dry food smells different

[m935]

2 nights ago I opened a new bag of Country Acres for the ferals I care for. I noticed immediately that is smelled different. (I dont like the smell at all actually.) Ive been buying this food for months.

So the next mornign I called the company and left a message. In the meantime I took it back to the store and had them open a new bag. It smelled the same. He said he would look into it for me.

I later got a call back from the company saying they did not change the formula and that a darker color is normal however she could not explain the change in smell.

The owner of the pet store called back to say he couldnt get an answer but if the cats are eating it - it should be fine. He said since the situation last year with the pet food - these companies are being extra careful. He even talked to a woman who feeds the same to her ferals and they are eating MORE of it.

Im guessing everything is fine - but I just want more opinions. It makes me even more nervous since the company didnt change the formula and cant tell me why it would smell different...

Am i being paranoid??? The cats are eating it - but I dont need 20+ cats to get sick.

ALSO does anyone know if Country Acres is made by Purina? Thats what the owner of the store said - but I couldnt find it online anywhere.

THANKS!!

 

[xocats]

Oh no...
what a hassle.

I am not familiar with that food but I would trust my gut instinct if I were you....
There could be many reasons why it smells different, some unrelated to it's manufacturing process or it's ingredients.
Storage during transport is just one possibility that comes to mind.
Could it have gone rancid?

I hope a member posts that has used this food.

Sending vibes and a thank you for the care you are giving those 20 fortunate kitties.

PS...I did a google search and found that Mars is the manufacturer of this food...
back in Sept. '08 it was involved in a re-call.
Check the bag for it's info...

Product Name / Bag Size
UPC

Country Acres Cat Food 40#
16603 02181

Below is a link to the site were I found this info....
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...ecalls102.html

 

[carolina]

It just so happens I had a similar problem with Orijen this week.
I bought a 15lb bag for the first time (always bought 5lbs before), and as soon as I opened it, I noticed it was different. The kibbles were much fatter than the ones I was used to, they were lighter in color, and the smell was different. I tried to feed it to the kitties and they didn't like it - even bugsy, who will completely empties his plate was not impressed...
I decided to try one piece of the new one, and another of the old one (orijen is human grade, so it was ok to try), and sure enough the new one had an awful after taste).
I contacted Orijen about a possible bad batch, and they got back to me immediately saying they would check into it, and advising me to go back to the store and get the bag replaced. I went to the store and opened a second bag, with the same batch number, and found the same problem. I refused to take that one also. They gave me 3 of the 5lbs bag, from another batch #, and the kibbles are fine, the way I was used to. The kitties are happily eating it, and I am not freaked out about it.
I personally decided to not feed them the weird kibbles - I am not sure if there was a problem with it, or if they were just different, but my instincts "told" me not to... I rather error to the side of caution...

 

[the_food_lady]

I just searched online. Country Acres is made by PMI Nutrition (not Purina):

http://www.pminutrition.com/main.html

What was the expiry date on the bag?

If it was me, I'd not feed it, I'd not take a chance. Even if a different bag smelled 'funny', I'd be concerned that for some reason it was a 'bad batch' and I wouldn't want to take the chance. Who knows if there was an issue with storage of the lot of food somewhere along the line?

Can you describe the smell? Musty? moldy? stinky? smelly? sour smell? rotten smell?

With that many cats, I'd just not take the chance.

NOTE: I did a search on Google for "Country Acres cat food Purina" and found a few links for country acres horse food.....but couldn't see the link between it and Purina.

BUT...i did find this....in Sept 2008 Country Acres was on the list of foods that were recalled due to Salmonella risk:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.p...lnk=raot&pli=1

Mars Petcare US is recalling 14 brands of dry dog and cat food made
between February and July of this year, after two people who may have
had contact with some of the food became infected with Salmonella. If
you feed your dog or cat any of the brands listed below, here's how to
check the package code.

Recalled brands:

* Pedigree
* Ol' Roy
* Retriever
* Paws & Claws
* Member's Mark
* Natural Dog Food
* Natural Cat Food
* Doggy Bag
* PMI Nutrition
* Red Flannel
* PetPride
* Special Kitty
* Country Acres
* Wegman's Bruiser
* Wegman's Buju & Ziggie

To check whether the package you have is part of the recall, look at
the code under the "Best Before" date.

Here's another article that speaks of the Pet food recall for Salmonella contamination, which includes Country Acres:

http://consumerist.com/5048263/14-br...-food-recalled

Maybe you have a bag that's from that batch?

The last link explains how to determine if the bag you have of the food that's on that list is one that's been recalled (for brands other than Pedigree):

Consumers should look for “17” as the first two digits of the second line.
Sample:
Best By Feb 18 09
17 1445 1

 

[m935]

thanks so much for the research.

It just amazes me how some people will go on and on about how much they know and then be totally wrong. In my online research I saw that it had been recalled and the mention of Mars. I just, you know, trusted this store owner as he bragged about how much he sells, knows etc and its not even a purina food.

So now with THAT said. I will definitely take it back and buy something else for awhile if I have to. Also because my guts DO tell me not to feed them this stuff.

Its not a rancid smell - its just a weird, strong odor - cant really describe it - just turns ME off.

And out of curiosity I am going to look up the info onthe bag too

 

[xocats]

The bag that you have is probably not involved in the Sept '08 recall but....
better safe than sorry.