About a month ago, our dog suddenly died. She was only four, a
delightful, loving and slightly crazy Doberman. I did not mention it
in the blog, because it was quite tough to say much about it,
something anyone that has had pets will surely understand.
It was not clear why she died so suddenly, her liver was inflamed, she
had lost her appetite and within twenty four hours she was dead of
something that appeared to be akin to poisoning, but it was hard to
imagine how it could have happened.
Two weeks go we heard from our vet that more cases similar to her had
been happening in Caracas and cities nearby. On Friday, they called us
to find out what we fed the dog and whether we still had some of her
food.
Today, Purina of Venezuela carried full page ads in Caracas
newspapers, saying that as a precautionary measure they were removing
their Dog Chow line of dog food from the market, saying:
“We are taking this action after receiving veterinary reports that
indicate that some pets may have presented health problems due to
their feeding…Despite not having evidence that these reports originate
by the consumption of dog food, we believe that there is some problem
and we want to take precautions to insure the health of the pets and
the confidence of the owners”
I had never heard of this happening anywhere in the world and still
have a hard time imagining what could have caused it. It surprises me
that they are so forthcoming with the problem as it will be very hard
for the company to overcome the news that will surround it.
It does sadden me that by picking the wrong food, I unwittingly had
something to do with her death. I write this, so that anyone with a
dog being fed with Purina products in Venezuela, immediately stop
doing it until the matter is understood.
The Devil's Excrement 
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