Letter from Merrick to the FDA re: downed stock in pet food (2004)

Just make sure they haven't recently wormed when you let your dog feast on fresh country delicacies. [] Ivermectin is a common horse wormer and the amount they use for horses can kill a medium sized dog many times over. Just a few bites can cause problems.

And moxidectin is used to treat horses, cows, sheep, and goats for worms - pretty commonly - ironically because it is one of the safest and most effective wormers available today. the horse version is called "Quest" and the livestock version is called "Cydectin". There haven't been any reports of moxidectin-related illnesses in dogs, connected with feces consumption, but I've heard of several connected with ivomec - including a good friend who almost lost her dog.

They'd have to have wormed within twenty four hours for it to be a problem. Ivomec is passed almost all at once, which may be part of its danger to dogs - while moxidectin takes longer but exits the system more gradually.

also be careful with Ivermectin in dairy cows - never offer your dog milk from a recently wormed cow. Moxidectin is ok but not ivermectin or in fact any other wormer (moxidectin is not passed into the milk).

I have a new puppy and haven't had a dog in years. The breeder I got my dog from was feeding Merrick foods after reading all this and really not totally understanding it. I am worried about the quality of the food. Should I contact Merrick and ask for my money back?

Hi, candynsc. Contgrats on your new puppy! Can we see pics?? []

There probably is no reason not to keep feeding what you've already bought. This information is here so you can decide if you want to keep on feeding the food and supporting the company. Here#%92s the way I look at it. 1) There are other as good or better foods from better companies with better quality control that are less expensive than Merrick. 2) The Merrick conglomerate consists of Merrick Pet Foods, Hereford Bi-Products, and Tejas Industries. Tejas is the rendering facility and Hereford is a dead stock removal company. Hereford picks up down/dead cattle from ranches in various states for use in pet food among other things. The Merrick CEO is defending not only the use of specified risk material, which on its own may or may not be risky, but the specified risk material comes from the 4D animals, which is where *I* start to have a problem with them/him.

Well I have been using the Wilderness Blend and she isn't super fond of it so I do think I will be putting my money else where. It seems like there are some issues in the company and I perfer not to risk it. I am looking at Canine Cavair.

ORIGINAL: dutchess_belle

This letter was a subject on dogster too and it was pointed out that no where in the letter did the person refer to 4D animals.

"ANPR#%92s proposed rule to prohibit SRM#%92s from all animal food including pet food and prohibiting materials from non ambulatory cattle and dead stock from all animal feed creates the below listed consequences of disposal of pounds that previously could be manufactured into animal feed."

I have tried to post some pics but everything I try says file to large. Do you have any suggestions?

When so many dogs were dying and having bad reactions to proHeart6, (moxidectin was the drug in it) Glenda posted that several dogs had died after eating horse poop after the horse had been treated with moxidectin.  I also heard this from another lady.  I have never checked it out, so I am only repeating what Glenda and Rosemary told me.  Maybe Glenda will see this and tell what she knows.