us updated!! x


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## The Cats Mother

I have just received an email from the veterinary neurologist in charge of all the affected cats who has a research paper on the issue about to be published. Dr Georgina Child has said I can quote her:

I sent Georgina Child a link to all this FOI info and she replied as follows:

QUOTE:
The information you have sent really says it all. The import certificate issued in Aug 07 lists both the importer and exporter (Champion) and I would assume both parties would have received a copy-it clearly states the food has to be irradiated. Do we know if exporters receive a copy of the import permit? The emails indicate that someone OKed it at Champion
The letter to Diana Mick says it all. It would behoove them to pay all costs for affected cats and stop playing the blame game. It is a small world these days and they should be reminded that Nth American cat owners (and pet food buyers) will be well aware of Champions problems and behaviour in Australia. Veterinarians also recommend food and also talk to each other (eg I am a member of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine). As a comparison we had a little cat recently that ate a whiskas cat toy and required $10,000 worth of Sx and care. The company paid within a week with no questions asked.
Please quote me anytime and use my name at will. As always I support your efforts.
Needless to say I have had no communications from Champion for some time. On the self promoting side ANVC asked for reimbursement for the money spent on some of the blood tests done initially in the US (Michigan at ANVC instigation and expense). They were not reimbursed in full (sent approx $600 from memory). Champion has not paid for (or offered to pay for) any of the pathologic tests we have done although are happy to quote the findings.
I will send them a copy of the paper when it is out-and will circulate it to my contacts in the US and Canada as well. The company is identified.

Hope this helps

Georgina
UNQUOTE

So as we can see, Champion are happy to bignote themselves announcing findings of studies etc on their website but are not prepared to either reference and acknowledge the providers of that information nor pay for the costs involved. And I still have not received a reply to my questions emailed 14 July nor to the phone call I made at my expense on 29th July. Meanwhile I have just incurred a further $200 in vet fees for treatment for a UTI due to my cat's hind limb paralysis which has rendered her for the time being at least faecally and urinary incontinent. This is the 2nd UTI in 3 months. She is recovering but it is slow and I pray she will make a good recovery as have many of our cats over time. Many have not, some have died.

Please think of us all when you sprinkle kibble into your cat's bowl and say a little prayer.
Thank you


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## Spaniel mad

OMG your poor cats

I really feel for you


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## 5CatMom

Very sad to hear that kitties are still dying from irradiated food. Furry hugs to my Aussie friends and their kitties who have been affected by this horrible and unnecessary tragedy.

Thanks for your hard work in dealing with the Champion debacle.

The FOI documents are very interesting.

In addition to irradiation issues, it apparently reveals that Champion was using ingredients from US rendering companies ((Griffin Industries and (blacked out) International))

How "inedible" rendered US ingredients go to Canada and become Canadian "human grade" pet food ingredients (according to the Orijen bag in 2007), is a mystery to me.

Champion has much more explaining to do, IMO.

References from FOI documents:

http://www.letstalkpetfoods.org/download/file.php?id=88

1. Page 25: May 1, 2007 Certificate of Origin

"To Whom It May Concern, (blacked out) International"

2. Page 32: April 26, 2007 Certificate of Origin

"All fresh materials of animal origin (blacked out) are collected from USDA inspected plants and are for inedible purposes only. Animals were slaughtered in the USA under USDA inspection . . . "

3. Page 34: April 24, 2007 Processing Time & Temperature Verification Certification of Compliance

"are sourced from USDA/FSIA inspected processing plants in the United States"

"Company: Griffin Industries, Inc.
Address: 4221 Alexandria Pike Cold Spring KY, 41076"


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## white_shadow

5CatMom said:


> References from FOI documents:
> 
> http://www.letstalkpetfoods.org/download/file.php?id=88


*5CatMom*, that link doesn't work for me.....


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## 1290423

white_shadow said:


> *5CatMom*, that link doesn't work for me.....


MAYBE because it is over two years old


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## lulubel

Someone posted spam on this old thread and pulled it back to the top. I reported it earlier and it's been removed.

It's an old thread, everyone, so don't worry - not a current issue.


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## The Cats Mother

Orijen imported into the UK is not irradiated.

The irradiation of cat food has been banned in Australia due to the disastrous effects and thanks to the hard work of several pet parents and vets and the RSPCA. 

My cat is still paralysed in her rear legs but is otherwise quite well and enjoying quite a good life, she has a wheelchair for when I am home otherwise she manages well pulling herself along with her front legs. Feisty as ever.

Sad to report that two more cats died from this, both belonging to the same owner. 

Those of you in the UK you have nothing to worry about.

Thank you for your concern.

If anyone does want access to those FOI documents I can provide a link to the public file storage where I have them. It was I who obtained them from the Australian Government and can answer any questions you may have.

Again, thanks for your interest and concern. It may be an old thread and somewhat in the past for you but rest assured we are still living with the effects down here and it is very "present moment" on a daily basis for us. The grief and anger may not be so raw but it is still there especially for those who are still losing cats due to this.

Champion Petfoods have much to answer for, but they washed their hands of it and went away after paying a small sum of money to each affected owner.


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## Sacrechat

I am so sorry for the trauma this has caused for all of you and especially for your cats. It may be something which happened a while ago and the food may not be irradiated in the UK, but I feel this company is not to be trusted.


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## Peter Galbavy

Sacremist said:


> It may be something which happened a while ago and the food may not be irradiated in the UK, but ivfeel this company is not to be trusted.


