Australians ONLY - Orijen users alert

Hi there,

I live in Ontario, Canada, and have found a local pet shop that sells Orijen Kitten/Adult formula. Is this food relatively safe to feed to my kitten? Is it only Australia who's received the odd shipments?

I didn't really get a chance to read through the entire thread as I'm in a rush, so I apologize in advance if this has been answered already.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Triv85

Hi there,

I live in Ontario, Canada, and have found a local pet shop that sells Orijen Kitten/Adult formula. Is this food relatively safe to feed to my kitten? Is it only Australia who's received the odd shipments?

I didn't really get a chance to read through the entire thread as I'm in a rush, so I apologize in advance if this has been answered already.

Thank you!

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You wouldn't have needed to read very far to understand that this problem applies to Australia ONLY - and, that it was the result of the food having been irradiated in Australia, prior to sale. Australia is the only country to require the irradiation of this product.

Some of the batches sold in Australia after irradiation "treatment" caused severe neurological damage in many cats - the same batches ("lots") were consumed around the globe without any problems. Here in Canada, I myself fed some Orijen from some of these batches - no problems. The problem was the irradiation, not the product.

What's your problem with BHA and BHT? It's in almost everything you eat that has oils in it, to keep them from going rancid. In fact, when I worked in the health food industry, the distributor and the stores sold BHA and BHT separately, so people could add them to their organic oils to keep them from spoiling.

The other issues with Orijen had to do only with Australia, and was caused by the Australian government.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

The other issues with Orijen had to do only with Australia, and was caused by the Australian government.

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I think, if I understand correctly what I've been reading, the investigation is ongoing. I prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to my cats.

Oddly enough, BHT is still sold in capsule form as an anti-oxidant food supplement.

A quick google search showed me that there is a lot of dispute on any studies, and that most scientists don't think the rodent studies to be applicable to human health. I have better things to worry about.

Originally Posted by Misty8723

I think, if I understand correctly what I've been reading, the investigation is ongoing. I prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to my cats.

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No problem with that. I feed Orijen and am very happy with the results. I'm not going to go into panic mode because of the Australia issue. I believe the problem is only with Australia and therefore my baby will still be getting his Orijen.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

No problem with that. I feed Orijen and am very happy with the results. I'm not going to go into panic mode because of the Australia issue. I believe the problem is only with Australia and therefore my baby will still be getting his Orijen.

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Orijen is just a very small part of my cats' diet. I'm not in "panic mode," but I do think I'm going to be cautious and wait to see if anything else turns up.

I guess we have been moved. Carolinalima I notice that you seem to be stating what is on Champions website. Their website also states no preservatives. One of their reps stated they found BHA/BHT during their testing. What is your point?

Cooking on low temperatures does not preserve ALL nutrients. Nutrient depletion goes up exponentially with temperature. which means any rise in temperature results in nutrient depletion. It would be more correct to say that at lower temperatures you would deplete less nutrients.

Carolinalima you also posted the following

Yosemite, again, I am 100% with you on this...
See, here is the problem: This issue is specific for cats - no other pets were affected by this irradiation, including dogs who were fed Orijen food, that received the same amount of irradiation. The dog food was taken from the market because cats were eating from it, and a couple got sick.
The reason why the Orijen food needed to go through irradiation, is the high protein level, coupled with the low temperature cooking.
With that said, only a hand full of brands imported to Australia are irradiated, and if I am not mistaken, NONE of the previous irradiated foods had been for cats. Which means........ There was no way for Orijen to fully research the treatment safety before the problem surfaced, when there was no data about it. If Orijen asked the government, who was again, applying the treatment, and was told that it was safe, how were they supposed to know? They do not have the same equipment that the government has...
That is why I truly believe it was the responsibility of the government to know and apply the correct level of irradiation to the food, since THEY were the ones doing so. Any treatment to food should be tested before being made available by the government.
I might be completely stupid, but I just do not get the fact that Orijen is being blamed and bashed for this issue.
And sorry, but yes - IMO it is easier to sue a company than the government[/size].

Firstly AQIS stated that Champion was given a choice between heat treatment OR irradiation. Secondly treatment was needed not due to the high protein level but for the fact that it contained a meat product regardless of its quality, however you are correct in that the cooking at a lower temperature than most was also a reason.

