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[Crossfire Bulldogs]

The Time Reporter By J. ANN TIPTON, T-R Staff Writer


SHERRODSVILLE – Sherry Miller said she didn’t think twice when her healthy 18-month-old Old English bulldog, Midas, lost his appetite in November.

Sometimes he’d go through periods of pickiness, she said.

“Then one day, he seemed kind of tired,” the Sherrodsville woman said, “but it was nothing out of the ordinary or that would alarm you to take him to the vet.”

Miller said she put the dog in his kennel after he’d been outside for much of the day, only to find him dead 15 minutes later.

The veterinarian told Miller it looked like Midas had been poisoned, but since there are so many types of toxins that can be lethal to a dog, an autopsy or testing would be futile.

So Miller took the body of her deceased friend home to bury him on the family farm, she said. She didn’t focus on the cause of death until she heard about last month’s recall of 19 varieties of Diamond Pet Food. She’d been feeding her five dogs Diamond Pet Food for two years.

“That’s when we started wondering if there was a connection,” she said.

More than 70 dogs nationwide are believed to have died as a result of eating contaminated Diamond Pet Food. The company recalled the food that was shipped to 23 states, including Ohio, after tests showed high levels of aflatoxin. The naturally occurring toxic chemical comes from a fungus found on corn and other grains and causes severe liver damage in animals.

Miller, who said she buys about 50 pounds of dog food per week, discovered one of the Diamond Hi-Energy Dog Food bags she’d been feeding her pets from since November was from one of the possibly contaminated lots.

“I have no way of knowing if (Midas) died because of these toxic chemicals,” Miller said, “but now I have to make sure my dogs are OK.”

Her other four dogs were to go through liver function tests this week, she said. Looking back, Miller said, she thinks her Rottweiler mix dog somehow knew intuitively that something was wrong with the food.

“He wouldn’t eat the food, and I think it may have saved his life,” Miller said. “He buried his food, his bowl and all. He’s a very smart dog.”

Since Miller still has the empty bag from the Diamond Pet Food she purchased, she said she’s been told by the manufacturer that Diamond’s insurance will reimburse her for the tests done on her pets.

“It’s stressful. I look at the dogs as if they are my kids,” Miller said. “Of all the things that could poison them, nobody would ever guess it could be the food.”

Miller said she’s not looking to place blame for her pet’s death but to get the word out that this recalled, potentially deadly food still could be in dog bowls in the area.

“Nothing will bring my dog back,” she said. “My main goal now is to prevent others from feeding this food to their dogs. I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I’ve gone through.”

Area pet food retailers have yanked tons of the food from the shelves since the first announcement Dec. 20 and say they’re doing what they can to help pet owners figure out if their food could be contaminated.

Larry Coulter, owner of Coulter’s Dog and Hunters Supply at New Philadelphia, said the store returned about three tons of food since the recall and has replaced or refunded another two tons for customers who returned bags to the store.

“We’ve had a couple people who’ve said their dogs haven’t been eating as well or just didn’t like the food or some pets that laid around or had bloody diarrhea,” Coulter said. “When they switched to non-contaminated food or to a different brand, the dogs got better right away.”

John Kuczirka, assistant manager at Tractor Supply Co. at New Philadelphia, said the store is just now getting replacement shipments of Diamond Pet Food after almost three weeks of having no stock of the brand.

“People who just now find out they bought contaminated bags can still come in to get a refund,” Kuczirka said.

Shane Satterfield, manager at Agland Co-Op at New Philadelphia, said the business has tried to contact the customers who bought food from the contaminated shipment.

“We’ve had a lot of calls and returns,” Satterfield said. “If people have any questions, call and we can check it out for them. Some are sticking with Diamond, but others are switching to other food.”

[TribalRats]

Oh how sad!