# Potential Warning to TOTW Feeders



## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

Awhile back a few of the dog forums I'm a member of had members popping up with issues with TOTW Pacific Stream formula. Recently, a person on another dog forum I'm a member of had problems, and has given me permission to crosspost to warn about another (or perhaps the same) potential issue:



> Sunday night, last call, all the dogs came in for bed and Beta started vomitting. Now, there is nothing more pathetic than a sick Silken Windhound--except two sick SWs. Lola started puking. Then Odin, then Iris, then Calla.... That's five out of seven dogs.
> 
> After a major clean up and a trip around the dog yard with a flashlight to make sure they hadn't eaten a squirrel or some other unsuspecting intruder, I had no answers as to why they were all sick. No one had a temperature and after the initial nausea, they all acted reasonably normal. At about 2:00 a.m. I offered them some water and we all settled down for the night--no more incidents.
> 
> ...


She emailed TOTW and received an auto response that her message had been sent to a staff veterinarian and she would receive a response within two business days. It is interesting to me that they have an auto-response... perhaps they are getting a lot of complaints. Their veterinarian (who is paid to say exactly what they want him/her to say) will likely come to the conclusion that the food was not the issue.

I have had an uneasy feeling about TOTW ever since the "voluntary" recall. I have had the feeling that they desperately trying to downplay the issue and cover it up. TOTW has done a very good job trying to distance themselves from the Diamond brand (the only way I knew they were affiliated was that someone once mentioned it, and I compared the addresses of the two companies and found them to be one and the same). I think they were frantic to not sully their "new" name, so they simply tried to sweep the problem under the rug. 

I have some TOTW left over from when I used to feed kibble, but it will be going straight in the garbage. I don't have the bag so I can't check the date, but that doesn't seem to matter anyway, since they are not telling the truth about which dates may be affected.


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## MissMutt (Aug 8, 2008)

Reading this kind of stuff really is a bummer for me, because my dog is doing SO well on a combination of TOTW Wetlands and Merrick. Her poop hasn't looked this nice in a whole year.. so I don't really know what to do.


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

As far as I know, I haven't heard any complaints about the Wetlands, so you may be okay.... 

My canine nutritionist recommends Acana and Fromm a lot... if you do decide you'd like to try something different.


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

Oh geez... I hadn't even heard about the recall. All of my guys are on TOTW Prairie. Was that part of the recall too? Does anyone have any links for information regarding the voluntary recall, when it took place, what flavors it included, etc.?


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

As far as I know, the recall was sort of a word of mouth kind of thing, only told to those people who actually complained or called with concerns. TOTW stated that "an alternate protein source may have" been added to the Pacific Stream formula, but stated only the bags with an expiration of July 2010 were affected, and only the Pacific Stream formula and none of the others. Everything was garnered from online forums and emails members posted that came from TOTW/Diamond. I do not know how reliable all of the information was, but I do know that people that I know personally did call TOTW when their dogs got sick off of the food and were told about the potential issue with the Pacific Stream formula. Common issues included diarrhea, vomiting, and flat out refusing to eat the food.

Several members of other forums reported issues with Pacific Stream at that time, but then I hadn't heard anything again until now. 

Personally, I tried feeding my cats the TOTW cat food (which incidently also uses many of the same protein sources as the Pacific Stream dog formula) and they vomited on a daily basis so I switched away from it. Not sure if they just couldn't tolerate it or if I had a bad bag. They are eating Wellness Core now with zero issues.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

Ugh!!! I've spent too long out of the dog food circuit, I bought a brand new bag of TOTW Pacific stream the other day  It's still unopened. and I'm receiptless.


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## nico8 (Jul 16, 2009)

THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED TO MY DOG. I posted a warning a week or two ago on a thread about TOTW .

I had my dog on the Wetlands for about 2 weeks but she wasn't crazy about it(rarely ate and when she did it wasn't nearly as much as she usually eats) so I picked up a bag of the HP to see if she liked that more. By the second day she wouldn't eat anything at all and by the third she was vomiting 3-5 times a day and had horrible diarrhea all over my house(has _never_ happened before or since).

I've switched foods maybe 5 times in the past 6 months and haven't had ANY reactions anywhere near this. I've never seen my dog that sick and as soon as I switched her to Evo everything cleared up within a day or two.I've since changed to Solid Gold and she has yet to have any bad reaction to the switch.

