I almost screamed my head off when I found a dead mouse in my dog’s dry food bag. The mouse looked like it was already flattened and dead for a long time. We bought the bag in February 2011 but didn’t see the dead mouse until this morning. The dog already ate 1/3 of the bag. Yuck!
My dilemma is “Should I throw away the whole bag or continue feeding the dog with it?” I hate to throw the whole bag away, as it is a 35 lbs dog food bag from a reputable dog food manufacturer. It will cost us another $49 to purchase a new one; and with a new baby in the house, I do not really have the luxury to go in and out the store conveniently.
As I thought it through, by nature, we immediately think that it is the manufacturer’s fault, but could it also have come from the storage? From the store? My most main concern is how the mouse died. Could it be from Rat poisoning? From suffocation? From eating too much?
FDA Pet Food Recall
Before writing this article, I went to the FDA website and looked for “Pet Food Recall”. The link is here, if you are interested. The website lists all of the Pet Food Recalls since March 2007. The list includes cat, dog, and horse food products, categorized by brand), that have been recalled since March 2007. There is also a link to report a pet food complaint (click here). One thing I found useful and didn’t think of doing before was to save the original packaging of pet food until the pet food has been consumed. So many people transfer their pet food into a secondary container for convenience and easier handling. The original packaging contains useful information, such as lot/batch number, manufacturing/production date, and which manufacturing plant the product was manufactured from.
I still do not know what to do with the remaining dog food at the moment. I may not go as far as to the FDA, but may call the vet and ask if there is something I should be worried about pertaining to this or possibly inform the dog food customer service about the incident.
I would throw the dog food away, the mouse is already in decomposition, which means bacteria has started to decompose the mouse.You do not know why the mouse died either, maybe from some illness that could be passed on to your dog. I would consider the food to be contaminated. It is cheaper to replace the food than pay a vet bill.
@christina h. Coul you forward me your info? briansangelica@gmail.com. I’ve wanted to do this but don’t know how to get started. I have 3 golden retrievers. We feed Eagle Pack and I to was scared from that big issue with dog food!
Thanks in Advance!
angie
I should always put that I have used Nutro and always have. I don’t know what brand that is, but hopefully it’s not Nutro because I highly recommend it. It’s made with all natural ingredients. Also, you can find your dog food cheaper at Tractor Supply Stores if it is one of those specialty brands not sold at your local grocery or walmart. I agree with an earlier poster about contacting the manufacturer. Attach the photo. Mice generally like dog food. I have had rodent pets that I fed dog food to as a treat. Fish eat it too. 🙂 I wouldn’t think the mouse got poisoned but probably crushed by the weight. Have you ever tried to dig into the food container to get that tiny coupon that ends up at the bottom? It’s tough to get through it, and I’m a human. 🙂 I have been a multiple animal owner my whole life. I’m working on getting a Vet tech, and I have been an animal caretaker at the Akron Zoo. PS: The big cats have mice in their food too, but frozen feeder ones mixed with beef. 🙂
That is pretty gross. My dog does eat mice, being a terrier, but he usually catches them fresh.
Yuck. I’ve been cooking for my dogs ever since the dog food recalls in 2006ish. My dogs are healthier than ever, off all arthritis medicine and my vet/pet medicine bills are about $800 less a year. It does cost more in my time though, but worth it. A good place to start is to learn about recipes is Dr. Richard Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health Dogs and Cats. I’ve sourced out the cheapest ingredients for everything I use for my dogs- let me know if you want more information.
Interesting article. Be careful in future
http://health-and-beautyproducts.blogspot.com/2011/03/best-serrapeptase.html
Jo and Dominique: We usually keep the top of the bag folded. I am still grossed out by the dead mouse, so I am staying away from the bag for now. Until I recover from my state of shock, I will check out the bag for evidence. I have been giving our dog treats (still the same flavoring and manufacturer as the dry dog food, only shaped like cookies) until I get a new bag for him. I will not make it a big deal or hope to get a free bag of food by emailing the manufacturer, but just want to put it in their record just in case. Thank you for your concerns for our dog. We do not want him to get sick either.
This is how our dog looks like. Click on this link: http://twitpic.com/4ak1bz . Too cute to eat contaminated dog food.
Hmmm…Personally I think I would contact the manufacturer/store about it. As Jo pointed out, are you sure the bag was secure, and tear free? Was it possible it crawled into the bag from wherever you kept the bag stored? I wouldn’t go as far as blaming the manufacturer, as you said it’s possible it came from elsewhere, but they may be willing to replace the bag. So it doesn’t hurt to try contacting them.
I’m not really sure why you have a dilemma though…Hopefully this doesn’t come off as sounding snippy or anything, as I don’t mean it that way, but let me ask this. In a different scenario, if you had found this mouse in your box of cereal that you had been feeding to your family (already 1/3 of the box has been consumed) would you continue to feed them with it? I would hope the answer would be no. So why consider continuing to feed this to your dog? It’s not only an issue with rat poison that the mouse may have ingested, but mice carry disease, as well as the fact that this is also a dead animal that has been sitting in, and decomposing in your pet’s food. You’re very lucky that your dog has not gotten sick yet. Why continue to chance it? Forgetting even all that, it’s just disgusting lol. Even though dogs lick and eat various yucky things I won’t mention anyways lol, we as humans know better. And I realize that a box of cereal is not the same in cost as a 35 lb bag of dog food. And I realize how crazy expensive that is ( I have several fur babies myself). But still. No matter how much it would put a dent in my wallet/budget, I wouldn’t continue to feed my loved ones fleshy, or furry, food that something died and is currently rotting in. Please, please throw it out!
Veronica, WOW, that is gross. Good thing you guys found the little guy before your dog ate it! I just bought a large bag of dog food tonight so I am going to be looking for little furry friends over here. Do you guys close the bag tightly wherever you store it? If you do keep the bag closed and after inspecting the bag there are no rips or holes where the mouse could have gotten in then I would definitely call the dog food manufacturer customer service and possibly the store you bought the food from! WIth all those recalls lately on cat/dog food they need to know whats up. Maybe they will send you a new bag of food or coupons for your next purchase!? 🙂