You are mistaken, pet foods and cat foods have been irradiated before AND there are also scientific papers and studies proving that cats eating an irradiated diet suffered from leukoencephalomyelopathy. This study specifically relates to what has happened with our cats in Australia. So infact there is data if you just look for it. There is also so many other studies stating other problems that can arise from irradiating a cats diet.

The Government did not tell Champion irradiation was safe. Documents were signed on at least 3 occasions stating that it is up to the manufacturer/importer/agent to decide if the goods are safe for their end use. Sorry you are wrong there as well. Anyone has access to testing laboratories and studies.

In regard to your last line it is not hard to sue a Government if you have a case. My high school sued the Government over funding and won. The association relevant to my brothers profession sued the government and won and there are many other such cases. I do not know if you have spent the last 2 months speaking with several law firms but we have and we do not have a case against them. Trust me if we did we would . When it comes to law facts mean everything, opinions mean nothing so it would be more humble to state facts when talking about law rather than opinions

I would like to invite you to spend months speaking with Champion, AQIS, Biosecurity Australia, Steritech, Neurologists and several Australian law firms regarding this issue and only then may you be able to make educated comments, like Perseus, on this issue.

I don't really see any need to keep reiterating the same information over and over again. Obviously other than you and other Australians the rest of us know nothing so it would be best if we (the ones who don't know anything about it) ceased to post on this issue since we don't have the facts like you folks do. To do so is just going over and over the same old argument, stating our opinion only, and contributes absolutely nothing. I understand the Australians with ill animals are going to be much more passionate about this issue than those of us who aren't dealing with it directly although I do assure you we all feel compassion for those of you who are dealing with sick animals.

The truth will be outed and those responsible will pay restitution we can hope, so in the meantime perhaps it would be best if we just waited for the facts of the case to be presented in court and a judgement issued on this case.

We really appreciate a reply based on thought and looking at the facts rather than emotion. This does not mean you may agree, I know, but this is all we have asked for. Thank you

The only reason we Australians came to your site, filled with cat lovers, was to explain what has happened to us and the lack of treatment we have recieved from a certain PFC, so you could make your own informed decision as to what kind of company you may be supporting (if using their food).

Having to live through this devastation day in day out, I would never want anybody else to go through nursing sick animals due to negligence from PFC's. We came here to warn not argue. I will not go over this. Everything has already been said.

All I would ask is that if this ever happens again in the future PLEASE just ask questions before jumping to conclusions as the lack of educated support has been very hurtful at a time where we have been devastated. I have 2, 1 yr old cats that now have brain damage, spinal cord damage and spastcity. It is possible to debate without being hurtful.

We were just trying to get the word out to always be careful so you will not be going through a similar situation in the future.

Thank you all for your time

Originally Posted by maxymia

We really appreciate a reply based on thought and looking at the facts rather than emotion. This does not mean you may agree, I know, but this is all we have asked for. Thank you

The only reason we Australians came to your site, filled with cat lovers, was to explain what has happened to us and the lack of treatment we have recieved from a certain PFC, so you could make your own informed decision as to what kind of company you may be supporting (if using their food).

Having to live through this devastation day in day out, I would never want anybody else to go through nursing sick animals due to negligence from PFC's. We came here to warn not argue. I will not go over this. Everything has already been said.

All I would ask is that if this ever happens again in the future PLEASE just ask questions before jumping to conclusions as the lack of educated support has been very hurtful at a time where we have been devastated. I have 2, 1 yr old cats that now have brain damage, spinal cord damage and spastcity. It is possible to debate without being hurtful.

We were just trying to get the word out to always be careful so you will not be going through a similar situation in the future.

Thank you all for your time

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You are welcome. I truly feel badly for you and your beloved animals. It must be devastating to you of course.

I do feed Orijen and will continue to do so since I honestly feel it is a worthy food in our part of the world and I don't personally hold them solely responsible as you know already.

I will pray for you and your fellow countrymen that this issue is resolved quickly and that you receive monies to at least help with your vet bills. I also realize no amount of money could pay for the mental agonies you have gone through with your pets.

In the other thread, I posted about e-mailing Orijen about the possibility of BHA/BHT in their pet foods. I asked whether they have since done anything, i.e. changed suppliers, etc. Three days later and still no reply.

Usually when I e-mail a pet food company, I get a reply the next day or at least an automated response that they will get back to me as soon as they can. Nothing from Orijen. I'm quite disappointed because I really did put a lot of trust in them and their food.