Maybe this is an isolated incident but I won't chance feeding my dog TOTW ever again...even if it means spending a little more $ than I'd like to.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

I love TOTW.... 2 of my guys have been on HP for over a year with no problems at all......they look great , less gas, poo normal

I'm going to dig around a bit and see if I find anything....otherwise my guys are staying on it.....they did horrible on Wellness...except for my pug who is on the weight control formula


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

My dogs also eat TOTW and are not having any issues. Granted Oliver has a torn ACL but I don't think I can blame that on the food.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

Hawkeye is doing great on his TOTW Wetlands.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Hallie said:


> Ugh!!! I've spent too long out of the dog food circuit, I bought a brand new bag of TOTW Pacific stream the other day  It's still unopened. and I'm receiptless.


You shouldn't need you recipt if it is a volunary recall they should replace it regardless if you have the recipt or not as long as it's going back to the store you got it from. Worse come to worse take the store credit and get something else.


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## railNtrailcowgrl (Jul 24, 2008)

Mine's doing well on TOTW too. Wellness is not an option as she didn't do well on it and there are no other GF foods in my area.


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## Darkmoon (Mar 12, 2007)

nikelodeon79 said:


> She emailed TOTW and received an auto response that her message had been sent to a staff veterinarian and she would receive a response within two business days. It is interesting to me that they have an auto-response... perhaps they are getting a lot of complaints. Their veterinarian (who is paid to say exactly what they want him/her to say) will likely come to the conclusion that the food was not the issue.


Actually Most places have an auto response system. It's normal. They use it to tell you that they received your email and will get back with you as soon as they can.

I just switched to TOTW HP and I'm very very pleased with it. Nubs is having the best BM's I've seen ever. I didn't think he's ever have normal BMs.

If there is an honest issue, I believe they will take care of it. it takes time to investigate. I would stop feeding them the TOTW Wetlands and see if you can find a few older bags until things straighten out.


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

Darkmoon said:


> Actually Most places have an auto response system. It's normal. They use it to tell you that they received your email and will get back with you as soon as they can.


Actually, what concerned me was that other people reported getting no response, despite initially receiving the auto response. Fortunately, the person who posted the story I crossposted above did receive a response from the staff veterinarians. They asked how her dogs are and also asked for the numbers off the bag. She will be receiving a refund.



> If there is an honest issue, I believe they will take care of it. it takes time to investigate. I would stop feeding them the TOTW Wetlands and see if you can find a few older bags until things straighten out.


I am not personally feeding TOTW or any other kibble, for that matter. I do not begrudge anyone who feeds a high quality kibble, however. I simply was posting this potential warning to TOTW feeders, in case their dogs are showing or start to show similar symptoms, so they can consider the food as a possibility to the illness. I am not trying to get people to stop feeding TOTW, and I do understand that the ratio of those who have had problems to those who have not is relatively small.


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## Darkmoon (Mar 12, 2007)

nikelodeon79 said:


> Actually, what concerned me was that other people reported getting no response, despite initially receiving the auto response. Fortunately, the person who posted the story I crossposted above did receive a response from the staff veterinarians. They asked how her dogs are and also asked for the numbers off the bag. She will be receiving a refund.


If the person would have read the email they sent to her in the auto response
she wouldn't have had to wait...


> Your question or comment has been submitted to our Quality Control Manager. You will receive a reply within 2 business days. If this is an urgent matter, please call our toll free customer support line at (800) 977-8797.
> 
> Thank you for your inquiry


So please don't get snippy at me. I wrote TOTW prior to The first post I made on an totally different matter and that is the reply I received. That's how I knew the answer to the question.

As for your second quote, it wasn't directed at you it was directed at everyone in general. Don't take things so personally. Not everyone has the time to feed Raw. I would love to, but I honestly do not have the time currently. If this was an issue for me, I'd be looking for an older bag of food and using that to switch or to hold over until newer batches came out.


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## PappyMom (Jun 5, 2009)

Mine are on TOTW Prarie, and love it. Their coats are fantastic, BM's are perfect..etc..Is it just the pacific stream line?


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

Darkmoon said:


> If the person would have read the email they sent to her in the auto response
> she wouldn't have had to wait...


That is not the auto response she got. 



> So please don't get snippy at me. I wrote TOTW prior to The first post I made on an totally different matter and that is the reply I received. That's how I knew the answer to the question.


Hmm... I don't understand where you feel I was "snippy" with you but I certainly wasn't upset over anything. I was merely explaining what my concerns were regarding the auto-response, that's all. 



> As for your second quote, it wasn't directed at you it was directed at everyone in general. Don't take things so personally.


Your use of the word "you" made me believe the response was directed at me, considering you had quoted one of my posts in your response as well. I don't understand why it was such an issue that I chose to respond personally?? It isn't as if your comment had offended me or anything, so how can taking it personally be any issue whatsoever?