The company's reaction may have been abrupt, especially if it received binding advice from it's insurers but don't lay the blame there. It's the Australian government that used to mandate all "fresh" foods are irradiated on import. Orijen and others are classed as such because they are only cooked up to a certain temperature AFAICR.


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## The Cats Mother

Thank you everyone for your replies and care. Actually Peter, how Australian Quarantine works is that they don't mandate anything and they were very clear about this in discussions we had. They offered irradiation or moist reheating to the required temperature as two alternatives, most petfoods are not good for moist reheating so irradiation is usually selected. The importer has to give assent to the treatment in writing and in this case the importer emailed the manufacturer and reported to Quarantine that they had given the go ahead. The alternative option is to just not proceed with the importation. AQIS is clear in all paperwork that treatment is carried out at importers/manufacturers risk and they should do their own investigations before going ahead, in regard to the effects on the food. Champion Petfoods, when I called them about it, admitted they had not done due diligence. We investigated legal action but as pets are property we cannot sue for damages, only for the dollar value of the pet. Other legal options were reviewed, but the costs of mounting a case, paying expert witnesses etc as well as managing vet bills with no clear outcome, were prohibitive and it was very hard to find anyone to take it on, we had two legal firms interested, but we took their advice and decined to pursue it.


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## koekemakranka

As I understood it, it was not the comapny's fault, but the Australian customs services that mistakenly irradiated the food. :confused1:


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## raggiesrule

koekemakranka said:


> As I understood it, it was not the comapny's fault, but the Australian customs services that mistakenly irradiated the food. :confused1:


Whilst it may give you peace of mind to think that and I am sure Orijen is pleased that you do nothing could be further from the truth. The Australian Customs Service had nothing to do with the irradiation of Orijen food. The permit that had irradiation as an option came from AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service). However the company had to present documents, agree to the irradiation option, pick up the imported food, organise for irradiation and take it to the company that did the irradiation, pay the company and pick it up after the treatment was completed. Given this it certainly didn't happen by mistake and the company had to have full knowledge of what was occurring because they had to organise and pay for the treatment before their product could be released from Quarantine.

I have now lost 3 cats to the effects of the irradiated food and have another 3 still affected. And my biggest gripe is still that the food was sold as high quality species specific when it was anything but - the company did not bother to investigate whether cats could tolerate irradiated food - and there was research available to say they could not. Labelling certainly did not inform you that the food was irradiated. I can assure you if there had been labelling to this effect this food would never have entered my home. Even if there had been accurate labelling about the preservatives in the food (truth found when food was sent to the US for testing) this product would not have entered our home. The company saying that they didn't actively add the preservative and it came from an ingredient does not change the fact that it was in their product and their product label did not acknowledge it.

I am not going to tell you not to use Orijen we all use whatever food we think is best for our pets. However I can tell you I regret introducing Orijen to my cats diet as it killed/maimed them. And it was only a tiny proportion of the food they received.


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## 1jim

I havnt read all of this but it sounds terrible.....
but I really dont understand the need for Australia to request that all foodstuffs are irradiated or otherwise treated, I dont thin other countries require this and am sure the UK doesnt and I dont think we have a huge problem with imported diseases/pests from food (human or animal). What about other brands of catfood, presumably they have to recieve same treatments?
I dont mean to deminish the suffering your cats face, it truely is awful, I just dont get the requirements of your government


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## notsure

It has to do with the fact that due to it's relative isolation, Australia doesn't have a lot of the plant & animal pests & diseases that are prevelant in other parts of the world. These days with transportations times being far less than they used to be - strict quarantine requirements are enforced to ensure that this continues to be the case.

Anything of plant or animal orgins is required to meet strict conditions in manufacturering or undergo treatement to remove any bugs/diseases upon arrival in Australia (they used to spray the passenger cabins of arriving international flights before landing - these days the planes are treated periodically). 

In the case of Orijen it appears that the manufacturing process doesn't heat the product to a sufficient temperature to comply with AQIS regulations - therefore it required irradiation (which adversely affected the product) - I guess a lot of the other pet foods are cooked at higher temperatures and therefore don't require the same treatment. Thankfully as a result of this the irradiation of cat food is now no-longer allowed in Aus (pity it took the suffering and death of countless cats before this happened).

Quarantine is something that Australia takes very seriously - when I move back there next year (or the year after) if we do take our cats (like that won't happen) - they will required to spend a minimum of 1 month in a quarantine facility before we get to take them home (the length of time depends where the animal is coming from). 

notsure


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## raggiesrule

notsure said:


> Quarantine is something that Australia takes very seriously - when I move back there next year (or the year after) if we do take our cats (like that won't happen) - they will required to spend a minimum of 1 month in a quarantine facility before we get to take them home (the length of time depends where the animal is coming from).
> 
> notsure


Notsure please take a regular look at the Australian Quarantine requirements as they are currently in the process of changing for animals from the UK. There has been a lot of talk about it on the aussie cat boards but do not know if it hs been talked about much in the UK.

Bringing Cats and Dogs (and other pets) to Australia - DAFF


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## notsure

Thanks for that Raggierules - I see they've changed the requirements again in the past few weeks - although I'm actually in Norway, so from what i can see the changes don't affect my situation (at this stage anyways who knows what will change between now and and when we move). 

I have to admit I do find it strange that the rules for Sweden & Norway are so different, considering they share a land border (heck we go grocery shopping in Sweden on a regular basis it's that close).

notsure


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