I would be able to trust them more if they can be outright and honest, admit they found BHA/BHT, and are fixing that. I would at least trust that they can be honest and can deal with mishaps properly. Or, at the very least, e-mail to say that no, such a claim is not true and their foods have always been free from BHA/BHT. I would think that *any* company would be quick to jump to their own defense if a false claim has been made.

I sent another e-mail because I want a response. I'm also waiting to see what it takes in order for me to get a reply. Customer service to me is important because it's an indication of how companies would react and do if there ever was a recall. I would want prompt and honest answers because my pet's life could be on the line.

Originally Posted by KatGoddess

In the other thread, I posted about e-mailing Orijen about the possibility of BHA/BHT in their pet foods. I asked whether they have since done anything, i.e. changed suppliers, etc. Three days later and still no reply.

Usually when I e-mail a pet food company, I get a reply the next day or at least an automated response that they will get back to me as soon as they can. Nothing from Orijen. I'm quite disappointed because I really did put a lot of trust in them and their food.

I would be able to trust them more if they can be outright and honest, admit they found BHA/BHT, and are fixing that. I would at least trust that they can be honest and can deal with mishaps properly. Or, at the very least, e-mail to say that no, such a claim is not true and their foods have always been free from BHA/BHT. I would think that *any* company would be quick to jump to their own defense if a false claim has been made.

I sent another e-mail because I want a response. I'm also waiting to see what it takes in order for me to get a reply. Customer service to me is important because it's an indication of how companies would react and do if there ever was a recall. I would want prompt and honest answers because my pet's life could be on the line.

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How long ago did you send the email? I emailed Champion before I started feeding Orijen, and it did take them a couple of days to get back to me.

They are a smaller company, so it is possible that, with the recall, they are being inundated with emails and are taking a little longer to respond than usual. Perhaps...I really don't know. I hope you get your response soon.

Yosemite, thank you for your post and I also hope this thread can remain open. As maxymia already stated, the affected pet parents are devastated and they care tremendously about other parents and pets having the same fate one day. They care about changing the laws and having more transparency from the PFCs so other parents and pets don't have the same fate one day. They care about other cat lovers and their cats, that our food supply chain remain safe for all of us. They do this along with the 24x7 care of their sick and dying kitties.

Another affected Australian kitty died yesterday. RIP sweet Tito.

I am hoping Champion is busy regarding the recalls. Though I can confirm they are not busy responding to us in Australia. Many of our emails have been ignored. Some owners only getting a response after sending them several emails over weeks and weeks. Some owners are also still waiting for paperwork (an email attachment) for their Compassionless Underfund (Sorry but that is what we call it here in Australia) since the begining of January.

Originally Posted by Perseus

Yosemite, thank you for your post and I also hope this thread can remain open. As maxymia already stated, the affected pet parents are devastated and they care tremendously about other parents and pets having the same fate one day. They care about changing the laws and having more transparency from the PFCs so other parents and pets don't have the same fate one day. They care about other cat lovers and their cats, that our food supply chain remain safe for all of us. They do this along with the 24x7 care of their sick and dying kitties.

Another affected Australian kitty died yesterday. RIP sweet Tito.

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For the moment we'll keep this thread open, but if it just becomes a "he said, she said" sort of thread with each side reiterating their stance and no new material is added, it may well be better to close the thread until such time as there is some legal action one way or the other to be reported.

Although I support Champion foods myself, I have tried to put myself in your shoes and I have to say I would be as upset and adamant as you folks are who are looking after your sick kitties 24/7.

May those that have passed be playing happily over the rainbow bridge.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

For the moment we'll keep this thread open, but if it just becomes a "he said, she said" sort of thread with each side reiterating their stance and no new material is added, it may well be better to close the thread until such time as there is some legal action one way or the other to be reported.

Although I support Champion foods myself, I have tried to put myself in your shoes and I have to say I would be as upset and adamant as you folks are who are looking after your sick kitties 24/7.

May those that have passed be playing happily over the rainbow bridge.

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Thank you Yosemite. I really appreciate your words of well wishes to all in Australia, I will keep you updated with any new information and as I have always done, stick to facts. I am very aware of the legalities involved.