> Not everyone has the time to feed Raw. I would love to, but I honestly do not have the time currently.


If you read my prior post, you will see where I stated that I have no issue with people who feed kibble. I don't consider myself superior or my dogs better cared for because of it, though I have encountered this attitude in many rawfeeders. It is simply a choice I made, because my dogs personally did not do well on any kibble I tried. Other people's dogs do perfectly well on kibble and that's fantastic, and they should continue to do what works well for them (and this includes feeding TOTW).

If I had barged in here and said something like, "TOTW sucks! This is why everyone should feed raw!" I can see where people would get defensive and think I was getting "snippy." 

I very rarely post on this forum because so many things seem to turn into a giant rip roaring fight. I only wanted to post this potential warning because it is a large community. I cannot believe that a simple warning meant to give those people a heads up who may be feeding the food and having similar issues has ruffled some feathers.


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## nico8 (Jul 16, 2009)

I've read this thread 3 times now and have yet to find where Nikelodeon was being snippy or rude in any way. I feed kibble and took absolutely no offense to what was said. Let's all take a deep breath and remember that this is a place for exchanging ideas and information...not bickering. 

Thanks again for the heads-up post Nik.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

So it's just a change in the food that dogs are getting sick from? It's not from the food actually being contaminated right? Because I still have the unopened bag, Hallie hasn't had this food in awhile so if it's just a change in the formula it should make her sick. She has a stomach of still and I'm sure she'll be fine if it's just a protein source change. She really likes it and I wanted to put more fish her her diet so hopefully I can still feed it.


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

Hallie said:


> So it's just a change in the food that dogs are getting sick from? It's not from the food actually being contaminated right?


Well... it's hard to say. The company will not respond when asked directly, "What alternate protein source?" Protein comes from a wide variety of things... so there is a number of things that it could be. You would think if it was something "normal" they would identify the source, but they will not do so. My guess is that it's some sort of contaminant that they are labeling an "alternate protein source."

Some of the symptoms are fairly extreme to be just an upset tummy from a food change. My dogs have changed food plenty of time but haven't gotten anything more severe than loose stool. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, loose stool, and a refusal to eat the food. Symptoms usually begin soon after the food is ingested and subside after the food has worked its way out of the dogs' system.


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## BillyBoy (Oct 24, 2009)

Everything is starting to make sense now! My 2 dogs, a 6 yr. old male yellow lab (Billy) and a 5 yr old female cocker (Macy) have been on TOTW Pacific Stream for almost a year. They were doing really well on it...until suddenly a month ago Billy started having digestive problems. He has been having episodes of loud noise in his tummy from gas (but would not actually pass gas) at night and will refuse his food the next day. He has also had some bouts vomiting and diarrhea. This was happening on-and-off for a few weeks so I took him to the vet. They did a fecal test and found nothing, an X-ray and found nothing and a blood work-up and again found nothing. The vet even prescribed a Panacur to get rid of any worms that wouldn't show on a fecal exam. He took the meds, but to no avail. Finally, I figured he may have developed an allergy to the food so I have been searching for a food without fish and without lamb (the cocker doesn't tolerate lamb). 

Just today I went out and bought a bag of Blue Buffalo Chicken and brown rice, which wasn't my first choice but brands like Wellness that I wanted to try had fish meal so I was afraid to get it thinking that Billy might have an allergy to it. Now I'm thinking we may have just got a few bad bags of TOTW! I keep all of their food in a container and throw out the bag so I have no idea what batch the past two bags came from. I wish I would have heard of these problems before. Now I am considering going with the Wellness after all.

Just curious did anyone that has a bad experience with Pacific Stream purchase them in Milford, CT? That's where I buy mine.


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## KarliMom (Jan 7, 2009)

My crew are half way through a large bag of TOTW Pacific Stream formula no problems what so ever . Thanks for the heads up but as long as my crew stay healthy and happy on it I'm not switching .


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## Taz Monkey (Sep 2, 2007)

Every animal in my house (12 cats and 3 dogs) has been on TOTW for over a year and I've finally found a food that agrees with everyone.


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## grab (Sep 26, 2009)

We've fed TOTW for well over a year (first Wetlands formula, then Pacific Stream for the past 6 or 7 months) and have had no issues with any digestive upsets. (and we have to buy a bag every three weeks or so) Aesop doesn't like a lot of food (we've tried pretty much every brand available) or gets horrible diarrhea on most. This is one that he really enjoys (rare for him) and has normal digestive functions on. As long as we have no issues, we'll stick with it. If we were to see any reluctance to eat or some sign of illness, we'd obviously reconsider, but have had no such issues. 

