When dog owner Missie Carter noticed that her dog had lost her appetite, she knew something wasn’t right. She wasn’t able to figure out what might be making him sick but while she was pouring him his dog food for breakfast, something caught her eye that disturbed her. What looked like a wire was sticking out of a piece of food.
Appalled, she posted her findings on the WSYX ABC 6 Facebook page. She wrote: “My dog has been feeling sick and not eating and couldn’t find anything wrong until this morning making his breakfast I noticed what I thought was a hair and went to pull it out and was surprised it was a wired [embedded] in the grain so I started looking through the bag of pedigree and there is more of the wire throughout the bag of dog food. This needs to get out before a loved one passes from this.”
Another dog owner, Tamela Presser, saw the post about the kibble on Facebook and noticed it was the same kibble she feeds her dog. She told Fox19 WXIX that she went digging through her dog’s food and also found kibble with what she called wire-like objects. “I looked through the pieces that were in his bowl and saw that there was a couple little pieces that I was concerned about in it and couldn’t believe that it really was,” said Tamela. “It was sticking out of it and it’s real small. It looks like a little piece of metal that is bendable, but enough to where if you rub it across your hand, it kind of hurt.”
After WSYX ABC 6 received an outpouring of comments on Facebook about the posted pictures they investigated and approached Mars Petcare, the makers of the PEDIGREE dog food to inquire about the wire-like fibers. According to the company, the fibers are not metal but actually natural fibers, most likely pig hair.
“We can reassure you that the fibers we are seeing is natural fibers. They are perfectly safe for pets to consume,” Dr. Tiffany Bierer of Mars Petcare, told the news channel. As their food is manufactured using meat and bone meal, it’s possible for natural fibers (like pig hair) to end up in the finished kibble.
At least one veterinarian disagrees that the presence of hair is normal. Ohio State University Veterinarian Professor, Valerie Parker said, “It’s not normal that there would be hair in a byproduct, by definition,” she said. “Meat and bone meal should not contain any hoofs, any horns, any fur, any hair, beyond what would be just minimal amounts in a good manufacturing plant.”
The newscast concludes by informing pet owners that the should consult with their veterinarian if they have concerns about their pet’s food because they are able to file a complaint with the FDA. You can see the full report in the video below.
Due to the number of concerned posts, Mars Petcare also sent a written statement, which the news channel posted to Facebook, noting that they conduct hundreds of quality checks each day in their manufacturing plants, including metal detection and reiterate that there are not quality or safety concern with the natural fibers. They encourage consumers with questions to contact them at 1-800-525-5273.
Share this information with your friends who have dogs so they are aware of this concern.
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