[debbiej]

my husband wrote to canidae and they answered him. they flatly denied selling their company to diamond pet foods. some of the text of the message is the same as others have posted in the letters they recieved. I'm still reading between the lines.
his letter:

Message: We have been loyal Canidae customers & are concerned about the recent buy-out of Canidae by Diamond. We would like to be assured that the quality of the product will not be adversely affected by this given the fact that Diamond is not a high end dog food manufacturer. I would like to pose these questions:
Is Canidae continuing to be made at their facility or is it being moved to the Missouri Diamond facility? If it has been moved, will it be made along side Diamond's middle and lower end products?
Will Canidae continue to use human grade meat? Is the recent change in formulation a result of the Diamond buy-out. Is there a specification sheet that
would certify the grade and amount of ingredients?
We would like to continue using Canidae if we can be assured on these issues. Thank You, John McGinn



their reply:
Dear John,

We have not, nor will we be selling, Canidae is still family owned by same 2 gentlemen who created it. All Canidae ingredients are still and will continue to be raised/grown right her in the USA. You can be sure that the quality your have come to love with Canidae will remain.

Please click on the above link, we have updated our site to insure all your questions are answered about our newly improved formulas. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of that page.

Unfortunately in 2005 Diamond did have a recall. The recall was from Aflatoxin, a toxic mold or fungus commonly found in corn. Aflatoxins are more predominately found in certain drought areas or pockets of the US. The unfortunate recall was suspect to a single Diamond employee failing to follow testing protocols in one of their facilities. The single load of corn also was sold under false pretenses and known by the local farmer to contain unacceptable levels of the fungus.
Due to this tragic situation, many manufactures learned a harsh lesson. All of our suppliers must follow strict protocols set forth by us. No single employee can be responsible for the testing of incoming ingredients. All testing and reporting must be confirmed by a second party. In addition all grains are purchased from a single supplier in low aflatoxin risk areas. Even though CANIDAE does not use corn in any of our products, we are proactive in creating testing procedures to help assure the safety of your pets. Also all CANIDAE formulas are tested during our production runs, and cleared by a supervisor, every 30 minutes to assure the safety of our line. We understand the level of trust you must have with the foods you feed your pets, and it's our responsibility and commitment to deliver!

All of our suppliers must follow strict protocols set forth by us. No single employee can be responsible for the testing of incoming ingredients. All testing and reporting must be confirmed by a second party. In addition all grains are purchased from a single supplier in low aflatoxin risk areas. Even though CANIDAE does not use corn in any of our products, we are proactive in creating testing procedures to help assure the safety of your pets. Also all CANIDAE formulas are tested during our production runs, and cleared by a supervisor, every 30 minutes to assure the safety of our line. We understand the level of trust you must have with the foods you feed your pets, and it's our responsibility and commitment to deliver!

Our quality of raw material as well as quality control has actual increased not decreased. Yes we have diversified our complex carbohydrates as rice continues to climb and high quality availability decreases. Our products are better than ever and more consistent. Yes we have cut costs on shipping rates as fuel continues to go through the roof. To ship pet food from one location is no longer cost effective. Our economy is facing some challenging times and we are being proactive in offering you the highest quality products, yet affordable enough for our consumers to purchase. We are not sure about other companies and their plans for change or their reasons in the past, however we feel we are being open and honest about our changes. We are receiving alot of positive feedback from our customers that are actually feeding their pets our improved formulas, who also refrain from listening to rumors or incorrect information.

We thank thank you for your comments, and hope your pets are able to continue to receive the benefits of our quality products.

Sincerely,
Julie@Team Canidae

I read on a dog food evaluation site that canidae IS made at the diamond plant. I guess they skirted that issue pretty well.

since I just bought a 40# bag, I guess I'll just watch the poop, eyes and coat.