Our cats have eaten TOTW as well for quite some time (about a year) and look great as well. We adopted a second Persian a month ago and the difference in coat after just a few weeks on the food was quite impressive.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

2 of my guys have been on TOTW HP formula for over a year....they are doing great!...they have great muscle tone and there coats are shinny...they were previously on Wellness and were having a lot of gas


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## luckysmom (Nov 6, 2009)

I'm new here and was made aware of other peoples pets getting sick from taste of the wild food through another forum. I wanted to share my TOTW experience and hopefully prevent any other dogs from getting sick. 

I was feeding my dogs TOTW pacific salmon for 2 1/2 weeks up until October 28, '09 and my dogs were very very sick. One developed sores around his mouth diarrhea, renal / urinary problems, and were so lethargic they would not even get up except to go to the bathroom. My younger dog was urinating so frequently he started refusing to come in- he slept by the back door only getting up to pee. 

We took them to 2 different vets, and Cornell veterinary school and were told they thought our older dog had cancer, lupus, or kidney stones. Because the younger dog had refused to eat the food at first we thought he was getting the canine flu or a UTI. Unfortunately we were slow to make the connection and after 2 1/2 weeks both dogs were so sick we knew it could only be the food. 

We had a rep from Cornell call Diamond about it and the only thing they would admit was that there was a recall in July 09'- but it was only on a few bags from a certain factory due to too much moisture. We then called about it and she initially denied a recall on Taste of the Wild until my husband flat out asked "was there a recall on this food?" they then confirmed the recall and they said it was due to low-moisture.

To shorten this up a bit- my dogs are still exhibiting renal problems but are finally begin to wag their tails again and get their mojo back. I have sent the food to 2 different labs for independent testing and I hope to have some answers within a week....

Please contact me if your dog has gotten sick as well. I want to compare symptoms for having the food tested. I guess they know what to test for based upon a dogs symptoms?! As of right now I am having the food tested for melamine, aflotoxins, and heavy metals.... but the more symptoms we have the easier it should be to narrow it down. 

And has anyone else noticed that diamond has given at least 2-3 different accounts as why this food was recalled?

I also think we should change the title of this thread from "potential warning" to "WARNING TO ALL TOTW FEEDERS!!! DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER!!!!!!" 

ALSO Wellness is made by the same company that makes TOTW!!! Diamond pet foods manufactures many different pet foods under various names!


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## BillyBoy (Oct 24, 2009)

luckysmom said:


> I
> ALSO Wellness is made by the same company that makes TOTW!!! Diamond pet foods manufactures many different pet foods under various names!


First off, I just want to say I am sorry to hear about your dogs' poor health. I hope they get well soon. My dog's problems while on TOTW were intestinal upset, refusal to eat, bloody & mucus covered diarrhea, and vomiting. I just switched him to Wellness Core and he is starting to do better.

I checked into who manufactures Wellness and it does appear that Diamond manufactures some of Wellness' formulas...but it does not own Wellness like it does TOTW. Wellness (owned by WellPet) uses several manufacturing plants, but they provide their own ingredients and perform their own inspections of the plants. TOTW however is owned by Diamond and therefore has its ingredients provided by Diamond. I wish Diamond didn't manufacture any of Wellness foods, but my guys seem to be doing well on it, and since they use their own ingredients I think I'll stick with it for now.

Please keep us all updated on your findings.


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

luckysmom said:


> I was feeding my dogs TOTW pacific salmon for 2 1/2 weeks up until October 28, '09 and my dogs were very very sick. One developed sores around his mouth diarrhea, renal / urinary problems, and were so lethargic they would not even get up except to go to the bathroom. My younger dog was urinating so frequently he started refusing to come in- he slept by the back door only getting up to pee.
> 
> We took them to 2 different vets, and Cornell veterinary school and were told they thought our older dog had cancer, lupus, or kidney stones. Because the younger dog had refused to eat the food at first we thought he was getting the canine flu or a UTI. Unfortunately we were slow to make the connection and after 2 1/2 weeks both dogs were so sick we knew it could only be the food.


I'm just trying to get the story straight, but you're saying that feeding this food for 2 1/2 weeks caused one of your dogs to either get cancer, lupus, or kidney stones? 

I'm curious as to what your test results will uncover.


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

Aside from all other issues mentioned in this thread about TOTW, I did want to make everyone aware that it does indeed contain ethoxyquin. 