As I have stated before in terms of kibble and what is on Champions website Orijen does seem to be one of the better kibbles on the market. That is why I fed it to my 2 cats. The only issue is that we have found a few inaccuracies with their website so urge you to do your own research.

I just want to make everyone aware, as with some of the posters here, customer service and being forthcoming with information IS important. One of Champions statements says they will post all test results on their food on their website. This was in early January. They have had results for at least 6 weeks if not more and will not post them and will not answer questions in regards to these results. IMO this is where it MAY involve you all. I am in no way saying your cats will suffer the same syndrome as cats in Australia. We know this is due to irradiation but not due to depleted vitamin levels. I, like most other owners, only fed a small amount of Orijen as part of my cats diet.(Their main meals were always a range of fresh human grade organic meats and the little dry food I left out for them at night was a mixture of Orijen, Advance and dried kangaroo. I know you are all wondering about the kangaroo but here in Australia kangaroo is a meat very high in nutirents and cats love it raw or dried). But I am just wondering why they have not gone public with these test results as they said they would and what else these results may say. They could be fine but until Champion come through with what they stated we will never know.

This is a Nutrition thread so for the sake of all our kitties I would also like to point out that there are many studies/people who state that a diet solely on dry food for cats is asking for problems, mainly due to a cats low thirst drive and sensitive kidneys. Kibble has made feeding our cats easier. I still feed a very small quantity of dry food for snaking throughout the night but am a firm believer that a cats diet should involve much more, and unfortunately have heard that some vets push dry foods for the sake of their business. I so hope this is not true but it does make me wonder. So again please do some research and draw your own conclusions. Since switching my cats to raw, they will not look at ANY canned food.

Big cuddles to all your little kitties

To the people concerned about customer service. below is a copy of an email I received from the pet food suppliers where I purchased the Orijen from.

It is the least we can do to keep our customers updated. I just wish that we were notified earlier about the recall as we have all the email addresses of our customers and could have notified them straight away. It is interesting how the update says they recalled the food on Nov 20. When you go into the document properties of the recall notice pdf file it was actually created on the 22/11/08 and sent to retailers even later than that. It has been very poorly coordinated.

Thanks for your understanding and lets hope an answer is found soon.

I received this email on the 5th December 2008. Approx 3 weeks after the recall one affected cat ownwer actually had to tell a pet supplies store to remove Orijen off their shelves as they still had no idea. We asked Champion about this at the end of Dec 2008. Still waiting for an answer.

Hi all. Below is a copy of an email written by the owner of a beautiful Blue Point Siamese cat affected by Orijen. This person is the instigator of our lobbying campaign to the Australian Government. We are asking for a full review of the Irradiation of Foods/Petfoods and labelling laws in Australia.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time cats in Australia have been affected in this way by consuming irradiated petfood. It has happened before in 2007 (the manufacturer covered it up and threatened litigation against anyone who spoke out) and it will happen again if we do not do anything about it.

I am calling for ALL CAT LOVERS to please help our campaign, by emailing your support for us to the recipients listed below, for the sake of all our feline friends. I believe that sitting back and letting this happen again is pure animal cruelty. Please help us in our bid to stop this cruelty once and for all. We owe this to our beautiful fluffy freinds that bring so much joy to our lives.

If irradiation of petfoods is banned in your country let the Australian Government know. If you feel with all the evidence that irradiating petfoods is cruelty to animals then let our Government know. PLEASE help us help our cats in Australia

In memory of the gorgeous Tito, Hunter, Jamba, Minka, Ollie, Robbie, Coco, Leo, Titus, Biscuit, Armani, Bobby and all the sweet little kitties that have so sadly left us for the rainbow bridge due to the ignorance of many. May they forever be at peace

Re: Gamma Irradiated Orijen affected cats - another death

Forwarding to Dr Georgina Child and posting on all known public pet forums internationally.

Good afternoon,

It must be natural for those of you dealing with your day to day business in a commercially viable and scientific manner to become disassociated to some extent with the emotional component of the fall-out of this whole debacle.

Due to the distress of the family involved it has taken a few days for them to respond to my request for permission to quote their posts on our forum to you all verbatim. I have now obtained that permission. Here is what the family had to say about their cat Tito's last few hours and demise:

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:21 pm Post subject: Poor sick Tito
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Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and extend my sympathies to all in this predicament.

