American Pet Diner brand rabbit feed

[Eli]

I recently posted regarding an alarming ingredient in American Pet Diner's rabbit feed. They have failed to respond to me after several attempts to contact them. I would like all rabbit lovers to be informed about this issue and be very careful of ingredients you do not readily recognize. Please spread the word so that other rabbits do not suffer and die like these poor test subjects!!! ray:

Here is my first email (April 6, 2011):

Hi,

I am wondering why your rabbit feed contains sodium lignosulfonate, a substance that may be toxic to blood, liver, where repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage? Is there a health-related benefit to rabbits associated with such an ingredient?

American Pet Diner's response (April 8, 2011):

Elaine,
Below is the reason this ingredient is in our pellets, this is given to me by my nutritionist:

Sodium Lignosulphonate-digestible “gums” derived from wood pulp to strengthen pellets; reduced dust and fines helps prevent respiratory problems
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Currently my email address [email protected] is not working properly so you are receiving this email from my personal gmail address [email protected] .

Very Truly Yours,
Tina Wilson
American Pet Diner

My response (April 8, 2011):

Hi Ms. Wilson,

I performed a search in Google for "sodium lignosulphonate reduce dust and fines helps prevent respiratory problems" which I derived from your nutritionists reasoning. I only found that it is used for concrete and paving roads. However, when I searched "sodium lignosulphonate uses." I became extremely disturbed by what I found in this National Institute of Health progress report:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1412737/pdf/gut00631-0086.pdf

"extracts of various red seaweeds fed to animals in their drinking water caused ulcerative disease of the colon in several species, including guinea-pigs, rabbits, rats, and mice."
"Mild acid hydrolysis of the native carrageenan produced a degraded product..."
"The degraded product was found to be more ulcerogenic than the native or undegraded carrageenan."
"The most recent work indicates that other high molecular weight sulphated products such as sulphated amylopectin and sodium lignosulphonate cause similar lesions in the colon of animals."
"With low concentrations (0. 1 %) of degraded carrageenan fed in the drinking water, there is no diarrhoea or loss of weight, but occult blood associated with ulceration of the large bowel occurs in about 50% of animals within a period of three months."

Although "No adverse side effects have as yet been reported following the administration of these substances in the treatment of [human] patients or in the feeding of animals," I strongly urge American Pet Diner to discontinue use of such a risky ingredient in their animal feeds. If the main purpose is for binding and reduction of dust for respiratory benefits, there are plenty of options out there that are not as risky. I understand that binders are for cost-efficiency at the very end because a business must compete in a fairly volatile market nowadays. However, imagine if your most loyal customers start complaining about how their beloved pets are sick with colon lesions and those pets start dying from these unexplained lesions. And imagine that those pet owners and their experienced veterinarians began taking notes about what could have caused such things. It is always better to take preventative measures in business before waiting for policy-makers to point their fingers. I see you are the marketing and office manager of American Pet Diner so you definitely understand business far better than I would. It is as your mission statement says:

"The success of American Pet Diner is the health and happiness of the consumer and his pet."

Ms. Wilson, I love my pets very much. I do not have children and do not intend to have children. However, my two rabbits are like children to me. If you have children or pets, then you must understand why I feel so strongly about this. I would love to believe in your company and that they truly provide "healthy cutting edge products."

Please CC Lisa Marshall, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Reese Marshall, Operations Manager as I feel they are also experts in their own right and perhaps together, all three of you may find an even more cost-efficient and safe solution for the pets of America.

If you could all please take the time to read the link above and share your thoughts with me regarding sodium lignosulphonate in your rabbit feed, I would very much appreciate it and am anxious to hear all your thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to hear me out on this very important matter.


Sincerely,
Elaine

My follow-up when American Pet Diner failed to respond (April 13, 2011):

Hi Ms. Wilson,

Since I have not yet received a reply from you regarding the potential dangers of sodium lignosulphonate and understand you may be busy, I am resending my original email below to ensure you have received it.

Please CC Lisa Marshall, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Reese Marshall, Operations Manager.

If you could all please take the time to read the link below and share your thoughts with me regarding sodium lignosulphonate in your rabbit feed, I would very much appreciate it and am anxious to hear all your thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to hear me out on this very important matter.

Sincerely,
Elaine