My canine nutritionist called Diamond/TOTW (along with several other dog food manufacturers) and confirmed that TOTW does indeed contain ethoxyquin. Not only is this troubling because ethoxyquin is a known carcinogen, but it is also upsetting because TOTW/Diamond has stated in the past that their foods DO NOT contain ethoxyquin. So... basically a lie/mistruth. 

Additionally, Diamond tried to say that ethoxyquin breaks down during the heating process used to make kibble. This is also NOT true. (Some other more truthful dog food companies actually admitted that it DOES NOT break down in heat. When asked why they use fish meal preserved with ethoxyquin, they honestly replied that it was cheaper... and they'd have to charge more for their food if they got fish meal from sources that did not use ethoxyquin as a preservative. (FYI ethoxyquin is banned from use in food intended for human consumption.. it is a pesticide and has been known to cause reproductive problems, birth defects, cancer, liver and kidney failure). 

For those interested, here is a list of foods that do not contain ethoxyquin: 
ANY Natura product (Innova, Evo, California Naturals) 
Blue Buffalo 
By Nature 
Flint River Ranch 
Fromm 
Merrick 
Petcurean 
Timberwolf 
Wellness 
Orijen 
Acana 
Nature's Variety 
Life's Abundance 
Halo 
Horizon 
Pinnacle 
Canine Caviar 
Eagle Pack 

Just some "food" for thought...


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## luckysmom (Nov 6, 2009)

> I'm just trying to get the story straight, but you're saying that feeding this food for 2 1/2 weeks caused one of your dogs to either get cancer, lupus, or kidney stones?


Oops- I was so angry about the whole thing and on such a mission to tell people to beware, I guess I didn't describe the whole scenario clearly. 

One of my dogs was on taste of the wild salmon formula while the other was on Orijens. I decided to put them both on taste of the wild because the calorie content was much lower than Orijens. In the beginning of October I slowly put them both on and they were fine. Both of my dogs ate it, loved it and seemed to do really well on it. 

On October 14th I bought a new bag and on the 15th my younger dog refused to eat, and and my older dog became very anxious and developed very bad diarrhea. He was acting very strange so we took him to the vet- who thought perhaps he ate something outside and gave him antibiotics. In the meantime the younger dog still refused to eat it so I gave him some mixed with the remaining Orijens and he still wanted no part of it. 

Figuring maybe the younger caught something at doggie daycare and brought it home I did not even consider the food as a source of their illness. After about 3-5 days on the TOTW the older dog developed sores, renal issues, and was acting so strange we were sure it something far more serious than a flu. At that time the younger dog was slowly beginning to eat and seemed fine. So we ended up traveling to take the older to see the vets at Cornell and while there we left the younger with his daycare. The vets at Cornell thought it could be one of the following- kidney stones, bladder cancer, lupus, or he could have had a reaction to something. They told us to wait another week or 2, and if the sores spread bring him in for a biopsy.

When we got home we picked up our other dog and the daycare said he refused to eat while there! After a day or 2 so we began to notice he was also beginning to exhibit anxiety, lethargy, urinate frequently and drink copious amounts of water. It was then that we realized it had to be something in the food.

We immediately took them off the food and within days the sores on my older dogs face began to clear up. We stopped feeding them the TOTW on Oct. 28, and they are both slowly getting back to themselves but still urinating and drinking quit a bit. 

Our biggest issue is that we contacted diamond and had reps from Cornell contact Diamond and we've heard numerous different answers and denials about the recall. We just want answers so we can figure out what caused our dogs to get sick and help them get better. Without some idea of what was in the food their vets have no idea what caused them to get so sick.

Since they started to get better almost immediately after taking them off and Diamond denied the recall on the food, we knew it had to be the food. So the end result is we don't think they got cancer or lupus from the food- but we do think something in the food made them ill and mimicked symptoms of other diseases. Our best guess is aflotoxins which could develop if the foods moisture content or cooking procedure is off. As a side note their blood tests which were off when they were on the food also began to return to normal after taking them off of it.

I am very angry and wanted to let people know about this because Diamond has lied to us and as well as to reps from Cornell we had call them. By lying, refusing to admit the recall or reason as to why they recalled the food it tells us something was off about the food and they were aware of it. 

I would feel a million times better if I thought they had no idea there was problem with the food. I pray the food testing comes back negative because I don't know if I could accept or even wrap my head around the idea that they would knowingly sicken or endanger the life of my dog for a $40. bag of dog food!!! 

Thanks for that info on ethoxyquin- it gives us another idea of what could have made our dogs sick as well as something we should test for.