My 13 y.o. grey and white moggie Tito has been sick with Orijen illness since early December. He has been in gradual decline since then and now appears to have levelled out at quadriplegia/incontinence BUT he can lift his head and eat and drink. He has been like this for about 3 weeks and I am almost at the end of my tether as the extensive care he needs is difficult to integrate into full time work, family with 2 kids and 2 dogs etc.

Despite the indignity, Tito seems quite happy in himself. He is an outside cat and insists on staying in his little crevice near the fence. To keep him dry during the recent rain I had to put an outdoor umbrella over him. I have not taken him to the vet because I don't want to upset him - he hates to be confined.

Because he would not eat any food adulterated with vitamins, milk thistle etc he was not getting any supplements until recently. Fortunately he will tolerate bovine colostrum tablets crushed in his food and I have today obtained transdermal glutiathone and methylcobalamin to see if they help at all.

My OH is of the view that Tito couldn't possibly recover from the muscle wasting and debilitation and we should have him PTS. I think that we should wait a bit longer because there have been hints of improvement lately such as he seems more alert, his appetite has definitely improved (up to 3 small meals a day from 2) and there are occasional twitches in his back legs (though they are still mostly stiff).

I suppose what I really want to know is whether any other cats of his vintage have made a recovery and if so, how long it took.


Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:43 pm Post subject:

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Hi again,

Sorry to report that Tito has gone rapidly downhill after eating breakfast on Saturday, that afternoon became unable to eat or drink and has not had any food or water since. When I try to syringe water into his mouth he gags as if he can't swallow.

Our usual vet is scheduled for a visit tomorrow (it's the soonest he could come) and we've cancelled our appt with Georgina as I doubt Tito will last that long.

I'm working from home today so I can keep trying to get some fluids into him, so far to no avail.

Fortunately he doesn't appear to be uncomfortable, but if he's still lingering tomorrow and the vet says he has no prospects, we will have him PTS. We love poor Tito but can't allow his suffering to continue any longer.



Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:46 am Post subject:

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Thank you all for your kind wishes. Tito is gone. The vet thinks it was probably kidney or liver failure. I suspect the kidneys because the urine in the nappy was very dark.

We will miss him so much. He was the calmest most placid cat who used to let my then 2 year old daughter carry him around without a scratch. I suppose that's why he coped so well with being sick. Our kids have known him all their lives. He is now buried in a spot where we are about to plant a lemon and a lime, right near our old dog Dolly.

When I start to regret not taking a more interventionist approach with his illness, I remember he would have hated that. Having been a feral kitten, he was a strictly outdoors only cat, and would panic if in the house, car etc.

Without Orijen we would have definitely had a few more good years with him.

I think that both Orijen and AQIS have a duty of care in this situation. Any indemnification of AQIS by Orijen is between them alone and would not prevent action being taken against AQIS.

Best of luck to all who are still nursing their sick ones. We will be thinking of you often.


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Thank you for reading these posts and I hope they have reached your hearts and not just your minds.



Please, please, please place a ban on all further irradiation of pet food products. Cats in mixed cat/dog households just snacking a little from the dogs' Orijen without themselves ever having eaten cat Orijen, have been affected, so it's not enough to just ban cat food irradiation. And you don't know what it might be doing to dogs' kidneys, livers, brains just because there are no visible effects.

Please revisit my Government on Notice document and read the Public Citizen "Bad Taste" article by Mark Worth. It's a long article but rewards careful scrutiny. Concerns about gamma irradiation of foods have been swept aside for years.

The Cassidy et al. study shows that it has been known since the 1990s that cats fed irradiated diets can develop paralysis and die.

No one disputes the necessity for Australia's foreign-pathogen-free status to be maintained. If it's not good enough in the state it hits our shores, and the manufacturer won't comply with AQIS approved production protocols, send the stuff back.

We don't need it, we don't want it.

We have plenty of good fresh Australian produce and foods produced under approved conditions.

I make no apology for my passion. My cat is crippled as a result of eating this food. Someone/some several is/are responsible and we owners feel we are just in the middle as the hot potato is tossed around over our heads.

I am speaking to lawyers, I am speaking to media, we are speaking to activist and advocacy groups. This is gaining momentum and we will be recognised and vindicated and we will be fully recompensed for our financial losses if not for our emotional trauma.

This could have been avoided. That it was not is unforgiveable.

Thank you

T C[/size]

Full permission to copy/paste and cross post/cross blog but only in its entirety please.