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## luckysmom (Nov 6, 2009)

Hey I just attached a picture of the sores on my dogs face- (hopefully I did it right...) Anyway when you see the picture it will give a better idea as to why the vets weren't sure if it was some kind of canine melanoma or lupus. 

Because we initially thought it was canine melanoma we took pictures every day in order to tell how quickly it was spreading. After stopping the food started to clear up within days.


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## spitzmaus (Oct 1, 2009)

Sorry I won't feed my animals anything that's made by 
Diamond, also for everyone who are feeding Costco brand
it's made by Diamond.


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

luckysmom said:


> ALSO Wellness is made by the same company that makes TOTW!!! Diamond pet foods manufactures many different pet foods under various names!


I just checked on this. Wellness is not manufactured by Diamond. It is manufactured by Wellpet, Inc. (Wellpet is also now manufacturing Eagle Pack).

Canidae, on the other hand, is manufactured by Diamond (their dry food, not their wet food).


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## Little Hawk 121 (Oct 24, 2010)

luckysmom said:


> I'm new here and was made aware of other peoples pets getting sick from taste of the wild food through another forum. I wanted to share my TOTW experience and hopefully prevent any other dogs from getting sick.
> 
> I was feeding my dogs TOTW pacific salmon for 2 1/2 weeks up until October 28, '09 and my dogs were very very sick. One developed sores around his mouth diarrhea, renal / urinary problems, and were so lethargic they would not even get up except to go to the bathroom. My younger dog was urinating so frequently he started refusing to come in- he slept by the back door only getting up to pee.
> 
> ...



Hello to All,
Thank God, that I found this site because I was needing information on the TOTW Dry Dog Food Recall/s.

I am also new to your forum, and likewise heard about it from another forum.

What follows is the brief version of my event and the results, to-date:

For the past 2 1/2 - 3 weeks, I've been helping my German Shepherd & Siberian Husky, fight for their lives. They were on TOTW Pacific Stream, and we got a 'tainted bag, and some tainted cans' of the Pacific Stream w/Smoked Salmon.

The German Shep got sick 1st, 12 times each, huge volumes of vomiting & diarrhea. She was diagnosed & treated by our Vet, DX: 'Unintentional, Food-Poising; w/excessive fecal-bacteria; Salmonila ). I have owned her for about 8 years and have NEVER seen her so ill.

About 2 days later, the Husky went-into liver-failure; and was DX & Tx by our Vet, who put him on a dual anti-biotic regime.

My Vet advised me to change food, immediately, which I did. After trials of Science Diet, I settled on the Blue Buffalo, Chicken & Brown Rice. They are still listless, etc. but I hope that a few days of the alternative food will help them improve.

*When I contacted the local Distributor for TOTW,* he would not give his name; or give a refund for the 30# bag of dry food, or the 6 cans of the food. Several times during the telephone conversation he said, 'You'll just have to contact TOTW. If they get 2 calls, they'll investigate, but with just 1 call, it won't mean anything.

*I guess he didn't realize that, the German Shepherd's Incident IS Call #1; and the Siberian Husky's Incident IS Call #2.*


Hopefully, here I will be able to figure-out, what-is-safe to feed.

Thank You for Any Input -- Little Hawk 121


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## Linz (Feb 7, 2010)

nikelodeon79 said:


> Aside from all other issues mentioned in this thread about TOTW, I did want to make everyone aware that it does indeed contain ethoxyquin.
> 
> My canine nutritionist called Diamond/TOTW (along with several other dog food manufacturers) and confirmed that TOTW does indeed contain ethoxyquin. Not only is this troubling because ethoxyquin is a known carcinogen, but it is also upsetting because TOTW/Diamond has stated in the past that their foods DO NOT contain ethoxyquin. So... basically a lie/mistruth.
> 
> ...





*** REALLY?! Acana has it too?!?! Serious bummer. My pug is eating Orijen but my Golden got really sick off of it so I was hoping I could switch him from TOTW to Acana and see how he would do. Aren't Acana and Orijen made by the same company? One has ethoxyquin and one doesn't?


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## Yvonne (Aug 6, 2010)

I fed it for about 5 months then everyone of my dogs were ill and that is when they informed me there was an alternative protein source but would not give further info that got into the batch. They did not express concern nor offer vet care or replacement of the food purchased. They did not care about my dogs and were evasive. Never again will I use their products.


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## mitzi (Aug 3, 2010)

The 3 of you do realize this thread is over a year old, right? It's strange because I have seen so many threads with raves about this food in the past month or two that it spurred me to go out and try it. 

I do wonder that there was no follow up to the testing done by the two laboratories.

At any rate Linz, please note that nikelodeon79 said 

*Quote:*
_For those interested, here is a list of foods that do not contain ethoxyquin:
ANY Natura product (Innova, Evo, California Naturals)
Blue Buffalo
By Nature
Flint River Ranch
Fromm
Merrick
Petcurean
Timberwolf
Wellness
Orijen
Acana
Nature's Variety
Life's Abundance
Halo
Horizon
Pinnacle
Canine Caviar
Eagle Pack
_
*End Quote*

Edited to add emphasis that nikelodeon79 said " here is a list of foods that* do not *contain ethoxyquin"


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## Yvonne (Aug 6, 2010)

didnt notice. I clicked the new posts option and it had new posts... I do not have the time nor inclination to go check each threads starting date before I reply while using that option.


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## pandakins (Dec 9, 2009)

So, are there any recent TOTW recalls? I switched my girls to TOTW in July and have gone through 3 40lb bags without any problems.


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## Yvonne (Aug 6, 2010)

No current recalls, but they do not like to admit issues in their food and it does contain ethoxyquin, a proven cancer causing agent.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Yvonne said:


> No current recalls, but they do not like to admit issues in their food and it does contain ethoxyquin, a proven cancer causing agent.


I believe that was changed. I'll try to find the info. They supposedly switched to ethoxyquin-free fish meal recently.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

Yvonne said:


> No current recalls, but they do not like to admit issues in their food and it does contain ethoxyquin, a proven cancer causing agent.


Only the Pacific Salmon formula does, right?? I have been feeding it for a long time to my dogs and I have a dozen or so friends feeding it to their dogs as well. None of us have had any issues with this food. The dogs love it, they look great etc...


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## Linz (Feb 7, 2010)

mitzi said:


> The 3 of you do realize this thread is over a year old, right? It's strange because I have seen so many threads with raves about this food in the past month or two that it spurred me to go out and try it.
> 
> I do wonder that there was no follow up to the testing done by the two laboratories.
> 
> ...




AAAAHH Thank you! I need to read more carefully!


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

Just an update on the ethoxyquin: Diamond has changed their supplier and therefore their foods no longer contain it.


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## Little Hawk 121 (Oct 24, 2010)

Hello, again,
Just wanted to respond to a couple of the comments:

#1. Yes, I did, finally, realize that this post was over a year old. My incident with the TOTW happened about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks ago; and my dogs had been eating it over about a 6-month period. 

What happened with my dogs is that the Retailer that I have dealt with for some 30+ years, was out of both the, dry & canned/wet TOTW foods. So, I went to the 'where to buy,' section of the TOTW website, to find a retailer that was close-by.
I located a Distributor,
Animal Crackers, in Kansas City, Kansas, and purchased a 30# Bag of the Pacific Stream Salmon, and since he only had 6 of the Cans of the Pacific Stream Salmon, I purchased them --- My intent was that when my long-time Retailer received a shipment, that I would return to them, for future purchases.

However, within 7 - 10 days of purchasing from the Animal Crackers Retailer,
I found 1 of the Cans of the Wet food was a MUSHY-CONSISTENCY, about 1/2 of the way, into the can. But my dogs had already been fed from the top-portion of the can. Within a few hours, they became violently-ill, and the rest is in my Original Post.

#2. Thanks to nikelodeon79 for the information on, ' I did want to make everyone aware that it does indeed contain ethoxyquin.'
I was not able to confirm this through the website, www.dogfoodanalysis.com' -- when I first started to research the TOTW brand.
On that website, it states that, 'they (dogfoodanalysis.com) has not been able to confirm whether TOTW uses the ethoxyquin;
but that it is not listed on their (TOTW) ingredients list.'

I am going to contact TOTW - tomorrow/Monday, and talk to them, as their Distributor was not willing, even to give his name; CALL TOTW, or refund the Purchase Prices of any of the Food that was bought from him.
My Vet diagnosed my German Shepherd, who was the 1st to fall-ill, with 'Un-intentional Food Poisoning, excessive Bacteria, of 1 particular type, in the stool. My Husky, went into Liver-Failure, and BOTH of them are just completing their initial antibiotic-treatments.

At this point, I consider this BOTH, a Manufactuing and Distribtorsihp problem. I joined because I wanted to see if any others were having similar problems, and, must tell you that your comments have been a blessing and a great help.
Thank all of you for providing such detailed responses and information. It's good to know that one is, not alone in these circumstances. Bubbie (Husky) & Loki (Germ-Shep), still have a-ways-to-go.
Thanks, again and I will keep everyont Posted & UpDated on the outcome of Mondays telephone call & Bubbie & Loki's progonosis. 
Thank You,
Little Hawk 121



nikelodeon79 said:


> Just an update on the ethoxyquin: Diamond has changed their supplier and therefore their foods no longer contain it.


Nikelodeon79,
I just received the notice about your post and thank you for letting us know about this newest development.

TOTW must now, know that, not only do they have a 'alternative protein-problem,' but also a 'carcinogenic-preservative-issue,' and hope that they will make this information public, and recall the older products, for replacement/s, for those who want replacements.

Please do not think that I am being argumentive or petty,
but Diamond also Manfuctured the Pedigreee (DRY & WET) that caused my Oldest dog, GiGi, to die, a few days before this last, Easter. Then, I found out that, the forums & internet sites were, full of reports and warnings that the Pedigree foods had caused Large, Lung & Abdominal Cancerous Tumors in dogs that were being fed the Pedigree foods, (both long-term & short-term). Guess what she died of ... a Massive Lung tumor, that was not present on her most-recent X-Ray, about 2 weeks before her death!

So, after carefully researching, I switched to TOTW, only to have my 2, last-remaining dogs, become sick from the, care less attitude of another manufacturer; along with their, seemingly, inability to be concerned-enough to alert the public.
In today's world, the manufacturing bottom-line, seems to be focused-on the $, and not, the pet-first.

So, BEFORE TOTW could even begin, to regain my trust, to use their products, ever-again,
I would have to have, verifiable proof of the following:

1. What are they going to use, instead of the ethoxyquin?
2. Who was the Supplier that they used to buy the ethoxyquin from?
3. Who is the New Supplier?

Remember, TOTW, initially said that the ethoxyquin, was burned-off/disapaited, during the baking-period ---- and the research says otherwise. Can we really Trust TOTW to tell us the truth, now; since they haven't previously?

Best Regards,
Little Hawk 121


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## grab (Sep 26, 2009)

My Chow is picky so we're feeding another food at the moment, but prior to that we fed TOTW (Pacific Stream) for a very long while with no issues whatsoever. No digestive upsets, even in my two picky stomached dogs, and I have routine bloodwork done and it has always come back perfect. Even in our 13 year old dog. When my Chow decides he wants a change again, we'll have no issue going back to TOTW.


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## pandakins (Dec 9, 2009)

I'm really glad to hear that they switched the formula. I was worried that I would have to switch foods again.


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## mitzi (Aug 3, 2010)

Jackson's Mom authored this post *Taste of the Wild=ethoxyquin FREE* @ http://www.dogforums.com/dog-food-forum/77844-taste-wild-ethoxyquin-free.html on 05-30-2010 04:06 PM. According to poster _Enhasa_ in that thread, the switch in preservatives was made in June 2010.


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

I know this thread is old, but to let everyone know...I emailed TOTW in early August and was told that they use mixed tocopherols instead of ethoxyquin to preserve their fish meal. I was also told that their suppliers did as well.

And, as a side note--both my dogs are one TOTW and are doing well. We were on HP and now we are on the new Sierra Mountain Canine formula. Both seem to be doing well (and Gracie has decided to eat it!)


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## platinumtlc (Aug 9, 2009)

My dogs love the High Prairie formula! TOTW is my fav food for them and my dogs have had no problems with that brand whatsoever, though I haven't tried the pacific stream formula and probably won't.


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## luckysmom (Nov 6, 2009)

I just happened to notice another diamond recall and figured I'd tell you what happened to my dogs that were sickened by taste of the wild.
When I was trying to alert others in 200 I never thought I'd be writing again in 2012 and telling you both of my dogs have since died. 

Scout died at 6 yrs old from kidney failure, as a direct result of this incident. It was less than a year a later, and we thought he was recovering. Unfortunately he didn't recover-he suffered from kidney failure at age 6. (Supposedly kidney failure is one of the most painful things a living thing can endure)

Lucky, who I posted pictures of had an enlarged spleen from the food, but seemingly also recovered. Unfortunately we found out he had cancer of the spleen a few months ago and he died 2 weeks ago at about 10.5 yrs old, from internal bleeding and cancer of the spleen.
I pray every single night for justice for my dogs Lucky & Scout.

How do the people at "Diamond foods" / "Taste of the wild' that were aware of this sleep at night knowing MANY MANY dogs suffered because of their greed? 

My dogs had to suffer and die because diamond foods feared losing the profit from a $38.00 bag of dog food?


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